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982. Africa and Development Cooperation – Successes, Pitfalls and Areas for Further Reforms
- Author:
- Eveline Herfkens
- Publication Date:
- 06-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF)
- Abstract:
- The publication contends that development assistance has been of benefit to developing countries over the years. It has helped to build physical infrastructural, human and institutional capacities and deliver some level of growth in recipient countries. Through civil society organizations, it has been instrumental in raising voices on the need for good governance, to stem the tide of corruption, and to promote development effectiveness of both aid and domestic resources. The Author also notes with the same fervor that development assistance has equally had its negative results list: traditional technical assistance has tended to supplant local capacity, undermine local knowledge and institutions and render recipient countries more vulnerable and dependent on aid. Reasons for these shortcomings are legion. Donor-driven projects are not derived from aid recipients' development priorities and are an expression of an attitude by donors that "they know better', "they lecture and recipients listen", "they give and poor countries receive", "they know and recipient countries learn", "they take care of things, because poor countries cannot."
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Corruption, Development, Reform, and Institutions
- Political Geography:
- Africa
983. Good Governance Improving Quality of Life
- Author:
- Fikret Toksöz
- Publication Date:
- 06-2008
- Content Type:
- Book
- Institution:
- Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV)
- Abstract:
- The word ‘governance’ became common currency everywhere including Turkey. This concept which entered our vocabulary with 1996 İstanbul Habitat II Conference, encountered great resistance. Certain people claim it was unnecessary to create a new term such as governance where there is already a corresponding word for that concept, that is government. Etymological reasons are put forward to support these claims. Others claim that ideologically speaking, governance is the imposition of the forces of globalization. It is normal for such new terms to encounter great objections. If, on top of that, the meaning and content of the term is not clearly understood, these objections prove even more resilient. Good governance is a new approach that includes all the principles necessary for the consolidation of democratic management. These principles can be stated as participation, transparency, accountability, effectiveness, consistency, fairness and rule of law. Lately, many segments of society including public managers and intellectuals and even political representatives suggested using the principles of governance for solving problems encountered in public administration. Besides them, individuals and civil society organizations try to get information from public authorities and try to hold them accountable. For them, good governance is the ultimate principle that will make these organizations more important actors in social life. Seeing the common usage of good governance, TESEV decided to change the content of the book prepared initially to publicize the results of our project “Good Governance: Improving Quality of Life”. Consequently, there emerged this study which comprises of two books. The first part of the book is made up of three parts. In the first part, the meaning of governance is explained. In the second part, the transition from government to governance in Turkey is depicted. In this section, the modern government is assumed to have emerged with Tanzimat and the passage to governance is explained in two stages. The first stage is the period from Tanzimat to the Republic. In this stage, the formation process of civil society is evaluated as well as the consolidation of public authority. With the same method, the period from the Republic to the present day is also evaluated. At the end of the first book, problem areas related to governance and new developments are mentioned. The second book comprises of the explanation and the results of TESEV’s “Good Governance: Improving Quality of Life” project. The details related to the development of project tools namely “Socio-economic Development Maps, Public Spending Analysis and Social Satisfaction Surveys” are shared. This study was prepared as a manual for local authorities, civil society organizations and citizens interested in the topic with an aim to make the term clearer and to facilitate the debate on the concept. For this reason, the methodology developed for scientific studies were not employed in this book. To facilitate an easy reading of the book, extensive bibliographies and footnotes were evaded. While preparing the book, all the relevant literature in Turkish was surveyed. There are many valuable studies on the historical development pattern. The sources and the internet sites used were mentioned at the end of the book.
- Topic:
- Governance, Reform, Accountability, Transparency, and Sustainability
- Political Geography:
- Turkey, Middle East, and Mediterranean
984. The Political Economy of Reform in Egypt: Understanding the Role of Institutions
- Author:
- Sufyan Alissa
- Publication Date:
- 10-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- Egypt's economic reform was initiated in 1991 within the context of stabilization and structural adjustment programs. And since the appointment of Prime Minster Ahmed Nazif and his ministerial economic team in 2004, reform has been pursued more intensely, apparently taking new directions. The government has implemented a number of reform measures and has announced concrete plans to restructure the financial sector, adjust regulations, enhance trade liberalization, and privatize most state-owned enterprises.
- Topic:
- Political Economy and Reform
- Political Geography:
- Egypt
985. Pension Reform in China
- Author:
- Felix Salditt, Peter Whiteford, and Willem Adema
- Publication Date:
- 06-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
- Abstract:
- China is currently in the process of developing the largest pension system in the world, and it is doing this at a time of unparalleled economic and demographic transition. The central government has followed a step-by-step approach to develop a system that can accommodate a rapidly aging society within a rapidly growing, but still largely underdeveloped economy. This paper analyses how far the process of creating a national old age insurance system had proceeded by the end of 2006. It provides a detailed description of this system and an assessment of to what degree it has so far achieved ?its primary goal of social security for more people?
- Topic:
- Economics, Reform, Welfare, and Pension
- Political Geography:
- China and Asia
986. The Swedish Housing Market Better Allocation via Less Regulation
- Author:
- Felix Hufner and Jens Lundsgard
- Publication Date:
- 06-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
- Abstract:
- While several sectors in the economy have been deregulated, the Swedish housing market remains distorted, hindering an optimal matching of supply and demand. In the rental market the rent setting framework with its focus on cost-based rents in the public sector prevents a price response, leading to long queues in some regions and vacancies in others. Many Swedes that would have preferred otherwise are driven into the owner-occupied segment, where prices are increasing strongly, and rising above an estimated fundamental value. The supply of new dwellings is made more difficult by an uncompetitive construction industry, coupled with cumbersome planning regulations and few incentives for municipalities to issue more land. On the fiscal side, real estate taxes are below neutral levels, implying an indirect subsidy to housing. This paper presents a review of the recent steps to abolish real estate taxes and also proposes comprehensive reform of regulations in the rental housing sector.
- Topic:
- Reform, Regulation, Public Sector, and Housing
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Sweden, and Scandinavia
987. Adjustment Options and Strategies in the Context of Agricultural Policy Reform and Trade Liberalisation
- Author:
- Osamu Kubota
- Publication Date:
- 08-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
- Abstract:
- Reforming agricultural policies by reducing distorting support improves economic efficiency as a whole through a better allocation of resources. This implies that adjustment may have adverse effects on some agricultural households and other people engaged in the sector, in particular in the short term. There may also be negative impacts on upstream and downstream sectors and on regional economies that rely on commodities whose prices and production levels fall with reductions in support and protection. Despite pressures to reform to meet multilateral and bilateral trade commitments and to respond to budgetary constraints, these adverse impacts are a major reason why governments find it difficult to make progress in policy reform.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Reform, Trade Liberalization, and Trade
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
988. How Regulatory Reforms in Sweden have boosted Productivity
- Author:
- Espen Erlandsen and Jens Lundsgaard
- Publication Date:
- 09-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
- Abstract:
- The economic crisis in the early 1990s prompted action on reforming the Swedish welfare state and its institutions, including deregulation of a wide range of product markets. In that way, Sweden took early action compared to other OECD countries currently struggling with how to make public finances more robust in an ageing context. The reforms that were implemented during the 1990s are now paying off in terms of productivity and GDP growth. Empirical evidence suggests that deregulation has delivered a considerable “productivity dividend”. Although significant progress therefore has been made, renewed regulatory reform is needed to safeguard Sweden’s ambitious public policy goals. Efforts should focus on improving enterprise formation and labour utilisation, as well as on providing better value for money in the public sector by raising its efficiency and delivering high quality services.
- Topic:
- Financial Crisis, Reform, Regulation, and Public Policy
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Sweden, and Scandinavia
989. What Turkey teaches about democracy
- Author:
- Melkulangara Kumaran Bhadrakumar
- Publication Date:
- 01-2007
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Insight Turkey
- Institution:
- SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research
- Abstract:
- The 85-year-old Turkish state finds itself at a crossroads. But the implications of Erdoğan's final choice go far beyond Turkey's borders. Turkey's standing as a regional powerhouse, its strategic location as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East, its historical and cultural heritage in the Muslim world – all these are bound to come into play in the coming months. The crucial importance of what is unfolding in Turkey lies in that, to quote former Israeli foreign minister Shlomo Ben-Ami in a recent article, "Engaging political Islam will need to be the central part of any successful strategy for the Middle East. Instead of sticking to doomsday prophecies of categorical perspectives that prevent an understanding of the complex fabric of Islamic movements, the West needs to keep the pressure on the incumbent regimes to stop circumventing political reform."
- Topic:
- Islam and Reform
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Turkey, Middle East, and Israel
990. The Status of the Debate on Institutional Reform in EU Member States (update - July 2007)
- Publication Date:
- 10-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Polish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- This review of the positions of European Union Member States on the institutional reform supplements the report published by the Polish Institute of International Affairs in May 2007, prior to the meeting of the European Council that was to decide on the fate of the Constitutional Treaty (Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe, TCE) and, in broader terms, on the institutional reform. This paper discusses the developments until the June meeting of the European Council although, in some interesting cases (e.g. the Czech Republic), the paper also tackles the issues that emerged following the end of the Councils session.
- Topic:
- Reform
- Political Geography:
- Europe