https://thesis.eur.nl/col/4321/ List of Publications en https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/9230/ Thu, 01 Dec 2005 00:00:01 GMT <div>Srouji, Samer</div> In 1993, the year the government of Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, launched its post-war reconstruction program financed by domestic borrowing, Lebanon's public debt stood at LL 6,650 billion ($3.6 billion) equivalent to 50 percent of GOP. Of this, only 8.5 percent was foreign currency denominated. By 2004, the debt stood at LL 52,540 billion ($34.8 billion), equivalent to 185 percent of GOP, one of the highest public debt-to-GDP ratios in the world. The foreign currency component of this debt now represented 52.7 percent of the total, making Lebanon more vulnerable to a debt crisis as those witnessed in Latin American in the 1980s, which had forced these countries into structural adjustment. The same year World Bank Vice President Fran~ois Bourguignon warned that Lebanon's situation was "totally unsustainable," and pressed the government to make progress on structural reforms and privatization. 1 For the first time in its modem history, Lebanon - one of the economic success stories of the Middle East before the 1975 - 1990 civil war - was on the verge of a full blown debt crisis and increasingly at the mercy of its foreign creditors and the Bretton Woods institutions. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/8232/ Thu, 01 Dec 2005 00:00:01 GMT <div>Magarinos, Ximena Echeverria</div> https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/8281/ Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:01 GMT <div>Manrique, Carlos Eduardo Vargas</div> This paper examines the implications of anti-drug policies in two types of countries: drug consumers and producers. Based on empirical information of consumer and producer countries and an examination of policy approaches, the analysis depicts an original game where actors are able to find cooperative equilibrium in their strategies under the logic of interdependence. Assuming one country is willing to influence another's policy, the model concludes symmetric decisions might reduce the size of the illegal market reaching Coumot-Nash equilibrium. The resultant equilibrium implies that both countries share responsibility in defining anti-drug policies and that it is possible to find an optimal budget share devoted to financing said policies. The paper also explores policy dynamics of countries with power, their ability to influence anti-drug policy agendas, and their effect on curbing illegal drug production and consumption trends. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/11151/ Thu, 15 Nov 2007 00:00:01 GMT <div>Benine Peninah Wawira Muriithi</div> Foreign aid has had a significant role in Uganda's development as well as economical activities. It has been hailed by international donors, especially the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, as an African economic success story. While the effectiveness of aid has been questioned by Ugandan and foreign scholars as well as policy makers alike, none doubt the pervasive role it has played in the last decade. Today, however, the disruption in the country's political sphere as well as the intensification of the onslaught by the LRA has not only led Uganda to a situation of a political stalemate but it has also hampered expected outcomes of development programs in the northern part of the country. This has led to aid actors rethinking their roles in the conflict ridden northern part as well as bringing about a debate between development and humanitarian assistance gradually dominating donor discourse. The issue of fungibility of aid at the national level and the imminent possibilities of 'leakage' at the local level has immeasurable implications for further fuelling of the conflict in northern Uganda not to mention the efficacy of development programs. This paper attempts to unpack these issues concerning aid effectiveness in a country that is experiencing intra state conflict and gives insights on how the situation can be improved from the donors' side ofthe equation. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/9141/ Sat, 01 Dec 2007 00:00:01 GMT <div>Awuor Achayo, J.J.</div> This paper focuses on Sino African co-operation; with the objective of explore opportunities and limitations of this engagement. It fIrst introduces the main concepts and debates on Sino African engagement and proposes two theoretical constructs for assessing the extent to which Africa has benefIted from this cooperatiOn as weit'as the extent to which the development prospects for Africa have been hindered. As a result it explores the channels through which, in spite of the challenges and limitations, Africa can capitalize on the robust co-operation it has with China. This paper therefore attempts to examine the development experiences of Africa in its co-operation with China. It will explore the lively contrasts in the political and economic nature, magnitude, gravity and urgency of development prospects, __ opportunities and threats presented by Sino-African engagement for SSA. It is my hope that this study will contribute towards the continued analysis of development options, goals, objectives, plans and priorities for Africa in keeping with its own unique requirements, resources, ideologies and the genius of its peoples. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/9673/ Sat, 01 Dec 2007 00:00:01 GMT <div>Jean-Laniel, David</div> The aim of this paper is to analyse trade theories and flnn theories and through this get elucidations on the effects that vertical specialisation may have on Botswana's attempt to diversify its industrial and manufacturing sector. If a consensus has emerged surrounding the belief that 'productive diversiflcation is a key correlate of economic development' (Dani Rodrik, 2006: 3), knowledge as to how to follow this path, given the present state of trade and production networks-characterised by the hierarchical discipline imposed by multinational corporations-remains largely elusive. Indeed, the on-going trend of flnns spreading their production through contractors and subsidiaries abroad, a phenomenon coined 'vertical specialisation' (Hummels et al., 1998: 80) has led to a shift in international production patterns, which has blurred our understanding of trade. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/7187/ Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:01 GMT <div>Cimmino, Michele</div> The ascendancy of neoliberal policies and the progressive inclusion of almost the entire world within the logic of capitalist economy characterized the last three decades. The marketization of sectors of society once outside the regulation of demand and supply has been characterized by the rising importance of multinational corporations. In this dynamic, transnational capital finds its legitimization and reinforcement in respect to the nation-states. The research draws on the changing relevance of nation states in regards to the rising importance of those private actors that this work labels as transnational capital. Illustrating the case of China in the evolution of this neoliberal hegemony originated in the seventies under US tutelage, the paper argues for a process of cooptation that the country is undergoing in respect to transnational capital. The relation between nation-states, transnational capital and the role of China is explored through the application of Gramscian/Neo-Gramscian analysis. The theoretical framework is based on the application of this analysis to International Political Economy with the explanation of the relevance for key concepts such as historic bloc, hegemony and cooptation. The aim of this research can be presented in two points. First, showing how the current situation of crisis is due to a lack of a well-established and legitimated world leadership that China will not be able to embody. Secondly, demonstrating that a shift in power structure from nation states to a new transnational elite is caused by the continuing expansion of markets where the actor that benefits the most is transnational capital. The paper concludes that the role of the state has to be reconsidered in light of discordance between the territorial and capitalistic logic of power. While the nation states are still very necessary in terms of legitimization, transnational capital has been able to detach itself from any sort of territorial logic of power. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/7186/ Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:01 GMT <div>Akbar, Mochamad Rizalu</div> This paper is trying to answer a question: What is the main motivation for the EU to have an FTA with ASEAN? and a sub question: What is the driving forces for the EU to have an FTA with ASEAN?. In order to answer those question, the paper will use the concept of power and realism. With the power relation that emerged in the negotiation procesess, the party who aggresivelly acted in the negotiation will emerged and using itsa meta power to exercised its power in the negotiation to achieve their goals and objectives. From the negotiation processes of the AEFTA, ASEAN seems not have advantages over the EU; hence the EU is exercise its meta power over ASEAN to change the rules of the game toward a market based regime of FTA rather than authoritative one. The behavior of the EU in the proliferation of the FTA is caused by the stalemate in the MTN. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/7161/ Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:01 GMT <div>Jansen, Marenne Mei</div> This paper addresses a myth, which exists on the difference between western and Islamic institutions, by giving empirical evidence on the relationship between religious affiliation and the inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI). The influence of Muslim brotherhoods on the inflow of FDI in Senegal is being tested with a cross-country study, an over-time comparison and an in depth analysis based on literature and field-research. Findings show that Muslim brotherhoods, perceived as Islamic institutions, do have an influence on the economic and political affairs in the Senegalese society. However results from both the cross-country study and the country-specific research do not support the notion that Muslim brotherhoods form a significant impediment to FDI. Other factors than religious affiliation must be more important in explaining the low FDI-inflows in Senegal. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/7170/ Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:01 GMT <div>Castillo, Ana Laura Aguilar</div> Central America is a small but complex geographical space. Practically since independence, the five small Central American nations have attempted to build a regional integration project. However, their efforts to achieve a concise project have always been thwarted by either internal or external factors, or a combination of both. The latest integration attempt, with the construction of SICA, had already started to lose dynamism, when it started to gain momentum again. This acceleration of regionalism comes hand in hand with the negotiation of an Association Agreement with the European Union. How are the geopolitical interests of the Europeans affecting regional integration in Central America? The fact that Europe is trying to branch out to other markets, that they intend to play a bigger role in world politics or that they want to spread their particular world vision definitely plays a role in Central American regionalism. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/7178/ Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:01 GMT <div>Schmeidler, Lacey</div> This paper considers the dollar’s position as the leading international money. Neoclassical and Post Keynesian theories are applied to the case of the dollar to determine if it is losing its status as the key international currency, to what extent and why. To achieve this, the international functions of the dollar are looked at over time and analyzed according to the two perspectives. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/7188/ Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:01 GMT <div>Ali, Muhammad</div> https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/7182/ Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:01 GMT <div>Gunasekera, Manisha</div> This research paper examines the geopolitical drivers of the Indo-Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ILA) from a realist IPE perspective. The study concludes that in addition to economic imperatives, there are compelling geopolitical factors driving the ILA, in the context of the transformation of India’s neighbourhood policy following economic liberalisation in 1991. It argues that India’s new neighbourhood policy of ‘geostrategic neoliberalism’, which incorporates neoliberal ideology driven by geopolitical imperatives, is a compelling driver of the ILA. It is driven by India’s desire to seek prosperity and stability in the neighbourhood, through economic engagement, in order to achieve its ambition of emerging as a credible global power. It is complemented by the mutual desire of India and Sri Lanka to enhance their respective geostrategic space through economic integration. The ILA, which incorporates the principle of asymmetric responsibility and grants special concessions to Sri Lanka, becomes a neoliberal instrument used in this new economic engagement. The neoliberal project has recast India’s role as regional hegemon in a more accommodative light than during its preliberalisation phase, marking its transformation from threat to opportunity. But it also incorporates a version of Indian hegemony that is more expansive than earlier. This transformation is leading to a trend of India-centric convergence of all countries in South Asia, except Pakistan. Sri Lanka stands to benefit both politically and economically from this evolving relationship. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/7177/ Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:01 GMT <div>Echeverri, Karla Miliani</div> https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/7176/ Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:01 GMT <div>ERWANTO</div> https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/7183/ Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:01 GMT <div>Jansen, Marenne Mei</div> This paper addresses a myth, which exists on the difference between western and Islamic institutions, by giving empirical evidence on the relationship between religious affiliation and the inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI). The influence of Muslim brotherhoods on the inflow of FDI in Senegal is being tested with a cross-country study, an over-time comparison and an in depth analysis based on literature and field-research. Findings show that Muslim brotherhoods, perceived as Islamic institutions, do have an influence on the economic and political affairs in the Senegalese society. However results from both the cross-country study and the country-specific research do not support the notion that Muslim brotherhoods form a significant impediment to FDI. Other factors than religious affiliation must be more important in explaining the low FDI-inflows in Senegal. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/6624/ Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:01 GMT <div>Hamman-Obels, Princess Ufuoma</div> Ethnic minority young people in the Netherlands experience school as a key interface with the wider society and as a place of cultural encounters. Even though contact between a dominant and dominated group does often involve the disruption of the minority culture and assimilation into the dominant culture, the process in the Netherlands experienced by church-going Ghanaian ethnic minority young people is found in this research much more complex. This research explores the perceptions and identities of a group of second generation young Ghanaian-Dutch in The Hague, The Netherlands as they interact with the Dutch educational system and their Ghanaian church community. It examines the types of ethnic/national identities adopted by these young ethnic minority people as they interact and engage with both Dutch and Ghanaian social and cultural systems of their lives. The subjective understandings that these young people have of their ethnic identities and being Dutch are depicted. Three types of identities are evident among the second generation - a Ghanaian-Dutch identity, a Ghanaian identity and an immigrant identity. These different identities are related to the different perceptions and understandings of ethnic relations and schooling in the Netherlands. Findings show their identities are fluid, varied and contextual; underpinned by historical, social, political and economic process which related to the incorporation of their parents into the Dutch system. Most of the respondents have a relatively positive experience of schooling while a few were neutral. The model of combining both a dominant and subordinate culture in their identity formation seems conceptually useful, but may overstate the tension felt by most of the respondents. Parents‟ social network such as the church plays a major role in their lives and provides support for ethnic and immigrant aspects of identities. But overall, these findings indicate a sense of integration into the Dutch society. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/6623/ Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:01 GMT <div>Glöckl, Nicolas Josef Rudolf</div> The recent food crisis of 2007/08 drove millions of the world’s poor deeper into poverty and hunger. Understanding the underlying factors that caused the crisis is fundamental to avoid future catastrophes. In particular, it is important to identify the factors that triggered the event. This paper analyses the existing literature and identifies two triggers. First, rising oil prices increased input costs for the production of food and, with it, food prices. Second, increased demand from biofuels has driven up prices as biofuel crops compete with food crops. The focus of this paper lies on the second trigger, as strong biofuel demand is a new variable in the food equation. Descriptive data analysis is examining world and US data sets of prices and harvested areas, revealing a stronger correlation between oil and maize prices in the most recent period. The correlation serves as a proxy for food prices. In addition, cropping patterns, particularly in the US have changed drastically towards an increase in maize production. This development is suggesting an increased demand for biofuels, a fact that would explain rising output of maize in combination with rising maize prices. Biofuels add a new dimension to food markets, transforming a long term declining price trend and threatening the existence of millions. Policies supporting biofuel production through subsidies, tariffs and mandates need to be urgently rethought. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/6622/ Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:01 GMT <div>Marcatelli, Michela</div> Even though the provision of good quality basic services to everyone was one of the main strategies identified to address the legacies of apartheid in democratic South Africa, it seems that nowadays this sector, and in particular water services, are still characterized by many failures and tensions. Indeed, one of the major contradictions that have emerged during the last few years refers to the presence of a human rights framework, embedded in the constitutional right to water and in the Free Basic Water Policy of 2001, which is challenged by the adoption of neoliberal policies. This work will adopt a political economy perspective to explore the tensions between content and operationalization of the right to water in South Africa. It will demonstrate that neoliberalism has led to a very narrow and exclusive realization of the right to water and that inequality levels remain very high within the country, although South Africa does have the financial resources to actually provide the same level of services to everyone. The paper will also argue that neoliberal policies within the water sector have severely affected the residents of historically poor and black areas and that the market ideology promoted by those same policies has offered a strong justification for the persistence of inequality within the country. Finally, this research will identify a serious lack of accountability as one of the major factors responsible for the failures within the realization of the right to water in South Africa. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/6629/ Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:01 GMT <div>Hyunanda, Vinny Flaviana</div> This research paper explores the dynamic of financial and monetary integration in East Asia. For more than 20 years, East Asia has built a strong economic linkage, in particulars such as intraregional trade, investment flows and regional division of labour. The close interconnectedness among East Asian countries has created integrated region of economic activities. As a result, the East Asian financial crisis traumatized these economies and strengthened their desire to establish further monetary and financial cooperation among them. Various initiatives had been implemented in the region, including the creation of the AMF, the establishment of the ASEAN+3 framework and the initiation of Chiang Mai Initiatives. These initiatives have underlined their desire to integrate economically, particularly in the financial and monetary domains. This paper describes the process of monetary and financial integration in East Asia from 2 perspectives, the first being an economic and monetary process perspective and the second referring to the regional institution and policies convergence perspective. These perspectives will define the materialization of de facto financial and monetary integration taking place in East Asia. This paper will also identify the future desired outcome of monetary and financial integration. The call for a single regional currency has been significantly discussed among various scholars. Therefore the need to formulate an agreed framework of monetary and financial integration is highly recommended.