The Political Economy of India's Fiscal Federal System and its Reform

This article examines recent and potential reforms in India'sfiscal federal system. We summarize key federal institutionsin India, including tax and expenditure assignments, and mechanismsfor Center–state transfers. We discuss the institutionalprocess by which reforms can and do take place, including therole of academics, political influences, and especially institutionssuch as the Finance Commission. In contrast to the past, recentcommissions have played a greater role in articulating an agendafor fiscal federal reform, which then proceeds through politicalbargaining. This change has taken place in the context of, andbeen influenced by, broader economic reform in India.     

Sex Workers and Cultural Policy: Mapping the Issues and Actors in Thailand

This article deals with the deeply controversial side of cultural tourism in mapping the position of the sex industry. In doing so, it places sex tourism in two epistemic contexts: one context expands the notion of cultural policies, the other notes the implicit and explicit origins and effects of cultural policies affecting sex work, although these positions are not mutually exclusive. Sex tourism, we argue, poses a particular challenge to the understandings embedded in these contexts. The sex industry points us to the limits of cultural policies, both in terms of expanding the scope of cultural industries and also in documenting their effects. So far, while we expand the list of cultural industries, the sex industry remains as the industry that must not speak its name. Officials do not want to name it; neither do they do much to stop it. Naming and mapping sex tourism is then a useful place to start. For empirical substantiation, Thailand is our case study. We document the cultural and economic importance of sex work. In doing so, we also remain sensitive to the context of racism, stigma, trafficking, and HIV/AIDS issues that intersect sex work.     

Efficiency of 'Simple' Liability Rules When Courts Make Erroneous Estimation of the Damage

The literature on liability rules shows that the damage awards under a liability rule affect the efficiency of the rule. One crucial factor that could affect the damage awards and therefore the efficiency characteristics of liability rules is the error made by a court while estimating the harm suffered by the victims. In this paper efficiency property of what we label as 'simple' liability rules when courts make errors in estimation of the damage is studied in a unified framework. The paper provides a characterization of efficient simple liability rules and shows that the biased court errors act to change the efficiency characterization of simple liability rules. A necessary and sufficient condition for a simple liability rule to be efficient in the presence of upper-biased court errors is provided. The analysis is carried out in a quite general framework.     

The Effects of Militarized Interstate Disputes on Incumbent Voting Across Genders

Political Behavior - Gender and politics research argues that men are more hawkish and supportive of militarized confrontations with foreign foes, while women ostensibly prefer more diplomatic...     

印中关系：认知与前景

崛起中的印度和中国之间的相互认知和政策已成为世界范围公开辩论的焦点。人们普遍认为印中两国注定会成为国际体系的两大支柱，两国关系的未来走向将会对亚洲地区乃至整个世界产生重要影响。这种辩论除了带来有限的可见性，只会使印中之间原本就盘根错节的关系更为复杂。事实上，印中两国也在不断地增强相互理解，这对于两国关系的发展是十分有益的。     

From a Sub-Continental Power to an Asia-Pacific Player: India’s Changing Identity

This article aims to argue that identity is an important variable in determining the motivational disposition of the Indian state’s external security behavior. It offers a constructivist explanation to India’s increasing engagement with the Asia-Pacific region and argues that India’s deepening engagement with the region is a reflection of its desire to craft a new external identity for itself – the identity of an “Asia-Pacific player.” The desire for an “Asia-Pacific identity” is in part precipitated by Indian political elite’s perception of a crisis in India’s external identity immediately after the end of the Cold War, along with its intuitive desire for recognition within the international system. This ongoing identity shift offers to explain many visible changes in India’s post-Cold War foreign security behavior.     

Tradition,UMNO and political succession in Malaysia

ABSTRACT Leaders of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Malaysia's ruling party, invented 'Malay tradition' for the purpose of maintaining control not only over the domestic political process, but also in their own ranks. Yet, this did not deter challenges to the leadership which were also legitimised on the basis of tradition. In this regard, the rhetoric of tradition also functioned as a barometer assessing the stakes and the levels of support for the contestants. When the stakes of political contestation became extraordinarily high, the major protagonists were quite willing to depart from tradition to determine outcomes. Realising its instrumental worth, the UMNO elites manufactured tradition to legitimise deviations from established norms. But in the process of reinventing the wheel, the leaders of UMNO inadvertently contributed to the construction of ethnic identity.