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1102. Preventing New Afghanistans: A Regional Strategy for Reconstruction
- Author:
- Martha Brill Olcott
- Publication Date:
- 01-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- Now is the time to learn the lessons of the past decade in Afghanistan: how it declined from a failing state into a cesspool drawing in Islamic malcontents from all over the world as well as those, like Osama bin Laden, who could bankroll them. If we fail to do so, our freedom may regularly be challenged by threats emerging from the heart of Eurasia, from Afghanistan itself, or from the neighboring states whose fates are being reshaped by their troublesome neighbor.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Democratization, and Development
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan and Eurasia
1103. The Carter Center News, January-June 2002
- Publication Date:
- 01-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Carter Center
- Abstract:
- In 2002, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of The Carter Center to wage peace, fight disease, and build hope worldwide. Underlying our work is the principle that basic human rights—the right to live in peace, have adequate food and health care, and a voice in choosing political leaders—comprise the foundation for the human spirit to flourish and societies to prosper. There always has been an imminent need to secure these rights for people worldwide, but the events of Sept. 11, 2001, raised the collective consciousness about the urgent need for the work of The Carter Center.
- Topic:
- Development, Environment, Human Rights, Migration, Science and Technology, and Third World
1104. Work In Progress: The Peace and Governance Programme: At the Interface of Ideas and Policy
- Publication Date:
- 06-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- The mission of the United Nations University is to contribute, through research and capacity building, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems that are the concern of the United Nations, its Peoples and Member States. The work of the Peace and Governance Programme is a core element of this mission, and one that is complex and demanding. The concept of peace and security is evolving and broadening considerably, both in the worlds of academia and policy. Traditionally, national and international security were mainly defined in military and territorial terms, in an international system characterized by interaction among states. The UN Charter, while ultimately working in the interests of “the peoples,” is predicated on the relationship between unitary states in the maintenance of international peace and security. Within this system, the challenge was traditionally seen as mediating between liberal internationalist and power-political “realist” forces.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Development, International Organization, and United Nations
1105. Cities as Economic Development Tools
- Author:
- Nigel Harris
- Publication Date:
- 12-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Wilson Center
- Abstract:
- Increasing globalization – the economic integration of national economies – and the resulting governmental decentralization have obliged cities in many countries to take seriously the economy of the city. On the other hand, unless cities can be made to work, national economic growth is seriously impeded. Hence, city managers become increasingly important in economic management. The old fatalism – that economic growth is a matter exclusively for national governments – comes under threat.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Development, Government, and Politics
1106. Against the Feminization of Policy
- Author:
- Ananya Roy
- Publication Date:
- 11-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Wilson Center
- Abstract:
- In recent times, there has been avid policy interest in paradigms of enablement. From declarations that the poor are “heroic entrepreneurs” (de Soto 2000) to recommendations on how to capitalize on the social capital of poverty, there is a loud call to help the poor help themselves. I want to focus on a key characteristic of the enablement framework: the attention to women. The policy investment in poor women now spans a range of institutional actors – a kinder and gentler World Bank, the UN shelter debates, and the NGOs that crowd the stage of development. Microcredit programs targeting women, mothers' clubs in squatter settlements, female farming cooperatives have become standard fare. One could say that women have become the currency of this latest round of development, the “instrument,” as Jackson (1999) puts it, of enablement. Drawing upon a rich corpus of feminist research, I want to critically examine the implications of this feminization of policy.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Civil Society, Development, and Politics
1107. Civil Society and the OECD - update November 2002
- Publication Date:
- 11-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
- Abstract:
- The OECD recognises the valuable contribution that civil society can make to the public policy-making process, and attaches great importance to the Organisation's own consultation and dialogue with civil society organisations (CSOs). This continuing dialogue builds trust in public institutions and promotes public understanding of the benefits and challenges of global economic and social change.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, International Trade and Finance, and Non-Governmental Organization
1108. Territorial Review on Helsinki, 2002
- Publication Date:
- 11-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
- Abstract:
- The on-going structuring of the Greater Helsinki Region (GHR) should be encouraged by the central government. Managing the growth of the Helsinki region is crucial to avoid urban sprawl and the waste of resources, especially in the long run. With priorities for the Greater Helsinki Region identified, there is room to negotiate a general agreement between the central government and municipalities of the GHR. This agreement should receive large publicity and raise a debate in Parliament as the goal is to reassess both the role and the dependence of Helsinki upon the rest of the country, i.e. how can Finland develop as a whole by making better use of the motor, Helsinki.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, and International Trade and Finance
1109. Science/Technology — Ocean Power
- Publication Date:
- 05-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxford Analytica
- Abstract:
- This week's piece examines the prospects for tidal stream and competing offshore renewable energy technologies. Options for exploiting the energy available from the world's oceans include offshore wind, wave and tidal stream energy. Offshore wind is by far the closest to commercial exploitation, but the range of possibilities is surprisingly broad.
- Topic:
- Development, Environment, Government, and Science and Technology
1110. A Patent Policy Proposal for Global Diseases
- Author:
- Jean O Lanjouw
- Publication Date:
- 06-2001
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- We are in the midst of a dramatic extension of the global reach of the patent system. Until recently, in an effort to keep their prices low, many developing countries did not grant patents on new pharmaceutical products. Today, however, most countries have extended their patent laws to include pharmaceutical innovations, and in order to fulfill World Trade Organization membership requirements, the rest will soon follow.
- Topic:
- Civil War, Development, Human Welfare, International Trade and Finance, and Treaties and Agreements
1111. Corruption and Globalization
- Author:
- Shang-Jin Wei
- Publication Date:
- 04-2001
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- At least since the Asian financial crisis, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has, from time to time, included transparency and anti-corruption measures as part of the conditions for countries to borrow its funds. Because of this, it has been criticized as having overstepped its mandate, or even having made crises worse in countries the IMF is supposed to help.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Globalization, and Third World
- Political Geography:
- Asia
1112. Stemming the Backlash Against Globalization
- Author:
- Carol Graham
- Publication Date:
- 04-2001
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- There is much speculation about a new round of protests at the upcoming meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The protestors contend that globalization is bad for poor people in poor countries. But the evidence suggests the opposite: that globalization provides the poor in developing countries with new opportunities for upward mobility. Yet it also introduces new vulnerabilities, particularly for those in the middle income strata, which cause even the upwardly mobile in these strata to negatively assess their economic progress. We propose three sets of policies for poor countries — increasing access to higher levels and better quality education, eliminating market distortions that block the upward mobility of the poor (including excessive levels of inequality), and providing more broadly available safety nets for people without steady incomes — that could help prevent these negative sentiments from growing into a broader backlash against globalization, which would ultimately hurt the poor in these countries the most.
- Topic:
- Development, Globalization, Human Welfare, and Third World
1113. The Greening of the World Bank: A Lesson in Bureaucratic Survival
- Author:
- James M. Sheehan
- Publication Date:
- 04-2000
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- The World Bank has a dismal environmental record that environmentalists have long condemned. Its lending policies have financed ecological destruction, human rights violations, and forced resettlement, and its projects have suffered from high failure rates, according to the bank's own criteria.
- Topic:
- Development, Environment, and International Organization
1114. The Carter Center News, July-December 2000
- Publication Date:
- 07-2000
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Carter Center
- Abstract:
- The eyes of the world were fixed on recounts and judicial twists in the 2000 U.S. presidential election for weeks last fall. When the suspense finally lifted and a winner emerged, the experience left Americans wiser and more educated about their own democracy.
- Topic:
- Development, Environment, Human Rights, Migration, Science and Technology, and Third World
- Political Geography:
- United States and America
1115. The Carter Center News, January-June 2000
- Publication Date:
- 01-2000
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Carter Center
- Abstract:
- During the first six months of this year, four Latin American countries exercised democracy by scheduling elections. The Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela laid the groundwork for electoral processes, though only the Dominican Republic and Mexico actually held elections as planned (see also “What Latin America's Elections Really Mean,” Page 4). In all four cases, however, Carter Center delegates were on site to monitor the proceedings. Below are the Center's observations, listing the most recent election first.
- Topic:
- Development, Environment, Human Rights, Migration, Science and Technology, and Third World
- Political Geography:
- South America, Latin America, Central America, Caribbean, Venezuela, Mexico, and Peru
1116. The Southern African Development Community: Regional Integration in Ferment
- Author:
- David Simon and Alexander Johnston
- Publication Date:
- 12-1999
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Chatham House
- Abstract:
- Shortly before he became President of the 'new South Africa' in May 1994, Nelson Mandela stressed that his country's relations with the region's poorer and weaker neighbours would be characterized by 'sensitivity and restraint'. This declaration of intent was welcome given South Africa's traditional dominance as the hegemonic power during the apartheid era and the resulting crude and at times violent exploitation of its neighbours' dependence, in varying degree, on the Republic's economy for a wide range of goods and services, for transport links and a market for employment. Indeed, South Africa's accession to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in 1994 offered the promise of a new deal in regional relations, with the new member acting as an 'engine of growth' and as a cooperative and enthusiastic supporter of purposeful and sustained regional integration.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, International Cooperation, and International Organization
- Political Geography:
- Africa
1117. Social and Economic Policies to Prevent Complex Humanitarian Emergencies
- Author:
- Jeni Klugman
- Publication Date:
- 01-1999
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- Complex humanitarian emergencies have caused widespread death and suffering over the last two decades. While recent tragedies in Bosnia, Rwanda and Angola have made the world more aware of the terrible human toll involved, the international community has yet to develop effective policy responses to stem such crises.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Development, Economics, Genocide, Human Rights, Migration, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Bosnia, Rwanda, and Angola
1118. Migration, Urbanization, and Social Adjustment
- Author:
- Michael J. White
- Publication Date:
- 02-1999
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Wilson Center
- Abstract:
- Migration is the demographic process that links rural to urban areas, generating or spurring the growth of cities. The resultant urbanization is linked to a variety of policy issues, spanning demographic, economic, and environmental concerns. Growing cities are often seen as the agents of environmental degradation. Urbanization can place stress on the land through sprawl; coincident industrial development may threaten air and water quality. In the eyes of many observers, rapid urbanization is also linked to problems of unemployment and the social adaptation of migrants in their new urban setting. Cities advertise society's inequalities in income, housing, and other social resources, whether these problems are new or just newly manifest in urban settings. Most of the migration conventionally liked to these urban issues was seen as following a conventional pattern. In this policy brief I raise some issues about the nature of contemporary, migratory behavior, both for our understanding of processes of population redistribution directly, and for understanding some of the implications of that redistribution. Contemporary research is sketching the contours of this migratory behavior and the social adjustment that accompanies it. New research is beginning to shed light on the rate of migrant adaptation, on the connection between origin and destination communities through remittances, and the demographic structure and dynamics of refugee movements.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Civil Society, Development, Economics, and Migration
1119. Yet Another Transition? Urbanization, Class Formation, and the End of National Liberation Struggle in South Africa
- Author:
- David Everatt
- Publication Date:
- 02-1999
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Wilson Center
- Abstract:
- Comparative Urban Studies Project Policy Brief Yet Another Transition? Urbanization, Class Formation, and the End of National Liberation Struggle in South Africa Presented February 8-9, 1999, at the Woodrow Wilson Center for the Comparative Urban Studies Project's Research Working Group on Urbanization, Population, the Environment, and Security funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. These policy briefs do not represent an official position of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars or the U.S. Agency for International Development. Opinions expressed are solely those of the authors. South Africa's negotiated settlement is widely hailed as a small miracle. What is the state of the miracle five years on?
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Development, and Government
- Political Geography:
- Africa and South Africa
1120. Water for Big Cities: Big Problems, Easy Solutions?
- Author:
- Richard Middleton, John Kalbermatten, and Peter Rogers
- Publication Date:
- 02-1999
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Wilson Center
- Abstract:
- In large urban area of developing countries, about 30% of the population does not have access to safe water, and 50% does not have adequate sanitation. That means that over 500 million people do not have safe water, and 850 million people do not have proper sanitation. By the year 2020, there will be nearly 2 billion more people in urban areas needing these services. Putting it another way, in the next 20 years water supply coverage will have to more than triple, and sanitation coverage more than quadruple, if everyone in these countries is to be adequately served. To do this, even at a low consumption figure of 100 liters/person/day, will require an additional 88 BCM/year - both of water to be supplied and of wastewater to be safely disposed of.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Development, Government, and Industrial Policy