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Between Oslo and al-Aqsa. Taxation and state formation in Palestine 1994-2000
Get PDFThe state formation process in Palestine during the period 1994-2000, in contrast to the European experience, was not related to inter-state war but to insurgency against and negotiation with Israeli occupation. This conflict did not contribute to increased tax extracting capacity of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) as wars did in the West. Although the conflict changed the relations between the new rulers and the ruled, relations of accountability between the PNA and citizens remained weak – perhaps because the government depended only partly on their citizens to mobilise revenues. The authority relied more on foreign aid and taxes on international trade instead.
The study argues that a major problem for the PNA was that it did not manage to create confidence in its ability and capacity to deliver promised returns for taxes paid and foreign aid received. The deteriorating security situation in the late 1990s and declining social welfare raised citizens’ perceptions of exploitation from an unequal contract with the authority and promoted resistance. In this perspective, the PNA’s trustworthiness was closely linked to citizens’ perceptions of the capacity of the PNA to make credible commitments about the use of tax revenues and foreign aid, as well as its procedures for designing and implementing fiscal policy non-arbitrarily. Moreover, extensive and increasing corruption contributed to undermine popular confidence in the PNA as a credible force in the struggle against the Israeli occupation
Restructuring SADC - Progress and Problems
Get PDFThis study was commissioned by the Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation (NORAD). It is a follow up to “Assessing the Restructuring of SADC – Positions, Policies and Progress. Chr Michelsen Institute (CMI Report R2001).
The study examines the status of SADC’s restructuring exercise as at mid-2002, reviews SADC’s relation to continental initiatives, SADC’s engagement in the Zimbabwe crisis and finally the role of non-state actors in regional co-operation and integration.
Support for the restructuring process among members has not weakened. Whether problems of support may arise in the future will partly depend on the success of restructuring and progress on substance. On several counts there has, however, been slippage compared to the quite optimistic timetable set in early 2001. Despite staff shortages and administrative turbulence caused by the restructuring exercise, over the last year SADC moved perceptibly forward on substantive issues.
The Organ for Politics, Peace and Stability, has made progress in establishing procedures and mechanisms for intervention. However, the Organ still lacks operative policies, financial resources and operational capacity. It is difficult to escape the conclusion that SADC has not sufficiently pursued the issue of governance and human rights since it began to address the Zimbabwe situation.
SADC will both influence and be influenced by NEPAD. SADC would take NEPAD into account during the ongoing restructuring. There will be a need for regional/continental coordination mechanisms if and when the NEPAD infrastructure programme, based on regional projects, takes off.
Non-state actors / NGOs may not be involved in regional matters as much as they could be because they are generally weak and unaware of the change in SADC’s policy towards NGOs. Most of them have no regional links and concentrate their activities at the national level. But may potentially play a significant role in guarding the maintenance of SADC norms and standards.
Regarding Norwegian support to SADC, the report recommends that NORAD consider the possibility of a “slush fund”. Under such an approach, SADC would indicate total unspecified needs within the broad area of institutional restructuring for a period of 2-3 years. It is also recommended that in the near term Norway should consider sectoral aspects of its longer-term support to SADC; that substantial support to SADC will require that Norwegian aid management to be stepped up far beyond present capacity and that Norway seek an active role in the core ICP group formed after the mini donor meeting in February 2002
Fra motstander til medspiller: Partnerskap mellom norske frivillige organisasjoner og norsk næringsliv
Get PDFDenne rapporten tar for seg partnerskap mellom norske frivillige organisasjoner og norske bedrifter. Partnerskap innebærer et mer forpliktende samarbeid for å nå felles sosiale mål enn tradisjonelt sponsorsamarbeid. Partnerskap har i de senere år blitt fremhevet av sentrale aktører i internasjonal
bistandsdebatt som veien å gå for en mer bærekraftig utvikling. Dette gjelder særlig partnerskap som involverer myndighetene i mottakerland (tri-sektorale partnerskap).
Kartleggingen som er foretatt for denne studien viser at samarbeidet mellom organisasjoner og bedrifter i Norge fortsatt er preget av sponsortenkning. Interessen for partnerskap er imidlertid økende. Press fra forbrukere og investorer bidrar til at bedrifter blir mer opptatt av å vise sosial ansvarlighet, og organisasjonene ser nye muligheter for inntekter og nye kanaler for innflytelse.
I rapporten blir partnerskapene kategorisert ut fra partenes målsetninger for samarbeidet og måten samarbeidet foregår på: prosessorienterte-, prosjektorienterte,- og produktorienterte partnerskap. Miljøorganisasjonen Bellona har nådd lengst i arbeidet med prosess- og produktorienterte partnerskap, mens partnerskap knyttet til bistand i stor grad er prosjektorienterte.
Et hovedfunn i undersøkelsen er at det foregår lite samarbeid mellom norske organisasjoner og norske bedrifter i sør. Et slikt samarbeid vil kunne ha positive synergieffekter i forbindelse med den pågående avbindingen av bistand samt økende fokus på næringsutvikling i mottakerland
A cost-benefit framework for allocating SPS-related technical assistance
Get PDFSanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures designed to protect human, animal and plant health, constitute a significant barrier to exports of agricultural products from developing countries. Though the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures places restrictions on SPS measures, regulations in major import markets are extremely complex and compliance beyond the means of many exporting countries. This report argues that for technical assistance to effectively redress the undesirable consequences of SPS measures, a cost-benefit framework should govern the allocation of assistance. To map the major SPS-related problems of developing countries, a set of indicators is suggested, consisting of reported problems and needs, inspection reports and third country lists, and detentions and alerts. For the capacity building needs thus uncovered, funds should be allocated to projects where the effect per dollar spent is the greatest, i.e. where the ratio of benefits to costs is the highest. Given the focus of SPS-related technical assistance, it is appropriate to measure benefits as export revenue generated, adjusted for differences in development. For compliance costs, suitable methods of calculation are reviewed
En vurdering av betalingsbalansestøtte til Bangladesh
Get PDFNorway has been requested by IMF to provide balance of
payment (BOP) support to Bangladesh, which is facing a critical
reduction in its foreign exchange reserves. This report,
which has been commissioned by NORAD, analyses whether
Norway should provide such support. It is argued that BOP
support and budget support have similar macroeconomic
impacts although the conditionalities put forward by the
donor may differ in the two cases.
There are severe imbalances in Bangladesh’ external as well
as internal accounts. We are arguing in this paper that external
conditions are the main explanatory factors for the
current crisis. Foreign reserves have been halved since 1995
and now cover only six weeks of imports. The growth rate
in exports has declined from 27 % in 2000 to a negative
growth of 11% in 2001. We expect the crisis to be more than
temporary, partly because exports of garments will face additional
structural problems when the Multifibre Agreement
is phased out in 2004. Bangladesh will therefore not move
easily out of its present distress, and is in strong need of foreign
exchange including BOP support.
We find that the reform programme and its conditionalities
put forward by IMF in Bangladesh make sense. The IMF
nevertheless needs to give a better justification for why a system
of flexible exchange rate is seen as a prerequisite for providing
a loan. Since the negotiation about a loan package
currently has broken down, Norway should at the present
stage not provide BOP support.
After completing an interim poverty reduction strategy in the
near future, bargaining for a loan package will be recommenced.
The report discusses conditions that NORAD should
apply for providing balance of payment support in the future.
We are emphasising the importance of a well-developed
poverty reduction programme and co-operating donor partners
FDI and industrialisation. Why technology transfer and new industrial structures may accelerate economic development
Get PDFCountries within a region often experience a similar rate of industrial development. Do foreign direct investments have any influence on this aspect of industrialisation? This paper describes how technology transfer and new industrial structures may accelerate industrialisation, with particular focus on the conditions for beneficial spillovers
Angola 2000/2001. Key Development Issues and the Role of NGOs
Get PDFThis is the second report on Angola under the Country Advisor Agreement between the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) and Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI) and Nordic Consulting Group (NCG). The report consists of a Part I synthesising and assessing existing information regarding economic, political and social developments in Angola, and a Part II focusing on the role of national and international NGOs in the country. The number of NGOs has increased substantially since the introduction of the new democratic constitution in 1991. While they play an increasingly important role in emergency and development aid, they also occupy political space that is contested
Environmental, social and economic problems in the Borkena plain, Ethiopia
Get PDFPeople in Borkena in Ethiopia suffer from a complex interplay of environmental degradation, increasing shortage of land due to population growth, conflicts between different ethnic and religious identities, and social confrontations as a result of such tensions. The most depressing problem is that they can not find a way out of the downward spiral of resource scarcity and conflict. And the authorities do not give them any chance to get involved themselves in actively searching for solutions specific to their complex problems. All they get is orders, and plans which are designed from above and do not take into account their experience about the complexity of their social situation, and consequently can not solve their problems.
This paper was part of the requirements for a Masters degree at the University of Aalborg. Fieldwork for this study was supported by Chr. Michelsen Institute through a grant from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany. It was supported as part of a research effort on “Democracy from Below” in Ethiopia, in a cooperation between the Chr. Michelsen Institute, the Forum for Social Studies in Ethiopia and the University of Addis Ababa. The author thanks the donors for enabling him to carry out his fieldwork in Northern Shoa, Ethiopia, in Autumn 1999
Fiscal decentralisation in Tanzania: For better or for worse?
Get PDFTanzania is currently implementing a local government reform aimed at improving public service delivery. An important component of the reform is to increase the fiscal autonomy of local authorities. This policy is encouraged and partly initiated by the donor community. The purpose of this article is to explore to what extent we can expect that increased fiscal autonomy will improve the efficiency and responsiveness of the public sector. The paper concludes that it is unrealistic to expect that the present administration in many local authorities in Tanzania has adequate capacity and the required integrity to manage increased fiscal autonomy. In fact, there is a real danger that, in the absence of substantial restructuring of the current tax system combined with capacity building and improved integrity, increased autonomy will increasemismanagement and corruption
Humanitarian Challenges in Afghanistan: Administrative Structures and Gender and Assistance
Get PDFThe humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has rapidly deteriorated over the last months, as the conflict between the Taliban and the international community has intensified. UN sanctions and isolation has strengthened the influence of radical and anti-western elements within the movement. This tension needs to be reduced if pressing humanitarian problems are to be properly addressed.
The drought has led to increased migration and internal displacement, now reaching 700,000, as neighbouring countries have closed their borders. The spring and summer is traditionally the “fighting season”, expected to lead to further displacement.
Two major issues influencing provision of humanitarian assistance are reviewed in this report:
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban) has gradually established an administrative structure in areas under their control, with an administrative capital in Kabul and a political and religious capital in Kandahar. It builds on the pre war structure, re-establishing the prominence of the middleman function at the village level. But, a controlling ministry had been added and shuras (councils) at village and district level have been granted influence. The latter could open up for the population and the humanitarian agencies to influence Taliban’s policies and priorities.
Gender issues is major “bone of contention” in the relationship between the Taliban and the international community, as gender reforms have historically been highly contested in Afghanistan. Despite a range of restrictions a number of NGOs have managed to establish innovative projects that enhance women’s influence on the projects. Long-term refugee experience has changed the perception of relationships between the sexes, representing an untapped resource for more gender sensitive programming