Number of results to display per page
Search Results
2452. Fault Lines in Disaster Management: Risk Reduction and Response Preparedness in Mersin
- Author:
- Ulaş Bayraktar
- Publication Date:
- 08-2025
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV)
- Abstract:
- The report prepared within the scope of Developing a Model for Data-Driven Disaster Governance in Municipalities Project carried out by TESEV with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands’ MATRA Fund, seeks to evaluate the disaster management efforts undertaken in Mersin. To this end, the report first examines the official disaster management approach and then reviews the existing plans and practices related to disaster management in Mersin while aiming to address disaster management not only as technical expertise but also as a democratic and pluralistic governance practice.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Natural Disasters, Governance, Urban, and Sustainability
- Political Geography:
- Turkey, Middle East, and Mersin
2453. The Power of Transformative Skills: A Guide to Empowering the Next Generation
- Author:
- H. Ceren Zeytinoğlu
- Publication Date:
- 05-2025
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV)
- Abstract:
- Unlike traditional “soft skills,” transformative skills encompass not only effective communication and social behavior but also cognitive flexibility, emotional resilience, mental well-being, and personal growth. They are the foundation of a strong internal infrastructure that helps individuals adapt and lead in a rapidly changing world.
- Topic:
- Resilience, Labor Market, Skills, and Gender Equality
- Political Geography:
- Turkey and Global Focus
2454. Strengthening Local Governance: A Study of Competencies of Grama Panchayat Functionaries in Karnataka
- Author:
- Avani Kapur, Mallika Arora, Sidharth Santhosh, Dongrisab Nadaf, and Kripa Krishna
- Publication Date:
- 03-2025
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Centre for Policy Research, India
- Abstract:
- This report delves into individual and team-based competencies of different functionaries including PDOs, PS, DEOs, Accounts Assistants, Bill Collector, Water Operator, Sahayak. The team observed that individual competencies differ based on the functionary’s role in the GP. Moreover, certain roles such as those of PDOs and PSs are provided more training opportunities when compared to others such as BCs or DEOs. Systemic factors such as vacancies, workload distribution also result in some functionaries taking on more tasks outside their formal job descriptions, often without the necessary authorisations. Beyond individual competencies, it is essential GPs function effectively as a team. However, the team found that regular team meetings are uncommon, and responsibilities are decided based on deadlines rather than a consultative, structured approach. Additionally, ERs are rarely consulted on community needs, despite their critical role in governance. While a culture of kindness and empathy exists within GPs, it can be further strengthened to ensure functionaries remain motivated to serve citizens effectively. Based on these findings, the team offers a range of recommendations, aimed at improving both individual and team competencies. These suggestions are intended to serve as a starting point for the department to further investigate the challenges and design suitable administrative reforms. Recommendations include redesigning job charts, enhancing PDO training, improving learning resources for all functionaries and improving engagement with elected representatives. Additionally, to improve team competencies the authors recommend introducing off site training for the GP as a team, introducing regular team meetings, group reflections after major events and fostering cross-GP collaborations.
- Topic:
- Development, Governance, and Domestic Politics
- Political Geography:
- South Asia and India
2455. Innovative Approaches to Convergence in Karnataka’s Grama Panchayats: Insights from 5 Case Studies
- Author:
- Avani Kapur, Mallika Arora, Ritwik Shukla, Sidharth Santhosh, and Dongrisab Nadaf
- Publication Date:
- 03-2025
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Centre for Policy Research, India
- Abstract:
- This report is titled “Innovative Approaches to Convergence in Karnataka’s Grama Panchayats: Insights from 5 Case Studies“. It unpacks convergence practices in different programs such as Grama Panchayat Library and Information Centres, Koosina Mane, Solid Waste Management, Health Screening, and Perspective Planning. The first case study on Rural Libraries presents how community involvement and inclusivity can promote and build learning and reading practices in GPs. The second case study on Koosina Mane highlights how the state can promote rural women’s workforce participation while also supporting children’s nutritional needs at early stages of development. The third case study on Solid Waste Management highlights the importance of localising waste management practices and also supporting alternative livelihood sources for rural women by tapping into existing community structures. The fourth case study on Health Screening further pushes the role of GPs, along with other actors in the health department, in promoting positive health outcomes. Finally, the fifth case study on Perspective Planning shows how efficient data management practices can ease monitoring and promote transparency in delivery of welfare services. Thus, through these case studies, the authors have presented the key learnings from Karnataka’s innovative convergence practices and resource management which other states in the country can leverage and build upon. Their observations, spread across several months of immersive fieldwork, can further support RDPR’s vision to sustain these initiatives in the coming years.
- Topic:
- Governance, Rural, Innovation, and Resource Management
- Political Geography:
- South Asia and India
2456. Viksit Bharat’s Engine: An Institutional Roadmap to a $ 30 Trillion Economy – The Macroeconomic Institutional Imperative
- Author:
- Ejaz Ghani
- Publication Date:
- 11-2025
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centre for Policy Research, India
- Abstract:
- This paper looks at the “Institutional Efficacy Puzzle” that lies at the heart of India’s development challenge and provides a deep, systemic diagnostic of these key institutions—the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), financial regulators (SEBI, IRDAI), tax authorities (CBDT, CBIC), and crucial oversight bodies like the Finance Commission and the National Statistical Commission (NSC). It moves beyond analysing symptoms to uncover root causes embedded in flawed designs, capacity deficits, or political economy constraints. It then proposes a comprehensive, actionable roadmap for profound reform aimed at building the Resilient, Agile, Accountable, and Inclusive (RAAI) institutional foundations essential for transforming the Viksit Bharat vision into a tangible reality.
- Topic:
- Development, Political Economy, Economy, Institutions, and Macroeconomics
- Political Geography:
- South Asia and India
2457. The Green Investment Banker: A Strategic Manifesto for Financing India’s Net Zero and ‘Viksit Bharat’ Future
- Author:
- Ejaz Ghani
- Publication Date:
- 12-2025
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centre for Policy Research, India
- Abstract:
- Financing a Green ‘Viksit Bharat’ India’s national goal of becoming a developed economy by 2047 is inextricably linked to achieving its Net Zero commitment by 2070. This twin ambition requires an investment of an estimated $10 trillion, primarily in green infrastructure and industrial modernization. This paper argues that this colossal sum cannot be met by public funds alone. The central economic challenge for India over the next two decades is to build the institutional capacity to mobilize and direct trillions of dollars in private and global capital towards this green transition.
- Topic:
- Development, Infrastructure, Economy, Investment, Banking, Green Economy, and Net Zero
- Political Geography:
- South Asia and India
2458. The Rule of Law Crisis and its Implications on National Security in Pakistan
- Author:
- Muhammad Imran and Syedah Sadia Kazmi
- Publication Date:
- 05-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Political Studies
- Institution:
- Department of Political Science, University of the Punjab
- Abstract:
- The rule of law is an essential pillar for sustaining democracy, human rights and economic development, yet Pakistan faces a profound crisis in this domain that significantly threatens its national security. This study explores the multidimensional impactsof the rule of law crisis in Pakistan contribute to social unrest and undermine the state's capacity to address both internal and external security challenges. Using mixed-methods approach, this research combines quantitative surveys of legal professionals and security officials to capture diverse perspectives on the erosion of judicial independence and its implications for public trust and institutional integrity. The study aims to identify key relationships between the rule of law crisis and critical security sectors, including political and societal security. By addressing how weak rule of law exacerbates human insecurity, poverty, and social inequality, the research underscores the necessity for reform to restore public confidence in legal institutions.The findings will provide valuable insights for policymakers seeking to foster a stable and just governance framework, reinforcing the rule of law as fundamental to Pakistan’s national security. Ultimately, this work contributes to the ongoing dialogue regarding the intersections of law, governance and security in the context of a complex geopolitical landscape.
- Topic:
- National Security, Governance, Rule of Law, Judiciary, and Social Unrest
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan and South Asia
2459. Divine Resistance: Hezbollah’s Theocratic Duality of Politics and Military Power
- Author:
- Sheikh Arslan Zafar and Humera Akhtar
- Publication Date:
- 05-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Political Studies
- Institution:
- Department of Political Science, University of the Punjab
- Abstract:
- Backing Hezbollah and deterring Israel," shields are viewed as protecting Lebanon’s interests and security. The "Resistance's Arms" Discourse: Hezbollah has effectively positioned its armed faction not as an uncontrolled militia, but as an essential national defense entity against Israel. This study examines how Hezbollah's actions, influenced by Iran’s Wilayat al-Faqih doctrine, shape Lebanon’s security and political landscape. By aligning with Iran’s regional goals, Hezbollah defends Lebanon while promoting Shiite interests, including military activities near Beirut. The research explores Hezbollah’s multifaceted role as both a political party and an armed organization supported by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and its impact on Lebanon's sovereignty and regional stability. It also looks at Hezbollah’s evolution from a resistance movement to a significant political force. This study also discusses Hezbollah’s dual role and how Iran's leadership influences its actions, aiming to protect Lebanon and support the broader Shiite cause. Theocratic political theory is used as a framework to analyze Hezbollah’s connection with Iran and its influence on Lebanon's internal stability. Ultimately, the study recommends including Hezbollah in Lebanon’s political and military structures to reduce potential instability while balancing national unity and regional interests.
- Topic:
- Security, Politics, Hezbollah, Theocracy, and Shiite
- Political Geography:
- Iran, Middle East, and Lebanon
2460. Fortifying the Essence of Democracy and Inclusive Representationin the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan:Envisioning a New Agenda for the Future
- Author:
- Hina Habib
- Publication Date:
- 05-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Political Studies
- Institution:
- Department of Political Science, University of the Punjab
- Abstract:
- The constitution of Pakistanisthe most significantand crucial pillar ofPakistan’s governance, which upholds democracy,facilitates public representation, and encourages the participation of minorities and other segments in thepolitical structureof a state.Although various amendmentsand positive developmentshave been made, it has stillbeen criticizedregarding its lack of flexibility,owing to the subjugation of therightsof ethnic minoritiesandrepeated coups.Politicians have exploited itfor short-term goals that underminenational cohesion and harmonyamong diverseactors.This paper exploresthe themesof democracy and public representation by considering Pakistan’s Constitution.In addition,it emphasizes the participation of marginalized segments and minorities in the political process. It also commentson the current political structure’s effectivenessand identifiesareas for improvement,as the nation has successfully ended50years under this apex law. Theresearch usesexploratory researchusingqualitative method to conduct the study.Across the board, this research envisions a future scenario for Pakistan marked by inclusivity and better public representation. It does so byshapinga strategy for a more prosperous Pakistanin the coming decades.
- Topic:
- Governance, Minorities, Democracy, Constitution, and Representation
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan and South Asia
2461. Exploring the relationship between human rights and international relations in the Middle East
- Author:
- Mohammad Al-Rawashdeh
- Publication Date:
- 05-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Political Studies
- Institution:
- Department of Political Science, University of the Punjab
- Abstract:
- Human rights issues in the Middle East are interconnected with the region's international relations, reflecting the unique political systems, cultures, and economies present there. This research aims to analyze the roles of global players and organizations, such as the United Nations and the Arab League, in promoting human rights.The objectives include understanding how these entities have either encouraged or hindered human rights advancements in the region, examining the impact of human rights on foreign policies, and evaluating the effectiveness of diplomatic initiatives and sanctions in addressing civil liberties violations. Given the ongoing conflicts, including the Syrian civil war and the Israeli-Palestinian situation, the research will assess how human rights issues influence international relations. Additionally, it will explore employee rights in Gulf countries and the challenges faced by women and refugees.Using quantitative methods, the study will examine the intersection of diplomacy, sanctions, and global human rights initiatives, seeking to answer how international relations can better address human rights without destabilizing global political systems. Ultimately, the research aims to highlight the significance of human rights in foreign policy and offer recommendations for their integration in the Middle East.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Diplomacy, Human Rights, United Nations, Minorities, and Repression
- Political Geography:
- Middle East
2462. Elections, Power Transitions and the Risk of Atrocity Crimes
- Author:
- Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
- Publication Date:
- 11-2025
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
- Abstract:
- Genuine and credible elections present a crucial opportunity to reaffirm democratic norms, uphold the rule of law and ensure that people’s voices are heard. Yet, all too often elections shift from being a positive expression of democratic will to flashpoints for political violence and polarization. In 2024, a record number of people voted in elections – with more than 60 countries, representing nearly half of the world’s population, electing local, national and international representatives. However, many elections were marred by intimidation, violence and serious human rights violations, severely undermining the right to vote and to be elected. This policy brief draws on insights from a June 2024 event co-hosted by the European Union and the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect. It examines how electoral processes, particularly when held in conflict-affected, repressive or polarized environments, can exacerbate existing tensions and increase the risk of serious human rights violations and atrocity crimes. The brief outlines long-standing structural vulnerabilities and short-term triggers that often emerge throughout the electoral process. A rights-respecting, inclusive and transparent electoral process is essential not only for electoral integrity but also for preventing identity-based violence and atrocity crimes. The policy brief provides concrete recommendations to help national and international actors prevent and respond to election-related violence and atrocity risks.
- Topic:
- Elections, Democracy, Risk, Atrocities, and Transition of Power
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
2463. The role of social media on the voting behavior of middle-aged and above educators of Bahawalpur during the general elections of 2018
- Author:
- Rabia Sadiq
- Publication Date:
- 05-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Political Studies
- Institution:
- Department of Political Science, University of the Punjab
- Abstract:
- Social media sites were greatly used by political parties and the masses in the general elections of 2018 in Pakistan. The influence of social media on the voting behavior of youth has been researched extensively. The objective of this study is to observe how social media has influenced the voting behavior and political participation of middle-aged and elder educators of Bahawalpur. Qualitative research has been conducted with the help of a structured questionnaire, and descriptive analysis is used for analysis. The sample size is 25 based on convenience sampling. The findings reveal that Facebook and YouTube are the most used platforms by middle-aged educators. The results of this research show that the voting behavior of the middle-aged educators of Bahawalpur has been influenced by the usage of social media sites.
- Topic:
- Communications, Elections, Social Media, Voting, and Political Participation
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan and South Asia
2464. Reauthorizing the Defense Production Act in the Era of Defense Mobilization and Supply-side Industrial Policy
- Author:
- Michael Hikari Cecire
- Publication Date:
- 03-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Advanced Military Studies
- Institution:
- Marine Corps University Press, National Defense University
- Abstract:
- The 1950 Defense Production Act (DPA) is one of the most significant tools the U.S. government uses to mobilize the civilian economy for national defense. As the United States approaches the DPA’s statutory termination and likely reauthorization in 2025, this article surveys its recent employment during the COVID-19 pandemic and potential for policy iteration, assessing its evolution from postwar and early Cold War origins to a broader industrial policy tool. By analyzing DPA usage, legislative actions, and public interest trends, this study aims to extract key lessons from its recent implementation. The article argues that while the DPA has become increasingly central to the government’s industrial policy initiatives, its application has been broadly inconsistent, unevenly coordinated, and insufficiently integrated into broader strategic frameworks. Reauthorization of the DPA could include creating a more permanent and coordinated executive branch infrastructure, clarifying its use as an emergency versus routine policy tool, and identifying gaps in future deployment.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, Industrial Policy, COVID-19, Defense Production Act (DPA), and Reauthorization
- Political Geography:
- North America and United States of America
2465. The Winds of Change: How China's Focus on Rare Earth Minerals Reshapes the World
- Author:
- Ian Murphy and Kevin Johnston
- Publication Date:
- 03-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Advanced Military Studies
- Institution:
- Marine Corps University Press, National Defense University
- Abstract:
- This article examines how rare earth minerals and the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) strategic dominance in the global economy affect U.S. national security. The PRC’s near monopoly on rare earth processing and its use of export controls as leverage pose significant risks to global supply chains and U.S. national security interests. This analysis explores contemporary PRC strategies in the rare earth sector and their implications for U.S. national security by explaining how the PRC’s view of international cooperation differs from the United States’ view. In essence, the PRC is using the transition to renewable energy to pursue its broader security goals and enhance its position in the global power hierarchy. Furthermore, the article offers policy recommendations aimed at mitigating vulnerabilities and ensuring the secure and sustainable supply of resources critical to U.S. interests.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, International Cooperation, Bilateral Relations, Strategic Competition, Rare earth elements (REEs), Critical Minerals, and Great Powers
- Political Geography:
- China, Asia, North America, and United States of America
2466. Recent U.S. Government Policy Literature on Critical and Strategic Minerals
- Author:
- Bert Chapman
- Publication Date:
- 03-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Advanced Military Studies
- Institution:
- Marine Corps University Press, National Defense University
- Abstract:
- Critical and strategic minerals have become increasingly important in U.S. government civilian and military policymaking in recent years. This is demonstrated by the heavy use of such minerals in many critical civilian and military infrastructures. This work will discuss how this subject has been addressed in laws, presidential documents, and works by government agencies along with congressional oversight committees and support agencies. It will stress how the United States is heavily dependent on strategic minerals from adversarial foreign countries such as China and will examine U.S. efforts to increase its ability to produce such materials in the United States by reforming permitting processes. It will conclude with recommendations for the United States to enhance its ability to produce these materials domestically and acquire them from reliable foreign sources. The conclusion will also suggest ways that the president and federal agency stakeholders can enhance public awareness of this problem and their efforts to rectify it.
- Topic:
- National Security, Science and Technology, Supply Chains, Information, Critical Minerals, and Permitting
- Political Geography:
- China, North America, and United States of America
2467. Enhancing NATO’s Naval Power in the High North
- Author:
- Gonzalo III Vázquez
- Publication Date:
- 12-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Advanced Military Studies
- Institution:
- Marine Corps University Press, National Defense University
- Abstract:
- With the return of great power competition, the Arctic is set to become increasingly relevant for global geopolitics and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) security. The potential for higher tensions in the region demands that the alliance’s member states strengthen their deterrence vis-à-vis Moscow, a task for which naval forces and the maritime domain as a whole will be pivotal. This article argues that the alliance should consider the establishment of an additional standing NATO maritime group (SNMG) for the Arctic region to undertake missions and operations similar to those that the SNMG 1 has performed during the last few years. Its establishment would enhance maritime domain awareness, naval power, and deterrence in the northern flank, albeit facing significant challenges in terms of force generation and adaptation to cold weather conditions. These challenges, however, should not automatically disqualify the proposal as entirely unattainable, but rather be seen as a longer-term goal.
- Topic:
- NATO, Military Strategy, Navy, Maritime, and Military Exercises
- Political Geography:
- Arctic
2468. NATO's Long Cold Front: Why NATO Must Reorganize Its Approach to Defending the European High North
- Author:
- Ryan R. Duffy, Jahara Matisek, Jeremy M. McKenzie, and Chad M. Pillai
- Publication Date:
- 12-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Advanced Military Studies
- Institution:
- Marine Corps University Press, National Defense University
- Abstract:
- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) faces strategic vulnerabilities in the European high north due to growing Russian and Chinese collaboration. Leveraging scenario planning and enhanced integration of Nordic capabilities into Joint Force Command Norfolk is recommended to bolster Arctic deterrence. Clarified command structures, specialized polar-warfare units, targeted infrastructure investments, and expanded Joint exercises are essential. This would strengthen NATO’s Arctic posture, ensuring regional stability and enabling the U.S. strategic pivot toward countering China’s growing global influence in the Indo-Pacific.
- Topic:
- NATO, Armed Forces, Deterrence, and Strategic Competition
- Political Geography:
- Russia, China, Asia, Arctic, and United States of America
2469. Chinese Arctic Expansion: How Beijing Benefits from Moscow’s Isolation
- Author:
- Mark Vicik
- Publication Date:
- 12-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Advanced Military Studies
- Institution:
- Marine Corps University Press, National Defense University
- Abstract:
- Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine caused immediate disruption to the Arctic’s strategic environment. This shift has caused Russia to partner more closely with China, giving Beijing new opportunities to advance its goals in the region. This article explores the impacts that this shift could have on China’s activity in the Arctic. First, it describes the history of China in the Arctic to define its strategic objectives in the region. Then, it argues that the geopolitical changes following the war in Ukraine have given Beijing new opportunities to advance these Arctic goals. Finally, it assesses this shift’s strategic impact to the United States and its allies. This work provides a critical insight into changing power dynamics in the Arctic in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- Topic:
- Infrastructure, Partnerships, Geopolitics, Civil-Military Relations, and Russia-Ukraine War
- Political Geography:
- Russia, China, Asia, and Arctic
2470. Why the Ukrainians Fight: The Holodomor (1932-33)
- Author:
- Gregg W. Etter and David H. McElreath
- Publication Date:
- 03-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Advanced Military Studies
- Institution:
- Marine Corps University Press, National Defense University
- Abstract:
- Abstract: Nations fight for several reasons. The nation may have been invaded, as was Ukraine by Russia. Nations will fight for political or religious reasons. Nations will also fight due to historical animosities. In 1932–33, Joseph Stalin inflicted on Ukraine an intentional man-made famine that killed 3–7.5 million people. This action was taken to consolidate Soviet political power and enforce collectivization of farmland. The Holodomor is firmly embedded in the history and mindset of the Ukrainian people. It is one of the reasons they feel the need to fight the invaders from Moscow. This article explains how historical events can fuel future conflicts, and these narratives can serve as a resource to establish national identity and solidarity.
- Topic:
- Genocide, History, Famine, Repression, Collectivization, and Holodomor
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Europe, Ukraine, and Soviet Union
2471. Power Play: Charging Up Strategic Competition over Lithium Battery Value Chains
- Author:
- Philip Murray
- Publication Date:
- 03-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Advanced Military Studies
- Institution:
- Marine Corps University Press, National Defense University
- Abstract:
- This article examines the strategic implications of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) dominance over the global lithium value chain and the resulting vulnerabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense. During several decades, through sustained strategic investments, the PRC has achieved a controlling position in the lithium market, encompassing mining, refining, and battery manufacturing. This control allows the PRC to influence lithium pricing and availability globally, posing significant economic and strategic risks to nations reliant on these supply chains, particularly the United States.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, Global Value Chains, Lithium, Batteries, and Energy
- Political Geography:
- China and Asia
2472. Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Military Decision-Making Process: The Forgotten Lessons on the Nature of War
- Author:
- Vincenzo Gallitelli
- Publication Date:
- 09-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Advanced Military Studies
- Institution:
- Marine Corps University Press, National Defense University
- Abstract:
- This article examines the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the military decision-making process (MDMP) through a multidisciplinary approach, with particular attention to the experimental COA-GPT system. While AI offers unprecedented opportunities to accelerate operational tempo, generates multiple courses of action (COAs), and reduces cognitive burdens on commanders and staff, the study warns against overreliance on quantitative metrics and algorithmic processes and outputs. Drawing on Carl von Clausewitz’s principles, Trevor N. Dupuy’s models, and historical failures such as Robert S. McNamara’s “body count” in Vietnam, the analysis highlights the enduring uncertainty and friction of war that cannot be captured by purely mathematical or deterministic models. AI’s risks of overfitting, black-box opacity, and the exclusion of moral, human, and contextual factors underscore the indispensable role of human judgment. The article emphasizes the need to adapt doctrine, organization, training, leadership, and infrastructure to the challenges and opportunities introduced by AI. The goal is to ensure that AI is employed as a powerful enabling tool that enhances human decision making rather than replacing it.
- Topic:
- Military Affairs, Artificial Intelligence, and Decision-Making
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
2473. The Role of Artificial Intelligence in the U.S. Military Strategy in Proxy Wars, 2020–2024
- Author:
- Ehsan Ejazi and Mahsa Ahmadyan
- Publication Date:
- 09-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Advanced Military Studies
- Institution:
- Marine Corps University Press, National Defense University
- Abstract:
- Proxy war has been a dynamic U.S. military strategy since the Cold War. In recent decades, however, artificial intelligence (AI) as a new manifestation of technology has played a significant role in these wars. The United States has been a pioneer in this field, making substantial investments, annually allocates multibillion-dollar budgets to advance robotic and automated weapons to win future wars. Artificial intelligence proxy wars can manage the competition between international actors as a mediating factor without wasting human resources. The main question of this article is as follows: What is the role of artificial intelligence in U.S. military strategy, and how much can this new technology help win proxy wars? The findings indicate that the United States, by applying artificial intelligence technology to its military equipment with remote control capabilities, robots, and automated guided weapons, has reduced human and financial costs while increasing the probability of triumph on the battlefield. However, the obtained data, according to moral and humanitarian criteria, suggest a high rate of civilian casualties in such military conflicts.
- Topic:
- Military Strategy, Drones, Artificial Intelligence, and Proxy War
- Political Geography:
- North America and United States of America
2474. The Arctic as an Arena for Strategic Competition: Rivalry with Traditional and Irregular Levers of Power on NATO’s Northern Flank
- Author:
- Njord Wegge
- Publication Date:
- 12-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Advanced Military Studies
- Institution:
- Marine Corps University Press, National Defense University
- Abstract:
- This article investigates to what degree and through which fields and mechanisms strategic competition today plays out in the Arctic as well as how these questions align with international relations (IR) theory. Using rationalist approaches to the study of IR and the DIME model (diplomatic, informational, military, and economic) to structure the empirical investigation, this article finds that the strategic competition matches perspectives found in realism as well as liberalism. The article points out how states develop strategies to maximize security, wealth, power, and prosperity at the cost of others, while at the same time also identifies empirical evidence supporting liberal perspectives that stresses how unintended consequences of competition can be harnessed through institutions and international law. The competitive environment experienced in today’s Arctic increasingly reflects an international society characterized by zero-sum thinking and a dynamic where the constraining role of institutions has diminished.
- Topic:
- International Relations, NATO, Diplomacy, Economics, Strategic Competition, Military, and Information
- Political Geography:
- Arctic
2475. Synthesizing Strategic Frameworks for Great Power Competition
- Author:
- Gavin Holtz
- Publication Date:
- 09-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Advanced Military Studies
- Institution:
- Marine Corps University Press, National Defense University
- Abstract:
- This article examines the theoretical foundations necessary for conceptualizing and operationalizing modern great power competition through the innovative synthesis of three influential military frameworks: Colonel John R. Boyd’s observe, orient, decide, act (OODA) loop, Colonel John A. Warden’s systems analysis, and Chinese colonels Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui’s unrestricted warfare theory. The research demonstrates how complementary frameworks provide strategic practitioners with comprehensive capabilities for identifying systemic vulnerabilities, orchestrating cross-domain effects, and maintaining decisive advantage through superior decision-making processes. The analysis reveals how modern competition transcends traditional military boundaries, necessitating organizational architectures capable of implementing synchronized operations across multiple competitive domains. This theoretical synthesis supports the proposal for an Interagency Action Committee on China (IAC-C) and identifies the foundational principles of a cross-domain organizational framework.
- Topic:
- Gray Zone, Strategic Competition, Warfare, Great Powers, and Systems Analysis
- Political Geography:
- China, Global Focus, and United States of America
2476. Beyond Linear Planning: How Artificial Intelligence Multiagent Systems Can Redefine Operational Art and Decision Making in Warfare
- Author:
- Jani Liikola and Petteri Blomvall
- Publication Date:
- 09-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Advanced Military Studies
- Institution:
- Marine Corps University Press, National Defense University
- Abstract:
- Artificial intelligence (AI) is already reshaping work methodologies, but future disruptions will inevitably extend further, fundamentally influencing how we conceptualize and understand reality. The scale and pace of this disruption will accelerate significantly with the integration of AI agents and multiagent systems. Traditional linear military planning processes, which depend solely on human cognition, have repeatedly proven inadequate in confronting the complexities of contemporary battlespaces. This article explores the potential impacts of AI on operational art and highlights opportunities for military organizations to successfully reimagine operational cognition through collaborative frameworks that seamlessly integrate human and AI capabilities. The findings suggest multiple transformative impacts on existing linear cognitive paradigms and propose enhanced human-machine collaboration mental models.
- Topic:
- Artificial Intelligence, Decision-Making, Warfare, Multiparadigm Design, and Multiagent System
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
2477. Strategic Implications of Emerging Weapon Technologies: Kinetic Bombardment, Antimatter, and Antigravity Technology for U.S. National Security
- Author:
- Ahsan Uddin
- Publication Date:
- 09-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Advanced Military Studies
- Institution:
- Marine Corps University Press, National Defense University
- Abstract:
- This article explores the strategic implications of emerging weapon technologies on U.S. national security, focusing specifically on antimatter, kinetic bombardment systems, and antigravity technology. As global military dynamics evolve, it is imperative for the United States to assess and perhaps integrate these emerging technologies to maintain its military superiority. This article examines the accuracy and destructive capability of kinetic bombardment, the immense energy potential of antimatter, and the groundbreaking applications of antigravity propulsion in aerial operations. The findings underscore the critical role that these technologies may play in improving U.S. national security and provide a foundation for additional research on their national security applications and implications.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, National Security, Science and Technology, Weapons, Research and Development, and Military
- Political Geography:
- North America and United States of America
2478. The Russian Northern Fleet Bastion Revisited
- Author:
- Jonas Kjellén
- Publication Date:
- 12-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Advanced Military Studies
- Institution:
- Marine Corps University Press, National Defense University
- Abstract:
- The Soviet bastion defense concept was likely among the most influential approximations of Soviet wartime strategy during the Cold War, and it has continued to shape Western perceptions of Russian naval strategy in the post–Cold War era. However, recent shifts in Russian military geography and technological advancements challenge the rationale for Moscow to pursue a bastion defense strategy during wartime. Climate change is altering the conditions for Russian military posturing in the Arctic, while new technologies are reshaping the Russian Navy’s role in nuclear deterrence and the function of its naval general-purpose forces. This article contends that Western military planners must adapt their assessments of Russia’s wartime strategies to reflect these evolving dynamics, ensuring sound and strategic responses in the high north.
- Topic:
- Nuclear Weapons, Navy, Deterrence, and Strategic Ballistic Missile Submarines (SSBN)
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Soviet Union, and Arctic
2479. The Arctic as a Periphery in U.S.-China Competition
- Author:
- Charlotte Hulme
- Publication Date:
- 12-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Advanced Military Studies
- Institution:
- Marine Corps University Press, National Defense University
- Abstract:
- While China’s Arctic inroads have attracted growing attention from the United States, this article views Arctic competition as a periphery of global great power competition, or as a sideshow to the main theater of U.S.-China competition—the Indo-Pacific. Examining China’s Arctic activity from a peripheral perspective, it ultimately argues that the United States should sustain its current posture of not letting a nonpriority theater become a main event in its competition with China.
- Topic:
- Strategic Competition, Periphery, and Great Powers
- Political Geography:
- China, Asia, Arctic, United States of America, and Indo-Pacific
2480. Revisiting Securitization Theory within the Context of North Korea: A Theoretical Analysis of the Success of Trump’s Policy
- Author:
- Tayyar Arı and Özge Gökçen Çetindişli
- Publication Date:
- 07-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- All Azimuth: A Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace
- Institution:
- Center for Foreign Policy and Peace Research
- Abstract:
- This empirical study, grounded in securitization theory, questions whether the security utterances of former U.S. President Donald Trump on North Korea between January 20, 2017, and June 12, 2018, constituted only a securitizing move or evolved into a successful securitization practice. The research employs a hybrid methodology, combining discourse and content analyses supported by quantitative data. The focus is on analyzing the discourse within a corpus of 44 securitization statements made by the president. These statements were discerned through a comprehensive review of all the president's public remarks throughout the designated period, using queries such as “North Korea,” “Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK),” “Kim Jong Un,” etc. Employing discourse analysis, the study reveals the referent objects and securitization arguments in these statements. The data gleaned from these statements is subsequently analyzed utilizing content analysis methodology. This study also evaluates the securitization discourse by examining its compliance with the facilitating conditions of an effective securitization rhetoric, a capable securitizer, and an audience-acceptable threat selection. Subsequently, it discusses the efficacy of the securitization discourse in terms of the two principal parameters proposed by the Copenhagen School: audience acceptance of the threat narrative contained in the securitizing moves, and the adoption of extraordinary measures.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Donald Trump, Kim Jong-un, and Securitization
- Political Geography:
- Asia and North Korea
2481. Power Shifts and Knowledge Production: India’s Rise and Scholarship in International Relations
- Author:
- Aksel B. Hvid, Fabricio H. Chagas-Bastos, and Peter Marcus Kristensen
- Publication Date:
- 07-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- All Azimuth: A Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace
- Institution:
- Center for Foreign Policy and Peace Research
- Abstract:
- While much scholarly attention has been paid to the ways in which the rise of powers like China and India may challenge the fundamentals of the world order, there little empirically grounded research on the relationship between the socio-political conditions driving upward power shifts (“risingness”) and knowledge production, particularly outside the Western core of the International Relations discipline. We show in this article that Indian scholars are more likely to portray India as a “rising power” when publishing in mainstream journals than when contributing to Indian journals. Moreover, Indian scholars publishing in mainstream journals often engage with a discourse centred on Western reference points, specifically addressing the future of the liberal international order. By contrast, Indian scholars publishing in Indian journals focus on issues relevant to the South Asian context, frequently emphasising India’s non-Western roots. Finally, while contributions to mainstream journals tend to frame India’s rising status predominantly from a Western, particularly American, perspective, contributions to Indian journals are more deeply rooted in India’s rich intellectual traditions.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Sociology, Knowledge Production, and Rising Powers
- Political Geography:
- South Asia and India
2482. The Hegemonic Transition in Latin America: To What Extent is China Challenging US’s Hegemony?
- Author:
- Andoni Maiza-Larrarte and Ricardo Bustillo-Mesanza
- Publication Date:
- 07-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- All Azimuth: A Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace
- Institution:
- Center for Foreign Policy and Peace Research
- Abstract:
- In this paper, we examine the geopolitical consequences of China’s enhanced engagement in Latin America. China is increasing its economic weight among Latin American countries, reinforcing its external image to counter the perception that the US is a unique relevant ally. In previous research, some authors have supported the idea that China could become a sort of neocolonial power in Latin America, substituting the hegemony of the United States. In this article, we carry out an in-depth review of Western literature and a comprehensive analysis of the bilateral relationship to discuss China’s role in the region. We apply the principles of the hegemonic stability and the power transition theories, and we also include an assessment of “soft power” components. We conclude that China is eroding US power in Latin America but is still far from becoming the new regional hegemon.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Hegemony, Transition, and Regional Politics
- Political Geography:
- China, Asia, Latin America, and United States of America
2483. The Functioning of Normative Power in the Logic of the EU and China
- Author:
- Emrah Yıldırımçakar
- Publication Date:
- 07-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- All Azimuth: A Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace
- Institution:
- Center for Foreign Policy and Peace Research
- Abstract:
- Normative power has become a critical topic of discussion in International Relations and Political Science scholarship, particularly in the context of the normative power of the European Union (EU) and China. However, academic attention has been excessively directed toward investigating the normative power of the European Union rather than that of China. Given the EU’s unique status as a supranational and multinational entity consisting of multiple member states, its process of diffusion of normative power differs significantly from that of China. In this context, this study aims to explore and compare the normative power dynamics maintained by the EU and China in the international arena, examine the approaches, strategies, and outcomes of both the EU and China by providing a detailed understanding of how each party implements normative power, and explore the inequalities in normative power acquisition strategies between these two actors.
- Topic:
- International Relations, European Union, Political Science, and Norms
- Political Geography:
- China, Europe, and Asia
2484. Understanding the Complexities of the Eastern Mediterranean Hydrocarbon Puzzle by Regional Security Complex Theory
- Author:
- Jude Alabi and Can Kakişim
- Publication Date:
- 12-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Uluslararasi Iliskiler
- Institution:
- International Relations Council of Turkey (UİK-IRCT)
- Abstract:
- The discovered hydrocarbon reserves throughout the Eastern Mediterranean hold enormous economic promise but have also increased regional geopolitical tensions. However, the discovery of reserves has failed to advance regional cooperation in the region due to pre-existing territorial conflicts and closed security alliances. Regional Security Complex Theory (RSCT) helps this study understand how security connections in the area determine energy politics by explaining the failure of economic benefits to transcend historical conflicts. This research shows that the securitization process of hydrocarbon resources created new conflicts that generated maritime military disputes and formed special alliances. The Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum demonstrates how security issues supplant economic advantages since it excludes Türkiye from membership, thereby impeding the creation of an all-encompassing regional energy framework. The research adds value to existing knowledge about energy governance by underscoring the influence of state and non-state forces in the region’s energy sector. According to the analysis, energy diplomacy cannot solve geopolitical conflicts because security concerns need broader political structures for resolution. The Eastern Mediterranean hydrocarbon resources will continue to be a source of regional dispute if no comprehensive solutions are implemented.
- Topic:
- Diplomacy, Geopolitics, Hydrocarbons, Securitization, Energy, and Regional Security
- Political Geography:
- Turkey and Eastern Mediterranean
2485. The Nexus of Power, Culture, and Elite Interactions: A Neoclassical Realist Framework for Foreign Policy Analysis
- Author:
- Ayla Akdoğan
- Publication Date:
- 12-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Uluslararasi Iliskiler
- Institution:
- International Relations Council of Turkey (UİK-IRCT)
- Abstract:
- Neoclassical Realism (NCR) combines international and domestic factors, offering a multidimensional framework for analyzing foreign policy. While this integration of external and internal dynamics has advanced foreign policy analysis, NCR remains constrained by its reliance on static unit-level variables. This limitation impedes NCR’s potential to fully bridge International Relations (IR) and Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA). In particular, NCR’s treatment of ideational variables as fixed overlooks the dynamic role of elite interactions, which significantly shape a state’s specific and fluid actions toward certain regions or actors— even under stable systemic pressures and enduring strategic-cultural ideas. This article addresses this gap by proposing the inclusion of inter-elite interactions as an intervening variable within the NCR framework. It argues that while the distribution of power sets the parameters for foreign policy, strategic culture and inter-elite interactions shape the specific foreign policy choices. By incorporating a socio-psychological focus on elite relations, the paper aims to enhance NCR’s explanatory power and fully unlock its potential for FPA. This theoretical development offers a more comprehensive framework for analyzing the complexities of foreign policy, advancing a systematic and integrative approach that bridges the divide between agents and structures, and strengthens the theoretical link between IR and FPA.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Behavior, Elites, Decision-Making, Strategic Culture, and Relative Power
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
2486. Spatial Context of Ontological Security in Foreign Policy Analysis: The Case of Türkiye’s Blue Homeland Policy
- Author:
- Yumuşak Güç
- Publication Date:
- 12-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Uluslararasi Iliskiler
- Institution:
- International Relations Council of Turkey (UİK-IRCT)
- Abstract:
- The concept of ontological security in foreign policy analysis (FPA) and International Relations highlights that states seek not only physical but also existential security. States, like individuals, aim to perceive themselves as meaningful entities and create stable identities through consistent routines and biographical narratives. These narratives are formed from collective memories and help the state maintain historical continuity and identity. However, FPA studies often overlook the importance of space, a crucial factor emphasized in psychological studies on individual ontological security. Space contributes to feelings of consistency, control, status, autonomy, and identity. This study explores the significance of space for a state’s ontological security in foreign policy, using Türkiye’s “Blue Homeland” (Mavi Vatan) policy as a case study. Türkiye’s ambitious maritime policy, involving activities like natural gas exploration and military exercises, reflects its quest for physical and ontological security. The Blue Homeland policy not only addresses physical security but also Türkiye’s need for ontological security through its discourses, symbols, and narratives. This study aims to introduce the spatial dimension into FPA’s ontological security approach and analyze Türkiye’s Blue Homeland policy through this new lens.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Foreign Policy, Autonomy, and Blue Homeland Policy
- Political Geography:
- Turkey and Middle East
2487. NATO’s Quest for Ontological Security: Securitizing Russia in the Arctic
- Author:
- Sevgi BALKAN-ŞAHİN and Özge Çetiner
- Publication Date:
- 12-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Uluslararasi Iliskiler
- Institution:
- International Relations Council of Turkey (UİK-IRCT)
- Abstract:
- The article examines how NATO has strategically and symbolically addressed disruptions to its ontological security due to Russia’s military build-up in the Arctic and its aggressions in Ukraine. Based on an engagement between ontological security and securitization perspectives, the article argues that NATO’s intentional and unconscious securitization acts towards Russia have addressed its material threats and ontological anxieties. Demonstrating the intersection of the material and psychological aspects of securitization, it highlights how NATO has engaged in a security-oriented role in the Arctic and constructed Russia as an abject/other to reaffirm its “self” as a united, reliable, and values-driven collective defense alliance. This dual approach has reflected NATO’s reflexivity in balancing strategic and ontological needs to respond to evolving security dynamics. Analyzing NATO’s Summit Declarations, Strategic Concepts, and press releases on the Arctic and Russia, coupled with interviews with NATO officials, the article reveals three major themes the Alliance has used to securitize Russia as a threat: to the “Euro-Atlantic stability”, “the Arctic peace”, and “international law and values”.
- Topic:
- International Relations, NATO, Psychology, Securitization, and Russia-Ukraine War
- Political Geography:
- Russia and Arctic
2488. The Impact of the 2022 European Union Migration Crisis on the Migratory Discourses Adopted by the European Parliament
- Author:
- Cem Çetin and Michael Brüggemann
- Publication Date:
- 12-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Uluslararasi Iliskiler
- Institution:
- International Relations Council of Turkey (UİK-IRCT)
- Abstract:
- When Russian forces attacked Ukraine on 24 February 2022, masses of people moved towards the borders of the European Union (EU). The unexpected increase in arrivals within a relatively short time span became a significant challenge for the EU to manage, turning into a crisis. This paper assesses whether the political alignment of different party groups in the European Parliament (EP) (e.g., left-wing, right-wing, populist) helps explain the discursive frames they adopt on migration within the context of the 2022 EU migration crisis. Using qualitative content analysis, the study identifies the discursive frames employed by members of the parliament in plenary debates. It finds that factors like the EU’s legislative procedure, institutional structure, and the EP’s political position contribute to overlapping discourses, which also vary based on the country of origin of migrants and the ideological positions of party groups.
- Topic:
- Migration, Refugee Crisis, European Parliament, Russia-Ukraine War, and Qualitative Content Analysis
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Ukraine
2489. The Russian Military Intervention in Syria
- Author:
- Ali Murat Özdemir
- Publication Date:
- 12-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Uluslararasi Iliskiler
- Institution:
- International Relations Council of Turkey (UİK-IRCT)
- Abstract:
- In The Russian Military Intervention in Syria, Ohannes Geukjian attempts to explain Russia’s military intervention in Syria using the status-seeking theory. The theory claims that Russia risks conflict to retain its great power status. According to Geukjian, Russia is a statusinconsistent power, which means its status and capability are not aligned. Russia considers itself a great power due to its nuclear capabilities, veto power in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), and its role in the Cold War. However, its economic, military, and material capabilities are insufficient to support this perception, hence making Russia an “overachiever.” Russia utilizes strategies to regain recognition as a major player in global politics, occasionally resorting to force. The book explores the events that led to Russia’s military intervention in 2015, with a particular focus on the factors that shaped its decision to support the Assad regime and contribute to the conflict resolution process.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Military Intervention, Book Review, and Russia-Ukraine War
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Middle East, and Syria
2490. Syrian Refugees in Turkey: Between Reception and Integration
- Author:
- Ramiz Abbaszada
- Publication Date:
- 12-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Uluslararasi Iliskiler
- Institution:
- International Relations Council of Turkey (UİK-IRCT)
- Abstract:
- In the last decade, the influx of over 3.5 million Syrian refugees has profoundly reshaped the dynamics of global migration governance (European Commission 2024). One of the most comprehensive studies on this topic is Syrian Refugees in Turkey: Between Reception and Integration by Zeynep Şahin-Mencütek, N. Ela Gökalp-Aras, Ayhan Kaya, and Susan Beth Rottmann. This work presents a critical analysis of Turkey’s multifaceted response to Syrian mass migration from 2011 to 2020, introducing the concept of “strategic temporality” to frame its analysis. Beginning with the theoretical framework of strategic temporality, this six-chapter work explores Turkey’s legislative and political context, analyses reception practices, i.e. an in-depth analysis of protection mechanisms and a study of integration processes, and ends with considerations of the broader implications of these responses.
- Topic:
- Refugees, Book Review, Syrian War, and Integration
- Political Geography:
- Turkey, Middle East, and Syria
2491. Ukraine’s Unnamed War: Before the Russian Invasion of 2022
- Author:
- Burulkan Pala and Cem Çetin
- Publication Date:
- 12-2025
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Uluslararasi Iliskiler
- Institution:
- International Relations Council of Turkey (UİK-IRCT)
- Abstract:
- The 400-day-long occupation of Ukraine has cost thousands of lives and billions of dollars and continues to threaten global stability to this day. In the aftermath of Russia’s February 2022 attack on Ukraine, there has been an increasing number of studies, articles, books, and commentaries, including a book co-authored by Dominique Arel and Jesse Driscoll entitled Ukraine’s Unnamed War: Before the Russian Invasion of 2022, which provides vital information to understand the context that preceded the 2022 invasion by focusing on the events between Russia and Ukraine from 2013-2021.
- Topic:
- Geopolitics, Book Review, Russia-Ukraine War, and Invasion
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Europe, and Ukraine
2492. Drivers of FDI in the EU: Regulatory distance and revealed technological advantage
- Author:
- Chiara Castelli, Ronald B. Davies, Javier Flórez Mendoza, and Mahdi Ghodsi
- Publication Date:
- 06-2025
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW)
- Abstract:
- This study examines the interplay between trade policy, in particular non-tariff measures (NTMs), and revealed technological comparative advantage (RTA) at the NUTS 2 level as drivers of foreign direct investment (FDI) over time. Combining data from the Orbis database (Bureau Van Dijk), the NTMs database (WTO I-TIP) and the European Patent Office (EPO PATStat), we construct a comprehensive panel database of European firms owned by foreign-owned EU and non-EU firms. This database includes financial information for both parent companies and their subsidiaries as well as detailed country- and sector-specific trade barriers from the perspective of both the home and host economies. Furthermore, this database allows us to compute tailored RTA variables reflecting firm-specific technological interests proxied by firms’ patent production across technology classes. Using a Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood (PPML) estimator, our analysis reveals a heterogeneous impact of NTMs and RTAs on FDI investment in the EU regions. Specifically, while increasing the regulatory distance (RD) of technical barriers to trade (TBTs) and sanitary-and-phytosanitary-standard (SPS) measures hampers FDI investment from extra-EU companies, the results on tariffs support the regulatory jumping motive. Furthermore, local technological capabilities significantly support FDI, especially when RTAs reflect the technological interests of the foreign-owned subsidiary, while the effect is reversed when accounting for the innovation portfolio of the parent company.
- Topic:
- International Trade and Finance, Foreign Direct Investment, European Union, Regulation, and Tariffs
- Political Geography:
- Europe
2493. FDI and innovation dynamics: The role of foreign corporate groups and technological pathways in domestic green innovation
- Author:
- Mahdi Ghodsi, Francesca Micocci, and Armando Rungi
- Publication Date:
- 06-2025
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW)
- Abstract:
- This paper investigates how the presence of foreign direct investment (FDI) contributes to domestic innovation with a focus on green technologies in the European regions between 2013 and 2018. Using a rich dataset combining patent data, firm-level data and FDI proxies, we identify a clear pattern: when foreign investors are technologically sophisticated, domestic firms in the regions where they invested show a higher propensity for patenting. The patenting activity by the parent companies of multinational enterprises (MNEs) and their corporate perimeter plays a more crucial role than local foreign subsidiaries. Furthermore, we find that the technological focus of MNEs – green vs. non-green – shapes the direction of these spill-overs. Notably, we provide novel evidence of linkages between the green patenting activity of MNE parents located abroad and the green innovation of domestic firms in the European Union, mediated through foreign subsidiaries operating in close proximity. Policy efforts aiming to foster green innovation should therefore prioritise attracting foreign investors with strong innovation records in environmentally sustainable technologies.
- Topic:
- International Trade and Finance, Science and Technology, Foreign Direct Investment, European Union, Multinational Corporations, and Innovation
- Political Geography:
- Europe
2494. Digitalisation of jobs and gender-age segregation in digital tasks: Cross-country evidence based on ESJS2 data
- Author:
- Sebastian Leitner and Stella Sophie Zilian
- Publication Date:
- 12-2025
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW)
- Abstract:
- This paper addresses the disproportional effects of digitalisation across age by investigating: (i) within-job age segregation in tasks by digital intensity; (ii) within-job age disparities in digital upskilling; (iii) age inequalities in wage returns to digital job tasks; and (iv) the role of gender in this age segregation and inequalities. The analysis is based on data of Cedefop’s second wave of the European Skills and Jobs Survey (ESJS2), conducted in 2021. First results of the analysis show that even when controlling for occupation-industry job pairs apart from using other explanatory variables, age segregation and gender gaps are prevalent in the case of digital skill intensity of tasks performed in the jobs of employees, though not in the case of digital upskilling via training measures. Applying the same appropriate controls, we also find that higher within-job digital skill intensity is associated with higher hourly wages. Gender wage gaps are sizable across all skill intensity categories in addition to widening in older age groups.
- Topic:
- European Union, Inequality, Digitalization, Skills, Gender, and Jobs
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Norway, and Iceland
2495. Robots, shoring patterns, and employment: What are the linkages?
- Author:
- Hylke Dijkstra and Konstantin M. Wacker
- Publication Date:
- 07-2025
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW)
- Abstract:
- In this paper, we analyse how robotisation is associated with industry output and its production inputs. We therefore link data on employment, robotisation and input-output relations for 15 manufacturing industries across 35 countries. Analysing the decade prior to 2018, we show that robotising industries experience increases in output and approximately equiproportional increases in value added, employment, domestic intermediate inputs and foreign intermediate inputs. Owing to this equiproportionality, robotising industries do not see a significant change in their domestic input ratios (value added plus domestic intermediates relative to total inputs). Our empirical results document that robotising industries are thriving in terms of output generation, that those thriving industries are internationally well integrated, and that their output expansion is associated with employment generation. Industries that use an increasing share of domestic production inputs generally experience less favourable output and employment developments, although this association is imprecisely estimated.
- Topic:
- Labor Issues, Employment, Global Value Chains, Robotics, Production, and Reshoring
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
2496. Revisiting the distance elasticity and investment motives in the FDI gravity model: Aggregate vs. sector-level evidence
- Author:
- Nicola Rebmann and Konstantin M. Wacker
- Publication Date:
- 09-2025
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW)
- Abstract:
- This paper re-examines foreign direct investment motives in the ‘FDI gravity’ model (Kleinert and Toubal, 2010), focusing on the role of distance. More precisely, we investigate whether aggregate and pooled gravity models for FDI obscure relevant heterogeneities across sectors. This is possible through the novel MREID dataset, which provides us with FDI data at the 2-digit NAICS level for 184 countries over the period 2010 to 2020. Our results reveal that aggregate and pooled models mask significant sector heterogeneities in two aspects: (i) in the importance of horizontal versus vertical FDI motives, and (ii) in the distance elasticity. The latter reflects that distance potentially captures more complex sector-specific components than are captured in the current gravity model for FDI.
- Topic:
- International Trade and Finance, Foreign Direct Investment, Investment, and Gravity Model
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
2497. Innovation interactions: Multinational spillovers and local absorptive capacity
- Author:
- Ronald B. Davies, Mahdi Ghodsi, and Francesca Guadagno
- Publication Date:
- 06-2025
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW)
- Abstract:
- The hope that multinational firms will improve local employment and productivity is a driving force behind policy efforts to attract investment. Such spillovers are often motivated by technological spillovers from foreign to domestic firms. We address this possibility by using the patenting activity of foreign multinationals in Europe as a measure of affiliate activity alongside more traditional proxies. We find that local firms’ employment and labour productivity is higher when FDI activity increases, particularly when those multinationals are upstream of locals. Furthermore, this effect is particularly significant among domestic patenting firms. Thus, it seems that the benefits of inbound investment are greatest for local innovators who are exposed to inbound innovating foreigners.
- Topic:
- International Trade and Finance, Foreign Direct Investment, European Union, Patents, and Spillovers
- Political Geography:
- Europe
2498. Assessing the interrelationship between atypical work and net migration in the EU: Evidence from 17 Countries (2004–2019)
- Author:
- Laurène Thil and Stella Sophie Zilian
- Publication Date:
- 06-2025
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW)
- Abstract:
- This paper studies how atypical work, alongside other labour market conditions, affect intra-EU migration and vice versa in 17 EU countries from 2004 to 2019. Relative increases of part-time and self-employment shares in sending countries increase net migration, whereas relative increases in short fixed-term shares reduce net migration. Net migration shocks persistently reduce part-time share differentials, initially reduce self-employment share differentials and increase short fixed-term share differentials. Atypical work explains about one-fifth of net migration fluctuations five and ten years after a shock. The findings highlight the trade-off between internal (employment flexibility) and external (migration) labour market adjustments.
- Topic:
- Migration, European Union, Employment, Mobility, and Labor Market
- Political Geography:
- Europe
2499. Defending Without Provoking: The United States and the Philippines in the South China Sea
- Author:
- Sarang Shidore
- Publication Date:
- 02-2025
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
- Abstract:
- The South China Sea has long been the subject of territorial and maritime disputes between Beijing, Manila, and other claimants. Since late 2022, escalating confrontations between Philippine and Chinese forces over tiny maritime features such as Second Thomas Shoal have posed a serious and growing risk of a military confrontation, which could in turn entangle the United States. Washington can avoid this worst-case scenario by charting a pragmatic approach and upholding its alliance commitment to the Philippines while avoiding military actions that would needlessly provoke China. The data in this brief show a dramatic increase of maritime incidents starting in the third quarter of 2023. China and the Philippines are disputing control over, among other things, what are little more than specks in the ocean, most located a hundred miles or more from the mainland of either country. However, maritime rights and jurisdiction are significant issues, and there is no question that Beijing’s behavior in the South China Sea has been provocative and coercive. Moreover, an international tribunal has ruled overwhelmingly in favor of the Philippines in the dispute, decisively rejecting China’s “historic” claims around the “nine/ten dash line.” The U.S. relationship with the Philippines represents one of the United States’ oldest treaty alliances in the Global South and is important to America’s Pacific strategy. But the South China Sea conflict does not represent a threat of conquest of the Philippine mainland. Washington should recognize that defending maritime rights and tiny land features in waters half a world away is not a vital U.S. national interest and could become a serious liability should it open the door to a high-intensity conflict with China. An honest assessment of U.S. interests dictates a strategy of restraint in the South China Sea. While recognizing Manila’s agency and continuing to strengthen Philippine capacities, Washington should also encourage Manila to engage constructively with Beijing to prevent escalation. Crucially, U.S. policymakers must also avoid raising the risk of conflict by drawing the Philippines into taking a more aggressive stance on Taiwan. Washington can help preserve and uphold international law in the South China Sea while reducing the risk of war between the United States and China by taking the following steps: Do not pull the U.S.–Philippines alliance into the Taiwan theater. Washington should not add to its nine existing military sites in the Philippines and, ideally, should disband one or more of the new sites located in northern Luzon (closer to Taiwan) in exchange for Chinese concessions. Do not give the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard a frontal role in countering Chinese intrusions in the South China Sea; enable Manila to take the lead instead. Do not seek to draw the military of U.S. allies (particularly extra-regional ones) into South China Sea disputes, in order to avoid needlessly heightening Chinese perceptions of bloc-formation and armed encirclement. Enhance diplomatic support to Manila for its legitimate claims under international law. Provide aid, capabilities, and intelligence for modernizing the Philippine Coast Guard and Navy and enhancing maritime domain awareness. Build on the early success of the July 2024 Philippines–China understanding on Second Thomas Shoal by emphasizing preventive diplomacy and crisis management to stabilize the maritime dispute and reduce the chances of a conflict spiral.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, Territorial Disputes, Armed Forces, Maritime, and Strategic Planning
- Political Geography:
- Asia, Philippines, North America, United States of America, and South China Sea
2500. Big Ideas and Big Money: Think Tank Funding in America
- Author:
- Ben Freeman and Nick Cleveland-Stout
- Publication Date:
- 01-2025
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
- Abstract:
- This brief provides a detailed analysis of a first-of-its-kind, publicly available repository of U.S. think tank funding — www.thinktankfundingtracker.org. The repository tracks funding from foreign governments, the U.S. government, and Pentagon contractors to the top 50 think tanks in the United States over the past five years. It serves as a vital research guide for anyone wishing to learn more about the funding sources of prominent U.S. think tanks. The repository gives a five-point transparency score to each of the top 50 think tanks in the U.S., a scale created by the authors based on five binary questions. Based on this criteria, nine of the top 50 think tanks (18 percent) are fully transparent, while 23 think tanks (46 percent) are partially transparent. Most concerning, the remaining 18 think tanks (36 percent) are “dark money” think tanks, entirely opaque in their funding without revealing donors. In the past five years, foreign governments and foreign government-owned entities donated more than $110 million to the top 50 think tanks in the United States. The most generous donor countries were the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Qatar, which contributed $16.7 million, $15.5 million, and $9.1 million to U.S. think tanks, respectively. The Atlantic Council, Brookings Institution, and German Marshall Fund received the most money from foreign governments since 2019: $20.8 million, $17.1 million, and $16.1 million, respectively. In that same period, the top 100 defense companies have contributed more than $34.7 million to the top 50 think tanks. The top donors include Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and Mitsubishi, which provided $5.6 million, $2.6 million, and $2.1 million, respectively, to the tracked think tanks between 2019 and 2023. The Atlantic Council, Center for a New American Security, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies were the top recipients of Pentagon contractor money: $10.2 million, $6.6 million, and $4.1 million, respectively. The U.S. government has directly given at least $1.49 billion to American think tanks since 2019. However, the vast majority of this funding — $1.4 billion — goes to the Rand Corporation, which works directly for the U.S. government. While think tanks exist to produce independent analysis, the prevalence of special interest funding raises questions of intellectual freedom, self-censorship, and perspective filtering. This is compounded by instances in which individual researchers simultaneously hold positions at a think tank and a given foreign government or corporation, a clear potential conflict of interest. Moving forward, this brief contains a set of recommendations for various actors: For media: Adopt a professional standard to report any conflicts of interest with sources discussing U.S. foreign policy. For Congress: Pass legislation requiring all nonprofit organizations that seek to influence public policy to publicly disclose all of their corporate, U.S. government, and foreign government donors above $10,000, and improve the conflict of interest disclosure requirements for congressional witnesses. For the Department of Justice: Provide clearer guidelines surrounding what think tanks not registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act can do on behalf of their foreign donors. For think tanks: End pay-to-play research and proactively move toward identifying conflicts of interest.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Domestic Politics, Think Tanks, Donors, Funding, and Foreign Influence
- Political Geography:
- North America and United States of America