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Foreign policy change under authoritarian leaders: analysis of Uzbekistan’s foreign policy in the post-Cold War era
Get PDFInternational University of Japan博士（国際関係学）/ Ph.D. in International Relations2023The purpose of this research is to explain foreign policy change under authoritarian
settings. Analyzing the case of Uzbekistan’s foreign policy, this research proposes a
model to explain why and how foreign policy change takes place under authoritarian
leaders. The model suggests that leaders’ perceptions of their environment become a
decisive factor inducing authoritarian leaders to (re)consider their regime survival
strategy. Concern with regime survival, in turn, shapes foreign policy goals which then
manifest into a distinctive foreign policy behavior of a leader. Ultimately, the behavior
of a leader translates into certain foreign policy outcomes.
Despite the abundance of case studies on foreign policy making in nondemocracies, the literature, being empirical in nature, lacks conceptual explanations
of foreign policy change in authoritarian regimes. Whereas, existing models of foreign
policy change presuppose decentralized decision-making, which is more relevant to
democratic regimes than authoritarian ones. By providing advancements in the
conceptual understanding of foreign policy change in authoritarian regimes the model
proposed in this research contributes to the literature on foreign policy change. It also
contributes methodologically to the understanding of perceptions by offering a
Leadership Trait Analysis (LTA) as a method to operationalize perceptions of the
leaders.thesi
Impact of Rising Sea Levels in Japan: A Study into the Price Dynamics of Residential Real Estate
Get PDFThis paper provides an exploratory look at whether climate risk was incorporated in land prices. The data sample explored land transactions located in seven wards in Tokyo. The initial results indicate that land unit price was lower by 7% for land parcels located near live water bodies.
Variables like area characteristics and land use zoning were statistically significant in explaining for the variation in land unit prices, lending support to the hypothesis that more informed buyers priced in climate risk in the land prices.departmental bulletin pape
Effects of Intergovernmental Transfers on Income and Poverty Rates: Evidence from the Philippines
Get PDFDespite that subnational governments are key actors in the provision of public services, there are concerns about whether providing additional funding to them in developing countries can raise the living standards of local communities. This study investigates the impact of intergovernmental transfers on development outcomes at municipality and city levels in the Philippines from 1994 to 2015. Since the revenue-sharing mechanism between central and local governments in the Philippines follows a predetermined formula, we leverage this feature and apply the instrumental variable (IV) method for estimation. Our results suggest that the household disposable income per capita increases by 9.6% in the long run due to extra transfers of 1,000 pesos per capita in the Philippine local governments. The poverty rate has also decreased by approximately five percentage points in the long run. The improvement of development outcomes mainly occurs in small and less-developed local governments. Finally, we examine the effect of intergovernmental transfers on local expenditure and taxation; then we discuss how the results of local finance behavior can explain the observed developmental impact.departmental bulletin pape
An Electric Vehicle Migration Framework
Get PDFElectric vehicles (EVs), with lighter environmental footprint than traditional gasoline vehicles, are growing rapidly worldwide. Some countries such as Norway and Canada have successfully established EV networks and achieved a significant progress towards EV deployment. While the EV technology is becoming popular in developed countries, emerging countries are lacking behind mainly because of the huge investment hurdle to establishing EV networks. This paper developed an efficient Electric Vehicle Migration Framework (EVMF) aiming to minimize the total costs involved in establishing an EV network, using real world data from three major cities of Morocco: Rabat, Casablanca, and Fes. A given set of public institutions having a fleet of EVs are first grouped into zones based on clustering algorithms. MILP (Mixed Integer Linear Programming) models are developed to optimally select EV charging station locations within these organizations, with an objective to minimize the total cost. This paper can help to minimize the investment needed to establish EV networks. The transition towards EV networks can first take place in cities, especially at public institutions, followed by locations among cities. With the framework developed in this paper, policy makers can make better decisions on EV network migration.departmental bulletin pape
To protect myself, others, or both? An investigation of preferences and the uptake of COVID-19 preventative measures in Australia
Get PDFWearing face masks is an important COVID-19 precautionary measure and many governments have mandated wearing face masks in public areas. However, the mandatory policy is hardly sustainable in the long run and has been criticised for reducing autonomy. It is essential to understand the underlying preference for wearing face masks as that can help encourage the use of face masks without government intervention. This study investigates how the uptake of wearing face masks as a COVID-19 precautionary behaviour is determined by self-interest and other-regarding preferences. The results reveal that if people perceive wearing face masks as an act of protecting both themselves and others, the probability of consistent face mask use increases by 46%. However, if people perceive wearing face masks as only protecting themselves, they do not want to wear face masks unless the surrounding people wear them too. These findings provide insights into future government non-mandatory use policies. They suggest that to encourage face mask use, policymakers should consider publicising not only the protection face masks provide for wearers, but also their ability to protect other people.departmental bulletin pape
Examining Social Insurance Participation among the Nomadic Population of Mongolia: A Survey of Herders in Nine Provinces
Get PDFOne-third of Mongolia’s nomadic population lives in poverty, and their living conditions, which highly depend on the weather, are unstable. Therefore, it is vital for them to receive help, such as social insurance, from the government. However, only one-fifth of herders are enrolled in available social insurance programs, and it is important to examine the factors associated with their participation. Using an original survey of herders conducted in August–September 2020 in nine provinces, this study investigates the determinants of herders’ participation in social insurance schemes. Several hypotheses regarding potential determinants of participation are tested, including (1) material conditions, (2) access to information, (3) descriptive social norms, and (4) political trust. The findings indicate that material conditions, particularly the number of livestock owned, descriptive social norms, and educational level are positively and significantly associated with herders’ social insurance participation. Responses to open-ended questions support the findings of the quantitative analyses.departmental bulletin pape
Political Economy Perspectives on the Current Economic Crisis in Sri Lanka
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The Institutional Spillover, Financial Development and Economic Growth : International Political Economy Perspectives
Get PDFInternational University of Japan博士（国際関係学）/ Ph.D. in International Relations2022International Political Economy (IPE) tries to interpret the complex contemporary environment,
its interrelated and interactions between markets, states and international
actors at different levels. Economic liberalism has mainly shaped the contemporary
economic system, which argues for the limited role of the state in the relationship with
the market. The failures and externalities of the free-market system have paved the
way for institutionalism, which proposes minimising transaction costs, strong property
rights and enabling the proper contract enforcement. Most studies on institutions
in respect of the finance–growth relationship in neoclassical contexts are inconclusive
and inconsistent. This study explores the institutional spillover on financial development
and economic growth. The variables of good governance indicators for institutions
and financial development index to measure financial development and per
capita GDP for economic growth are mainly used in this study. The first objective
is explored analysing the panel data of 152 countries for the period 2002–2019 using
spatial econometric modelling to explore the spatial spillover of the institutions on the
finance–growth nexus. Results indicate that financial development and institutions of
surrounding countries create a reverse spatial spillover impact on local countries. The
second objective is achieved by employing global panel data from 181 countries for the
years 2002–2018 using simultaneous equation modelling. The financial market and its
moderation of economic growth indicate a spillover behaviour. The third objective
is achieved by the analysis in the Sri Lankan context using the data from 1990–2019
by time-series modelling and provincial data from 2013–2019 for nine provinces using
spatial econometrics, including the inclusive growth to compare the institutional
impact on economic growth. Results find that the mediator impact of institutions on
inclusive growth and moderation impact of institutions with financial development on
economic growth is adverse. Further, provincial analysis indicates that fiscal decentralisation
had no significant impact on economic growth and inclusive growth. Results
concluded that global governance is a positive-sum game; monitoring and governance
structures have failed at the international level in relation to separate states. To prevent
institutional failure at the state level, good governance and links with the global
governance structure could energise local institutions.thesi
The Effects of Education on Fertility and Child Mortality: Evidence from the free secondary education policy in the Philippines
Get PDFThe Philippines implemented the free secondary education policy in 1988, which offers a natural experiment to explore the effects of maternal education on fertility and child mortality. Exploiting age-specific exposure to this educational reform through the use of fuzzy regression discontinuity design, this study finds that on average, there is an increase of 0.536 year of schooling in for the cohort of women who had been affected by the policy. Moreover, the results of this study reveal that increasing education by one year reduces 0.829 child born per woman, and decreases child mortality by 1.659%. The empirical evidence supports that increasing opportunities for women to enter and complete secondary education can reduce fertility rates and cause a significant decline in child mortality in developing countries.departmental bulletin pape
Sustainable Development Goals of No Poverty and Zero Hunger, and Sustainable Agricultural Intensification: The Institutional Perspective
Get PDFInternational University of Japan博士（国際関係学）/ Ph.D. in International Relations2022Scholars have proposed global governance as a means of addressing the challenges posed by
neoliberal globalization. Current global governance approach, the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) framework, symbolizes the pinnacle of development’s past evolution and future goals.
Both scholarly literature and global public opinion have revealed that SDG2 and SDG1 are
prominent on the global agenda. The literature has stressed the relationship between agricultural
progress and alleviating poverty and hunger for decades. Sustainable agricultural intensification
(SAI) is a fundamental school of thought that proposes practical solutions to challenges afflicting
global agriculture. However, the free market economy with minimal state intervention has
weaknesses and negative externalities that have paved the way for the rise of institutionalism.
Meanwhile, SDG16 promotes the development of responsible and efficient institutions at all
governmental levels. This study investigates the likely impacts of institutions on achieving the
SDGs of no poverty and zero hunger, with a particular focus on SAI as a mediator variable. The
study combined panel data, time series data, and cross-sectional data to achieve its objectives, and
a range of robust analytical methods was employed to produce reliable estimates. When applicable,
the direct, threshold, mediation, and moderating effects of institutions were investigated utilizing
worldwide governance indicators and political risk ratings as a measurement of institutions. The
results reveal that institutions have a highly significant direct positive relationship with SDG1
performance. Furthermore, institutions affect SDG1 indirectly via mediating factors—state policy,
agricultural productivity, economic growth, and SDG2 performance. With reference to the findings
on institutions–SDG2 nexus, institutions showed a positive and highly significant association with
SDG2 performance. Furthermore, institutions showed a significant mediating impact on SDG2
performance via agricultural productivity, economic growth and SDG1 performance. SAI has no
significant influence on SDG1; however it has a significantly positive impact on SDG2
performance. However, a positive effect on SDG1 is likely if institutions intervene to moderate SAI. Furthermore, the results divulge that institutions do not significantly associate with SAI adoption. Results show that while agricultural development reduces poverty in Sri Lanka, the country’s institutions are not. Institutional framework hinders agricultural productivity’s ability to reduce poverty. In the long run, Sri Lanka’s institutional framework is not favorable to food security and has no moderating influence on agricultural development. Thus, this study offers compelling empirical evidence to demonstrate that strengthening existing institutional framework is integral for achieving SDGs of no poverty and zero hunger.thesi