Publication Year: within 5 Years - CIAO Search Results

16051. Northern Ireland’s 100th Birthday

Author:: Brendan O'Leary
Publication Date:: 09-2021
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Institution:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Abstract:: On 23 December 2020, Northern Ireland turned one hundred years old— that is, if its birthday is dated by the ratification of the Government of Ireland Act by King George V. Officially titled “An Act for the better Government of Ireland,” it became known to Irish nationalists and republicans as the partition act.1 The U.K. Parliament passed the act without a single vote in its favor from a member of Parliament elected in Ireland. The proposed British “solution” to Ireland’s right to self-determination was the invention of two Irelands, “Northern Ireland” and “Southern Ireland,” each scheduled to be a devolved government within the Union of Great Britain and Ireland. The proposal was enacted during what we Irish call the “War of Independence.”2
Topic:: Politics, History, and Territorial Disputes
Political Geography:: Europe and North Ireland

16052. An Unfinished Revolution: The Trajectory of Thailand’s Current Protests

Author:: Pavin Chachavalpongpun
Publication Date:: 03-2021
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Institution:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Abstract:: This essay investigates the ongoing protests demanding monarchical reform in Thailand. Since July 2020, protestors have strived to place constraints on the monarchy back into the constitution in response to the increasingly unrestrained power of King Maha Vajiralongkorn.1 As part of this effort, protesters proposed a crucial ten-point demand for immediate reform. The demonstrations were driven by several factors, including the generational shift, the evolution of social media, and the interconnectedness with other movements in the region.2 After months of protests, however, Vajiralongkorn has continued to ignore the popular call for change. Instead, he has undermined protests through violent crackdowns, legal measures, and online censorship. The crown is now on the defensive.3 It has become the battle of the century—the outcome of which may take Thailand back to the absolute monarchy of the past or toward a modern republic. The concept of a constitutional monarchy in Thailand has remained elusive since its inception in 1932. Today, such an arrangement is intolerable to many Thais.
Topic:: Social Movement, Reform, Protests, and Monarchy
Political Geography:: Thailand and Southeast Asia

16053. The Rise and Fall of Golden Dawn: Organized Racism Suffered a Great Defeat in Greece—But the Fight is Far from Over

Author:: Eleni Takou
Publication Date:: 03-2021
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Institution:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Abstract:: Golden Dawn was already a violent, marginal, neo-Nazi group in the 1980s. But how did it become a regulator of Greece’s political life? The economic crisis that plagued Greek society in 2010, the lack of a consistent migration policy, as well as the state’s (and other institutional actors’) reluctance to acknowledge its extreme far-right past and address xenophobia and racist crime, led to the group’s consolidation. In 2010, Golden Dawn gained a seat on the Athens municipal council. In the 2012 general election, it took almost 7 percent of the vote, electing 21 MPs.1 Many mark this as the starting point of Golden Dawn’s presence in Greece; however, this approach alone leads to a narrow and historically inac- curate interpretation of extremist far-right violence in Greece.
Topic:: Elections, Far Right, Racism, and Golden Dawn
Political Geography:: Europe and Greece

16054. Contemporary Challenges to Global Democracy

Author:: Erica Frantz
Publication Date:: 03-2021
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Institution:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Abstract:: Today’s democracies are under threat. According to the watchdog organiza- tion Freedom House, each year of the past decade has seen a decline in global democracy.1 Importantly, many of these declines have occurred in wealthier and more established democracies, which scholars have typically considered resistant to democratic backsliding. In some instances, these erosions have left democracies weakened, such as in India and the United States; however, in other instances, they have led to complete democratic collapse and the emergence of authoritarianism, such as in Turkey and Serbia.
Topic:: Governance, Democracy, Dictatorship, Political Crisis, and Autocracy
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16055. Are European Migration Policies Racist?

Author:: Pastore Ferruccio
Publication Date:: 03-2021
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Institution:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Abstract:: Are European migration policies racist? In times of spreading politiciza- tion of any migration-related issue, such a question may sound rhetorical and partisan. It is not; or at least, not necessarily. Millions of actual and potential migrants and a growing number of decision-makers in migrant-sending countries are earnestly asking this question or close variants of it. If only for this reason, this question becomes a relevant factor in international relations and, as such, it requires evidence-based answers. To answer this question, some historical background is needed. This is why I will start with a brief appraisal of the transition from the colonial to the post- colonial migration regimes of European countries. In particular, I will consider migration policies adopted toward Africa, which forms the key empirical case for my investigation.
Topic:: Migration, History, Colonialism, and Racism
Political Geography:: Europe

16056. Racism, a Challenge For An Increasingly Global China: Confronting a Problem the PRC Does Not Know it Has

Author:: Bonnie Girard
Publication Date:: 03-2021
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Institution:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Abstract:: As I lay on a gurney in an examining room in Peking Union Medical College Hospital (Xiehe Yiyuan) in central Beijing—pleading with the doctor to give me something, anything for the pain coursing through my head—I could not help but wonder why it was taking so long for hospital staff to give me relief. The diagnosis could come later, I thought, but right now I want either morphine or a gun. The year was 1990. Martial law imposed on Beijing during the aftermath of the massacre that occurred as the culmination of the Tiananmen Square demon- strations of 1989, had only just been lifted five months earlier. The city remained on edge. We were quickly approaching the 1 October Chinese National Day holiday, which would typically celebrate the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) with fanfare and tens of thousands of people in Tiananmen Square itself. The tanks sent to break up the student protests months earlier had rolled by on East Chang’an Avenue only 800 meters away; doctors and nurses in Peking Union had treated survivors and dealt with the dead.
Topic:: Inequality, Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and Racism
Political Geography:: China and Asia

16057. Frontiers and Borders: The Internet and the Amplification of Illiberalism

Author:: Edward Greenspon
Publication Date:: 03-2021
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Institution:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Abstract:: In March 1985, on winter break from graduate studies in Britain, I visited my first illiberal and non-democratic country. It was a fortuitous moment to be dropping in on the mothership of the alternative system, the Soviet Union, that had provided decades of dystopian fodder for the likes of Orwell, Solzhenitsyn, Koestler, and Kundera. Mikhail Gorbachev had been named General Secretary of the Communist Party two weeks earlier. His photo, with the famous red wine birthmark on his forehead, adorned the cover of the Time magazine I picked up at Heathrow airport. Although some of our reading material was confiscated on arrival, the Gorby cover slipped through. A couple of evenings in, a group of us gathered outside Leningrad’s Winter Palace, once the home of the czars and a key venue in the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. We met three young Russians. It was my birthday. They invited us back to their apartment to listen to “underground” music, drink vodka, and talk.
Topic:: Internet, Borders, and Illiberalism
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16058. Absolutely Corrupted: The Rise of an Illiberal System and The Future of Hungarian Democracy

Author:: Anna Júlia Donáth
Publication Date:: 03-2021
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Institution:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Abstract:: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”1 Lord John Dalberg-Acton’s words should not be relevant in the era of modern democracy, when political power is distributed and filtered through the institu- tions of checks and balances. Absolute power should simply be off the table. Yet, as shown by the events unfolding in Hungary in the last decade, democratic institutions can be transformed into mere façades that obscure the grim reality of unchecked power in the hands of one person. In the case of Hungary, this man is Viktor Orbán, the leader of Hungary’s dominant right-wing party.
Topic:: Corruption, Democracy, Far Right, and Illiberalism
Political Geography:: Europe and Hungary

16059. Academic Freedom: A Test and a Tool for Illiberalism, Neoliberalism, and Liberal Democracy

Author:: András L. Pap
Publication Date:: 03-2021
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Institution:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Abstract:: Using the case study of Hungary, this article investigates the status and role of academic freedom in (neo)liberal democracies and illiberal regimes. Here, academic freedom is gauged in three dimensions: teaching, research, and publishing (cultivated at research institutes and universities). The inquiry begins with an overview of academic freedom under Viktor Orbán’s Hungary. This case study provides a snapshot of how academic freedom can be curtailed in a hybrid illiberal regime. The article’s second half provides an assessment of the three contextual dimensions through which the case study may be relevant—particularly for a social science and international affairs audience. The first context shows how the second phase of emerging authoritarian regimes target cultural life as a soft tool to cement and solidify illiberalism once the capture of constitutional institu- tions has been accomplished. The second context refers to the role and ambition of international instruments to sustain autocracies in the making. The case of the Hungarian government’s entanglement with the European Union (EU), Council of Europe’s Venice Commission, and the European Court of Human Rights documents the institutional inability of multilevel constitutional organs to administer ex-post restorative constitutional justice. It also points to the ten- dency of these organs to experiment with “Al Capone”-like judicial strategies in referring to the breach of equal treatment and General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) commitments to disguise inadequate rule of law shortcomings.
Topic:: Democracy, Neoliberalism, Illiberalism, and Academic Freedom
Political Geography:: Europe and Hungary

16060. The Two Sources of the Illiberal Turn in Brazil

Author:: Afonso de Albuquerque
Publication Date:: 03-2021
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Institution:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Abstract:: In the early 2010s, the consolidation of Brazilian democracy seemed a well- established fact. Although far from perfect, the prospects for Brazil’s future looked bright. The economy was booming, and Brazil appeared to be on the verge of assuming a more prominent role in international politics. A few years later, Brazil’s fortune has reversed dramatically. In 2018, far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro won the Brazilian presidential election. Nostalgic for the military dictatorship that governed the country from 1964 to 1985, Bolsonaro has cham- pioned an anti-human rights agenda. Throughout his tenure, he has minimized the COVID-19 health crisis,1 denied the existence of climate change, and used his platform to spread disinformation.2 He often attacks the National Congress, Supreme Court, and press. Bolsonaro has even threatened these entities, argu- ing he has the Armed Forces and the people on his side. How did this happen?
Topic:: Democracy, Institutions, Jair Bolsonaro, and Illiberalism
Political Geography:: Brazil and South America

16061. Iraqi Police: A Hard Place Between State and Society

Author:: Afzal Ashraf
Publication Date:: 03-2021
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Institution:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Abstract:: Experts suggest that a police force should closely reflect its state’s constitution and its societal fabric.1 It follows, therefore, that the design of a new policing system or the reform of an old one will be affected by the ideas and the realities of power within the state and by the nature of its society. Nowhere are these principles more visible than in the reconstruction of a post–conflict country. The underlying assumption in such situations is that police reform is a fundamental element of conflict management because a police force, supported by society, can mitigate insecurity and play a significant part in the economic and political development of a country.2 This assumption has one fundamental flaw. For a police force to help deliver security and development in a post–conflict situation, there should exist at least a modicum of security and economic and political development. This “chicken and egg” situation is most starkly evident in the attempts to reform the police service following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. The security sector reform programs in Iraq, of which police reform is a component, not only challenge some assumptions upon which international development is based, but also provide potential insights into the relationship between the police, power, economic security, and society in general. These relationships could also apply to developed countries as their political and eco- nomic systems are challenged or changed by global events.
Topic:: Development, State, Police, Society, and Post-Conflict
Political Geography:: Iraq and Middle East

16062. To Be Served and Protected: Israeli Arab Citizens and the Police

Author:: Guy Ben-Porat
Publication Date:: 03-2021
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Institution:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Abstract:: In January 2021, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a visit to Umm al-Fahm, an Arab city in the north of Israel. The visit, officially celebrating the country’s millionth COVID-19 vaccine recipient, also had a political purpose: winning the forthcoming elections in March 2021. For the first time, Netanyahu and the Likud party hoped to gain support from Israel’s Arab citizens. Among Netanyahu’s promises of economic betterment was a commitment to fight ris- ing crime and violence in Arab cities. He pledged “a comprehensive plan” with the primary goal of constructing more police stations “because a dense network of police stations creates more security.” Going further, he added that he “also want[ed] more intelligence, more officers, and more means [of enforcement].” Netanyahu declared himself “first and foremost committed to the rule of law and safety for citizens.”1
Topic:: Human Rights, Inequality, Citizenship, Rule of Law, and Police
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, and Palestine

16063. The National Police Service and Nigeria’s Woes

Author:: John Campbell
Publication Date:: 03-2021
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Institution:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Abstract:: In October 2020, a viral video showed an officer from the Special Anti- Robbery Squad (SARS), a notoriously brutal Nigerian police unit, killing an unarmed civilian. Following credible reports by human rights organizations about a string of extrajudicial killings by police, this video sparked spontaneous demonstrations in Lagos. The video was widely circulated and the demonstrations spread to other cities. These protests reached a nadir when the police killed at least 12 unarmed demonstrators at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos on 20 October; human rights groups maintain that the number killed was far greater.1
Topic:: Human Rights, Governance, Police, and Police Brutality
Political Geography:: Africa and Nigeria

16064. Policing and Violence: The Less Visible Harms of Policing Practices

Author:: Cecilia Menjívar
Publication Date:: 03-2021
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Institution:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Abstract:: In recent years, pervasive physical violence perpetrated by police forces across the world has come to light. From São Paulo to Cape Town, from Hong Kong to every major U.S. city, the public has witnessed—mostly through media images—policing through the use of excessive force, such as beatings, assaults, false arrests, verbal abuse, and terrorization. These acts shock us and may even make us feel unsafe. However, they are not directed toward all groups equally. The experiences of Black people fighting for justice in the United States; poor residents protesting extreme social inequality in Ecuador and Chile; Muslims in India facing violence for their religious beliefs; women in Mexico City and Santiago protesting gender-based violence; and anti-government protesters in Hong Kong demonstrate a clear pattern: vulnerable groups who oppose the state or its policies, or who seek to redress past state violence, are the primary targets of police violence.
Topic:: Human Rights, Inequality, Violence, Police, and Police Brutality
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16065. Bolstering Surveillance for a Pandemic

Author:: Jennifer Nuzzo
Publication Date:: 03-2021
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Institution:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Abstract:: The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the world’s vulnerabilities to pandemics, and the inadequacies of existing surveillance infrastructure and data to help us respond to them. At both the national and global level, insufficient abilities to rapidly identify and characterize the emergence of new pathogens; adequately diagnose and enumerate infected individuals; analyze trends in CO- VID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths; evaluate the impact of public health interventions; track essential supplies; and monitor COVID-19’s development have hindered global effectiveness in stopping its spread. Historically, the answers to these questions have been sought from human clinical and public health sources, such as patients’ diagnostic test results and demographic information. However, as COVID-19 has demonstrated, the human health data available are often insufficient, and the management and response to a complex pandemic also requires data from other sectors, such as businesses, news, and social media; animal health and environmental organizations; and defense, law enforcement, and intelligence. These challenges are not unique to the COVID-19 pandemic and will likely be encountered again in the future unless national governments and international agencies act to improve surveillance capabilities.
Topic:: National Security, Infrastructure, Surveillance, Pandemic, and COVID-19
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16066. When Local Politics Go Global: How Erdoğan’s Dominance At Home Allowed Him To Reshape Turkey’s Neighborhood

Author:: Ayla Jean Yackley
Publication Date:: 03-2021
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Institution:: Brown Journal of World Affairs
Abstract:: At a lavish ceremony last year commemorating a millennium-old Turk- ish victory over Byzantine forces, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a warning to his adversaries: heed the lesson of the medieval battle or risk devas- tation for challenging Turkey. Turkey had recently dispatched warships to hunt for hydrocarbons in internationally recognized Greek waters.1 The maneuver thrust the two NATO members into a dangerous confrontation that unnerved both the European Union and the United States.
Topic:: Foreign Policy, Politics, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Regional Power
Political Geography:: Turkey and Middle East

16067. German Economy Winter 2021: Recovery temporarily on hold

Author:: Martin Ademmer, Dominik Groll, Nils Jannsen, Saskia Meuchelbock, Jens Boysen-Hogrefe, Nils Sonnenberg, and Stefan Kooths
Publication Date:: 12-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW)
Abstract:: The recovery of the German economy is interrupted once again. In the winter, the new Covid-19 wave will particularly hit activity in contact-intensive service sectors as in previous waves. As a result, there will be a setback in private consumer spending and probably also small declines in GDP. To the extent that the burdens of the pandemic ease in the spring, a strong recovery will set in, similar to the pattern observed this year. Economic momentum will likely be particularly high as the supply bottlenecks, which are massively dampening industrial production in this year, are expected to ease. Overall, the renewed slowdown in the recovery process caused by the pandemic will probably be larger than we had expected in our autumn economic outlook. However, the setback will be not as severe as last winter. In 2022, GDP will probably increase by 4 percent and thus less strongly than we had expected three months ago (5.1 percent). For 2023, we revise GDP growth upwards to 3.3 percent (autumn outlook: 2.3 percent). This year, GDP will increase by 2.6 percent. Inflation will remain high for the time being, also because supply bottlenecks continue to increase manufacturing costs and tighten the supply of consumer goods. At the same time, private households have accumulated additional savings of around 200 billion euros since the beginning of the pandemic and therefore have a rather high willingness to pay. Consumer price inflation will probably be around 3 percent both this and next year, before easing again in 2023. The public budget deficit will fall noticeably from 3.8 percent in relation to GDP in 2021 to 1.8 percent in 2022 due to the reduced burden of the pandemic. However, the budgets are still expected to close with a deficit of 1.4 percent in 2023.
Topic:: Economics, GDP, Pandemic, and COVID-19
Political Geography:: Europe and Germany

16068. World Economy Autumn 2021: Stumbling blocks on the road to recovery

Author:: Klaus-Jurgen Gern, Ulrich Stolzenburg, Stefan Kooths, and Philipp Hauber
Publication Date:: 09-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW)
Abstract:: The global recovery has lost momentum in the first half of 2021 amid new surges of Covid-19 cases and supply chain disruptions. We still expect world production to rebound strongly after the historic collapse in the previous year but we have lowered our forecast for global GDP growth from 6.7 percent to 5.9 percent. At the same time we are now slightly more upbeat for the coming year with global production expected to grow by 5 percent (June forecast: 4.8 percent). With the economy gradually slowing towards the end of the forecast horizon, we expect still relatively strong annual growth of 3.8 percent in 2023. Consumer price inflation has accelerated markedly over the course of this year, largely due to temporary factors. Our baseline forecast expects price pressures to ease in the coming year and monetary policy to remain accommodative. There are, however, upside risks to inflation as large extra savings amassed by private households in many countries over the past year could fuel a sustained rise in prices. In that case, central banks could tighten policy considerably with negative consequences for the growth outlook.
Topic:: Economics, GDP, Inflation, and COVID-19
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16069. Post-Corona-Boom Underway

Author:: Klaus-Jurgen Gern, Philipp Hauber, Stefan Kooths, and Ulrich Stolzenburg
Publication Date:: 06-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW)
Abstract:: The global economy remained on track in the first months of 2021, despite surging covid-19 infections and renewed containment measures in many countries. The impact of the pandemic was largely confined to the service sectors. Meanwhile, the pronounced upturn in industrial production and global trade continued until spring, but has started to falter as a result of supply bottlenecks and logistical problems. The tensions in the global economic fabric are reflected not least in sharp price increases for raw materials, intermediate goods and transportation services, which have already contributed to a noticeable rise in consumer prices. Continued highly expansionary monetary policy and considerable fiscal policy stimulus, notably in the United States, but also in the euro zone, are fuelling economic activity this year and next. We expect global output (measured on a purchasing power parity basis) to increase by 6.7 percent in 2021 and by 4.8 percent in 2022, which is still substantially above medium-term trend growth. In view of the high economic momentum and higher inflation risks, we expect the Federal Reserve to start tightening earlier than previously expected. This is associated with the risk of a significant deterioration in financing conditions going forward, particularly for some emerging economies
Topic:: Economics, Economic Growth, Pandemic, and COVID-19
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16070. Gender and Extremism in Ethiopia

Author:: Hilina Berhanu Degefa
Publication Date:: 03-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: European Institute of Peace (EIP)
Abstract:: This paper endeavored to provide a gender analysis on the role of women in violent extremism (VE) and government-led efforts on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) in Ethiopia. It draws its findings and recommendations from three main research methods: a literature review, observation, and one-on-one semi-structured interviews with actors involved in VE and P/CVE efforts across six Regional States in Ethiopia. The study firstly examines the role of women in extremism in Ethiopia, emphasising how and why women are involved in VE, including the gendered nature of association with VE groups. Among those that have been researched are the hardening of in-group identity, sense of community and seeking recognition, romanticism and fascination with a charismatic leader, as well as a sense of victimhood as a result of government action or inaction, including gender-specific violations. All are contributing factors; mostly compounded and cumulatively present in individual cases. Secondly, the study engages with the current standing P/CVE efforts led by the government, analysing the types of womanhood that the state mobilises and produces in the name of, and as part of, P/CVE efforts. While the research has been less conclusive in establishing a commonly agreed-upon definition of VE from respondents, it recommends the need for intersectionality-informed gender analysis in understanding women’s participation in VE as well as in the designing and implementation of P/CVE measures
Topic:: Governance, Women, Leadership, Gender Based Violence, and Gender
Political Geography:: Africa and Ethiopia

16071. Inter-Communal Tensions, Violence and Conflicts in the Time of a Pandemic in Ethiopia

Author:: Yihenew Alemu Tesfaye, Fasika Gedif, Kedir Jemal, and Meseret Asefa
Publication Date:: 11-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: European Institute of Peace (EIP)
Abstract:: The ongoing conflict in northern Ethiopia−in the Tigray region and adjacent Amhara and Afar zones−has controlled the last twelve months discussions and analyses of Ethiopian politics. The magnitude of the conflict, associated humanitarian crisis, and the news about the crisis (sometimes with deliberate circulations of misinformation) have made this the most significant political challenge of the nation since the 1998 Ethio-Eritrea war. However, recent political developments in Ethiopia feed into each other, and it remains imperative to keep examining continued inter-communal tensions, violence and conflicts in Ethiopia and analysing the ramification of the Covid-19 pandemic on outstanding and novel inter-communal tensions and conflicts in the country. As this report shows, political developments are, directly or indirectly, linked with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has escalated hitherto mostly localised inter-communal tensions and fueled armed conflicts in Ethiopia. The primary aim of this study is to investigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Ethiopia’s political situation and inter-communal tensions, violence, and extremism. By taking cases from the Metekel zone in Benishangul-Gumuz region, from the central and west Gondar zone (largely the Chilga district) in the Amhara region, and the east Hararghe zone in the Oromia region, this report discusses what occurred during incidents since the onset of the pandemic, how sources attribute the causes of these incidents, and how the narratives of sources, directly or indirectly, implicate the pandemic in triggering or aggravating these incidents.
Topic:: Conflict, Violence, Pandemic, COVID-19, and Communal Areas
Political Geography:: Africa and Ethiopia

16072. Pathways for Reconciliation in Yemen

Author:: European Institute of Peace
Publication Date:: 12-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: European Institute of Peace (EIP)
Abstract:: The Pathways for Reconciliation in Yemen project* was developed under the European Institute of Peace’s Conflict Justice and Reconciliation programme. It is the largest effort in recent history and ongoing conflict to engage members of society to consider their needs, perspectives and rights in the search for lasting peace. This report covers highlights from consultations with nearly 16,000 people in nine governorates in Yemen between October 2020 and October 2021. The process reflects a commitment that peace must be shaped by genuine participatory engagement with society beyond those actively engaging in hostilities or involved with the conflict parties. The likelihood of obtaining a legitimate and sustainable settlement significantly depends on how inclusive the process is and the extent to which it engages beyond elite voices of the powerful. Yemen benefitted from the 2013–2014 National Dialogue Conference (NDC). While some of the ideas and conclusions it reached remain relevant, the conditions in the country are now significantly worse. Although the NDC was innovative and inspirational, its model can be improved upon to promote a more inclusive process that helps facilitate more legitimate outcomes. The process of engagement is an essential aspect of sustainable peacebuilding. It should not be seen as a ‘soft’ option or an ornament to ‘serious’ talks with conflict parties. Sustainable peace ultimately requires a critical mass of society to buy into any settlement. To do so, they must believe it represents an improvement to the status quo, and that it is in their interest to stick with it and to withhold support from potential spoilers. The more seriously the settlement’s creation takes into account the views of the wider society, the greater the chances of conferring legitimacy and obtaining buy-in. The Pathways to Reconciliation initiative identifies the priorities and concerns of ordinary citizens. While some of the findings may not surprise, this does not limit their usefulness. Citizens’ genuine engagement in the initial steps of this process is of the utmost importance. A striking proportion of those consulted (78 per cent) did not support any political party; they consider themselves unrepresented, and with no appropriate avenues in which to express their needs and aims.
Topic:: Peace, Justice, and Reconciliation
Political Geography:: Middle East and Yemen

16073. Scenarios for an impact assessment of global bioeconomy strategies: results from a co-design process

Author:: Ruth Delzeit, Tobias Heimann, Franziska Schunemann, and Mareike Soder
Publication Date:: 07-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW)
Abstract:: The replacement of fossil resources with renewable biomass in a bioeconomy is seen as a major contribution to climate change mitigation. This transformation will affect all members of society, making it crucial to consider the views of different stakeholders to ensure a socially acceptable transition towards a sustainable bioeconomy. To explore potential outcomes of bioeconomy strategies assuming different future pathways, a scenario analysis is a tool to inform decision-makers about policy impacts and trade-offs. The inter- and transdisciplinary research project “BioNex – The future of the biomass nexus” is the first project to develop bioeconomy scenarios together with stakeholders from politics, industry, and civil society in an iterative co-design process. As a result, three storylines describing diverging potential global futures are developed and quantified: Towards sustainability, business as usual, and towards resource depletion. The futures are driven by different assumptions on climate policy, cropland expansion, productivity growth in agriculture, prices of fossil energy, and consumption behaviour. Additionally, in the co-design process, three bioeconomy policies are developed: policy as usual, stronger development of the bioeconomy, and no policies. Besides presenting the results of the stakeholder workshops, this paper evaluates the strengths and shortcomings of a stakeholder approach in terms of policy-oriented research. According to the experience made within this study, it provides valuable insights for researchers and funding authorities they can use to optimise the employment of stakeholder-based research approaches.
Topic:: International Cooperation, Economy, Biology, and Models
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16074. DART-BIO: A technical description

Author:: Ruth Delzeit, Tobias Heimann, Franziska Schunemann, and Mareike Soder
Publication Date:: 08-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW)
Abstract:: The goal of this technical paper is to present in a transparent way a detailed description of the DART-BIO model – the bioeconomy and land use version of the DART model. Key feature of the DART-BIO model is the explicit representation of the vegetable oil industry and the biofuel sector. The paper describes the construction and aggregation of the database used for the DART-BIO model. Further the theoretical structure of the model is elaborated. Thereby, crucial assumptions, elasticities and parameters embedded in the model are presented.
Topic:: Climate Change, Energy Policy, Oil, Biology, and Farming
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16075. Employment effects of R&D and innovation: Evidence from small and medium-sized firms in emerging markets

Author:: Rajeev K. Goel and Michael Nelson
Publication Date:: 08-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW)
Abstract:: This paper studies the impact of research and development (R&D) and innovation on employment growth, focusing on small and medium-sized firms. Employment effects of R&D and innovation are unclear a priori as process innovation may be labor-saving or labor might have complementarities with other inputs. Employing firm-level data from 125 nations, results show that both R&D and innovation increased employment growth, suggesting that innovation was either capital-saving or labor had strong complementarities with other inputs. Upon splitting the sample into growing and contracting firms showed that contracting firms benefit from innovation but not from R&D. In other findings, sole proprietorships, larger firms, firms with relatively more experienced managers, firms with females as top managers, and firms facing the threat of informal competition had lower employment growth, while foreign-owned and government-owned enterprises have positive influences on employment growth. Finally, employment growth in shrinking firms was boosted in nations with greater economic freedom, but this growth is undermined by informal sector competition.
Topic:: Development, Emerging Markets, Research, Innovation, and Research and Development
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16076. Factors facilitating the inventing academics’ transition from nascent entrepreneurs to business owners

Author:: João Ricardo Faria and Rajeev K. Goel
Publication Date:: 08-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW)
Abstract:: Considering the sequential nature of nascent entrepreneurship and business ownership, this paper examines the propensities of academic entrepreneurs to be business owners. A theoretical model sets up the empirical analysis based on survey data from a large German public research institute. Traditionally, scientists and entrepreneurs have been seen to occupy opposite ends of a spectrum in terms of their role in innovation. In academic entrepreneurship the two combine on a number of activities. In order to understand the ways in which academic inventors move from pure patenting to nascent entrepreneurship to business ownership and connect seemingly divergent activities. We model their behavior by looking at various factors among German scientists. Academic inventors present a critical case since science and entrepreneurship are often seen as radically different, not the least in terms of knowledge production. By bringing the analysis from the level of social behavior and roles to the level of knowledge production, we can better address questions such as: How is knowledge in the interfaces of epistemic communities produced? How can such knowledge be organized and sustained? and How can relations between individuals on ‘opposing sides’ be constructively managed? The empirical results show that scientists’ positive attitudes towards commercialization of results consistently contribute to tendencies towards academic entrepreneurship; however, the academic discipline and risk aversion did not have a statistically significant impact. Having a doctoral degree lowered the propensities toward nascent entrepreneurship, but had the opposite effect on business ownership. Finally, age and experience made business ownership more likely. The results of this study would contribute to a more general theory of how scientists can combine their commercial and scientific activities in spite of an alleged divergence.
Topic:: Entrepreneurship, Business, Risk, and Academia
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16077. Sovereign Debt in the 21st Century

Author:: Kris James Mitchener and Christoph Trebesch
Publication Date:: 08-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW)
Abstract:: How will sovereign debt markets evolve in the 21st century? We survey how the literature has responded to the eurozone debt crisis, placing “lessons learned” in historical perspective. The crisis featured: (i) the return of debt problems to advanced economies; (ii) a bank-sovereign “doom-loop” and the propagation of sovereign risk to households and firms; (iii) roll-over problems and self-fulfilling crisis dynamics; (iv) severe debt distress without outright sovereign defaults; (v) large-scale sovereign bailouts from abroad; and (vi) creditor threats to litigate and hold out in a debt restructuring. Many of these characteristics were already present in historical debt crises and are likely to remain relevant in the future. Looking forward, our survey points to a growing role of sovereign-bank linkages, legal risks, domestic debt and default, and of official creditors, due to new lenders such as China as well as the increasing dominance of central banks in global debt markets. Questions of debt sustainability and default will remain acute in both developing and advanced economies.
Topic:: Debt, Finance, Banking, and Sovereign Debt
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16078. Kind or contented? An investigation of the gift exchange hypothesis in a natural field experiment in Colombia

Author:: Francesco Bogliacino, Gianluca Grimalda, and David Pipke
Publication Date:: 11-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW)
Abstract:: The gift exchange hypothesis postulates that workers reciprocate above market-clearing wages with above-minimum effort. This hypothesis has received mixed support in dyadic employer-worker relationships. We present a field-experimental test to assess this hypothesis in the context of a triadic relationship in which only one out of two workers receives a pay increase. We conjecture that inequality aversion motivations may thwart positive reciprocity motivations and analyze the interaction between such motivations theoretically. Across three treatments, the pay increase is justified to workers based on either relative merit or relative need or was arbitrary as no justification was offered. Two conditions in which either none or both workers receive a bonus serve as the reference. In contrast to the gift exchange hypothesis, we find that pay increases lead to a decrease in productivity. Such a decrease is most sizable in the condition where both workers receive the bonus. A post-diction of this result is that workers interpret the monetary bonus as a signal of the employer’s contentment with their effort, which makes them feel entitled to reduce their effort. In other treatments, receiving the pay increase while the coworker does not has a positive effect on productivity, especially when the pay increase is based on merit. This result is consistent with statusseeking preferences rather than aversion against advantageous inequality. Conversely, not receiving the pay increase while the coworker does, leads to lower productivity, especially when the pay increase is assigned based on relative needs.
Topic:: Labor Issues, Employment, Labor Policies, and Wealth
Political Geography:: Colombia and South America

16079. Green gifts from abroad? FDI and firms' green management

Author:: Peter Kannen, Finn Ole Semrau, and Frauke Steglich
Publication Date:: 11-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW)
Abstract:: Improvements of firms' environmental performance crucially determine the speed of a country's green economic transformation. In this paper, we investigate whether firms with foreign ownership are more likely to adopt 'green' management practices, which determine the capability to monitor and improve a firm's impact on the environment. By using multi-country firm-level data, we show that foreign ownership increases the likelihood of implementing green management practices. Considering country heterogeneity, we reveal that only firms based in more developed economies and in countries with better environmental performance benefit from foreign direct investment, while this is not the case for firms based in less developed economies or countries with weak environmental performance. In addition, we find that the effect is more robust for manufacturing sector firms than for service sector firms. Overall, our results suggest that foreign ownership can contribute towards a country's green economic transformation.
Topic:: Development, Economics, Environment, Green Technology, and Green Transition
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16080. The Need for Local Governance of Global Commons: The Example of Blue Carbon Ecosystems

Author:: Christine Merk, Jonas Grunau, Marie-Catherine Riekhof, and Wilfried Rickels
Publication Date:: 11-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW)
Abstract:: To limit global warming to 1.5°C, vast amounts of CO2 will have to be removed from the atmosphere via Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR). Enhancing the CO2 sequestration of ecosystems will require not just one approach but a portfolio of CDR options, including so‐called nature‐based approaches alongside CDR options that are perceived as more technical. Creating a CDR “supply curve” would however imply that all carbon removals are considered to be perfect substitutes. The various co‐benefits of nature‐based CDR approaches militate against this. We discuss this aspect of nature‐based solutions in connection with the enhancement of blue carbon ecosystems (BCE) such as mangrove or seagrass habitats. Enhancing BCEs can indeed contribute to CO2 sequestration, but the value of their carbon storage is low compared to the overall contribution of their ecosystem services to wealth. Furthermore, their property rights are often unclear, i.e. not comprehensively defined or not enforced. Hence, payment schemes that only compensate BCE carbon sequestration could create tradeoffs at the expense of other important, often local, ecosystem services and might not result in socially optimal outcomes. Accordingly, one chance for preserving and restoring BCEs lies in the consideration of all services in potential compensation schemes for local communities. Also, local contexts, management structures, and benefit‐sharing rules are crucial factors to be considered when setting up international payment schemes to support the use of BCEs and other nature‐ or ecosystem‐based CDR. However, regarding these options as the only hope of achieving more CDR will very probably not bring about the desired outcome, either for climate mitigation or for ecosystem preservation. Unhalted degradation, in turn, will make matters worse due to the large amounts of stored carbon that would be released. Hence, countries committed to climate mitigation in line with the Paris targets should not hide behind vague pledges to enhance natural sinks for removing atmospheric CO2 but commit to scaling up engineered CDR.
Topic:: Climate Change, Environment, International Cooperation, Governance, Global Warming, and Local
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16081. Endogenous Growth, Skill Obsolescence and Optimal Monetary Policy

Author:: Wolfgang Lechthaler and Mewael F. Tesfaselassie
Publication Date:: 11-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW)
Abstract:: We analyze Ramsey optimal monetary policy in a New-Keynesian model with search and matching frictions featuring (i) training costs due to skill loss from long-term unemployment and (ii) endogenous growth through learning-by-doing externalities. In a simplified two-period version of the model, the competitive equilibrium is shown to be inefficient due to two externalities: i) firms do not internalize the effects that hiring has on labor productivity through learning-by-doing; ii) firms do not fully internalize the effects that hiring has on future training costs. These externalities lead to inefficient fluctuations, thereby justifying deviations from price stability in response to productivity shocks. In a calibrated version of the full model we show significant deviations from price stability and significant differences between optimal monetary policy and monetary policy that follows a Taylor rule.
Topic:: Economic Growth, Economic Theory, Keynes, and Unemployment
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16082. Accounting for terrestrial and marine carbon sink enhancement

Author:: Marius Paschen, Wilfried Rickels, and Felix Meier
Publication Date:: 12-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW)
Abstract:: Any integration of extra carbon dioxide removal (CDR) via terrestrial or marine sink enhancement into climate policies requires accounting for their effectiveness in reducing atmospheric carbon concentration. Different accounting methods have been introduced to quantify the impacts of sink enhancements. Here, we provide a manual for the different accounting methods, accompanying the implementation of the accounting methods in a R-file which is free for download. Hence, the material allows applying the different accounting methods and for demonstration purposes we provide a numerical example.
Topic:: Climate Change, Environment, Maritime, and Carbon Footprint
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16083. Who benefits really from phasing out palm oil-based biodiesel in the EU?

Author:: Ruth Delzeit, Tobias Heimann, Franziska Schunemann, and Mareike Soder
Publication Date:: 12-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW)
Abstract:: The latest Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) by the European Union (EU) provides an updated framework for the use of renewable energy in the EU transport sector until 2030. We employ the computable general equilibrium (CGE) model DART-BIO for a scenario-based policy analysis and evaluate different possible futures of biofuel use under four specifications of the RED II. Our results show that conventional biofuels will not become cost competitive to oil-based fuels. Moreover, we demonstrate the impact of the RED II specifications on the global production of food and feed crops. A further focus of this paper lies on the palm oil phase-out as feedstock for biofuels in the EU, to halt deforestation and land-use change in tropical countries. We find that this phase-out has a relatively small impact on global palm fruit production. Moreover, this study shows that the regulation has the potential to act as a technical barrier to trade, discriminating palm oil producing countries in favour of European rapeseed producers.
Topic:: Energy Policy, Oil, Regional Cooperation, and European Union
Political Geography:: Europe

16084. Sovereign Bonds since Waterloo

Author:: Josefin Meyer and Christoph Trebesch
Publication Date:: 12-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW)
Abstract:: This paper studies external sovereign bonds as an asset class. We compile a new database of 266,000 monthly prices of foreign-currency government bonds traded in London and New York between 1815 (the Battle of Waterloo) and 2016, covering up to 91 countries. Our main insight is that, as in equity markets, the returns on external sovereign bonds have been sufficiently high to compensate for risk. Real ex-post returns average more than 6 percent annually across two centuries, including default episodes, major wars, and global crises. This represents an excess return of 3-4 percent above US or UK government bonds, which is comparable to stocks and outperforms corporate bonds. Central to this finding are the high average coupons offered on external sovereign bonds. The observed returns are hard to reconcile with canonical theoretical models and the degree of credit risk in this market, as measured by historical default and recovery rates. Based on our archive of more than 300 sovereign debt restructurings since 1815, we show that full repudiation is rare; the median creditor loss (haircut) is below 50 percent.
Topic:: Economics, Governance, Finance, and Bonds
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16085. Procedurally Justifiable Strategies: Integrating Context Effects into Multistage Decision Making

Author:: Fynn Kemper and Philipp Wichaardt
Publication Date:: 12-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW)
Abstract:: This paper proposes a simple framework to model contextual influences on procedural decision making. In terms of utility, we differentiate between monetary payoffs and contextual psychological ones, e.g. deriving from the subjects’ normative frame of reference. Monetary payoffs are treated as common knowledge while psychological payoffs are treated as partly unforeseeable. Regarding behaviour, we assume that players act optimal given their local perception of the game. As perceptions may be incorrect, we do not consider common equilibrium conditions but instead require strategies to be procedurally justifiable. As we will argue, various common inconsistencies considered in behavioural economics can be understood as procedurally justifiable behaviour. With the present framework, we add an abstract tool to the discussion which allows to consider also the behavioural implications of players foreseeing the corresponding behavioural effects ̶ which is often not considered in the respective original models.
Topic:: Economics, Monetary Policy, and Models
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16086. Regional Solutions to Regional Challenges in the Middle East?

Author:: Brandon Friedman
Publication Date:: 11-2021
Content Type:: Commentary and Analysis
Institution:: Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies
Abstract:: Members of two rival camps in the Sunni Middle East — Qatar and Turkey on one side, and Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, on the other — have continued a sustained diplomatic effort at reconciliation that began early this year. In a sign of the delicate progress between Qatar and its Gulf neighbors, on September 17, the Saudi Gazette tweeted a picture of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman standing beside Qatari Emir Tamim Al Thani and Emirati Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed, all dressed informally, in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm al-Sheikh. More recently, on November 24, Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince of the UAE, met in Ankara with Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in a dramatic reversal of what had appeared to be a hostile rivalry.[1] The visit resulted in the Emiratis establishing a $10 billion fund for investment in Turkey.[2]
Topic:: Diplomacy, Sectarianism, Regional Integration, Sunni, and Shiism
Political Geography:: Turkey, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates

16087. Napoleon’s Bicentenary

Author:: Stephane Cohen
Publication Date:: 12-2021
Content Type:: Commentary and Analysis
Institution:: Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies
Abstract:: In 2021, events, expositions, ceremonies, and books commemorated 200 years since the death of Napoleon Bonaparte. Bonaparte himself spent one year in Egypt and what was then the Syrian vilayet (province) of the Ottoman Empire, winning remarkable victories on the battlefield, but failing in the end to achieve his goals and eventually returning to France.
Topic:: Imperialism, History, and Collective Memory
Political Geography:: Europe, Arab Countries, North Africa, and Egypt

16088. Back in Exile: Afghan Stories of a Near Distant Past

Author:: Giovanni Matteo Quer
Publication Date:: 11-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies
Abstract:: In October issue of BeeHive Giovanni Quer explores narratives of escape, identity, and homeland among Afghan exiles.
Topic:: Culture, Identity, Exile, and Narrative
Political Geography:: Afghanistan and South Asia

16089. Celebrating Ashura in Syria

Author:: Jesse Weinberg
Publication Date:: 11-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies
Abstract:: In this issue of BeeHive, Jesse Weinberg explores the social impact of Iranian presence in Syria.
Topic:: Military Intervention, Syrian War, Society, and Ashura
Political Geography:: Iran, Middle East, and Syria

16090. For Israel’s Acceptance to the AU as Observer Reveals Continental Divides

Author:: Rina Bassist
Publication Date:: 10-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies
Abstract:: In our latest issue of Ifriqiya, Rina Bassist analyzes the circumstances surrounding Israel's recent accreditation as an African Union observer state, and discusses trends affecting Israeli-African relations.
Topic:: International Relations, Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, and African Union
Political Geography:: Africa, Middle East, Israel, and Palestine

16091. No Boundaries – The Syrian-Lebanese Drug Economy

Author:: Moran Levanoni
Publication Date:: 12-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies
Abstract:: In this issue of Iqtisadi, Dr. Moran Levanoni analyzes how the Syrian-Lebanese border area has become one of the most important centers for the production of illegal drugs in the Middle East. Hezbollah's key role in the Middle East drug trade is contextualized within its global empire that includes parts of South America, Africa, and Eurasia.
Topic:: Economy, Hezbollah, Drugs, and Illicit Financial Flows
Political Geography:: Middle East, Lebanon, and Syria

16092. Turkey's Nuclear Future

Author:: Assa Ophir
Publication Date:: 12-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies
Abstract:: In our latest issue of Turkeyscope Dr. Assa Ophir discusses the implications of Turkish efforts to potentially become a state with an independent nuclear program.
Topic:: NATO, Nuclear Weapons, Nuclear Power, and Nonproliferation
Political Geography:: Turkey and Middle East

16093. Learning from COVID-19: How to make care central to economic policy around the world

Author:: Ruth Pearson and Eva Neitzert
Publication Date:: 09-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Center on International Cooperation (CIC)
Abstract:: After decades of neglect, the COVID-19 pandemic has made visible the vital role that the care economy plays in the functioning of economies and societies—and highlighted the deep crisis at the heart of it. Care recipients and providers of care have been on the COVID-19 frontlines, and the ability of governments to mount an effective response to the pandemic has been hampered by decades of policies that undervalued and neglected the care economy.
Topic:: Economic Policy, COVID-19, and Health Crisis
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16094. The Applicability of Transitional Justice in Pre-Conflict Contexts

Author:: Pablo de Greiff
Publication Date:: 09-2021
Content Type:: Research Paper
Institution:: Center on International Cooperation (CIC)
Abstract:: The current moment can be characterized, politically, in terms of two macro-level phenomena, a lurch towards populism (of the left and the right) on the part of many leaders (and eventually, their followers), and simultaneously, unusually large popular mobilizations in favor of progressive causes. These seemingly dilemmatic factors arguably share a common underlying cause, namely, great lack of trust in the familiar mechanisms of political representation—a lack of trust which itself has deeper roots in increasing inequality and dysfunctional forms of the politics of recognition.
Topic:: Inequality, Populism, Transitional Justice, and Pre-Conflict Contexts
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16095. From Regressive Subsidies to Progressive Redistribution: The Role of Redistribution and Recognition in Energy Subsidy Reform

Author:: Tara Moayed, Scott Guggenheim, and Paul von Chamier
Publication Date:: 09-2021
Content Type:: Research Paper
Institution:: Center on International Cooperation (CIC)
Abstract:: Energy subsidies are one of the few domains where there is a near full-throated consensus among progressives, governments, and economists over the need for reform. Nearly everywhere, energy subsidies are regressive, vastly favoring the car-and energy-consuming parts of the population that are the least in need. The costs of these subsidies can vary, but in many countries, they represent a large fiscal burden. Prior to its 2005 reforms, for example, Indonesia's fuel subsidy was nearly the same amount as its health budget and its targeted anti-poverty programs combined. From the perspective of global climate change, few economic policies are as damaging as the direct and indirect contributions of fossil fuel subsidies.
Topic:: Energy Policy, Reform, Fossil Fuels, and Subsidies
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16096. A Civil or Uncivil Civil Society?

Author:: Liv Tørres
Publication Date:: 11-2021
Content Type:: Research Paper
Institution:: Center on International Cooperation (CIC)
Abstract:: Civil society is part and parcel of the institutional architecture that will be crucial to help us out of our current crisis of staggering inequality, pandemic trauma and required recovery. Yet, civil society is large, complex, fragmented, and polarized. It gained renewed and considerable attention during, and after, the ‘Third Wave’ of democracy in the early 1990s when trade unions, professional organizations, women’s and civic organizations, as well as religious organizations and churches in many countries mobilized for democratic change. This was, of course, not the first nor the last period of civic action and mobilization. Civil society has, however, changed dramatically over the past decades. The number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has grown. Membership in civil society organizations has kept up, but the meaning of membership has most probably changed. Civic space is under considerable pressure, while social movements, activism, and protests have increased. All in all, civil society now represents a wide variety of actors with different governance structures, with/without membership, varying in size and agenda.
Topic:: Civil Society, Democracy, NGOs, and Participation
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16097. A “Hidden Front” in the Battle Against COVID-19: How Behavioral Data is Helping Contain the Pandemic and Improve Policy

Author:: Paul von Chamier and Neil Martin
Publication Date:: 11-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Center on International Cooperation (CIC)
Abstract:: COVID-19 has provided a sharp reminder of the key role citizens’ perceptions and attitudes play in shaping the outcomes of public policy. This experience is changing the way governments use data to combat the pandemic and set priorities for the recovery.
Topic:: Health, Recovery, Data, and COVID-19
Political Geography:: Global Focus

16098. Can We Do Informal Housing Better?

Author:: Astrid R. N. Haas
Publication Date:: 12-2021
Content Type:: Research Paper
Institution:: Center on International Cooperation (CIC)
Abstract:: Across the globe, particularly in urban areas, the gap between the demand and supply of affordable and adequate housing is growing rapidly. This is particularly the case on the African continent, which is currently undergoing the most rapid urban transition recorded in our history. Housing, particularly when it constitutes a home, is the cornerstone of our social, economic, and emotional lives. Having a roof over one’s head epitomizes stability and security for an individual as well as their family. The current COVID-19 pandemic gave housing a new level of importance and also exacerbated inequalities between those with and without adequate housing. In this context, access to affordable and adequate housing is increasingly being recognized not only as a necessity, but rather as a fundamental human right.
Topic:: Regulation, Inequality, COVID-19, and Housing
Political Geography:: South Africa, West Africa, Horn of Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa

16099. Linkages between Inequality, Exclusion, and the Occurrence of Elections with Protest Activity Against Governments

Author:: Paul von Chamier
Publication Date:: 12-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Center on International Cooperation (CIC)
Abstract:: There is ample research on the correlation between inequality and exclusion on one side and conflict on the other. For instance, the connection between inequities and violence is one of the underpinnings of the concept of fragile situations, utilized frequently by the World Bank and showcased in publications such as the World Development Report 2011 or Pathways for Peace 2018. It is therefore tempting to draw a logical conclusion that escalating inequality and exclusion can be influenced by both violent conflicts and events such as civilian disorder and political volatility. It also makes sense at an intuitive level as humans are wired to spot unfairness when it affects them, which fits into this hypothesis. The linkage has been in fact proposed since at least the antiquity. For example, in 4th century BCE, Aristotle warned that accumulation of wealth among few Athenians could lead to toppling of the city government. In more modern times, communist revolutionaries were predicting a worldwide violent uprising by the impoverished, agitated by economic injustice. A recent New Yorker article draws the arc between inequities and protests in Latin American countries.
Topic:: Government, Inequality, Violence, and Exclusion
Political Geography:: Latin America

16100. State Capture and Inequality

Author:: Elizabeth David-Barrett
Publication Date:: 12-2021
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Center on International Cooperation (CIC)
Abstract:: State capture is a type of systematic corruption whereby narrow interest groups take control of the institutions and processes that make public policy, excluding other parts of the public whose interests those institutions are supposed to serve. State capture is often associated with the first decade of transition in the former Soviet Union (FSU) and Eastern Europe. State capture has also spread to many countries that had once seemed to be resilient democracies or, in the case of transition countries, on a secure path toward democratization.
Topic:: Corruption, Democratization, Inequality, Post-Soviet Space, and State Capture
Political Geography:: Eastern Europe

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COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS