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14782. The Political Economy of Regionalism: Current Theorizing and Preliminary Observations on the G-3 FTA
- Author:
- Antonio Ortiz Mena López Negrete
- Publication Date:
- 12-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas
- Abstract:
- This working paper provides and overview of current theorizing on the political economy of regional integration. Specifically, it assesses several theories that attempt to explain the causes behind the resurgence or regionalism in the late 1980's and early 1990's with special emphasis on Milner's demand-driven theory based on demands for regionalism by firms with internal increasing returns to scale. After reviewing the main propositions of the theories in light of the G-3 Free Trade Agreement, it finds that no single theory adequately accounts for the causes behind the establishment of the agreement, that Milner's model is better at specifying preferences than outcomes, and that greater attention should be paid to the institutional forms of regional integration agreements.
- Topic:
- Economics, Industrial Policy, Political Economy, and Regional Cooperation
14783. Policy Learning, Policy Diffusion and the Making of a New Order
- Author:
- Covadonga Meseguer
- Publication Date:
- 11-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas
- Abstract:
- This chapter surveys the role of learning as mechanism of policy diffusion in the context of the creation of a new political order. I discuss policy learning against the background of recent research on the diffusion of deregulatory and regulatory policies, and attempt to distinguish learning from other mechanisms of diffusion. I then survey the challenges entailed in testing this mechanism and set out my particular approach: a rational version of learning. I also report the results of preliminary efforts to test learning as applied to the diffusion of regulatory policies. I conclude that learning cannot be rejected as a plausible mechanism of the diffusion of policies, although it shares its explanatory role with less rational mechanisms of diffusion, in particular policy emulation. Further research and analysis is needed to test learning in either its rational or its bounded version, and in doing so to delve into the politics of learning.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Development, Economics, and Politics
14784. Civil-Military Relations and Security Institutions in the Southern Cone: The Sources of Argentine-Brazilian Nuclear Cooperation
- Author:
- Arturo Sotomayor
- Publication Date:
- 11-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas
- Abstract:
- This paper analyzes the conditions in which the governments of Argentina and Brazil founded security institutions in the early 1990s, while they were democratizing. Civilian leaders in both countries established institutions and sought international participation deliberately to achieve civilian control and gain leverage over the military establishment, whom they sorely distrusted. The need to stabilize civil-military relations at home was therefore the prime motivating force behind the emergence of security institutions in the Southern Cone. Three mechanisms were at work: omnibalancing, policy handling, and managing uncertainty. These mechanisms are derived from three different schools of thought: realism, organizational-bureaucratic models, and theories of domestic political institutions. Besides explaining the sources of nuclear bilateral cooperation, this argument also serves as a critique of two prominent theories in international relations that attempt to explain cooperation and peaceful relations among democracies: neoliberal institutionalism and democratic peace theory.
- Topic:
- Security, Government, and Nuclear Weapons
- Political Geography:
- Brazil, Argentina, and South America
14785. Elementos de una aproximación interpretativa a las ciencias sociales
- Author:
- Farid Kahhat
- Publication Date:
- 09-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas
- Abstract:
- Statesmen address security concerns based on their understanding of the issues at stake. Such a truism becomes problematic, though, once we realize that no fact or event does inherently pose a threat to a state's security. Threats can only be identified by silhouetting them against the background of an interpretive framework: only after we know what could count as a security threat can we recognize certain facts or events as particular instances of that general phenomena. Therefore, different frameworks of interpretation will elicit different meanings from the same facts and events, and suggest different courses of action in response to them.
- Topic:
- Security, Foreign Policy, Development, and Government
14786. Las relaciones económicas internacionales de México hacia el siglo XXI: retos y oportunidades. Reporte.
- Author:
- Antonio Ortiz Mena L.N. and Ninfa Fuentes
- Publication Date:
- 09-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas
- Abstract:
- On December 2002, the Division of International Studies (DEI) at the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE) organized the forum “The International Economic Relations of Mexico: Challenges and Opportunities” with the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. The forum approached the international economic relationships of Mexico, from the regional and multilateral perspectives. The objective of the forum and of this document is to evaluate the relationships that Mexico maintains with each one of the regions and countries approached in the forum, highlighting the challenges and the opportunities that each one of them presents. We live an opportune moment to design a prospective and coherent vision of the international economic relationships of Mexico in the XXI Century among government's organs in order to avoid arriving to a point in which Mexico would have a reduced maneuver margin. The participants who took part in the forum and a list of acronyms are included at the beginning of the document. The conference agenda can be found as well. This document intends to reproduce the essence of the forum discussions and the participants' presentations. It is our intention to reflect in a clear and honest manner the participants' statements in this paper. Any lack of precision is not intentional and is exclusively our responsibility.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Development, and Economics
- Political Geography:
- Central America and Mexico
14787. Las condicionantes internas de la política exterior de Brasil y México
- Author:
- Jorge A. Schiavon and Octavio Amorim Neto
- Publication Date:
- 08-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas
- Abstract:
- Brazil's foreign policy is an example of continuity, while Mexico's foreign policy is characterized by change. The foreign policy of both countries is conditioned by both international and domestic variables. This working paper describes and explains comparatively the way in which the domestic politics of Brazil and Mexico are key factors in determining their foreign policies. The document is divided in two sections. The first and more important analyzes the mechanisms through which domestic institutional, economic, and political variables impact and determine the foreign policies of both countries; this section is divided in two parts, one on Brazil and the other on Mexico. The second section explores the consequences of domestic institutions in Brazil's and Mexico's foreign policies in the adminstrations of Vicente Fox y Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, after they took office in 2000 y 2003 respectively, using both cases to discuss the central findings of this research.
- Topic:
- International Relations and Foreign Policy
- Political Geography:
- Brazil, South America, Central America, and Mexico
14788. La política exterior de las entidades federativas: un estudio comparado
- Author:
- Jorge A. Schiavon
- Publication Date:
- 08-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas
- Abstract:
- This working paper analyses the causes of the increased international activity of federated states' units, and the way and intensity in which this activity takes place. First, it explains that the growing participation of federal entities in foreign policy is a product, on one hand, of increasing globalization and interdependence in the international system, and, on the other, of the internal processes of liberalization, democratization, and decentralization. Second, using the Mexican case as an example, it explains how the legal rules in the Constitution establish the limits of international participation of the states of the federation; then, it analyses how the institutional configuration, the division of power, and the division of purpose in the system influence the degree of intensity of participation of these federal units in foreign policy issues, within the constitutional limitations. Likewise, it considers economic capacity and geographical location of the states as variables that also seem to influence their degree of activity. Then, it briefly explores how Mexican federal entities have participated in the internacional arena. Finally, it describes the relationships, in terms of foreign policy, between different orders of government in other federal systems, such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, and the United States, and contrasts these relationships with those in Mexico.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Foreign Policy, Development, and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States, Canada, Germany, Australia, Switzerland, and Mexico
14789. The Central-Local Division of Power in the Americas and the Renewed Mexican Federalism (Old Institutions, New Political Realities)
- Author:
- Jorge A. Schiavon
- Publication Date:
- 05-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas
- Abstract:
- This research paper explores whether the central-local division of power is an important institutional variable in the operation of political systems in the Americas. It develops a typology of central-local divisions of power in the hemisphere based on two specific characteristics that differentiate them (federal-unitary and centralized-decentralized), and discusses the relevance of the institutional and partisan configurations of the system in the workings of this variable. Then, it constructs a veto gates and veto players model in order to analyze the causal mechanism through which the centrallocal division of power impacts political systems in the Americas. It then presents two examples (with variations in time and space) to support the argument that the central-local division of power's relevance depends on its type, the institutional configuration, and party composition of the system. In doing so, it analyses the Mexican federal system, arguing that renewed Mexican federalism and its consequences in terms of democratic governance and the efficient provision of public policies is a result of the concurrence of old institutions with the new political reality, that is, the intersection of the old institutional framework and the new partisan configurations of the Mexican political system.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Government, and Sovereignty
- Political Geography:
- America and South America
14790. Reforma estructural e integración regional en las Américas.
- Author:
- Jorge A. Schiavon and Ninfa Fuentes
- Publication Date:
- 05-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas
- Abstract:
- The structural reform and regional integration programs contribute to the economic development of the countries of the Western Hemisphere. In the last decade, several efforts of regional integration have taken place in the region. However, their success or failure is related, to a great extent, to the degree of structural reform implemented, due to the fact that the latter provides a common ground to launch the regional integration process. Thus, the central question of this research is: what is the impact of the structural reform process in the implementation of regional integration in the Americas?
- Topic:
- Development and Regional Cooperation
- Political Geography:
- South America and Central America
14791. El Islamismo como teoría política y de relaciones internacionales.
- Author:
- José Alberto Moreno
- Publication Date:
- 05-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas
- Abstract:
- The Islamism is the sum of theories and religious doctrines who fought for a harsh Quoranic interpretation and Shari'a (Islamic Law) applying, with the aim to transform the society to an idealistic return of the prophet Muhammad's time and manners. The present paper has a double objective: diffuse the main arguments of some scholars from this political thought and categorized the Islamism through intellectual periods and religious schools (Sunnism and Shiism).
- Topic:
- Development, Ethnic Conflict, Politics, and Religion
14792. Transfrontier Cooperation in the North-West of Russia: 21st Century
- Author:
- Vladlena V. Eliseeva
- Publication Date:
- 07-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- EastWest Institute
- Abstract:
- This study has been prepared in conjunction with the Transfrontier Cooperation Do- nor Forum held in St. Petersburg on April 25, 2003 under the EastWest Instituteís Regional and Transfrontier Cooperation (RTFC) Program. EWI has over ten years of experience in transfrontier cooperation in various regions of Europe. Long before issues surrounding the upcoming EU enlargement were a top priority on the EU-Russia agenda, EWIís RTFC Program was researching and assessing the impact of enlargement on the Baltic Sea Region in general, and on the Kaliningrad Region (EWIís priority area in the North-West of Russia) in particular. Today, in view of the upcoming European Union enlargement, transfrontier cooperation (TFC) has assumed an increasing importance for the future of a larger Europe.
- Topic:
- Development and Globalization
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Europe, and Asia
14793. Secure Borders: The European Experience - A Roundtable with Jonathan Faull
- Author:
- Mark R. Shulman
- Publication Date:
- 03-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- EastWest Institute
- Abstract:
- The EastWest Institute hosted a roundtable discussion with Jonathan Faull, Director-General, Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) of the European Commission. Mr. Faull discussed various important, innovative and effective initiatives that JHA is pursuing to cultivate security while promoting freedom and justice throughout Europe and its new neighborhood. He also discussed impending changes to the US visa regime and their potential impact on transatlantic trade, educational and cultural exchanges, tour ism and relations generally. Other participants included leading experts and scholars from the media, universities, think tanks, and human rights organizations.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Security, Education, Human Rights, and Culture
- Political Geography:
- United States and Europe
14794. The Liberal Arts at Home and at Work
- Author:
- Pauline Yu
- Publication Date:
- 11-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues
- Abstract:
- How many of you have had the experience of touring an older industrial city, perhaps in the company of a local booster keen to describe the city's glorious past, exhibit its vibrant present, and sketch its exciting future? You're likely to have been shown the redeveloped business district, with some gleaming skyscrapers, transportation hubs, and commercial redevelopment. Much would have been made of the "world-class," "cutting-edge," and "competitive" facilities businesses could find there.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Education, and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States
14795. The Financial Front in the Global War on Terrorism
- Author:
- Patrick D. Buckley and Michael J. Meese
- Publication Date:
- 01-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Department of Social Sciences at West Point, United States Military Academy
- Abstract:
- Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States has aggressively executed the Global War on Terrorism on many different fronts. The approval of Executive Order 13224 on September 24, 2001, marked a bold initial step toward targeting terrorists' financial networks. The success of terrorist organizations is dependent upon these financial networks because though terrorist attacks are not necessarily expensive, the support of international terrorist networks, training camps, command and control, and infrastructure requires either a large reserve of available finances or the ability to raise significant funding. Estimates of al-Qaeda's current funding vary widely, but it is believed that prior to the Taliban's removal from power, al-Qaeda's annual expenses were at least $36 million on top of an initial fixed cost of approximately $50 million for equipment and infrastructure.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, International Trade and Finance, and Terrorism
- Political Geography:
- United States
14796. From the Discourse of "Sino-West" to "Globalization": Chinese Perspectives on Globalization
- Author:
- Yu Keping
- Publication Date:
- 03-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition, McMaster University
- Abstract:
- “Globalization” has become a fashionable term, and is itself as globalized as McDonald's, the Internet and the film Titanic. So wherever in the West or the East, in developing or developed countries, or in capitalist or socialist countries, people are talking about “globalization,” so too are they doing in China. All popular theories in the West tend to have repercussions in China sooner or later, as the examples of modernization theory, postmodern theory and globalization theory demonstrate. Modernization theory, which prevailed in the West in the 1950s and 1960s, did not become popular in China until the 1980s, while globalization theory, which came to prominence in the West in the early 1990s, has been a hot topic in China since the mid-1990s. This fact itself is a good indicator that globalization has been an inevitable trend shaping the development process of the world, including China. Having introduced reforms that open the country's economy to the world markets, and as an active member of the international community, China is necessarily facing the effects of globalization. As a result, Chinese politicians and scholars are posing questions about how to respond to the challenges and opportunities that globalization presents.
- Topic:
- Globalization
- Political Geography:
- China and Asia
14797. The Elusive Basis of Legitimacy in Global Governance: Three Conceptions
- Author:
- Steven Bernstein
- Publication Date:
- 05-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition, McMaster University
- Abstract:
- The Elusive Basis of Legitimacy in Global Governance: Three Conceptions How to create and maintain legitimacy is arguably the greatest contemporary challenge to global governance and international order. To address this challenge, International Relations scholars, accustomed to a clear distinction between international and domestic legitimacy, have had to borrow extensively from the fields of political philosophy, comparative politics, law, and sociology, which have long investigated the legitimate basis of political authority. These traditions inform three distinct conceptions of legitimacy in this new wave of scholarship: 1) principled legitimacy rooted in democratic politics; 2) legitimacy as law or legalization; and 3) a sociological conception of legitimacy rooted in intersubjective beliefs about appropriateness. Each conception provides only partial insight into the core puzzle animating this literature: what does political authority beyond the state require? The answer can only be found through an examination of the relationship of power, legitimacy, and community, which together constitute political authority.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Globalization, Government, and International Political Economy
14798. Violence as Historical Time
- Author:
- Timothy Brook
- Publication Date:
- 08-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition, McMaster University
- Abstract:
- September 11 is a date that has become fixed in the calendar of public memory. For one side in the conflict between the United States and the Islamic network opposed to its power in the Middle East, the shocking display of destruction is remembered as a day of infamy; for the other side, as a day of martyrdom. Which of these claims is true—indeed, whether either is true—depends on the identity and political imagination of the person doing the remembering. But regardless of which meaning the day is now made to bear, the leadership on both sides of the conflict agree on one thing: this was a moment in time that cannot and should not be forgotten. For some, on both sides, 9/11 deserves to be seen as a genuine turning point in history, changing the global political order in a way that allows no going back. For others, again on both sides, it might more usefully be seen as a moment of illumination, when the sudden flash of violence lit a political landscape whose contours theretofore had been difficult to see.1 Whether as a turning point or a moment of illumination, whether as infamy or martyrdom, 9/11 has become a point in time signifying more than the events that took place on that day.
- Topic:
- Terrorism and History
- Political Geography:
- United States and Middle East
14799. Competition, Contracts and Privatization: Globalization and Public Administration in Developing Countries
- Author:
- Ahmed Shafiqul Huque
- Publication Date:
- 09-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition, McMaster University
- Abstract:
- Public administration actors, institutions and processes came under severe criticism in most states, as they seemed to be increasingly inappropriate for performing the tasks expected of them. Western developed nations moved to alleviate the problems by introducing reforms in the public sector. Initially, the reforms aimed at cutting cost in the provision of public services and reducing the size of the bureaucracy. Subsequently, the reforms also attempted to usher in changes in the approach and attitude, and more radical solutions were considered, including the overhaul of public sector organizations and the introduction of market principles.
- Topic:
- Emerging Markets, Globalization, Politics, and Privatization
14800. Globalizing Hope: The Resonance of Zapatismo and the Political Imagination(s) of Transnational Activism
- Author:
- Alex Khasnabish
- Publication Date:
- 12-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition, McMaster University
- Abstract:
- “The new distribution of the world excludes 'minorities'. The indigenous, youth, women, homosexuals, lesbians, people of color, immigrants, workers, peasants; the majority who make up the world basements are presented, for power, as disposable. The new distribution of the world excludes the majorities.
- Topic:
- Globalization, Politics, and Political Theory
- Political Geography:
- Mexico