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Institutional Development (institutional + development)
Selected AbstractsMonetary Policy Design: Institutional Developments from a Contractual PerspectiveINTERNATIONAL FINANCE, Issue 3 2000Carl E. Walsh Twenty years ago, most industrialized economies were just starting the costly process of disinflation. There was little consensus that these disinflations would be successful, or that low inflation once achieved could be maintained. While the USA achieved low inflation without changing its policy making institutions, many other countries did reform their central banking institutions, making them more independent of political influences. In this paper, I address three questions. First, is independence enough? Second, how do the details of an institution's structure translate, through their impact on incentives, into different policy outcomes? And third, can institutions serve as commitment mechanisms? [source] A tale of two cities: restoring water services in Kabul and MonroviaDISASTERS, Issue 4 2009Jean-François Pinera Kabul and Monrovia, the respective capitals of Afghanistan and Liberia, have recently emerged from long-lasting armed conflicts. In both cities, a large number of organisations took part in emergency water supply provision and later in the rehabilitation of water systems. Based on field research, this paper establishes a parallel between the operations carried out in the two settings, highlighting similarities and analysing the two most common strategies. The first strategy involves international financial institutions, which fund large-scale projects focusing on infrastructural rehabilitation and on the institutional development of the water utility, sometimes envisaging private-sector participation. The second strategy involves humanitarian agencies, which run community-based projects, in most cases independently of the water utilities, and targeting low-income areas. Neither of these approaches manages to combine sustainability and universal service. The paper assesses their respective strengths and weaknesses and suggests ways of improving the quality of assistance provided. [source] Institutional change and stability in postcommunist countries, 1990,2002EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2008KLAUS ARMINGEON The authors show that institutional change after the institutionalization of the postcommunist regime is limited and lock-in effects are strong. This applies to the more democratic and affluent countries as well as to the more authoritarian regimes. The authors do not find evidence for theories of institutional change that see institutional development as a linear function of socio-economic factors such as affluence or of domestic political power distribution. The European Union and NATO have an effect that is limited to the overall democratic character of the system. [source] Moving up, moving down: Political careers across territorial levelsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2003Klaus Stolz In the sparse literature on political careers in federal systems, regional positions are often seen as mere stepping stones on the way to federal office. But are they really? The recent professionalization of state politics in federal systems and the regionalization of former unitary states point to the strengthening of the regional level as a career arena in its own right. Could this lead to the emergence of a regional political class with a set of career interests distinct from those of national politicians? This article takes a first, comparative look at current patterns of career movements between regional and national parliaments in a wide range of federal and newly regionalized systems. The study shows that, contrary to general belief, the number of deputies actually moving from the regional to federal level is generally relatively low. While some cases show fairly integrated career structures, others exhibit a pattern of career development in which state or regional office functions as the main focus of political careers. The territorial structure of the political class is dependent upon a whole range of social, cultural and institutional factors. At the same time, it is also an important factor in the mechanics and institutional development of each federal system in question. [source] The Asset Management Industry in Asia: Dynamics of Growth, Structure, and PerformanceFINANCIAL MARKETS, INSTITUTIONS & INSTRUMENTS, Issue 1 2007Ingo Walter We examine the industrial organization and institutional development of the asset management industry in Asian developing economies,specifically in China, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, and Thailand. We focus on the size and growth of the buy-side of the respective financial markets, asset allocation, the regulatory environment, and the state of internationalization of the fund management industry in its key components,mutual funds, pension funds, and asset management for high net worth individuals. We link the evolution of professional asset management in these environments to the development of the respective capital markets and to the evolution of corporate governance. We find that the fund management industry occupies a very small niche in domestic financial systems that are dominated by banks. At the same time, we find that its growth has been very rapid in the early 2000s and we suggest that this is likely to persist as the demand for professional management of financial wealth in the region develops and as the pension fund sectors of the respective economies are liberalized to allow larger portions of assets to be invested in collective investment schemes. [source] The Impact of Fair Trade on Social and Economic Development: A Review of the LiteratureGEOGRAPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 6 2008Ann Le Mare This article explores the outcomes of Fair Trade for producers, artisans and their organisations. It asks the question, ,what happens to people who are involved in Fair Trade?', and reviews the case studies and empirical research conducted on Fair Trade for a range of products in different countries. The article is organised around important aspects of development which Fair Trade seeks to influence, including market relations, institutional development, economic development and reductions in poverty, social development, gender equity and sustainable development. The outcomes are diverse and complex, though, most studies found significant impact on social and economic aspects of development, contributing to the capacity to improve and diversify livelihoods. Fostering sustainable commercial organisations is an important contribution of Fair Trade networks. However, there appears to be less success in achieving gender equality and dealing with issues of importance to women. Both the enactment of partnership and the achievement of development goals require continuous commitment, a variety of strategies and cooperation with other actors, such as government and non-governmental organisations. [source] Banking reform in India and ChinaINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FINANCE & ECONOMICS, Issue 3 2001Lawrence Sáez Abstract This paper analyzes the important process about financial reform in the area of bank illiquidity in low-income emerging markets. This process is taking place within the context of a debate as to whether or not governments should try to rehabilitate existing state-owned banks or allow a new or parallel banking system to emerge in order to reduce non-performing assets from state-owned commercial banks. A comparison of institutional development in China and India suggests that new entry rather than the rehabilitation approach may work more favorably to reduce non-performing assets. The paper offers an explanation as to why governments choose rehabilitation over new entry. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Institutional Requirements Of Apprenticeship: Evidence From Smaller EU CountriesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2000Paul Ryan To what extent does the experience of other European econom-ies in which apprenticeship has proved successful suggest scope for reviving apprenticeship in the UK without requiring institutional regulation along German lines? The institutional attributes of apprenticeship in four smaller European economies (Austria, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands) are shown to be closer to Germany's social partnership than to the UK's deregulated market, in terms of: statutory governance; formal educational requirements; administration at sec-toral and local levels through social partnership; and funding based upon a clear separation of responsibilities between government and employers, though not between employers and apprentices. At the same time, the introduction of statu-tory apprenticeship into Irish industry in recent years, in an institutional environment that has traditionally had much in common with that of the UK, suggests that the scope for institutional development in support of apprenticeship has been obscured by the widespread tendency to limit the choice of international comparisons to the Anglo-Germanic. [source] Fifty Years of Refugee Studies: From Theory to PolicyINTERNATIONAL MIGRATION REVIEW, Issue 1 2001Richard Black This article reviews the growth of the field of refugee studies, focusing on its links with, and impact on, refugee policy. The last fifty years, and especially the last two decades, have witnessed both a dramatic increase in academic work on refugees and significant institutional development in the field. It is argued that these institutions have developed strong links with policymakers, although this has often failed to translate into significant policy impacts. Areas in which future policy-orientated work might be developed are considered. [source] The Promise of Historical Sociology in International Relations,INTERNATIONAL STUDIES REVIEW, Issue 3 2006GEORGE LAWSON This essay draws on historical sociology, in particular on historical institutionalism, to critique the micro-, macro-, and meso-level explanations of contemporary international relations theory. Focusing on institutional development, change, and disintegration, it proposes a conjectural, mid-range approach to capturing the processes of large-scale change that are occurring in the international realm. This essay seeks to broaden the field's scope by outlining the possibilities that historical sociology offers to international relations theory and practice. [source] NAFTA-ization: Regionalization and Domestic Political Adjustment in the North American Economic AreaJCMS: JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES, Issue 1 2009MARK ASPINWALL Europeanization is an example of initial bargains between states leading to ongoing political adjustment within the states. In this article I apply the concept to NAFTA and look at two of its member states, finding that despite the low level of institutionalization, NAFTA has set in motion new forms of political organization and behaviour, and new demands for political action. This is especially marked in Mexico, and in certain sectors. It is also clearly visible in the changing patterns of cross-border bureaucratic communication. The main conclusions are that: (1) even in a lightly institutionalized regional trade agreement, the institutional, legal and civil society capacity of less-developed members is strengthened; (2) despite the absence of a formal process of policy or institutional development and the lack of legislative instruments, NAFTA has begun a hidden process of domestic adjustment in technical and specialized areas; and (3) like the EU, pressures to expand and strengthen NAFTA have emerged as a result of the initial agreement as well as extraneous factors. These conclusions may offer lessons to the study and practice of regional organizations elsewhere. [source] Impact of land use changes on water resources and biodiversity of Lake Nakuru catchment basin, KenyaAFRICAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 2009Jackson Akama Raini Abstract Lake Nakuru, Kenya, is one of a series of saline,alkaline closed basin lakes in the eastern arm of the Rift Valley. The lake has been variously described as ,the lake of a million flamingos' and ,the Worlds greatest ornithological spectacle' and is bedrock to the areas' tourism. The lake was designated a bird sanctuary in 1960, a National Park in 1968, first rhino sanctuary in 1987, first Kenyan Ramsar site in 1990, an Important Bird Area in 1999 and a world-class national park in 2005. Over the last 40 years, its basin has been heavily settled, extensively cultivated, urbanized and industrialized. Environmental problems include poor agricultural practices, human encroachment, pollution, wildlife mortality/morbidity, human/wildlife conflicts, poverty, ethnic tensions and land clashes and lack of adequate legal and policy framework. Approaches to conservation have been initiated against identified existing problems and constraints. These approaches are (i) organizational and institutional development; (ii) hot spots and pollution loads management and (iii) catchment and park management. Constraints have been identified as unclear demarcation of responsibilities, lack of budget, skilled staff and know-how and lack of environmental standards and regulations. The impacts of ecosystem changes on people's lives and livelihoods are discussed. [source] Governance and institutional development of the Chilean economyJOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 8 2000Eugenio Lahera Chile's economic growth process during the 1990s is often considered as exemplary, therefore, it is worthwhile to examine its institutional development and governance. By the end of the decade there were signs that economic governance was weakening in Chile: the political economy of reforms looked increasingly difficult and the institutional flexibility to accommodate and support the changes required by a dynamic economy did not seem assured. This is the background against which the socialist Ricardo Lagos was sworn in as the new president of Chile in March 2000. Developments in Chile give insights to other countries' experiences. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Cooperation for Transboundary Pollution in Northeast Asia: Non-binding Agreements and Regional Countries' Policy InterestsPACIFIC FOCUS, Issue 2 2007Esook Yoon Environmental cooperation in Northeast Asia has made a significant progress over the past decade. The institutional development of intergovernmental cooperation demonstrates credible political commitments of member countries to regional environmental protection. Environmental cooperation is viewed by the countries as a workable regime to address transboundary pollution in the region. Interestingly, however, environmental cooperation in Northeast Asia has evolved through non-binding agreements despite its steady institutional development. These agreements do not contain official commitments on compliance or legal restrictions for non-compliance and environmental practices of member countries are not subject to scrutiny under the agreements. Based on above observation, this paper explores why countries in Northeast Asia have adopted a non-binding cooperation. The research suggests that non-binding environmental cooperation is consistent with the policy interests of the key member countries in the region that have pursued a regime to serve the common regional interest of curbing trans-boundary pollution while safeguarding their sovereign environmental policymaking authority and economic interests. [source] Stopping the Revolving Door: Increasing Teacher RetentionPOLITICS & POLICY, Issue 5 2008Sam Brill Schools around the nation are facing an alarming phenomenon: beginning teachers are leaving schools at a startling rate. Thirty-three percent of teachers leave their schools in the first three years, 46 percent after five years. These high attrition rates result in inexperienced teachers, high economic costs as teachers must be continually hired and trained, and a lack of continuity that makes institutional development and planning difficult. There is a plethora of causes for teacher attrition, although most involve nonsalary-related dissatisfaction, such as excessive workloads and high-stakes testing, disruptive student behavior, poor leadership and administration within schools, and views of teaching as a temporary profession. Likewise, the most successful remedies to increase teacher retention are not salary-based. Several studies have found that moderate salary increases are only marginally effective; raises of 20 percent would be needed to make a significant impact. Rather, improving teachers' work environment and professional development are more cost effective and influential in convincing teachers to remain. An induction and mentoring program in California, for example, reduced teacher attrition by 26 percent in just two years. We conclude, therefore, that well-operated induction and mentoring programs are the best method for increasing teacher retention. [source] The Strange Budgetary Politics of Agricultural Research EarmarksPUBLIC BUDGETING AND FINANCE, Issue 3 2006MARC T. LAW This article explores how members of the House and Senate Subcommittees on Agricultural Appropriations use the appropriations process to earmark special grants for agricultural research projects without forming a majority logroll. It also shows how subcommittee members coerce the USDA into administering individual earmarked research grants even though the precise allocation of these grants does not have the force of law. This article makes an important contribution because it analyzes an institutional development within the appropriations process that has not been explored in the existing literature, and it examines the consequences that this development has had on the quality of USDA-funded agricultural research. [source] The transformation of post-communist societies in Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union: an economic and ecological sustainability perspectiveENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 3 2008erban Scrieciu Abstract Since the collapse of Communism in Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, the reform process has been considerably influenced by the neoclassical economic approach to transition. This has heavily emphasized competitive markets and economic liberalization measures per se, often ignoring the establishment of adequate institutional frameworks and resulting in high transition costs and the side-lining of environmental concerns. Alternative models of market transformations in post-Communist societies have been forwarded in the literature, though these have been arguably less influential. We explore the role of these economic ideologies in shaping transition paths, with a focus on the Post-Keynesian economic approach as an alternative to the neoclassical paradigm. We further propose a holistic approach to transition to account for appropriate institutional developments in the area of environmental sustainability. We argue that transition economies need to reconsider their ,market transformation' process in order to capitalize on their potential and mark their own contribution to positive shifts in sustainable development paradigms. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Toward a US Shift from Agricultural to Rural Development Policy: Forces of Challenge and Change Auf einen Wechsel von der US-Agrarpolitik zu einer Politik des ländlichen Raums hinarbeiten: Die Triebkräfte der Herausforderung und des Wandels Vers une transition des politiques agricoles vers des politiques de développement rural aux États-Unis: Les forces du défi et du changementEUROCHOICES, Issue 1 2008Charles W. Fluharty Toward a US Shift from Agricultural to Rural Development Policy: Forces of Challenge and Change On the 5th of November 2007, Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, Chairman of the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Nutrition, in opening the floor debate on the 2007 Farm Bill, urged a new US commitment to rural policy, keeping in mind that nearly 85 per cent of total farm household income is now generated off-farm. Recent institutional developments, moreover, evidence the success of a decade-long effort to increase focus on the rural development Title of the Farm Bill. One result was the formation of the Alliance for Sensible Agriculture Policies (ASAP), a loose federation of over 30 national organizations, representing the entire political spectrum. It remains highly active in support of Farm Bill reform. Currently, the Senate Bill contains a US$ 400 million increase in mandatory rural development funding. As we move toward an end-game, however, members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives will face the unbridled power of commodity organizations. It is likely that this will again overwhelm public sentiment and wise public choice. Despite overwhelming odds, a new commitment to a more innovative rural policy framework is emerging in the United States. I believe that this Farm Bill will ultimately be viewed as the beginning of a landscape-changing legislative framework for rural people and places in America. Vers une transition des politiques agricoles vers des politiques de développement rural aux États-Unis: Les forces du défi et du changement Le 5 novembre 2007, le Sénateur de l'Iowa Tom Harkin, Président du Comité du Sénat des États-Unis sur l'Agriculture, la Forêt et la Nutrition, en ouverture du débat sur la loi agricole 2007, a appeléà un nouvel engagement pour la politique rurale, en gardant à l'esprit que presque 85 pour cent du revenu total des ménages agricoles provient de sources non agricoles. En outre, les évolutions institutionnelles récentes on mis en évidence les succès d'une décennie d'efforts pour attirer l'attention sur le Titre "développement rural" de la loi agricole. Un résultat a été la formation d'une alliance pour des politiques agricoles raisonnables (Alliance for Sensible Agriculture Policies, ASAP), une fédération large de plus de 30 organisations nationales représentant la totalité du spectre politique. Elle reste très active pour soutenir la réforme de la loi agricole. A l'heure actuelle, la loi proposée par le Sénat prévoit une hausse de 400 millions de dollars des fonds obligatoirement destinés au développement rural. Cependant, à mesure que l'on s'approche de la décision finale, les membres du Sénat et de la Chambre des représentants seront confrontés au pouvoir sans frein des organisations de soutien des produits agricoles. Il est probable que cela va de nouveau dominer les sentiments du public et les choix sensés en matière d'action. En dépit des conditions dominantes, émerge aux États-Unis un nouvel engagement pour un cadre plus innovant pour les politiques de développement rural,.Je crois que cette loi agricole sera considérée comme un point d'inflexion dans le paysage pour les populations et les territoires ruraux aux États-Unis. Auf einen Wechsel von der US-Agrarpolitik zu einer Politik des ländlichen Raums hinarbeiten: Die Triebkräfte der Herausforderung und des Wandels Am 5. November 2007 forderte Tom Harkin, US-Senator aus dem Bundesstaat Iowa und Vorsitzender des Komitees für Landwirtschaft, Forstwirtschaft und Ernährung (US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Nutrition), ein größeres Engagement der USA im Hinblick auf die Politik des ländlichen Raums, als er die Plenardebatte über das Landwirtschaftsgesetz von 2007 eröffnete. Dabei hatte er vor Augen, dass mittlerweile beinahe 85 Prozent des gesamten Haushaltseinkommens der landwirtschaftlichen Betriebe aus außerlandwirtschaftlichen Aktivitäten stammt. Zudem belegen die jüngsten institutionellen Entwicklungen den Erfolg der jahrzehntelangen Bemühungen, die Aufmerksamkeit auf den Titel über die Entwicklung des ländlichen Raums im Landwirtschaftsgesetz zu lenken. Als Folge dessen wurde u.a. die Allianz für vernünftige Agrarpolitikmaßnahmen (Alliance for Sensible Agriculture Policies, ASAP) ins Leben gerufen, ein freier Verband von über 30 nationalen Organisationen, die das gesamte politische Spektrum vertreten. Die Allianz setzt sich immer noch sehr für die Reform des Landwirtschaftsgesetzes ein. Derzeit sieht das Gesetz im Senat eine Budgeterhöhung von $ 400 Millionen zur Finanzierung der verbindlichen Entwicklung des ländlichen Raums vor. Da wir jedoch auf die Endphase zusteuern, werden sowohl Mitglieder des Senats als auch des Abgeordnetenhauses der ungezügelten Macht der Rohstofforganisationen gegenüberstehen. Wahrscheinlich wird dies wieder einmal die Stimmung und die weise Entscheidung der Öffentlichkeit maßgeblich beeinflussen. Ungeachtet dessen entwickelt sich in den USA zurzeit ein neues Engagement hin zu einem innovativeren Rahmenprogramm in Bezug auf die Politik des ländlichen Raums. Ich bin der Ansicht, dass dieses Landwirtschaftsgesetz der Landbevölkerung als Zeitpunkt des Landschaftswechsels in Erinnerung bleiben wird. [source] RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN GERMAN CAPITAL MARKETS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCEJOURNAL OF APPLIED CORPORATE FINANCE, Issue 3 2001Eric Nowak Financial economists continue to point to Germany as a relatively successful model of a "bank-centered," as opposed to a market-based, economy. But few seem to recognize that, in the years leading up to World War I, German equity capital markets were among the most highly developed in the world. Although there are now only about 750 companies listed on German stock exchanges, in 1914 there were almost 1,200 (as compared to only about 600 stocks then listed on the New York Stock Exchange). Since German reunification in 1990, there have been signs of a possible restoration of the country's equity markets to something like their former prominence. The last 10 years have seen important legal and institutional developments that can be seen as preparing the way for larger and more active German equity markets, together with a more "shareholder-friendly" corporate governance system. In particular, the 1994 Securities Act, the Corporation Control and Transparency Act passed in 1998, and the just released Takeover Act and Fourth Financial Market Promotion Act all contain legal reforms that are essential conditions for well functioning equity markets. Such legal and regulatory changes have helped lay the groundwork for more visible and dramatic milestones, such as the Deutsche Telekom IPO in 1996, the opening of the Neuer Market in 1997, and, perhaps most important, the acquisition in 2000 of Mannesmann by Vodafone, the first successful hostile takeover of a German company. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||