Publication Year: - CIAO Search Results

41901. Tolerance, Democracy, and Sufis in Senegal

Author:: Mamadou Diouf
Publication Date:: 01-2013
Content Type:: Book
Institution:: Columbia University Press
Abstract:: This collection critically examines "tolerance," "secularism," and respect for religious "diversity" within a social and political system dominated by Sufi brotherhoods. Through a detailed analysis of Senegal's political economy, essays trace the genealogy and dynamic exchange among these concepts while investigating public spaces and political processes and their reciprocal engagement with the state, Sunni reformist and radical groups, and non-religious organizations. The anthology provides a rich and nuanced historical ethnography of the formation of Senegalese democracy, illuminating the complex trajectory of the Senegalese state and reflecting on similar postcolonial societies. Offering rare perspectives on the country's "successes" since liberation, the volume identifies the role of religion, gender, culture, ethnicity, globalization, politics, and migration in the reconfiguration of the state and society, and it makes an important contribution to democratization theory, Islamic studies, and African studies.
Topic:: Democratization, Islam, Political Economy, History, and Governance
Political Geography:: Africa and Senegal
Publication Identifier:: 9780231162630
Publication Identifier Type:: ISBN

41902. Return of the Dragon: Rising China and Regional Security

Author:: Denny Roy
Publication Date:: 07-2013
Content Type:: Book
Institution:: Columbia University Press
Abstract:: Despite China's effort to maintain peace with its neighbors, its military and economic growth poses an undeniable threat. Regional states must account for a more powerful potential adversary in China, and China has become more ambitious in its efforts to control its surroundings. Historical baggage has only aggravated the situation as China believes it is reclaiming its rightful place after a time of weakness and mistreatment, and other Asia-Pacific countries remember all too well their encounter with Chinese conflict and domination. Through a careful consideration of historical factors and raw data, Denny Roy examines the benefits and consequences of a more politically, economically, and militarily potent China. Since China's intended sphere of influence encroaches on the autonomy of regional states, its attempts to increase its own security have weakened the security of its neighbors. Nevertheless, there is little incentive for Beijing to change a status quo that is mostly good for China, and the PRC thrives through its participation in the global economy and multilateral institutions. Even so, Beijing remains extremely sensitive to challenges to the Chinese Communist Party's legitimacy and believes it is entitled to exercise influence on its periphery. On these issues, nationalism trumps any reluctance to upset the international system. Diplomatic disputes regarding the islands in the South China Sea, as well as controversial relations with North Korea, continue to undermine Chinese promises of positive behavior. Roy's study reveals the dynamics defining this volatile region, in which governments pursue China as an economic partner yet fear Beijing's power to set the rules of engagement.
Topic:: Security, Arms Control and Proliferation, International Trade and Finance, and Military Affairs
Political Geography:: China and East Asia
Publication Identifier:: 9780231159005
Publication Identifier Type:: ISBN

41903. Contemporary Japanese Politics: Institutional Changes and Power Shifts

Author:: Tomohito Shinoda
Publication Date:: 09-2013
Content Type:: Book
Institution:: Columbia University Press
Abstract:: Decentralized policymaking power in Japan had developed under the reign of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), yet in the1990s, institutional changes fundamentally altered Japan's political landscape. Tomohito Shinoda tracks these developments in the operation of and tensions between Japan's political parties and the public's behavior in elections, as well as in the government's ability to coordinate diverse policy preferences and respond to political crises. The selection of Junichiro Koizumi, an anti-mainstream politician, as prime minister in 2001 initiated a power shift to the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and ended LDP rule. Shinoda details these events and Prime Minister Koizumi's use of them to practice strong policymaking leadership. He also outlines the institutional initiatives introduced by the DPJ government and their impact on policymaking, illustrating the importance of balanced centralized institutions and bureaucratic support.
Topic:: Democratization, Political Economy, Politics, and Governance
Political Geography:: Japan and East Asia
Publication Identifier:: 9780231158534
Publication Identifier Type:: ISBN

41904. Green Transformation towards Sustainable Development? A Comparative Analysis of the Green Transformation Concepts by UNEP, OECD, and WBGU through the Lens of Sustainable Development

Author:: Lisa-Marie Althaus
Publication Date:: 05-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Abstract:: Both the concept of sustainable development (SD) and the new green transformation concepts (GTC) aim for the integration of environmental protection and development. Previous comparative research on these GTC is not based on theoretically founded criteria that are related to the established development paradigm of SD. The study closes this research gap by providing a conceptual comparison of different GTC versions as published by UNEP, the OECD, and the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU). The analysis reveals that GTC concepts are indeed based on central goals and principles of SD. Unlike the concept of SD, the GTC acknowledges planetary boundaries as limits to growth. However, the more economy-focused concepts of UNEP and the OECD do not only disregard important social goals but also concerns of intergenerational equity and the globality principle of SD. In contrast, the WBGU focuses on civil society participation and both intra- and intergenerational equity by aiming for decisive institutional changes. It is shown that this GTC partly extends beyond the scope of SD and thus could mark an important step with regard to the further development of the concept.
Topic:: Development and Economics

41905. Women Empowerment: A Case Study of a Refugee Women's Group at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (Appendix E)

Author:: Malose Langa
Publication Date:: 12-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
Abstract:: This report evaluates the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation's (CSVR's) work with a group of refugee women affected by torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Over a period of six years, facilitators from CSVR met with a group of refugee women with the overall aim of facilitating their economic and social empowerment and setting in motion their integration into mainstream South African society. The intervention broke the stereotypes that cast refugee women as helpless victims who are in need of 'hand-outs' by galvanising their self-reliance and agency to form an organisation that will advocate for refugee rights and establish income-generating projects. This evaluation was conducted as part of the critical reflection process that fed into CSVR's development of a model for community intervention to address torture, detailed in Finding our way: Developing a community work model for addressing torture.
Topic:: Women, Refugees, Violence, and Reconciliation
Political Geography:: Africa and South Africa

41906. African Union Transitional Justice Policy Framework in Practice: Implementing Accountability Measures

Author:: Jasmina Brankovic
Publication Date:: 05-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
Abstract:: Based on work by Naomi Roht-Arriaza, this brief focuses on a central aspect of transitional justice: preventing impunity for past human rights abuses. Drawing on lessons from Latin America, the brief outlines several accountability processes available to African Union member states and African civil society organisations, the strengths and challenges of implementing these official processes at the national level and strategies for promoting accountability that have proven useful in diverse country contexts. It discusses regional litigation and domestic prosecutions, as well as reparations, truth telling and community‐based justice mechanisms.
Topic:: Human Rights, Transitional Justice, Accountability, and African Union
Political Geography:: Africa, South Africa, and Latin America

41907. Homophobia, Injustice and 'Corrective Rape' in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Author:: Kylie Thomas
Publication Date:: 04-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
Abstract:: This report offers a critique of the terms 'corrective rape' and 'curative rape' and argues for careful and nuanced application of the concept of 'hate crimes'. The report focuses on a particular, individual life history and experience of trauma. It also argues for understanding gender‐based violence as structural violence.
Topic:: Gender Based Violence, Rape, LGBT+, Sexual Violence, Hate Crimes, and Homophobia
Political Geography:: Africa and South Africa

41908. The Power of Naming: 'Senseless Violence' and Violent Law in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Author:: Kylie Thomas
Publication Date:: 04-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
Abstract:: This report focuses on vigilantism, on the practice of 'necklacing' as a form of punishment, and on police violence in South Africa post-apartheid. The report engages with a series of questions about how popular forms of justice are imagined and enacted and about what the persistence of forms of violent punishment that originated during apartheid signifies in South Africa today. The report explores some of the complex reasons why people understand violence to be a means for achieving justice. It considers issues related to collective violence, violence connected to service delivery protests, and violence widely understood by perpetrators, onlookers, and researchers to be punitive in intent. It contests the idea that such forms of violence are 'senseless', arguing that to do so is to evade the question of how violence is bound to the political order, both past and present.
Topic:: Apartheid, Law, Violence, and Vigilantism
Political Geography:: Africa and South Africa

41909. The Persistence of Military Identities among Ex-Combatants in South Africa

Author:: Maringira Godfrey and Jasmina Brankovic
Publication Date:: 04-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
Abstract:: This report focuses on the ways in which ex-combatants have remained militarised at both an individual and a collective level in post-apartheid South Africa. It argues that ex-combatants' military identities and skills can be both beneficial and detrimental to their families, communities and the state. For this reason, as long as DDRR programmes remain short-term processes aimed chiefly at disarming ex-combatants without addressing their ongoing needs in highly unequal and violent societies, the demilitarisation of ex-combatants' minds and everyday lives will be an unattainable goal.
Topic:: Violence, Reconciliation, and Military
Political Geography:: Africa and South Africa

41910. Opportunities and Challenges of South-South Partnership: Reflections on a Collaborative Research Project on Violence and Transition in Africa

Author:: Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
Publication Date:: 04-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
Abstract:: This report reflects on the experience of four South-based organisations in conducting collaborative research on violence and transition in Africa. It explores some of the challenges and opportunities offered by working collaboratively on common themes across different contexts with research partners with diverse goals and institutional arrangements, and seeks to draw some lessons for how such partnerships can benefit individual organisations and research on violence more generally. The report is based on the final project meeting where partners engaged in a joint reflection on more than three years of collaboration.
Topic:: Partnerships, Transitional Justice, Violence, and Collaboration
Political Geography:: Africa and South Africa

41911. Exploring Experiences of Torture and CIDT That Occurred in South Africa Amongst Non-Nationals Living in Johannesburg

Author:: Malose Langa
Publication Date:: 02-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
Abstract:: This report is a part of the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR), Trauma and Transition Project, to understand changing patterns of torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment (CIDT) in the new South Africa. This report specifically looks at the experiences of torture and CIDT amongst non‐nationals in South Africa. The paper presents findings from desk reviews and primary research carried out in Hillbrow (in Johannesburg).
Topic:: Torture, Citizenship, Trauma, and Violence
Political Geography:: Africa and South Africa

41912. 2013-2014 Guide to Women Leaders in International Affairs

Author:: Women's Foreign Policy Group (WFPG)
Publication Date:: 08-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Women's Foreign Policy Group (WFPG)
Abstract:: WFPG's Guide to Women Leaders in International Affairs highlights women shaping foreign policy around the world and the role that they play as leaders, diplomats, and policymakers. The Guide provides an index of prominent women from across the international community, including heads of state and government, government ministers and diplomats, and leaders of international organizations and corporations.
Topic:: Foreign Policy, Government, United Nations, Women, Leadership, and NGOs
Political Geography:: Global Focus

41913. Agriculture as a Potent Economic Growth Driver for the Nigerian Economy

Author:: Daniel S. Ugwu, Emeka Nzeh, and Uzochukwu Amakom
Publication Date:: 10-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: African Heritage Institution (AfriHeritage)
Abstract:: This study is an attempt to assess the place of agriculture as a potent economic growth driver in the Nigerian economy. Essentially, the study explores information concerning the critical roles of agriculture to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and or economic growth of Nigeria; the study went forward to identify various endogenous and exogenous factors that have hindered the maximum performance of the agricultural sector in the country. Furthermore, the study, identifies other economic growth drivers that can accelerate the repositioning of agriculture as a major economic growth driver in Nigeria and Africa and finally, the study explores the various strategies that can be adopted to position Nigeria and indeed Africa on the path of prosperity through the development of the agricultural sector of the economy. The primary objective of the study is to explore ways of enhancing economic growth through agriculture by virtue of its potency as a major growth driver of the Nigerian economy and the African continent as a whole.
Topic:: Agriculture, Development, Poverty, Food, Economy, and Economic Growth
Political Geography:: Africa and Nigeria

41914. Public Financial Management and Fiscal Outcomes in Nigeria : Empirical Evidence

Author:: Kanayo Ogujiuba and Harrison Okafor
Publication Date:: 06-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: African Heritage Institution (AfriHeritage)
Abstract:: This study analysed the relationship between public financial management systems and fiscal outcomes in Nigeria. The findings indicate that institutional factors such as corruption and literacy rate affect the institutional pillars of PFM in Nigeria. The pillars include governance structure, accountability, transparency and predictability. Poor budget coordinating institutions, lack of respect for the rule of law, weak fundamentals of appropriation templates and contract management and poor accounting systems are the critical factors undermining the ability of these pillars to positively influence fiscal outcomes in Nigeria. Thus, the need to critically improve the index of capture, budget institutions and the coordination of the MDA’s capital budgeting system through integrated and systematic accounting system cannot be overemphasized.
Topic:: Finance, Accountability, Fiscal Policy, and Economic Management
Political Geography:: Africa and Nigeria

41915. Conclusions of the Warsaw Dialogue for Democracy

Author:: Jerzy Pomianowski
Publication Date:: 01-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Center for the Opening and Development of Latin America (CADAL)
Abstract:: Our discussion made me realise, once again, that democracy has one very important feature, brought to our attention by our friend from Libya: “Democracy has a price which has to be paid.” Indeed, there is a price that we have to pay for democracy. This applies equally to individual nations and international relations. I shall never forget the bitter, but how true remark made by a participant from Syria who reminded us that Kaddafi, Assad, Ben Ali or Mubarak could continue to act as long as we, representatives of democratic countries, shook hands with them. This is an important issue postulating that international relations be built on values.
Topic:: International Relations, Politics, Democracy, and Dialogue
Political Geography:: Poland, Libya, and North Africa

41916. La Pampa, the District with the Most Competitive Primaries

Author:: Adrian Lucardi, Gabriel C. Salvia, and Lara Jeich
Publication Date:: 09-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Center for the Opening and Development of Latin America (CADAL)
Abstract:: The internal competitiveness of the 2013 primary elections (PASO) was very low, indicating that parties/alliances remain far from a political opening that involves citizens in the selection of candidates for general elections. In that regard, with the purpose of evaluating compliance with the objectives of the law which enabled the PASO elections to take place, the following is an index that measures the competitiveness of the primaries this year. The internal competitiveness of the 2013 primary elections (PASO) was very low, indicating that parties/alliances remain far from a political opening that involves citizens in the selection of candidates for general elections. In that regard, with the purpose of evaluating compliance with the objectives of the law which enabled the PASO elections to take place, the following is an index that measures the competitiveness of the primaries this year.
Topic:: Elections, Domestic Politics, and Political Parties
Political Geography:: Argentina and South America

41917. Conclusions of the 17th Forum 2000 Conference

Author:: Gareth Evans
Publication Date:: 10-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Center for the Opening and Development of Latin America (CADAL)
Abstract:: A constantly recurring theme in our discussions has been the extent to which a country’s, or group of countries’, distinctive history and culture impacts on what can be done and how quickly it can be done when it comes to both initiating and sustaining transitions from authoritarianism to democracy, and in particular whether revolutions are likely to consolidate or collapse.
Topic:: Authoritarianism, Democracy, Conference, Transition, and Society
Political Geography:: Global Focus

41918. The Politics of Sectarianism

Author:: Toby Mathiesen, Marc Lynch, Fanar Haddad, Christian Caryl, and Geneive Abdo
Publication Date:: 11-2013
Content Type:: Research Paper
Institution:: Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS)
Abstract:: A group of Syrian-Americans arrived at an academic conference at Lehigh University last week in Bashar al-Assad t-shirts and draped in Syrian flags adorned with Assad’s face. They repeatedly heckled and interrupted speakers, and one told an opposition figure that he deserved a bullet in the head. When a speaker showed a slide picturing dead Syrian children, they burst into loud applause. When another speaker cynically predicted that Bashar would win a 2014 presidential vote, they cheered. In the final session, they aggressively interrupted and denounced a Lebanese journalist, with one ultimately throwing his shoe at the stage. The panel degenerated into a screaming match, until police arrived to clear the room. This spectacle might seem notable in that it unfolded at a U.S. university, but otherwise it would pass for an alarmingly normal day at the office in today’s toxically polarized Middle East. Such intense mutual hostility, irreconcilable narratives, and public denunciations are typical of any number of highly polarized political arenas across the region. A similar scene between supporters and opponents of Egypt’s military coup is all too easily imagined — just add bullets. That’s why the disproportionate focus on sectarian conflict as the defining feature of the emerging Middle East seems dangerously misplaced. Sunni-Shiite tensions are only one manifestation of how a number of deeper trends have come together in recent years to give frightening new power to identity politics writ large. The explosion of Sunni-Shiite conflict in recent years has very little do to with intrinsic religious differences or with 1,400 years of Islamic history. It should instead be understood as an entirely typical example of identity politics, one in which sectarian differences happen to be the most easily available to politicians hoping to exploit them for cynical purposes. It looks much the same as the ethnic and religious polarization that ripped apart the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. The sectarian polarization in Bahrain or Syria has followed very similar patterns to the Islamist-secularist polarization in Egypt and Tunisia. Responding to these sectarian tensions by embracing authoritarian states, focusing on religious authorities or exegesis, or promoting cross-sectarian reconciliation will miss the point. Today’s sectarianism is political to the core — even if it increasingly seems at risk of racing beyond the control of its cynical enablers. Interpreting Sunni-Shiite conflict as just another manifestation of a millennia-old conflict repeats a broadly essentialist position which tends to be the first resort every time ethnic or sectarian violence breaks out. Such approaches tend to focus on intrinsic, deeply rooted, and irreconcilable cultural differences between groups which can always pose a risk of escalation to violence (think Robert Kaplan’s Balkan Ghosts, which supposedly convinced Bill Clinton of the inevitability of Yugoslav ethnic slaughters). Evidence of decades of coexistence or intermarriage rarely impresses proponents of an essentialist approach. These differences might be latent for long periods of time, but given the opportunity — electoral mobilization, state failure, sudden explosions of local violence — people will tend to fall back on these deep identities. Such arguments tend to lead toward solutions involving the heavy hand of authoritarian states to suppress these supposedly inevitable violent tendencies, or toward partition into ethnic enclaves if state collapse has gone too far.
Topic:: Sectarianism, Political Science, Sunni, and Shia
Political Geography:: Middle East

41919. The Political Science of Syria’s War

Author:: Marc Lynch, Fotini Christia, Laia Balcells, James Fearon, and Roger Petersen
Publication Date:: 12-2013
Content Type:: Research Paper
Institution:: Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS)
Abstract:: Arab Uprisings, Civil War, Spotlight, Syria POMEPS Studies 5: The Political Science of Syria’s War POMEPS Studies 5The Political Science of Syria’s War POMEPS Studies 5 – December 18, 2013 * For more references on Syria and civil wars click here. Syria is about to enter its third year of a brutal conflict which has killed more than 100,000 people and driven millions from their homes. What began as a peaceful civil uprising inspired by the successful Egyptian and Tunisian uprisings has long since devolved into a complex, protracted civil war fueled by an array of external interventions on all sides. It’s hardly the first complex civil war to scar the modern world, though. Indeed, the study of civil wars is arguably among the richest current research programs in all of political science. So what does the political science literature on civil wars and insurgencies have to say about Syria’s evolving war and how it might be ended? To find out, last month I convened a workshop through the Project on Middle East Political Science (which also sponsors the Middle East Channel). I invited more than a dozen of the leading scholars of civil wars to write memos applying their research to the Syrian case. These scholars were joined by a number of Syria specialists, and a range of current and former U.S. government officials with responsibility for Syria. This special POMEPS Brief collects the memos prepared for that conference, along with several articles previously published on the Middle East Channel. The overall conclusion of most of the contributors will come as no surprise: The prospects for either a military or a negotiated resolution of Syria’s war are exceedingly grim. But that’s only part of the story. More interesting, perhaps, are the reasons that Syria seems so resistant to resolution — and how international policies have contributed to the problem.
Topic:: Conflict, Syrian War, and Political Science
Political Geography:: Middle East and Syria

41920. Direct Social Expenditures: A Monitoring Guide for Civil Society Organizations

Author:: Rocio Lopez
Publication Date:: 06-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Natural Resource Governance Institute
Abstract:: This paper provides civil society organizations with different strategies to obtain and analyze detailed information on direct social expenditures (DSE) by companies. It also provides civil society with useful lessons on advancing the transparency agenda in this area. The World Bank defines corporate social responsibility (CSR) as “companies’ commitment to contribute to sustainable economic development by working with employees, their families, the local community and society at large to improve their quality of life in a way that is beneficial for business and also for development.” Extractive industries engage in CSR because their activities are considered among the most environmentally and socially disruptive and it is critically important for them to secure their “social licenses to operate.” As part of their CSR extractive companies invest significant amounts of resources to undertake social development programs; in 2001, oil, gas and mining companies disbursed more than $500 million in community development programs. These expenditures can have a large impact on small local economies. When poorly conceived and implemented, they can lead to corruption and undermine government authorities and institutions. In addition, these resources are obtained on the basis of concessions of oil, gas and minerals that belong to citizens. Companies receive fiscal concessions or incentives from the social activities undertaken in the countries where they operate. All these reasons make it imperative that civil society organizations monitor DSE to ensure they are spent effectively. Companies can employ different mechanisms to disburse DSE. These could be a function of program objectives and other contextual factors. A company might implement different mechanisms in different countries. It could use public or private disbursement channels, or a combination of both. CSOs need to understand these mechanisms and their pros and cons in order to monitor them. The paper studies the experience of two CSOs—Grupo Propuesta Ciudadana (GPC) in Peru and Instituto Brasileiro de Análises Sociais e Econômicas (IBASE) in Brazil—that successfully made extractive companies disclose information on their expenditures and have since monitored and evaluated the impact of these expenditures. Both CSOs created transparency indices and performed social audits to rigorously assess and rank company performance and undertake evidence-based policy advocacy. GPC successfully obtained information from more than 30 companies on $900 billion worth of social expenditures, and IBASE convinced over 300 private companies to disclose their social audits. The paper also explores experiences of countries that have negotiated including direct social expenditures in the disclosure requirements of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). Despite progress in companies disclosing relevant data in recent years, transparency of direct social expenditures is more the exception than the norm. Companies should improve their reporting by providing detailed information about the types of projects funded, the objective of such projects, the amounts disbursed, and the persons responsible for allocating these resources. Contracts that include social expenditure obligations should be available for public consumption.
Topic:: Civil Society, Governance, Business, Extractive Industries, and Social Responsibility
Political Geography:: Global Focus

41921. Subnational Oil, Gas and Mineral Revenue Management

Author:: Andrew Bauer
Publication Date:: 07-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Natural Resource Governance Institute
Abstract:: This paper discusses challenges and approaches in managing resource revenues at the subnational level. Subnational resource-rich governments face distinct challenges in managing revenues from volatile, exhaustible resources. These include: unpredictable and discretionary resource revenue transfers between national and subnational governments, which can undermine development planning; resource revenue volatility which can lead to wasteful spending, poor quality investments; over the longer term, the finite nature of oil, gas and mineral revenues can lead to a long period of economic growth followed by a depression; and difficulty in scaling up public investment efficiently when experiencing a revenue windfall. To address revenue volatility, subnational governments can “smooth” expenditures by delinking revenues from expenditures. When revenues are unexpectedly high, governments can run a surplus, to be saved or used to pay down public debt. When revenues are unexpectedly low, they can draw on those savings or borrow. To prevent long-term booms and busts, governments can also save a portion of resource revenues for future generations, as well as invest in the local economy to generate future growth. Fiscal rules can underpin these policies, constraining government spending decisions and compelling government bodies to adopt a long-term perspective on public finances. Development planning can help prepare resource-rich regions for life after their oil, gas or minerals have been depleted. Planning helps prevent shortsighted reactions to temporary ebbs and flows in oil or mineral revenues, helps define the role of the resource sector in development, and lays the groundwork for a thriving post-extractive economy.
Topic:: Oil, Governance, Gas, Tax Systems, Diversification, Revenue Management, and Minerals
Political Geography:: Global Focus

41922. Local Content Initiatives: Enhancing the Subnational Benefits of the Oil, Gas and Mining Sectors

Author:: Natural Resource Governance Institute
Publication Date:: 07-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Natural Resource Governance Institute
Abstract:: Resource-rich regions usually expect and strive for local economies to benefit from oil, gas and mineral projects. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. These regions do not always know how to take advantage of extractive activities to create sustainable economic development, be it creating jobs and developing local businesses or building skills and improving technologies. Local content is the processes of building such economic capital at the national and subnational level, and meeting set public policy objectives. This paper offers guidance on designing and implementing local content initiatives in the oil, gas and mining sectors to ensure economic sustainability within producing regions. It aims to answer the question of how national and subnational governments, industry and civil society can maximize local benefits through partnerships among governments, companies and civil society organizations (CSOs). Governments should set clear targets based on which companies should make commitments and publish transparent reports on results. CSOs can then analyze the results and monitor progress of local content initiatives.
Topic:: Oil, Natural Resources, Governance, Gas, Mining, and Extractive Industries
Political Geography:: Global Focus

41923. Trip Modeling and Cost Analysis for Public Road Transport System for the City of Lusaka

Author:: Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis & Research (ZIPAR) and ROM Transportation Engineering Ltd.
Publication Date:: 12-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR)
Abstract:: The increase in the use of private motor vehicles for routine travel within the City of Lusaka suggests weakness in the Public Transport (PT) system. Regrettably, the majority of the intra-city travelers have to accept an ineffective and inefficient PT system or resort to walking/cycling whereas those who can afford turn to private motoring. . It is evident that the less privileged travelers of the City are the most affected by the weaknesses of the current PT system. The current PT fares are unsustainably high and service levels undesirable. This is largely owes to the minimal regulation approach to public transport operations in Zambia. The commitment by Government to invest in transport infrastructure such as ring roads, filter lanes and traffic light is backed by the realization that intra-city travel is becoming more and more problematic and that the situation would become unsustainable in future if it were to be left unaddressed. These measures will substantially tackle a lot of the emerging local travel problems, but the need to examine the current travel demand management and its effectiveness in promotion of public transport usage is equally important. Additional measures will be required to enhance PT services provision, making it more efficient, effective and affordable. Enhanced PT services are expected to engender a reduction in dependency on private motoring and the associated traffic congestion concerns on one hand and an increase PT usage on the other. In this research we investigated some of the key features of the PT system in the City of Lusaka, model its trips and analyses its costs. Our analysis is based on a survey of bus services, covering approximately 50 bus routes and over 1,700 passengers. GPS data was also gathered for purposes of modelling trips and charting bus routes. In our analysis we considered aspects of service specifications, current level of service, fuel consumption, revenue, average trip costs, driver expenses, operator expenses and bus revenue allocation. Most of these aspects were found to be far off from the international best practice and international benchmarking. Our research concluded that the PT system for Lusaka fails to sufficiently meet the routine travel requirements of the majority. Finally, we recommend some measure that could be considered to address the issues arising and to better manage the travel demand of the City’s population. These measures are first highlighted in isolation because they can be implemented as such. However, we recommend combining all the measures into a single set of actions which can be implemented in stages in order to harness the synergies of a joint implementation which could yield up to as much as 48 percent PT fare reduction.
Topic:: Infrastructure, Transportation, and Public Investment
Political Geography:: Zambia and Africa

41924. The Birth, Death and Survival of Exports in Zambia 1999 - 2011

Author:: Bernard Banda and Joseph Simumba
Publication Date:: 11-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR)
Abstract:: This paper deals with the dynamics of Zambia’s export performance, analyzing the birth, death and persistence of exporting in various products and destinations. We use a framework that has recently proliferated in international trade to decompose the growth of Zambia’s exports into an “intensive” and “extensive” margin. Our results show that the extensive margin is the dominant driver of export growth in Zambia. We attribute the poor performance of the intensive margin to the low survival among exporters that hardly lasts for more than a year. Our findings imply that interventions to support new-exporting should be encouraged. But it also raises key questions on the sustainability of export growth in the long-run. Therefore, we propose that interventions should target improving the duration of survival among exporters and deepen their intensity of exporting once they are able to survive longer. In conclusion, there is urgent need to carefully understand the factors that are responsible for the high mortality among exporters within the first year of birth.
Topic:: Economics, International Trade and Finance, and Exports
Political Geography:: Africa and Zambia

41925. The Distribution of Household Income and the Middle Class in Zambia

Author:: Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis & Research (ZIPAR)
Publication Date:: 12-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR)
Abstract:: The middle class is increasingly becoming a topical issue in Zambia. However, the lack of a definitive measure of the middle class in the country makes it difficult to have targeted policies on this group of people, perceived worldwide to be the drivers of economic growth. With high and rising income inequality in Zambia, we propose two operational definitions of the middle class by exploring the middle class from a median perspective and from a ‘relative affluence’ perspective. Defining the middle class on the basis of the ‘actual middle’ versus ‘relative affluence’ provides vastly different pictures. The results show that individuals and households that fall in the ‘relative affluence’ group have achieved a modest standard of living and are actually near the top of the country’s income ladder while households in the actual middle of the income distribution in Zambia have a standard of living well below what can be perceived as a ‘middle-class lifestyle’ elsewhere. This requires targeted policy designs when referring to changes in the economic status of the Zambian middle class. We propose a household income distribution framework which combines both the actual middle households and the relatively affluent middle households to create an enabling environment for inclusive growth policies, rather than just pro-poor policies.
Topic:: Income Inequality, Economic Growth, Middle Class, and Household Income
Political Geography:: Africa and Zambia

41926. A Proposition “Bhutan is a Democracy”: Beyond the Constricted, Popular Wisdom of “Democracy”

Author:: Katsu Masaki
Publication Date:: 10-2013
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Journal of Bhutan Studies
Institution:: Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:: This article seeks to dissect, with reference to Bhutan’s polity, how the Eurocentric, popular wisdom of democracy, privileging liberal democracy, inadvertently enforces closure to other plausible, non-liberalistic interpretations. In Bhutan, the monarchy and Buddhism carry moral authorities constraining the arbitrary use of governmental power, and nurturing associative bonds in society. This “natural democracy” contravenes the orthodoxy of liberal democracy, according to which the state, as a neutral arbiter, must not accord a special status to any leader or religion. For this reason, political analysts tend to doubt whether Bhutan is a democracy. The circumscribed, liberal-democratic notion emanates from the history in which European universalism has been fabricated as a universal standard to be disseminated throughout the globe. It has thus served to rank different societies in a linear trajectory that positions Europe at the pinnacle of “progress”. The case of Bhutan potentially helps to rectify the constricted wisdom of democracy, to facilitate more open, thorough deliberations, and to start conceptualizing a multipolar world.
Topic:: Government, Democracy, Multipolarity, and Eurocentrism
Political Geography:: South Asia and Bhutan

41927. Was Tobacco Described in Bhutanese Buddhist Texts Before the 16th Century?

Author:: Michael Givel and Rebecca A. Sherry
Publication Date:: 10-2013
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Journal of Bhutan Studies
Institution:: Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:: The small Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan has banned tobacco sales since 2004, citing prophets of the country's state religion, Mahayana Buddhism, who described the evils of tobacco 200 years before its introduction to Asia. To address whether tobacco really is the plant designated in these early texts, we commissioned new translations of these documents, including one of the first translations out of Choekey of the first legal code of Bhutan, known as “The Golden Yoke of Legal Edicts.” A set of allegorical stories predict that a demon will make a plant appear that will be smoked, sniffed or eaten, and will cause a myriad of physical and societal ills. The stories in the ancient documents are allegorical and apocryphal (in the sense of mystic and esoteric) and do not describe the plant in enough detail to identify it as any real plant. In some cases, the word “thamakha,” meaning “the very worst black poison,” was transliterated as tobacco. Nevertheless, modern day interpretations in Bhutan of “thamakha” as tobacco are congruent with Buddhist tenets that intoxicants of any type will cloud the mind and inhibit the journey to seek Nirvana.
Topic:: History, Tobacco, and Buddhism
Political Geography:: South Asia and Bhutan

41928. Examining Rupee Reserves in Bhutan: An SVAR Approach

Author:: Jigme Nidup
Publication Date:: 10-2013
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Journal of Bhutan Studies
Institution:: Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:: The substantial deterioration of rupee reserves in 2012 had detrimental effect on the economic growth in Bhutan. Therefore, this study investigates the implication of government investment on construction, private credit expansion and imports from India, on the rupee reserves through a four-dimensional SVAR approach. The results indicate that in the immediate term, it is the government construction expenditure, private credit growth and imports from India that deteriorates the rupee reserves. Over the medium period, it is found that the government investment on construction leads to private credit expansion. Though government investment on construction is desired for economic growth, policy makers, however, should strategize investments so that it does not create rapid private credit growth.
Topic:: Finance, Credit, Imports, Public Investment, and Reserves
Political Geography:: South Asia, India, and Bhutan

41929. Factorial Validity and Reliability of 12 items General Health Questionnaire in a Bhutanese Population

Author:: Tshoki Zangmo
Publication Date:: 10-2013
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Journal of Bhutan Studies
Institution:: Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:: The aim of this study is to test the factorial structure and the internal consistency of the 12-items General Health Questionnaire. A sample of 6861 Bhutanese completed the GHQ-12. Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The factorial structure was extracted with an exploratory factorial analysis (EFA). The EFA run on the data yield to a one- factor structure without rotation and two factor structures after rotation. Cronbach’s alpha showed a very good internal consistency of the scale (α= 0.88). Cluster analysis resulted in two clusters. Overall, the findings support that the GHQ-12 is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring minor psychological distress in a Bhutanese sample.
Topic:: Public Opinion, Public Health, and Gross National Happiness (GNH)
Political Geography:: South Asia and Bhutan

41930. The Role of English in Culture Preservation in Bhutan

Author:: Dorji Thinley and T. W. Maxwell
Publication Date:: 03-2013
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Journal of Bhutan Studies
Institution:: Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:: This study explores issues surrounding the preservation and promotion of culture in the context of the secondary school English curriculum in Bhutan. The languages of Bhutan carry a rich and diverse tradition of oral literatures, but these genres and the cultural values they embody may disappear if they are not promoted. In Bhutan, schools are an active culture preservation site. For this reason, and also since English is the language of curricula for most subjects taught in school, we assumed that one of the ways in which Bhutan’s diverse cultures can be honoured and enlivened is through the study of folk literature in the English curriculum. We asked two questions: (1) “How do secondary English teachers perceive the long-term role of Bhutanese folk literature as a source of cultural knowledge in the English curriculum?” and (2) “What knowledge and attitude do secondary students show following three months of learning about Bhutanese folk literature in the secondary English curriculum?” To address the first question, 38% of all secondary English teachers (n-181) responded to a purpose-built questionnaire followed by in-depth interviews undertaken with six (expert) teachers. The second research question was addressed using action research conducted with twenty-four Class 11 science students over three months in a higher secondary school in south Bhutan. Three important perspectives on the role of English in culture maintenance were identified. First, the latter can create opportunities for students to learn English in culturally familiar contexts. Second, using folk literatures that exist in different languages but translated into English as pedagogical catalysts will not only promote the values of cultural diversity in school but will also ensure the intergenerational continuity of Bhutanese culture through the education of children. Third, since English is a global language and a language of growing popularity in Bhutan, English translations of oral literature will promote cultural diversity and continuity in the face of globalization.
Topic:: Education, Culture, Language, and English
Political Geography:: South Asia and Bhutan

41931. Diversity in Food Ways of Bhutanese Communities Brought About by Ethnicity and Environment

Author:: Kunzang Dorji, Kesang Choden, and Walter Roder
Publication Date:: 03-2013
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Journal of Bhutan Studies
Institution:: Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:: In mountainous Bhutan, geographical isolation has helped in conserving local cultures and traditions in isolated pockets. The small population of about 700,000 is said to speak 19 living languages (Van Driem, 2004). Many of these communities are small in numbers, economically and socially marginalized, and live in remote regions. With road access and penetration of global forces like the media and international markets, many of these communities are in transition and their distinctive cultural practices are in serious danger of being lost without having been documented. While substantial information has been generated by scholars, promoters for culture, the tourist industry and the international media on the culture, language and religious practices typical of western Bhutan, information available for most of the minority communities is limited. Recent research documenting the traditional knowledge and practices of particular ethnic groups vulnerable to assimilation were published by Giri (2003) for the Monpa communities in Trongsa and by Sharma (2005) for the Lhops in Samtse district.
Topic:: Environment, Food, Ethnicity, and Diversity
Political Geography:: South Asia and Bhutan

41932. Exploring Bhutan’s ‘Natural Democracy’: In Search of an Alternative View of Democracy

Author:: Katsu Masaki
Publication Date:: 03-2013
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Journal of Bhutan Studies
Institution:: Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:: This paper seeks to make an alternative translation/ interpretation of Bhutan’s democracy, in place of the mainstream view that the country has recently made a decisive transition toward democracy. It calls our attention to the country’s time-honored ‘natural democracy,’ which rests on monarchical authority and cohesive rural communities. Both of them represent vernacular forms of freedom and equality, contrary to their widely held image as being averse to democracy. This research was made possible by funding from the Japanese Government's Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research.
Topic:: Government, Politics, Democracy, Monarchy, and Authority
Political Geography:: South Asia and Bhutan

41933. Wangdü Chöling Dzong: The Masterpiece of Gongsar Jigme Namgyel

Author:: Gengop Karchung
Publication Date:: 03-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:: Due to political and spiritual significance, Dzongs hold a special place in the minds of the Bhutanese people. Unlike any other dzongs in Bhutan, Wangdü Chöling Dzong in Bumthang Shamkhar is quite unique due to factors like (1) the builder who was the father of Monarchy in Bhutan, (2) the accomplishment of victory over Jakar Dzongpön Tsöndrü Gyaltshen and (3) the place being used for Buddhist teachings by lama Je Jangchub Tsondrü. Constructed with elaborate Bhutanese architectural designs, it is said to have been built by Gongsar Jigme Namgyel himself in 1857, particulary the Utse. This paper attempts to figure out the significance and role of this well-known historical structure besides throwing some lights on establishment of the dzong and its renovation. It also tries to present other information related to this Dzong through available written and oral sources. Besides researching on written sources, interviews were conducted with Lam Jampel Dorje, Wangdü Chöling Lam, Agäy Rinzin Dorje, 84 (2010) and Agäy Sherub Wangdü, 76 (2010) who shared valuable information.
Topic:: Politics, Religion, Culture, and Architecture
Political Geography:: South Asia and Bhutan

41934. Homo Politicus and His Religiousness in Transitional Societies of Kirghizia

Author:: Irina I. Ivanova and Vadim P. Tutlis
Publication Date:: 06-2013
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Nowa Polityka Wschodnia
Institution:: Faculty of Political Science and International Studies, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
Abstract:: The article deals with a analysis of Homo politicus and Homo religiosis in postsoviet Kirghizia. On that political condition in the West and political ones in the East are compared. The authors draw a conclusion that reference point for modern transitional Kirghizia must be not political absenteeism but a junction of all citizens to policy.
Topic:: Politics, Religion, Transition, and Post-Soviet Space
Political Geography:: Eurasia, Kyrgyzstan, and Kirghizia

41935. India-Japan: Technological Roadblocks

Author:: Karan Pradhan
Publication Date:: 06-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations
Abstract:: Policy Perspectives from Gateway House give an overview of a global issue that has implications for India’s policy-making and business community. This edition examines the gaps in India’s high technology trade with Japan and outlines ways to begin a more profitable relationship with the country
Topic:: Foreign Policy, Science and Technology, Bilateral Relations, and Business
Political Geography:: Japan, South Asia, and India

41936. Shale gas: Negotiating new energy, export finance and environmental equations

Author:: Karan Pradhan
Publication Date:: 07-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations
Abstract:: ndia is the second largest (after Mexico) client of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, with an $8.5 billion line of credit. The energy and petrochemicals sectors are the major beneficiaries. The discovery of shale gas and the development of related technology in the U.S., however, are likely to change the nature of the exports of energy products and technology to India. The financing to procure them will also be different, because the U.S is willing to compete with China on financial terms. Moreover, the shift from oil and compressed natural gas to shale can have a cascading negative impact on India’s environment, if opportunities in tapping alternative energy sources are neglected. Indian policy must balance the benefits of securing new technology and better financing for shale gas exploration within the country and from imports, with a firm commitment to renewable energy initiatives within the country.
Topic:: Environment, Gas, Finance, Exports, and Energy
Political Geography:: China, South Asia, India, and United States of America

41937. The domestic dimensions of India’s international economic crisis

Author:: Karan Pradhan
Publication Date:: 09-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations
Abstract:: As recently as three years ago, India was being hailed by the international community as an upcoming economic superpower along with China. Now, however, the country finds itself wading through a severe economic slowdown and at the precipice of a potential balance of payment crisis. The rupee plummeted to historic levels before a recent rally provided momentary relief. The declining foreign exchange reserves have led some experts to compare the situation with India’s 1991 crisis; a few even suggested that the country needs to consider seeking International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans. The Indian government’s economic mismanagement is largely to blame and there is no substitute for good governance. However, India’s business community has abdicated its role of providing the government with an independent opinion and pushing for critical reforms. Corporate India can play a leading role in pulling the country out of this mire by altering its own approach towards government inaction. This would include reforming Indian chambers of commerce and advocating for key measures such as stimulating domestic investment, better coordination between centre and state, and rethinking India’s energy policy. These largely domestic measures will have a wide-ranging impact on India’s international economic policy and financial standing.
Topic:: Reform, Finance, Economy, Business, and Economic Crisis
Political Geography:: South Asia and India

41938. The India-Australia security engagement: Opportunities and challenges

Author:: David Brewster
Publication Date:: 10-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations
Abstract:: India wants to take a leading strategic role throughout the Indian Ocean region and expand its strategic reach further into the Pacific. As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has commented, India now sees itself as a “net security provider” to the region. But what will this mean in terms of India’s regional relationships? Over the last decade or more, India has spent a lot of money on modernising its defence forces. This includes buying aircraft carriers, submarines, and aircraft that will give India the ability to project power at longer distances. But India has given relatively less attention to developing closer security partnerships in the region, particularly with the middle states of the Indian Ocean. In many ways, the recognition of India as a regional leader will depend on the quality of these relationships. One of these relationships – between India and Australia – will become increasingly important to both countries. Indeed, there is an opportunity for them to develop a strategic partnership that effectively spans the Indo-Pacific. The two countries are the leading maritime powers among Indian Ocean states, they share many values and traditions, and their strategic interests are becoming increasingly aligned. Although the two countries have for long operated in largely separate strategic spheres, these are now converging. India has strategic interests throughout the Indo-Pacific and Australia is taking a much greater interest in the Indian Ocean region and in India, in particular. The shared strategic concerns include maritime security, the stability of the region, and the role of China. But while there are many opportunities to develop a close strategic partnership, there will also be challenges for both sides.
Topic:: Security, Foreign Policy, Bilateral Relations, Partnerships, Engagement, and Regional Politics
Political Geography:: South Asia, India, Australia, and Indo-Pacific

41939. India’s Strategic Imperative in the South Pacific

Author:: Tevita Motulalo
Publication Date:: 10-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations
Abstract:: As the global centre of gravity shifts to the Indo-Pacific, triggered in part by Chinese expansion and the U.S.’s Pacific “rebalancing,” an expanding Indian engagement with the South Pacific becomes a geoeconomic and geostrategic imperative. The South Pacific sits at the “pivot” of the Pacific rebalancing. It is a largely stable region with a relatively small population; it has abundant resources (the Exclusive Economic Zone of the country of Kiribati alone is 3.5 million square kilometres, greater than the total land and maritime EEZ area of India); it is at the crossroads of vibrant and growing maritime trade routes; and it is increasingly strategically located. Under the “one country, one vote” rule of most international fora, the 14 Pacific Island Countries (PICs) play a significant role in deciding international institutional legitimacy, which is increasingly important for India as it seeks a greater role in global affairs. There is enormous scope for closer economic, political, and strategic ties between India and the South Pacific. Ties between the two are already friendly and age-old, with myriad cultural compatibilities. But if India continues to neglect the region, it will become increasingly difficult for India to maintain, or to regain, a toehold, while other powers like China manoeuvre for, and establish, entrenched positions. Just one example of India’s low-key engagement in the region: it has only two High Commissions in the 14 PICs. One is in Fiji, because of its sizable Indian diaspora, the other is in Papua New Guinea, because of trade and minerals. India routinely goes unrepresented at regional meetings held in the other 12 PICs. In contrast, China has a major diplomatic mission in almost every PIC. India and the PICs are natural partners which only need to 6 build the right bridges to come together to make the South Pacific and thereby the greater Indo-Pacific more economically, politically, and strategically secure. Others have already realised the region’s potential and are moving fast. The question is: Will India catch the South Pacific wave, or be washed over by it?
Topic:: Foreign Policy, Economy, Regional Integration, and Strategic Engagement
Political Geography:: South Asia, India, and South Pacific

41940. Intellectual Property Rights: Innovation, Accessibility and Public Interest

Author:: Trupti Sarode and Malik Hirani
Publication Date:: 06-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations
Abstract:: The Supreme Court of India’s judgment in the Novartis case has intensified concerns and dilemmas surrounding the prevailing global intellectual property rights (IPR) regime. In reality, the Supreme Court has only upheld an Indian law which conforms to the WTO framework. This case has done more than just highlight concerns about the affordability and accessibility of life-saving drugs. It has prompted an assessment of the global IPR framework in areas of entertainment, and communication and agricultural technologies among others. The verdict has underscored the need for new business models that can cater to humanitarian compulsions of accessibility and also nurture the knowledge commons in ways that boost greater innovation and invention.
Topic:: Intellectual Property/Copyright, Business, Innovation, and Public Health
Political Geography:: South Asia and India

41941. The Retention of Highly Skilled Returnees in Mozambique: An Institutional Approach

Author:: André Corrêa d'Almeida
Publication Date:: 01-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF)
Abstract:: This research combines Institutional Rational Choice (IRC), the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework, Return Migration theories and International Development theories to understand how Mozambican highly skilled returnees (HSRs) interact with the institutional setting in the home country while pursuing their personal aspirations. Institutional setting in this context is defined as a multidimensional space of factors – institutions plus other contextual variables co-evolving as they interact with each other – in which HSRs try to mobilize resources over time towards their personal goals. Factors impose elements of order in the context where they operate and they affect the distribution of preferences, incentives, and outcomes. A better understanding of the constraints imposed by these factors/elements on HSRs’ behavior and personal satisfaction could allow governments in extremely poor countries to prioritize interventions for institutional development given the very scarce resources available. These could have the interacting effect of increasing the capacity of HSRs to contribute to the development of Mozambique and provide positive signals to encourage the return of more. Hypotheses around three specific types of factors/domains – professional opportunities, information and communication technologies (ICTs), and governmental programs – are tested. The methodology applied includes (i) a cross-sectional purposive sample of Mozambicans who recently returned to the homecountry after obtaining post-secondary education abroad; (ii) an online survey complemented with field interviews; (iii) bivariate analysis; and (iv) multivariate model-building. The results demonstrate, first, that all three factors tested are associated with retention. This finding supports the IAD’s argument that new policies and institutions can be devised to shape those other contextual variables. Second, this research demonstrates that the degree of this association differs across factors. Third, this research shows that the degree of association also differs from urban to rural settings. Moreover, the first and foremost role played by professional-related elements in the capacity of a country to retain some of its most well-educated citizens supports previous literature. Further, this research supports the argument that institutional development precedes economic development. Also, this research does not find empirical support for the hypothesis that Mozambique has been facing increasing levels of the brain drain. In addition, the “Satisfaction With Life Scale” (SWLS) proxy for retention is among all proxies tested the one mostly associated with the institutional setting in the home country. More specifically, the possibility of achieving personal goals is the most important component of one’s overall life satisfaction. Finally, there is a temporal “ripple-effect” on the association (i.e., progressively weaker) of the current institutional setting both with past and with the possibility of future behavior. The implications resulting from these findings are discussed and classified into three categories: (i) theoretical; (ii) practical for policy; and (iii) for future research.
Topic:: Migration, Brain Drain, Skills, Reintegration, and Institutional Development
Political Geography:: Africa and Mozambique

41942. Failed States Index 2013: The Book

Author:: J. J. Messner, Nate Haken, Krista Hendry, Patricia Taft, Kendall Lawrence, Sebastian Pavlou, and Felipe Umana
Publication Date:: 06-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: The Fund for Peace
Abstract:: The Failed States Index, produced by The Fund for Peace, is a critical tool in highlighting not only the normal pressures that all states experience, but also in identifying when those pressures are pushing a state towards the brink of failure. By highlighting pertinent issues in weak and failing states, The Failed States Index—and the social science framework and software application upon which it is built—makes political risk assessment and early warning of conflict accessible to policy-makers and the public at large.
Topic:: Diplomacy, Fragile/Failed State, Arab Spring, Peace, State Building, and Human Security
Political Geography:: Africa, Middle East, North Africa, Somalia, South Sudan, and Global Focus

41943. Mexico and the Energy Revolution

Author:: COMEXI
Publication Date:: 03-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Mexican Council on Foreign Relations (COMEXI)
Abstract:: COMEXI, the Mexican Council on International Affairs has recently prompted the creation of different working groups to discuss specific topics of general interest. Comprised of COMEXI members, these groups seek to provide a sound analysis and an international perspective on major national issues. It specifically created the Energy Working Group this year (2013) that conducted a series of reflections, lectures, discussions and research on the impact of the global energy revolution in Mexico. This energy revolution is disrupting the world of energy with momentous consequences in terms of supply, demand, technological access and human resource development. This is particularly evident in North America, where our neighbors and partners are developing a new model of hydrocarbon exploration and operation that is leading to the rebirth of their manufacturing sectors and their respective relations with the world. This study also identifies the challenges and opportunities that such transformations represent for Mexico, and presents a concrete proposal for an energy reform to insert the country in world trends, maximize the value of our energy resources, and use oil revenues to overturn the social backwardness that still hinders our nation's comprehensive national development.
Topic:: Development, Fossil Fuels, Hydrocarbons, and Energy
Political Geography:: North America and Mexico

41944. Effective Budget Oversight In Botswana: Role of the Legislature and the Office of the Auditor General

Author:: Keneilwe Pearl Marata
Publication Date:: 09-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis
Abstract:: This policy brief discusses the effectiveness of public budget oversight in Botswana. It assesses the roles of Parliament and the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) in budget oversight and makes recommendations on how to improve the effectiveness of oversight of both organs. The policy brief uses data from the Open Budget Survey (OBS) 2012, and earlier indices to discuss the subject. The OBS is a global assessment of the openness of public budgets conducted biannually by the International Budget Partnership since 2006. Countries are ranked on a scale of 0 to 100 through the Open Budget Index (OBI). Botswana's OBI scores have been declining since 2006; 65 in 2006; 62 in 2008; 51 and 50 in 2010 and 2012 respectively. A score of 50, means that government provides only limited budget information does not enable the citizens to effectively hold government to account for public finance, leading to accountability deficit.
Topic:: Governance, Budget, Finance, and Oversight
Political Geography:: Africa and Botswana

41945. State-Sponsored Homophobia (2013)

Author:: Lucas Paoli Itaborahy and Jingsu Zhu
Publication Date:: 05-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: ILGA World (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association)
Abstract:: Every year, ILGA World publishes its State-Sponsored Homophobia report, a world survey of sexual orientation laws. Since its first edition, back in 2006, ILGA World’s State-Sponsored Homophobia has been a fundamental resource for those interested in accessing the core information on legislation affecting people on the basis of their sexual orientation. Not only human rights defenders, but also civil society organisations, governmental and United Nations agencies, allies and media worldwide value the publication as one of the main sources of information on the issue. The publication is accompanied by a series of maps and charts illustrating where criminalisation, protection and recognition laws exist.
Topic:: Human Rights, Law, LGBT+, and Homophobia
Political Geography:: Global Focus

41946. Judicial Reform in Ukraine: Current Results, Prospects and Risks of the Constitutional Stage

Author:: Valeriya Klymenko
Publication Date:: 01-2013
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: National Security and Defence
Institution:: Razumkov Centre
Abstract:: The process of establishing the judiciary in Ukraine since its independence has been quite inconsistent and contradictory – not only due to its heritage, but also because it has often been accompanied by acute political confrontation and attempts of opposing political forces and governmental teams to gain control over the judiciary. Reformation activity that was initiated and implemented in this period did not lead to establishment of an independent and fair court in Ukraine. After the 2010 Presidential Election, the new President Viktor Yanukovych announced that another judicial reform was going to take place, which led to dramatic changes in the national judiciary. Analysis of these changes and their consequences gives reasons to assume that, through this reform, the President managed to enhance his control over judicial authority, to restrict its independence, and to weaken self-government of judges. Significant rotation amongst judges also took place. In general, it has considerably deteriorated judicial situation in Ukraine. Today, the judicial reform has reached its final – constitutional – stage. On 10 October 2013, the Verkhovna Rada pre-approved the Presidential draft Law “On Amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine Strengthening the Independence of Judges”. The corresponding Decree of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine was supported by 244 deputies. All opposition factions of the Parliament (Batkivshchyna, UDAR, Svoboda) manifested against adoption of the law claiming that implementation of its provisions would compromise not only the judicial independence, but also the democracy in Ukraine. The course of preparation and adoption of this draft Law (obtaining, inter alia, positive resolution of the Venice Commission) revealed tendencies that have been characteristic of the 2010 judiciary reform since its initiation. Thus, national legislation in the recent years has been using European standards in quite a peculiar way by borrowing the form and filling it up with “appropriate” contents. In fact, what we have now is not an approximation of national laws to international judicial norms and standards, but adjusting these norms to situational needs by using controlled and dependent judiciary in Ukraine. Hence, this is a selective adoption of recommendations and guidelines of international institutions. As it is widely known, the Venice Commission gave a generally positive opinion on the draft Law mentioned above. It was this draft (as well as the resolution of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and the declaration signed by 30 deputies of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe) that the President’s representative and deputies of the Party of the Regions faction mostly relied on when encouraging their colleagues to support pre-approving the bill. Accepting the above-mentioned documents of European institutions we should obviously have some reservations. Firstly, the draft law contains genuine “European” provisions able to deceive European structures that evaluate new laws from their own European perspective. Secondly, current evaluations of the “Ukrainian progress” by European institutions have somewhat enforced nature stipulated by soon-to-happen Vilnius summit and possibly by the Association Agreement to be signed between the European Union and Ukraine at the summit. While mainly stressing its positive progress towards the association, Europe also seeks to maintain Ukraine’s European integration prospects. Thirdly, there are reasons to assume that current authorities have used peculiar means to push its legislative initiatives not only inside (in the Parliament and Constitutional Court), but also outside the country – on the international realm. Preliminary approval of the Presidential draft Law on amending the Constitution has had a dramatic impact on the judicial reform. On the one hand, it has enabled to legitimise the key legislative changes approved in 2010 and to enshrine provisions in the Constitutions, implementation of which may politicise the judiciary to an even bigger extent and increase the dependence of judges. On the other hand, it has generated a political and expert discussion aimed at searching for a compromise, which results might involve the following: excluding the most risky provisions for the independence of judges and courts, at least, and preparing a new bill approved by all key political forces of the country, at best. Current situation calls for ensuring fair and independent justice, as well as stimulates governmental representatives, opposition and the society to look for optimal ways out.
Topic:: Governance, Reform, Constitution, Judiciary, and Norms
Political Geography:: Europe and Ukraine

41947. Ukraine's European Integration: Internal Factors and External Influences

Author:: Valeriya Klymenko
Publication Date:: 01-2013
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: National Security and Defence
Institution:: Razumkov Centre
Abstract:: Today, making an ultimate choice over its integration path is a sensitive and highly pressing issue for Ukraine. In November 2013, the 3rd summit of the Eastern Partnership in Vilnius is to see the signing of the Association Agreement, which aims for political association and economic integration, including a deep and comprehensive free trade area. This is a qualitatively new level of cooperation between Kyiv and Brussels based on strategic perspective. In fact, the Agreement will mark the start of implementing the far-reaching reforms in different sectors of domestic life in Ukraine designed to draw the country closer to meeting the standards of a state-candidate for accession to the EU. Apparently, the success of the Agreement remains conditional on joint efforts on behalf of the authorities, opposition, civil institutions, and Ukrainian society in general. One should keep in mind that the signing of the Agreement will give a start to the long process of its ratification by national parliaments of the EU countries. However, there exists a real opportunity to ensure practical implementation of some items of the document in the near future, which will give an impetus to strengthening contacts between Kyiv and Brussels and promote internal transformations in Ukraine. If the document is not signed or implemented too slowly and inconsistently, as was the case with prior arrangements with the EU, Ukraine will lose its historic opportunity. Meanwhile, the Customs Union countries (first of all, Russia) step up efforts to have Ukraine join that alliance, and later – the Eurasian Economic Union. That said, the Customs Union leaders see the Memorandum of Deeper Integration between Ukraine and the Eurasian Economic Commission signed on 31 May 2013, as the first step on the road to Ukraine’s Eurasian integration. The two processes – preparations for signing of the Association Agreement with the EU on the one hand, and new attempts of Russia to involve Ukraine in the Eurasian integration on the other – happen to coincide in time. At that, representatives of both the EU and the Customs Union speak of a need for a clear choice – Ukraine has to either sign the Agreement of Association with the EU, or join the Customs Union. Integration projects of Brussels and Moscow in the post-Soviet space differ in nature, substance and goals. Russia, while trying to create a regional structure counterbalancing the EU on the European continent, uses “energy incentives” to seduce Ukraine. At that, no attention has been paid to ensuring democratic nature of the country’s development. For Brussels, proper democracy, civil society, rule of law, independent judicial system and respect for human rights and freedoms have always played a decisive role in bringing Ukraine closer to European integration. Choosing between two integration lines means choosing between different basic and fundamental values, between two different models of Ukraine’s further development. Ukraine either joins the EU uniting European countries on the basis of European norms, rules and standards, or becomes a member of a union of post-Soviet states with transitional economies and numerous problems with democracy. Ukraine’s European choice is strongly influenced by a number of internal and external factors. The internal factors hindering Ukraine’s movement towards the EU include the practice of selective justice, weak electoral legislation, lack of real anti-corruption efforts, and slow pace of reforms envisaged by the Association Agenda. Solving these problems has been prioritised by the EU. The same was indicated in the conclusions of the EU Council of Ministers (10 December 2012) and the so-called “Füle list”, released later. The external factors include strong geopolitical influence exerted on Ukraine by both the EU and Russia. Today, this influence is growing with Moscow and Brussels showing strong willingness to see Ukraine join their integration projects. The analysis of the situation cited in this report shows that the European way of development best of all goes in line with national interests of Ukraine. It is also evident that Ukraine’s European choice should not be an alternative to the development of mutually advantageous, equal and transparent relations in different sectors with countries of the Customs Union, first of all – Russia.
Topic:: Security, Defense Policy, Energy Policy, European Union, and Regional Integration
Political Geography:: Europe and Ukraine

41948. The Role of International Organizations in the National Security of Ukraine

Author:: Valeriya Klymenko
Publication Date:: 01-2013
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: National Security and Defence
Institution:: Razumkov Centre
Abstract:: On 17 September 2013, Kyiv hosted the International Conference “The Role of International Organisations in the National Security of Ukraine”. The Conference was organised by the Razumkov Centre jointly with the NATO Liaison Office in Ukraine and the Ukrainian Diplomatic Academy under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, and with the support from the Embassies of Norway, Poland and Switzerland in Ukraine and the Ministry of Defence of Estonia. The event had taken place two months before the EU Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius, where Ukraine and the EU were supposed to sign the Association Agreement. After long and tough talks between the Ukrainian authorities and European partners, the parties came close to an uneasy compromise. It seemed that the willingness to sign the Agreement – at least on the part of Ukraine – was beyond doubt. Almost all the panellists, despite some reservations, expressed their confidence in the strategic importance of such a step for Ukraine’s future. Furthermore, the time was approaching to sum up the results of Ukraine’s chairmanship in the OSCE – one of the leading international organisations dealing with European security issues. That is why, the Conference has become an important element of fervent discussions both in Ukraine and abroad about the future of security and sustainable development in Europe. The agenda proposed by the Conference organisers covered different security domains: military, economic, humanitarian, and energy sector. Despite a specific subject matter allocated to each panel and the appropriate selection of participants, all the aspects were closely interwoven during the discussions, which directly reflected the nature of current threats and challenges and complex interconnections of different security aspects. To ensure a productive discussion, the Razumkov Centre prepared the Discussion Paper based on the Expert Meeting of 24 July 2013, which involved representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the National Institute for Strategic Studies, leading non-governmental think-tanks (NOMOS Centre, the Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation, the Centre for International Studies, Uniworld International Foundation), along with the results of an expert survey and public opinion survey. This issue of journal contains: Discussion Paper prepared for the International Conference; Expert assessments of Ukraine’s cooperation with international organisations; Public opinion on some aspects of Ukraine’s foreign and security policy; Conference Participants’ presentations; Articles by the military-political experts.
Topic:: Foreign Policy, NATO, International Organization, National Security, and Public Opinion
Political Geography:: Europe and Ukraine

41949. Rhythms and Cycles in Happiness

Author:: Wolfgang Maennig, Malte Steenbeck, and Markus Wilhelm
Publication Date:: 06-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Chair for Economic Policy, University of Hamburg
Abstract:: This study analyses time-dependent rhythms in happiness in three aspects. We show that the Sunday neurosis exists exclusively for men with a medium level of education and both men and women with high levels of education. Men with high levels of education may even experience a weekend neurosis. This study is the first to test for intra-monthly rhythms and to demonstrate that men with a lower educational background may suffer from negative effects on happiness towards the end of the month, potentially due to liquidity problems. The study is also the first to demonstrate that – even when controlling for health and income effects – happiness exhibits seasonal effects over the annual period, depending on gender and education.
Topic:: Economics, Happiness, and Neurosis
Political Geography:: Global Focus

41950. Mega Sporting Events, Real Estate, and Urban Social Economics – The Case of Brazil 2014/2016

Author:: Thêmis Aragão and Wolfgang Maennig
Publication Date:: 08-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Chair for Economic Policy, University of Hamburg
Abstract:: These events promise to improve the urban quality of life and to induce social legacy because of investments in urban infrastructure, transportation, and sporting facilities. Our analysis of the case of Brazil, especially in Rio de Janeiro (host of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games) shows that such benefits may differ locally and may accentuate the process of socio-spatial segregation. Urban projects often include forced evictions of low-income populations and the consequent expansion of social segregation. In public opinion, mega events are also responsible for increasing rents and (real estate) prices. However, such inflationary phenomenon occurs in most Brazilian cities, including non-host cities. The appreciation of real estate is explained largely by population and economic growth and the reduction of interest rates through mortgage programs, as well as reduced social inequality. Public investments in mega events account for only approximately 0.15% of Brazilian GDP from 2007 to 2016 and are thus too small to be responsible for the (increasing) social problems. Obviously, the perceived lack of public accountability for mega event finances as well as the perceived lack of susceptibility to social issues by the mega sporting projects may harm the public opinion of mega events. International sporting federations should thus have every interest in ensuring that their mega events target social inclusion and pay more attention to the needs of local urban and social policies.
Topic:: Sports, Accountability, World Cup, Transportation, Housing, Real Estate, Urban Planning, and FIFA
Political Geography:: Brazil and South America

41951. Do places of worship affect housing prices? Evidence from Germany

Author:: Sebastian Brandt, Wolfgang Maennig, and Felix J. Richter
Publication Date:: 10-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Chair for Economic Policy, University of Hamburg
Abstract:: Using hedonic pricing models, this paper analyzes the impact of places of worship on the prices of adjacent condominiums in Hamburg, Germany. This is the first study on this subject to have been conducted outside the United States. It is also the first work to examine the externalities of places of worship of all five world religions. Furthermore, it is the first study that analyzes the effect of bell ringing on the adjacent residential property prices. Controlling for spatial dependence and by using potentiality variables positive externalities of places of worship within a radius of 1,000m were identified. Compared to properties beyond this threshold, price premiums of 4.8% were detected for condominiums at distances of 100m to 200m to the next place of worship. The results also show that the positive externalities near mosques do not differ from those of places of worship of other religions and that the positive effect of churches continues to be felt even after they have been deconsecrated. The influence of church bell ringing on the prices of surrounding residential properties, however, could not be substantiated.
Topic:: Economics, Religion, Property, and Price
Political Geography:: Europe and Germany

41952. Urban Renewal after the Berlin Wall

Author:: Gabriel Ahlfeldt, Wolfgang Maennig, and Felix J. Richter
Publication Date:: 11-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Chair for Economic Policy, University of Hamburg
Abstract:: Urban renewal areas are popular but empirically understudied spatial planning instruments designed to prevent urban decline and induce renewal. We use a quasi-experimental research design to study the effects of 22 renewal areas implemented in Berlin, Germany, to increase housing and living quality in the aftermath of the city’s division during the Cold War period. Our results suggest that the policy has helped reduce (increase) the number of buildings in poor (good) condition by 25% (10%). Property prices increased at an annual rate of 0.4-1.7% according to our preferred estimates. Evidence is weak at best, however, for positive housing externalities. More generally, our findings indicate that the efficiency of program evaluations for place based -policies using quasi-experimental methods increases with the number of targeted areas and areas that provide the counterfactual.
Topic:: Economics, Urban, Property, Revitalization, and Redevelopment
Political Geography:: Europe and Germany

41953. Challengers from the Sidelines: Understanding America’s Violent Far-Right

Author:: Arie Perliger
Publication Date:: 01-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
Abstract:: In the last few years, and especially since 2007, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of attacks and violent plots originating from individuals and groups who self-identify with the far-right of American politics. These incidents cause many to wonder whether these are isolated attacks, an increasing trend, part of increasing societal violence, or attributable to some other condition. To date, however, there has been limited systematic documentation and analysis of incidents of American domestic violence. This study provides a conceptual foundation for understanding different far-right groups and then presents the empirical analysis of violent incidents to identify those perpetrating attacks and their associated trends. Through a comprehensive look at the data, this study addresses three core questions: (1) What are the main current characteristics of the violence produced by the far right? (2) What type of far-right groups are more prone than others to engage in violence? How are characteristics of particular far-right groups correlated with their tendency to engage in violence? (3) What are the social and political factors associated with the level of far-right violence? Are there political or social conditions that foster or discourage violence? It is important to note that this study concentrates on those individuals and groups who have actually perpetuated violence and is not a comprehensive analysis of the political causes with which some far-right extremists identify. While the ability to hold and appropriately articulate diverse political views is an American strength, extremists committing acts of violence in the name of those causes undermine the freedoms that they purport to espouse.
Topic:: Terrorism, Violent Extremism, Ideology, Far Right, and Recruitment
Political Geography:: North America and United States of America

41954. Usama bin Ladin’s “Father Sheikh”: Yunus Khalis and the Return of al-Qa`ida’s Leadership to Afghanistan

Author:: Kevin Bell
Publication Date:: 05-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
Abstract:: The purpose of this report is to shed light on the poorly understood role that Yunus Khalis played in modern Afghan political history. This research is based on an analysis of several under‐studied primary sources in Pashto and Persian that offer unique insight into Khalis’s life and work. Although he was an author, teacher, and the leader of the Hizb‐e Islami (Khalis) mujahidin political party during the Soviet Afghan War, today Yunus Khalis is most often discussed in the context of his personal relationships with Jalaluddin Haqqani and Usama bin Ladin. There is little doubt that Khalis was on friendly terms with these two men. However, Haqqani had a far more visible effect on the growth of al‐Qa`ida than Khalis, and the latter apparently had major political disagreements with Bin Ladin. This report argues that Yunus Khalis’s historical impact is better found in his work as an activist intellectual and his refusal to take sides in the Afghan Civil War than in his relatively peripheral contact with Usama bin Ladin.
Topic:: Politics, Al Qaeda, History, and Osama bin Laden
Political Geography:: Afghanistan and South Asia

41955. Jihadi Discourse in the Wake of the Arab Spring

Author:: Nelly Lahoud
Publication Date:: 12-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
Abstract:: This report analyzes jihadi discourse in the wake of the “Arab Spring” to address two related questions: (1) why have global jihadi leaders been struggling to advance a coherent and effective response to the events of the Arab Spring, and (2) why, despite strong rhetoric of militancy, have we witnessed little action on the part of new jihadi groups that have emerged in countries that underwent regime change (i.e., Tunisia, Egypt and Libya) as a result of the Arab Spring? To answer these questions, this study focuses on original Arabic sources in the form of public statements released by global jihadi leaders in response to the Arab Spring and by new groups projecting a jihadi worldview that have emerged in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. It reveals that the factors that are causing the current ideological incoherence of jihadism are the same factors that had once served as the cornerstone of its plausibility in the eyes of its adherents. As to new jihadi groups, this study highlights the inconsistency between their rhetoric and their actions. While they uphold the principle of the obligation of jihad, advance anti-democratic rhetoric using religious arguments and lionize global jihadi leaders and their causes, for now these new jihadi groups are characterized more by the propaganda of jihad than by its delivery. While Syria has not undergone a regime change, but in view of the proliferation of militant groups there, some of which are operating under a jihadi banner, the concluding section of the report nevertheless discusses the implications of the situation in Syria on jihadism. This study argues that the events in Syria could have restored the credibility of jihadism, but competition between the Islamic State of Iraq (and the Levant) and the Syria-based jihadi group Jabhat al-Nusra (JN) has confused and divided their supporters and earned the derision of their opponents. The divide between the two groups even risks undermining the symbolic position that Ayman al-Zawahiri occupies as the global leader of jihad.
Topic:: Communications, Al Qaeda, Media, Islamic State, Ideology, and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)
Political Geography:: Middle East, Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia

41956. Dawei Revisited: Reaffirmation of the importance of the project in the era of reforms in Myanmar

Author:: Ikumo Isono and Satoru Kumagai
Publication Date:: 05-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
Abstract:: Myanmar has entered a new era of all-round reforms. Donors and foreign investors are mainly interested in Yangon, while there has been a delay in the Dawei deep sea project, the Dawei Special Economic Zone project and the road connection to Thailand. The change in circumstances poses a question about whether the Dawei project is still needed in the era of a reforming Myanmar. Our geographical simulation analysis clearly shows that the Dawei project has significant additional benefit for the whole Mekong region and points out the importance of international cooperation.
Topic:: Development, Economics, International Cooperation, Reform, and Investment
Political Geography:: Asia, Burma, and Myanmar

41957. Effective Bureaucracy can Facilitate Economic Reforms in Myanmar

Author:: Anita Prakash
Publication Date:: 06-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
Abstract:: Myanmar has opened up to democratic and economic reforms. Bureaucracy is one of the chosen agents of reforms, both political and economic. Bureaucracy faces the difficult task to reform itself for optimum delivery of reforms. Structural changes are required in transforming the bureaucracy into a development agent. Capacity building of the bureaucracy, without compromising its independence, is required for the effective implementation of reforms. A restructured and informed bureaucracy should be Myanmar's preferred agent of change.
Topic:: Democratization, Reform, Economic Development, Bureaucracy, and Independence
Political Geography:: Asia, Burma, and Myanmar

41958. The Economic Transition in Myanmar: Towards Inclusive, People Centered and Sustainable Economic Growth

Author:: Anita Prakash
Publication Date:: 08-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
Abstract:: Myanmar has embarked on an ambitious program of sweeping reforms to end its isolation and integrate its economy with the global system. In this reform period, Myanmar faces the challenge to remain on the course ofreforms and openness while pursuing its economic growth. The Challenges of this transition can be met with a development model which is inclusive, people centered and sustainable.
Topic:: Civil Society, Development, Economics, Reform, Economic Growth, and Sustainability
Political Geography:: Asia, Burma, and Myanmar

41959. Multipolarity is key: Assessing Azerbaijan's foreign policy

Author:: Djan Sauerborn, Bastian Matteo Scianna, and Marius Mazziotti
Publication Date:: 12-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD)
Abstract:: This paper seeks to outline how Azerbaijan should manage the numerous foreign policy challenges it faces due to its strategic location, wealth in resources, neighbors and surrounding conflicts. As a small state, Baku should seek to balance interests and pursue a path of multipolarity, without however forfeiting a strong stance towards governments that threaten its status quo. Russia, Turkey, Iran, Israel and the West all have their interests and Azerbaijan has to become a pawn in the hands of the powerful. The resolution of the “frozen conflict” over Nagorno-Karabakh would mark a great step in the right direction, providing Baku with more leverage. The economic power of Azerbaijan gives the South Caucasian Republic a unique asset and allows Baku to play a balancing role regarding conflict prevention and conflict solution in this region which is often described as a geopolitical chessboard.
Topic:: Conflict Prevention, Foreign Policy, Geopolitics, and Multipolarity
Political Geography:: Russia, Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and South Caucasus

41960. Transit Passage of the Eurasian Countries Which Do Not Border The High Sea

Author:: Abbas Karaağaçlı
Publication Date:: 12-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD)
Abstract:: When the rules of international law, practices and conventions are all studied, it becomes evident that there exist certain rules of international legislation which enable the countries not bordering the high seas to reach the open seas. However, differences in practice arise due to geographical conditions, balance of power and economic development. In order for the countries concerned to reach the open seas and benefit in transit from the territory of the neighboring countries located by the high seas for trade and transportation, it is essential that the two countries should have good relations and that the country bordering the high seas should have good-intention. Because in Eurasian Geography, almost none of the countries in Central Asia and Caucasus do not border the open seas, they are in need of other countries for trade and transport. In this study, the focus is on this issue.
Topic:: Development, International Law, Oceans and Seas, Trade, and Geography
Political Geography:: Central Asia, Eurasia, and Caucasus

41961. Accession to the Customs Union: Shaping the strategy for Azerbaijan

Author:: Ziya Alili, Tural Abbasov, David N. Chang, Max Hoyt, and Vugar Bayramov
Publication Date:: 12-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD)
Abstract:: This paper analyses the implications of the potential accession of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. The qualitative approach employs stakeholder and sectorial analysis, while quantitative methodologies include Hedonic Estimation and Linear Regression Models. The stakeholder analysis discusses the implications of accession for different interested parties, namely businesses, citizens and international partners of Azerbaijan. The sectorial analysis assesses the varied probable impact of accession on different economic sectors. The quantitative methods are designed to answer the question following question: How much would the Azerbaijani economy benefit if it had joined the Customs Union when it was established in 2010? Although CESD finds a number of quantitative benefits to accession (for example, an additional two to five percent growth in GDP), qualitative analysis reveals disadvantages that were not captured by quantitative methodologies and helps provide a more comprehensive picture that disfavors accession, namely the long-term disadvantage of ceding independence vis-à-vis Azerbaijan’s energy policy. Accordingly, the Center for Economic and Social Development strongly recommends against accession. However, considering economic, social and political pressures, Azerbaijan may be persuaded to accede. In this scenario, CESD would recommend learning from the experience of the UK while acceding to the European Union and attaining several key exemptions from the rules and regulations of the Customs Union.
Topic:: Development, European Union, Regional Integration, and Customs
Political Geography:: Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, South Caucasus, and Belarus

41962. Turkey and Eastern Mediterranean Hydrocarbons

Author:: Ayla Gurel and Laura Le Cornu
Publication Date:: 10-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Global Political Trends Center (GPoT)
Abstract:: With substantial gas discoveries off the coasts of Israel, and more recently, Cyprus, the Eastern Mediterranean has emerged as an important new hydrocarbons frontier. This article examines Turkey’s energy relations in the Eastern Mediterranean region (focusing on Cyprus and Israel), covering its energy activities before 2011, key political issues influencing hydrocarbons development, and implications for on‐going disputes in the region. It begins with an overview of Turkey’s earlier energy pipeline initiatives with Arab states and Israel, followed by a summary of recent exploration and discoveries in the Levant Basin (Israel, Cyprus, Gaza, Lebanon and Syria). Next the article analyzes how the Cyprus dispute and more recent fluctuations in its relations with Israel are shaping Turkey’s energy policies in the region. It concludes by briefly exploring the extent to which the transformative capacity of hydrocarbons can play a role as an enabler for reconciliation and cooperation between Turkey, Cyprus and Israel.
Topic:: International Relations, Energy Policy, and Natural Resources
Political Geography:: Turkey, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus, and Mediterranean

41963. Sweden's Social Democracy Spirit and its Success Story About CHildren Rights

Author:: Menekşe Tokyay
Publication Date:: 03-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Global Political Trends Center (GPoT)
Abstract:: This paper examines the role of grassroots activities in Sweden concerning children rights protection and how the country has become a role model for the whole world in terms of human development and children rights, with special reference to the best practices they have elaborated throughout their history in order to tackle each specific problem regarding children who are classified as full human beings having the same rights as adults. This paper emphasizes that the Swedish children’s rights’ protection model should become a reference point for all other countries, including Turkey, in improving policy paradigms and ways of doin& things when incorporating grassroots organizations’ energy and innovation into the problem solving mechanisms.
Topic:: Development, Politics, Children, and Democracy
Political Geography:: Europe, Turkey, and Sweden

41964. Narrow Focus, Broad Vision: A Strategic View of the Eastern Partnership

Author:: Emmet Tuohy and Anna Bulakh
Publication Date:: 10-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: International Centre for Defence and Security - ICDS
Abstract:: In 2009, the EU’s Eastern Partnership (EP) initiative was launched with high hopes of spreading some of the fruits of the 2004 and 2007 enlargements to the countries on Europe’s eastern periphery. The main objectives of the program—targeted at six states, three in Eastern Europe (Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine) and three in the South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia)—have been to support these countries in terms of economic and political reform, socio-economic development, and other fields, with the long-term objective of promoting deeper cooperation with the EU. In 2009, the EU’s Eastern Partnership (EP) initiative was launched with high hopes of spreading some of the fruits of the 2004 and 2007 enlargements to the countries on Europe’s eastern periphery. The main objectives of the program—targeted at six states, three in Eastern Europe (Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine) and three in the South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia)—have been to support these countries in terms of economic and political reform, socio-economic development, and other fields, with the long-term objective of promoting deeper cooperation with the EU. Unfortunately, in the last four years these high expectations have simply not been met. While there have been elements of success, the record of the EP has also demonstrated the limits of the EU’s foreign policy influence […] Accordingly, the upcoming Vilnius summit—marking the fourth anniversary of the establishment of the EP—will be an opportunity for the EU to take stock and reevaluate not only its perception of the partnership states, but also its broader foreign policy objectives and the instruments through which it seeks to accomplish them. It has been argued that the key reason for supporting the Eastern Partnership is because it enables the EU to spread its values. Yet, this is precisely the thing that the European Union cannot (and should not) be doing at this point in time. […] Yet, even while the EU may not have the capacity to create a wide space for the European values of consensus and liberal democracy stretching across the Eurasian landmass from Portugal to the Pacific, it can and does have the ability to deepen cooperation with its Eastern partners on areas that support its interest. In this paper, we concentrate on the most important such dimension: energy security.
Topic:: Security, Development, Economics, Energy Policy, Politics, European Union, and Partnerships
Political Geography:: Europe, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Belarus

41965. Connecting the Baltic States to Europe’s Gas Market

Author:: Emmet Tuohy and Metthew Bryza
Publication Date:: 03-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: International Centre for Defence and Security - ICDS
Abstract:: More than two decades after the end of the Soviet occupation, and eight years after they joined NATO and the European Union, the Baltic republics remain disintegrated from the rest of Europe in one crucial way: their natural gas infrastructure isolates them into “energy islands.” But, for the first time in their histories, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania now have a chance to secure their energy independence by connecting their natural gas systems with those of their European allies and evolving them into market-based trading systems. This will require the Baltic republics to work with their EU Allies to develop physical and regulatory infrastructure required for liquid trading hubs and spot-market pricing of natural gas to emerge in the Baltic region. By achieving these objectives, these three small countries on the EU’s periphery will help the EU achieve two key strategic goals: to establish a single European energy market; and to complete the full integration of the EU’s easternmost member states into a Europe that is whole and free.
Topic:: Security, NATO, Energy Policy, Markets, and Gas
Political Geography:: Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Nordic Nations, and Baltic States

41966. Cyber Space in Estonia: Greater Security, Greater Challenges

Author:: Piret Pernik and Emmet Tuohy
Publication Date:: 09-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: International Centre for Defence and Security - ICDS
Abstract:: For the last five years, Estonia has been implementing its 2008 -2013 Cyber Security Strategy. In light of the fact that the government expects to endorse a replacement document by the end of this year, it is important at this point to assess how Estonia has performed in its efforts to foster cyber security at home and globally.
Topic:: Security, Government, and Cyberspace
Political Geography:: Estonia

41967. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Project: Organizational Capacities and Operational Capabilities

Author:: Ian Easton and L. C. Russell Hsiao
Publication Date:: 03-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Project 2049 Institute
Abstract:: Revolutionary advances in unmanned technologies and the prospects offered by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in surveillance, targeting and attack appear to have captured the attention of senior civilian and defense officials in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Given the PRC’s expanding strategic interests, and the associated requirement for an improved command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) infrastructure, UAVs represent a transformational capability for the Chinese military.
Topic:: Defense Policy, Science and Technology, Military Affairs, Surveillance, and People's Liberation Army (PLA)
Political Geography:: China and Asia

41968. Assessing Japan’s National Defense: Toward a New Security Paradigm in the Asia-Pacific

Author:: Ian Easton
Publication Date:: 06-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Project 2049 Institute
Abstract:: Profound strategic changes are unfolding that have the potential to transform the fabric of the international system. It is unknown whether or not the positive forces of globalization and democracy or the darker forces of mercantilism and authoritarianism will ultimately prevail. What is known is that the struggle between these forces will take foremost place in the Asia-Pacific region, the new epicenter of global affairs. As one of the region’s most prosperous and powerful – and pivotally located – countries, Japan will play a major role in steering the trajectory of future developments in the Asia-Pacific.
Topic:: Security, Globalization, Authoritarianism, and International System
Political Geography:: Japan, Asia, and Asia-Pacific

41969. Managing Expectations in the U.S.-Japan Alliance: U.S. and Japanese Perspectives

Author:: Randall Schriver and Sugio Takahashi
Publication Date:: 07-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Project 2049 Institute
Abstract:: As a participant in the Armitage-Nye process, I am associated with a set of policy recommendations that have been remarkably consistent over the course of twelve years and three reports (Armitage-Nye reports were produced in 2000, 2007, and 2012 respectively). Some common themes run across all three reports: We are unapologetic about promoting high aspirations for the U.S.-Japan alliance. We attempt to outline an ambitious bilateral agenda in great specificity. We believe that those aspirations and the ambitious agenda can only be met through the intentional and dedicated efforts of senior political leaders on both sides.
Topic:: Foreign Policy, Bilateral Relations, and Alliance
Political Geography:: Japan, Asia, North America, and United States of America

41970. Half Lives: A Preliminary Assessment of China’s Nuclear Warhead Life Extension and Safety Program

Author:: Ian Easton and Mark Stokes
Publication Date:: 07-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Project 2049 Institute
Abstract:: Nuclear warheads and their associated delivery vehicles (ballistic and cruise missiles) represent the most powerful and potentially destabilizing weapons in the world today. While rapid advances in information and communications technology have endowed conventional weapons systems with the “intelligence” and precision to take on a greater number of strategic missions–for example targeting aircraft carrier groups and critical command nodes–nuclear weapons remain the sine qua non of deterrence. Indeed, while every nation’s leadership fears war to some degree, the threat of war is only truly horrific for a leader who faces an enemy armed with nuclear weapons.
Topic:: Intelligence, Nuclear Weapons, Communications, Weapons, and Political stability
Political Geography:: China and Asia

41971. Obama’s Second Term in the Asia-Pacific Region: Reflecting on the Past, Looking to the Future

Author:: Sabrina Tsai
Publication Date:: 09-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Project 2049 Institute
Abstract:: The Asia-Pacific region proved to be one of the top priorities of U.S. foreign policy during President Obama’s first term. The East China Sea and South China Sea territorial disputes; Kim Jong-un’s succession to the North Korean leadership and subsequent provocations; and China’s rapid military modernization over the last two decades were and continue to be among some of the top security issues for the Obama Administration. This paper outlines Obama’s Asia policy in the first term and assesses the trajectory of the U.S. “rebalance” strategy in the second term, taking into account the numerous personnel changes in Obama’s senior-level foreign policy team.
Topic:: Security, Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, and Barack Obama
Political Geography:: China, North Korea, Asia-Pacific, and United States of America

41972. Is Tourism Haiti’s Magic Bullet? An Empirical Treatment of Haiti’s Tourism Potential

Author:: Athena R. Kolbe, Keely Brookes, and Robert Muggah
Publication Date:: 06-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Igarapé Institute
Abstract:: Tourism is often described as key to Haiti’s salvation. The economic potential of foreigners visiting the island nation is cited in virtually all major assessments of the country’s current development problems. This may seem at first counterintuitive: the impoverished and disaster-stricken country has long-struggled with violence and political instability. But it is increasingly regarded as necessary. Immediately after the January 2010 earthquake it was recognized that strategic investments would be needed to secure Haiti’s economy once foreign aid had diminished. Tourism was recently elevated to a top priority by Haiti’s current administration and the Ministry of Tourism. The government hopes that an influx of foreign currency generated by tourist dollars could help lift the country out of aid-dependency. This is not as surprising as it may seem. Haiti used to be a Caribbean destination – Graham Green described it as a tropical idyll in the mid-twentieth century during the early years of the Duvalier regime. What is more, former U.S. president Bill Clinton publically reminisces of his honeymoon in Haiti and until the 1990s Club Med ran a resort just an hour outside of Port-au-Prince. Yet the prospects for tourism are still highly uncertain. After coups in 1991 and 2004, recreational tourism has all but vanished. Since the devastating 2010 earthquake, one is more likely to see missionaries and aid workers in Haiti than vacationers. This Strategic Note assesses the extent to which Haiti is safe for tourism and explores how tourists and those in the industry view their role in Haiti’s development efforts to increase tourism. It draws, as in past Igarapé Institute publications, on both quantitative surveys and qualitative research. Informed by this empirical evidence, the study sets out a number of recommendations to improve the tourism industry within the country. This Strategic Note considers the perceptions of tourists visiting Haiti in 2013 and their motives and perceptions of the country. A total of 2,231 tourists were surveyed with a response rate of almost 75 per cent. An additional 390 tourism professionals were also consulted and interviewed.
Topic:: Government, Natural Disasters, Tourism, and Economy
Political Geography:: Caribbean and Haiti

41973. Smarter Policing: Tracking the Influence of New Information Technology in Rio de Janeiro

Author:: Graham Denyer Willis, Robert Muggah, Justin Kosslyn, and Felipe Leusin
Publication Date:: 11-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Igarapé Institute
Abstract:: Technological advancements are changing the architecture of police-society relations around the world. New modes of oversight, whether applied by public security entities or citizens, are dramatically transforming the way policing is conducted. This is especially the case in digitally connected cities in the North and South. Surprisingly little is known, however, about how technology can be used to drive reform in police institutions including in Rio de Janeiro, where the relationships between police and residents are characterized by mistrust. A key objective of the Smart Policing project, a partnership of the Igarapé Institute and the Policia Militar do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (PMERJ), is to explore ways to enhance police accountability through technology. The following Strategic Note considers how the recently installed pacification police units (Unidades de Policia Pacificadora or UPP) are using technology to recapture urban territory from drug trafficking groups while simultaneously expanding trust and reciprocity with citizens. It examines how technological innovations at the street level, including mobile phone applications, can potentially strengthen the integrity of police work and the social contract.
Topic:: Crime, Science and Technology, Law Enforcement, and Police
Political Geography:: Brazil and South America

41974. Toward a New Phase of US-China Museum Collaborations

Author:: Melissa Chiu, Orville Schell, and András Szántó
Publication Date:: 01-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Asia Society
Abstract:: The 2012 U.S.-China Museum Directors Forum, organized by Asia Society and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, brought together 17 Chinese and 15 American museum leaders for a two-day dialogue to assess common needs and develop new processes for museum exchanges. The museum leaders identified various benefits of museum exchanges. Such programs provide information and experiences to museum audiences; foster tolerance and understanding between nations; and enhance cultural competence in a globalized world. The directors also identified obstacles impeding museum collaborations, including disparities in resources and practices; cumbersome bureaucratic, legal, and regulatory systems; a lack of familiarity between museum professionals; and the absence of institutional and funding mechanisms to facilitate exchanges. Going forward, the museum leaders pinpointed three key areas of need and opportunity for the evolution of U.S.-China museum collaborations: improving people-to-people contacts; fostering institutional relations; and greater coordination within the museum sector in both countries. Taken together, the recommendations offer a blueprint for improving institutional interactions. The directors suggested specific programs that their institutions, coupled with other museums, government agencies, and private funders, can pursue going forward. The consensus view among them was that the expansion of museum collaborations will require new funding and organizational mechanisms to spur and conduct exchange activities. Some of the goals outlined by the Chinese and American museum directors will be pursued by the Asian Arts and Museum Network, established in 2012 by Asia Society Museum.
Topic:: International Relations, Arts, Culture, and Museums
Political Geography:: China, Asia, North America, and United States of America

41975. Liberalism in Obama's age

Author:: John Ikenberry
Publication Date:: 08-2013
Content Type:: Commentary and Analysis
Institution:: Argentine Council for International Relations (CARI)
Abstract:: I'm trying to lay out my thinking on Obama's foreign policy and the larger debate often seen inside the United States about the role of the United States over the next years.
Topic:: Foreign Policy, Liberalism, and Barack Obama
Political Geography:: North America and United States of America

41976. Iran's Nuclear and Missile Programs as P5+1 Talks Resume

Author:: Greg Thielmann and Kelsey Davenport
Publication Date:: 09-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Arms Control Association
Abstract:: As negotiations are poised to resume between Iran and the six powers seeking to rein in Iran's nuclear program, it is difficult to avoid a sense of déjà vu. For years now, the UN Security Council has demanded Iran suspend uranium enrichment. Tehran continues to expand its nuclear program and insists it will never compromise its right to enrich, the United States continues to tighten sanctions on Iranian trade and finances, and alarms are raised about Iran being able to sprint to a nuclear bomb with little warning. Yet, with a new Iranian president and negotiating team, there are grounds for cautious optimism that talks this time can be different. Although Iran continues to enrich uranium and add to its nuclear complex, time remains to negotiate an agreement that adequately guards against Iran building nuclear weapons.
Topic:: Arms Control and Proliferation, Nuclear Weapons, Treaties and Agreements, Nonproliferation, and Negotiation
Political Geography:: Iran and Middle East

41977. The Naval Nuclear Reactor Threat to the NPT

Author:: Greg Thielmann and Serena Kelleher-Vergantini
Publication Date:: 07-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Arms Control Association
Abstract:: The nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) has long been a critical bulwark against the spread of nuclear weapons. Although preventing the production and accumulation of fissile material is an important part of this effort, the NPT does not explicitly regulate the production, use, and disposition of highly enriched uranium (HEU) for naval nuclear reactors. This exclusion poses a growing risk to achieving the nonproliferation goals of the treaty. While seeking to advance prospects for a fissile material cutoff treaty, the United States is continuing to design naval reactors for the world’s largest nuclear submarine fleet that are powered with weapons-grade uranium. While proclaiming its renunciation of any nuclear weapons ambitions, Brazil plans to build six nuclear submarines powered by uranium fuel that may be close to weapons grade. Neither the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nor important NPT member states have fully confronted the proliferation implications of excluding naval reactor fuel from safeguards. The IAEA and NPT members should take steps to minimize the use of HEU for any reason—a goal they declared just this month at a nuclear security conference in Vienna.
Topic:: Nuclear Weapons, Treaties and Agreements, and Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT)
Political Geography:: Brazil, Global Focus, and United States of America

41978. Lessons for Handling Iran From the Sad Saga of Iraq

Author:: Greg Thielmann and Alexandra Schmitt
Publication Date:: 03-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Arms Control Association
Abstract:: Ten years ago today, President George W. Bush said in a radio address to the nation: "It is clear that Saddam Hussein is still violating the demands of the United Nations by refusing to disarm." Eleven days later, he announced the invasion of Iraq to remove the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) allegedly possessed by Hussein's brutal regime and to prevent their use by or transfer to terrorist networks such as al Qaeda. That no such weapons existed was less a symptom of flawed intelligence than the U.S. leaders' obsession with achieving regime change in Baghdad and their consequent willingness to distort evidence on WMD toward that end. This distortion, along with failures by the press and Congress to exercise due diligence in evaluating the assertions of the executive branch, blinded the public to contravening information on Iraqi WMD that was readily available during the six weeks preceding the attack. Ironically, the most important sources of this ignored information were the very inspectors that the international community had forced Iraq to readmit the previous fall. There are lessons here for current efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Topic:: Arms Control and Proliferation, Weapons of Mass Destruction, History, and Iraq War
Political Geography:: Iraq, Iran, and Middle East

41979. Iran's Missile Program and Its Implications for U.S. Missile Defense

Author:: Greg Thielmann
Publication Date:: 02-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Arms Control Association
Abstract:: Although plans for expanding U.S. strategic missile defenses focus on the Iranian ICBM threat, that threat is not emerging as was previously predicted. Iran conducted no long-range ballistic missile tests in 2012 and has not flown even the larger space launch vehicle that it displayed two years ago, which could have helped advance ICBM technology. Moreover, Tehran has still not decided to build nuclear weapons and continues to focus on short- and medium-range rather than longer-range ballistic missiles. It is, therefore, time to adapt U.S. missile defense plans accordingly by suspending the fourth phase of the European Phased Adaptive Approach. Doing so would remove an obstacle to negotiating further reductions in the strategic forces of Russia - the only country that poses an unambiguous existential threat to the United States.
Topic:: Defense Policy, Arms Control and Proliferation, Missile Defense, and ICBM
Political Geography:: Iran, Middle East, North America, and United States of America

41980. Assessing Progress on Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament: 2010-2013 Report Card

Author:: Kelsey Davenport and Marcus Taylor
Publication Date:: 04-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Arms Control Association
Abstract:: The study, Assessing Progress on Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament: 2010-2013 Report Card gives grades to China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, India, Israel, Pakistan—each of which possess nuclear weapons—and North Korea—which maintains a nuclear weapons capability—as well as Iran and Syria, which are under investigation for possible nuclear weapons-related activity.
Topic:: Arms Control and Proliferation, Nuclear Weapons, Disarmament, and Nonproliferation
Political Geography:: Pakistan, Russia, China, United Kingdom, Iran, India, Israel, North Korea, France, Syria, and United States of America

41981. Global dynamic timelines for IPRs harmonization against software piracy

Author:: Antonio Rodríguez Andrés and Simplice A. Asongu
Publication Date:: 03-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Institute for Advanced Development Studies (INESAD)
Abstract:: This paper employs a recent methodological innovation on intellectual property rights (IPRs) harmonization to project global timelines for common policies against business software piracy. The findings on 99 countries are premised on 15 fundamental characteristics of software piracy based on income-levels (high-income, lower-middle-income, uppermiddle-income and low-income), legal-origins (English common-law, French civil-law, German civil-law and, Scandinavian civil-law) and, regional proximity (South Asia, Europe & Central Asia, East Asia & the Pacific, Middle East & North Africa, Latin America & the Caribbean and, Sub-Saharan Africa). The results broadly show that a feasible horizon for the harmonization of blanket policies ranges from 4 to 10 years
Topic:: Intellectual Property/Copyright, Piracy, Data, Convergence, and Software
Political Geography:: Global Focus

41982. Problematizing the Effect of Rural-Urban Linkages on Food Security and Malnutrition in Guatemala’s Western Highlands

Author:: Ioulia Fenton
Publication Date:: 06-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Institute for Advanced Development Studies (INESAD)
Abstract:: Strong rural-urban linkages are increasingly seen as key to achieving sustainable livelihoods and food security in developing countries. However, not all linkages are positive and, although this is recognised in literature, few explore their potential unfavourable characteristics. Based on twelve weeks fieldwork in Guatemala this paper aims to contribute in four ways. Firstly, it details the extent of rural-urban linkages in the lives of ordinary Guatemalans, the reasons for their existence and the contribution they make to food security. Secondly, it highlights the existence of rural-urban criminal networks that negatively impact livelihoods and food security. Thirdly, it illustrates how poor quality linkages in government administration and service provision render them ineffective in alleviating food insecurity and malnutrition. Finally, by focusing on the case of Coca-Cola, it illustrates how extensive rural-urban networks of processed food and drink companies bring with them economic benefits, but adversely affect food security and nutrition through a number of mechanisms. The paper concludes that in order to better design policies aimed at improving livelihoods, food security and nutrition, the growth of rural-urban linkages in different spheres of private and public life should be analysed for its negative as well as positive contributions.
Topic:: Food Security, Diversification, Urban, Rural, Livelihoods, and Malnutrition
Political Geography:: South America and Guatemala

41983. A Measurement of the Carbon Sequestration Potential of Guadua Angustifolia in the Carrasco National Park, Bolivia

Author:: Ricardo A. Rojas Quiroga, Tracey Li, Gonzalo Lora, and Lykke E. Andersen
Publication Date:: 07-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Institute for Advanced Development Studies (INESAD)
Abstract:: The carbon sequestration potential of an unmanaged and previously unstudied Guadua angustifolia bamboo forest in the Carrasco National Park of Bolivia has been studied, by estimating the total aboveground biomass contained in the forest. It was found that the aboveground biomass consisting of stems, branches, and foliage, contains a total of 200 tons per hectare, leading to an estimated 100 tons of carbon being stored per hectare aboveground, which is comparable to some species of tree such as the Chinese Fir; this bamboo species therefore has the potential to play a significant role in the mitigation of climate change. The relation between the biomass, M, of each component (stems, branches, and foliage) and the diameter, d, of the plant was also studied, by fitting allometric equations of the form M = αd β . It was found that all components fit this power law relation very well (R2 > 0.7), particularly the stems (R2 > 0.8) and branches (R2 > 0.9) for which the relation is found to be almost linear.
Topic:: Climate Change, Decarbonization, Carbon Sequestration, and Bamboo
Political Geography:: South America and Bolivia

41984. The Impact of Formal Institutions on Knowledge Economy

Author:: Antonio Rodríguez Andrés, Simplice A. Asongu, and Voxi Amavilah
Publication Date:: 07-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Institute for Advanced Development Studies (INESAD)
Abstract:: Using Kauffman, Kraay, and Mastruzzi governance indicators, this article analyzes the impact of formal institutions on the knowledge economy- by assessing how the enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) through good governance mechanisms affects the knowledge economy. The article also employs the World Bank’s four components of the knowledge economy index characteristic of its knowledge for development (K4D) framework. We estimate panel data models for 22 Middle East & North African and Sub-Sahara African countries over the period 1996-2010. The results show that for this group of countries the enforcement of IPR laws (treaties), although necessary, is not a sufficient condition for a knowledge economy. The results also suggest that other factors are more likely to determine the knowledge economies of these nations. Overall these findings have important implications for both policy and further research.
Topic:: Economics, Institutions, Knowledge Economy, and Panel Data
Political Geography:: Global Focus

41985. Impact of natural disaster on public sector corruption

Author:: Eiji Yamamura
Publication Date:: 09-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Institute for Advanced Development Studies (INESAD)
Abstract:: This paper uses inter-country panel data obtained during the period 1990–2010 to examine how the occurrence of natural disasters has affected corruption within the public sector. There are a number of new findings from this study. (1) Disaster with the large amount of damage increase corruption not only for developing countries but also for developed countries. (2) The effect of disasters is greater in developed countries than in developing countries. (3) In the developed countries, frequency of occurrence of disaster plays important role on increasing corruption. This suggests that foreseeable disasters increase corruption. In developed countries, people have an incentive to live within disaster-prone areas to seek compensation.
Topic:: Corruption, Development, Natural Disasters, Institutions, Public Sector, and Risk
Political Geography:: Global Focus

41986. Understanding and Information Failures in Insurance: Evidence from India

Author:: Jean-Philippe Platteau and Darwin Ugarte Ontiveros
Publication Date:: 11-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Institute for Advanced Development Studies (INESAD)
Abstract:: This paper is an attempt to understand the factors behind low contract renewal rates frequently observed in insurance programs in poor countries. This is done on the basis of the experience of a microinsurance health program in India. We show that deficient information about the insurance product and the functioning of the scheme, and poor understanding of the insurance concept are the major causes of the low contract renewal rate among households which had previously enrolled into the program. A central finding is that, when a household has received a large negative payout during the preceding year, it is more inclined to opt out of the program unless it has a good understanding of what insurance means. In other words, the adverse impact of negative insurance payouts on contract renewal is conditional upon the presence of a cognitive bias which violates the expected utility theory. Moreover, trust in the insurance company has a significant positive effect, yet that effect cannot be disentangled from that of understanding ability. The policy implication of our findings is considerable since they provide a strong justification for mandatory universal health insurance.
Topic:: Insurance, Microfinance, and Microinsurance
Political Geography:: South Asia and India

41987. Models-as-Usual for Unusual Risks? On the Value of Catastrophic Climate Change

Author:: Antoine Bommier, Bruno Lanz, and Stéphane Zuber
Publication Date:: 11-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Centre for International Environmental Studies, The Graduate Institute (IHEID)
Abstract:: We study the role of alternative intertemporal preference representations in a model of economic growth, stock pollutant and endogenous risk of catastrophic collapse. We contrast the traditional “discounted utility” model, which assumes risk neutrality with respect to intertemporal utility, with a multiplicative choice model that displays risk aversion in that dimension. First, we show that both representations of preferences can rationalize the same “business as usual” economy for a given interest rate and no pollution externality. Second, once we introduce a collapse risk whose hazard rate is a function of the pollution stock, multiplicative preferences recommend a much more stringent policy response. An illustration in the context of climate change indicates that switching to the multiplicative preference representation has a similar effect, in terms of policy recommendations, as scaling up the schedule of the hazard rate by a factor of 100.
Topic:: Climate Change, Environment, Risk, and Discounting
Political Geography:: Global Focus

41988. Knowledge spillovers from renewable energy technologies: Lessons from patent citations

Author:: Joëlle Noailly and Victoria Shestalova
Publication Date:: 12-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Centre for International Environmental Studies, The Graduate Institute (IHEID)
Abstract:: This paper studies the knowledge spillovers generated by renewable energy technologies, unraveling the technological fields that benefit from knowledge developed in storage, solar, wind, marine, hydropower, geothermal, waste and biomass energy technologies. Using citation data of patents in renewable technologies at 17 European countries over the 1978-2006 period, the analysis examines the relative importance of knowledge flows within the same specific technological field (intra-technology spillovers), to other technologies in the field of power-generation (inter-technology spillovers), and to technologies unrelated to power-generation (external-technology spillovers). The results show significant differences across various renewable technologies. While wind technologies mainly find applications within their own technological field, a large share of innovations in solar energy and storage technologies find applications outside the field of power generation, suggesting that solar technologies are more general and, therefore, may have a higher value for society. Finally, the knowledge from waste and biomass technologies is mainly exploited by fossil-fuel power-generating technologies. The paper discusses the implications of these results for the design of R&D policies for renewable energy innovation.
Topic:: Science and Technology, Innovation, Renewable Energy, and Patents
Political Geography:: Global Focus

41989. Draft Report on the Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector in BiH for 2012

Author:: Denis Hadžović and Mirela Hodović
Publication Date:: 04-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: The Centre for Security Studies
Abstract:: Parliamentary oversight of the security sector is considered to be one of the main principles of democratic society and the state. In reality, the importance of this concept is realised in the constant and ongoing strengthening of all the tools utilised to ensure an efficient parliamentary oversight and control of the defence and security institutions, especially in countries undergoing a transitional process. Parliamentary oversight of the security sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in spite of its evident headway in employing oversight functions, has not yet achieved its full capacity. For the purpose of this project, the Centre for Security Studies has prepared a Report draft aimed at providing an assessment work efficiency of the parliamentary committees. This report seeks to address the issue of fulfilling the key-responsibilities in the democratic oversight of the security sector in the year 2012. The objective of this research is to determine the improvement of the overall quality and efficiency in implementing parliamentary oversight of the security sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This segment of civil society involvement is important for achieving greater accountability and transparency of defence and security institutions over which Parliamentary Committees maintain oversight, consistent with positive legislation. This research has thrown up many questions in need of further investigation. Further work needs to be done to establish a more comprehensive discussion amongst the members of Parliamentary Committees and representatives of defence and security institutions, in particular on the need of structural planning and implementing a more efficient parliamentary oversight of the security sector in the upcoming period.
Topic:: Security, Defense Policy, Institutions, Oversight, and Parliament
Political Geography:: Europe, Balkans, and Bosnia and Herzegovina

41990. Between Humanitarian Aid and Colonialism - The Case Study of French (Non) Intervention in Iraq and Mali.

Author:: Emin Eminagić and Viktoria Potapkina
Publication Date:: 01-2013
Content Type:: Case Study
Institution:: The Centre for Security Studies
Abstract:: Peacekeeping missions in today's public discourse are perceived as agents of neocolonialism, and thus seen as widely unpopular. Although one cannot simply assume that there are no reasons for international interventions in conflict areas, as a real need to protect and help the civilian population might exist, upon scrutinizing the foreign policies of some world powers one can witness elements that are none other than neocolonialist in nature. Nevertheless, it remains a sensitive topic, which depending on the prism of the viewer can be interpreted as neocolonial exploitation of resources and labor force, or, on the other hand, seen as stimulating the local economy and building of local capacities for a functioning state. This paper is designed as a comparative case study of France’s (non) involvement in two regions – Iraq in 2003 and Mali in 2013. The time frame of ten years allows for a retrospective analysis of the possible decisions influencing French politicians to make the decision to not intervene in Iraq. The case of Mali is a rather new event and thus requires immediate attention to understand the underlying reasons for military action. Such a case study presents an intriguing opportunity for comparison. In regards to the case of the intervention in Iraq, France had immediate economic interests in the country, however, it, to this day, remains the most vocal opponent of the intervention, regardless of the fact that a large number of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members participated in one way or another in the Operation Iraqi Freedom. In the case of Mali, France does not have any apparent economic interests in the region; however, it is the only NATO state carrying out the military operation in the country unilaterally as of writing of this paper. However it is not our intention to provide definitive answers on certain points of involvement and non-intervention, nor mark processes, but rather to provide a grassroot analysis on the the case study of Mali that would potentially best explain particular aspects of theoretical implications.
Topic:: Humanitarian Aid, Peacekeeping, Humanitarian Intervention, and Colonialism
Political Geography:: Iraq, France, and Mali

41991. Is there a Need for Better Security Measures in Institutions of Higher Learning- Experiences from the University of Tuzla

Author:: Emin Eminagić
Publication Date:: 01-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: The Centre for Security Studies
Abstract:: This paper will look at some of the cases of corruption and discrimination at the University of Tuzla, followed by an analysis of the University's statute, in order to gain insight on how this issue is being regulated, and to see whether there are any mechanisms to prevent corruption, as well as to ensure the security of staff and students.
Topic:: Security, Corruption, Institutions, and Higher Education
Political Geography:: Balkans and Bosnia and Herzegovina

41992. German policies and practices in Bosnia and Herzegovina - A promising future and a lack of initiative -

Author:: Susanna Thiel
Publication Date:: 08-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: The Centre for Security Studies
Abstract:: Since the beginning of the tragic Yugoslav dissolution wars from 1992 to 1995, the international community has taken new interest in the region of former Yugoslavia and its people. The big amount of foreign aid as well as the multitude of international actors and organisations bears witness to that: Lana Pasic finds that until 2005 at least 9.9 billion dollars have been sent to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) as international humanitarian aid and reconstruction purposes, which is not taking into account the ongoing support from private donors and NGOs.1 In addition to that, a country profile on BiH drafted by the Michigan State University in March 2012 mentions the impressive amount of 15 billion US-Dollars of international aid being given to BiH for a vast variety of purposes since the end of the war until the beginning of 2012, such as humanitarian aid, de-mining and the improvement of Bosnian infrastructure.2 Germany's contribution to this foreign aid sums up to about 680 million Euros between 1995 and 2012.3 This sum provides an idea of how relevant BiH is to German politics – and gives an impression of how relevant Germany might be within BiH and the first decades of this state. It leads to the assumption that Germany is taking great interest in the new Bosnian state and is politically active for this purpose. For the newly united Germany after 1990 that was indeed the case: it was of high relevancy during and after the dissolution wars. It was the first country to recognise the states of Croatia and Slovenia and took in at least 345,000 refugees from BiH from 1992 until 1996. Also, it initiated the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe4 and portrays itself as one of the leading partners of BiH's way to accessing the EU.5 This approach is based on a long, multi-faceted relationship between Germany and the region of BiH: for example, immigrants from German territories settled on Bosnian ground as early as the 13th century6 , the two World Wars had a deep impact on the region – e.g. for the Titoist partisan founding myth – and guest workers came to Germany after the German-Yugoslav guest worker contract in 1968.
Topic:: Foreign Policy, Politics, History, Bilateral Relations, Foreign Aid, Culture, and Economy
Political Geography:: Europe, Yugoslavia, Germany, Balkans, and Bosnia and Herzegovina

41993. Corruption Crime Statistics and Police Numbers Reporting in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Author:: Alma Kovačević and Jasmin Hasić
Publication Date:: 08-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: The Centre for Security Studies
Abstract:: This short research study examines the information available in police institutions regarding the police corruption and statistics reporting on it. Moreover, it identifies shortcomings in the system and needs analyses. The aim of the study is to identify key issues in reporting police corruption cases and statistics related to the cases of police integrity, with a specific emphasis on the methods and ways of analysing the existing (reported) police corruption cases, as well as the efficiency of implemented prevention strategies. There was neither sufficient time, nor resources available for more detailed research, which should have led to detailed recommendations for police agencies. However, this study can be used as a starting point for a more comprehensive research that should result in a quality proposal to amend and overcome the identified shortcomings and obstacles in this field. Additionally, it could assist law enforcement agencies (LEAs) in BiH to consider and eventually design a database on police corruption if proof needed.
Topic:: Corruption, Crime, Institutions, and Police
Political Geography:: Europe, Balkans, and Bosnia and Herzegovina

41994. Pillars of Peace

Author:: Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP)
Publication Date:: 09-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP)
Abstract:: The Pillars of Peace is a new conceptual framework for understanding and describing the factors that create peaceful societies. This framework defines the national characteristics which are most closely associated with peace and has been derived from a process of statistical analysis. It stands as one of the few holistic and quantitative based studies to isolate the positive factors which sustain and reinforce peaceful societies. The attitudes, institutions and structures associated with peace are also associated with many other aspects that are considered desirable, such as a strong business environment, gender equality and high levels of human capital; consequently, the Pillars of Peace can be seen as describing the optimal environment for human potential to flourish. Peace can be viewed through the lens of both negative and positive peace. Negative peace, which is the absence of violence or fear of violence, is used as the definition of peace to create the Global Peace Index (GPI), while positive peace can be defined as the attitudes, institutions and structures that, when strengthened, lead to a more peaceful society. The Pillars of Peace provides a framework for assessing the positive peace factors that create peaceful societies. The taxonomy also forms an ideal base for measuring a society’s potential for peace. These positive peace factors can also be used to assess how supportive the underlying environment is towards development, as they are positively associated with developmental outcomes and therefore the fulfillment of human potential. The Pillars of Peace provides the ideal benchmark against which to measure the performance of the broader aspects of social development and a country’s overall resilience when confronted with social upheaval. In constructing the Pillars of Peace over 900 different indices, datasets and attitudinal surveys were analysed in conjunction with current thinking about what drives peace, resilience and conflict. In order to ensure the development of a holistic framework, both a multidisciplinary and ‘systems approach’ was applied to the concept of peace, drawing on a range of recent research.
Topic:: Corruption, Government, Natural Resources, Business, Conflict, Human Capital, Peace, and Information
Political Geography:: Global Focus

41995. UK Peace Index

Author:: Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP)
Publication Date:: 04-2013
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP)
Abstract:: The United Kingdom Peace Index (UKPI), produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), provides a comprehensive measure of the levels of peacefulness within the United Kingdom from 2003 to 2012.1 It also provides an analysis of the socio-economic factors which are associated with peace as well as an estimate of the economic cost of violence and the benefits that would flow from increases in peace. This is the inaugural edition of the UK Peace Index. The UKPI is based on the Global Peace Index, the preeminent global measure of peacefulness which has been produced by IEP annually since 2007. The UKPI is the second national peace index in a series of national level studies and follows the United States Peace Index (USPI). Defining peace as the absence of violence or fear of violence, the UK Peace Index is based on a similar methodology to the USPI and enables comparability of the two indexes both at a national level and at more detailed local level.
Topic:: Crime, Economics, Education, Health, Employment, Violence, Peace, and Income
Political Geography:: United Kingdom and Europe

41996. What the Women Say: Voices from the Ground: Syria’s Humanitarian Crisis

Author:: International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)
Publication Date:: 12-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)
Abstract:: In recent months ICAN’s staff have held regular in-person and online consultations with Syrian civil society activists based inside the country or those who have recently left. They are providing relief and development support to refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). They speak of the humanitarian threats, security, political, economic and psycho-social challenges that people are facing and the emergence of a nascent but committed civil society. The international community must recognize their resilience, and aspirations for the future, and support their efforts to withstand the impact of war. Their work is a testament to the dignity and humanity of Syrians and provides a glimpse of a peaceful pluralistic Syria for which they are striving. This brief summarizes key priorities and recommendations on immediate humanitarian issues that must be addressed by the international community.
Topic:: Security, Civil Society, Economy, Arab Spring, Syrian War, and Internal Displacement
Political Geography:: Middle East and Syria

41997. What the Women Say: Picking up the Pieces: Iraqi Women in the Aftermath of War and Occupation

Author:: International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)
Publication Date:: 12-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)
Abstract:: Just over a year ago the US military officially withdrew from Iraq, ending a nine-year occupation. But it has not meant peace for Iraqis. The decade of sanctions, followed by war and occupation devastated the country’s socioeconomic fabric. Despite the billions allocated for reconstruction, the country is suffering from greater poverty and corruption than pre-2003.1 Meanwhile, political sectarianism and violence continues. This brief highlights the perspectives of Iraqi women, particularly civil society and peace activists, regarding the losses and gains during the US intervention, the evolving trends and the opportunities and difficulties they face. It offers recommendations to national and international actors on how best to support their efforts to attain and sustain a just peace.
Topic:: Civil Society, Sanctions, Women, Occupation, Peace, Iraq War, and Military
Political Geography:: Iraq and Middle East

41998. What the Women Say: Elusive Peace, Pervasive Violence: Sri Lankan Women’s Struggle for Security and Justice

Author:: International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)
Publication Date:: 03-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)
Abstract:: Four years ago in May 2009, the Sri Lankan military routed the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE), destroyed its leadership and secured control of Tamil dominated areas in the country’s north. Sri Lanka is lauded as the first country to eradicate terrorism on its own soil, but the 2009 victory came at significant human cost. An estimated 300,000 people were displaced. According to the U.N., some 40,000 civilians were killed in the first five months of 2009. This brief focuses on women in Sri Lanka’s northern provinces in the aftermath of war. Drawing on a survey conducted in ten war-torn districts and discussions with over 450 women, it reflects on women’s legal gains and their activism for peace and human rights while also highlighting the critical security, economic and social risks that many women face.4 The recommendations we offer to the Sri Lankan government and the international community reflect the survey findings and priorities outlined in the 2012 Sri Lankan Women’s Agenda on Peace, Security and Development.
Topic:: Security, Women, Violence, Peace, and Justice
Political Geography:: South Asia and Sri Lanka

41999. What the Women Say: From Subjects to Citizens: Women in Post-Revolutionary Libya

Author:: International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)
Publication Date:: 09-2013
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)
Abstract:: In February of 2011, a group of Libyan women, inspired by the wave of peaceful uprisings across Egypt and Tunisia, protested the arrests of their male relatives outside a prison in Benghazi. Their actions inspired a swathe of Libyan society – particularly the young – to spill out into the streets and demand an end to dictatorship. This brief draws particular attention to women’s experiences in Libya in the context of political and security developments in the past two years. It also highlights opportunities that the international community lost for sustaining and implementing the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) agenda on Women, Peace and Security.
Topic:: Women, Citizenship, Arab Spring, and Revolution
Political Geography:: Libya and North Africa

42000. Moral Categories in the Financial Crisis

Author:: Marion Fourcade, Philippe Steiner, Wolfgang Streeck, and Cornelia Woll
Publication Date:: 06-2013
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Max Planck Sciences Po Center on Coping with Instability in Market Societies (MaxPo)
Abstract:: Karl Marx observed long ago that all economic struggles invite moral struggles, or masquerade as such. The reverse may be true as well: deep moral-political conflicts may be waged through the manipulation of economic resources. Using the recent financial and Eurozone crises as empirical backgrounds, the four papers gathered here propose four different perspectives on the play of moral judgments in the economy, and call for broader and more systematic scholarly engagement with this issue. Focusing on executive compensation, bank bailouts, and the sovereign debt crisis, the symposium builds on a roundtable discussion held at the opening of the Max Planck Sciences Po Center on Coping with Instability in Market Societies (MaxPo) in Paris on November 29, 2012.
Topic:: Economics, Financial Crisis, Banking, and Sovereign Debt
Political Geography:: Europe

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COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS