The Transformation from Communism to Capitalism: How Far? How Fast?

A prominent American specialist on Soviet and East European economies argues that there are important gains to be obtained from rapid market liberalization and privatization in the transition from communism to capitalism. These gains depend on the responsiveness of firms to market signals. A review of the available evidence suggests that rapid privatization is an important factor promoting such responsiveness. The paper also refutes “evolutionary” criticisms of rapid transition policies on the basis of available evidence from East Europe, historical evidence, and the incompatibility between evolutionary approaches and the desire for democratic regimes in East Europe and the former USSR. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: E61, H11, L33, P21.     

One Nation's Electoral Support: Where Does It Come From,What Makes It Different and How Does It Fit?

This paper does three things. First, it offers a critique of the academic literature on the One Nation vote, focusing on the limitations of the work of political geographers and the methodological shortcomings of survey researchers. Second, it re-examines data from the 1998 Australian Election Study in order to explore the demographic and attitudinal forces that both drove the One Nation vote and distinguished it from the votes secured by the Labor Party, the Liberal and National parties and the Australian Democrats; this highlights the importance of gender, geography and class, of political alienation and of attitudes to Aborigines and immigration. Third, it suggests that the basis of One Nation's mobilisation did not lie in concerns about economic insecurity so much as in opposition to 'new class' values, particularly around race. In doing so, it challenges common understandings of the Party's constituency and of its distinctiveness.     

Was It Worth It? The Territorial Reform in the Canton of Glarus

This paper examines the financial impact of the 2011 reform of the local governments and jurisdictions in the canton of Glarus. After a popular vote 70 public entities were reorganized to form three large uniformed communes. Previous research showed that amalgamations do not automatically lead to savings in public expenditures and economies of scale. We empirically apply the synthetic control method and show that the territorial reform realized some savings in public expenditure. However, the effect of the reorganization of tasks and responsibilities between the canton and the communes was more influential. The reform must be understood as a horizontal and vertical venture that encompasses both the communes and the canton, much more far‐reaching than a pure local territorial reform.     

The Regulatory State in Developing Countries: Can It Exist and Do We Want It? The Case of the Indonesian Power Sector

Abstract

In the rush for development, the regulatory state has assumed the mantle of a new panacea: the instruments and mechanisms necessary for better government, better governance, and better lives. This paper poses two basic questions in response to the rise of the regulatory state and its increasing diffusion into developing countries. First, can regulatory states exist in developing societies or, more accurately, can effective regulatory states emerge and hope to function in a manner similar to their counterparts in developed countries and deliver the types of benefits and outcomes they promise? And second, do regulatory states offer the most effective modalities for delivering enhanced social well-being? By unpacking the concept of the regulatory state and addressing its underlying assumptions and implicit normative values, it is suggested that the modalities of governance entailed in the regulatory state model may not be well suited to developing countries, hurting rather than enhancing governance outcomes. These issues are explored in relation to the Indonesian energy sector, specifically the upstream electricity generation, transmission and distribution sectors, and the machinations involved in governing the sector.     

COVID-19 Has Exposed How ‘The Other Half’ (Still) Lives

Socioeconomic factors are heavily shaping the COVID-19 pandemic in South America. Consequently, societies are now facing the stark effects of lockdown, while largely failing to stop the epidemic. In Chile, this has been amplified by decision-makers who have overlooked critical socio-spatial aspects of the epidemic. Precarious living conditions, together with spatial segregation and unstable domestic economies, help explain why mitigation strategies remain unsuccessful. The article also explores how political frameworks for approaching these issues may change because of the pandemic.     

The Causes of Emigration from Singapore: How Much Is Still Political?

ABSTRACT:

Efforts to maintain a robust Singaporean economy have had to confront the serious challenge of substantial brain drain from the city-state. To address the negative effects of this problem, Singapore's ruling People's Action Party (PAP) has adopted a policy of increasing reliance on a foreign labor force. Meanwhile, the PAP appears to ignore the continued loss of human and intellectual capital. This study examines the main determinants of emigration from Singapore, specifically the political factors. The analysis is based on two primary data surveys that investigated what Singaporeans think about emigration: the 2006 Asian Barometer and the 2000–2002 Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Australia. Contrary to some previous empirical literature, data from these surveys indicate that anti–PAP and pro-democratic ideas strongly influence the decision of native Singaporeans to leave the island state. These findings likewise suggest that democratization and an expansion of business and technical education would be more effective in preserving economic growth than a policy of importing labor in the face of popular xenophobia.     

The Green Challenge and Political Competition: How Typical is the German Experience?

Despite apparent successes in recent years, the Green challenge in western Europe remains electorally marginal, and the various Green parties seem to perform substantially below their potential. By comparison to other new and small parties, they have also proved very slow to break through the executive threshold. Far from mobilising a wholly new politics, their role has become that of a radical ginger group to the left of the social democrats. Nonetheless, it is as part of the left that they may yet make their most important contribution, in that their participation in government in Germany and elsewhere has the potential to transform traditional patterns of centrist coalition formation into more bipolar and alternating systems of competition. The emergence of the Greens has also helped the left to gain a strategic advantage over the right.     

Has Basismo Disappeared?1

Abstract – In Brazil basismo has evolved from a libertarian discourse encouraged by the Church to a more institutionalised activity centred on local and international NGOs, with their increasingly managerial priorities.     

The Developing Federation and Partnership How is it Progressing?

The address that follows was given by the Head of the RhodesianDepartment of Selection Trust at a Joint meeting of the RoyalAfrican Society and Royal Commonwealth Society on July 3, 1958The High Commissioner for the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland,Sir Gilbert Rennie, G.B.E., K.C.M.G., M.C., took the chair.