A VECM evaluation of monetary transmission in Uzbekistan

This paper presents a VAR/VECM analysis of the monetary transmission process in Uzbekistan for the available data from 2000 to 2009. The general findings obtained support the hypothesis that the interest rate channel in Uzbekistan is relatively weak. Monetary transmission via the exchange rate channel seems to be stronger, even if the form of the channel remains quite ambiguous or rather chaotic. Partially this chaos can be blamed on the contradiction between existing restrictions on capital mobility and the dual objectives of a development of the financial sector and provision of macroeconomic stability. On an analytical level this paper suggests the use of a specific methodology for the future evaluation of monetary policy in Uzbekistan. This is especially important, because in future improved and/or more extensive data might alter some of the results obtained so far.     

Interests,Instruments and Institutional Preferences in the EU Comitology System: The 2006 Comitology Reform

This paper seeks to reveal the institutional interests of the Council of Ministers, the European Parliament and the Commission in the comitology system. This is done by an investigation of the 2006 comitology reform, which introduced the regulatory procedure with scrutiny. This reform was the result of developments in four areas: the Lamfalussy reform in the area of financial regulation; the controversial use of comitology in the area of GMOs, food safety and the environment; the failed Constitutional Treaty; and the amending of the 1999 comitology decision. The analysis shows that the reform was the result of a two‐dimensional constitutional struggle. The first dimension concerns the relative supervisory position of the two legislative actors, the Council and the European Parliament. The second dimension concerns the relationship between the legislative and the executive branch of the EU system. In theoretical terms, the analysis demonstrates an example of T.M. Moe's ‘politics of structural choice’. The paper ends by drawing lessons for the negotiations on the new comitology system following the Lisbon Treaty.     

Agenda building in criminal justice: The case of determinate sentencing

An understanding of policy development, change and implementation is a necessary ingredient in analysis of criminal justice policy. This paper attempts to describe the process of policy formation in criminal justice within the framework, of “Agenda Building.” Through case studies of sentencing reform policy changes in two states, the applicability of the Agenda Building model to the study of criminal justice policy is demonstrated. The argument is advanced that, through the use of such approaches to the study of justice policy change, we will enhance our understanding of the diversity of specific policies and practices which can emerge from an apparently unified reform movement. Further, it is suggested that an enhanced understanding of policy development will allow reformers to better direct and control policy formulation.     

Keeping up with revolutions: evolution of higher education in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan’s higher education system has undergone some dramatic changes in the past century, evolving from largely traditional religious colleges to fully state-funded communist-atheist institutions. Since the end of the communist administration and subsequent market-oriented reforms, the institutions of higher education (IHEs) in Uzbekistan have had to reinvent and reform themselves again, as the demand for different kind of education increased. This paper puts the current changes and trends in IHEs into an historical perspective and highlights some important effects of the market reforms on the educational scene.     

The emperor's cloths of disclosure: Hot money and suspect disclosures

This paper describes the results of the analysis of the Dutch database of suspect financial transactions for the years 1994-1996. It provides a detailed insight into the money volume at risk, the reasons for disclosure and the persons and corporations involved. The results show that from the start 48% of the disclosed money reports had to be discarded as there was either no money involved or there was no crime-money. The remaining database showed that all the distributions were very skewed resulting in the conclusion that “few move little money and few move much” or 179 persons were responsible for 89% of the disclosed money movements. The paper raises some questions about the assumptions underlying the anti-money laundering policy and the requirements for designing an adequate disclosure system at a European level. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Debt Restructuring and Notions of Fairness

This article examines concern for fairness in the way in which loss is distributed when a company or financial institution facing financial difficulties is restructured. It shows how this concern is often grounded in loose notions of fairness, or generalisations from one situation to another, rather than in detailed analysis. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, it builds an analytical frame for the fairness debate in debt restructuring. It shows why rigour is important in identifying fairness concerns, in weighing them against other considerations, and in applying concerns which arise in one scenario to another, and illustrates the types of policy mistake or policy incoherence which can arise if this is not done.     

在华外资金融机构的“政策破局”战略及其破解

中国加入WTO后,外资金融机构的市场准入将逐步放宽,中资金融机构面临的冲击和挑战将加大.在华外资金融机构主要凭借其在成熟市场经济体系下混业经营的体制优势和业务优势,利用中国对外资金融机构在业务审批和金融监管方面的缺漏,从政策上逐步突破业务经营制度上的限制,实现其破局为先、优势取胜的战略图谋.对此,中国金融监管当局应采取正视而不是回避,主动而不是被动的姿态,研究和制定中国金融业迎接外资金融机构挑战的长远期规划和策略,完善金融法规体系,积极鼓励中资金融机构业务创新和制度创新,提高金融监管效率和水平,创造内外资金融机构公平竞争的环境.     

Nondecision making and inertia in Portuguese health policy

Despite there having been a positive context for initiating health care reforms in Portugal in the past fifteen years (accompanied by political consensus on the nature of the structural problems within the health care system), there has been a lack of reform initiatives. We use a process-based framework to show how institutional arrangements have influenced Portuguese health care reform. Evidence is presented to demonstrate inertia and nondecision making in three critical areas of Portuguese health policy: clarifying the public-private mix in coverage and provision, creating financial incentives and motivation for human resources, and introducing changes in the pharmaceutical market. Several factors seem to explain these processes, namely, problems in the balance of power within the political system, which have contributed to a lack of proper policy discussion; a lack of pluralism in the formation of health care policies (with low participation from citizens and high mobilization among structural interest groups); and the low priority of health care in public sector reforms. Portuguese politicians should be aware of the pitfalls of the current political system that constrain participatory arrangements and pluralism in policy making. In order to pursue health care reform, future governments will need to counterbalance the strong influence of structural interest groups.     

农村信访问题多发的原因及对策

化解农村信访矛盾,必须科学决策,依法行政,从源头上减少信访;建立健全村级财务管理制度,加强农村基层党组织建设,严肃查处农村基层干部违纪违法案件,提高农村信访工作人员的政治素质和业务素质,积极引导群众依法信访,提倡科学信访。     

论上海自贸区金融宏观审慎监管政策

自贸区金融政策成为中国金融制度改革破冰的关键.资本项目可兑换、利率市场化、跨境投融资、离岸金融等金融改革措施实施后,中国金融业将面临更大的系统性风险、利率市场化风险、流动性风险的挑战.借鉴国际经验,前瞻性地构建自贸区宏观审慎监管制度,对维护中国金融市场长久稳定意义深远.在监管模式选择上,“相对独立”应理解为更严格的特别监管;在监管制度设计上,应借助“并表监管”实现与微观审慎的协调,并通过科学监测指标体系构建有效的风险预警系统;在监管机构设置上,应在中央银行牵头模式下,增强金融稳定局监督权的执行力.     

The Intensification and Bifurcation of Surveillance in British Criminal Justice Policy

This paper explores the relevance and applicability of recent theoretical developments in surveillance studies in the context of contemporary British criminal justice policy. It will be argued that surveillance now occupies a privileged position in official policy. In a raft of new policy initiatives undertaken either as part the general project to modernise the criminal justice system or in response to particular crises, the surveillant solution occupies the central stage. Thus, whether it be in response to anxieties over sex offenders, failures of social services in protecting children at risk, or the management of the prison population, for example, the policy response has been to increase the surveillance capacity of the state. In particular, in line with the new penology thesis we are witnessing an expansion of the generalised surveillance capacity, in relation to all citizens, which may be characterised as passive and reactive. Simultaneously, vestiges of the old criminology remain as an officially designated ‘hard core’ of persistent or problematic offenders subject to the full panoply of surveillance techniques, which are proactive, extensive and intrusive. Thus, we are witnessing both an intensification and a bifurcation of surveillance practice. This paper was prepared for the European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research special edition on Fear vs. Freedom post 9/11-The European Perspective.     

Is the doctor in? The evolving role of organized medicine in health policy

Until recently, physicians were viewed as the dominant player in health policy. Now, however, they compete with many other effective interest groups. This article analyzes this changing role, and specifically how organized medicine has changed its approach to influencing health policy. The essay begins with a review of the reasons for the growth and subsequent decline of physicians' influence. This is followed by a case study of physician payment reform under Medicare, which illustrates the ways in which organized medicine chooses when and when not to cooperate with government. The article concludes with a discussion of where physicians are likely to continue to be influential in future health policy reform. Three such areas are noted: payment policy, quality and clinical innovation, and medical education and training.     

农业水价综合改革政策绩效偏差从何而来? ——基于甘肃10个试点县(区)的实证研究

【问题】农业水价综合改革是推进节约增效型农业、保障国家水安全的关键改革。但地方政策实践中面临农户节水意识与用水方式尚未完全改善、政府部门水价形成机制和节水激励机制尚未良性运行、农业节水的经济和社会效应尚未充分彰显等系列问题,政策实际绩效与目标绩效间产生偏差。政策绩效偏差何以形成?关键影响因素及其内在关联是什么?如何矫正绩效偏差并增进政策绩效?【方法】以甘肃省10个试点县(区)农业水价综合改革为研究样本,对实地调研和深入访谈所获取的数据资料进行质性编码,建构我国农业水价综合改革政策绩效偏差的归因模型。【发现】农业水价综合改革政策绩效偏差的形成是涉及“利益相关者—政策执行—政策情境”交叠驱动的复杂过程,表现在:1.在主体层面,利益相关者政策认知、偏好和协同行动是决定政策绩效的关键因素;2.在行动层面,任务分解层层加码、政策落实困难是构成导致政策绩效偏差的核心变量;3.在场域层面,政策资源和改革需求等情境要素进一步催化了政策绩效偏差的形成。【贡献】相对于源自政府绩效管理工具性路径下对绩效悖论和绩效损失的关注,本研究的贯穿概念:绩效偏差,则可覆盖公共政策全过程,有更为广阔的研究价值与适用场域。本研究构建了基于农业水价综合改革政策绩效偏差的影响因素及相互间逻辑关联的理论模型,为解释公共政策绩效偏差提供新的视角;并从整合政策利益相关者认知与偏好、加强政策执行效能和优化政策环境三个维度提出农业水价综合改革政策矫正策略,为地方政府提升政策整体绩效提供参考。     

Judicial Reform and Rationalization: The Diffusion of Court Reform Policies Among the American States

Explaining the diffusion of judicial reform policies among the American states is an elusive task. Are such policies simply part of the larger policy process revealed in the comparative state policy literature? Or b court reform a policy arena unto itself, responding to factors uniquely legal or professional in nature? Our inquiry begins with Max Weber's sociology of law from which we adopt his concept of rationalization as a schema of policy development. According to Weber, the “rationalization” of legal institutions would accompany the advancement of capitalism in modernizing nations. Thus, we might expect specific judicial reform policies expressly aimed at rationalizing the structure and process of state court systems to be closely associated with each other and with commonly accepted indicators of economic development among the states. As part of our investigation, we relate court reforms to broader policy innovations among the states, drawing on earlier “diffusion of innovations” research. Our data indicate a strong connection between judicial reform and more general patterns of innovation diffusion among the states, but provide only modest support for Weber's assertions about the rationalization of legal systems under advancing capitalism. Three of the selected reforms cluster together and are largely explainable by indicators of economic development. Two other reforms do not fit this pattern, and their “behavior” requires additional discussion and research. Thus, the diffusion of judicial reform policy is partly accounted for by factors found in explanations of general policy innovations across states, but other, as yet unidentified, factors apparently influence certain aspects of judicial reform. The connection between Max Weber's legal sociology and policy development among the American states might at first blush seem remote or tenuous. However, this article attempts to use Weber's insights into modern legal systems to (1) examine a specific area of state policy making–judicial reform–and (2) establish a connection between policy development in the court reform area and the larger literature on general policy innovation in the American states. This inquiry is inspired by the lack of theoretical integration apparent in the literature on court reform, on the one hand, and the absence of empirical analyses connecting court reform data with “diffusion of innovation” policy studies, on the other.     

Horses or unicorns: can paying for performance make quality competition routine?

The competitive benefits of pay-for-performance (P4P) financial incentives are widely assumed. These incentives can affect health care through several mechanisms, however, not all of which involve competition. This insight has three implications. First, federal antitrust enforcement should continue to scrutinize P4P arrangements. Second, government needs to play a larger role in P4P than through antitrust oversight. Third, widespread enthusiasm for a particular health policy reform does not relieve policy makers of the obligation to understand its theoretical basis.     

Institutional Reform and Social Changes in Northeast China During the Late Qing: A Case Study of Appeal Trials

Institutional reform and social changes in northeast China during the late Qing period are usually attributed to the Qing dynasty changing its policy on immigration to northeast China. However, institutional reform because of debt appeals between civilian creditors and the Mongolian princes is often overlooked. Using administrative cases from Fengtian Governor Archives and Kirin Prefecture Archives, this study identifies how the governor officers of northeast China changed Mongolian land rights and official finance institutions through appeal judgments in the late Qing dynasty. Appeals were related to Mongolian land rights reform and promoted the financial institutional reform in northeast China. This study concludes by arguing that the judgments affected the profits of the litigants and changed the local society.     

我国政策性银行运作模式比较及改革探析

政策性银行的金融服务作为准公益物品,具有公与私物品的两种特性,这决定了政策性银行的运作模式必须是政府与市场的有机结合.由于经营理念、运作模式等方面的差别,经过多年的发展,我国政策性银行之间出现了较大的绩效差异.为提升我国政策性银行的运作绩效,我们须从制度完善、政银分离、治理网络和竞争合作四个方面探索有效的改革路径.     

Why institutions are not the only thing that matters: twenty-five years of health care reform in New Zealand

The literature on the causes of health care reform is dominated by institutionalist accounts, and political institutions are among the most prominent factors cited to explain why change takes place. However, institutionalist accounts have difficulty explaining both the timing and the content of reforms. By applying a range of explanatory approaches to a case study of health reform in New Zealand since the 1970s, this article explores some of the theories of reform beyond institutionalism, particularly those that take into account problem pressure, policy ideas, and the more agency-centered factor of partisan ideology. The aim is not to dismiss institutionalism but to try to fill some of the gaps that cannot be addressed with institutionalist theories alone. The detailed analysis shows that various factors played a role in conjunction, namely, problem pressure, policy ideas, and the ideology of parties in government. Partisan ideology, in particular, has perhaps been prematurely ignored by health care scholars.     

改革中国银行业监管体制的法律与实践

中国银行业监管体制的改革已经取得了伟大的成就 ,但是我们不能否认它本身还存在着一些不完善之处 ,为了改革现行的银行业监管体制 ,国务院决定设立中国银行业监督管理委员会。设立脱离于中央银行的独立金融监管机构符合世界金融监管制度发展的趋势。