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Does Parliament Matter in New Democracies? The Case of South Africa 1994-2000
Get PDFThe role of parliaments is a neglected topic in the study of the democratisation in sub-Saharan Africa. This working paper provides a case study of the South African parliament from the first democratic elections in 1994 to the present. The paper examines the external environment and the internal characteristics of parliament and provides a description of the institution. The second part discusses the dominant party, the ANC, and its role in the evolution of parliament.
The paper concludes that the South African parliament has substantial powers. These powers have also been used by the new parliamentarians. An important condition for its success is the resources available to Parliament and its ability to rely on alternative expertise and knowledge available through universities, interest groups and others. However, it is also concluded that parliament’s ability to influence public policy is critically dependent on the ruling ANC and their commitment to parliamentary politics, rules and regulations
Institutions, mobility and resilience in the Fante migratory fisheries of West Africa
Get PDFThe fishery of the Fante town Moree in Ghana and its network of migrants in West Africa is here understood as a social field, whose institutions are key to an understanding of fisher people’s livelihood strategies. By following rules and norms for behaviour that to a large degree are shared in both home community and migration community – institutionalised in the chief system, in the fishermen and traders’ leader institutions, through asafo companies, and through kinship and marriage practices – migrants are able to participate in social and political arenas where access to resources is negotiated.
At the same time they constantly shape the institutions through negotiation of practices in new contexts. The institutions also function as important “buffers” in the potentially uneasy relationship between migrants and host communities.
It is argued that the outcome of a spatially extensive but institutionally efficient migratory production system such as the Fante fisheries, is an extremely flexible utilisation of resources, which is well adapted to the West African ecological, economic and political environment. Furthermore, it is suggested that because of this flexibility, Ghanaian canoe fisheries is both socially and ecologically a particularly resilient system. This explains its ability to adapt to and absorb resource fluctuations, population increase, and economic and political shocks in the region
The status of the East Timor agricultural sector 1999
Get PDFThis working paper came about as a result of background research for a chapter in Social and Economic Conditions in East Timor, published by the International Conflict Resolution Program, School of International and Public Affairs, Colombia University, New York, USA (Pedersen 1999). The paper has been available in its existing form from late 1999
Fiscal corruption: A vice or a virtue?
Get PDFRecent literature on tax administration in poor countries suggests that inducing more fiscal corruption may contribute to reducing tax evasion and increasing tax revenues. But does such an intriguing paradox justify policies that stimulate corruption? Our answer is no, and this note puts forward three arguments to support our view. First, while an increase in corruption may raise revenues in the short run, in general the opposite will be the case in the longer run. Second, the instrumental value of reducing corruption goes far beyond its effects on tax evasion and tax revenues. Accepting corruption as a policy strategy to increase tax revenues may undermine values of democracy and good governance. Third, eliminating corruption should be considered an end in itself. Thus, contrary to recent suggestions on incentive reforms in tax administration, the reasonable starting point for policy debates in this area should still be that an increase in fiscal corruption is not an appropriate instrument for raising tax revenues. Sustained development cannot grow from an institutional framework that fosters corruption and extra-legal tax
enforcement
Corruption: Critical assessments of contemporary research. Report from a multidisciplinary workshop
Get PDFChr. Michelsen Institute and the Norwegian Institute of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), organised a workshop on ‘corruption research’ in Oslo 19-20 October 2000. The workshop aimed to assess the current analytical approaches to corruption, with the specific objective of exploring present knowledge on corruption (approaches, causes, effects, etc.), present the major controversies within and across disciplines, and identify the areas in most need of further research. This report summarises both the papers presented and the major issues discussed, emphasising the challenges identified for further research
Foreign direct investment during transition. Determinants and patterns in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union
Get PDFThis paper provides an analysis of foreign direct investments to the countries of the former Soviet Union and 10 of the former socialist economies in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Foreign direct investments to the region is highly concentrated, Poland receiving close to 25 percent of the inflow on average from 1994-1998. There also appears to be a rather striking relationship of close psychic distance between host and source countries. Germany in particular, but also other Western European countries are the most important source countries for FDI in CEE. The Scandinavian countries are important in relative terms in the Baltic (B) countries. So is Asia in the Central Asian and Turkey in the Turkish speaking countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). A regression analysis of data from 1994-1998 is performed to identify determinants of FDI. The results indicate a difference in motive for investing in CIS and in CEE and B. Whereas size of the market is a significant determinant in CIS, only progress in transition seems to influence the inflow of FDI in CEE and B. Natural resources were not included in the empirical analysis due to lack of data. However, the experience of countries such as Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan clearly indicate an important role for resource seeking activities in the area. The findings thus support a hypothesis of market seeking and resource-seeking investments prevail in CIS. Investments in CEE and B on the other hand appear more risk sensitive suggesting a role for the efficiency-seeking or vertical investments. Thus, as an economy progresses in transition and knowledge on the country is accumulated and available, market insecurity is reduced changing the nature of investment and increasing the level of investment
Anthropological perspectives on corruption
Get PDFThe primary concern of this paper is to present anthropological perspectives on corruption. The emphasis is on how anthropological methods and approaches can contribute to a broader understanding of corruption. International debates on how to approach the phenomenon are ongoing, but corruption is generally defined as the abuse of public office for private gain. It is argued that this conventional definition is too narrow and excessively concerned with the illegality of practices.
Explorations of how the actors themselves evaluate social practices are seen as essential. Variations in social experiences and cultural values may explain why corruption remains ambiguous
Afghanistan: Current Humanitarian Challenges
Get PDFMore than twenty years of war and civil war and a severe drought has increased the vulnerability of the Afghan population. The warring fractions, the Taliban and the Northern Alliance, show low concern for the population and unfortunate similarities in their practise of relating to drug production and trafficking, violation of human rights and support to international terrorism. Hence, a solution to the current political stalemate and humanitarian challenges is not likely to be found in escalating support to or sanction of one of these parties. Though rather in increased contact and dialogue with the parties to the conflict and civil society groups, establishing a longer-term strategy to build civilian structures.
The report provides a review of the Taliban governance structure, discusses the possible impacts of a Taliban ban on drug production and how the drought influences migration. It is pointed out that the present UN sanctions does not seem to have any significant impact on the Taliban, but are perceived as unjust by a majority of the population.
United Nations, donors and humanitarian agencies are recommended to make a clear distinction between their humanitarian and political efforts. The humanitarian intervention requires a longer time horizon and more emphasis on “software” and strengthening of national capacities
Judicial independence and human rights policies in Argentina and Chile
Get PDFThis paper is about how varying degrees of judicial independence may influence policy making in the field of human rights. I explore factors that may account for why some Latin American courts, years after the return to democratic rule, are currently prosecuting (ex) military officers for crimes they committed under authoritarianism, while other courts have chosen to ignore this politically explosive issue. I argue that certain constitutional changes undertaken in recent years coupled with a reduction in military threat have increased the propensity of judges to reinterpret existing amnesty laws and take on human rights cases they would have rejected earlier. At least one more factor is a necessary, though not sufficient, condition for trials to take place: a persistent demand for justice. To test my argument, I carry out an in-depth qualitative study of two ‘success stories’, Argentina and Chile. Because many newly established democracies in various regions of the world are in the process of strengthening their institutions and democratic practices, as well as trying to deal with the legacies of their authoritarian pasts, the lessons drawn from the Southern Cone should be of more general interest to scholars of both political science and law
A review of development trends in the energy sector of Bangladesh
Get PDFThis is the second report under the CMI/NCG contract for strengthening the country-specific knowledge base of NORAD and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This energy review examines the gas and power sectors in terms of major actors, current and potential output, generation, transmission and distribution problems and the emerging policy regime.
The main challenge for Bangladesh is how to provide electricity to domestic industry and households and broaden access to natural gas. Consumers are willing to pay for electricity, but are constrained by supply.
Bangladesh has undertaken reforms in production by providing favourable treatment for international oil and power producers. Reforms in the distribution of energy have not been as effective. It is argued that the implementation of reforms has been slow because of stiff resistance from the bureaucracy, the officials of the concerned agencies and their trade unions.
Gas is currently the only indigenous non-renewable energy resource in the country that is produced and consumed in significant quantities. The report discusses alternative options for the use of this resource (power production or gas export). The report also underscores the importance of coming up with a regional perspective on the use of energy resources