Vulnerabilities of Institutional Checks in Indian Federalism: The Case of the Adarsh Society Scam in Mumbai

In developing countries, separation of powers coexists with corruption by the ruling elite. This can be attributed to informal institutions, which counter the formal checks and balances. We demonstrate, by studying the Adarsh scam, the vulnerabilities of checks and balances. Fourteen actors belonging to different tiers of the Indian federal setup who could have vetoed the project or certain permissions failed to do so.We find that 54 percent of the checks collapsed because of quid pro quo, 21 percent due to being overridden, 4 percent due to misrepresentation, 7 percent due to absorption, and 14 percent due to omissions in the process.     

Experiential Learning and Presidential Management of the U.S. Federal Bureaucracy: Logic and Evidence from Agency Leadership Appointments

Presidents become increasingly effective at managing the bureaucracy because of the information and expertise that they acquire from on‐the‐job experience. In their appointment choices, this theory predicts that presidents become better at reducing information asymmetries incurred from the bureaucracy (Agent Selection Learning), improve the vertical balance of leadership agent traits between top supervisory positions and subordinates directly beneath them (Agent Monitoring Learning), and place a greater relative premium on loyalty in response to horizontal policy conflict between the White House and the Senate (Common Agency Learning). This logic obtains empirical support from the analysis of bureaucratic agent traits for Senate‐confirmed presidential appointees serving in leadership positions covering 39 U.S. federal government agencies from 1977 to 2009. Presidents’ appointment strategies reflect their increasing effectiveness at managing the bureaucracy, thus complementing their increasing reliance on administrative mechanisms to achieve policy objectives as their tenure in office rises.     

Negotiating barriers,navigating the maze: First Nation peoples' experience of medical relocation

This study documents the policy framework that shapes First Nations' experience of relocating to access medical care. We analyzed policy documents and government websites, interviewed individuals who have experienced relocation, family members, healthcare providers, health administrators, and conducted two focus groups with government representatives. Federal and provincial program managers interpret policies, make decisions on eligibility, to extend or deny coverage. Decisions are shaped by shrinking budgets, fragmented program coverage, and jurisdictional confusion. Provider advocacy can help, but also perpetuate perceptions of arbitrariness and distrust. National policy renewal is required to redress this issue.     

L’évolution des niveaux de vie au Mali: promesses politiques et incertitudes statistiques

RÉSUMÉ

L’agitation politique et sociale persistante au Mali depuis 2017, en particulier à Bamako, amène à s’interroger sur l’évolution des niveaux de vie et sur les constats qui peuvent être tirés de statistiques fragiles. En effet, l’exploitation des enquêtes budget–consommation disponibles se caractérise par des insuffisances, et l’évolution qu’elles traduisent n’est jamais commentée; elles révèlent aussi d’importantes discordances avec les résultats des comptes nationaux. Pourtant ces imprécisions n’interdisent pas d’envisager la possibilité d’une dégradation des niveaux de vie qui pourrait en partie expliquer les troubles sociaux des trois dernières années.     

Liberal Patriotism in Hong Kong

Since Hong Kong's reunification with the People's Republic of China in 1997, debates about patriotism have erupted from time to time in Hong Kong. Considering Hong Kong's socio-political background, the feelings and attachment of Hongkongers towards their motherland are unsurprisingly complex. We therefore need a multidimensional concept to capture the complexities of Hong Kong patriotism. Based on survey data, we propose that the term ‘liberal patriotism’ best describes the type of patriotism in Hong Kong society, which is that love of the homeland and the state are qualified by liberal democratic values.     

Frequency of monotonicity failure under Instant Runoff Voting: estimates based on a spatial model of elections

It has long been recognized that Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) suffers from a defect known as nonmonotonicity, wherein increasing support for a candidate among a subset of voters may adversely affect that candidate’s election outcome. The expected frequency of this type of behavior, however, remains an open and important question, and limited access to detailed election data makes it difficult to resolve empirically. In this paper, we develop a spatial model of voting behavior to approach the question theoretically. We conclude that monotonicity failures in three-candidate IRV elections may be much more prevalent than widely presumed (results suggest a lower bound estimate of 15 % for competitive elections). In light of these results, those seeking to implement a fairer multi-candidate election system should be wary of adopting IRV.     

Cross-Validation of Supplemental Test of Memory Malingering Scores as Performance Validity Measures

Assessment of the validity of neuropsychological test data has become an ensconced aspect of the assessment process. Among the more popular free-standing performance validity measures (PVMs) is the Test of Memory Malingering (Tombaugh 1996). Given the popularity of this measure, a number of researchers (i.e., Trial 1 (Denning, 2012); TOMMe10 (Denning, 2012); Albany Consistency Index (Gunner, Miele, Lynch, & McCaffrey, 2012)) have sought to expand its utility by increasing the number of scoring approaches associated with its administration. This paper aimed to cross-validate prior work by examining the performance of these measures in a mixed clinical sample of veterans referred for neuropsychological evaluation. All five examined measures provided good to excellent discrimination of patients determined to be putting forth poor effort based on failure of two or three alternate measures of performance validity. Traditional scoring approaches revealed high rates of specificity, with lower rates of sensitivity. The newer measures performed well for both sensitivity and specificity at higher base rates. However, predicted performance in low base rate populations (i.e., 0.10) using the newly derived scoring failed to reach predetermined cutoffs for specificity (0.90). Further examination of the cumulative performance of the scoring approaches indicated that administration of only two initial scoring indices was necessary to obtain a high rate of classification.     

The Effects of Political Risk on Different Entry Modes of Foreign Direct Investment

Although numerous studies document the effect of political institutions on foreign direct investment (FDI), few works in the political economy literature have investigated the link between political institutions and the mode of entry chosen by investors, be it mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, or greenfield investments. Using panel data for 111 developing countries covering 1980–2006, we find that countries with political institutions that uphold good governance tend to attract higher levels of mergers and acquisitions, as opposed to joint ventures and greenfield investments, because such institutions help to mitigate the special risks faced by merger and acquisition investors. Our findings provide a nuance for understanding the different effects of political institutions based on the particular mode of entry.