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45602. Perceptions of (Micro)Insurance in Southern Ghana: The Role of Information and Peer Effects
- Author:
- Lena Giesbert and Susan Steiner
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- German Institute of Global and Area Studies
- Abstract:
- This article investigates the understandings and perceptions of (micro)insurance among low income people in southern Ghana, using evidence from four focus group discussions. It analyzes how the focus group participants think about various types of insurance – among them a micro life insurance product – and how their negative and/or positive evaluations have come about. The evidence indicates that (micro)insurance is mostly positively perceived by the participants of the focus group discussions. However, it is also found that many people's image of insurance is based on incomplete (and sometimes erroneous) information, or even on intuition. In addition, the experiences or opinions of peers turn out to be critical in shaping an individual's perception of insurance. These two factors potentially have a contagious effect, which can lead to unreasonably positive or overly negative ideas about (micro )insurance. Such ideas, in turn, can become detrimental to the further distribution of microinsurance.
- Topic:
- Health, Political Economy, and Poverty
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Ghana
45603. Muslims in America: A Profile
- Author:
- Karam Dana
- Publication Date:
- 10-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- The perception of Muslims living in the United States has deteriorated dramatically since the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. U.S.-Muslims, a group that had already faced discrimination prior to the attacks, became even more visible to the public. Non-Muslim Americans began questioning American Muslim loyalties to the United States as well as their commitment to being “good” citizens. Such doubt extended to the political arena as well, prompting intrusive inquiries into Muslim-affiliated civic and political organizations and their members. Even non-Muslims with Muslim affiliations or Muslim- sounding names or appearances have been subject to public scrutiny. For example, despite identifying as a Christian, President Barack Obama's religious affiliation has been continually doubted by some due to his Kenyan Muslim heritage and his middle name, Hussein. Though a decade has passed since the events of September 11th, the role of American Muslims, and whether they can at all be trusted, remains a popular concern and a topic of household conversation.
- Topic:
- Security, Human Rights, Human Welfare, Islam, Religion, Terrorism, and Sectarianism
- Political Geography:
- United States and America
45604. More Prisoners Versus More Crime is the Wrong Question
- Author:
- Jens Ludwig and Philip J. Cook
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- The unprecedented surge in incarceration since 1980 has stimulated a national debate between those who claim that locking up over 2 million people is necessitated by public safety concerns, and those who say the human and financial burden of imprisoning so many of our citizens is intolerable.
- Topic:
- Crime, Human Rights, Law, and Prisons/Penal Systems
- Political Geography:
- United States
45605. Benchmarking Against Progress: An Assessment of Australia's Aid Effectiveness
- Author:
- Laurence Chandy
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- Is Australia's aid program effective? Measuring the effectiveness of aid is no easy feat. For a start, there is uncertainty about what aid is trying to achieve. Even seemingly straightforward objectives, like poverty reduction, throw up a range of questions as to what precisely ought to be measured. For instance, how should one balance the provision of temporary relief to those in need with catalyzing permanent transformation in people's lives (Barder, 2009)? Second, it is notoriously difficult to isolate the effect of a single aid program from other factors. Aid is delivered in an environment of enormous complexity where all manner of other events shape outcomes, including actions by recipient governments, aid from other countries, non-aid flows, and the performance of the global economy. To accurately attribute impact to aid therefore requires a thorough understanding of the setting in which aid is given. Third, the effects of aid are not always immediate or straightforward. For instance, improvements in people's skills or the performance of institutions may manifest gradually. Measurements of what aid achieves must be sensitive to the different ways change is brought about (Woolcock et al., 2009).
- Topic:
- Economics, Globalization, Humanitarian Aid, Poverty, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Australia/Pacific
45606. Tunisia's Economic Challenges
- Author:
- Lahcen Achy
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- As Tunisia moves away from its former regime, policymakers need to seize this historic opportunity to pursue an innovative economic strategy to overcome four key challenges: high rates of youth unemployment, a large number of marginal jobs, increasing income inequality, and substantial regional disparities.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Development, Industrial Policy, and Labor Issues
- Political Geography:
- Arabia, North Africa, and Tunisia
45607. Arab Monarchies: Chance for Reform, Yet Unmet
- Author:
- Marina Ottaway and Marwan Muasher
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- Contrary to what ongoing protests across the Middle East and North Africa might imply, monarchs and ruling families in the Arab world still enjoy an extraordinary degree of legitimacy in the eyes of their people. Most citizens of Arab monarchies want to see changes within their ruling governments, not complete regime change. This in turn affords those rulers an opportunity to embark on a path of far-reaching political reform without losing their thrones—all the while gaining acclaim at home and abroad.
- Topic:
- Democratization and Regime Change
- Political Geography:
- Middle East and Arabia
45608. From Inspiration to Aspiration: Turkey in the New Middle East
- Author:
- Sinan Ülgen
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- With democratic change struggling to take root in the Arab world even after the fall of several autocratic regimes, the question naturally arises whether Turkey can serve as a model for those who hope to usher the region through the difficult transition to a more democratic order.
- Topic:
- NATO, Democratization, and Regime Change
- Political Geography:
- Turkey, Middle East, and Arabia
45609. Aiding Governance in Developing Countries: Progress Amid Uncertainties
- Author:
- Thomas Carothers and Diane De Gramont
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- Since emerging as a new donor enthusiasm in the 1990s, governance support has become a major area of aid to developing countries. The idea that remedying debilitating patterns of inefficient, corrupt, and unaccountable governance will unlock developmental progress appeals not just to aid providers but also to ordinary people throughout the developing world who are angry at unresponsive and poorly functioning states. Yet despite the natural appeal of improving governance, it has proved challenging in practice. Many initial assumptions about the task have run aground on the shoals of countervailing realities. As a result, aid practitioners have begun accumulating important insights about how to improve governance aid: Governance deficiencies are often primarily political and cannot be resolved through technical assistance alone. Fostering citizen demand for better governance is as important as topdown efforts aimed at improving the “supply” of governance. Governance aid may be more effective at the local level than at the national level. Despite the intuitive appeal of governance best practices, concentrating on locally determined “best fit” may be more productive. Informal institutions are a central part of the governance puzzle and cannot be treated as developmental marginalia. Governance concerns should be integrated into the full range of assistance programming. Donor countries should address international drivers of poor governance. Aiding governance effectively requires development agencies to rethink their own internal governance. These eight insights represent the framework of an emergent but still tentative second generation of governance support. Often embraced in principle, they are still far from being widely implemented in practice.
- Topic:
- Development, Humanitarian Aid, Poverty, Foreign Aid, and Governance
45610. Challenges of Egypt's Economic Transition
- Author:
- Ibrahim Saif
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- The Egyptian economy is going through a critical period as the country transitions to democracy. While the shift from authoritarianism is certainly welcome, it has inevitably incited instability unknown to Egypt for the past thirty years. The implementation of economic reform amid this uncertainty is particularly challenging as political demands take precedence. The state attempted several times to revive the Egyptian economy since the Infitah, or “open door,” policy initiated by President Anwar Sadat in the mid-1970s. Successive, though unsuccessful, reform programs during the 1990s contributed to the pervasive poverty that served as a central driver of the 2011 Egyptian revolution and persists today. Past experiences can provide useful lessons for what to avoid in the future, even if they are unable to impart what exactly should be done.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Development, Economics, and Regime Change
- Political Geography:
- Arabia, North Africa, and Egypt
45611. Education for Citizenship in the Arab World: Key to the Future
- Author:
- Marwan Muasher and Muhammad Faour
- Publication Date:
- 10-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- Any romantic notions in the West that the 2011 Arab uprisings could create instantaneous democracy in countries that have succeeded at toppling their leaders are already shattering. In the absence of strong political parties and viable civil society structures in most of the Arab world, these uprisings are proving to be only the first step in a process that will not follow a clear path and will take years to unfold. Much trial and error will take place and the region will experience multiple ups and downs before stable political and economic systems take hold.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Development, Economics, Education, and Regime Change
- Political Geography:
- Middle East and Arabia
45612. The New "Supercommittee": An "Optimistic" View
- Author:
- Jared Lobdell
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- An October New York Times story remarked that “with just five weeks until its deadline, a secretive Congressional committee seeking ways to cut the federal deficit is far from a consensus, and party leaders may need to step in if they want to ensure agreement, say people involved in the panel's work.” We have this “supercommittee” of twelve members of Congress, ostensibly for the purpose of cutting a minimum $1.2 trillion from our deficit, chosen by four appointers, none agreeing with any other on exactly what ought to be done, representing mostly diametrically opposing wings of two parties with irreconcilable differences.
- Topic:
- Debt, Economics, Global Recession, Monetary Policy, and Financial Crisis
- Political Geography:
- United States
45613. Forest Clearing in the Pantropics: December 2005–August 2011
- Author:
- David Wheeler, Robin Kraft, and Dan Hammer
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- This report summarizes recent trends in large-scale tropical forest clearing identified by FORMA (Forest Monitoring for Action). Our analysis includes 27 countries that accounted for 94 percent of clearing during the period 2000–2005. We highlight countries with relatively large changes since 2005, both declines and increases. FORMA produces indicators that track monthly changes in the number of 1-sq.-km. tropical forest parcels that have experienced clearing with high probability. This report and the accompanying spreadsheet databases provide monthly estimates for 27 countries, 280 primary administrative units, and 2,907 secondary administrative units. Countries' divergent experiences since 2005 have significantly altered their shares of global clearing in some cases. Brazil's global share fell by 11.2 percentage points from December 2005 to August 2011, while the combined share of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Myanmar increased by 10.8. The diverse patterns revealed by FORMA's first global survey caution against facile generalizations about forest clearing in the pantropics. During the past five years, the relative scale and pace of clearing have changed across regions, within regions, and within countries. Although the overall trend seems hopeful, it remains to be seen whether the decline in forest clearing will persist as the global economy recovers.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Economics, Globalization, and Natural Resources
- Political Geography:
- Indonesia, Malaysia, and Myanmar
45614. From REDD to Green: A Global Incentive System to Stop Tropical Forest Clearing
- Author:
- David Wheeler, Robin Kraft, and Dan Hammer
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- In this paper, we develop and illustrate a prototype incentive system for promoting rapid reduction of forest clearing in tropical countries. Our proposed Tropical Forest Protection Fund (TFPF) is a cash-on-delivery system that rewards independently monitored performance without formal contracts. The system responds to forest tenure problems in many countries by dividing incentive payments between national governments, which command the greatest number of instruments that affect forest clearing, and indigenous communities, which often have tenure rights in forested lands. The TFPF incorporates both monetary and reputational incentives, which are calculated quarterly. The monetary incentives are unconditional cash transfers based on measured performance, while the reputational incentives are publicly disclosed, color-coded performance ratings for each country. The incentives include rewards for: (1) exceeding long-run expectations, given a country's forest clearing history and development status; (2) meeting or exceeding global REDD+ goals; and (3) achieving an immediate reduction in forest clearing. Drawing on monthly forest clearing indicators from the new FORMA (Forest Monitoring for Action) database, we illustrate a prototype TFPF for eight East Asian countries: Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. A system with identical design principles could be implemented by single or multiple donors for individual or multiple forest proprietors within one or more countries, as well as national or local governments in individual countries, tropical regions, or the global pan-tropics. Our results demonstrate the importance of financial flexibility in the design of the proposed TFPF. Its incentives are calculated to induce a massive, rapid reduction of tropical forest clearing. If that occurs, a TFPF for East Asia will need standby authority for disbursements that may total $10–14 billion annually for the next two decades. This financial burden will not persist, however, because the TFPF is designed to self-liquidate once all recipient countries have achieved clearly specified benchmarks. We estimate that the TFPF can be closed by 2070, with its major financial responsibility discharged by 2040.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Economics, Globalization, and Markets
- Political Geography:
- China, Indonesia, Malaysia, East Asia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Southeast Asia, and Myanmar
45615. Direct Redistribution, Taxation, and Accountability in Oil-Rich Economies: A Proposal
- Author:
- Shantayanan Devarajan, Hélène Ehrhart, Tuan Minh Le, and Gaël Raballand
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- To enhance efficiency of public spending in oil-rich economies, this paper proposes that some of the oil revenues be transferred directly to citizens, and then taxed to finance public expenditures. The argument is that spending that is financed by taxation—rather than by resource revenues accruing directly to the government—is more likely to be scrutinized by citizens and hence subject to greater efficiency. We develop the case as follows: First, we confirm that public expenditure efficiency is lower in oil-rich countries compared with other developing countries. Second, we develop a theoretical model to explain why citizens' scrutiny over public expenditure can be increased by transferring oil revenues to citizens and then taxing them. By receiving transfers and then paying taxes, citizens are better informed about the level of government revenue, and they have an incentive to ensure that their taxes are spent on public goods. Third, we show empirically that enhanced citizens' scrutiny is associated with more efficient government spending decisions and that accountability is stronger in countries that rely more on taxation to finance public spending. We conclude that, while it may be difficult to implement such a proposal in existing oil producers, there is scope for introducing it in some of Africa's new oil producers.
- Topic:
- Economics, International Trade and Finance, and Oil
- Political Geography:
- Africa
45616. Economic Dynamics and Forest Clearing: A Spatial Econometric Analysis for Indonesia
- Author:
- David Wheeler, Robin Kraft, Susmita Dasgupta, Dan Hammer, and Brian Blankespoor
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- This paper uses a large panel database to investigate the determinants of forest clearing in Indonesian kabupatens since 2005. Our study incorporates short-run changes in prices and demand for palm oil and wood products, as well as the exchange rate, the real interest rate, land-use zoning, forest protection, the estimated opportunity cost of forested land, the quality of local governance, the poverty rate, population density, the availability of communications infrastructure, transport cost, and local rainfall and terrain slope. Our econometric results highlight the role of dynamic economic factors in forest clearing. We find significant roles for lagged changes in all the short-run economic variables—product prices, demands, the exchange rate and the real interest rate—as well as communications infrastructure, some types of commercial zoning, rainfall, and terrain slope. We find no significance for the other variables, and the absence of impact for protected-area status is particularly notable. Our results strongly support the model of forest clearing as an investment that is highly sensitive to expectations about future forest product prices and demands, as well as changes in the cost of capital (indexed by the real interest rate), the relative cost of local inputs (indexed by the exchange rate), and the cost of land clearing (indexed by local precipitation). By implication, the opportunity cost of forested land fluctuates widely with changes in international markets and decisions by Indonesia's financial authorities about the exchange and interest rates. Our results suggest that forest conservation programs are unlikely to succeed if they ignore such powerful forces.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Economics, Globalization, Markets, and Natural Resources
- Political Geography:
- Indonesia
45617. The High Return to Private Schooling in a Low-Income Country
- Author:
- Tessa Bold, Mwangi Kimenyi, Germano Mwabu, and Justin Sandefur
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- Existing studies from the United States, Latin America, and Asia provide scant evidence that private schools dramatically improve academic performance relative to public schools. Using data from Kenya—a poor country with weak public institutions—we find a large effect of private schooling on test scores, equivalent to one full standard deviation. This finding is robust to endogenous sorting of more able pupils into private schools. The magnitude of the effect dwarfs the impact of any rigorously tested intervention to raise performance within public schools. Furthermore, nearly two thirds of private schools operate at lower cost than the median government school.
- Topic:
- Development, Education, Government, and Poverty
- Political Geography:
- Kenya, United States, Asia, and Latin America
45618. More Money or More Development: What Have the MDGs Achieved?
- Author:
- Charles Kenny and Andy Sumner
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- What have the MDGs achieved? And what might their achievements mean for any second generation of MDGs or MDGs 2.0? We argue that the MDGs may have played a role in increasing aid and that development policies beyond aid quantity have seen some limited improvement in rich countries (the evidence on policy change in poor countries is weaker). Further, there is some evidence of faster-than-expected progress improving quality of life in developing countries since the Millennium Declaration, but the contribution of the MDGs themselves in speeding that progress is—of course—difficult to demonstrate even assuming the MDGs induced policy changes after 2002. The paper concludes with reflections on what the experience of MDGs in terms of global goal setting has taught us and how things might be done differently if there were to be a new set of MDGs after 2015. Any MDGs 2.0 need targets that are set realistically and directly link aid flows to social policy change and to results.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Humanitarian Aid, Poverty, and Foreign Aid
45619. A China Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations
- Author:
- Arvind Subramanian and Aaditya Mattoo
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- Until recently, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has been an effective framework for cooperation because it has continually adapted to changing economic realities. The current Doha Agenda is an aberration because it does not reflect one of the biggest shifts in the international economic and trading system: the rise of China. Even though China will have a stake in maintaining trade openness, an initiative that builds on but redefines the Doha Agenda would anchor China more fully in the multilateral trading system. Such an initiative would have two pillars. First, a new negotiating agenda that would include the major issues of interest to China and its trading partners, and thus unleash the powerful reciprocal liberalization mechanism that has driven the WTO process to previous successes. Second, new restraints on bilateralism and regionalism that would help preserve incentives for maintaining the current broad non-discriminatory trading order.
- Topic:
- Economics, Industrial Policy, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- China, Israel, and Asia
45620. Overselling Broadband: A Critique of the Recommendation of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development
- Author:
- Charles Kenny
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- The Broadband Commission for Digital Development is an ITU (UN International Telecommunications Union) and UNESCO–backed body set up to advocate for greater broadband access worldwide. The commission's Declaration of Broadband Inclusion for All and other reports call for governments to support ubiquitous fixed broadband access as a vital tool for economic growth and to reach the Millennium Development Goals. Examining the evidence, however, shows that the benefits of broadband are being oversold. Several points stand out: (i) the evidence for a large positive economic impact of broadband is limited; (ii) the impact of broadband rollout on achieving the MDGs would be marginal; (iii) there is little evidence ubiquitous broadband is needed for 'national competitiveness' or to benefit from opportunities like business process outsourcing; (iv) the costs of fixed universal broadband rollout dwarf available resources in developing countries; (and so) (v) the case for government subsidy of fixed broadband rollout is very weak. There are, however, some worthwhile policy reforms that could speed broadband rollout without demanding significant government expenditure.
- Topic:
- Development, Globalization, Science and Technology, and Communications
- Political Geography:
- United Nations
45621. Quid Pro Quo: Builders, Politicians, and Election Finance in India
- Author:
- Devesh Kapur and Milan Vaishnav
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- In developing countries where elections are costly and accountability mechanisms weak, politicians often turn to illicit means of financing campaigns. This paper examines one such channel of illicit campaign finance: India's real estate sector. Politicians and builders allegedly engage in a quid pro quo, whereby the former park their illicit assets with the latter, and the latter rely on the former for favorable dispensation. At election time, however, builders need to re-route funds to politicians as a form of indirect election finance. One observable implication is that the demand for cement, the indispensible raw material used in the sector, should contract during elections since builders need to inject funds into campaigns. Using a novel monthly-level data set, we demonstrate that cement consumption does exhibit a political business cycle consistent with our hypothesis. Additional tests provide confidence in the robustness and interpretation of our findings.
- Topic:
- Corruption, Democratization, Government, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- South Asia and India
45622. Do Germans support the euro?
- Author:
- Daniel Gros and Felix Roth
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)
- Abstract:
- This paper analyses public support for the euro in Germany. Drawing from the results of regular Eurobarometer surveys, it finds that the ongoing financial and sovereign debt crisis has reduced support for the euro among German citizens, but not dramatically so – at least not yet. In the 1990s, the German public was sceptical towards the euro. But since the introduction of euro banknotes and coins, a clear majority of citizens supports the euro – despite the financial and sovereign debt crisis. Moreover, on average, support for the euro is at a similar level in Germany as it is elsewhere in the euro area.
- Topic:
- Economics, Regional Cooperation, Monetary Policy, and Financial Crisis
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Germany
45623. The Enduring Popularity of the Euro throughout the Crisis
- Author:
- Felix Roth, Felicitas Nowak-Lehmann D., and Lars Jonung
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)
- Abstract:
- This paper analyses the evolution of public support for the euro from 1990 to 2011, using a popularity function approach, focusing on the most recent period of the financial and sovereign debt crisis. Exploring a huge database of close to half a million observations covering the 12 original euro area member countries, we find that the ongoing crisis has only marginally reduced citizens' support for the euro – at least so far. This result is in stark contrast to the sharp fall in public trust in the European Central Bank. We conclude that the crisis has hardly dented popular support for the euro while the central bank supplying the single currency has lost sharply in public trust. Thus, the euro appears to have established a credibility of its own – separate from the institutional framework behind the euro.
- Topic:
- Economics, Regional Cooperation, and Financial Crisis
- Political Geography:
- Europe
45624. Education Policy and Welfare Regimes in OECD Countries: Social Stratification and Equal Opportunity in Education
- Author:
- Anna-Elisabeth Thum, Miroslav Beblavý, and Marcela Veselkova
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)
- Abstract:
- In this Working Document we look at which OECD countries deliberately attempt to reproduce social stratification through educational policies, and which countries put greater emphasis on intervening in the stratification process. First, we examine the relationship between education and welfare policies as measures of intervention in this process: do countries intervene in both education and welfare – driven by a 'stratification culture'? Or is there a trade-off between intervention in education and welfare, with certain countries prioritising one over the other?
- Topic:
- Economics, Education, Poverty, and Social Stratification
45625. Social Partnerships and Development: Implications for the Caribbean
- Author:
- Indianna D. Minto-Coy
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation
- Abstract:
- The effects of the ongoing global financial crisis have intensified the existing economic issues facing the Commonwealth Caribbean, including declining investment, productivity levels and employment opportunities for its citizens. Although the current crisis presents challenges for governments in the region, it also offers an opportunity for these countries to implement innovative solutions to contend with the short-term effects of the financial crisis, while addressing long-standing problems. A solution that has been successful in Botswana, Ireland and Barbados, is the use of social partnerships. Undertaken while these countries were facing economic and social crises, social partnership as a specific governance model allowed them to achieve levels of development and stability that other states yearn to attain.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Labor Issues, Foreign Direct Investment, Financial Crisis, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Caribbean
45626. Fiscal Asymmetries and the Survival of the Euro Zone
- Author:
- Paul R. Masson
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation
- Abstract:
- The independence of the European Central Bank (ECB), seemingly guaranteed by its statutes, is presently under attack. The ECB has been led to acquire large amounts of government debt of the weaker euro zone members, both to help contain their interest costs and to help protect the solvency of banks throughout the zone that hold their debt. This paper presents a model of a dependent central bank that internalizes the government's budget constraint. Using a Barro-Gordon framework, the model embodies both the desire to stimulate output and to provide monetary financing to governments. As a result of the inability to pre-commit to first-best policies, the central bank produces excess inflation — a tendency partially reduced in a monetary union. The model implies that not only shock asymmetries, but also fiscal asymmetries, are important in the membership calculus of desirable monetary unions. On the basis of this framework, calibrated to euro zone data, the current membership is shown not to be optimal: other members would benefit from the expulsion of several countries, notably Greece, Italy and France. A narrow monetary union centred around Germany is sometimes mooted as a preferable alternative, especially if it could guarantee central bank independence. However, simulation results suggest that such a narrow monetary union would not be in Germany's interest: though better than the euro zone with a dependent central bank, it would not internalize enough trade to make it more attractive than the resumption of monetary autonomy by Germany.
- Topic:
- Debt, Economics, Monetary Policy, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Greece, France, Germany, and Italy
45627. Europe's declining role in the G-20: What role for the EU in the club of the most important powers?
- Author:
- Juha Jokela
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Finnish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- Europe and the EU have played an influential role in the development and decision-making of the Group of Twenty (G-20). Europe's influence in shaping the developments in the group and, more broadly, in global governance is, however, declining. The G-20 Summit in Cannes provided Europe with an opportunity to re-assert its leadership. Its aspirations were, however, overshadowed by internal divisions heightened by the deepening European sovereign debt crisis. Even prior to the current crisis, the increasing global competition and decrease in standing turned EU members inward-looking. Instead of a further Europeanization of foreign policy and external relations, many have observed a tendency to re-nationalize European policy-making. This tendency will make it increasingly difficult for Europe to secure its standing and adapt to the on going transition of the world's economic and political power. Europe should reinvigorate its commitment to a joint external action as a matter of priority. The key question for Europe is whether it will manage to Europeanize the G-20 and gear it towards the multilateral principles which lie at the heart of European integration; or whether we will see the opposite process, namely a 'G-ization' of the EU in the sense of major(European)powers dominating increasingly informal European and global decision-making. It is in Europe's interests to further institutionalize the G-20 and tie it to the formal multilateral architecture of the world economy and politics.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Development, Economics, International Trade and Finance, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Europe
45628. Governing the blue-green Baltic Sea: Societal challenges of marine eutrophication prevention
- Author:
- Mia Pihlajamäki and Nina Tynkkynen
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Finnish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- The PROBALT report identifies the challenges of Baltic Sea eutrophication governance and scrutinises past, ongoing and planned efforts to meet these challenges at the European Union and national levels, as well as within the Baltic Sea regional cooperation regime HELCOM. Considering that the Baltic Sea has been the focus of environmental management efforts for 40 years, it is surprising that in reality the ecological state of the Baltic Sea is not improving. This implies that protective efforts such as international and national policies and regulations, as well as their implementation, have not been effective enough.
- Topic:
- Environment, International Law, and Regional Cooperation
- Political Geography:
- Europe
45629. Sri Lanka: Women's Insecurity in the North and East
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- Women in Sri Lanka's predominantly Tamil-speaking north and east are facing a desperate lack of security in the aftermath of the long civil war. Today many still live in fear of violence from various sources. Those who fall victim to it have little means of redress. Women's economic security is precarious, and their physical mobility is limited. The heavily militarised and centralised control of the north and east – with almost exclusively male, Sinhalese security forces – raises particular problems for women there in terms of their safety, sense of security and ability to access assistance. They have little control over their lives and no reliable institutions to turn to. The government has mostly dismissed women's security issues and exacerbated fears, especially in the north and east. The international community has failed to appreciate and respond effectively to the challenges faced by women and girls in the former war zone. A concerted and immediate effort to empower and protect them is needed.
- Topic:
- Security, Economics, and Gender Issues
- Political Geography:
- South Asia and Sri Lanka
45630. Côte d\'Ivoire : poursuivre la convalescence
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- En dépit d\'une nette amélioration, la situation de la Côte d\'Ivoire reste fragile. Le transfèrement à La Haye de l\'ancien président Laurent Gbagbo inculpé par la Cour pénale internationale (CPI), douze jours seulement avant les élections législatives du 11 décembre 2011, a alourdi l\'atmosphère politique. Au lendemain de ces élections marquées par une très forte abstention, le pays est toujours exposé à de sérieuses menaces. La faiblesse et le déséquilibre de l\'appareil de sécurité et l\'exercice d\'une justice à deux vitesses confortent les extrémistes dans leurs convictions et constituent les deux principaux défis que le pouvoir doit relever dans les prochains mois. Si le vote s\'est déroulé dans le calme, la campagne qui l\'a précédé a été marquée par des incidents qui ont rappelé que la violence politique est toujours d\'actualité. L\'installation d\'une nouvelle Assemblée marque une nouvelle étape dans la normalisation, mais le pays n\'est pas pour autant sorti de l\'ornière.
- Topic:
- Security, Political Violence, Corruption, Government, and Law
- Political Geography:
- Africa
45631. Hybrid Threats and the Development of NATO´s New Operational Concept
- Author:
- Ján Spiák and Milan Kubea
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Abstract:
- The article deals with aspects of the new emerging security challenges that military experts define as “hybrid threats”. They have arised from methods of insurgency and asymmetric warfare, and as a step-child of the 4th generation warfare constitute significant challenge for the Alliance and its global interests. Experience from current operations has demonstrated that these enemies can conduct hostile actions through broad array of conventional or non-conventional means, methods and procedures, having a favorable outcome even against the NATO force that is superior technologically and militarily. Cognition of the scale and complexity of these threats lead Alliance representatives to the development of an overarching operational concept for the NATO Military Contribution to Countering Hybrid Threats (MCCHT). This concept, still in draft, illustrates the unique challenges posed by current and future hybrid threats, and explains why these challenges may require NATO to adapt its strategy, structure and capabilities for the next twenty years.
- Topic:
- NATO
45632. Afghanistan Ten Years After...
- Author:
- Slavomír HORÁK
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Abstract:
- The article focuses on the analysis of the internal politics of Afghanistan after 2001 and evaluates the results of state- and nation-building. The emphasis on internal politics is the only possible way to understand the processes in the country and work out the strategy for the country after the planned withdrawal (or limitation) of foreign troops from the country. In this context, the fragmentation and deepening cleavages among various social strata in the country (ethnic, sub-ethnic) is considered to be a crucial determinant of the development in the country. Several power groups define diverse attitudes towards the character of the future Afghan state. These circumstances could lead to the new round of the military conflict after the removal of foreign troops which are considered as a negative factor by a large part of the Afghan elite, albeit they serve as one of the stabilization factors in the country. However, the international community has (and will have) limited tools and influence to prevent any prospective conflict in the country.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan and Taliban
45633. Transformation of the German Armed Forces after the End of the Cold War
- Author:
- Tomás Kucera
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Abstract:
- In July 2011 Germany abandoned conscription. This step is the most significant part of the ongoing reform of the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) and by no stretch also the greatest change in the entire history of the Bundeswehr. The current reform, however, is only the last one in the long line of attempts to adapt the Bundeswehr to post-Cold-War circumstances and missions. The German Armed Forces have been undergoing an almost uninterrupted process of transformation since the end of the Cold War. In the course of the last two decades the anticipated end-state of the reform has been changing accordingly with respect to the changing perception of strategic assumptions. The strategic reasoning behind the distinct reform attempts is to be analysed in this article.
- Topic:
- Cold War and Reform
- Political Geography:
- Germany
45634. U.S. Missile Defence Site in Europe as an Aliance Security Dilemma
- Author:
- Lukáš KANTOR
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Abstract:
- The main aim of this article is to provide a more solid theoretical anchor for numerous past and present debates about the various versions of American missile defence in Europe. The author claims that the neo-realism's concept of alliance security dilemma is the most appropriate framework for Czech, Polish, Romanian, and EU-wide experts'reflections and political decisions regarding the possible accepting of elements of American or NATO missile defence. Under appreciated explanatory power of the concept of the alliance's security dilemma is illustrated in the text on the case of the original Bush's plan of the so-called third pillar in Poland and the Czech Republic.
- Topic:
- Security and NATO
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, Europe, Poland, Rome, and Czech Republic
45635. Predictioneer's Game: the Collective Violence in Ecuador
- Author:
- Michal Mochta
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Abstract:
- The paper analyses collective violence in Ecuador from the end of September 2010. The situation was characterized as a Coup d'état when violent clashes between hostile camps were identified. The president was attacked by rebellious units of state police that had protested against the planned cuts of benefits and salaries in the law enforcement sector. The society was threatened by local riots, temporary anarchy and violent clashes that led to the declaration of state of emergency by president Correa. On the basis of empirical data, the prediction model is designed according to the analytical tool “Predictioneer's Game“ defined by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita. The prediction is aimed at the forecast of the stability of regime in the context of the events from the 30th September 2010.
- Political Geography:
- Ecuador
45636. The Security-Development Nexus: a Typology, History and Implementation of Changing Paradigm
- Author:
- Šárka WAISOVÁ
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Abstract:
- The article is a response to the contemporary state of research of the security-development nexus and attempts to analyze the heterogeneous area of its interpretations and implementations. It analyzes the ways and describes the development of interpretations of the security-development nexus. The text also offers empirical material to enable looking at the variety of effects. It shows that despite a broad interdisciplinary debate, three general attitudes have been generated. The first one is based on the idea that security is the prerequisite of development, the second one that development is the prerequisite of security, and the third one that security and development go hand in hand. The area of concepts appears to be wide and varied as well. The contemporary concepts differ mainly in whose development and whose security they take into account, and which one from these two values (development or security) is understood as more important and how it is interpreted (what is “security” and what is “development”). On the operational level it is clear, that the security-development nexus is not only an academic and theoretical reflection or pose, but that it also influences the practice and changes the national, as well as the international politics. The presented empirical material does not say anything about the size of the change and the number of actors affected, however, it shows that it is no marginal phenomenon, because it has affected important players in the international system as well as rules governing the system.
- Topic:
- Security, Development, and History
45637. Comparison of the Use of PMCs' Services by the Administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama
- Author:
- Vendula Nedvedická and Oldřich Bure
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Abstract:
- The article deals with the phenomenon of Private Military Companies (PMCs) and their utilization by the United States of America (US). Its objective is the comparison of the use of PMC services by the administrations of President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama, respectively. It specifically focuses on the following four areas: capacity (numbers of PMCs deployed and the number of their employees), funding (costs of PMC services), regulation (its forms and laws covering PMCs), control and monitoring (supervision of PMCs and their staff by relevant public bodies). The main finding is that there have been few major changes in the use of PMCs' services, which contradicts president Obama's rhetoric both before and after he assumed office.
- Political Geography:
- United States
45638. Nepal's Peace Process: The Endgame Nears
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- Nepal's peace process has moved into a phase of definitive progress. More than five years after the ceasefire, the parties have reached a deal on the Maoist fighters, who will leave the cantonments and enter the army or civilian life. An unofficial deal sets out power-sharing arrangements until the next election. The parties are focusing on the critical task of writing a new constitution, which promises a deep restructuring of the state to become more representative and decentralised. Challenges remain, including from continuously evolving coalition dynamics and divisions within parties. There will also have to be further discussions on the combatants. As the parties discuss federalism, which of all peace process issues goes most to the heart of ordinary Nepalis' expectations and anxieties, groups within and outside the Constituent Assembly will see their options narrow, which could strain the process. Yet, this is still the best chance the parties have had to reach formal closure on the war and to institute some of the fundamental changes they promised, provided they have the courage to make far-sighted compromises.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Democratization, Politics, Armed Struggle, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- South Asia, Asia, and Nepal
45639. Islamic Parties in Pakistan
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- The ability of Pakistan's radical Islamic parties to mount limited but potentially violent opposition to the government has made democratic reform, and by extension the reduction of religious extremism and development of a more peaceful and stable society, more challenging. This is a reflection of those parties' well-organised activist base, which is committed to a narrow partisan agenda and willing to defend it through violence. While their electoral support remains limited, earlier Islamisation programs have given them a strong legal and political apparatus that enables them to influence policy far beyond their numerical strength. An analysis of party agendas and organisation, as well as other sources of influence in judicial, political and civil society institutions, is therefore vital to assessing how Pakistan's main religious parties apply pressure on government, as well as the ability and willingness of the mainstream parties that are moderate on religious issues to resist that pressure.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Islam, Religion, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan and South Asia
45640. Waging Peace: ASEAN and the Thai-Cambodian Border Conflict
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- Border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia that caused dozens of casualties and displaced thousands have challenged the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to finally turn its rhetoric on peace and security into action. Cambodia's successful attempt to list the Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site came against the backdrop of turmoil in Thai politics after the 2006 coup that deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thai pro-establishment movements used this issue to whip up nationalist sentiments against Cambodia as they tried to topple the Thaksin-backed government. The emotionally charged campaigns halted border demarcation and sparked a bilateral conflict. In early 2011, the dispute turned into the most violent clash yet between ASEAN's members, testing its historical commitment to non-aggression and prompting it to get involved. This has raised expectations that it might live up to its stated aspiration to keep peace in its own region. As yet, however, while its engagement set important precedents, it has no significant achievements. More robust diplomacy and leadership are still needed.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Political Violence, and Border Control
- Political Geography:
- Cambodia, Thailand, and Southeast Asia
45641. Environmental Migration: Policy Gaps and Response Strategies
- Author:
- Chris Perry
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- International Peace Institute
- Abstract:
- Environmental change exacerbates existing socioeconomic, political, and cultural incentives to migrate. In fact, there will be an estimated 200 million environmental migrants by 2050. As the global climate warms, people will be pushed to move by sea-level rise, drought and desertification, food insecurity, natural disasters, and conflict over scarce resources. This paper examines the links between climate change and migration and identifies gaps in the current international policy and legal frameworks for dealing with environmentally displaced persons. It recommends strategies for coping with these population movements, including better international coordination on migration issues, funding and technical assistance for at-risk countries, and innovative institutional and legal frameworks for potential migration flows.
- Topic:
- Economics, Environment, Migration, United Nations, and Culture
45642. Issue Brief: What Army for Haiti?
- Author:
- Arthur Boutellis
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- International Peace Institute
- Abstract:
- President Michel Martelly of Haiti was widely expected to make the creation of a new Haitian army official on November 18, 2011, on the anniversary of the last major battle for Haitian Independence in 1803. Instead, he announced the creation of a civilian-led commission that will have forty days to finalize a plan for the creation of the new army, which should be presented by January 1, 2012. The newly elected president has made reinstating the army, which was disbanded in 1995, a priority. A draft of the “Martelly plan,” dated August 2011, called for building an army of 3,500 troops that would be operational within three years and progressively take over as the UN peacekeeping force MINUSTAH withdraws.
- Topic:
- Security, Politics, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Caribbean
45643. Know Your Enemy: An Overview of Organized Crime Threat Assessments
- Author:
- Mark Shaw
- Publication Date:
- 10-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- International Peace Institute
- Abstract:
- There is increasing awareness within police forces and international organizations that organized crime is a growing threat to security. However, due to a lack of data and insufficient knowledge about illicit activities, criminal justice experts are often left chasing shadows. To rectify this problem, more attention has been devoted to developing and using organized crime threat assessments in recent years, particularly for use in vulnerable states that are less resistant to infiltration by criminals. This paper briefly considers the history of organized crime threat assessments, the process in which they have been produced and used, and criticisms that have been leveled against them. Finally, it considers their applicability to fragile and postconflict countries and the kind of requirements that would need to be fulfilled for threat assessments to be an effective tool against organized crime in such contexts.
- Topic:
- Security, Crime, International Law, and International Affairs
45644. The UN Security Council and Conflict Prevention: A Primer
- Author:
- Paul Romita
- Publication Date:
- 10-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- International Peace Institute
- Abstract:
- At a recent conference on conflict prevention attended by over fifty UN member states, a UN official remarked, “we are living in a conflict prevention moment.” In recent years, there has been a surge of interest and activity related to conflict prevention in the UN system, at the regional level and among member states. While the UN has made great strides in refining peacekeeping doctrine and strategy, it has also made significant progress in its political response and preventive activities in recent times. In 2007, the Department of Political Affairs (DPA) established a mediation support unit “to plan and support mediation efforts in the field.” In late 2008, DPA also secured member-state support to create forty-nine additional posts; it now has approximately 270 staff members. While this was less than half of the number of new posts requested by the department, it did help desk officers to more substantially engage on conflict prevention and good-offices work in their portfolio countries. The UN Office in West Africa (UNOWA) has played a critical preventive role in recent crises in Mauritania and Guinea. A UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) was also established in March 2011 to “assist member States and sub-regional organizations in consolidating peace and preventing future conflicts.” In recent years, the African Union (AU) has been an influential mediator in high-profile cases, notably in Kenya (2008) and Sudan (2010–2011). Among the UN membership, especially among African member states, statements calling for the need to strengthen conflict-prevention tools are now consistently voiced. The Security Council, which now holds monthly “horizon scanning” sessions to discuss emerging and ongoing crises, appears to be a part of this trend.
- Topic:
- Conflict Prevention, Political Violence, Diplomacy, Peace Studies, United Nations, and War
- Political Geography:
- Kenya, Guinea, and Mauritania
45645. Termites at Work: Transnational Organized Crime and State Erosion in Kenya
- Author:
- Peter Gastrow
- Publication Date:
- 10-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- International Peace Institute
- Abstract:
- The threat posed by organized crime is not confined to serious crimes such as racketeering, the global drug trade, or human trafficking. For many developing countries and fragile states, powerful transnational criminal networks constitute a direct threat to the state itself, not through open confrontation but by penetrating state institutions through bribery and corruption and by subverting or undermining them from within. Governments that lack the capacity to counter such penetration, or that acquiesce in it, run the risk of becoming criminalized or “captured” states. This paper examines whether Kenya faces such a threat.
- Topic:
- Corruption, Crime, Government, and Fragile/Failed State
- Political Geography:
- Kenya and Africa
45646. Making UN Peacekeeping More Robust: Protecting the Mission, Persuading the Actors
- Author:
- Patrice Sartre
- Publication Date:
- 08-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- International Peace Institute
- Abstract:
- The debate about robust peacekeeping pits the enthusiasm of “diplomats,” who believe in peacekeeping but worry that it might not succeed in violent situations, against the scepticism of the “military,” who see its failures as proof that the proper role of military forces is war fighting.
- Topic:
- Conflict Prevention, Security, United Nations, and Peacekeeping
45647. Algeria at the Crossroads, Between Continuity and Change
- Author:
- Andrea Dessì
- Publication Date:
- 09-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Istituto Affari Internazionali
- Abstract:
- Algeria is the only country in North Africa which seems to be relatively immune to the so-called “Arab spring”. Popular protests did erupt in Algeria at precisely the same time as they were enveloping neighbouring countries, but the demands of the protesters never reached a popular consensus calling for the demise of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Drawing on the country's extensive monetary reserves, the Algerian authorities have responded by implementing a series of economic and social reforms, which have further weakened the resolve and unity of the protesters. After repealing the emergency laws in late February 2011, the government appeared to have regained the upper hand, but strikes and demonstrations have continued. Algeria still faces the real prospect of future popular unrest if the government fails in its promise to enact wide ranging political and economic reforms by early 2012. Given the country's geostrategic importance at both regional and international levels, the international community and in particular the EU must do more in order to ensure that Algeria is set on a sustainable path for the future.
- Topic:
- Islam, Politics, and Regime Change
- Political Geography:
- Arabia, Algeria, and North Africa
45648. Good Governance and Bad Neighbors? The Limits of the Transformative Power of Europe
- Author:
- Tanja A. Börzel and Vera van Hüllen
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Kolleg-Forschergruppe (KFG)
- Abstract:
- The EU\'s Eastern Enlargement is considered to be one of the (few) successful experiments of promoting good – both effective and legitimate – governance. By contrast, the EU\'s transformative power appears to be weak or non-existent vis-à-vis its (old) neighbors in the South and its (new) neighbors in the East. Both are not only marked by \'bad governance\' but also lack a (credible) membership perspective. While the Western Balkans and Turkey have made significant progress towards good governance, both with regard to government effectiveness and democratic legitimacy, the European Neighborhood Countries (ENCs) appear to be stuck in transition or never got that far in the first place. Even when the effectiveness of their governance institutions has improved, they remain well behind the other regions and especially their democratic legitimacy is still wanting or even in decline. The paper shows that there is a correlation between an EU membership perspective and the successful transformation of neighboring countries. Therefore, it has been argued that the ineffectiveness of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) is due to the lack of this \'golden carrot\'. However, we argue that the prospects of EU membership stabilizes rather than drives the move towards effective and legitimate governance in candidate countries. Thus, a membership perspective is unlikely to either turn around negative or speed up positive developments in the EU\'s neighborhood. Even if the ENCs received a membership perspective, it would be unlikely to push them significantly towards democratic and effective governance as long as there is no endogenously driven process of change. Given the EU\'s preference for stability and state-building, the ENP does not provide an alternative for promoting good governance either. The ENP clearly lacks transformative power and where it might have some domestic impact, it risks consolidating rather than undermining authoritarian regimes by helping to strengthen their capacities for effective governance.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Regional Cooperation, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Turkey
45649. Mechanism-Based Thinking on Policy Diffusion. A Review of Current Approaches in Political Science
- Author:
- Torben Heinze
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Kolleg-Forschergruppe (KFG)
- Abstract:
- Despite theoretical and methodological progress in what is now coined as the third generation of diffusion studies, explicitly dealing with the causal mechanisms underlying diffusion processes and comparatively analyzing them is only of recent date. As a matter of fact, diffusion research has ended up in a diverse and often unconnected array of theoretical assumptions relying both on rational as well as constructivist reasoning – a circumstance calling for more theoretical coherence and consistency. Against this backdrop, this paper reviews and streamlines diffusion literature in political science. Diffusion mechanisms largely cluster around two causal arguments determining the desires and preferences of actors for choosing alter¬native policies. First, existing diffusion mechanisms accounts can be grouped according to the rationality for policy adoption, this means that government behavior is based on the instrumental considerations of actors or on constructivist arguments like norms and rule-driven actors. Second, diffusion mechanisms can either directly impact on the beliefs of actors or they might influence the structural conditions for decision-making. Following this logic, four basic diffusion mechanisms can be identified in mechanism-based thinking on policy diffusion: emulation, socialization, learning, and externalities.
- Topic:
- Education, International Affairs, Political Theory, and Sociology
45650. Organizing Regulatory Convergence Outside the EU Setting Policy-Specific Conditionality and Building Domestic Capacities.
- Author:
- Julia Langbein
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Kolleg-Forschergruppe (KFG)
- Abstract:
- Why is regulatory convergence towards EU rules more successful in some policy fields than in others within one EU neighboring country? By comparing Ukraine\'s convergence towards EU rules in the field of shareholders\' rights and technical standards, I challenge prominent explanations for policy change outside the EU that empha¬size misfit and adaptational costs, the institutionalization of EU rules or policy-specific conditionality. In order to deal with the shortcomings of these explanations, it is necessary to disaggregate incentives and capacities of various domestic actors within the particular policy fields. I argue that regulatory convergence in EU neighboring countries is more likely if external actors combine the application of policy-specific conditionality, such as access to the European market, with multiplex capacity-building measures that diversify demand among domestic state regulators and firms and empower them to make their claims.
- Topic:
- Economics, International Trade and Finance, Markets, and Regional Cooperation
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Ukraine
45651. You Make Us Do What We Want! The Usage of External Actors and Policy Conditionality in the European Neighborhood
- Author:
- Esther Ademmer
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Kolleg-Forschergruppe (KFG)
- Abstract:
- In academic and public debates, external actors have been considered to promote their rules most effectively in third countries in cases of high and asymmetric interdependence. Hence, high interdependence of European Neighborhood Countries (ENC) with Russia has been discussed as a major constraint to EU rule transfer. The case of migration policies, however, represents an odd one out: high degrees of interdependence of the ENC and Russia are coupled with compliance with EU rules, whereas lower degrees of interdependence correlate with shallow and selective compliance. The paper investigates the de facto impact of Russia and the EU on the implementation of the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) in this highly interdependent policy field and argues for a change in perspective: adopting a stronger bottom-up perspective on power-based approaches of external governance cannot only account for varying compliance records, but also shows how domestic actors can use multiple external opportunity structures to promote their own agenda.
- Topic:
- Migration, Regional Cooperation, and Refugee Issues
- Political Geography:
- Russia and Europe
45652. Constrained Autonomy and the Developmental State: From Successful Developmentalism to Catastrophic Failure
- Author:
- Jamee K. Moudud
- Publication Date:
- 10-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The New School Graduate Program in International Affairs
- Abstract:
- As many authors have argued, the state has played a central role in capitalist development, both in developing and developed countries. The question is why have some states been more successful than others in promoting economic development? In this paper I propose a theoretical agenda to investigate the factors that have made some states more successful than others. I suggest that a complex set of historical, sociological, and political factors shape state formation and a country\'s international competitiveness; further international competitiveness itself shapes the ability to foster economic development. I argue that these factors determine the ways in which states and economies co - evolve. Additionally, since countries are embedded in a global system, an investigation of this co - evolution requires a very different theory of industrial organization and thus of international competition. Thus the state confronts a constrained autonomy in being able to obtain taxation revenue and foreign exchange so as to finance important developmental needs. Finally I conclude that the rationale for “bringing the state back in” has to not only critically examine the notion of “state failure” but also has to reject the notion of “market failure”.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Markets, and Foreign Direct Investment
45653. The Political Ontology of Catastrophe: Inventing the Vulnerable Society, 1953-1958
- Author:
- Stephen J. Collier
- Publication Date:
- 09-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The New School Graduate Program in International Affairs
- Abstract:
- This paper explores “system vulnerability thinking” as a specific response to the exigencies of thermonuclear war in the 1950s. It is one part of a collaborative project with Andrew Lakoff on the government of catastrophe in the post - World War II United States. The project focuses on the forms of expertise, the knowledge practices, and the governmental institutions that have been invented to anticipate and manage potential catastrophes, from natural disasters, to pandemic disease, to terrorism, to energy crises. In this project we have identified the reconfiguration of US government in the early years of the Cold War as a crucial moment in which the government of catastrophe in the post - World War II US took shape.
- Topic:
- Cold War, Nuclear Weapons, War, and History
- Political Geography:
- United States
45654. The Field of the Blackbirds and the Battle for Europe
- Author:
- Anna Di Lellio
- Publication Date:
- 08-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The New School Graduate Program in International Affairs
- Abstract:
- Serbia, Kosovo, and Turkey, all European Union applicants, recognize that the possibility of European belonging as historical reality is a crucial attribute for acceptance. These countries have all built national stories rooted in the Medieval Ottoman conquest of the Western Balkans and distanced themselves from the “Orient” and from Islam. By doing so, they have engaged in a debate with a “thick,” rather than a “thin” conception of Europe; they have tried to measure up to Europe as a traditional community of values defined by its Christian character, rather than the dynamic cosmopolitan Europe of law and standards which is officially embodied by the Union. Paradoxically, the revival of these national memories not only anchors a particular configuration of national time and space for Serbs, Albanians, and Turks. It mirrors a concern with identity, very present at the core of Europe, which is often resolved through the affirmation of an allegedly authentic and coherent European Christian tradition.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Nationalism, Religion, and History
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Central Asia, Turkey, Kosovo, Serbia, and Balkans
45655. A Pragmatic Ideal for Global Economic Governance Reform
- Author:
- Barry Herman
- Publication Date:
- 07-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The New School Graduate Program in International Affairs
- Abstract:
- This paper asks how the world of sovereign countries should arrange itself to address global and international economic, financial, social or environmental problems. The current system of institutions and arrangements, informally led by the Group of 20, as convoked by the United States, is hardly ideal. The paper proposes a “pragmatic” alternative with multiple checks and balances, but able to reach timely and effective decisions on the full range of international policy issues. The paper concludes noting that dissatisfaction with current arrangements has reopened intergovernmental debate; it is not the same as undertaking reform, but it is a start.
- Topic:
- Economics, Globalization, International Organization, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- United States
45656. Paradox of Power: Sino American Strategic Restraint in an Age of Vulnerability
- Author:
- David C. Gompert and Phillip C. Saunders
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Book
- Abstract:
- The United States and China each have or will soon have the ability to inflict grave harm upon the other by nuclear attack, attacks on satellites, or attacks on computer networks. Paradoxically, despite each country's power, its strategic vulnerability is growing. Particularly since September 11, 2001, Americans have sensed this vulnerability. The extent to which the Chinese sense it is unclear. Vulnerability to nuclear attack is familiar to both countries. But the United States and China are also becoming exposed to damage in space and cyberspace because of their growing reliance on those domains for their prosperity and security, as well as each side's increasing antisatellite (ASAT) and cyber war capabilities. For China, economic integration, production, and commerce-and thus, sustained growth and perhaps political stability-depend vitally on data sharing, making networks and satellites as strategic as they are for the United States. All three strategic domains are "offense dominant"-technologically, economically, and operationally. Defenses against nuclear, ASAT, and cyber weapons are difficult and yield diminishing results against the offensive capabilities of large, advanced, and determined states such as the United States and China. Nuclear weapons are patently offense dominant because a single explosion can destroy a city. Moreover, it is easier and cheaper for China to improve the survivability of its strategic missile launchers, to multiply deliverable weapons, and to penetrate U.S. missile defenses than it is for the United States to maintain a nuclear first-strike capability. Though it has yet to admit it, the United States cannot deny the Chinese the second-strike nuclear deterrent they are determined to have. Satellites are inherently vulnerable: conspicuous, easy to track, and fragile. Destroying them or degrading their performance is easier than protecting them. ASAT interceptors are much cheaper than satellites. Likewise, defending computer networks becomes harder and more expensive as the scale and sophistication of the attacker increase. The woes of the cyber defender are compounded by integrated global markets and supply chains for digital components and equipment-in which U.S. and state-affiliated Chinese corporations are leading competitors-increasing the potential for strategic degradation of network infrastructure and disruption of services. In general, strategic offense dominance gives each country an incentive to invest in offense, which in turn spurs the other to keep pace. Apart from offense dominance, the advance of technology has slashed the costs in lives and treasure of strategic attack, as capabilities have graduated from mass invasion to heavy bombing to nuclear weapons to ASAT and cyber war. If one ignores possible deaths resulting from disruption of public services, ASAT and cyber war might even be considered "nonviolent." As the number of expected casualties from strategic attack options drops, so could international opprobrium and the inhibitions of decisionmakers. Absent deterrence, thresholds for war in space and cyberspace could become perilously low as offenses improve.
- Topic:
- Conflict Prevention, Security, Foreign Policy, Communism, Intelligence, Nuclear Weapons, Science and Technology, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Political Geography:
- United States, China, and Asia
45657. Deterrence and Escalation in Cross-domain Operations: Where Do Space and Cyberspace fit?
- Author:
- Vincent Manzo
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Abstract:
- Warfare has become even more complicated since Richard Smoke wrote this description of escalation in 1977. The National Security Space Strategy describes space as “congested, contested, and competitive,” yet satellites underpin U.S. military and economic power. Activity in cyberspace has permeated every facet of human activity, including U.S. military operations, yet the prospects for effective cyber defenses are bleak. Many other actors depend on continued access to these domains, but not nearly as much as the United States.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Defense Policy, Nuclear Weapons, Science and Technology, War, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Political Geography:
- United States
45658. Saudi Arabia in the New Middle East
- Author:
- F. Gregory Gause III
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Council on Foreign Relations
- Abstract:
- There is arguably no more unlikely U.S. ally than Saudi Arabia: monarchical, deeply conservative socially, promoter of an austere and intolerant version of Islam, birthplace of Osama bin Laden and fifteen of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers. Consequently, there is no U.S. ally less well understood. Many U.S. policymakers assume that the Saudi regime is fragile, despite its remarkable record of domestic stability in the turbulent Middle East. “It is an unstable country in an unstable region,” one congressional staffer said in July 2011. Yet it is the Arab country least affected in its domestic politics by the Arab upheavals of 2011. Many who think it is unstable domestically also paradoxically attribute enormous power to it, to the extent that they depict it as leading a “counterrevolution” against those upheavals throughout the region. 2 One wonders just how “counterrevolutionary” the Saudis are when they have supported the NATO campaign against Muammar al-Qaddafi, successfully negotiated the transfer of power from Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen, and condemned the crackdown on protestors by Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, and how powerful they are when they could do little to help their ally Hosni Mubarak in Egypt.
- Topic:
- Security, Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, Economics, International Trade and Finance, Islam, Oil, and Bilateral Relations
- Political Geography:
- United States, Middle East, Arabia, and Saudi Arabia
45659. Rethinking Support for Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change
- Author:
- Simon Levine, Eva Ludi, and Lindsey Jones
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- The Africa Climate Change Resilience Alliance (ACCRA) was established in 2009 with the aim of understanding how development interventions can contribute to adaptive capacity at the community and household level, and to inform the design and implementation of development planning by governments and non-governmental development partners to support adaptive capacity for climate change and other development pressures. This paper is based on an analysis of three country studies conducted by national research teams in eight research sites in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Mozambique for ACCRA. It describes the Local Adaptive Capacity framework developed for this project, its application during the research, and the evidence found about the impact of development interventions on the adaptive capacity of people and communities.
- Topic:
- Environment
- Political Geography:
- Uganda, Africa, and Ethiopia
45660. Review of Climate Change Adaptation Practices in South Asia
- Author:
- Charlotte L. Sterrett
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Despite all its progress over the last quarter century, South Asia remains home to four out of every 10 of the world's poor ; 600 million of South Asia's 1.5 billion people live on less than $1.25 per day. Almost half the children below five are underweight, accounting for more than half of the world's undernourished children. Imbalances in economic growth, inequality among castes, classes, between genders, and a region beset by disasters, have added to the suffering of the poor and those most vulnerable and marginalised.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Climate Change, Environment, and Industrial Policy
- Political Geography:
- South Asia
45661. Power to the People? Reactions to the EU's response to the Arab Spring
- Author:
- Jamie Balfour-Paul
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- The EU has a long history of co-operation with the Arab region. Its economic and security interests in the region are considerable. In line with the European Consensus on Development, respect for human rights and democracy have been explicit values within EU development policies. Past EU co-operation in the region, especially in health and education, has achieved successes and enabled people to claim certain rights.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Democratization, Human Rights, Regime Change, and Bilateral Relations
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Middle East, and Arabia
45662. Managing Water Locally: An essential dimension of community water development
- Author:
- Lisa Bunclark, Richard Carter, Vincent Casey, St John Day, and Daphne Guthrie
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Book
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- He relative roles of nation states, private companies and local institutions in managing water resources have long been debated by economists, anthropologists and water sector professionals. Each of these disciplines offers a different perspective on water management. The Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) model has been widely promoted as the only option for managing nations' water resources since the 1990s, yet the debate has been clouded because there has been a lack of serious alternative options for water resource management beyond state control. In particular, the role of communities has been misrepresented because they are frequently excluded from important aspects of environmental management. For many people, community-based institutions can fulfil a fundamental role in the management of common pool resources, such as water resources or forestry. This is particularly true when state capacity is weak or communities remain on the periphery of support from any government. This publication explores how local water resources can be managed successfully by community-based institutions in support of state level initiatives, where they exist.
- Topic:
- Development, Globalization, International Cooperation, Natural Resources, and Water
45663. Investir dans l'agriculture au Burundi: Indispensable pour combattre l'insécurité alimentaire et améliorer les conditions de vie des femmes paysannes
- Author:
- Paula San Pedro
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- L'agriculture est vitale pour le Burundi. C' est le pilier de l'économie qui emploie 90 % de la population, fournit 95% de l'offre alim entaire, contribue à presque 35% du produit intérieur brut (PIB) et représente 90% des re cettes d'exportation grâce à la vente de café et de thé. 1 Néanmoins, le développement de ce secteur est fortement volatil car il dépend de conditions météorologiques très variabl es, de prix internationaux fluctuants et d'une stabilité politique très fragile.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Gender Issues, Political Economy, and Food
- Political Geography:
- Africa
45664. Preparing for the Future? Understanding the influence of development interventions on adaptive capacity at local level in Ethiopia
- Author:
- Simon Levine, Eva Ludi, and Kindie Tesfaye
- Publication Date:
- 10-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Ethiopia is currently ranked 11th of 233 countries and other political jurisdictions in terms of its vulnerability to physical climate impacts, and 9th in terms of overall vulnerability, which is physical impacts adjusted for coping ability (CGD, 2011). Yet little is known about its people's adaptive capacity at individual and community level, or how existing interventions influence a community's ability to adapt.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Climate Change, Development, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Ethiopia
45665. Preparing for the Future? Understanding the influence of development interventions on adaptive capacity at the local level in Uganda
- Author:
- Lindsey Jones, Frederik Ayorekire, Margaret Barihaihi, Anthony Kagoro, and Doreen Ruta
- Publication Date:
- 10-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Uganda faces the challenge of responding to rapidly changing climate and development pressures. At the local level, many communities do not have the tools, resources or capacity to adapt alone, and will require assistance and support from government and other development actors. Though most development interventions do not seek directly to address issues of climate change, the impacts of project support are likely to influence the ability of people and communities to respond and adapt to changing climate and development pressures. Yet, few development actors have considered how their interventions are influencing communities' adaptive capacity, and what can be done to further enhance it.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Climate Change, Development, Government, and Treaties and Agreements
- Political Geography:
- Africa
45666. Care and Support of Male Survivors of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
- Author:
- Michael Peel, Wynne Russell, Alastair Hilton, Lizle Loots, and Liz Dartnall
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Sexual Violence Research Initiative
- Abstract:
- The world is increasingly aware that armed conflict and sexual violence against women and girls often go hand in hand. However, armed conflict also brings danger of sexual violence for men and boys. Male survivors of sexual violence are less likely than women and girls to disclose assaults (Callender and Dartnall 2011), with the result that such violence is "vastly under-represented" in official statistics (WHO 2002: 154). Nevertheless, sexual violence against men and boys—including rape, sexual torture and mutilation, castration, sexual humiliation, forced incest and forced rape, and sexual enslavement—is a pervasive feature of armed conflicts around the globe. It can emerge in any form of conflict—from interstate wars to civil wars to localised conflicts—and in any cultural context (Russell 2008).
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Political Violence, Gender Issues, Human Rights, War, and Sex Trafficking
45667. A systematic review of parenting interventions to prevent child abuse tested with Randomised Control Trial (RCT) designs in high income countries
- Author:
- Laura McCloskey
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Sexual Violence Research Initiative
- Abstract:
- Child abuse is not a stand-alone family problem, and is associated with multiple risk factors. Some demographic risk factors which correlate with child abuse are low family income; bearing a child before age 18; mother unmarried and low educational attainment. Psychosocial risks include drug or alcohol dependency, depression and parenting stress. Finally, parents who are coercive, lack knowledge about childrearing, and tend to blame infants and children for age appropriate behaviors are at risk for abusing their children. Many parenting interventions reviewed in this paper target more than one risk factor.
- Topic:
- Demographics, Gender Issues, Human Rights, Poverty, and Sociology
45668. Modifying Gender Role Stereotypes in Children
- Author:
- Laura McCloskey
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Sexual Violence Research Initiative
- Abstract:
- Gender stereotypes exist in all cultures, conveyed through media messages, television, music, religious and cultural institutions, and even toys. Parents convey expectations of gender role conformity starting in infancy' with one study finding that parents hold gender-typed expectations of their sons and daughters in the first 24 hours following birth. Another found that children show an awareness of their parents' communication about gender roles from two to two-and-a-half years of age' with the early provision of gender differentiated toy selection typically reflecting parental stereotypes. These gender stereotypes persist throughout childhood, with parents choosing, and rewarding' certain stereotypical activities for their children, from playing with dolls for girls to sports activities for boys. Additionally, childhood peers and teachers play a significant role as children enter school. While both mothers and fathers contribute to the gender stereotyping of their children, fathers have been found to reinforce gender stereotypes more often than mothers.
- Topic:
- Gender Issues, Political Theory, Social Stratification, and Sociology
45669. Global Review of National Prevention Policies
- Author:
- Lizle Loots, Liz Dartnall, and Rachel Jewkes
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Sexual Violence Research Initiative
- Abstract:
- Reducing and preventing sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) has been recognised as a key strategy to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by the year 2015. SGBV hampers countries' efforts to eradicate poverty as it decreases productivity and can deprive young girls of an education (World Health Organisation, 2005b). The consequences of sexual violence may carry over generations, influencing the development and progress of individuals, families, communities, societies and countries over time (Morrison, Quadara Boyd, 2007; Ellsberg, 2006; United Nations Development Fund for Women, 2002). Primary prevention of sexual violence can save both lives and money (WHO/LSHTM, 2010). Policies and guidelines on how best to prevent sexual violence from occurring should therefore form a key part of national government gender violence programmes. The extent to which countries have policies on rape prevention is unknown. Moreover, evidence on what works in the area of prevention and sexual violence is limited, particularly in developing countries.
- Topic:
- Political Violence, Gender Issues, Health, Human Rights, and Poverty
- Political Geography:
- United Nations
45670. Parenting and the prevention of child maltreatment in low- and middle-income countries
- Author:
- Wendy Knerr, Frances Gardner, and Lucie Cluver
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Sexual Violence Research Initiative
- Abstract:
- Child maltreatment is a global phenomenon. While definitions of child physical and psychological maltreatment may differ across cultures and countries, poor or harsh parenting is a critical risk factor for maltreatment worldwide, particularly in the early years. Most research on child maltreatment comes from high-income countries, but there have been increasing calls to address the issue in low- and middle-income countries. In addition, there is increasing interest in adapting evidence-based parenting interventions to low- and middle-income countries. This review investigates the effectiveness of parenting interventions for reducing harsh or abusive parenting, increasing positive parenting practices, attitudes and knowledge, and improving parent–child relationships in low- and middle-income countries. In addition, the discussion section considers the potential for adapting parenting interventions from high- to low-/middle-income countries; and the potential role of parenting interventions in addressing current and future violent behaviour among boys and men. A range of electronic databases were searched, including The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Global Health and ERIC, from inception to May 2010. Unpublished reports were sought through: searches of Google Scholar, websites of relevant organisations and theses and dissertation databases; hand-searching reference lists of relevant documents; and personal contacts with experts.
- Topic:
- Health and Human Rights
45671. Preventing child abuse and interpersonal violence in low- and middle-income countries
- Author:
- Wendy Knerr, Frances Gardner, and Lucie Cluver
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Sexual Violence Research Initiative
- Abstract:
- Estimates suggest that up to 40 million children under age 14 experience abuse or neglect each year around the world. In a study of 12,000 mothers in five developing countries, asmany as half reported hitting a child with an object, spanking, slapping, pinching, shaking or otherwise harshly physically disciplining. In South Africa, there is evidence that “violence against children is ubiquitous. Beatings take place daily or every week. Sticks, belts, or other weapons are used and injury is common.” These figures are likely to be gross underestimates of the reality.
- Topic:
- Health, Human Rights, Poverty, and Developing World
- Political Geography:
- South Africa
45672. Industries in 2012: A report from the Economist Intelligence Unit
- Author:
- Steven Leslie
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Economist Intelligence Unit
- Abstract:
- Business executives are sour about 2012. However, they are much more negative about the prospects for the global economy than for their own industries, and especially for their own companies. These are the headline findings from a global survey of more than 900 corporate decisionmakers about their expectations for 2012.
- Topic:
- Economics, Emerging Markets, Industrial Policy, International Trade and Finance, Global Recession, and Financial Crisis
- Political Geography:
- Europe
45673. Multilateralism in Trade at Risk: Should and Can we Rescue the Doha Round?
- Author:
- Jagdish Bhagwati, Pascal Lamy, Michael Moore, and Leif Pagrotsky
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Columbia University World Leaders Forum
- Abstract:
- This World Leaders Forum program will feature an introduction by: - Pascal Lamy, Director-General of the World Trade Organization Followed by a panel discussion with: - Jagdish Bhagwati, University Professor of Economics Law, Columbia University; Economic Policy Adviser to Director General of GATT (1991-1993) - Michael Moore, Former Director General of World Trade Organization and Prime Minister of New Zealand; Ambassador of New Zealand to the United States - Leif Pagrotsky, Swedish Minister for Trade(1997-2004); currently member of the Swedish Parliament and of the Executive Board of the Social Democratic Party.
- Topic:
- Economics, Emerging Markets, International Trade and Finance, International Affairs, and Financial Crisis
- Political Geography:
- United States and New Zealand
45674. What aid should and shouldn't do in order to support private sector development
- Author:
- Lindsay Whitfield
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
- Abstract:
- If foreign aid is to have a greater impact on reducing poverty in poor countries in a sustainable manner, then it needs to focus more on economic cooperation and changing productive structures, and to move away from a focus on social sectors and subsidizing the consumption of poor people.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Poverty, and Foreign Aid
45675. Competitive Clientelism, Easy Financing and Weak Capitalists: The Contemporary Political Settlement in Ghana
- Author:
- Lindsay Whitfield
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
- Abstract:
- Ghana has exhibited rather strong economic growth since the 1980s, but little transformation of the productive structure of its economy. The paper argues that ruling elites' policy choices are shaped by their political survival strategies. In turn, these strategies are shaped by (1) the characteristics of the ruling coalitions, which include a high degree of vulnerability in power, strong lower-level factions of the ruling coalition, and a substantial amount of fragmentation among the higher factions of the ruling coalition; (2) the weak capabilities and political influence of the nascent productive capitalists; and (3) easy access to financing for the state and the ruling coalition from foreign aid, mining and cocoa bean exports. As a result, ruling elites' policy actions did not prioritize the development of new productive sectors (or upgrading of old ones), but were geared towards delivering benefits to the higher and lower levels of the ruling coalition, as well as delivering a small amount of visible goods and services to as much of the population as possible in an effort to 'swing' voters their way at election time. Neither of these political survival strategies resulted in significant productive sector investments.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Politics, Social Stratification, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Ghana
45676. Growth without Economic Transformation: Economic Impacts of Ghana's Political Settlement
- Author:
- Lindsay Whitfield
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
- Abstract:
- Since the Fourth Republic was inaugurated in 1993, politics in Ghana has been increasingly characterized by competitive clientelism. Ruling coalitions are characterized by a high degree of vulnerability in power due to a strong opposition party, by strong lower-level factions within the ruling coalition due to their importance in winning elections, and by a high degree of fragmentation among the ruling elite. These characteristics, combined with a weak domestic capitalist class and high inflows of foreign aid, have led the ruling elites across political parties to pursue and implement policies that have a short time horizon, that do not significantly shift the allocation of resources towards building productive sectors, and which are often plagued by problems of enforcement. The results have led to growth without economic transformation. In particular, the country has witnessed recurrent macroeconomic instability, a haphazard process of privatization of state-owned enterprises, and no serious attempt to build up productive sectors outside of cocoa and gold.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Development, Economics, Politics, Social Stratification, Foreign Aid, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Ghana
45677. Political Challenges to Developing Non-Traditional Exports in Ghana: The Case of Horticulture Exports
- Author:
- Lindsay Whitfield
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
- Abstract:
- The nascent Ghanaian horticulture export sector, which emerged in the mid-1980s, has been ignored by ruling elites, especially after the return to multiparty democracy in 1993. Ruling elites across the two party governments between 1993 and 2008 did not actively pursue initiatives to support the industry. Without sustained political support, the types of public-private coordination of actions and investments needed to help the sector expand and upgrade were not forthcoming in an effective and timely manner. This private sector-driven non-traditional export sector constitutes a neglected opportunity for export diversification and building a new agro-industry, and also highlights some of the factors explaining why the country's economy was still dependent on the traditional exports of cocoa and gold by the close of the 2000s. The political challenges to changing the productive structure in Ghana can be found in the characteristics of ruling coalitions–vulnerability of the ruling elite in power, the high fragmentation within ruling coalitions, and their existing sources of and strategies for financing the state and the ruling coalition, combined with the country's existing economic structure as well as the size and capabilities of domestic capitalists. The characteristics of ruling coalitions in Ghana shaped the incentives facing ruling elites such that the ruling elites were not sufficiently compelled to support new productive sectors, such as horticulture export, which did not (yet) provide substantial revenues.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Economics, International Trade and Finance, Social Stratification, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Ghana
45678. The 'right' Mobility Partnership between the European Union, Morocco and Tunisia
- Author:
- Anne Sofie Westh Olsen
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
- Abstract:
- The Mobility Partnerships between the EU and third countries do not primarily focus on migrants' rights. This is an attempt to show what the partnerships with Morocco and Tunisia should look like from a migrant's perspective.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Migration, Treaties and Agreements, Labor Issues, and Immigration
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Arab Countries, North Africa, and Tunisia
45679. "Let us Rebuild our Country" Migration-development scenarios in Ghana
- Author:
- Nauja Kleist
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
- Abstract:
- In recent years, there has been a reconfiguration of the relationship between states and international migrants. From an overall perception of migration as a problem to be solved, a number of international development agencies, policy makers, and academics are taking the position that migration contributes to national development – if well managed. This aspiration indicates the (re-)discovery of non-resident citizens or former citizens as populations to be governed by their states of origin. The implications of this aspiration are examined in this working paper, focusing on migration-development scenarios in Ghana. The paper is inspired by anthropological and critical development studies on statecraft and public policy, approaching migration-development scenarios as a cultural and political object of study. Using the theatrical metaphor of scenario, it analyzes actually implemented policies as well as policy visions and debates, focusing on the underlying narratives and imaginaries of how migration and development are interlinked and can be governed.
- Topic:
- Development, Government, Migration, Sovereignty, and Labor Issues
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Ghana
45680. Buy, Build or Steal: China's Quest for Advanced Military Aviation Technologies
- Author:
- Phillip C. Saunders and Joshua K. Wiseman
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Abstract:
- Although China continues to lag approximately two decades behind the world's most sophisticated air forces in terms of its ability to develop and produce fighter aircraft and other complex aerospace systems, it has moved over time from absolute reliance on other countries for military aviation technology to a position where a more diverse array of strategies can be pursued. Steps taken in the late 1990s to reform China's military aviation sector demonstrated an understanding of the problems inherent in high-technology acquisition, and an effort to move forward. However, a decade later it remains unclear how effective these reforms have been. Where are the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and China's military aviation industry headed? What obstacles must be overcome for China to join the exclusive ranks of those nations possessing sophisticated air forces and aviation industries capable of producing world-class aircraft?
- Topic:
- Arms Control and Proliferation and Science and Technology
- Political Geography:
- China and Israel
45681. Investment incentives and the global competition for capital
- Author:
- Kenneth P. Thomas
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
- Abstract:
- Investment incentives (subsidies designed to affect the location of investment) are a pervasive feature of global competition for foreign direct investment (FDI). They are used by the vast majority of countries, at multiple levels of government, in a broad range of industries. They take a variety of forms, including tax holidays, grants and free land. Politicians, at least in the United States, may have good electoral incentives to use them.
- Topic:
- Development, Environment, Globalization, International Trade and Finance, Foreign Aid, and Foreign Direct Investment
- Political Geography:
- United States and Europe
45682. Knowledge, FDI and catching-up strategies
- Author:
- Francisco . Sercovich
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
- Abstract:
- A recent Perspective by Terutomo Ozawa singles out protectionism and foreign direct investment (FDI) as alternative drivers for the take-off phase of catching-up industrialization. This dichotomy neglects the rich and nuanced variety of strategic options revealed by recent successful industrialization experiences.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, International Trade and Finance, Science and Technology, and Foreign Direct Investment
45683. FDI in retailing and inflation: The case of India
- Author:
- Nandita Dasgupta
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
- Abstract:
- India's food price inflation is a major driving factor behind the country's overall accelerating inflation over the past few years. Agricultural food prices in particular have risen recently: over the past year vegetables have become costlier by 18%, pulses by 14%, milk by 10%, and eggs, meat and fish by 12%. The rise in fruit prices was, however, relatively smaller (5%), and the same happened for cereals (3%). This price escalation is largely due to an inefficient supply chain in agriculture. Some of the supply side constraints have been identified: poor agricultural productivity, lack of corporate involvement in agriculture, ceilings on landholding size, existence of middlemen, hoarding, and, more importantly, insufficient cold storage facilities and transportation infrastructure. Around 50% of fresh produce in India rots and goes to waste between the farm gate and the market because of inadequate cold storage facilities and a poor distribution network. These factors unfavorably affect agricultural supply, create a supplydemand gap and help raise food prices.
- Topic:
- Security, Agriculture, Development, Economics, Food, and Foreign Direct Investment
- Political Geography:
- South Asia and India
45684. Greek FDI in the Balkans: How is it affected by the crisis in Greece?
- Author:
- Persephone Economou and Margo Thomas
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
- Abstract:
- The current Greek crisis raises the question of its impact on foreign direct investment (FDI) by Greece on its neighbors in the Balkans. Greek multinational enterprises (MNEs) first began to establish a presence there in the 1990s, following the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. This trend accelerated during the past decade. As of 2009, Greece's outward FDI stock in the Balkans stood at US$ 10.5 billion or 26.5% of Greece's outward FDI stock worldwide.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Global Recession, Foreign Direct Investment, and Financial Crisis
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Greece, Yugoslavia, and Balkans
45685. Responsible business conduct: Re-shaping global business
- Author:
- John Evans
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
- Abstract:
- The Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is the Organisation's flagship instrument for responsible business conduct. The Guidelines provide non-binding recommendations to multinational enterprises (MNEs), drawn up and implemented by governments. Updated in 2011, they consist of principles and standards in such areas as sustainable development, governance, disclosure, human rights, employment and industrial relations, the environment, anti-corruption, consumer interests, and taxation. The 42 adhering governments are required to promote the Guidelines and to contribute to the resolution of issues arising under the Guidelines, including by setting up a complaints mechanism -- “National Contact Points” (NCPs) -- to which trade unions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are able to submit specific instances concerning alleged breaches of the Guidelines.
- Topic:
- Globalization, International Organization, International Political Economy, Markets, Foreign Direct Investment, and Governance
45686. Inward FDI in Finland and its policy context
- Author:
- Dan Steinbock
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
- Abstract:
- From independence to the collapse of the Soviet Union, inward foreign direct investment (IFDI) in Finland was either marginal (1917-1939) or insignificant (1945-early 1990s). Throughout this period, the success of Finland's core production clusters in forestry, metal engineering, chemicals, and plastics was based on exports, not IFDI (or outward FDI). However, with the end of the Cold War and the globalization of Finnish industries (especially the mobile communications cluster) in a period of strong export-led economic growth, IFDI in Finland took off rapidly from the mid-1990s. This period of growth came to an end with the global crisis of 2008-2009. In 2009, the Finnish economy shrank roughly by 8%, the sharpest plunge since the country's civil war in 1918. The recovery since 2010 has been relatively strong in comparison to that in most European Union (EU) economies, but Finland remains vulnerable to the Eurozone crisis. Today, IFDI is seen as an untapped resource, and the Finnish Government hopes to develop an IFDI promotion strategy in cooperation with the private sector and integrated with the national innovation system.
- Topic:
- Industrial Policy, Foreign Direct Investment, and Financial Crisis
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Finland
45687. Outward FDI from Greece and its policy context
- Author:
- Aristidis P. Bitzenis and Vasileios A. Vlachos
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
- Abstract:
- With the fall of centrally planned economies in the Balkans, their liberalization and the opening of their borders to free trade and capital movements, Greece became more active in the generation of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI). Greece's OFDI stock increased from US$ 3 billion in 1990 to US$ 6 billion in 2000 and to US$ 38 billion in 2010. The Europeanization process of Turkey and the transition of the economies in the Balkans was accompanied by a gradual rise of FDI from Greece into those economies. More than half of Greece's OFDI stock – over US$ 20 billion in 2009 (67% of total) – is located in South-East Europe: in the Balkans, Cyprus and Turkey. While Greece's early OFDI flows were directed to the secondary sector to reduce costs, the bulk of later flows was directed to the services sector, as new markets were opened. This shift signifies the rise of major corporate players. The Greek Balkan policy, which commenced through the European Union, and the upgrading of the Athens Stock Exchange have positively affected Greece's position as a key regional investor. The expectations for sustaining this leading role, however, have been weakened recently since, due to the Greek sovereign debt crisis, Greek multinational enterprises (MNEs) disinvested US$ 1.6 billion from their FDI abroad in 2010.
- Topic:
- Debt, Economics, Foreign Direct Investment, and Financial Crisis
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Turkey, Greece, Balkans, and Cyprus
45688. Inward FDI in Italy and its policy context
- Author:
- Marco Mutinelli and Lucia Piscitello
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
- Abstract:
- The attractiveness of the Italian economy for inward foreign direct investment (IFDI) has been traditionally limited, despite the country's locational advantages such as a large domestic market and a skilled labor force. The recent global crisis worsened the country's IFDI position, with flows falling from US$ 40 billion in 2007 to -US$ 11 billion in 2008 before recovering to US$ 20 billion in 2009 but down again to US$ 9 billion in 2010. Although the country's IFDI stock had grown since 2000 at a rate similar to that of the European Union as a whole, in 2010 IFDI stock contracted vis-à-vis 2009, reflecting how Italy, compared to other key European countries and to its own potential, continues to underperform. The main obstacles to exploiting the country's potential for IFDI lie both in the largely insufficient actions undertaken to attract and promote IFDI, and especially in the lack of coordination with other relevant policy measures (e.g. infrastructure development) within a broader framework aimed at regional and national development.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, International Trade and Finance, and Foreign Direct Investment
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Italy
45689. Human Security in Complex Operations
- Author:
- Mary Kaldor
- Publication Date:
- 03-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- PRISM
- Institution:
- Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), National Defense University
- Abstract:
- Complex operations take place in zones of insecurity. In these zones, ordinary people face a range of everyday risks and dangers. They risk being killed, tortured, kidnapped, robbed, raped, or displaced from their homes. They risk dying from hunger, lack of shelter, disease, or lack of access to health care. They are vulnerable to man-made and natural disasters-hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, or fires. These risks and dangers feed on each other. They are very difficult to eliminate; hence, the current preoccupation with "persistent conflict" or "forever wars." These have a tendency to spread both to neighboring regions-growing zones of insecurity in places such as East Africa, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Middle East, or the Balkans-and, indeed, to the inner cities of the industrialized West.
- Political Geography:
- Central Asia and Middle East
45690. Enhancing U.S. Support for UN Peacekeeping
- Author:
- Nancy Soderberg
- Publication Date:
- 03-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- PRISM
- Institution:
- Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), National Defense University
- Abstract:
- As the United States establishes its strategic priorities to enhance national security, support for peacekeeping is increasingly important. Particularly following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Pentagon has viewed failed states (also referred to as "undergoverned" or "ungoverned spaces") as a threat to U.S. national security. President Barack Obama's restoration of the Cabinet status of his Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Susan Rice, reflects the administration's recognition of the overall importance of the UN, including its key role in peacekeeping.
- Political Geography:
- United States and United Nations
45691. Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts: Putting the Inter into the Interagency
- Author:
- Eric A. Jorgensen
- Publication Date:
- 03-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- PRISM
- Institution:
- Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), National Defense University
- Abstract:
- Interagency is a made-up word that is reasonable as an adjective but only a fairy tale as a noun. That will not change until the executive branch of the Federal Government is dramatically reorganized in order to put the inter into the interagency.
45692. Interagency National Security Teams: Can Social Science Contribute?
- Author:
- Christopher J. Lamb and James Orton
- Publication Date:
- 03-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- PRISM
- Institution:
- Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), National Defense University
- Abstract:
- There is a consensus that many national security problems require interagency solutions. However, as veteran national security legislator Ike Skelton noted, the current national security system has trouble meeting this requirement: "For many years, we've repeatedly heard from independent blue-ribbon panels and bipartisan commissions that when it comes to inter - agency collaboration on national security, our system is inefficient, ineffective, and often down-right broken." Many of those same blue-ribbon panels and commissions have recommended interagency teams as a potential solution to interagency coordination problems. Recently, for example, the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review Commission called for more "interagency teams with capabilities to plan for and exercise, in an integrated way, departmental and agency responsibilities in predefined mission[s]." Historical descriptive accounts indicate interagency teams can indeed perform with great effectiveness, but recent research also suggests that interagency team effectiveness is not wide - spread, easily replicated, or well-understood. It would be easier to act upon the recommendations for more interagency teams if national security executives knew with greater certainty what factors and what conditions make these teams effective.
45693. Attitudes to Chronic Poverty in the "Global Village"
- Author:
- Armando Barrientos and Daniel Neff
- Publication Date:
- 05-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- German Institute of Global and Area Studies
- Abstract:
- The paper explores attitudes to chronic poverty in a cross ‐ section of developed and developing countries based on data from the World Values Survey Wave Three (1994 ‐ 1998). The analysis finds a consistent belief among a majority of respondents that poverty is chronic. This paper also explores the factors that influence public attitudes to chronic poverty and finds that interests, position, knowledge, and shared values relating to social justice are important.
- Topic:
- Development, Poverty, Third World, and Social Stratification
45694. European Defense Trends: Budgets, Regulatory Frameworks, and the Industrial Base
- Author:
- Matthew Zlatnik, Joachim Hofbauer, Roy Levy, and Gregory Sanders
- Publication Date:
- 05-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center for Strategic and International Studies
- Abstract:
- An in-depth understanding of the supply and demand sides of the European defense market and the regulatory framework that governs it is critical for evaluating broader European defense policies and capabilities. This annotated briefing assesses defense budgets in 2001–2008 for 37 European countries (the demand side), developments in the regulatory framework governing European defense trade, and the financial health of the European defense and security industrial base (the supply side). It then integrates the analysis from these three elements to generate a new way of looking at the European defense market.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy
- Political Geography:
- Europe
45695. Voices from Iraq: A People's History, 2003-2009
- Author:
- Mark Kukis
- Publication Date:
- 06-2011
- Content Type:
- Book
- Institution:
- Columbia University Press
- Abstract:
- Featuring the testimony of close to seventy Iraqis from all walks of life, Voices from Iraq builds a riveting chronological history unmatched for its insight and revelations. Here is a history of the war in Iraq as told entirely by Iraqis living through the U.S. invasion and occupation. Beginning in 2003, this intimate narrative includes the experiential accounts of civilians, politicians, former dissidents, insurgents, and militiamen. Iraqis offering firsthand stories range from onetime Prime Minister Ayad Allawi to resistance fighters speaking on the condition of anonymity. Divided into five parts, these interviews recount the 2003 invasion; Iraq's gradual slide into chaos from 2004 to 2005; the start of a new order in 2006; the rise of open sectarian violence over the next two years; and the effort since 2008 to reconstruct a society from relative calm. Each section includes interviews grouped into themes, with brief epilogues for the participants. Not since Studs Terkel's The Good War has a book captured so acutely the human consequences of a conflict we are still struggling to understand. Voices from Iraq makes utterly vivid the meaning and legacy of America's campaign in Iraq.
- Topic:
- War, Reconstruction, and Domestic Politics
- Political Geography:
- Iraq and Middle East
- Publication Identifier:
- 9780231527569
- Publication Identifier Type:
- ISBN
45696. National President’s Forum: ‘India 2020’
- Author:
- Garry Rodan
- Publication Date:
- 08-2011
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Australian Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- Broadly, Australia’s post-WWII foreign relations with Asia are characterised by four dominant themes, with the focus on India being most recent. From 1954 through to the mid-1990s, Australia’s dealings with Indo-China consumed considerable political energy of policy makers, not least through involvement in the Vietnam War. In the same period, Australian engagement with Southeast Asia was also extensive as many countries in this region secured independence and underwent significant social, political and economic transformations. Australia’s levels of diplomatic engagement and expertise on Southeast Asia were high, most notably in relation to Indonesia. Meanwhile, Australia’s engagement with Northeast Asia has been forged fundamentally by economic opportunities, reinforced by security objectives. Finally, an interest-driven relationship with South Asia has assumed priority since the 1990s as India has adopted a different post-Cold War foreign policy direction.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- India and Australia
45697. Emerging Scholars
- Author:
- Melissa Conley Tyler
- Publication Date:
- 12-2011
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Australian Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- The Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) was established more than 75 years ago to promote public understanding and interest in international affairs. In recent years, the AIIA has been active in extending its activities to younger members of the community. The AIIA has launched a variety of initiatives to engage young people including young professionals‟ networks, careers fairs, schools events, mentoring programs and the Young Diplomats Program.
- Topic:
- Diplomacy and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Australia
45698. Local Governances in Afghanistan: A View from the Ground
- Author:
- Douglas Saltmarshe and Abhilash Medhi
- Publication Date:
- 06-2011
- Content Type:
- Research Paper
- Institution:
- Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU)
- Abstract:
- This report finds that insufficient attention has been given to local governance in Afghanistan, despite the fact that most Afghan citizens encounter the state in provinces and districts. This neglect is inhibiting the significant efforts made in Kabul from having much impact on the ground. The research was undertaken over a 14 month period finishing in December 2010. It took place in 47 districts of Samangan, Jawzjan, Sar-i-Pul, Laghman, Wardak and Day Kundi Provinces, with additional time spent in two districts of Helmand. Key findings are presented under the following themes: Local Government Administration, Security and Justice, Service Delivery, and Representation.
- Topic:
- Governance
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan
45699. TACIT AMENDMENTS
- Author:
- Oona A. Hathaway, Haley Nix, Saurrabh Sanghvi, and Sara Solow
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Global Legal Challenges, Yale Law School
- Abstract:
- As a general rule, the President is “‘without authority, except by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to modify a treaty provision.’”2 Thus, in amending a treaty, parties effectively sign and ratify a new treaty, to which the standard treaty processes apply. However, numerous treaties have established procedures for modifications to the regime that do not rise to the level of formal amendments to the treaty. This report focuses on such “unratified treaty amendments”—which include what are called “tacit amendments.” Unratified amendments are amendments to treaties that are made without formal Senate ratification.3 They have proven a useful tool in creating robust treaty regimes in a changing world. Just as the use of executive agreements in general has expanded rapidly in the past century,4 treaty regimes increasingly have adopted amendment processes that do not require a full ratification process. And just as executive agreements have raised questions about Senate prerogatives, so too have unratified amendments. There are two primary ways that the U.S. government modifies underlying treaties through an unratified amendment5 —first, through the use of executive agreements; and, second, through the use of tacit amendments. Part I describes how each process works. It argues that both pass constitutional muster so long as the Senate has provided its clear advice and consent to the use of such processes (although not necessarily to the substance of the modifications) in the first instance. Part II outlines and evaluates the various ways in which the Senate has responded to attempts to modify treaties by executive agreement or by tacit amendment in the past. It concludes that the Senate’s requirements of prior notice and its focus on technical provisions, while not always easy to achieve in practice, are sensible ways to maintain Senate prerogatives. Part III concludes.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Treaties and Agreements, Domestic Politics, and Federalism
- Political Geography:
- North America and United States of America
45700. Lessons from the Past for Foreign Sovereign Immunity After Samantar v. Yousuf
- Author:
- Saurrabh Sanghvi
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Global Legal Challenges, Yale Law School
- Abstract:
- In Samantar v. Yousuf,2 the Supreme Court held that an individual sued personally for acts taken as a foreign official did not enjoy any immunity under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 (FSIA), a statute governing when courts should provide foreign states with sovereign immunity.3 After Samantar, immunity in any individual official suit will likely be determined through reference to the pre-FSIA federal common law. This report outlines the pre-FSIA practices4 of the U.S. Department of State (“State Department”) and the courts to provide insight into how individual official suits may be handled in the wake of Samantar.5 If courts follow historical practice, they will likely rely heavily on State Department “suggestions of immunity” in determining whether immunity will be granted to individuals for actions taken as foreign officials. Moreover, when the Department is silent, the courts will likely interpret State Department policy to determine whether immunity is appropriate.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Law, Legal Theory, and Immunity
- Political Geography:
- North America and United States of America