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442. ECMI Civil Society Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Supporting Annex 8 of the Dayton Peace Agreement: Development of a Cultural Heritage Association and a Education Programme
- Author:
- Valery Perry
- Publication Date:
- 12-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- European Centre for Minority Issues
- Abstract:
- Since the first implementation meeting in October, the Annex 8 project has moved forward through two complementary pillars of activity. One pillar is the development of a state-level cultural heritage association that can serve as a civil society link among government officials, cultural heritage experts, and BiH citizens interested in protecting and promoting BiH\'s culture. Participants initially proposed and have continually expressed their interest in the development of such an association since the constitutive meeting. Part III of this report reviews the progress made in this effort, and notes the goals for 2003.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Development, and Education
- Political Geography:
- Europe
443. Kosovo/a Standing Technical Working Group, Twelfth Meeting: Review of Activities 2002
- Author:
- Graham Holliday
- Publication Date:
- 12-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- European Centre for Minority Issues
- Abstract:
- The Standing Technical Working Group (STWG) was established in March 2001 to address important issues of public policy in Kosovo/a at a technical level. It is composed of experts from Kosovo/a NGOs, the main political parties and other civil society representatives. Its membership is fully interethnic and it prides itself on being able to conduct debate in Kosovo/a in an interethnic way. The Group reviews technical aspects of current policy and formulates proposals and critical questions in relation to them. It then seeks to engage the relevant appointed local and international representatives on these issues. In response to the changed political environment in Kosovo/a following the Assembly elections in November 2001, the Group sought to enhance its role in public policy analysis and development through the establishment of four expert working groups.
- Topic:
- Civil Society and Development
- Political Geography:
- Europe
444. Kosovo/a Standing Technical Working Group, Eleventh Meeting: Economic Development and Labour
- Author:
- Graham Holliday
- Publication Date:
- 12-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- European Centre for Minority Issues
- Abstract:
- The Standing Technical Working Group (STWG) was established in March 2001 to address important issues of public policy in Kosovo/a at a technical level. It is composed of experts from Kosovo/a NGOs, the political parties and other civil society representatives. Its membership is fully interethnic and it prides itself on being able to conduct debate in Kosovo/a in an interethnic way. The Group reviews technical aspects of current policy and formulates proposals and critical questions in relation to them. It then seeks to engage the relevant appointed local and international representatives on these issues. In response to the changed political environment in Kosovo/a following the Assembly elections in November 2001, the Group sought to enhance its role in public policy analysis and development through the establishment of four expert working groups. These Expert Committees (ECs) have devoted their activities in 2002 to monitoring policy developments in four areas considered most relevant to the needs of all communities in Kosovo/a. One of these is the Expert Committee on Economic Development and Labour.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Development, and Economics
- Political Geography:
- Europe
445. The OSCE in Central Asia: A New Strategy
- Publication Date:
- 09-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) emerged in a wave of euphoria surrounding the events of the late 1980s in the former Soviet bloc. Building on the achievements of its predecessor, the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), it has played a key role in state-building and democratisation in many areas of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
- Topic:
- Development, Politics, and Regional Cooperation
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Central Asia, and Soviet Union
446. Globalized and Localized Digital Divides Along the Information Highway: A Fragile Synthesis Across Bridges, Ramps, Cloverleaves, and Ladders.
- Author:
- Carl Cuneo
- Publication Date:
- 01-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition, McMaster University
- Abstract:
- There has been a tendency, especially in North America and Europe, and among technology enthusiasts and some educators, to assume that the whole world is connected to the Internet, and surfs the World Wide Web. Why would we use the term, 'World Wide Web', if we were not talking about a global phenomenon? However, Internet statistics show that only about six to eight percent of the world's six billion population is connected to the Internet. Approximately ninety-two percent of the world is NOT connected to, nor uses, the Internet. 1 The erroneous assumption of universal connectivity is not simply a statistical mistake. Governments, corporations, community organizations, and individuals make many incorrect decisions, with sometimes dramatic and far-reaching consequences, on the basis of the assumption that most of the world is connected to the Internet. Not only is the vast majority of the world not connected to the Internet, most people do not even have the computers, skills, experience, interest, or awareness to become connected. The disconnected are not randomly distributed, but have specific demographic, social, economic, racial, ethnic, gender, gerontological, and political characteristics that amount to a systematic bias of exclusion, often referred to as the “digital have-nots”. Similarly, the connected are not randomly distributed, but possess particular demographic, social, economic and political characteristics making up what has become known as the ““Digital Haves””. The separation, chasm, abyss, canyon, gulf, or distance between the ““Digital Haves”” and “digital have-nots” has become known as the “Digital Divide.”
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Development, Globalization, Poverty, and Science and Technology
- Political Geography:
- Europe and North America
447. Mortgage Default Insurance in the U.S.: Implications for Russia
- Author:
- Raymond Struyk and Douglas E. Whiteley
- Publication Date:
- 03-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Urban Institute
- Abstract:
- The objective of this paper is to introduce the concept of mortgage default insurance as developed in the United States into the context of Russian mortgage lending. The first part of the paper discusses the broad principles and operations of mortgage default insurance offered by private companies as it works in the United States. The pricing of this product and the preconditions for offering such insurance are highlighted. The second section outlines the operation of the U.S. government-supported default insurance offered by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). The final part applies the foregoing information to the situation in Russia today and concludes that the conditions necessary for launching mortgage default insurance do not currently exist in the country. Nevertheless, there are a number of essential actions that can and should be taken over the next several months to put Russia on the road to establishing such insurance in a few years. The paper finishes with a possible action plan for the next two years.
- Topic:
- Development, Government, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- Russia, United States, Europe, and Asia
448. At the Crossroads of Post-Communist Modernisation: Russia and China in Comparative Perspective
- Author:
- Linda Jakobson and Christer Pursiainen
- Publication Date:
- 02-2001
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Finnish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- “Modernity ends when words like progress, advance, development, emancipation, liberation, growth, accumulation, enlightenment, embetterment, avant-garde, lose their attraction and their function as guides to social action.” By this definition, Russia and China are both still undertaking extensive modernisation – though by very different means. Why have Russia and China chosen such different paths for their post-communist transitions? How do their strategies differ, and how are they interrelated? When – at what junctures - were the crucial choices made?
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Russia, China, Europe, and Asia
449. Two Reluctant Regionalizers? The European Union and Russia in Europe's North
- Author:
- Hiski Haukkala
- Publication Date:
- 01-2001
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Finnish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- It has become something of a cliché to argue that the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991 resulted in dramatic changes in the unfolding of political space in the 1990s. Yet this was especially true in the case of the then European Community (EC) and its relations with the Soviet Union/Russian Federation. During the Cold War, the relations between the EC and the USSR were practically non-existent. The ascension of Mikhail Gorbachev and the period of perestroika and glasnost resulted, however, in a gradual rapprochement between the two parties. The creation of these new ties was formalized in the signing of a Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) between the EC and the USSR, which was, however, in effect signed with an already crumbling Soviet Union as it took place as late as 21 December 1989.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Development, Economics, and Regional Cooperation
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Europe, Asia, and Soviet Union
450. Improving Upon Nature: Creating Competitive Advantage in Ceramic Tile Clusters in Italy, Spain, and Brazil
- Author:
- Jorg Meyer-Stamer, Silene Seibel, and Claudio Maggi
- Publication Date:
- 10-2001
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute for Development and Peace
- Abstract:
- This paper shows how using a combination of a cluster and a global value chain approach helps to assess local competitive strategies and upgrading possibilities. The global ceramic tile industry is dominated by two industrial clusters, Sassuolo in Italy and Castellón in Spain, which are not only dominating tile production in their respective countries and in Europe but are also the global technology leaders and the leading exporters. The Italian tile manufacturers are closely linked with capital goods manufacturers, the Spanish with producers of glazing materials. The equipment and materials producers drive technical change and innovation in tile design, whereas the tile manufacturers try to establish a competitive advantage in particular by innovating in downstream activities: training tilers, establishing diversified brands for different sales channels, and going into direct sales. Analyzing the value chain, from inputs and capital goods to final sales, offers new insights into scope and alternatives of local upgrading. It also helps to reassess the competitiveness of tile clusters in the developing world. This is done for Brazil's leading cluster which is located in Santa Catarina. Tile firms there can benefit from the fierce rivalry among Italian capital goods producers and among Spanish producers of glazing materials, as well as the rivalry between Italy and Spain. They are technology followers. However, having to deal with a volatile and very competitive market, they are innovative in downstream activities, experimenting with concepts which are not yet used by Italian or Spanish manufacturers.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, and Peace Studies
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Brazil, Spain, and Italy