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751. Health Care in Germany

Author:
Christa Altenstetter
Publication Date:
05-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
European Union Studies Center
Abstract:
The question of whether the introduction of competition and managed care in the German health care system means a "new paradigm" or simply a "stalemated strategy" was raised in a 1999 issue of Health Affairs by Lawrence Brown and Volker F. Amelung (1999). In that same issue, Uwe E. Reinhard (1999) responded with a question of his own: "Why would Germany wish to emulate the US style of managed care, with its as yet unproven effect on quality and outcomes?" The core of their disagreement seems to center around two issues. First, can competition and managed care flourish in a political culture and healthcare system where central policy-making and enforcement arrangements are embedded? The distinct political economy and history of Germany may create conditions that are not conducive to competition and managed care, unlike the US. The second issue that leads to the different interpretations above is the elusive concept of quality in health care, especially how to measure and achieve it.
Topic:
Government, Human Welfare, and Political Economy
Political Geography:
Germany

752. The Labor Movement in Democratic Chile, 1990-2000

Author:
Frank K. Volker
Publication Date:
06-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Kellogg Institute for International Studies
Abstract:
This article examines the experience of the Chilean labor movement during the first decade of democracy. In so doing, it calls attention to the need for further study of how institutional variables, such as labor legislations, influence labor movement strategies across different political regimes (authoritarian and democratic). Evidence from the Chilean case demonstrates that while important, exogenous variables such as new democratic governments and new labor legislations have only limited explanatory power with regard to labor movement strategies. This warrants a closer look at internal organizational aspects.
Topic:
Globalization, Industrial Policy, and Political Economy
Political Geography:
South America, Latin America, and Chile

753. The Political Economy of War and Peace

Author:
Charles Cater
Publication Date:
05-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
International Peace Institute
Abstract:
The focus of the International Peace Academy's annual New York seminar, held at West Point on May 6-10, 2002, was “The Political Economy of War and Peace.” The aim of this policy development seminar was to introduce policymakers and practitioners to the emerging analytical and policy agenda of the political economy of war and peacemaking so that peace missions may be better equipped to deal with the economic legacies of conflict and the resulting challenges for building sustainable peace.
Topic:
Conflict Resolution, Peace Studies, and Political Economy
Political Geography:
New York

754. The Politics of Sanctions

Author:
Simon Chesterman and Béatrice Pouligny
Publication Date:
05-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
International Peace Institute
Abstract:
Do sanctions work? The jury remains out on this question, but two preliminary issues bear further examination also. What are sanctions intended to achieve? And do states actually want sanctions to work? These essentially political questions depend on two discrete dynamics that are the subject of this report, which focuses on sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council. The first is the political context of the Council and how the intentions of key actors are channelled into sanctions regimes. The second is the political economy in which those sanctions operate.
Topic:
International Relations, Peace Studies, Political Economy, and United Nations

755. Options for Promoting Corporate Responsibility in Conflict Zones: Perspectives from the Private Sector

Author:
Jake Sherman
Publication Date:
04-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
International Peace Institute
Abstract:
The objective of this meeting was to examine private sector actors' perceptions of and experiences with select existing and prospective measures, both voluntary and regulatory, to promote responsible business behavior in conflict zones. The discussions explored the costs and benefits that several emerging initiatives might entail for the private sector, the likely tradeoffs of binding regulation, and the sorts of institutional, financial, and political resources which would be needed to expand the coverage of both existing codes of conduct and binding regulations.
Topic:
Conflict Resolution, Security, Political Economy, and United Nations

756. Measuring Student Knowledge and Skills: The PISA 2000 Experience

Author:
Andreas Schleicher and Claudia Tamassia
Publication Date:
06-2002
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Abstract:
How well do school systems perform in providing young people with a solid foundation of knowledge and skills, and in preparing them for life and learning beyond school? International comparisons of the outcomes of education systems have in the past been elusive. While it has been possible to compare basic structural characteristics of educational programmes and qualifications across countries, such as their entry requirements, their labour-market destination or typical patterns of student participation (see OECD, 1999b), there are no agreed standards that would allow to compare the level of content and quality of the underlying educational activities and services. It is thus difficult to make inferences regarding the knowledge and skills individuals have actually attained from such comparisons. Moreover, knowledge and skills are acquired not just through formal education but also, and increasingly, through formal and informal learning outside regular educational programmes. However, since 1997 governments of the OECD have been working on establishing a comparative framework to assess how well their education systems meet core objectives. The result has been the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the most comprehensive and rigorous international effort to date to assess learning outcomes and to identify the policy levers that may help improving the performance of education systems.
Topic:
Economics and Political Economy

757. Purchasing Power Parities - Measurement and Uses

Author:
Paul Schreyer and Francette Koechlin
Publication Date:
03-2002
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Abstract:
How does one compare economic data between countries that is expressed in units of national currency? And in particular, how should measures of production and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) be converted into a common unit? One answer to this question is to use market exchange rates. While straightforward, this turns out to be an unsatisfactory solution for many purposes – primarily because exchange rates reflect so many more influences than the direct price comparisons that are required to make volume comparisons. Purchasing Power Parities (PPPs) provide such a price comparison and this is the rationale for the work of the OECD and other international organisations in this field (see chart 1). The OECD publishes new sets of benchmark PPPs every three years, drawing on detailed international price comparisons. Every time a new set of benchmark PPPs is released, this also gives rise to a new set of international comparisons of levels of GDP and economic welfare.
Topic:
Economics and Political Economy

758. Creation of the Euro Area: Implications for Economic Statistics

Author:
Paul Schreyer
Publication Date:
02-2002
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Abstract:
A major event in early 2002 was the arrival of the euro banknotes and coins and the withdrawal of the existing twelve national currencies from circulation. The event has influenced every citizen in the euro area and is clearly a historic change. It heralds a new phase in forging an “ever closer union among the peoples of Europe”. In economic terms, however, the introduction in January 1999 of the single currency after determining the irrevocably fixed exchange rates of the national currencies with the euro was a more important event. It meant that decisions on monetary policy moved from national central banks to the Governing Council of the European Central Bank. This Statistics Brief highlights some of the consequences for economic statistics of the creation of the euro area.
Topic:
Economics and Political Economy
Political Geography:
Europe

759. China — Securities Opening

Publication Date:
06-2002
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxford Analytica
Abstract:
The China Securities Regulatory Commission issued rules on June 3 outlining the participation of foreign firms in fund management and securities business. Issued earlier than expected, the rules re-state concessions made in the trade and investment agreement China signed with the United States in November 1999. Modernisation and liberalisation of the sector is a prerequisite to channelling more of China's 1 trillion dollars of private savings to equity investment.
Topic:
Economics, International Trade and Finance, and Political Economy
Political Geography:
United States and China

760. United States — First-Quarter Surge

Publication Date:
04-2002
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxford Analytica
Abstract:
First-quarter GDP grew by 5.8%, the US government announced on Friday, 26 April 2002. The high growth figure will provide sustenance for optimists and help support high stock market valuations. However, the contrast with high-profile corporate earnings disappointments, together with a closer look at sources of demand, suggests a far weaker performance in the rest of 2002 and in 2003.
Topic:
Economics, Government, and Political Economy
Political Geography:
United States