Sense on Federalism

Debate on the relevance (or otherwise) of federalism to the development of the European Union is often characterised by mutual incomprehension on either side. Close inspection, however, reveals that the high temperature of argument may not be solely due to differing visions of the finalite politique. For the precise meaning of the federal concept in political science remains unsettled. This article looks back to the earliest origins of federalism, in order to establish a firm basis for suggesting improvements. The idea of divided sovereignty, ‘invented’ in America and now thought to lie at the heart of the federal concept, is identified to be a false construction. On these grounds, it is proposed that the definition of federalism be clarified today as not ‘a division of sovereignty between two levels of government’, but instead ‘a division of the powers flowing from sovereignty between two levels of government of equal status’.     

State and Private Economic Sectors Align

正A striking feature of China’s economic development is the breadth of social layers benefiting from it.At the bottom of the economic ladder,China has lifted over 600 million people from internationally defined poverty–accounting for the entire global fall in the number of those living in poverty.Taking middle incomes,while median U.S.wages have fallen in the last seven years,     

Agricultural Use‐Value Property Tax Assessment: Estimation and Policy Issues

This paper provides an overview of the theory and methods used to implement use‐value property tax assessment for agricultural land in the United States. After a critical review of the methods used by various states in their application of use‐value statutes for agricultural land, the paper examines several policy issues related to the estimation and application of use‐value assessment methods. Five state case studies are included, providing an overview of methods used in use‐value assessment, and suggestions are provided regarding several ways in which use‐value assessment methods need to be improved.     

Why China’s Success Matters to Us All

AS heads of the G20 assembled in Los Cabos,Mexico,for their annual summit,it was clear that,four years into the international financial crisis,the policies adopted to deal with it by Europe and the U.S.are failing to do so.This is a statement of the obvious