Speaking from the periphery

Many households and businesses in developing countries are said to face credit constraints which limit their ability to undertake investments in various production-enhancing economic activities required to reduce poverty. This limited access to formal credit is often attributed to the lack of ‘acceptable’ collateral, resulting from the absence of formally registered land titles. Despite the fact that this assertion is fast gaining ground, land registration has not been found empirically to positively influence access to credit. This article seeks to critically examine the above argument and provide credible theoretical explanations as to why previous studies in the developing world have failed to establish any significant positive link between land registration and access to credit. It is argued that formalising property titles alone will not be enough solve the problem of limited access to credit in the developing world.     

Offsetting the Development Costs? Brain drain and the role of training and remittances

Over recent decades global labour markets have emerged and skill shortages in particular sectors have generated an international competition for the best and brightest. The developed world is seen to ‘poach’ this talent from poorer countries, with the resultant ‘brain drain’ undermining their capacity to develop. This paper calls into question the assumption that the emigration of the highly skilled will automatically represent a loss to the country of origin. The paper positions itself between the two extremes of brain drain as constituting a pure loss or a pure gain for sending countries and calls for a more moderate approach to skilled migration and its impact on development. The paper goes beyond the simple brain drain/brain gain dichotomy by looking at the flow of the skilled within specific geographic spaces and the resultant policy dilemmas and options.     

Books received

Alternatives for Planning: Planning and the Alternative Economic Strategy, D. Howl, Department of Civic Design, University of Liverpool (Working Paper No. 21), 1982, pp. 46, £2.30.

The Hidden Homeless: A Report of a Survey on Homelessness and Housing Among Young Blacks in Gloucester, Harry Cowen and Richard Lording, Gloucester Community Relations Council, May 1982, pp. 54, no price given.

Town and Country Planning in Britain (Eighth Edition), J. B. Cullingworth, Allen and Unwin, 1982 pp. 367, £18.00 hardback, £8.95 paperback.

Local Government in Ireland, Desmond Roche, Institute of Public Administration, 1982, pp. 391, £19.95 hardback, £9.95 paperback.

The Parish Pump, Myles Tierney, Able Press, 1982, pp. 126, £3.90.

Reports on: (1) Faulty Goods; (2) The Nationalised Industries; (3) Bureaucracies; (4) Shopping; (5) The Neighbourhood; (6) Public Transport; and (7) The Elderly Consumer, National Consumer Council, Papers 1–3, 1981, Papers 4–7, 1982, 1–4 pp. 30, 5–7 pp. 58, £1 each.

Running in the Red: The Political Dynamics of Urban Fiscal Stress, Irene S. Rubin, State University of New York Press, 1982, pp. 171, $30.50 cloth, $9.95 paper.

The Other European Community: Integration and Co‐operation in Nordic Europe, Barry Turner and Gamilla Nordquist, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1982, pp. 307, £7.95 paperback.

Local Government Reform and Reorganisation: An International Perspective, edited by Arthur B. Gunlicks, Kennikat Press, 1981, pp.243, £14.85.

British Work Creation Programmes, Michael P. Jackson and Victor J. B. Hardy, Gower, 1982, pp.87, £9.50.     

How States Exploit Jihadist Foreign Fighters

ABSTRACT

Jihadist foreign fighters are frequently described as non-state actors whose prominence challenges the traditional, state-dominated international system and our understanding of it. In practice, however, foreign fighters rely heavily on the very states they reject. Some of the most important foreign fighter movements in the world today receive massive and explicit state support, while still others rely on states to tolerate their fund-raising, transit, recruitment, and other core activities. Yet the scope, scale, and nature of this reliance varies tremendously, as does its overall impact. To stop or at least limit these flows, it is vital to change the policies and capacities of these state backers.     

New Perspectives on the Chinese Rural Economy, 1885-1935

Abstract

In 1929 a nationa "uproar" erupted over the "Confucius Saw Nanzi Case" (Zi jian Nanzi an). It was sparked by Confucius' meeting Nanzi, the Duchess of Wei, on stage in the June 28, 1929 student performance of Lin Yutang's "one-act tragicomedy" Confucius Saw Nanzi at the Second Normal College at Qufu, Shandong Province, the birthplace of Confucius. Examined in detail in this study are both the "tragicomedy" and the "uproar," both the modern creative project and the social and political forces that shaped its text and reception.     

Games,Claims, and New Frames: Rethinking the Use of Simulation in Negotiation Education

Negotiation educators have long considered the use of role‐play simulations as an essential classroom teaching method, and have had high expectations regarding their suitability and efficacy for teaching. In this article, we review the literature to examine the degree to which simulations deliver on these perceived benefits, finding that simulations enjoy only limited advantages over other teaching methods. We note three trends that have developed as part of this reevaluation process: improving the way simulations are conducted, deemphasizing the use of simulations as a teaching tool while seeking new methods, and finding paradigm‐changing uses for simulations. With regard to this last trend, we describe our own experiments assigning students to design their own simulations, rather than participate in them as role players. Among other benefits of the design method, we found that designers showed greater improvements in concept learning and motivation than did role players.     

Energy and Security in Long-Term Defence Planning: Scenario Analysis for the Swedish Armed Forces

Abstract

The competition for energy resources, as well as the closely related climate change problems, imply a number of global security consequences. A methodology to include energy aspects in long-term defence planning, based on broad civilian scenario approaches, is proposed. The study has been carried out by the Swedish Defence Research Agency, as commissioned by the Swedish Armed Forces, resulting in a number of future mission scenarios highlighting e.g. new challanges and tasks, as well as the need for new capabilities and equipment.     

Book reviews

James A. Smith, The Idea Brokers: Think Tanks and the Rise of the New Policy Elite (New York: The Free Press, 1991), 313 pp. $24.95.

Dinesh D'Souza, Illiberal Education: The Politics of Race and Sex on Campus (New York: The Free Press, 1991)., 319 pp.

Michael Glennon, Constitutional Diplomacy and Constitutionalism (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1990), 353 pp. $35.00.