The Equal Employment Opportunity Law: A Decade of Change for Japanese Women?

This article analyzes the impact of the Equal Employment Opportunity Law in Japan, passed in 1986 and now over a decade old. The article views the law as weak and examines its role in relation to the three groups most affected by the legislation: women, bureaucrats, and employers. The article argues that, although the law has produced few gains in employment opportunities for women, it has led to renewed efforts at litigation, increased consciousness and activism among women, and amendments to the law, passed in 1997.     

Real and nominal determinants of real exchange rates in Latin America: Short-run dynamics and long-run equilibrium

This article analyses the factors that determine the long-run real exchange rate in Argentina, Colombia and Mexico, distinguishing between real and nominal determinants. Cointegration analysis is utilised to establish that the real exchange rate has an equilibrium relationship with real variables (the terms of trade, capital flows, productivity, and government share of GDP) which excludes nominal variables (nominal exchange rate, money) and central bank intervention. Variance decompositions reveal that among the real variables that determine the real exchange rate, the terms of trade and productivity explain much of the variation in the real exchange rates. When nominal variables are included in the model, the nominal exchange rate accounts for most of the variation in the real exchange rates of all three countries. The impulse response functions are broadly consistent with theoretical predictions and shocks to the nominal variables have only transitory effects on the real exchange rate.     

Major sports events,image projection and the problems of 'semi-periphery': A case study of the 1996 South Asia cricket World Cup

This paper explores the response of the international press to the co-hosting of the 1996 Cricket World Cup by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The event had a troubled background: the shift of power within cricket towards the subcontinent and the consequential commercialisation of the sport were causing some dissension among traditionalists. At the same time there was some instability in South Asian politics, especially between India and Pakistan and because of the civil war in Sri Lanka. While these issues overshadowed the event, some aspects of its organisation were unsuccessful, leading to some negative press coverage. It is argued here, however, that the problems faced by South Asian countries in trying to use this sports event to promote a positive image were further exacerbated by underlying stereotypes and criticisms of South Asian cultures. As such, the paper addresses several important themes relating to major sports events and 'semi-peripheral' countries.     

The Legacy of the Northern Way?

Abstract

The Northern Way (NW) was a pan-regional, multi-level initiative between three English northern regions, set up to promote economic growth and close a £30 billion output gap. Some limited research on progress prior to 2006 exists, but hardly anything about achievements between 2008 and closure in 2011. This paper redresses the limitations with data from existing evaluations and key stakeholder interviews. Findings reveal that partners developed good collaborative working, gathered robust data on critical economic and social issues, and learnt much during 2004–2008. Between 2008 and 2011, activities were refocused on a narrower set of critical priorities and partners developed real policy learning and became a credible voice for the Northern regions. After closure, it became evident that NW left a ‘vacuum’ as an effective coordinator of evidence and views from three Northern regions. Many issues that it sought to address remain as critical today as they did when it was created.