Research capacity building through twinning: experiences from a Danish–Malaysian twinning project

Twinning and its contribution to institutional capacity building in developing countries is the theme of an ongoing debate in Public Administration and Development. Unlike earlier contributions this article focuses on twinning in the context of research capacity enhancement. Using a 3 year Danish–Malaysian twinning research project as case our objective is to evaluate whether the general premises regarding a twinning project, as formulated by the Danish Development Cooperation Agency (Danida), appropriately support the twinning ambitions when the capacities in focus concern research. Besides institutional capacity building, twinning is expected to favour local ownership, involvement of the Danish resource base and continuing of cooperation after termination of funding. From 21 semi‐structured interviews with project participants it was found that although new research capacities had been gained, the prospects on continued cooperation are rather discouraging, both sides pointing to the lack of truly joint research experiences as the main reason. To care for this important incentive, the twinning premises are recommended to be modified to allow for the Northern resource base to advance its own research, and for Southern partner to demonstrate in‐house research capacities. Further, the North–South balance in project management needs to be more equal. This apart, the twinning premises appear sound. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) development projects and entrepreneurial potential of locals

This research explores a very important issue arising from the initiation of China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan, as the major impact seems to be focused towards small businesses and how they will cope in this competitive market once Chinese businesses enter in the country. According to scholars and officials, CPEC will generate several business opportunities for the local Pakistani community. However, studies related to the CPEC project are limited and only focused on the development of the CPEC project in various aspects alone. The existing study examined the local entrepreneur's attitude and intention in the context of CPEC using a sample of 255 survey questionnaires. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed hypotheses. Data were gathered from the existing business community in Karachi, Pakistan. The results validated most of the hypotheses showing positive attitude towards entrepreneurs and intention towards CPEC development project. Specifically, local transportation and accessibility of cities show a significant relationship with a positive attitude. Similarly, the attitude of entrepreneurs also shows a positive relationship with entrepreneur's intention towards CPEC development projects. Findings have important theoretical and practical implications for policymakers of CPEC in creating an overall entrepreneurial ecosystem.     

Modeling the macroeconomic determinants of environmental degradation in E-7 countries: The role of technological innovation and institutional quality

Environmental degradation poses a severe threat to life on earth. Similarly to other countries, emerging seven (E-7) countries have been struggling to decrease their dependence on non-renewable energy sources by adopting environment friendly technologies for reducing environmental deterioration and to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. In present study, we reassessed the technological policies of E-7 countries, and addressed the issues of affordable and clean energy, institutional quality (IQU), and sustained economic growth (EGR) to address the problem of environmental deterioration. For this purpose, we have investigated the role of renewable energy consumption (REC), technological innovations (TINs), IQU, and EGR on CO₂ emissions (CE) by using the panel quantile regression (PQR) for the period from 1996 to 2020. The empirical outcomes of FGLS reveal that a 1% increase in REC, TIN, and IQU reduces the CE by 0.145%, 0.233%, and 0.249%, while a 1% rise in EGR and population (POPU) raises the CE by 0.993% and 1.546% respectively. Similarly, the results of PQR demonstrate that REC, TIN, and IQU reduce CE, whereas EGR and POPU increase environmental degradation. The impact of TIN on CE is high at lower quantiles and low at higher quantiles. The impact of IQU on CE is low at lower quantiles and high at higher quantiles Based on these findings, we have recommended a comprehensive SDG-oriented policy framework, so that E-7 countries can make progress towards achieving the objectives of SDG 16, SDG 13, SDG 7, SDG 8, and SDG 9.     

Justice,Human Rights,and Reconciliation in Postconflict Cambodia

Retribution? Restitution? Reconciliation? “Justice” comes in many forms as witnessed by the spike in war crimes tribunals, Truth &; Reconciliation Commissions, hybrid tribunals and genocide trials. Which, if any form is appropriate should be influenced by the culture of the people affected. It took Cambodia over three decades to finally address the ghosts of its Khmer Rouge past with the creation of a hybrid Khmer Rouge Tribunal. But how meaningful is justice to the majority of survivors of the Khmer Rouge auto-genocide when only a handful of top officials are tried? Further, given the persistent abuse of political and economic rights in post-conflict Cambodia, we are skeptical that justice or reconciliation is presently possible.     

Empirical Evidence on Human Trafficking and Migration-Debt Contracts in Bangladesh

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of the payments illegal migrants make to traffickers. It covers the total amounts of these payments, the incidence of migration-debt (or shared) contracts, and the value of the deferred payment component under these shared contracts. Data on illegal migrants from three field surveys conducted in Bangladesh from April 2009 to November 2010 are used. The results show that the total payments made to traffickers vary with easily observed characteristics (gender, age, marital status) but do not vary with details of the migration process (training provided, time spent in the trafficker’s queue). These relationships are consistent with exploitation. Migration-debt contracts are more prevalent when the costs of illegal migration are relatively high, which adds empirical support to theoretical models such as Friebel and Guriev (2006). Contrary to existing reports, we document variations in fees for illegal passage across individuals.     

Assessing Public Participation Initiatives in Local Government Decision-Making in Malaysia

Increased public participation in government decisions contributes significantly to the enhancement of grass-roots democracy. This article assesses the level of involvement of local citizens in local government decisions in Malaysia. Public participation was assessed using questionnaires on the range and extent of initiatives used by local government. The questionnaires also probed citizens’ perceptions of these initiatives and expectations for greater citizen empowerment. Data were gathered from 206 local citizens randomly selected from six local authorities in the northern region of Malaysia. The findings reveal a desire on the part of local citizens to participate in their local government decision-making process.     

OUTLINING LONG-TERM GOALS

<正>China is creating a road to a new world By Sajjad MalikChinese President Xi Jinping,in his key address at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation,elaborated on and explained the endless possibilities offered by his vision for win-win cooperation,which is laid out in the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road(Belt and Road)Initiative.