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10061. Turning to the Left? Understanding Some Unexpected Events in Latin America

Author:
Carlos M. Vilas
Publication Date:
01-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations
Institution:
School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University
Abstract:
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Uruguay and Venezuela are currently ruled by governments that are typically considered to be on the left of the political spectrum due to their progressive, reformist stances. Together, these states account for almost two thirds of Latin America's population and roughly half of its combined GDP. In the 2006 presidential election in Mexico, the candidate who shared the political views of the aforementioned states was defeated by less than percent in a contested turnout.
Topic:
Government
Political Geography:
Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Latin America, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Mexico, Chile, Ecuador, and Bolivia

10062. Social Cohesion in China: Lessons from the Latin American Experience

Author:
Mariano Turzi
Publication Date:
01-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations
Institution:
School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University
Abstract:
China's economic development over the last three decades has been dazzling critics and supporters alike. Since the launching of the “Four Modernizations” reform process in 1978, growth has averaged 9 percent annually. As a result, according to IMF data released in July 2007, China is poised to overtake Germany as the world's third-largest economy. As growth has slowed in Europe, Japan, and the US the Chinese economy grew at a staggering rate of 11.9 percent in the second quarter of 2007. The IMF report also pointed out that if exchange rates are adjusted to equalize the cost of goods in different countries (purchasing-power parity) China is already the world's second-largest economy.
Topic:
Economics
Political Geography:
United States, Japan, China, Europe, Germany, and Latin America

10063. Diplomatic Processes and Cultural Variations: The Relevance of Culture in Diplomacy

Author:
Wilfried Bolewski
Publication Date:
01-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations
Institution:
School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University
Abstract:
The relationship between diplomacy and culture has been somewhat neglected in recent academic and practical studies, even though competence and understanding during intercultural exchanges unites societies and facilitates further intercultural interactions. Current public discussions concentrate exclusively on the existence of cultural commonalities and universal values all cultures share. However, determining likenesses among cultures should be secondary to the awareness of cultural differences as the logical starting point for the evaluation of intercultural commonalities. Intercultural sensitivity within groups paves the way for the acceptance and tolerance of other cultures and allows members to be open to values which are universal among all groups, such as law and justice, which globalized society should then build upon together.
Topic:
Diplomacy

10064. Institutional Interaction in Global Environmental Governance

Author:
John Martin Gillroy
Publication Date:
01-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations
Institution:
School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University
Abstract:
John Stuart Mill wrote biographical pieces on both Jeremy Bentham and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Reflecting on these men, with the first establishing science as the key to social studies and the other reminding us that anything involving human beings must also be considered a subject of philosophical method, Mill argued that anyone considering themselves an intellectual must trace their ontology back to one of these giants. This insight marked the establishment of dividing the positive from the normative and the scientific from the human in social affairs - an insight which still impacts the professions of law and policy to this day.
Topic:
Governance

10065. Message from the Editor

Publication Date:
09-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations
Institution:
School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University
Abstract:
Discussions and debate concerning global poverty alleviation have steadily increased at the Whitehead School over the past few years, but I had not realized how mainstream the urgency had become until a popular television host used the phrase “the gap between the rich and poor is growing.” I had never heard it used outside of an academic environment, but it became apparent that the public was beginning to catch on; this notion has sadly come to define the current global economic situation.
Topic:
Economics

10066. Forward

Publication Date:
09-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations
Institution:
School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University
Abstract:
The field of microfinance has come a long way. It was not long ago that the idea of simply recovering the lion's share of the principal was a remarkable achievement when extending credit to the poor. Doubts persisted up until recent years whether microfinance could be scaled up in countries other than Bangladesh, Indonesia and Bolivia. The empirical case for microfinance as a robust approach to poverty reduction was long perceived to be flimsy. The beliefs that the poor and especially the poorest could save and that microfinance institutions (MFIs) could be good stewards of that savings and intermediate these resources were not widely held.
Political Geography:
Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Bolivia

10067. The Merits of Microfinance as a Viable Solution for Poverty Alleviation: An Interview with Jeffrey Sachs

Publication Date:
09-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations
Institution:
School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University
Abstract:
On August 20, 2008, we had the unique opportunity of speaking with Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, Director of The Earth Institute. We discussed various topics related to economic development, paying close attention to one particular aspect of poverty alleviation—microfinance.
Topic:
Economics

10068. Poverty and Microfinance: An Investigation into the Role of Microcredit in Reducing the Poverty Level of Borrowing Households in Bangladesh and the Philippines

Author:
M. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury
Publication Date:
09-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations
Institution:
School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University
Abstract:
It is often argued that the formal and informal financial sectors in developing countries have failed to serve the poorer section of the community. Collateral, credit rationing, a preference for high income clients and large loans, and lengthy bureaucratic procedures of providing loans keep poor people outside the boundary of the formal sector financial institutions in developing countries. On the other hand, the informal financial sector has also failed to help the poor. Monopolistic power, excessively high interest rates, and exploitation through the undervaluation of collateral have restricted the informal financial sector in providing credit to poor people for income generating and poverty alleviation purposes.
Topic:
Poverty
Political Geography:
Bangladesh and Philippines

10069. Does the Microfinance Lending Model Actually Work?

Author:
Rafael Gómez and Eric Santor
Publication Date:
09-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations
Institution:
School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University
Abstract:
Microfinance institutions (MFIs) have expanded throughout the developing and developed world and now serve over 10 million households worldwide. Despite the relative poverty of their clients, MFIs have been able to extend credit to poor households, while still maintaining high repayment rates and financial sustainability. Much of this success has been attributed to MFIs innovative use of peer group lending—the practice of allocating loans to individuals with little or no collateral—but with social capital in the form of peers who are also co-applicants and who in many cases are jointly liable. Practitioners and pundits attest to the ability of group lending to increase incomes, consumption, and the stock of human capital for those households facing severe credit constraints. Recent theoretical and empirical work, however, has begun to cast doubts on many of these claims. Not surprisingly, the apparent success, or lack thereof, of peer group lending has drawn the attention of numerous development researchers.
Topic:
Poverty

10070. Romanticizing the Poor Harms the Poor

Author:
Aneel Karnani
Publication Date:
09-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations
Institution:
School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University
Abstract:
A libertarian movement that emphasizes free markets to reduce poverty has grown strong in recent years. The think tank World Resource Institute advocates 'development through enterprise' and emphasizes business models driven by a profit motive that engage the poor as producers and consumers. The Private Sector Development network, part of the World Bank, focuses on private sector led growth in developing countries. CK Prahalad a prolific exponent of this perspective argues that selling to the poor people at the 'bottom of the pyramid' (BOP) can be profitable and simultaneously help eradicate poverty. The BOP proposition has caught the attention of senior executives and business academics. Many multinational companies (such as Unilever and SC Johnson) have undertaken BOP initiatives; the world's top CEOs have discussed this topic at recent sessions of the World Economic Forum. Several business schools (such as University of Michigan and University of North Carolina) have set up BOP centers.
Topic:
Economics and Poverty
Political Geography:
Michigan and North Carolina