The political economy of taking and just compensation

By creating an implicit right to judicial review and lowering the transaction costs a property owner must incur to challenge a taking, the just compensation restriction on eminent domain limits the tendency of political decision-makers to avoid the subjective costs their actions inflict on property owners and moves the level of taking closer to the social optimum. Its impact, however, is partially to completely erased by the risk aversion of the property owner and the fiscal illusion of the political decision-maker, unless there are additional constraints in the fiscal constitution.     

Explaining the clash and accommodation of interests of major actors in the creation of the African Union

The rapid creation of the African Union (AU) has been describedas one of the most puzzling events in interstate co-operationin contemporary Africa. While studies published so far on thesubject express surprise at the AU's speedy creation, none makesany attempt to explain the clash of interests and ideas of thekey actors and how they were accommodated in order to createthe AU. This article attempts to fill this gap by exploringthe interests and ideas that drove the AU process. It arguesthat the introduction at the Algiers summit in 1999 of two separatereform packages that were meant to reform the OAU in line withthe foreign policy interests of Nigeria and South Africa setin motion the process that eventually led to the creation ofthe AU.     

Study Abroad Beyond the Usual ‘Imagineering’? The Benefits of a Pedagogy of Imaginaries

This paper problematizes the imagineering of study abroad, especially in terms of set objectives and learning outcomes. The authors propose a shift away from a ‘pure’ cultural and intercultural preparation of mobile students, which tends to ignore the fact that unrealistic expectations and preconceived ideas about study abroad can be as much of a hindrance as e.g. ‘culture shock’. The concept of imaginaries is used to prepare international students, some from Asian countries, to reflect on, discuss and ‘reform’ their perceptions of study abroad. Imaginaries, which are constitutive of human beings living in groups, are of course necessary components of the study abroad experience. The results show that the students are able to deconstruct critically their own as well as others’ doxic discourses on the characteristics of study abroad. Yet at the same time, as one should expect, the students develop new imaginaries on mobility. We argue that by allowing them to develop more counter-narratives about study abroad—and thus multiplying imaginaries—the students can feel more apt to face the complexities and contradictions of the study abroad experience.