Protecting labor rights in preferential trade agreements: The role of trade unions,left governments,and skilled labor

This paper investigates variation in the design of labor provisions in preferential trade agreements (PTAs) by focusing on the power of trade unions, the role of government partisanship, and the relative strength of skilled labor. We expect strong trade unions and left-leaning governments to be associated with more, and more far-reaching labor provisions in PTAs. We also expect the strength of skilled workers relative to the strength of unskilled workers to negatively correlate with the depth of labor provisions in PTAs. In addition, the effect of trade unions should be conditional on both the presence of left government and democracy. We test these hypotheses relying on an original dataset of labor provisions included in 483 PTAs signed between 1990 and 2016. This dataset covers 140 different labor provisions that relate to six overarching dimensions. The quantitative analysis finds support for the expectations concerning the influence of trade unions and the role of a country’s skill profile.     

South–South cooperation and the future of development assistance: mapping actors and options

International development cooperation is undergoing fundamental changes. New – or often re-emerging – actors have gained importance during the past two decades, and are increasingly challenging the traditional approach to development cooperation associated with the members of the Development Assistance Committee of the oecd. Their supposedly alternative paradigm, ‘South–South cooperation’ (ssc), has been recognised as an important cooperation modality, but faces contradictions that are not too different from those of its North–South counterpart. ssc providers are highly heterogeneous in terms of policies, institutional arrangements, and engagement with international forums and initiatives. This article contributes to current debates on ssc by mapping the diversity of its actors – based on illustrative case studies from the first and second ‘wave’ of providers – and by presenting and discussing some possible scenarios for the future of ssc within the international aid system.     

A VICISSITUDINOUS ENVIRONMENT

<正>Geopolitical developments of 2017 and the trend ahead The year 2017 is drawing to a close,with China having experienced a series of diplomatic frictions such as the Dong Lang Plateau standoff and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense(THAAD)crisis.A review of the past 12     

Where is vote buying effective? Evidence from a list experiment in Kenya

Vote buying is common in democracies around the world. Yet relatively little is known about the conditions in which vote buying is an effective campaign strategy, in part because vote buying is challenging to measure. This paper examines the local economic and social conditions in which vote buying influences the behavior of voters in Kenya. I combine data from a nationally representative list experiment conducted after Kenya's 2007 elections with highly disaggegrated census data about local economic and social conditions. While 7 percent report that vote buying influenced their vote when asked directly, the list experiment finds that 23 percent were influenced. I find mixed evidence and statistically weak evidence that vote buying is more effective in the local areas where parties should be best able to monitor voters. Vote buying is, however, most effective where voters lack access to information about politics. I discuss the implications of the results for literature on vote buying, clientelism, and electoral accountability.     

Cyber-squatting: Legal implications and judicial approaches – An Indian perspective

The present legal framework in India fails to keep in pace with the inexorable advancement of the online world. Technological advancement is inevitably faster in comparison to the response of the legal framework, but the latter needs to continuously review and adapt itself in order to provide a suitable regulatory regime. In India, the Information Technology Act 2000 is the product of such review and seeks to provide a modernized regulatory framework for e-commerce with necessary safeguards. However, there are certain loose ends that have not been adequately dealt with by the Act. The contention is that, in the present era of information and communications technology, domain names have become valuable business assets and a Trade mark in the internet world. Despite the amendment to the Information Technology Act 2000, these changes have been silent on the issue of cyber-squatting. The Judiciary has been trying to tackle this issue in the light of the Trade marks Act 1999 but this approach fails to address certain issues. This paper will highlight the issues that need attention at this time and the further legislative action that is required.