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61. From Promise to Practice: Strengthening UN Capacities for the Prevention of Violent Conflict

Author:
Chandra Lekha Sriram
Publication Date:
01-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
International Peace Institute
Abstract:
In the fall of 2000, the International Peace Academy commissioned a series of nine case studies examining the practice of preventive action. This study builds on earlier work by IPA identifying important issues for further examination in preventive practice. The cases examined were representative of the broad and increasing scope of preventive action geographically and in terms of approaches deployed—from structural prevention to post conflict peacebuilding as prevention. These cases were Kenya, Fiji, Tanzania (Zanzibar), Tajikistan, Burundi, Georgia (Javakheti), East Timor, Liberia, and Colombia. The cases are being edited and compiled for publication in a subsequent book; this report seeks to draw out central policy lessons for preventive action by the United Nations (UN). Important lessons can be drawn out with implications for each specific situation; more cross-cutting lessons for the UN and other preventive actors can also be derived from the collected cases.
Topic:
Conflict Resolution, Human Rights, International Law, International Organization, Migration, and United Nations
Political Geography:
United States

62. Scientific Research at the Smithsonian Institution

Author:
James E. Colvard, C. William Fischer, Adam Jr. Herbert, Delores Parron, Maxine Singer, and Jerry R. Schubel
Publication Date:
10-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The National Academy of Public Administration
Abstract:
The Smithsonian Institution is a unique organization, established in 1846 “for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.” It has grown over the years and is now composed of 16 museums and galleries, the National Zoo, and numerous research facilities in the United States and abroad. The Smithsonian participates in the annual federal budget process to receive funding though the federal appropriations process. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2001, it received 57 percent of its funding through federal appropriation. The remainder came from government grants and contracts, contributions and private grants, business ventures, and investment earnings.
Topic:
Civil Society, Government, Industrial Policy, and International Organization
Political Geography:
United States

63. Courts, Congress, And Constituencies: Managing Fisheries By Default

Author:
Mary A. Gade, Terry D. Garcia, Jonathan B. Howes, Theodore M. Schad, and Susan Shipman
Publication Date:
07-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The National Academy of Public Administration
Abstract:
In 1976, the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act established the first federal system to govern fishing in the then newly - declared 200 - mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). This management system was uniquely participatory, composed of representatives of states, recreational and commercial fishers, and the federal government. It was organized into eight regional councils that were charged with developing fishery management plans (FMPs), in coordination with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and subject to NMFS review and approval. The councils were established to meet the goals of conserving fishery resources and promoting the U.S. commercial and recreational fishing industry. Under a set of statutory standards, the councils were tasked to make the major management decisions, such as the size of the allowable catch, the length of the fishing season, the allocation of any quotas to states and fishers, and permitting/licensing provisions.
Topic:
Civil Society, Government, Industrial Policy, and International Organization
Political Geography:
United States

64. Strengthening Senior Leadership In the U.S. Government: Phase I Report

Author:
Sandra J. Hale, Patricia W. Ingraham, Ralph C. Bledsoe, Constance J. Horner, Gilda H. Lambert, and David M. Walker
Publication Date:
12-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The National Academy of Public Administration
Abstract:
Since its creation in 1978, the Senior Executive Service (SES) has undergone wide - ranging assessments and analyses from a variety of sources. The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO), Grace Commission, Packard Panel, and National Performance Review have addressed SES structural, systemic, and operational issues. In 1998, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) raised these issues anew in a broad review about SES' future, and whether SES selection, development, and management produce the executives needed to meet the leadership challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century. This work led to policy improvements and set the stage for legislative proposals. However, the review did not show stakeholder consensus on several pivotal areas for effecting change in SES structure and composition. As a result, OPM was encouraged to lead a more comprehensive assessment of structure and composition to identify appropriate changes that would enhance overall accountability.
Topic:
Civil Society, Government, Industrial Policy, and International Organization
Political Geography:
United States

65. Models For Change: Efforts By Four States To Address Environmental Justice

Author:
Jonathan B. Howes, Philip Rutledge, A. James Barnes, Jonathan Howes, Valerie Lemmie, David Mora, James Murley, and Eddie Williams
Publication Date:
06-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The National Academy of Public Administration
Abstract:
In October 2001, the Office of Environmental Justice at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asked the National Academy of Public Administration (the Academy) to study a selected group of state environmental justice programs and identify opportunities for states to address environmental justice concerns more effectively. This study complements a prior Academy effort that analyzed how environmental justice could be incorporated into EPA's permitting programs for air, waste, and water and contributed to EPA's five - step strategy for integrating environmental justice into its permits.
Topic:
Civil Society, Government, Industrial Policy, and International Organization
Political Geography:
United States

66. US-German relations and their impact on NATO transformation

Author:
Michaela C. Hertkorn
Publication Date:
10-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Columbia International Affairs Online
Abstract:
What might be the impact of a worsened German-US relationship on NATO transformation, which foremost concerns NATO enlargement and the streamlining of NATO capabilities? This piece discusses the problems in current US-German relations, and how they may play out within the European theatre itself. The argument shall be made, that the isolation of Germany in NATO and EU has been evolving for months. The paper will highlight the particular challenges Germany faces as key regional player to help transform NATO, given further enlargement, which will – in all likelihood - enhance the number of US friendly member countries.
Topic:
NATO and International Organization
Political Geography:
United States and Europe

67. Did German-US relations change from pre-Bush and Bush to post-9/11-Bush? (A Revised Look)

Author:
Michaela C. Hertkorn
Publication Date:
09-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Columbia International Affairs Online
Abstract:
“There is the perception that, while France is a complicated country, but not posing a problem, Germany is not a complicated case, but can pose a problem.” ”America and Germany will never drift apart. We have never been closer. Any tensions are simply due to 'Reibungsverluste durch Nähe'. It is a relationship of grown up kids with their parents.
Topic:
NATO and International Organization
Political Geography:
United States and Europe

68. Economic Issues Raised by Treatment of Takings Under NAFTA Chapter 11

Author:
Edward M. Graham
Publication Date:
11-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Peterson Institute for International Economics
Abstract:
This working paper examines, from an economic perspective, the treatment of takings (property rights) under NAFTA Chapter 11. To be more precise, the paper examines the treatment of takings as environmental groups fear might be established as the result of investor dispute settlement under this chapter; as of the date of this writing, most of the cases that have the potential to be precedent-setting have not been finally decided, albeit one—the Metalclad case—has been decided in a way that is unsettling to environmentalists. The author attempts to determine whether requiring public compensation of private investors for diminishment of value resulting from government regulatory action has the potential of achieving anything close to an “optimal” outcome from a societal cost-benefit point of view (defined below). This determination makes use of tools of economic analysis and, in particular, Coase's theorem regarding achieving optimal outcomes where negative externalities are present. The overall conclusion is that, although Coase's theorem can be invoked to argue that such an outcome can be achieved either via a “polluter pays” approach or a “public pays” (or “public must compensate”) approach, as a matter of practical application, the first approach is preferable to the second for a number of reasons, including government “fiscal illusion” and “moral hazard.”
Topic:
Economics and International Organization
Political Geography:
United States, Latin America, and North America

69. U.S. Opposition to the International Criminal Court: Unfounded Fears

Author:
Robert C. Johansen
Publication Date:
06-2001
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame
Abstract:
U.S. opposition to creating a permanent international criminal court arises from unwarranted fears that U.S. officials might be wrongly prosecuted. Opposition also rests on a mistaken belief that the United States can protect legitimate national sovereignty only by rejecting international legal constraints on criminal abuses of sovereignty. However, the proposed court would serve U.S. interests by investigating the world's worst international crimes and assigning individual responsibility for them, reducing collective blame for the criminal acts of individuals, discouraging atrocities, and upholding international law while protecting against politically motivated prosecutions.
Topic:
Government, International Law, and International Organization
Political Geography:
United States

70. International — IMF Crisis Decisions

Publication Date:
11-2001
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxford Analytica
Abstract:
The IMF's major shareholders have shown little willingness to provide new funds to Argentina. In deferring further assistance, the United States and other G7 shareholders have set limits on the international financial community's role in resolving a major emerging market financial crisis. The slowing global economy could provide an early test of these limits as it exposes weaknesses in other emerging markets — particularly those with larger geopolitical profiles than Argentina. Argentina's predicament highlights the Fund's paradox in wanting, on the one hand, to facilitate orderly resolution of crises (and prevent calamitous social impacts) and, on the other hand, to encourage markets to appropriately price risk by proving that non-optimal outcomes are possible. The risk of such outcomes is the basis upon which investors demand higher premiums from emerging market borrowers.
Topic:
International Organization, International Political Economy, and International Trade and Finance
Political Geography:
United States and Argentina