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261. Effects of US Foreign Assistance on Democracy Building, 1990–2014: An Update

Author:
Steven E. Finkel, Aníbal Pérez-Liñán, Michael Neureiter, and Chris A. Belasco
Publication Date:
06-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Kellogg Institute for International Studies
Abstract:
This paper updates our earlier work on the impact of US foreign assistance on democratic outcomes in recipient countries using newly available USAID Foreign Aid Explorer data covering the 2001–2014 period, as well as new outcome measures derived from Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) data. Building on the theoretical and empirical framework established in our previous study and in subsequent work in the field, we estimate: a) the effect of overall USAID Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) expenditures on general indices of democracy, b) changes in the effects of DRG expenditures after 2001, and c) the conditions that moderate the impact of DRG funding at the country level in the contemporary era. We find that the effect of DRG expenditures decreased dramatically in the 2002–2014 period, relative to the modest effect shown in the previous study for the period immediately following the end of the Cold War. However, DRG aid remains effective in the current era under favorable conditions. Further analysis demonstrates important conditional effects related to patterns of DRG investment, such that aid has greater impact when levels of security assistance are low (indicating competing priorities) and when prior DRG investment is low (indicating diminishing returns). In addition, DRG is more effective at intermediate levels of democratization and less so in contexts of democratic backsliding.
Topic:
Security, Development, Globalization, Governance, Democracy, and Public Policy
Political Geography:
North America, Global Focus, and United States of America

262. World System Mobility: The Relevance of the Semiperiphery Concept for Development Projects in the 21st Century

Author:
Alexandre Freitas
Publication Date:
01-2020
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
AUSTRAL: Brazilian Journal of Strategy International Relations
Institution:
Postgraduate Program in International Strategic Studies, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
Abstract:
The objective of this article is to discuss the relevance of the concept of semiperiphery to analyze the world system in the 21st century. First, the main concepts of the world-system approach will be analyzed. In the second part, a more in-depth examination of the question of the semi-periphery will be made through its political and economic characteristics. Later, we will examine the empirical attempts to define the semiperiphery, its role in the reproduction of the capitalist world-economy and the question of mobility in the world-system hierarchy. In conclusion, the role of government apparatus in the issue of development and overcoming the status of semi-periphery in the capitalist world-system will be highlighted.
Topic:
Development, Capitalism, Mobility, and World System
Political Geography:
Global Focus

263. The Contemporary World-System: A Contribution tom the Debate on Development in the World-Systems Theory

Author:
Analúcia Danilevicz Pereira and Salvatore Gasparini Xerri
Publication Date:
07-2020
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
AUSTRAL: Brazilian Journal of Strategy International Relations
Institution:
Postgraduate Program in International Strategic Studies, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
Abstract:
This work analyzes the development in World-System Theory as produced by the flow of appropriation of global surplus value through the international division of labor, creating the divisions between center, semiperiphery and periphery in the capitalist world-economy. It thus aims to explore how the global appropriation of surplus value in the capitalist world-economy produces variations in the level of development of its different regions. To this end, it contextualizes and conceptualizes its elements on its spatial and temporal dimensions. It defines surplus value and the form of its global accumulation, and in this sense explores the succession of capitalist hegemonies, in their dialectical relationship with the system's progress, enabling the approach to the international division of labor, and how the monopoly over finance and technologies allows the center of the system to consolidate a structure that ensures the transfer of capital and surplus value from the other regions to it. It follows that the development of a particular country or region in the capitalist world-economy depends on its ability to accumulate surplus value globally. Additionally, it is observed that the conditions imposed by the system structure prevent initiatives of autonomous development by its parts, being necessary to break with them for such a project to be possible
Topic:
Development, Globalization, Capitalism, and World System
Political Geography:
Global Focus

264. From Principles to Practice: Strengthening Accountability for Gender Equality in International Development

Author:
Megan O'Donnell
Publication Date:
01-2020
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
Existing accountability mechanisms focused on global gender equality are largely retrospective in nature. Where mechanisms do probe at governments’ commitments to future progress, they often lack accompanying incentive structures (“carrots and sticks”) to encourage ambition. Countries re- port their progress implementing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Beijing Platform for Action, participate in annual Commission on the Status of Women sessions, and touch on gender equality as part of voluntary national review reporting for the Sustainable Development Goals. Although these processes, among others, provide an opportu- nity for country reflection and for civil society engagement, they do not mandate that governments establish and adhere to forward-looking, specific commitments detailing how they aim to promote gender equality. The absence of future commitments makes it difficult for civil society actors to hold governments to account according to well-defined metrics. At the same time, governments and women’s rights advo- cates worldwide are increasingly discussing and adopting “feminist foreign policies” and “gender-re- sponsive budgeting.” There is a need to clearly define with robust and transparent metrics what these terms mean and how to hold countries who claim to be “feminist” and “gender-responsive” account- able for ambitious progress, while also encouraging other countries to increasingly prioritize gender equality.
Topic:
Development, Gender Issues, Inequality, Feminism, and Equality
Political Geography:
Global Focus

265. La democracia ambiental frente a la expansión de la frontera petrolera: el caso del Piedemonte llanero

Author:
Yendri Velásquez
Publication Date:
09-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centro Interdisciplinario de Estudios sobre Desarrollo (CIDER), Universidad de los Andes
Abstract:
La expansión de la frontera extractiva ha generado conflictos y debates políticos sobre su impacto en los derechos humanos, la preservación ambiental y el desarrollo. Este modelo se ha acentuado en Latinoamérica dada la creciente influencia china en la región y el consiguiente boom de precios de materias primas y bienes de consumo. En ese contexto nace el Acuerdo de Escazú como el primer tratado sobre democracia ambiental en la región. Algunas investigaciones han permitido avanzar en la comprensión de cómo interactúan los actores en el proceso de toma de decisiones ambientales. No obstante, aún no es claro qué factores ayudan a profundizar la democracia ambiental en medio del complejo proceso de expansión de la frontera extractiva. Esta investigación busca explorar la siguiente pregunta de investigación: ¿Qué factores facilitan o dificultan la profundización de la democracia ambiental en los procesos de licenciamiento ambiental en la frontera petrolera? Como estrategia metodológica se ha utilizado la sonda de plausibilidad aplicada a dos casos en el Piedemonte llanero mediante una matriz de análisis. Se concluye que el uso de mecanismos de participación en materia ambiental y el aprendizaje colectivo facilitaron la profundización de la democracia ambiental, mientras que esta última se vio dificultada por el carácter procedimental y administrativo de la participación en los procesos de licenciamiento ambiental, la falta de acciones vinculantes, la sentencia SU095/18 de la Corte Constitucional, y en fin, la estigmatización y las amenazas de muerte contra líderes y otras personas en el territorio. Estos hallazgos son importantes dada la expansión gradual de la frontera petrolera hacia tecnologías no convencionales, como el fracking, y la alta incertidumbre sobre sus efectos en el territorio. 1
Topic:
Development, Environment, Oil, and Democracy
Political Geography:
Colombia and Global Focus

266. Making Basel III Work for Emerging Markets and Developing Economies

Author:
Thorsten Beck and Liliana Rojas-Suarez
Publication Date:
04-2019
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
A sound financial regulatory framework is critical for minimizing the risk imposed by financial system fra­gility. In the world’s emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs), such regulation is also essential to support economic development and poverty reduc­tion. Meanwhile, it is increasingly recognized that global financial stability is a global public good: recent decades have seen the development of new inter­national financial regulatory standards, to serve as benchmarks for gauging regulation across countries, facilitate cooperation among financial supervisors from different countries, and create a level playing field for financial institutions wherever they operate. For the worldwide banking industry, the international regulatory standards promulgated by the Basel Com­mittee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) stand out for their wide-ranging scope and detail. Even though the latest Basel recommendations, adopted in late 2017 and known as Basel III, are, like their predecessors, calibrated primarily for advanced countries, many EMDEs are in the process of adopting and adapting them, and many others are considering it. They do so because they see it as in their long-term interest, but at the same time the new standards pose for them new risks and challenges. This report assesses the implica­tions of Basel III for EMDEs and provides recommen­dations for both international and local policymakers to make Basel III work for these economies.
Topic:
Development, Economics, Emerging Markets, and Markets
Political Geography:
Global Focus

267. Does the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Help or Hinder Financial Inclusion? A Study of FATF Mutual Evaluation Reports

Author:
Michael Pisa
Publication Date:
05-2019
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
As the organization responsible for setting international standards on anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT), the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has encouraged countries to design measures that protect the integrity of the financial system and support financial inclusion. But it has also received criticism that poor implementation of its standards can undermine financial access. One of the FATF’s main tools for compelling effective use of its standards is the mutual evaluation process, which relies on peer reviews to assess countries’ level of compliance with the FATF Recommendations. We explore whether these reviews have been conducted in a way that helps or hinders national efforts to promote financial inclusion by reviewing the 33 developing country mutual evaluations that took place between 2015-2018. Overall, these findings suggest that assessment teams have conducted mutual evaluations in a way that supports efforts to promote financial inclusion and the flexible use of simplified measures. There is, however, inconsistency in how assessors treat risks emanating from financial exclusion, which suggests the need for a more systematic approach to evaluating these risks.
Topic:
Development, Terrorism, Finance, and Financial Integrity
Political Geography:
Global Focus

268. Understanding the Opportunity Cost, Seizing the Opportunity: Report of the Working Group on Incorporating Economics and Modelling in Global Health Goals and Guidelines

Author:
The Working Group on Incorporating Economics and Modeling in Global Health Goals and Guidelines
Publication Date:
05-2019
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
Internationally set goals and guidelines directly influ­ence the setting of health care priorities at the national level, affecting how limited resources are generated and allocated across health care needs. The influence of global priority setting, such as through the formu­lation of overarching goals or normative guidelines for specific disease areas, is particularly significant in low- and middle-income countries that rely heavily on overseas development assistance. Because no sys­tematic approach exists for dealing with resource con­straints, however, which vary across countries, goals and guidance are often inappropriate for some country contexts; their implementation can, therefore, reduce the efficiency and equity of health care spending. The Working Group on Incorporating Economics and Modelling in Global Health Goals and Guidelines, co-convened by the Center for Global Development, Thanzi la Onse, and the HIV Modelling Consortium, has brought together disease specialists, policymakers, economists, and modelers from national governments, international organizations, and academic institutions across the globe to address these issues, to take stock of current approaches, and make recommendations for better practice. The Working Group deliberated on the roles and purposes of goals and guidelines and consid­ered how economic evidence might be formally incor­porated into policy recommendations and health care decision making. The target audiences for this report are international health institutions, large stakehold­ers in disease programs across the world, and national governments.
Topic:
Development, Health, Health Care Policy, and Public Health
Political Geography:
Global Focus

269. World Bank Financing to Support Refugees and Their Hosts: Recommendations for IDA19

Author:
Lauren Post, Cindy Huang, and Sarah Charles
Publication Date:
06-2019
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
In its 18th replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA18, covering 2017–2020), the World Bank made a game-changing decision to create a US$2 billion financing window to support low-income countries hosting large numbers of refugees.[1] This financing is significant for two key reasons. First, in its scale and scope, the Refugee Sub-Window (RSW) is responsive to both the programmatic and policy needs of protracted refugee crises. Second, in supporting both refugees and their host communities, the RSW aligns refugee responses with host countries’ national development plans.
Topic:
Development, World Bank, Refugees, and Humanitarian Crisis
Political Geography:
Global Focus

270. Updating the DFIs’ Operating Models and Methods Towards Helping to Achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Author:
Franque Grimard and Christian Novak
Publication Date:
12-2019
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University (ISID)
Abstract:
Development financial institutions, especially their private sector windows, must play a more effective role in contributing to achieve the 2030 Agenda. In order to achieve such higher needed effectiveness, DFIs must update their operating models and methods, and the most recently launched DFIs, like FinDev Canada, must widely adopt a modernized approach towards development financing. In this regard, we recommend that DFIs: • Increase mobilization volumes of private capital. • Widen the offering of financial products and structures with high financial additionality. • Maximize their investment potential. We believe that the implementation of the specific recommendations presented in this Policy Brief would significantly contribute to the necessary actions to achieve the 2030 Agenda. However, accomplishing the SDGs is not only dependent on the adaptation of DFIs, but also on complementary effective actions from countries, the international financial system and the private sector, in addition to collaboration among all stakeholders.
Topic:
Development, United Nations, Finance, and Sustainable Development Goals
Political Geography:
Global Focus