Number of results to display per page
Search Results
2802. Democratic Control of Armed Forces: the National and International Parliamentary Dimension
- Author:
- Wim F. van Eekelen
- Publication Date:
- 10-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF)
- Abstract:
- Democracy takes many forms. The basic notion that governments derive their legitimacy from the freely expressed votes of their citizens is translated in many different parliamentary practices. Even the conceptual distinction of the three main functions of government – legislative, executive and judicial – as defined in Montesquieu's Trias Politica, seldom resulted in a complete separation of powers. In many countries the members of the executive also sit in parliament. In the US the separation between legislature and executive is the most complete. The President has wide-ranging authority; his ministers are not responsible to Congress. Nevertheless it works, because of a complicated system of checks and balances affecting both legislationand budget appropriations. In France the President of the Republic regards foreign affairs and defence as his special domain in which the cabinet, let alone parliament, has little influence. A common characteristic of Western democracy, however, is its pluralistic character in which the people elect their representatives and have a choice between different political parties. In some cases the decisions reached in parliamentary assemblies are subject to a referendum as a form of direct democracy.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Democratization, and Government
- Political Geography:
- Europe and France
2803. Democratic and Parliamentary Oversight of the Intelligence Services: Best Practices and Procedures
- Author:
- Hans Born
- Publication Date:
- 05-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF)
- Abstract:
- Intelligence services are an instrument in the hands of the state institutions, which can be used both for the better and the worse. If the intelligence services are in the hands of responsible democratic leaders, then intelligence contributes to the democracy's ability to function well. This is can be learnt from the history of the 20th Century: intelligence played a crucial role in helping to defeat Hitler, it played a significant role in preventing the Cold War from turning into a nuclear war and intelligence kept the super power arms race from getting totally out of hand2. On the other hand, if intelligence services are in the hands of those who are interested in conflict and coercion, intelligence can be used for the worse. Therefore, it is essential to secure democratic and parliamentary oversight of the intelligence services.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, Government, National Security, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Europe
2804. Legal Aspects of Security Sector Reform in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
- Author:
- Zoran Pajic
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF)
- Abstract:
- The broadening and deepening of the concept of security has focused renewed attention on the appropriate role of the security sector in the political and economic systems of the states. Bloated and poorly regulated militaries are seen as a primary cause of severe distortion in the allocation of national resources between the security and non-security sectors. The negative development impact of a dysfunctional security sector is magnified in countries that have experienced a significant deterioration in their capacity to deliver services and in war-torn societies. In such cases, there is an urgent need to restore physical security, to optimise the use of scarce public resources, and to attract sustained external support for the recovery process.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Security, and Government
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Yugoslavia
2805. On Police Reform in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbia
- Author:
- Budimir Babović
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF)
- Abstract:
- Apart from the principal question of their content, reforms in general pose a twofold preliminary question: is there a sufficient quantum of willingness to proceed with the reforms and how speedily should they be carried out. A public opinion survey carried out by The Center for Policy Studies (Belgrade) in the period from August 25 to 28, 2001 has demonstrated that only 38 percent of interviewed persons consider the reforms should be quick and thorough, even painful for most citizens. At the same time, 47 percent of those interviewed believe that reforms should be conducted gradually, so they are less painful. The first question left 35 percent of persons without a response or undecided, the second left 30 percent.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Government, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Yugoslavia and Serbia
2806. The Russian Federal Border Service: Lessons for Planning and Establishing Border Security Systems
- Author:
- Vladimir Mochalov
- Publication Date:
- 03-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF)
- Abstract:
- Following the disintegration of the USSR, there was no decrease in the total length of the Russian border in comparison with that of the Soviet Union (more than 60'000 km²). The number of bordering countries rose from fifteen to sixteen. Furthermore, 13'500 km² of new boundaries were created. This figure represented a fifth overall length of the border). Yet, the new boundaries were not formalised in legal terms, they were not appropriately equipped and, in fact, lacked border guard control.
- Topic:
- Security, Government, and Regional Cooperation
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Europe, Asia, and Soviet Union
2807. Health Care in Germany
- Author:
- Christa Altenstetter
- Publication Date:
- 05-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- European Union Studies Center
- Abstract:
- The question of whether the introduction of competition and managed care in the German health care system means a "new paradigm" or simply a "stalemated strategy" was raised in a 1999 issue of Health Affairs by Lawrence Brown and Volker F. Amelung (1999). In that same issue, Uwe E. Reinhard (1999) responded with a question of his own: "Why would Germany wish to emulate the US style of managed care, with its as yet unproven effect on quality and outcomes?" The core of their disagreement seems to center around two issues. First, can competition and managed care flourish in a political culture and healthcare system where central policy-making and enforcement arrangements are embedded? The distinct political economy and history of Germany may create conditions that are not conducive to competition and managed care, unlike the US. The second issue that leads to the different interpretations above is the elusive concept of quality in health care, especially how to measure and achieve it.
- Topic:
- Government, Human Welfare, and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- Germany
2808. Contradiction Without Paradox: Evangelical Political Culture in the 1998 Venezuelan Elections
- Author:
- David Smilde
- Publication Date:
- 09-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Kellogg Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- Venezuelan Evangelicals' responses to candidates in that country's 1998 presidential election seem to confirm the view that their political culture is inconsistent, contradictory, and paradoxical. Not only were Evangelicals just as likely as the larger population to support nationalist former coup leader Hugo Chávez, they rejected Venezuela's one Evangelical party after it made a clientalist pact with the infamous social democratic party candidate. In this article, concepts from recent cultural theory are used to examine qualitative data from these two voting behaviors. Ways to make sense of the contradictory nature of Evangelical political culture are suggested.
- Topic:
- Government and Politics
- Political Geography:
- South America, Latin America, and Venezuela
2809. Voter Inequality, Turnout And Information Effects in a Cross-National Perspective
- Author:
- Gábor Tóka
- Publication Date:
- 05-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Kellogg Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- The paper empirically tests the proposition that because of the unequal social distribution of politically relevant resources, some groups of citizens may be less successful in expressing their specifically political preferences in the vote than others. Hence, the electoral arena may give different people different degrees of political influence even when the formal equality of all citizens before the law is rigorously upheld in the electoral process. Survey data on voting behavior in 18 democratic party systems from the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems and Larry Bartels's (1996) simulation procedure—now extended to the analysis of multiparty-systems, turnout effects and non-linear information effects on the vote—are utilized to explore the question. The results show that social differences in both turnout and political knowledge may lead to the hypothesized political inequalities but their size is remarkably modest.
- Topic:
- Economics, Government, and International Trade and Finance
2810. Experimentos de Democracia Interna: Las Primarias de Partidos en América Latina
- Author:
- Manuel Alcántara Sáez
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Kellogg Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- This paper describes the evolution of candidate selection processes in Latin American political parties up to the year 2000. The topic is part of the field of political party studies in the region. The first section diagnoses the problems affecting the data bases produced by the Latinobarometro and the Parliamentary Elites Survey of the Universidad de Salamanca. The second section describes the process indicated in the title of the present piece.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Government, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- South America, Latin America, and Central America
2811. Government Expenditures and Equilibrium Real Exchange Rates
- Author:
- Ronald J. Balvers and Jeffrey H. Bergstrand
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Kellogg Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- Economists have long investigated theoretically and empirically the relationship between government spending and equilibrium real exchange rates. As Frenkel and Razin (1996) summarize for a small open economy, government expenditures (financed by lump-sum taxes) influence real exchange rates via a resource-withdrawal channel and a consumption-tilting channel. Recent theoretical and empirical studies, such as Froot and Rogoff (1991), Rogoff (1992), De Gregorio, Giovannini, and Krueger (1994), De Gregorio, Giovannini, and Wolf (1994), De Gregorio and Wolf (1994), and Chinn and Johnston (1996), have focused only upon the effects of government spending through the resource-withdrawal channel. Extending Frenkel and Razin (1996), this paper generates closed-form theoretical solutions for the relationships among the real exchange rate, relative per capita private consumption, relative per capita government consumption, and relative per capita tradables and nontradables production in a two-country general equilibrium model. Using relative price level, private and government per capita consumption, and relative productivity data from the Summers and Heston (1991) Penn World Tables and OECD (1996) data for a sample of OECD countries relative to the United States, we estimate the model's structural equations. The results suggest that government expenditures influence equilibrium real exchange rates approximately equally via the resource-withdrawal and consumption-tilting channels. Moreover, the results imply that government spending and private consumption are complements in utility.
- Topic:
- Economics, Government, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- United States
2812. Venezuela: Popular Sovereignty versus Liberal Democracy
- Author:
- Michael Coppedge
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Kellogg Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- In order to evaluate accurately the state of democratic governance during the first years of the Chávez presidency, one must sharpen the distinction between democracy narrowly defined as popular sovereignty versus the more conventional notion of liberal democracy. Venezuela was no longer a liberal democracy in every respect. Instead, it became an extreme case of delegative democracy. The president enjoyed widespread popular support for almost everything he and his followers did, and this fact qualified his government as "democratic" in the narrow sense of popular sovereignty. But the systematic elimination of constraints on presidential action after 1998 increased the risk that Venezuela would cease to be a democracy by any definition in the future.
- Topic:
- Civil Society and Government
- Political Geography:
- South America, Latin America, and Venezuela
2813. From "Restricted"; to "Besieged": The Changing Nature of the Limits to Democracy in Colombia
- Author:
- Ana Maria Bejarano and Eduardo Pizarro Leongómez
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Kellogg Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- During the last decade and a half, Colombia has witnessed both an improvement in the dimensions of democratic participation and contestation and a severe deterioration in those dimensions of democracy related to effective protection of civil liberties and subordination of the military. While the term “semi-democracy” seems most appropriate to classify the Colombian political regime, the restrictions that made the Colombian regime semi-democratic during the second half of the twentieth century have changed in nature. Between 1958 and 1986, restrictions were placed on the competitive dimension of democracy. From the mid-1980s onward, the regime's shortcomings stem from the weakness of the state, the emergence of powerful armed actors, and the absence of the rule of law.
- Topic:
- Government and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Colombia, South America, and Latin America
2814. La Atomización Partidista en Colombia: el Fenómeno de las Micro-empresas Electorales
- Author:
- Eduardo Pizarro Leongómez
- Publication Date:
- 01-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Kellogg Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- The Colombian Liberal-Conservative bipartyism appeared up until just a decade ago not only as one of the oldest but also as one of the most institutionalized party systems in Latin America. Today, even though a complete party collapse similar to those ocurred in Peru and Venezuela did not take place, the erosion of both parties has followed a path with few historical precedents: an extreme "personalist factionalism" (Giovanni Sartori) or, to use a more coloquial term that has become popular in Colombia, the implosion of parties in tens and tens of electoral micro-businesses.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Government, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Colombia, South America, Latin America, Venezuela, and Peru
2815. Postconflict Elections: War Termination, Democratization, and Demilitarizing Politics
- Author:
- Terrence Lyons
- Publication Date:
- 02-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University
- Abstract:
- Outcomes of transitional periods after peace agreements to halt civil wars are critical to sustaining peace and providing the basis for a long-term process of democratization. Understanding these transitional processes and designing policies to promote successful peace implementation are among the greatest challenges of the post–Cold War era. In a number of recent cases, including Angola (1992), Cambodia (1993), El Salvador (1994), Mozambique (1994), Bosnia-Herzegovina (1996), and Liberia (1997), elections have been designated in the peace accord as the mechanism for ending the transition. Such postconflict elections are designed to advance two distinct but interrelated goals – war termination and democratization.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Democratization, Government, and Peace Studies
- Political Geography:
- Bosnia, Herzegovina, Cambodia, Liberia, Mozambique, and Angola
2816. Administration and Cost of Elections (ACE) Project. The User's Guide to the ACE Project Electronic Resources
- Publication Date:
- 12-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Academy of Political Science
- Abstract:
- The political dimensions - the issues, the positioning of parties and candidates, and the results - garner the most media attention and public discussion during an election campaign. Overshadowed, but no less important, however, is the “behind-the-scenes-work” of those ensuring the electoral process comes about without a hitch. If the election goes smoothly, the administration will hardly be noticed. If it does not, accusations of disenfranchisement, manipulation, or malpractice may result, possibly jeopardising the legitimacy and the results of the electoral event.
- Topic:
- Education, Government, and Politics
2817. Political Parties in Tajikistan
- Author:
- Saodat Olimova and Anthony Bowyer
- Publication Date:
- 11-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Academy of Political Science
- Abstract:
- The main events that took place in Tajikistan in the first few years after independence was attained were characterized by the two diverse processes: the crises in the old political system and its consequent collapse, and the development of a new political system.The political development of sovereign Tajikistan was strongly influenced by Soviet political traditions and the stereotypes of political conduct that formed during the Soviet Union. The bipolarization of political forces at the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s in the USSR did not stimulate the formation of democratic alternatives in political behavior, and in fact limited political choices to the rigid dichotomy of “democracy – anti-democracy,†both for the electorate and the political elites, which eventually led to the breakout of civil war in Tajikistan. The complexity of the situation in Tajikistan was that the elites were just as divided and diverse as the Tajik demographic composition itself, consisting of various ethno-cultural sub-ethnic and ethno-regional groups. Immediately after independence was attained, regional elites of diverse ideological and foreign policy orientations began scrambling for power in the new sovereign state. In 1992-1993 the conflict exploded into a civil war led by two main conflicting camps – the National Front and the United Tajik Opposition (UTO) (a coalition of opposition parties).During the conflict a significant shift of elites took place, as the previously governing elite of Soviet times from Soghd (formerly Leninabad) Oblast in northern Tajikistan was removed from power. The Kulyab regional elite ascended to power, and played the main role during the war in pushing out other regional elites to the periphery of power.Â
- Topic:
- Democratization and Government
- Political Geography:
- Eastern Europe
2818. Election Law Compendium of Central and Eastern Europe
- Publication Date:
- 08-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Academy of Political Science
- Abstract:
- The objective of this work is to provide a comprehensive collection of the election laws of developing democracies in Central and Eastern Europe. The editor is all too conscious of the difficulty in keeping abreast of the dynamic and vast changes in democratic processes taking place in this area of the world, as reflected in the ever-changing bodies of law governing the conduct of elections.
- Topic:
- Democratization and Government
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Eastern Europe
2819. Palestinian Elections
- Publication Date:
- 08-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Academy of Political Science
- Abstract:
- The International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), the International Republican Institute (IRI), and the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), as well as a representative of the Government of Norway, jointly organized a pre-election assessment mission to the West Bank and Gaza between July 14 and July 24, 2002. The purpose of the mission was fourfold: 1) to evaluate the pre-electoral environment and identify the requirements of the Palestinian Authority, political parties, civil society and the international community to establish a meaningful electoral process; 2) to identify the elements of the process that are most vulnerable and the obstacles that must be overcome; 3) to assess the state of technical preparations for elections; and 4) to recommend electoral reform measures that could enhance the transparency and credibility of the process.
- Topic:
- Government and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Norway, and Palestine
2820. Elections and International Civilian Policing: History and Practice in Peace Operations
- Author:
- Jeff Fischer
- Publication Date:
- 06-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Academy of Political Science
- Abstract:
- This paper explores the role that international civilian police (CIVPOL) have played in transitional elections and profiles specific electoral missions in which CIVPOL have performed a supporting role. The paper continues with a summary and analysis of the electoral activities and responsibilities undertaken by CIVPOL in the case studies. The conclusion looks ahead to areas of potential institutional support to enhance the effectiveness of international civilian policing in electoral missions through capacity development, standardized training, and integrated planning and support of CIVPOL in democracy development.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Conflict Prevention, Development, and Government
2821. Filling the Vacuum: Prerequisites to Security in Afghanistan
- Publication Date:
- 03-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Academy of Political Science
- Abstract:
- As a result of 23 years of war and civil conflict, and despite the recent removal of the Taliban and establishment of an Interim Authority, Afghanistan remains a country in chaos. Unless and until Afghanistan is at least modestly stable and secure, it will continue to represent a risk to the region and the world. The global order is still grappling with the question of failed states, but one lesson is certain: when governments fail, warlords, drug barons, or terrorists fill the vacuum. The only sure way to eliminate terrorism and extremism in Afghanistan is to support its leaders and people in their quest for internal stability and security, according to their own rich traditions and history.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Government, and International Cooperation
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan, Middle East, and Taliban
2822. Electoral Conflict and Violence: A Strategy for Study and Prevention
- Author:
- Jeff Fischer
- Publication Date:
- 02-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Academy of Political Science
- Abstract:
- An electoral process is an alternative to violence as it is a means of achieving governance. It is when an electoral process is perceived as unfair, unresponsive, or corrupt, that its political legitimacy is compromised and stakeholders are motivated to go outside the established norms to achieve their objectives. Electoral conflict and violence become tactics in political competition.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Conflict Prevention, Development, and Government
2823. Why are Israel's Public Relations so Poor?
- Author:
- Dan Diker
- Publication Date:
- 10-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
- Abstract:
- The Israel State Comptroller's report released on October 7, 2002, leveled unprecedented criticism on Israel's public relations efforts. The State Comptroller revealed that "since its establishment in 1948, Israel's intelligence organs have not succeeded to respond to the broad-based propaganda and incitement by the Arab world." The report also emphasized that "the lack of a central authority to direct and coordinate all government information bodies to execute a public relations policy is the main factor accounting for Israel's longstanding failures in this field."
- Topic:
- Security, Government, and Religion
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Israel, and Arabia
2824. The Islamic Arab Minority in the Jewish State
- Author:
- Zeidan Atashi
- Publication Date:
- 06-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
- Abstract:
- A summit of religious leaders on the Middle East was held in Alexandria, Egypt, on 20-22 January 2002. The summit was held at the initiative of Dr. George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, and more than a dozen senior Muslim, Jewish, and Christian leaders from the Middle East attended, among them rabbis from Israel and sheikhs from Egypt and the Palestinian Authority who had received approval from their governments.
- Topic:
- Security, Government, Islam, and Religion
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Palestine, Arab Countries, Egypt, and Alexandria
2825. Strange Victory: A critical appraisal of Operation Enduring Freedom and the Afghanistan war
- Author:
- Carl Conetta
- Publication Date:
- 01-2002
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Project on Defense Alternatives
- Abstract:
- Why the inadvertent effects of the war are now overtaking the intended ones. Includes appendices addressing: the war’s impact on the humanitarian crisis; the missing political framework for American action; the source of power and the strategy of the Taliban; and the limits of the Bonn agreement and the challenges facing the interim government.
- Topic:
- Government, Treaties and Agreements, War, Taliban, Conflict, Humanitarian Crisis, and Operation Enduring Freedom
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan, South Asia, North America, and United States of America
2826. Strategic Culture and the English School: Conceptualising Strategic Adjustment in the Nordic Region
- Author:
- Henrikki Heikka
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Finnish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- The Nordic region seems to be in the midst of a thorough transformation-process, involving all of the countries in the region as well as the key institutional players. The aim of this paper is to define some of the key concepts needed for understanding and explaining this process. In particular, the paper focuses on sketching a method for differentiating between structural and cultural sources of strategic adjustment. The concept of structure connects the discussion to structural realism, while the concept of culture is linked to the theoretical debates within IR about strategic culture and international society. The method outlined in the paper borrows from Max Weber's use of ideal types and scientific realists' use of iconic modeling. The paper argues for ontological clarity in dealing with causal mechanisms (at the level of the real) that are used to explain grand strategies (at the level of the actual) and their empirical referents such a military doctrine or alliance choices. Three ideal types of strategic culture – realist, liberal, and revolutionary – are suggested as a hermeneutical tool for evaluating the potential effects of causal powers of strategic cultures within strategic thinking.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Government, International Political Economy, Political Economy, and Politics
2827. 17 octobre 1961 - 17 octobre 2001: une commémoration ambiguë
- Author:
- Brigitte Jelen
- Publication Date:
- 03-2002
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- French Politics, Culture Society
- Institution:
- Conference Group on French Politics Society
- Abstract:
- A few months ago, the massacre of Algerian civilians by the French police on October 17, 1961 was finally officially recognized, as the new socialist mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, placed a commemorative plaque on the Pont Saint-Michel. In his declaration to the press, Delanoë was careful to focus on the "Parisian" character of this ceremony, although the 1961 massacre was committed by the French national police. Perhaps Delanoë's noble and courageous gesture hides an ambiguity, an injustice to the victims? In order to understand the symbolic importance of this plaque in the construction of France's official memory of the Algerian war, this essay analyzes how the French government since 1962 has attempted to "forget" the conflict in the name of "national unity," in particular through the use of amnesty laws. In a discussion on forgiveness inspired by J. Derrida, the possibility of a French national memory of the Algerian war (and of the October 17, 1961 event) that would include the voices of the victims is considered.
- Topic:
- Government
- Political Geography:
- Paris and France
2828. Policy Activism In A Globalized Economy: France's 35-hour Workweek
- Author:
- Gunnar Trumbull
- Publication Date:
- 09-2002
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- French Politics, Culture Society
- Institution:
- Conference Group on French Politics Society
- Abstract:
- Globalization is commonly thought to impede policy activism. Yet France's 35-hour workweek initiative demonstrates that globalization can, in certain circumstances, create incentives for greater policy activism. This is because economic actors experience globalization differently. The French government, facing fiscal and monetary constraints, was seeking alternative means for promoting employment. French employers, facing new foreign competition, increasingly valued workforce flexibility. And French labor unions, facing declining membership, were anxious to establish a bridgehead in new sectors of the economy. These diverse pressures of globalization, felt differently by different economic actors, created the context in which an activist labor policy could be negotiated.
- Topic:
- Economics and Government
2829. Identity and Democracy
- Author:
- Ellen Badone
- Publication Date:
- 09-2002
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- French Politics, Culture Society
- Institution:
- Conference Group on French Politics Society
- Abstract:
- This thought-provoking essay analyses the changing relationships between the French state and the individual. The author contends that French republican democracy originally developed as a bulwark against the hegemony of the Roman Catholic Church. However, in the secularized context of present-day France, such protection is no longer necessary. Hence, democracy has lost much of its original meaning. In the past, political actors privileged the collective good above private interests and identités. Now, however, it is precisely these agendas that have come to dominate French political discourse. In the face of competing minority demands, government must remain neutral and can no longer serve as the moral arbiter for the collectivity.
- Topic:
- Government
- Political Geography:
- France and Romania
2830. Refugees and the Myth of the Borderless World
- Author:
- William Maley, Greg Fry, Alan Dupont, Jean-Pierre Fonteyne, James Jupp, and Thuy Do
- Publication Date:
- 02-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Australian National University Department of International Relations
- Abstract:
- Refugees are quintessentially victims of the states system. If the moral justification of the territorial state is to provide an authority accountable for the well-being of a designated citizenry, then the failure of individual states to discharge this task creates a responsibility on those who otherwise benefit from the system of states to aid those who suffer persecution in the territories in which they are nominally owed a primary duty of care. The number of refugees and other displaced persons in the world is extremely small—roughly 0.3 per cent of the world's population—but each is a precious being, and the way they are treated is a measure not of their worth, but of the moral capacity of those who are in a position to come to their assistance. Life chances in the present world order are to a significant degree arbitrarily determined by the accident of birthplace. Afghans and Iraqis, strongly represented in the world's present refugee population, are not refugees as punishment for their own failings. And ministers and bureaucrats in Western countries, typically enjoying lives of considerable luxury, are rarely well-off in recognition of their outstanding moral virtues; many simply had the good luck to be born in the right countries. If there is a global refugee crisis, it is not in terms of the number of refugees, but in terms of the willingness of wealthy and prosperous peoples to reach out to them. In the following paragraphs, I shall do three things. First, I offer brief overviews of the meaning of 'refugee' and of the current state of the world's refugees. Second, I outline the framework of institutions and measures which has evolved for the management of refugee protection and refugee needs. In conclusion, I offer some observations on the challenges which the refugee regime faces, and on the steps which need to be taken to improve the refugees' positions.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution and Government
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan, Iraq, Asia, and Australia/Pacific
2831. Russia Watch No.7, March 2002
- Author:
- Duncan DeVille, Danielle Lussier, Melissa Carr, David Rekhviashvili, Annaliis Abrego, and John Grennan
- Publication Date:
- 03-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- Russian support for U.S. efforts in the war on terrorism has surprised many Western observers. But this was not the only recent surprise from Moscow — Western advocates for the rule of law in Russia also had much to celebrate in the closing months of 2001. Under strong prodding by President Vladimir Putin, the Duma passed several impressive pieces of reform legislation, including an entirely new Criminal Procedure Code, a potentially revolutionary land reform law, new shareholder protections in amendments to the Joint Stock Company Law, and the first post-Soviet Labor Code.
- Topic:
- Security, Democratization, and Government
- Political Geography:
- Russia, United States, Europe, Asia, and Moscow
2832. Globalization and the Development of Welfare States in Post-Communist Europe
- Author:
- Mitchell Orenstein and Martine R. Hass
- Publication Date:
- 02-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- How has globalization influenced welfare state development in postcommunist Europe? We focus on the leading East-Central European accession states, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, and show that these states have experienced radically different welfare state developments since 1989 from their neighbors in the former Soviet Union. The first pa rt of the paper proposes that these divergent paths can be explained by a “Europe effect”. We argue that the effects of globalization have differed greatly, depending on a country's position in the international economy and geopolitical relations. We demonstrate that countries closer to the European Union have used welfare state programs to compensate citizens for the traumas of system transition and economic openness, while the welfare systems in the former Soviet states have collapsed to a far greater extent, in terms of spending and effectivness.
- Topic:
- Communism, Globalization, and Government
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Eastern Europe, Poland, Soviet Union, Hungary, and Czech Republic
2833. Assessing the Department of Homeland Security
- Author:
- Michael E. O'Hanlon, Peter R. Orszag, James B. Steinberg, Ivo H. Daaldar, James M. Lindsay, Robert E. Litan, Paul C. Light, and I. M. Destler
- Publication Date:
- 07-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- President Bush's June 6 proposal to create a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would constitute the largest reorganization of the federal government in fifty years. Given the urgency of the terrorist threat, Congress has pledged to act rapidly. It aims to have a bill ready for the President's signature in time for the one-year anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
- Topic:
- Security, Defense Policy, Government, and Terrorism
2834. The Bush National Security Strategy: An Evaluation
- Author:
- Ivo H. Daaldar
- Publication Date:
- 10-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- President Bush's first National Security Strategy presents his vision of “a distinctly American internationalism.” Media reports focused on the Strategy's support for preempting emerging threats militarily, but the 31-page document covers a far broader set of important issues. At its core, the Strategy calls for the United States to use its “unparalleled military strength and great economic and political influence” to establish “a balance of power that favors human freedom” and to defeat the threat posed by “terrorists and tyrants.” These are themes that will likely resonate with the American people, who believe that the United States should play a leading role in making the world a safer and better place.
- Topic:
- Security, Defense Policy, Government, and Terrorism
- Political Geography:
- United States
2835. Strengthening Financial Sector Governance in Emerging Markets
- Author:
- Robert Litan, Michael Pomerleano, and V. Sundararajan
- Publication Date:
- 07-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- Policymakers and analysts are still sifting through the wreckage of the Asian financial crisis of 1997 and the subsequent crises in Russia, Turkey, and Argentina to discern key lessons so that similar crises will not recur. Some lessons are by now well understood. Pegged exchange rates can encourage excessive borrowing and expose countries to financial collapse when foreign exchange reserves run dry. Inadequate disclosures by both private companies and public bodies can lead to similar dangers. Although many factors undoubtedly contributed to these crises, it is now widely recognized that each suffered from a failure in “governance,” and in particular a failure in governance in their financial sectors. Accordingly, the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the Brookings Institution devoted their fourth annual Financial Markets and Development Conference, held in New York from April 17-19, 2002, to the subject of financial sector governance in emerging markets. This conference report summarizes some of the highlights of the conference, whose full proceedings will be published as a Brookings book in the fall of 2002.
- Topic:
- Economics, Emerging Markets, Government, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- Russia, New York, Turkey, Asia, and Argentina
2836. Earnings Insurance for Germany
- Author:
- Gary Burtless and Holger Schaefer
- Publication Date:
- 07-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- For more than a decade, Germany has suffered high rates of unemployment and very slow employment growth. Workers who have lost their jobs face unusually long spells of unemployment, in part because the adverse incentives of the German unemployment compensation system provide strong impetus for unemployed workers to remain jobless.
- Topic:
- Government and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Latin America
2837. Global Challenges: Beating the Odds
- Author:
- P.J. Simmons
- Publication Date:
- 08-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- The global to-do list has never been more daunting. New arteries for transport, trade, finance, and communications require constantly updated rules. Freer, faster movement across borders necessitates filters to separate terrorists from traders and levees to contain infectious disease, pollution, invasive species, and financial disruption. Once-sovereign responsibilities such as poverty, child labor, and human rights shift to become international moral concerns. Technologies of literally world-shaking power—capable of destroying humans en masse, altering Earth's ecology, or upsetting atmospheric stability—create a set of truly global issues.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Civil Society, and Government
2838. Mythmaking in the Rule of Law Orthodoxy
- Author:
- Frank Upham
- Publication Date:
- 09-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- As governments and donor agencies struggle over questions of aid and international development, a growing consensus is emerging regarding the connections between poor governance and underdevelopment. An increasing number of initiatives, from the U.S. Millennium Challenge Account to the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), explicitly link improving governance with pursuing sustainable development and poverty alleviation. Lack of pluralism and transparency, inefficient bureaucracies, and underdeveloped public institutions contribute to corruption, reduce governmental responsiveness to citizens' needs, stifle investment, and generally hamper social and economic development. A frequent donor favorite on the laundry list of “good governance” reforms advocated for developing countries is rule of law reform. The new development model contends that sustainable growth is impossible without the existence of the rule of law: a set of uniformly enforced, established legal regimes that clearly lays out the rules of the game.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Development, and Government
- Political Geography:
- Africa and United States
2839. Do Judicial Councils Further Judicial Reform? Lessons from Latin America
- Author:
- Linn Hammergren
- Publication Date:
- 06-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- JUDICIAL REFORM EFFORTS IN LATIN AMERICA, and by extension worldwide, seem to fall easily prey to magic bullets. In the past two decades, reformers in the region and aid providers from North America and Western Europe have seized upon a whole series of entry points for judicial reform—including model codes, accusatory criminal justice systems, court administration reforms, information technology, alternative dispute resolution, legal services, and constitutional courts. Sometime during the late 1980s, as the issue of judicial independence came to receive more serious attention, judicial councils joined the list, and nearly a dozen countries adopted them. It was not until the late 1990s that questions about their utility began to emerge. Although Latin America is beginning to reexamine its love affair with the councils, the model has been gaining ground in other regions. Western Europeans, who invented the mechanism, have been suffering their own doubts. This has not prevented their joining with U.S. reformers in recommending it to postcommunist nations in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union and in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The cautionary lessons from Latin America's several-decade experiment with judicial councils have not yet been analyzed and disseminated. This essay is a start in that direction.
- Topic:
- Democratization and Government
- Political Geography:
- America, Europe, France, South America, Latin America, and Central America
2840. Foreign Direct Investment: Does the Rule of Law Matter?
- Author:
- John Hewko
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- THE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM within the international development community is that foreign direct investment (FDI) is an important component of economic growth and prosperity in transitional and developing countries and that a crucial, if not decisive, factor in enticing such investment is a stable, consistent, fair, and transparent legal and judicial system. As a recent World Bank publication concluded: The massive move by developing and transition countries toward market economies necessitated the adoption of strategies for the encouragement of private investment, domestic and foreign. Naturally, there was a general realization that such an objective could not be achieved without modifying and, sometimes, completely overhauling the legal and institutional framework and firmly establishing the rule of law, thereby creating the necessary climate of stability and predictability.
- Topic:
- Emerging Markets, Government, and International Trade and Finance
2841. Russia's Decline and Uncertain Recovery
- Author:
- Thomas E. Jr. Graham
- Publication Date:
- 05-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- For much of the first decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the issue of reform—of transition to free-market democracy—dominated discussions of Russia in Russia itself and in the West. Russian president Boris Yeltsin advocated reform; Western governments declared their support and offered their assistance. This was particularly true of the U.S. government. President Clinton's administration came into office in 1993 determined to assist Russia in its transformation into “a normal, modern state—democratic in its governance, abiding by its own constitution and by its own laws, market-oriented and prosperous in its economic development, at peace with itself and the rest of the world,” as deputy secretary of state Strobe Talbott, the chief architect of the U.S. administration's Russia policy, was wont to put it.
- Topic:
- Economics and Government
- Political Geography:
- Russia, United States, Europe, Asia, and Soviet Union
2842. Responding to the Threat of Smallpox Bioterrorism: An Ounce of Prevention Is Best Approach
- Author:
- Veronique de Rugy and Charles V. Peña
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- The threat of direct terrorist attack against the United States proved to be real. And the subsequent anthrax cases point to the possibility of a future bioterrorist attack, including use of the deadly smallpox virus. The nature of terrorism is such that it is impossible to accurately predict the probability of such an attack, but the potential consequences are catastrophic. Therefore, it is a serious threat that deserves serious attention.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States and Europe
2843. Fighting the War against Terrorism: Elite Forces, Yes; Conscripts, No
- Author:
- Doug Bandow
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- The United States possesses the most powerful military on earth, one that has proved its potency in ousting the Taliban from power in Afghanistan. Yet, even as the military was gearing up to perform so well, some people were calling for a return to conscription or, more dramatically, for institution of mandatory national service for all young people.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy and Government
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan, United States, Europe, and Taliban
2844. Old Folly in a New Disguise
- Author:
- Gary T. Dempsey
- Publication Date:
- 03-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Since September 11, 2001, there have been calls from various quarters to embrace nation building as a tool for combating terrorism. The logic behind the idea is that “good” states do not do “bad” things, so Washington should build more “good” states. That idea, however, relies on several dubious assumptions—for example, that embarking on multiple nation-building missions will reduce the potential for anti-American terrorism. If anything, nation building is likely to create more incentives, targets, and opportunities for terrorism, not fewer. The nation-building idea also draws on false analogies with the past. For example, some people assert that Europe's experience under the Marshall Plan can be readily duplicated in a whole host of countries and that, with enough economic aid, trained bureaucrats, and military force of arms, “bad” states anywhere can be transformed into open, self-sustaining, peaceful states.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Government, and Terrorism
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, Europe, and Washington
2845. Tax Reforms and "Modell Deutschland": Lessons from Four Years of Red-Green Tax-Policy
- Author:
- Achim Truger and Wade Jacoby
- Publication Date:
- 12-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute of European Studies (IES), UC Berkeley
- Abstract:
- When the red-green (SPD-Bündnis90/DieGrünen) coalition took over the federal government from the Christian-Democrat/Free-Democrat (CDU/CSU/FDP) coalition in 1998, tax reforms had a very high political priority. And, in fact, the government pushed through an astonishing number of far-reaching tax reforms/tax changes within a period of little more than two years. This paper follows two aims. First, it gives a short description of the measures taken and evaluates them with respect to tax theory and the German tax reform debate of the 1990s. Second, it explicitly addresses the question whether the tax changes were influenced by the wish to reform the Modell Deutschland, i.e. whether something substantial was done to change Germany ́s status as a perceived high tax country and if so, whether the attempt was successful. It will be shown that even though the problem of high taxes might have been many observers ́ and, indeed, also the government ́s dominant concern, there was much more to the German debate. The chapter will also ask whether generously cutting taxes was the right thing to do. It demonstrates that under Germany ́s peculiar economic and institutional circumstances at the end of the 1990s, the attempt to cut taxes led to serious problems for fiscal policy, growth, and employment.
- Topic:
- Economics, Government, and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- Europe
2846. The Uneasy Triangle
- Author:
- Lloyd Ulman and Knut Gerlach
- Publication Date:
- 11-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute of European Studies (IES), UC Berkeley
- Abstract:
- ". . . It is impossible for any community to have very full employment and completely free collective bargaining and stable prices. Either one of the three will be completely sacrificed, or else all three will have to be modified. ". . . In the last resort the answer will be given not by economists or by administrators but by the public opinion. At each corner of the triangle, the limiting factor is what public opinion will stand, and the degree of comprehension that public opinion will show for an economic policy that tries to preserve balance between competing objectives.
- Topic:
- Government and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- Europe
2847. Germany: Managing Migration in the 21st Century
- Author:
- Philip L. Martin
- Publication Date:
- 05-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute of European Studies (IES), UC Berkeley
- Abstract:
- This monograph reviews Germany's evolution from a country of emigration to a reluctant land of immigration between the 1960s and 1980s, as guest workers settled and asylum seekers arrived. During the 1990s, Germany became a magnet for diverse foreigners, including the families of settled guest workers, newly mobile Eastern Europeans and ethnic Germans, and asylum seekers from throughout the world. Germany, with a relatively structured and rigid labor market and economy, finds it easier to integrate especially unskilled newcomers into generous social welfare programs than into the labor market. Since immigration means change as immigrants and Germans adjust to each other, an aging German populace may resist the changes in the economy and labor market that could facilitate immigrant integration as well as the changes in culture and society that invariably accompany immigrants.
- Topic:
- Government and Migration
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Germany
2848. Immigration in the United States
- Author:
- Philip L. Martin
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute of European Studies (IES), UC Berkeley
- Abstract:
- This chapter summarizes migration patterns, puts the immigration and integration challenges facing the US in a global context, reviews the evolution of US immigration and immigration policy, and then focuses on some of the immigration and integration issues being debated early in the 21st century. Immigration is likely to continue at current levels of 900,000 legal and 300,000 unauthorized a year, so that Americans will, in the words of former Census director Kenneth Prewitt, "redefine ourselves as the first country in world history which is literally made up of every part of the world."
- Topic:
- Government, Human Welfare, and Migration
- Political Geography:
- United States
2849. Restructuring "Germany Inc." The Politics of Company and Takeover Law Reform in Germany and the European Union
- Author:
- John W. Cioffi
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute of European Studies (IES), UC Berkeley
- Abstract:
- The reform of German company law by the Control and Transparency Law ("KonTraG") of 1998 reveals politics of corporate governance liberalization. The reforms strengthened the supervisory board, shareholder rights, and shareholder equality, but left intra-corporate power relations largely intact. Major German financial institutions supported the reform's contribution to the modernization of German finance, but blocked mandatory divestment of equity stakes and cross-shareholding. Conversely, organized labor prevented any erosion of supervisory board codetermination. Paradoxically, by eliminating traditional takeover defenses, the KonTraG's liberalization of company law mobilized German political opposition to the EU's draft Takeover Directive and limited further legal liberalization.
- Topic:
- Government and Industrial Policy
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Germany
2850. Measuring Unemployment Benefit Recipiency in New Zealand
- Author:
- Wayne Vroman
- Publication Date:
- 07-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Urban Institute
- Abstract:
- This is a paper about measurement. It originated within a project that is examining the performance of unemployment compensation (UC) programs from a cross-national perspective. At the current time the larger project has assembled data on the UC programs of more than 20 countries along with supporting labor market data. Within the set of OECD countries, the project has singled out for particular attention six English speaking countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. An analysis of the unemployment protection systems in these six countries was recently completed by Brusentsev (2002).
- Topic:
- Economics, Government, and Human Welfare
- Political Geography:
- United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand
2851. Limited English Proficient Students and High-Stakes Accountability Systems
- Author:
- Michael Fix and Jorge Ruiz-de-Velasco
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Urban Institute
- Abstract:
- In 1994 Congress required all states to implement comprehensive accountability systems for schools receiving federal funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). This new federal requirement responded to civil rights advocates' concerns that schools serving large numbers of poor, minority, and limited English proficient (LEP) students set lower standards for their education and thus ratified lower expectations for their performance. These changes in the ESEA made a dramatic break with past practice by requiring states to replace minimum standards for poor and academically disadvantaged children with challenging standards for all students. New accountability systems were to be based on state-established content standards for reading and math, include assessments aligned with those standards, and would require that states hold all students to the same performance standards.
- Topic:
- Education, Government, and Migration
- Political Geography:
- United States
2852. Mortgage Default Insurance in the U.S.: Implications for Russia
- Author:
- Raymond Struyk and Douglas E. Whiteley
- Publication Date:
- 03-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Urban Institute
- Abstract:
- The objective of this paper is to introduce the concept of mortgage default insurance as developed in the United States into the context of Russian mortgage lending. The first part of the paper discusses the broad principles and operations of mortgage default insurance offered by private companies as it works in the United States. The pricing of this product and the preconditions for offering such insurance are highlighted. The second section outlines the operation of the U.S. government-supported default insurance offered by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). The final part applies the foregoing information to the situation in Russia today and concludes that the conditions necessary for launching mortgage default insurance do not currently exist in the country. Nevertheless, there are a number of essential actions that can and should be taken over the next several months to put Russia on the road to establishing such insurance in a few years. The paper finishes with a possible action plan for the next two years.
- Topic:
- Development, Government, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- Russia, United States, Europe, and Asia
2853. The Scope and Impact of Welfare Reform's Immigrant Provisions
- Author:
- Michael Fix and Jeffrey Passel
- Publication Date:
- 01-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Urban Institute
- Abstract:
- For immigrants, welfare reform went well beyond conditioning access to cash benefits on work. Rather, the law set out a comprehensive scheme for determining immigrant eligibility for a wide range of social benefits that are provided by governments at all levels. Reform represented a major departure from prior policy by making citizenship more central to the receipt of benefits, by granting the states rather than the federal government the power to determine immigrant eligibility for benefits, and by drawing a sharp distinction between immigrants arriving before and after PRWORA's enactment on August 22, 1996.
- Topic:
- Government, Human Welfare, and Migration
- Political Geography:
- United States
2854. Business Interest Representation and European Commission Fora: A Game Theoretic Investigation
- Author:
- Andreas Broscheid and David Coen
- Publication Date:
- 07-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
- Abstract:
- The relationship between business and the EU institutions has evolved from its corporatist origins into a complex elite pluralist arrangement centered around industrial fora and policy committees. We view the growth of forum politics as the direct consequence of the unprecedented boom in economic and public interest lobbying in the early 1990s: While the increase in European interest representation provided greater legitimacy for the European integration program, it put a strain on the existing open pluralist European business-government relationship. One of the European Commission's (EC) informal solutions was to create restricted-entry policy fora and select committees, which it hoped would provide fast and reliable decision-making. Employing a formal model of industrial fora and committees, we specify the mechanisms that we believe caused the establishment of the current elite pluralist system of interest representation in the EU. We argue that in the process of establishing selective-entry fora for interest representation, the European Commission acted not only as policy entrepreneur, but also as a political entrepreneur, fostering collective action.
- Topic:
- Government, International Trade and Finance, and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- Europe
2855. Political Parties, Institutions, and the Dynamics of Social Expenditure in Times of Austerity
- Author:
- Herbert Obinger and Bernhard Kittel
- Publication Date:
- 01-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
- Abstract:
- The containment of social expenditure growth has been (and still is) a core issue of public policy in advanced industrial countries since the 1980s and has received much academic attention during that period. Among the most extensively discussed explanatory factors of social expenditure are partisan politics and political institutions, as well as the dependency of the real impact of the former on the latter. The paper distinguishes five competing theoretical perspectives and explores their power to explain the empirical variation in the period 1982–1997 in 21 OECD countries. The empirical analysis of short-term dynamics is performed in a time-series cross-section framework while long-term level effects are explored in a cross-sectional setting. By using an interactive model specification the authors show that there is empirical evidence for this conditional effect, albeit it is neither thoroughly convincing nor leading to lasting long-term level effects. Extensive specification tests show that the 1990s witnessed a weakening of partisan effects which were still present in the 1980s. In total, the evidence tends to give most support to the “growth-to-limits” and the “new politics” perspectives.
- Topic:
- Economics, Government, International Trade and Finance, and Political Economy
2856. Arab Responses to George W. Bush's June 24 Speech
- Publication Date:
- 07-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
- Abstract:
- On June 24, 2002, President George W. Bush stated, "Peace requires a new and different Palestinian leadership, so that a Palestinian state can be born." His speech elicited initial favorable reaction from Arab governments, which has evolved amid negative Arab media response.
- Topic:
- Security, Government, and Religion
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Palestine, and Arabia
2857. The Return of Palestinian Nationalist Terrorism
- Author:
- Matthew Levitt and Ehud Waldoks
- Publication Date:
- 05-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
- Abstract:
- The State Department's annual Patterns of Global Terrorism report, which is scheduled for release in late May, is set to be a much longer and detailed document than before. Among the many issues the report will have to address is the resurrection of secular Palestinian terrorist groups, some of which have not been listed on U.S. government terrorist lists in the past. The steady escalation of terrorist tactics and operations over the past year and a half is due as much to these groups as it is to Palestinian Islamist groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad that have dominated the Palestinian terrorism scene over the last decade. Palestinian nationalist terrorism currently has two components: 1) dormant secular groups such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) — referred to collectively as "the fronts" — that have been revitalized after several years of inactivity; and 2) newly active nationalist, non-Islamist militias connected to the Palestinian Authority (PA), such as the Fatah Tanzim.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States, Middle East, Palestine, and Arab Countries
2858. The Role Of Transition Assistance: The Case Of Indonesia
- Author:
- Glenn Slocum and Jean DuRette
- Publication Date:
- 03-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United States Agency for International Development
- Abstract:
- The Center for Development Information and Evaluation (CDIE) has responsibility for conducting Agency-wide evaluations on assistance topics of interest to USAID managers. In 2000, USAID began an evaluation of the role of transition assistance, with a specific emphasis on the role and activities of the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) in the Bureau of Humanitarian Response (BHR).
- Topic:
- Democratization, Development, Economics, Government, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Indonesia and Southeast Asia
2859. Negotiating the End of Transition: A Network Approach to Political Discourse Dynamics, Hungary 1997
- Author:
- Péter Csigó and Balázs Vedres
- Publication Date:
- 12-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy at Columbia University
- Abstract:
- The initial question of this paper is how the large scale social process of postsocialist transition ends. We argue that transition is closed by discursive innovations in the political field, rather than just spontaneous crystallization. The political field is depicted as a dynamic symbolic structure that is an arena of local action. First the possible discourse positions are extracted from the two mode network of speech acts and statements. Then using these typical positions the dynamics of responses and responses to responses is explored. We give an account of an emergent univocal government position that represents a successful role claim (an exit from the loops of local action) on the government's side to coherently frame the end of transition.
- Topic:
- Government
- Political Geography:
- Europe
2860. The Influence of Women and Racial Minorities Under Panel Decision Making on the U.S. Court of Appeals
- Author:
- Sean Farhang and Gregory Wawro
- Publication Date:
- 12-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy at Columbia University
- Abstract:
- This paper assesses the impact of gender and race on judicial decisions on the federal Court of Appeals, paying particular attention to the institutional nuances of decision-making on three-judge appellate panels within circuits. Our central question is whether and how racial minority and women judges influence legal policy on issues thought to be of particular concern to women and minorities. Proper analysis of this question requires investigating whether women and minority judges influence the decisions of other panel members. We find that the norm of unanimity on panels grants women influence over outcomes even when they are outnumbered on a panel.
- Topic:
- Ethnic Conflict, Gender Issues, and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States
2861. Achieving a Final Status Settlement for Kosovo
- Author:
- Janusz Bugajski, R. Bruce Hitchner, and Paul Williams
- Publication Date:
- 08-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Public International Law Policy Group
- Abstract:
- On November 19, 2002, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the National Albanian American Council, and the Dayton Peace Accords Project held a one-day conference in Washington, D.C., at CSIS, entitled “The Future of Kosovo.” The conference was attended by U.S. policymakers, congressional representatives, regional specialists, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), business leaders, journalists, as well as key activists and analysts from Kosovo. The vital question of Kosovo's emerging status was discussed openly with a view to producing a subsequent report offering concrete recommendations to the U.S. administration, U.S. legislators, and major international organizations on the question of Kosovo's future status.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Government, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- America, Europe, Washington, Kosovo, and Albania
2862. Annual Report to Congress on the Safety and Security of Russian Nuclear Facilities and Military Forces
- Publication Date:
- 09-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
- Abstract:
- Moscow will continue to devote scarce resources to maintaining its nuclear forces. Nevertheless, the aging of Russia's strategic systems and Putin's military reform plan to shift resources to the general purpose forces probably will result in Russia having fewer than 2,000 strategic warheads by 2015. Even with ongoing reductions, Moscow probably will retain several thousand nonstrategic nuclear warheads in its inventory because of concerns over its deteriorating conventional capabilities.
- Topic:
- Security, Government, and Nuclear Weapons
- Political Geography:
- Russia
2863. Cities as Economic Development Tools
- Author:
- Nigel Harris
- Publication Date:
- 12-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Wilson Center
- Abstract:
- Increasing globalization – the economic integration of national economies – and the resulting governmental decentralization have obliged cities in many countries to take seriously the economy of the city. On the other hand, unless cities can be made to work, national economic growth is seriously impeded. Hence, city managers become increasingly important in economic management. The old fatalism – that economic growth is a matter exclusively for national governments – comes under threat.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Development, Government, and Politics
2864. Mobility in Bulgaria and the European Union: Brain Drain, Bogus Asylum Seekers, Replacement Migration, and Fertility
- Author:
- Kristen Ghodsee
- Publication Date:
- 11-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Wilson Center
- Abstract:
- The collapse of communism in 1989 in Bulgaria was initially uneventful. Todor Zhivkov, the longest ruling leader in the Eastern Bloc, simply resigned. Democratic elections were held. Bulgaria had none of the wide-scale violence and chaos that characterized the transitions of the other Balkan states, most notably Romania and Yugoslavia. The effects of the social, political, and economic changes in Bulgaria, however, were just as devastating. The communists renamed themselves “socialists” and won the elections as the Bulgarian economy began a drastic contraction from which it has never recovered. The standard of living for ordinary Bulgarians dropped severely and new criminal elements appeared in society for the first time. The so-called “robber Barons” of Bulgaria pillaged what was left of the state's assets and set themselves up as the country's new elite. Meanwhile, the nearby wars and embargoes in the former Yugoslav republics gave the new Bulgarian Mafia ample opportunities to solidify their positions by smuggling arms and fuel into neighboring Yugoslavia.
- Topic:
- Government, International Organization, Migration, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Yugoslavia, and Bulgaria
2865. Toward a North American Community? - A Conference Report
- Publication Date:
- 06-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Wilson Center
- Abstract:
- The “Toward a North American Community?” conference hosted by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars on June 11, 2002, examined the current relationships between the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and investigated the future of North American integration.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Foreign Policy, and Government
- Political Geography:
- North America
2866. Toward an Uncivil Society? Contextualizing the Decline of Post-Soviet Russian Extremely Right-Wing Parties
- Author:
- Andreas Umland
- Publication Date:
- 06-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- This paper uses some findings of research into non-Russian civil societies and ultra-nationalisms as well as selected examples of non-party Russian right-wing extremism to illustrate that the relative decline in radically nationalist party politics towards the end of the 1990s should not be seen as an unequivocal indication that „anti-liberal statism“ has lost its appeal in Russia. It also attempts to show that the considerable diversification in the non-governmental, not-for-profit sector of Russian society since the mid-1980s cannot be regarded as exclusively beneficial in terms of Russia's polyarchic consolidation, and further democratization. Not only is a Russian „civic public“ or „civic community“ developing only slowly. Some of the more significant preand post-Soviet groups, movements, and trends within the Russian voluntary sector are unsupportive, or explicitly critical of liberal democracy. A number of major non-state institutions and networks in Russian society contain ultra-nationalist, fundamentalist, and, partly, protofascist sub-sectors that question using the construct „civil society“ to designate them. These organizations' or groupings' primary function is less — or not at all — to enhance peoples' inclination and ability to participate effectively in political activities that could promote further democratization. Instead, they provide — sometimes expressly so — a medium for the spread of radically particularistic world views, ascriptive notions about human nature, and illiberal or/and bellicose political ideas, as well as an organizational training ground for potential political activists holding such ideas.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Democratization, Government, and International Organization
- Political Geography:
- Russia
2867. Defense White Papers in the Americas: A Comparative Analysis
- Author:
- John Cope and Laurita Denny
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Abstract:
- In preparation for the October 2000 Defense Ministerial of the Americas (DMA) in Manaus Brazil and at the request of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) studied the global trend toward the creation of Defense White Papers. The study aimed to understand the nature of these documents in order to prepare the U.S. delegation to discuss the tendency in Latin America and the Caribbean during the DMA. The INSS study team found no agreement about what constitutes a 'white paper' other than each is a consensus statement on a topic. The team examined 15 defense documents worldwide and interviewed participants in the development process and independent analysts. The results suggest that the formative, often difficult, process through which governments must move to solidify their approach to national security defense policy, and the structure to implement it and build consensus for it is the essential part of a 'white paper,' providing a constructive experience that benefits the country. Governments tended not to want a template for this process, although at the working level there is some interest in the experience of other states. Defense White Papers become highly stylized nationalistic documents that reflect a state's unique domestic circumstances and international geopolitical situation. The attached chart provides an overview comparison of the Defense White Paper processes of Canada, the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and South Africa. Past efforts by U.S. agencies to design templates have failed.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States, Canada, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Latin America, Caribbean, and Chile
2868. An E-Parliament to Democratize Globalization: An Idea Whose Time Has Come
- Author:
- Robert C. Johansen
- Publication Date:
- 11-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame
- Abstract:
- Human beings have struggled for centuries to gain control of their own destinies, particularly to shape the political decisions that affect their lives. By the late twentieth century, nearly 60 percent of the world's people had achieved democratic governance. But now, because of interdependence and globalization, people living in national democracies have begun to lose their grip on decisions that affect them. Throughout the world, many decisions impacting citizens of one country are made by people living outside their country or by impersonal market forces that are not accountable to anyone and that often subordinate the needs of many people to the prosperity of a few.
- Topic:
- Globalization, Government, and Science and Technology
2869. Social Insurance Regimes: crises and 'reform' in the Argentine and Brazil, since c. 1900
- Author:
- Colin Lewis and Peter Lloyd-Sherlock
- Publication Date:
- 01-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Abstract:
- The paper examines the structural and organisational problems of social insurance systems in Brazil and the Argentine in order to illuminate current debates about pension 'reform'. Much of the present discussion depicts social insurance 'crisis' as a modern phenomenon. Similarly, preoccupations about the macroeconomic objectives of reform - profitable pension funds as an adjunct to capital market deepening, about sustainability - the financial viability of systems, and about equity and coverage, are often assumed to be peculiar to the late twentieth century. The papers stresses the generational (or cyclical) nature of crises that have plagued social insurance regimes in both countries. It also identifies what may be learnt from differences, as well as similarities, between the two systems - not least the relatively larger historic role the private sector and earlier substantive provision for rural workers in Brazil. Following an appraisal of different 'models' (individual 'capitalised' accounts versus pay-as-you-go schemes and monopolistic state systems versus pluralistic/competitive arrangements), the paper concludes with an evaluation of the administrative and financial stability of current schemes.
- Topic:
- Economics, Government, and Industrial Policy
- Political Geography:
- Brazil, Argentina, South America, and Latin America
2870. Understand What States Need To Protect Water Quality
- Author:
- John J. Kirlin, Jesus Garza, and Robert C. Shinn
- Publication Date:
- 12-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The National Academy of Public Administration
- Abstract:
- The scope of water quality program s has grown tremendously since the Clean Water Act (CWA) was first enacted in 1972. But federal funding to the states—which are responsible for most of the day-to-day implementation of these programs —has not kept pace. While it has been widely recognized that state water program s lacked sufficient resources to carry out their responsibilities, the size of the funding gap has been unknown.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Government, Industrial Policy, and International Organization
2871. A Review of the Joint Base Operations and Support Contract Kennedy Space Center/45th Space Wing
- Publication Date:
- 10-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The National Academy of Public Administration
- Abstract:
- At the request of the Air Force Space Command and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Academy of Public Administration (Academy) reviewed contractor performance of the Joint Base Operations and Support Contract (J- BOSC), which carries out base operations and support functions for the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and the 45th Space Wing (45 SW) in Florida.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Government, Industrial Policy, and International Organization
2872. Scientific Research at the Smithsonian Institution
- Author:
- James E. Colvard, C. William Fischer, Adam Jr. Herbert, Delores Parron, Maxine Singer, and Jerry R. Schubel
- Publication Date:
- 10-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The National Academy of Public Administration
- Abstract:
- The Smithsonian Institution is a unique organization, established in 1846 “for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.” It has grown over the years and is now composed of 16 museums and galleries, the National Zoo, and numerous research facilities in the United States and abroad. The Smithsonian participates in the annual federal budget process to receive funding though the federal appropriations process. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2001, it received 57 percent of its funding through federal appropriation. The remainder came from government grants and contracts, contributions and private grants, business ventures, and investment earnings.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Government, Industrial Policy, and International Organization
- Political Geography:
- United States
2873. The Field Directorate of the Bureau of the Census
- Author:
- Kenneth S. Apfel, Melissa Allen, Robert M. Alloway, Alan L. Dean, and Richard L. Fogel
- Publication Date:
- 07-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The National Academy of Public Administration
- Abstract:
- The Field Directorate is the Census Bureau's principal operating arm, responsible for the collection and dissemination of data for decennial censuses and for a wide variety of surveys conducted during decennial and intercensal years (i.e., those years between decennial censuses). The Census Bureau conducts non - decennial surveys using its own funds and those received on a reimbursable basis, primarily for other federal agencies. These economic and demographic surveys are a major source of work and funding for the Bureau and the Field Directorate during intercensal years. Presently, the largest and most visible one is the Current Population Survey, a monthly demographic survey of about 70,000 households, conducted for the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Government, Industrial Policy, and International Organization
2874. Courts, Congress, And Constituencies: Managing Fisheries By Default
- Author:
- Mary A. Gade, Terry D. Garcia, Jonathan B. Howes, Theodore M. Schad, and Susan Shipman
- Publication Date:
- 07-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The National Academy of Public Administration
- Abstract:
- In 1976, the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act established the first federal system to govern fishing in the then newly - declared 200 - mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). This management system was uniquely participatory, composed of representatives of states, recreational and commercial fishers, and the federal government. It was organized into eight regional councils that were charged with developing fishery management plans (FMPs), in coordination with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and subject to NMFS review and approval. The councils were established to meet the goals of conserving fishery resources and promoting the U.S. commercial and recreational fishing industry. Under a set of statutory standards, the councils were tasked to make the major management decisions, such as the size of the allowable catch, the length of the fishing season, the allocation of any quotas to states and fishers, and permitting/licensing provisions.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Government, Industrial Policy, and International Organization
- Political Geography:
- United States
2875. Strengthening Senior Leadership In the U.S. Government: Phase I Report
- Author:
- Sandra J. Hale, Patricia W. Ingraham, Ralph C. Bledsoe, Constance J. Horner, Gilda H. Lambert, and David M. Walker
- Publication Date:
- 12-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The National Academy of Public Administration
- Abstract:
- Since its creation in 1978, the Senior Executive Service (SES) has undergone wide - ranging assessments and analyses from a variety of sources. The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO), Grace Commission, Packard Panel, and National Performance Review have addressed SES structural, systemic, and operational issues. In 1998, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) raised these issues anew in a broad review about SES' future, and whether SES selection, development, and management produce the executives needed to meet the leadership challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century. This work led to policy improvements and set the stage for legislative proposals. However, the review did not show stakeholder consensus on several pivotal areas for effecting change in SES structure and composition. As a result, OPM was encouraged to lead a more comprehensive assessment of structure and composition to identify appropriate changes that would enhance overall accountability.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Government, Industrial Policy, and International Organization
- Political Geography:
- United States
2876. Models For Change: Efforts By Four States To Address Environmental Justice
- Author:
- Jonathan B. Howes, Philip Rutledge, A. James Barnes, Jonathan Howes, Valerie Lemmie, David Mora, James Murley, and Eddie Williams
- Publication Date:
- 06-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The National Academy of Public Administration
- Abstract:
- In October 2001, the Office of Environmental Justice at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asked the National Academy of Public Administration (the Academy) to study a selected group of state environmental justice programs and identify opportunities for states to address environmental justice concerns more effectively. This study complements a prior Academy effort that analyzed how environmental justice could be incorporated into EPA's permitting programs for air, waste, and water and contributed to EPA's five - step strategy for integrating environmental justice into its permits.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Government, Industrial Policy, and International Organization
- Political Geography:
- United States
2877. Citizen Participation and Economic Development
- Author:
- Marcela Tribble, Terry F. Buss, and Stevens F. Redburn
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The National Academy of Public Administration
- Abstract:
- The past decade witnessed an increased interest among policy-makers, scholars, and advocates in expanding and deepening citizen participation processes, particularly in community and economic development activities. The Bush Administration, early on in its tenure, philosophized about the idea of a “citizen centric” government. The Clinton Administration, under the leadership of Vice-President Al Gore, worked on numerous citizen participation initiatives as part of its “reinventing government” program. Scholars, most notably, Robert Putnam, in books like Bowling Alone (2001), called attention to the decline in civil society. Redburn and Buss, in their monograph, Modernizing Democracy, called attention to the power of new information technology, and the Internet to engage citizens in public life in more sophisticated ways, and outlined a program to accomplish this goal. Advocates, like the Orton Family Foundation, have invested heavily in development and marketing of software—CommunityViz—to improve the quality of citizen deliberations on community and economic development policy and programming (www.communityviz.com). Representatives from neighborhood groups, the planning profession foundations, think tanks and universities met in Tampa in January 2002 to form a national association to raise the visibility of and expand opportunities for citizen participation in building communities (www.PlaceMatters.com). Hundreds of websites on citizen participation now dot the Internet landscape (e.g., www.democracyinnovations.org).
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Government, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- United States
2878. Making The World Intellectual Property Organization An Employer Of Choice
- Publication Date:
- 03-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The National Academy of Public Administration
- Abstract:
- As the world enters the 21st Century, intellectual property plays an increasingly vital role on the international stage. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has enhanced the worldwide importance of intellectual property, while the rapid growth of activities in this field has heightened WIPO's prominence. At the same time, this trend has triggered a major challenge for the organization: the need to build and maintain a high quality workforce capable of meeting and leading the global expansion.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Government, Industrial Policy, and International Organization
2879. The Argentine Implosion
- Author:
- Luigi Manzetti
- Publication Date:
- 11-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The North-South Center, University of Miami
- Abstract:
- In December 2001, Argentina recorded the world's largest default ever, as it failed to honor payments on its US$132 billion foreign debt. Since then, five presidents have been in power, the Argentine peso has been devalued by 120 percent, and the banking system has virtually collapsed, dragging the economy into a depression. The gross domestic product (GDP) contracted 16.3 percent in the first quarter of 2002. Argentina's per capita income has become one of the worst in Latin America, and, as a result, more than one-third of its people live under the poverty line. 1 Argentines' confidence in their elected officials has disappeared. By most accounts, the country has literally imploded to a degree that has no precedent in Latin America's contemporary history. This is particularly bewildering, considering that only 10 years ago Argentina was hailed around the world as a model of successful economic reforms, with standards of living that were not only the highest in the region but comparable to those of some southern European countries. How could Argentina go from role model to international outcast so quickly? Some place the blame on external shocks created by the financial crises in Mexico (1995), Indonesia (1997), Thailand (1998), and Russia (1998). Others say the cause of the problem was misguided policy advice from the International Monetary Fund (Stiglitz 2002). Yet, most analyses ascribe much of the trouble to the Convertibility Law's fixed exchange rate policy adopted in 1991.
- Topic:
- Economics, Government, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Indonesia, Argentina, South America, Latin America, Mexico, and Thailand
2880. The Dominican Republic's 2000 Presidential Election: The U.S. Role in Supporting the Process
- Author:
- Kevin Michael O'Reilly
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The North-South Center, University of Miami
- Abstract:
- Dominicans elected Rafael Hipólito Mejía Domínguez their president on May 16, 2000. He took office on August 16, 2000. Mejía, the candidate of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Dominicano — PRD), won 1,593,231 votes or 49.87 percent of the ballots cast in an essentially three-way race with Danilo Medina of the Party of Dominican Liberation (Partido de la Liberación Dominicana — PLD) and former President Joaquín Balaguer of the Social Christian Reformist Party (Partido Reformista Social Cristiano — PRSC). Medina won 24.94 percent of the vote (796,923) to finish second, with Balaguer only fractions of a percentage point behind, at 24.60 percent (785,926). Turnout, at just over 76 percent, was high by historical standards. Although two shooting deaths marred the campaign's closing days, relatively little violence accompanied the voting compared to previous Dominican elections. Since 1994, Dominican electoral law had called for a runoff between the top two vote winners if no candidate passed the 50-percent-plus-one mark, but Medina conceded on May 17, after Balaguer acknowledged that he could not deliver the entire PRSC vote to the PLD in a second round of voting. Balaguer announced, “For the good of the country, we waive our right to participate in a second round.” The country's Central Electoral Board (Junta Central Electoral — JCE) certified Mejía's victory on May 18, 2000.
- Topic:
- Government, Human Rights, and International Law
- Political Geography:
- United States, Latin America, and Caribbean
2881. The U.S. Engagement with Colombia: Legitimate State Authority and Human Rights
- Author:
- Gabriel Marcella
- Publication Date:
- 03-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The North-South Center, University of Miami
- Abstract:
- September 11, 2001, reshaped international relations and had a profound impact on the strategic equation in Colombia. The challenge of what U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld called “draining the swamp” of terrorism with global links resonated deeply in Bogotá and among the insurgent forces: the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia — FARC), the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional — ELN), and the paramilitaries, among them, the United Self- defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia — AUC). Though these groups already appeared on the U.S. State Department's list of terrorist organizations, as of 9/11 they formed part of a broader international threat assessment. Two weeks into 2002, an ill-conceived “peace process,” initiated by President Andrés Pastrana with the FARC in 1999, was r esuscitated at the last minute before an impending military offensive by the government against the FARC was started. President Pastrana, “risking all for peace,” had extended himself, his negotiators, and his government's credibility as far as he could for three years — with nothing to show for such extensive efforts other than his administration's and the Colombian citizens' frustration and virtual surrender to the FARC of national sovereignty over a demilitarized zone ( despeje ) the size of Switzerland, located in San Vicente del Caguán, an area south of Bogotá.
- Topic:
- Government, Human Rights, and International Law
- Political Geography:
- United States, Colombia, South America, and Latin America
2882. Evolution of Coastal Management in Panama
- Author:
- Daniel Suman
- Publication Date:
- 09-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The North-South Center, University of Miami
- Abstract:
- A window of opportunity for integrated coastal management (ICM) may exist in Panama as the new century begins. Panama emerged from a period of political instability in the 1990s and began the new century with full political control over its most important resource – the Panama Canal. A major institutional reorganization in the late 1990s merged a number of agencies with authority in the coastal and marine areas into the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) and expanded the responsibilities of the marine resource directorate to include marine and coastal resources. This reorganization occurred with the adoption of new legislation that clearly recognizes the importance of ICM. Concurrent with the formation of the Maritime Authority, the Legislature of Panama passed the General Environmental Law and created the National Environment Authority (ANAM). Despite these positive developments, institutional change has been slow. Sectoral management of coastal resources continues. Interagency coordination remains deficient, and no formal coastal coordination mechanism exists. Legislation is contradictory and confusing, and the new laws only add to the confusion. As coastal environmental quality continues to degrade and conflicts between sectors increase, the AMP's marine and coastal directorate must strengthen its institutional role and take the initiative in the development of a meaningful ICM effort in Panama. This manuscript analyzes the evolution of Panamanian institutions and legal frameworks related to coastal areas and highlights themes that are ripe for future action.
- Topic:
- Environment and Government
2883. Democracy and the Future of Civil-Military Relations in Chile: An Exercise in Historical Comparison
- Author:
- Felipe Agüero
- Publication Date:
- 05-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The North-South Center, University of Miami
- Abstract:
- The years since the return of democracy in Chile in 1990 have been quite stressful in the area of civil-military relations. How will these relations develop in the future, and how will they affect the quality of Chilean democracy? While it is safe to say that tension in these relations will eventually subside, the manner in which this happens and the specific path that these relations take will heavily influence the nature of Chile's democratic regime. To address this question, I propose to focus on trends that emerged before the disquieting circumstances of the past decade and the immediate present. I submit that, in the domain of civil-military relations, an approach grounded in historical comparison is the proper strategy for a sound assessment of future trends.
- Topic:
- Democratization and Government
2884. The Effectiveness of Special Interventions in Latin American Public Primary Schools
- Author:
- Joan B. Anderson
- Publication Date:
- 05-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The North-South Center, University of Miami
- Abstract:
- In pursuit of improved quality and more equity in education, public primary schools in Latin America have utilized several compensatory educational policies that include special interventions such as food aid programs, distribution of free textbooks, classroom libraries, in-service teacher training, extra classes and extra school sessions, tutors and mentors, and scholarships. Using data on children and schools in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico, this paper presents the results of cross-country, empirical estimates of the effects of these interventions on language and math achievement and on the likelihood of promotion, both at the school level and at the level of individual children. Language and math achievement was measured by scores on UNESCO-developed language and math examinations administered to each of the 2,048 children in the sample. In addition, the paper addresses whether a particular intervention is equally effective in poor and non-poor environments and whether these compensatory interventions in fact target those who need them most. Empirical findings suggest that the most effective programs are classroom libraries, distribution of textbooks, distribution of food, and teacher training. For programs to be compensatory, the research indicates that better targeting of scarce resources toward low-income schools and children is needed
- Topic:
- Development, Education, and Government
- Political Geography:
- Brazil, Argentina, Latin America, Mexico, and Chile
2885. Science/Technology — Ocean Power
- Publication Date:
- 05-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxford Analytica
- Abstract:
- This week's piece examines the prospects for tidal stream and competing offshore renewable energy technologies. Options for exploiting the energy available from the world's oceans include offshore wind, wave and tidal stream energy. Offshore wind is by far the closest to commercial exploitation, but the range of possibilities is surprisingly broad.
- Topic:
- Development, Environment, Government, and Science and Technology
2886. United States — First-Quarter Surge
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxford Analytica
- Abstract:
- First-quarter GDP grew by 5.8%, the US government announced on Friday, 26 April 2002. The high growth figure will provide sustenance for optimists and help support high stock market valuations. However, the contrast with high-profile corporate earnings disappointments, together with a closer look at sources of demand, suggests a far weaker performance in the rest of 2002 and in 2003.
- Topic:
- Economics, Government, and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- United States
2887. International — Pension Funding
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxford Analytica
- Abstract:
- This week's piece is on policy options for pension funding from an intergenerational risk-sharing perspective. Demographic and business-cycle trends point to a shortfall in pension provision for retiring generations over the medium term.
- Topic:
- Demographics, Economics, Government, and International Trade and Finance
2888. International — Market Screening
- Publication Date:
- 02-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxford Analytica
- Abstract:
- The largest US-based pension fund last week listed 13 emerging markets that its fund managers will be allowed to invest in. Investment firms appointed by the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) will actively manage up to one billion dollars in equity investments in 13 countries and unwind CalPERS' equity positions in markets outside them. As a large institutional investor, CalPERS' decisions have an important signalling role for a variety of institutional funds.
- Topic:
- Economics, Government, International Trade and Finance, and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- United States
2889. By How Much Does Conflict Reduce Financial Development?
- Author:
- S. Mansoob Murshed, Tony Addison, and Abdur R. Chowdhury
- Publication Date:
- 05-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- Financial development is vulnerable to social conflict. Conflict reduces the demand for domestic currency as a medium of exchange and a store of value. Conflict also leads to poor quality governance, including weak regulation of the financial system, thereby undermining the sustainability of financial institutions. Conflict therefore reduces the social return to financial liberalization and other financial-sector reforms. This paper presents a theoretical model integrating the effects of conflict and financial liberalization, and then tests the model on data for 79 countries. Using an explanatory variable that measures the intensity of conflict (from low to high) the results show that conflict significantly reduces financial development, and that this negative effect increases as conflict intensifies. The paper concludes that conflict reduction is essential if financial reform is to have its full benefit for development.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Development, Government, and Political Economy
2890. The Macroeconomic Repercussions of Agricultural Shocks and their Implications for Insurance
- Author:
- Paul Collier
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- The paper considers the macroeconomic impact of shocks to agricultural output and of negative and positive price shocks. It is shown that negative price shocks have particularly large externalities: it is estimated that the overall impact of these negative shocks on GDP may well be double their direct impact. In terms of policy, the presence of externalities justifies subsidising the provision of insurance. If insurance is not feasible, then foreign aid may be helpful. Turning to other systemic shocks, it is argued that the macroeconomic consequences of negative output shocks are far less important. Positive price shocks also have substantial macroeconomic externalities via their effect on asset demand. Appropriate central bank policy is crucial and requires a detailed understanding of asset demand changes in response to price shocks. Since this may well be unlikely, dollarization may be a better strategy.
- Topic:
- Economics, Government, and International Trade and Finance
2891. Financial Regulation and Supervision in Emerging Markets. The Experience of Latin America since the Tequila Crisis
- Author:
- Barbara Stallings and Rogerio Studart
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- The paper deals with changes in the regulation and supervision of the Latin American financial sector in the aftermath of the 'Tequila Crisis' of 1994–95. While it finds that both have improved, regulation and supervision cannot resolve all problems; good macroeconomic policy and performance are essential complements. This is especially true because of the procyclical nature of financial activity. The paper presents both regional data for Latin America, contrasting it with other emerging markets, and four country case studies (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico). The latter show how individual country characteristics and experiences affect the operation of the financial systems. We close with some policy recommendations.
- Topic:
- Economics, Emerging Markets, and Government
- Political Geography:
- Brazil, Argentina, South America, Latin America, North America, Mexico, and Chile
2892. Assessing the Impact of Fiscal Policy on Poverty
- Author:
- Andrew McKay
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- Fiscal policy measures are a key means by which governments can influence distribution and poverty, but in fact the relationships between fiscal policy and poverty are not well understood. The most commonly used technique for assessing the distributional impact, benefit incidence analysis, is straightforward, but applied by itself it suffers from a number of serious limitations. Assessment of the impact of fiscal policy needs to be developed in various directions, including allowing for behavioural responses and incorporating a broader range of information. In parallel with this careful attention needs to be paid to more effective monitoring of the poverty impsact of fiscal policy.
- Topic:
- Economics, Government, and International Trade and Finance
2893. Countercyclical Fiscal Policy. A Review of the Literature, Empirical Evidence and some Policy Proposals
- Author:
- Carlos Budnevich L.
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- For many emerging market economies, over reliance on monetary policy may bring worse macro results, when compared to a more balanced framework of countercyclical fiscal and monetary policy. The use of countercyclical fiscal policy requires as a precondition solvent and sustainable fiscal accounts and the re-engineering of fiscal institutions to increase the timeliness and flexibility of fiscal policy. A higher degree of tax or pension fund and/or unemployment insurance contribution flexibility may help in economies subject to significant external shocks. Automatic indexing rules to terms of trade or country risk spreads for pension contributions and interest payments on public debt may also contribute to the stabilization effort. If fiscal revenues are highly volatile, structural budget rules and commodity stabilization funds may provide the necessary framework to achieve saving (dissaving) during expansions (contractions).
- Topic:
- Economics, Government, and International Trade and Finance
2894. Aid, Public Sector Fiscal Behaviour and Developing Country Debt
- Author:
- Mark McGillivray and Simon Feeny
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- This paper looks at public sector debt in developing countries, being concerned specifically with the relationship between aid inflows and the public sector borrowing requirement net of aid loans. After examining the public sector budget constraint and various conditions under which aid might lead to an increase in this borrowing, the paper surveys the empirical results of literature on aid and public sector fiscal behaviour. It finds that the results of a number of studies are consistent with aid leading to increases in this borrowing. Further investigation, in the form of econometric analysis of panel data, also points to this outcome. The paper then looks at a number of theoretical scenarios in which aid leads to increases in borrowing net of aid loans.
- Topic:
- Economics, Government, and International Trade and Finance
2895. Producing an Improved Geographic Profile of Poverty: Methodology and Evidence from Three Developing Countries
- Author:
- Chris Elbers, Peter Lanjouw, Johan Mistiaen, Gabriel Demombynes, Jenny Lanjouw, and Berk Özler
- Publication Date:
- 03-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- This paper implements a methodology for estimating poverty in Ecuador, Madagascar and South Africa, at levels of disaggregation that to date have not generally been available. The methodology is based on a statistical procedure to combine household survey data with population census data, imputing into the latter a measure of per capita consumption from the former. The countries are very unlike each other—with different geographies, stages of development, quality and types of data, and so on. Yet the paper demonstrates that in all three countries the poverty estimates produced from census data are both plausible (in that they match well stratum-level estimates calculated directly from the household surveys) and satisfactorily precise (at a level of disaggregation far below that allowed by household surveys).
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Government, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- South Africa
2896. Fiscal Policy, Growth and Poverty Reduction in Uganda
- Author:
- Steve Kayizzi-Mugerwa
- Publication Date:
- 03-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- After more than a decade of economic decline and civil war, Uganda was able to return to economic growth thanks to the policies pursued by Museveni's National Resistance Movement which elicited considerable donor support. They include macroeconomic reforms, public sector restructuring, privatisation and decentralization, all with emphasis on poverty reduction. The government recognises that fiscal policy is the key to success and much effort has, in the past decade, gone towards fiscal reforms and the improvement of institutional capacities. Still, in a country with limited finances and a thin tax base the competition for resources has been stiff. While the government has been able to embark on initiatives such as universal primary education, thanks to an improved revenue base and donor support, the decentralization drive is hindered by serious fiscal constraints at the local level.
- Topic:
- Development, Government, and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- Uganda and Africa
2897. Welfare Implications of Fiscal Reform: The Case of Food Subsidies in India
- Author:
- Sonia Bhalotra
- Publication Date:
- 03-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- This paper investigates the effect of a food subsidy programme in India on child malnutrition by addressing the following linked questions using household survey data that includes information on usage of the public distribution system. First, does the food subsidy induce higher expenditures on food? Second, are there gender inequalities in the distribution of food within the household, and in the gains from the food subsidy? Third, does food spending impact on child health? Is this effect similar for boys and girls and in the short and the medium term? These questions are of interest with respect to the unusually high incidence of malnutrition in India, and they are topical in the context of current and controversial reform of the public distribution system through which the food subsidy operates.
- Topic:
- Development and Government
- Political Geography:
- South Asia and India
2898. Why isn't there more Financial Intermediation in Developing Countries?
- Author:
- Jonathan Conning and Michael Kevane
- Publication Date:
- 02-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- This paper proposes to organize thinking about the opportunities for improving and extending financial markets and safety nets for the poor, by focusing on factors that may explain why the linkage of local financial networks and safety nets with the larger economy often fails or is incomplete. Understanding the nature of these impediments is the first step in proposing policies to help promote more effective linkage and intermediation. We propose four explanations for the slowness of adoption of intermediation (high costs of delegated monitoring aggravated by limited intermediary capital; lock-in and crowding out effects from local insurance arrangements, social norms against cooperation with intermediaries; and political resistance to new institutions that shift the balance of power in local polities). Of course, financial repression and weak legal systems remains important as cause of lack of intermediation. We conclude with a review of public policy for more effective intermediation.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, and Government
2899. Insolvency and Debt Recovery Procedures in Economic Development: An Overview of African Law
- Author:
- Clas Wihlborg
- Publication Date:
- 02-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- Insolvency and debt recovery procedures are as crucial to a well-performing financial sector as credit provision itself. They are even more important in Africa, where attempts are underway to create fully-fledged financial markets. For the financial system to be credible, creditors must be ensured that lenders will meet their obligations and that cases against them will be brought to closure. A good legal framework for insolvency also ensures distressed firms a form of orderly exit, thereby enabling their owners to start afresh. However, institutions of this nature take time to take effect, and need to be supported politically and by reforms in other sectors of the economy.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, and Government
- Political Geography:
- Africa
2900. The Gradual Erosion of the Social Security Function of Customary Land Tenure Arrangements in Lineage-Based Societies
- Author:
- Jean-Philippe Platteau
- Publication Date:
- 02-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- Customary rules governing access to land and other natural resources in village societies have characteristics that allow them to fulfil social security functions and achieve equity objectives. This is true of both common-property resources and land parcels held under individualized tenure. However, when land pressure increases under the combined influences of population growth and market integration, a shift occurs from extensive to intensive resource use patterns. As a result, the efficiency costs of erstwhile equity-and insurance-oriented arrangements rise, thus forcing them to evolve significantly. In particular, land tenure arrangements undergo a major transformation towards more individualized forms with the consequence that property rights in land are increasingly defined without regard for equity and insurance concerns.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, and Government