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472. Privatization in Brcko District: Why It Is Different and Why It Works
- Author:
- Henry L. Clarke
- Publication Date:
- 01-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Wilson Center
- Abstract:
- The Brcko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina is small, with less than 100,000 people. In 2001, about 30 public companies were selected for privatization. At the outset, there were good reasons to ask whether the District would have any success in privatizing them. Many of the public companies had been shut down for up to ten years, while the rest were operating at a small fraction of their pre-1991 output. There was not a single company that was profitable enough to be sold successfully on the basis of its performance, none had adequate working capital or marketing arrangements, many were deeply in debt, some had too many nonworking “employees” and the equipment of most companies that was not damaged during the war was worn out or obsolete.
- Topic:
- Debt, Government, Politics, and Privatization
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Bosnia, and Herzegovina
473. The Presidential Crisis in Lithuania: Its Roots and the Russian Factor
- Author:
- Richard J. Krickus
- Publication Date:
- 01-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Wilson Center
- Abstract:
- The purpose of this paper is to address two questions associated with Lithuania's political crisis in 2004. First, what were the domestic circumstances that led to the impeachment of Lithuania's President, Rolandas Paksas? Second, what evidence is there that Russia has played a significant role in the crisis and what are the motives behind Moscow's meddling in Lithuania's internal affairs? Answers to these questions are pertinent to the fate of countries throughout post-communist Europe, given their common history and geography. In addition, they provide the framework for addressing a third question that must be answered by the European Union (EU), NATO and the United States: what can be done about these two-fold threats to the newest members of the Western alliance?
- Topic:
- Democratization, Government, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Russia, United States, Europe, Lithuania, and Moscow
474. The Challenge of Poor Governance and Corruption
- Author:
- Jens Chr.1 Andvig
- Publication Date:
- 04-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- The paper is the author's so-called “Opponent paper” to Susan Rose-Ackerman's proposals for good governance and anti-corruption policies at the Copenhagen Consensus 2004 meeting 24–28 May. There the most promising anti-corruption policies had to compete with other best policies at other fields such as fight against AIDS, malaria, hunger prevention, and so on. He argues that while corruption and governance problems are important and may prevent any other kind of policy to succeed, no really effective anti-corruption policy has so far been proposed, and if it was, we wouldn't know that it did. Hence, it would be unreasonable to make a strong claim for anti-corruption projects against their competitors.
- Topic:
- Economics, Human Welfare, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Europe
475. Majority Rules and Incentives—International voting affects domestic policies
- Author:
- Bård Harstad
- Publication Date:
- 03-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- A “majority rule” defines the number of club-members that must approve a policy proposed to replace the status quo. Since the majority rule thus dictates the extent to which winners must compensate losers, it also determines the incentives to invest in order to become a winner of anticipated projects. If the required majority is large, the members invest too little because of a hold-up problem, if it is small, the members invest too much in order to become a member of the majority coalition. To balance these opposing forces, the majority rule should increase in the level of minority protection (or enforcement capacity) and the project's value but decrease in the ex post heterogeneity. Strategic delegation turns out to be sincere exclusively under this majority rule. Externalities can be internalized by adjusting the rule. With heterogeneity in size or initial conditions, votes should be appropriately weighted or double majorities required. The analysis provides recommendations for Europe's future constitution.
- Topic:
- Government, Human Rights, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Europe
476. Uniform or Different Policies
- Author:
- Bård Harstad
- Publication Date:
- 03-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- I analyse the negotiation between two countries, or regions, that are trying to make an agreement in order to internalize externalities. Local preferences are local information, but reluctance to participate in the agreement is signaled by delay. Conditions are derived for when it is efficient to restrict the attention to policies that are uniform across regions – with and without side payments – and when it is optimal to forbid side payments in the negotiations. While policy differentiation and side payments let the policy be tailed to local conditions, they create conflicts between the regions and thus delay. If political centralization implies uniformity, as is frequently assumed in the federalism literature, the results describe when centralization outperforms decentralized cooperation. But the results also provide a foundation for this uniformity assumption and characterize when it is likely to hold.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Politics, and Regional Cooperation
- Political Geography:
- Europe
477. Future of the European Union: Problems of Legitimacy, Constitutionalisation, and the Ultimate Goal of European Integration
- Author:
- Sanem Baykal
- Publication Date:
- 03-2004
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Institution:
- Uluslararasi Iliskiler
- Abstract:
- One of the pivotal issues the European Union is trying to solve right now is the link between identity, legitimacy and political order in Europe. This study argues that the Union will have to strike a balance between democracy and efficiency while reshaping its institutional structure, as it can only secure the allegiances of European peoples if it is deemed to be useful and successful by its citizens, while accomplishments would only be regarded as satisfactory when the process is legitimate and democratic. This study illustrates that the Draft Constitution adopts the option of maintaining the essence of the status quo as regards the institutional structure. The democratic and political deficits of the Union need to be bridged by innovative approaches which are compatible with the unique qualities of the Community method. The European Union constitutes a novel type of polity which necessitates original approaches to issues such as democracy, legitimacy and politics.
- Topic:
- Politics
- Political Geography:
- Europe
478. Classical Geopolitical Theories in International Relations and Their Contemporary Interpretations
- Author:
- Ismail Hakki Iscan
- Publication Date:
- 06-2004
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Uluslararasi Iliskiler
- Institution:
- Uluslararasi Iliskiler
- Abstract:
- Geopolitics, which is the science of politics on geography, has throughout the history focused on geographical areas to be controlled or on geographical reasons for expansion of states. Those who aim to rule the world by controlling certain geographical areas have especially searched for ways of controlling Eurasia. In the core of geopolitical approaches that this paper deals with, is the aim of controlling the World through control of Eurasia first.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Energy Policy, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Eurasia, and Asia
479. Chechnya Weekly: No Evidence Required: Chechens Blamed For Subway Bombing
- Author:
- Lawrence Uzzell
- Publication Date:
- 02-2004
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- North Caucasus Weekly (formerly Chechnya Weekly), The Jamestown Foundation
- Abstract:
- Last week's terrorist atrocity on the Moscow subway system, in addition to killing dozens of unsuspecting civilians, underlined an ugly reality of Russian politics. The Putin administration has now created, or at least thinks it has created, an emotional atmosphere such that it can blame terrorist acts on Chechens even when there is no specific evidence or claim of responsibility.
- Topic:
- Security, Ethnic Conflict, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Europe, Asia, Chechnya, and Moscow
480. Eastward Bound: The Strategy and Politics of Repositioning U.S. Military Bases in Europe
- Author:
- Todd W. Fields
- Publication Date:
- 05-2004
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Public and International Affairs (JPIA)
- Institution:
- School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), Princeton University
- Abstract:
- This article examines the strategic rationale and political implications of the U.S. Department of Defense’s proposal to reposition U.S. military bases in Europe. The Pentagon’s plans call for a withdrawal of U.S. bases and personnel from Germany and the creation of various smaller, more flexible bases in Central and Eastern Europe. While the removal of U.S. forces from Germany is appropriate given the absence of an imminent security threat to Europe, revamping the European basing structure in the midst of current trans-Atlantic tensions presents formidable political challenges. Given the impact that base realignment is likely to have on U.S. relations with Germany, Russia, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the United States must exercise a deft diplomatic touch—balancing the pursuit of its strategic interests with the preservation of its regional relationships and alliances.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Politics, Military Strategy, and Military Bases
- Political Geography:
- Europe, North America, and United States of America