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Begin New Search Topic Human Rights Content Type Working Paper

521. Turkey's Reform Effort Reconsidered, 1987-2004

Author:
Kivanç Ulusoy
Publication Date:
10-2005
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
European Research Papers Archive
Abstract:
This article aims to develop a coherent explanation of the impact of the EU on Turkey's politics between 1987 (the year Turkey applied for EU membership) and 2004, providing a more profound analysis of Turkish political transformation within the framework of its relations with the EU. It integrates Moravcsiks' work on the human rights regime in post-war Europe with Risse's theory on communicative action in world politics to provide an alternative explanatory framework for recent political transformation in Turkey. It will be argued that the main dynamics driving recent democratisation in Turkey were its newfound location within the European human rights regime—a result of having been granted the right to individual petition to the European Court of Human Rights just before its 1987 membership application—and the increasing power of European argument as an alternative way of resolving domestic political conflicts in Turkey.
Topic:
Development, Human Rights, and Politics
Political Geography:
Europe and Turkey

522. A Coordinated Approach to Regulation and Civil Liability in European Law: Rethinking Institutional Complementarities

Author:
Fabrizio Cafaggi
Publication Date:
09-2005
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
European Research Papers Archive
Abstract:
Civil liability is a much older regulatory device than administrative regulation. The emergence of a regulatory state is a relatively new phenomenon. Within regulatory States different modes of regulation and administrative tools have developed, including the extensive use of the private law.
Topic:
Civil Society, Development, and Human Rights
Political Geography:
Europe

523. Ethiopia: Implications of the May 2005 Elections for Future Democratization Programs

Author:
Terrence Lyons
Publication Date:
08-2005
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Academy of Political Science
Abstract:
May 15, 2005 elections presented the Ethiopian people a remarkable opportunity to express their political views by participating in a poll that offered them a meaningful choice. In contrast to earlier elections in 1995 and 2000, opposition parties did not boycott but rather competed vigorously across the country. Opposition party mistrust of the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE), reports of intimidation and violence, and highly polarizing rhetoric raised concerns during the pre-election period but did not deter opposition parties from campaigning in nearly every constituency. Live, televised debates on matters of public policy, opposition party access to state-owned media, and huge, peaceful rallies in the final week of campaigning made it clear that these elections would represent a critical moment in Ethiopia's political development. The Ethiopian people recognized this opportunity and turned out in overwhelming numbers to vote, forcing some polling stations in Addis Ababa to stay open 24 hours to accommodate those in line.
Topic:
International Relations, Democratization, and Human Rights
Political Geography:
Africa and Ethiopia

524. Taking the International Rule of Law Seriously

Author:
Laurence Boisson de Chazournes
Publication Date:
10-2005
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
International Peace Institute
Abstract:
The scope of the collective security system established under the United Nations (UN) Charter has expanded significantly since the end of the cold war. Aside from the increasingly broad understanding of the concept of "threat to international peace," there has also been a related widening of the range of measures that may be adopted by the Security Council under Chapter VII of the Charter.
Topic:
Security, Human Rights, International Law, and United Nations

525. Politics, Public Bads, and Private Information

Author:
Glenn Sheriff
Publication Date:
04-2005
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy at Columbia University
Abstract:
Preferential treatment for politically influential sectors often has undesirable consequences such as increasing pollution or ecosystem degradation. Private information on firm productivity constrains the government's ability both to redistribute income and regulate public bad production. Given political economy and information constraints, this article characterizes a social-welfare maximizing policy. The optimal policy uses a single instrument to achieve both goals, making income-support subsidies contingent upon reduction of bad outputs. Output price uncertainty works to the advantage of the government, potentially eliminating some firms' information advantage.
Topic:
Civil Society, Economics, Government, and Human Rights

526. Settlers, Refugees, and Immigrants: Alternative Futures for Post-Settlement Cyprus

Author:
Neophystos G. Loizides and Marcos A. Antoniades
Publication Date:
03-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
Abstract:
The central theme of this article is the introduction of scenario planning in the negotiation of the settler, refugee, and immigration issues in Cyprus and other divided societies. While advocating support for the United Nations Plan for the Comprehensive Settlement of the Cyprus Question (the .Annan Plan.), the article proposes alternative ways of linking its immigrant, Turkish settler and Greek Cypriot (GC) refugee quotas. The Turkish Cypriot (TC) community is provided with a choice between a community-homogeneous future with fewer settlers and refugees, and a multicultural one with more of each. Subsequently, an explicit link is made between the numbers of the Greek Cypriot refugees and those of the Turkish settlers, immigrants, and TC émigrés. This paper argues that a TC constituent state which accommodates more of the latter should also be in a position to welcome more GCs under a low percentage of the TC population: a potentially win-win situation. Finally, we address the scenario in which TCs opt for a multicultural future but GC refugees do not actually resettle, with a safeguard provision that compensates the GC side in another issue such as security, government, or even territory. By compensating possible losses in one area with favorable readjustments in another, these safeguards eliminate worst case scenarios for both sides, preserve the initial balance of the negotiated settlement, and maximize the negotiability and credibility of the Annan Plan. At the same time, the settler, refugee, and immigration issues are linked in new and innovative ways to emphasize a better human rights environment for all.
Topic:
International Relations, Human Rights, and Migration
Political Geography:
Europe

527. The Voting Rights of Internally Displaced Persons: The OSCE Region

Author:
Eric Mooney and Balkees Jarrah
Publication Date:
11-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Brookings Institution
Abstract:
The principle of universal and equal suffrage, guaranteeing that every person who has the right to vote is able to exercise this right without distinction of any kind, extends, needless to say, to persons who are internally displaced. Safeguarding for internally displaced persons (IDPs) the ability to freely and fully exercise this right is therefore essential. Doing so is important not only on its own merits but also for enabling the internally displaced, who so often are marginalized, to have a say in decisions that affect their lives. Indeed, in countries experiencing internal displacement, the enfranchisement of the internally displaced is an important measure of the effectiveness and legitimacy of the overall electoral process and resulting governance structures. Moreover, because the holding of free and fair elections is a key component of repairing and rebuilding divided post-conflict societies, an inclusive electoral process can be critical for an effective reconciliation process and, therefore, also for sustainable peace and security.
Topic:
Human Rights

528. CATO Institute: When Ignorance Isn't Bliss: How Political Ignorance Threatens Democracy

Author:
Ilya Somin
Publication Date:
09-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Cato Institute
Abstract:
Democracy demands an informed electorate. Voters who lack adequate knowledge about politics will find it difficult to control public policy. Inadequate voter knowledge prevents government from reflecting the will of the people in any meaningful way. Such ignorance also raises doubts about democracy as a means of serving the interests of a majority. Voters who lack sufficient knowledge may be manipulated by elites. They may also demand policies that contravene their own interests.
Topic:
Government, Human Rights, and Politics
Political Geography:
United States

529. Three Myths about Voter Turnout in the United States

Author:
John Samples
Publication Date:
09-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Cato Institute
Abstract:
Critics of American politics and elections often focus on low voter turnout in the United States. They argue that voter turnout is steadily declining largely because of voter cynicism caused by big money campaigns and negative political advertising. Voter turnout is lower than it was in the 1960s, but almost the entire decline happened between 1968 and 1974. Sophisticated and detailed studies of both public trust in government and the consequences of political advertising show that neither factor has a negative effect on voter turnout.
Topic:
Government, Human Rights, and Politics
Political Geography:
United States and America

530. Understanding Privacy—and the Real Threats to It

Author:
Jim Harper
Publication Date:
08-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Cato Institute
Abstract:
Properly defined, privacy is the subjective condition people experience when they have power to control information about themselves. Because privacy is subjective, government regulation in the name of privacy can only create confidentiality or secrecy rules based on politicians' and bureaucrats' guesses about what "privacy" should look like. The most important, but elusive, part of true privacy protection is consumers' exercise of power over information about themselves. Ultimately, privacy is a product of personal responsibility and autonomy.
Topic:
Government and Human Rights

531. Discourse of Silence in Alcanfor and "Te deix, amor, la mar com a penyora"

Author:
Kathleen M. Glenn
Publication Date:
03-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Institute of European Studies (IES), UC Berkeley
Abstract:
Contemporary Spanish literature abounds in narratives where silence has an important function. In the fiction of Cristina Fernández Cubas it has epistemological implications. Mercè Rodoreda and Maria Barbal employ a rhetoric of silence to call attention to the situation of women who are obliged to remain silent and suffer without protest. Carme Riera and Dulce Chacón utilize silences, and acts of breaking silence, to emphasize the lack of voice of marginal beings and to highlight sexual, socioeconomic and political inequalities. In the present paper, I focus on the role of silence in a novel by Barbal and a story by Riera.
Topic:
Conflict Resolution, Gender Issues, and Human Rights
Political Geography:
Europe and Cuba

532. Women Writing on Physical Culture in Pre-Civil War Catalonia

Author:
P. Louise Johnson
Publication Date:
03-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Institute of European Studies (IES), UC Berkeley
Abstract:
Anna Maria Martínez-Sagi is a largely forgotten but immensely evocative voice in the liberal-progressive press of nineteen-thirties' Spain. In particular, she is remarkable for being one of very few female writers of the time who were also active sportswomen, as well as being fiercely Catalanist and pro-women, in an inclusive sense. This article looks at her contribution to the debate on physical culture in Catalonia at the time, with reference to other writers concerned with the subject, and aims to capture in some small way the energy and humour which characterized her columns and reports.
Topic:
Education, Gender Issues, and Human Rights
Political Geography:
Europe, Spain, and Catalonia

533. Africa's Debt Iraq's Debt - Washington's Double Standard

Publication Date:
04-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Africa Policy Information Center
Abstract:
This week when the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) hold their annual spring meetings in Washington, DC, Africa's debt crisis will hardly appear on their agenda.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Economics, Human Rights, Human Welfare, and Poverty
Political Geography:
Africa, United States, Iraq, Washington, Middle East, and Arabia

534. Africa Policy Outlook 2004

Author:
Salih Booker and Ann-Louise Colgan
Publication Date:
01-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Africa Policy Information Center
Abstract:
The U.S.' Africa policy will continue to be characterized by a duplicity that has emerged as the principal hallmark of the Bush Administration approach to the continent. On the one hand, Africa's priorities are being marginalized and undermined by a U.S. foreign policy preoccupied with other parts of the world. On the other hand, the Bush White House is callously manipulating Africa, claiming to champion the continent's needs with its compassionate conservative agenda.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Economics, Human Rights, Human Welfare, Poverty, and War
Political Geography:
Africa and United States

535. Northern Uganda: Understanding and Solving the Conflict

Publication Date:
04-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
International Crisis Group
Abstract:
For nearly eighteen years the insurgency of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), led by Joseph Kony, has produced great suffering in Northern Uganda, including some 1.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland recently termed the situation among the worst humanitarian disasters in the world. In February 2004, in one of the most horrific atrocities since the conflict began, the LRA massacred approximately 200 civilians, revealing serious deficiencies in the government's capacity to defend the population and defeat the insurgency. The conflict seriously blemishes the record of President Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Movement (NRM), which has otherwise brought relative stability to the country. The international community has leverage and at least strong humanitarian reasons to urge a more politically oriented strategy to resolve the conflict.
Topic:
Conflict Resolution, Civil War, and Human Rights
Political Geography:
Uganda and Africa

536. The Failure of Reform in Uzbekistan: Ways Forward for the International Community

Publication Date:
03-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
International Crisis Group
Abstract:
Uzbekistan occupies a key strategic position in Central Asia and has a strong security relationship with the U.S. but its political system is highly repressive and its economy is barely reformed since Soviet times. Economic decline and political sclerosis threaten internal stability and undermine regional security. The international community has long urged political and economic reform, but with little success. With no significant progress on either front in 2003, it is time for the U.S., the EU and international financial institutions to begin to shift policies: reducing lending and assistance to the central government, while increasing engagement with society and the private sector.
Topic:
Government, Human Rights, and Political Economy
Political Geography:
United States, Central Asia, and Uzbekistan

537. Hostages for Prisoners: A Way to Peace in Colombia?

Publication Date:
03-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
International Crisis Group
Abstract:
In February 2004, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the major insurgent group, announced creation of a three-member negotiation commission and a "diplomatic offensive" aimed at obtaining the release of hundreds of its imprisoned members in exchange for about 60 military and political hostages it holds. This has raised hope among the relatives of hostages and kidnap victims that a "humanitarian exchange" could happen in the not too distant future.
Topic:
Security, Human Rights, and Politics
Political Geography:
Colombia, South America, and Latin America

538. Darfur Rising: Sudan's New Crisis

Publication Date:
03-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
International Crisis Group
Abstract:
Sudan, where prospects for peace had looked so promising for much of 2003, has become a potential horror story in 2004. The rapid onset of war in its western region of Darfur has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises -- thousands dead and some 830,000 uprooted from homes. Meanwhile, the IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority for Development) peace talks in Naivasha, Kenya between the government and the insurgent Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLA) threaten to deadlock. It is urgent that these talks succeed and that, simultaneously, a parallel process begins to address both the humanitarian and political crises in Darfur.
Topic:
Civil War, Human Rights, and United Nations
Political Geography:
Kenya, Africa, and Sudan

539. Law Watch - Detainees: Supreme Court Guantanamo Decision

Author:
Steven C. Welsh
Publication Date:
06-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Defense Information
Abstract:
With a decision notably brief for the mountain of argument leading up to it, the U.S. Supreme Court in Rasul v. Bush held on June 28, 2004, that foreign nationals imprisoned without charge at the Guantanamo Bay interrogation camps were entitled to bring legal action challenging their captivity in U.S. federal civilian courts.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Human Rights, International Law, and Terrorism
Political Geography:
United States

540. What Constitutions Can Do (But Courts Sometimes Don't):Property, Speech, and The Influence of Constitutional Norms on Private Law

Author:
Oliver Gerstenberg
Publication Date:
05-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Abstract:
Against the background of the ECtHR's recent decision in Appleby v UK (a European “counterpart” to the well-known US Supreme Court decision in Marsh v Alabama) the paper addresses, first, the issue of the influence, often perceived as dilemmatic, of human rights norms and constitutional norms on private law. In a second step, then, the paper discusses the promise—and a possible dilemma—of “comparative constitutionalism” as an engine of a more denationalized “constitutional patriotism”: the dilemma that we trade the “closure” of domestic exceptionalism against the new, systemic “closure” of “too much” judicial comity and professionalism, the closure of a new Juristenrecht.
Topic:
Human Rights and International Law
Political Geography:
United States, United Kingdom, and Europe