Deeper concessions and rising barriers to entry: New regionalism for Turkey and Mexico

New regionalism is redefining core and semi-periphery relations in the world economy. Focusing on Turkey and Mexico and their respective regional agreements, NAFTA and the Customs Union with the European Union, this article claims that barriers to entry into regional blocs increased considerably during the 1990s. While systemic international relations theories explain why both Mexico and Turkey made significant concessions in order to enter into regional agreements, they cannot fully account for the timing and terms of bargaining during regional negotiations. A simultaneous look at both the domestic and international bargaining processes shows that it was the domestic pressures in the United States and the European Union (and the relative absence of such pressures in Mexico and Turkey) that enhanced the terms of bargaining of the existing members against these aspiring countries. A synthetic approach that combines international pressures with domestic dynamics explains why new regionalism in the global economy is becoming a new challenge for such countries.     

Public relations for public affairs

The term ‘public affairs’ has now become a much‐discussed topic in continental Europe's political and economic circles, including Germany and Austria. The problem is that few people really understand just what the term means. Many people have the impression that ‘public affairs’ is another way of describing lobbying. Others perceive it as classic public relations. In Europe many decision makers of the business world lack the specific knowledge of policy making; however, until now just a few such executives have taken advantage of the real opportunities opened up by using the services of professional public affairs consulting. Communications companies in Europe are now offering public affairs consulting as part of their services, with increasing success. The first task to make public affairs better known in Europe therefore must be public relations for public affairs. Copyright © 2001 Henry Stewart Publications     

Policy planning and management dialogue with countries in transition

The economic and social transformation of the socialist state is a central concern of public policy planning. This article discusses three aspects of this challenge: the growth of policy interventions in the welfare state; modalities of public policies; and the organization of public policy planning. Modernization of public management in the west underscores the respective rationalities of state and market. The modern welfare state is now under financial pressure, cutbacks proceed and privatization and deregulation take hold. The author appraises these trends and their implications for countries in transition. Emphasis is placed on the need to demarcate public and private whilst at the same time building in social protection through public participation in policy planning.     

Secrecy in Europe

Abstract

This article introduces a collection of papers devoted to the study of secrecy in European politics across a range of EU and national settings and policy domains. Academic interest in secret politics – those aspects of public activity intentionally concealed from the public eye – and the governance of secrecy – the political processes and regulatory frameworks governing secret keeping – is growing. This interest reflects technological, social and political developments that appear to signal the end of privacy and the rapid expansion of political secrecy in European multi-level settings. As a consequence, the tensions between democratic accountability, with its transparency requirements, and political secrecy, which is typically justified on grounds of effectiveness of state action, have become more marked and more politicised. Engaging with these developments, the contributions to this collection draw on actor- and interest-centred perspectives that focus on actors’ motivations in secret politics; institutional perspectives that focus on contestation over secrecy norms; and organisational perspectives that emphasise the diversity of secrecy cultures. Further research will benefit from paying special attention to a diverse range of inter-institutional and inter-organisational secrecy settings; to political contestation over secrecy and the regulatory regimes that govern it; and to the refashioning of public-private secrecy architectures.     

Does Land Fragmentation Increase the Cost of Cultivation? Evidence from India

To appreciate overall impacts of fragmentation, underlying channels, and potential heterogeneity by holding size, we distinguish average fragment size and mean inter-fragment distance as two aspects of this phenomenon. Estimating a cost function with associated input demand equations on a large nationally representative Indian survey, robust to endogeneity, suggests that fragmentation’s main impact is to reduce mean plot size below the threshold for mechanisation. Higher inter-fragment distances increase costs for larger holdings, but by a much smaller magnitude. Implications as to when programmes to consolidate holdings may make sense and ways to ensure their sustainability are discussed.     

Challenges posed by the new wave of farmland investment

Despite recent headlines about the ‘land rush’, scant empirical evidence implies that the debate is often theoretical and dominated by preconceived notions. To provide evidence that could better inform the debate, this paper focuses on three areas. First, we find that new land demand, which skyrocketed after the 2007/08 commodity price spike, remained at high levels, with a strong focus on Africa, and often countries with weak land rights protection. Some countries transferred large areas to investors, frequently locals, with limited benefits and in many cases negative impact due to weak processes and limited capacity. Second, complementing the focus on demand with an assessment of agro-climatic potential point towards major scope for productivity increase on currently cultivated areas and allows identification of countries where demand for land expansion may concentrate. Finally, comparative analysis of country policies highlights the need for recognition of existing rights, an emphasis on voluntary transfers, transparency, and thorough review of economic, social, and environmental viability as necessary—though by no means sufficient—conditions to reduce the likelihood of negative impacts.