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72. Pigs, Prawns and Power Houses: Politics in Water Resources
- Author:
- K. M. Jensen, R. B. Lange, and J. C. Refsgaard
- Publication Date:
- 02-2012
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
- Abstract:
- Normative ideals for 'good water management' have proliferated the last twenty years. However, evidence of effective implementation is scarce. This paper analyzes cases from India, the Mekong and Denmark where attempts have been made to translate water management ideals into practice. The purpose is to demonstrate the importance of politics and power for water management processes and their outcomes. The concept of social learning is applied in order to understand the dynamic interplay between actors, institutions and power in the political processes involved. It is argued that the political economy of water tends to vest the stronger stakeholders with an interest in upholding the status quo. Consequently, social learning typically centers on the 'low lying fruits' that does not challenge the prevailing distribution of resources. The authors, Kurt Mørck Jensen, Rane Baadsgaard Lange, and Jens Christian Refsgaard argue that strategic approaches looking outside the 'water box' are necessary to foster deeper changes in water resources management in both developing and developed countries.
- Topic:
- Political Economy and Natural Resources
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Southeast Asia
73. A Eurosceptic big bang: Finland's EU policy in hindsight of the 2011 elections
- Author:
- Kaisa Korhonen and Juha Jokela
- Publication Date:
- 05-2012
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA)
- Abstract:
- The Finnish parliamentary elections in spring 2011 were marked by a landslide victory for the Eurosceptic (True) Finns Party. Such an unprecedented upswing for anti-integrationist voices was expected to reshape Finland's EU policy. The Finns Party did not join the government, however, and the party has mainly influenced Finnish EU policymaking while in opposition, and indirectly through public opinion-building. While outright anti-integrationist rhetoric remains on the margins of national public debate, more critical approaches to EU politics have become increasingly pronounced. Political parties have, to varying degrees, adapted their rhetoric and policies to the changing environment. Importantly, the broad consensus on EU affairs in Finland has broken down, at least temporarily. The EU has featured high on the agendas of the recent election campaigns as well as in opposition politics. This has affected Finland's official position too. It has moved in a more cautious and self-contained direction, although the country remains a pro-integrationist member state.
- Topic:
- Democratization, International Trade and Finance, Political Economy, and Regional Cooperation
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Finland
74. On the road to a true Economic and Monetary Union? The challenges of fiscal federalism and democratic legitimacy
- Author:
- Teija Tiilikainen
- Publication Date:
- 05-2012
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA)
- Abstract:
- Lessons learned from the current economic and financial crisis pose great challenges for the EU concerning the future development of the EMU. Through the recent changes the limits of a mere coordination of economic policies have been reached and a debate about turning the system into a true Economic and Monetary Union must be launched. A further strengthening of the EU's power in economic and fiscal policies would require a clearer move in the direction of fiscal federalism, that is, a more balanced relationship between the Union's budget and those of the member states. It would also require the finalization of the Union's democratic system along the lines of a federal political order. The divided character of the currency union presents significant difficulties for its further deepening and democratization.
- Topic:
- Economics, Political Economy, Regional Cooperation, Monetary Policy, and Financial Crisis
- Political Geography:
- Europe
75. Russia on the Move
- Author:
- Dmitri V. Trenin, Maria Lipman, Alexey Malashenko, and Nikolay Petrov
- Publication Date:
- 06-2012
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- To the casual observer, Russia is stuck where it was a decade ago. Vladimir Putin has once again assumed the presidency and any semblance of organized political opposition largely faded away after the March elections. But popular protests persist, and the existing politico-economic system can no longer adequately address the shifting social realities inside the country or the challenges of the global environment. The system must change if Russia is to develop further, and Moscow's policies of economic modernization alone are neither sufficient nor possible without political reform.
- Topic:
- Corruption, Democratization, Political Economy, Fragile/Failed State, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Europe, and Asia
76. India and Europe in a Multipolar World
- Author:
- Bernd von Muenchow-Pohl
- Publication Date:
- 05-2012
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- The image of India as an emerging power is widely held, but there is equal reason to see the European Union as an emerging power, too, even at the risk of raising eyebrows. Like India, the EU seeks to become a global political player on top of being a great economic power. As the global power dynamic shifts, both are trying to define their roles in an emerging multipolar world. The question arises whether closer cooperation can help the EU and India to achieve their ambitions. Though they have committed to a strategic partnership, in its present state the EU-India relationship has been likened to a “loveless arranged marriage.” With each increasingly absorbed by domestic problems, the prospects for closer ties are fading, notwithstanding the opportunities that would be lost.
- Topic:
- Globalization, International Trade and Finance, Political Economy, Power Politics, and Bilateral Relations
- Political Geography:
- Europe, India, and Asia
77. The Arctic policies of Canada and the United States: domestic motives and international context
- Author:
- Kristofer Bergh
- Publication Date:
- 07-2012
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
- Abstract:
- The Arctic ice is melting. If current trends continue, there will be dramatic changes in the region, with far-reaching implications. At the same time, the receding ice opens the region to economic development, including through the exploitation of previously inaccessible hydrocarbons and minerals. In September 2011, both the Northern Sea Route (along Russia's north coast, formerly known as the Northeast Passage) and the Northwest Passage (along the northern coasts of Alaska and Canada) were open for some time, potentially creating shorter shipping routes between Asia, Europe and North America. Increased human activity in the sparsely populated and in hospitable Arctic requires new initiatives to achieve safety and security for the region's environment and its inhabitants and visitors.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Climate Change, Diplomacy, Political Economy, and Bilateral Relations
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Europe, Canada, Asia, and North America
78. Sovereign Debtors in Distress: Are Our Institutions Up to the Challenge?
- Author:
- Susan Schadler
- Publication Date:
- 08-2012
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
- Abstract:
- Global economic developments over the past two years have dashed hopes that the risks of sovereign debt crises have been tamed. The turmoil in Europe has, of course, been the most acute of these developments, but growing national fiscal imbalances, anemic prospects for growth and the expanding reach of private financial markets to newly emerging economies are potent, if less immediately threatening, signs of the risks ahead. After lying dormant for almost a decade, pressing questions about whether global institutions are capable of containing the costs of debt crises are again being raised.
- Topic:
- Debt, Economics, Globalization, Political Economy, Financial Crisis, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Europe
79. The Failed Political Economy of the Euro Crisis
- Author:
- Anders Åslund
- Publication Date:
- 01-2012
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Social and Economic Research - CASE
- Abstract:
- The euro crisis has been extensively discussed in terms of economics, finance, political intrigues, and European Institutions, but a key aspect—the political economy of the crisis—has received little attention. Politicians and social scientists from emerging economies, especially Eastern Europe, look with amazement at this oversight.
- Topic:
- Political Economy, Financial Crisis, and Macroeconomics
- Political Geography:
- Europe
80. The Failed Political Economy of the Euro Crisis
- Author:
- Anders Åslund
- Publication Date:
- 01-2012
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center for Social and Economic Research - CASE
- Abstract:
- The euro crisis has been extensively discussed in terms of economics, finance, political intrigues, and European Institutions, but a key aspect—the political economy of the crisis—has received little attention. Politicians and social scientists from emerging economies, especially Eastern Europe, look with amazement at this oversight.
- Topic:
- Political Economy, Finance, Crisis Management, Macroeconomics, and Social Science
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Eastern Europe