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This paper examines the relationship between the incarceration rate and several major labor market variables in the U.S. for 1960-2016. Our analysis shows that a high crime rate precedes high punishment intensity. In turn, high punishment intensity is followed by a reduction in the crime rate. Our analysis also reveals that the 10th percentile wage rate is highly correlated with the incarceration rate whereas unemployment length and rate have inconsistent effects. That is, the incarceration rate rises as unemployment falls yet remains stable when unemployment length and rate rise. Finally, inequality has a surprisingly high correlation with the incarceration rate. Key Words: incarceration, labor market, real wage, unemployment, inequality, U.S. economy, Introduction In this article, we investigate the evolution of the incarceration rate in the U.S. and its relationship with several labor market variables. Since the early 1980s, the rise in [...]

This study aims to estimate and evaluate the economic impact of increased youth employment in the Indonesian informal sector. It examines informal sector activity as an employment indicator and investment multiplier in the economic system at the macro level. Furthermore, informal sector workers' challenges, including low work quality, low wage rate, long working hours, and lack of social security are considered. The study assesses female worker vulnerability in the informal sector, and their growing contribution to the labor market. Study results show the disparity between the informal and formal workers wages and working hours. The author argues that disparity between social security measures afforded to informal and formal workers represents discrimination and deprivation. Policy initiating and external agencies such as the International Labor Organization found increased female participation in the labor market. This has not eliminated wage, occupation and social security disparities between the men and women in the informal sector. As a result, female workers remain less financially and socially empowered than male workers. Keywords: employment, gender, informal sector, labor, wage, workforce participation., Introduction Women are major driving forces in Indonesian economic growth within both formal and informal employment (Casale & Posel, 2005; Posadas & Sinha, 2010; Reerink, 2006). Many studies and reports [...]

When countries form an economic block, they team up in order to benefit each other's economies. The deals can range from just lower tariffs to something much more complex, as with the European Union (EU). There is considerable literature which indicates the trend toward convergence among members as one of the advantages of economic blocks. It is expected that benefits will be surplus to disadvantages and that integration in a block will lead to convergence. The expectation is that within economic unions, there is not only a general increase in welfare, but also economic convergence, greater income similarity among its members: since it is far easier to copy than to innovate, regardless of the type of innovations, the dissemination of innovations would create similar standards among all within an economic block. This article presents empirical evidence for the opposite, that within economic blocks, be they of countries or federal states, they tend to diverge, not converge. Analysis of EU countries and federal states of the U.S. shows a trend towards divergence. Keywords: Economic blocks; European Union; U.S.; convergence; divergence., Introduction In spite of recent reversals (e.g. the transpacific trade agreement) and some trade wars (between the U.S. and China), the world is today, in general, a freer economic space [...]

This study was undertaken to analyze the socio-economic impact of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from tribal district North Waziristan on host communities in district Bannu. Variables focused upon included law and order, crime rate, health status, education, local property, and demand for goods and services, etc. This research was based on primary data collected from the local community of Bannu. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were used for the analysis of the data. The result revealed that IDPs from the erstwhile North Waziristan Agency brought harm to the local community in the forms of socio-economic and environmental issues. It was also found that IDPs benefited the host community economically, but that adverse effects outweighed the benefits. Adverse effects were recorded in relation to health and education facilities, transportation, peace, security, law and order, prices of goods and services, etc. Benefits recorded for the host community included price hikes in the real estate, increased rents in residential housing and shops, etc. Keywords: Internally Displaced Persons, FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas), Migration, Host Community, Socio-economic impact., Introduction Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) comprise individuals who are compelled to leave their homes due to natural disasters, social or armed conflict, military operations, etc., and migrate to other places [...]

Over the past decade, climate change has become one of the most important issues to citizens in countries around the world. As the Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated, no country is immune from actor-less threats like novel disease outbreaks and climate change. When combined with other security threats like transnational terrorism and ubiquitous cyberattacks, it becomes one of the key global security threats. However, while there have been many theoretical arguments that the overall impacts of climate change on international security are inevitable, and predictable posing escalating risks to stability and security, with potentially far-reaching consequences, the empirical evidence of this link is limited. This study takes an important step in filling this gap by measuring the effect of climate change on the global security quantitatively based on the quality of government (QoG) dataset. Contributing to the growing body of work on climate change and global security, this study suggests that (1) climate change crisis can be considered an existential global security threat; and (2) developing countries are the most impacted by climate change and the least able to afford its consequences. Keywords: Climate change, global security threat, Introduction Over the past decade, climate change has become one of the most important issues to citizens in countries around the world (Fagan and Huang 2019). There is an emerging [...]

This study aims to draw lessons about the subprime crisis and how it differentially affected different business sectors. Based on empirical data from Eurostat, it aims to assess the resilience of firms during the subprime crisis (years 2008-2014) and whether they belong to some industries and economic sectors. It is also intended to analyse whether, regardless of whether an industry is resilient on average or not, it holds resilient segments. Finally, we evaluate the changes in the structure of the economy during the crisis; as well as draw whether the inferences drawn about the subprime crisis are compatible with recent Covid 2020 data. Keywords: Resilient businesses in crisis; Economic crisis; Sub-prime crisis; Covid economic crisis, From Subprime Crisis to the Covid Years The December 2007 New York stock exchange slump marked the beginning of the subprime crisis in Europe, which lasted until the IMF left [...]

This study deals with the Kurdish issue, which constitutes an important part of the basic components of the Syrian society, by introducing the Kurds into the Syrian society and their political and cultural demands, and by studying the nature of their relationship with the Syrian regime from the 20th century until 2020. It also clarifies the Kurdish attitude towards the Syrian revolution in 2011 and the developments regarding their situation after the revolution, explains their situation after the Syrian revolution and highlights the role of regional neighbors well as their political aspirations towards the Kurdish issue. The study used the historical approach, the descriptive analytical approach and the system analysis approach to represent the causes and motives that drive the Kurds to build an independent national state. The study concluded that the Kurds benefit from a historical opportunity to embody their cultural and political identity. The revolution also brought about radical changes in their political, military and economic reality. They have gained control of the areas in which they constitute a relative majority and the historical opportunity to establish their own self- rule, which opened the way for them to think about realizing their national dream of establishing an independent state. Keywords: Kurds, Syrian Revolution, Self-determination, Contain the Kurds, Autonomy, Independent National State., Introduction The Syrian community is known for its ethnic diversity, including Arabs, Kurds, Armenians, Turkmen, Assyrians, Syrians, Muslims, Christians and Jews, with their sects and clans, all of whom are [...]

Essentially, tax evasion is a gamble taken by private agents and limited 'public-sector.' It is difficult to get accurate information about the extent of underground economy activities in the goods and labour market, since individuals engaged in those activities wish not to be identified. This study explores the relationship between economic growth, tax rate, debt, consumer price index and tax revenue. It does so while parting from traditional methodology, instead adopting SUR-OLS method and Threshold approach for estimating the response of economic growth on total tax revenue, direct tax revenue and indirect tax revenue in Taiwan from 1991- 2020. This paper further discusses the response of total tax, direct tax and indirect tax to fluctuations in tax rate. We show that with a tax rate between 12.59% and 13%, increase in income leads to decrease, not increase, in direct tax revenue, resulting in serious tax base erosion. That is, the relationship between GDP and TTR presents a N-shaped relationship. However, this relationship does not exist between indirect tax tax rate threshold. On the other hand, with increase in GDP, indirect tax revenue increases also. Keywords: Threshold model, underground economy, inflection point, tax base erosion ratio JEL Classification: D43, D69, E41, H26, L13, Introduction The undeclared economy (UE) can be measured both directly and indirectly. Indirect methods are based on the comparison of macro-economic aggregates (such as national accounts, cash transactions). However, indirect [...]

Atomic Spy: The Dark Lives of Klaus Fuchs Nancy Thorndike Greenspan Viking, 2020 German-born Klaus Fuchs was a lifelong communist who betrayed his adopted country, Great Britain and her ally [...]

The American Way of Empire: How America Won A World --But Lost Her Way James Kurth Washington Books, 2019 Swathmore College Professor Emeritus of political science James Kurth gives us [...]

In the Colombian case, counter-terrorism (CT) has proven to be a useful tool to help powerful forces inside and outside government achieve their goals. A long-standing domestic conflict was used as the basis for a CT policy to enhance government stability and power by increasing the military's role in society bolstering support for existing elites by pursuing policies that advanced their economic interests and receiving vast economic and military aid from the United States. As a result, the Colombian government has been able to present itself as a model citizen in the Global War on Terror by being a poster child for regional and global CT efforts even though the threats it faces are almost exclusively from domestic opposition rather than from international sources. Keywords: Colombia, Counter-terrorism policy, Uribe, Insurrection, FARC, Global War on Terror, I. Introduction: Counter-Terrorism as a Tool to Suppress Domestic Conflict Colombia has witnessed a long period of government military and counter-terrorism activity directed primarily against domestic movements that are known [...]

This article examines Indonesia's counter-terrorism policy, especially in the second tenure of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY). It used Anthony Giddens's perspective to analyze the domain of signification, domination and legitmation. The results showed that counter-terrorism policies were more intensified initially and gradually relaxed until the end of President SBY's second tenure. Indonesia's government policy focused more on construction and public understanding of terrorism. Moreover, the policies focused on building public awareness, law enforcement, and legal protection. The government's implementation of counter-terrorism policy is more repressive. In this article, the data used were sourced from the attachment to the President's Speech delivered in 2009-2014. Data were analyzed using the NVivo 12 Plus software. The outcome of the inquiry provides a useful analytical tool in studying government policies on counter-terrorism. Keywords: Counter-terrorism, Policy, Indonesia, Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Theory of Structuration., Introduction This article examines Indonesia's counter-terrorism policy in the second tenure of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY). Terrorism started with the hijacking of the Garuda DC 9 Woyla aircraft on [...]

Memoirs of a Dissident Psychologist Richard Lynn Ulster Institute for Social Research, 2020 Richard Lynns autobiography written at the age of ninety gives a sincere account of his personal life, [...]

The economy of Turkish Cypriot Northern Cyprus is showing signs of income convergence with that of Greek Cypriot Cyprus. Using a unit root testing approach in the presence of nonlinear income gap data, the aim of this study is to identify how opening the borders between the two regions in 2003 has affected the two disparate economies with respect to per capita income convergence, either in the form of catch-up growth or in the long-run steady state. Both the linear unit root testing process and the non-linear framework show that the Turkish Cypriot per capita income is catching up with the Greek Cypriot per capita income. However, a small trend term indicates that the convergence is rather slow, and there is no evidence of a long-run steady state convergence. Keywords: Cyprus Northern Cyprus, income convergence, KPSS test, non-linear unit root test, economic integration, Green Line trade JEL Codes: C32, F43, O40, Introduction Development of the income convergence hypothesis With the development of the internet and its related outlets, the past few decades have witnessed radical improvements in access to economic data [...]

The historical narrative supporting Chinas claim of sovereignty over large swathes of the South China Sea (SCS) has advanced since the late 1990s, a time when China's economic and military power began to surge so very noticeably. How does Chinas rising power factor into this? Despite international disapproval and criticism, China is confident of its historical entitlement to dominion in the SCS. How does Chinas economic and military clout relate to this? Reforms in China not only released its economic potential and brought about naval modernization, but they have also provoked a nationalist revival. China's assertion of its historical rights in the South China Sea is part and parcel of this nationalist revival. China's appropriation of the SCS invokes a romanticized recollection of China's past as the Middle Kingdom. In that way China's SCS claims are inward-looking as well as outward-looking. Key words: China, South China Sea, historical rights, nationalist revival, Chinese culturalism, The SCS disputes are widely discussed among policy makers and scholars of international politics. China is the only great power amongst the nations directly involved. (2) The disputes are not [...]

COVID-19 can be rightfully considered the most economically damaging worldwide pandemic. In many aspects, the global crisis related to the coronavirus spread is unique, as this destructive recession has no economic precursors and goes mostly down non-economic lines. The global economy has already lost almost 90 trillion dollars because of the pandemic. Quarantine policies introduced in Russia due to the COVID-19 outbreak helped to reduce infection and mortality rates by implementing emergency mobilization measures in the healthcare system that can be compared to wartime situation and led to serious economic issues. Consumer-focused sectors of the Russian economy were the ones most affected by the downturn, with the volume of paid services plummeting by almost 40%, while retail trade turnover decreased by 22.6% and 18.6% in April and May 2020 respectively. Nevertheless, the Russian economy survived the downturn better than other large countries where more severe quarantine restrictions had been imposed. According to the Federal State Statistics Service, the Russian GNP fell by 8.0% in the second quarter of 2020, which was a lesser decline than predicted by the Ministry of Economic Development. In general, the recovery of the Russian economy will be smart (based on digital technologies), inclusive (focused on low-income households) and sustainable (facilitating clean energy investments and reducing environmental damage). It is also worth noting that monetary and fiscal policies themselves cannot provide sustainable growth and financial stability. A reasonable balance between monetary, budget and prudential policies, accompanied by adequate structural reforms, is the only way to ensure economic recovery and national welfare. Keywords: COVID-19, pandemic, crisis, economics, policymaking, stock market, COVID-19 as a global infection and economic disaster On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global emergency (Sohrabi et al., 2020)Hubei province in [...]

The author argues that the clarity of discourse is lost by the misuse of the terms 'nation' and 'nation-state' attributable to ignorance of the evolutionary history of human society. He maintains that human social organization evolved from the practice of male-female pair-bonding, and thence through of kinship ties to the emergence of larger societies that were relatively homogeneous, both genetically and culturally, and which are properly known as nations. The term 'nation-state,' originally devised to refer to a nation that enjoyed a degree of self-government and political autonomy, has increasingly come to be used in recent decades to describe any geographically delineated political aggregate of individuals living, willingly or unwillingly, under a common government, no matter how varied their biological origins, culture or personal value systems. He regards this terminological misuse as a significant affront to clarity of thought because societies which are united by common values and a belief in common, shared origins, are more able to live together in harmony and to be willing to sacrifice personal interest for each others good than those which lack such unifying sentiments. Key Words: Pair-bonding Band; Descent Group; Clan; Phratry; Tribe; Feudalism, Nation; 'Nation-State'; Nationality., It is generally accepted that human social organization evolved from pair-bonding which led to the emergence of families; also that beyond families, kinship ties formed a basis for the regulation [...]

This study examines the interdependence of primordial elements of human behavior that affect political, structural and institutional processes. These in turn affect the stability of political systems, especially in heterogeneous societies. The author proposes a solution to this challenge, and introduces a new descriptive term for subsequent academic research. This work is a brief theoretical description conveying the authors vision for a resolution. Key words: political system; human behavior; primordial aspects; heterogeneous society; social engineering; ethnos-dominus., Globalization, coupled with increased migration to once largely mono-cultural states accentuates the relevance of this research. The resulting decline in ethnic homogeneity brings political tensions. In this context, the heterogeneity [...]

Jordan's economy is problematic for its foreign policy. To ensure security in a turbulent region, domestic interests must be sacrificed. Thus, small countries align and seek alliances with more powerful countries. This study concludes that Jordan's foreign policy lacks consistency and clear strategic objectives, other than its own survival, in dealing with regional crises. Keywords: foreign policy, the Arab Spring, political decision, the Deal of the Century, Jordan., Introduction The year 1911 saw the advent of the so-called 'Arab Spring' which was marked not only by a revival of Islamic political consciousness but also by a proliferation of [...]

Continued advances in Artificial Intelligence are causing worries among white-collars and managers as recent innovations suggest that the future does not guarantee cognitive jobs will remain in humans hands for long. New technologies are taking over more and more cognitive tasks that until recently were assumed to be immune from automation. For the first time in history humans are facing a challenge from entities that behave more 'intelligently' than they do. The classic Aggregate Demand/Aggregate Supply function fails to explain the consequences of the heavy introduction of Artificial Intelligence into the manufacturing and service industries. This paper demonstrates how human employment is increasingly at risk in modern economic systems. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; industrial revolution; technology unemployment JEL: J23, J64, O33, Introduction In a seminal paper published in 1950 Alan Turing proposed his famous Turing Test: A computer would pass the test if a human interrogator posing a written question was [...]

Political Warfare: Strategies for Combating China's Plan to 'Win without Fighting' Kerry K. Gershaneck Quantico, VA: Marine Corps University Press, 2020 Until the improbable presidency of Donald J. Trump, the [...]

Revolution: Structure and Meaning in World History Said Amir Arjomand University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Il., 2019 'Revolution' is a word that is always in the back of modernity's mind, [...]

They're Not Listening: How the Elites Created the Nationalist Populist Revolution Ryan James Girdusky and Harlan Hill Bombadier Books, 2020 Political commentators Ryan James Girdusky and Harlan Hill describe and [...]

This paper re-examines the effect of elections [on budget policy in developing countries. It first examines the effect of elections on fiscal policy according to the rational opportunistic hypothesis. The study then analyses the strength of these effects. The Generalized Method of Moment in system (S-GMM) is applied on a sample of 41 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries from 1990 to 2015. Our results suggest that the approach and holding of elections in SSA lead to rising on government spending, declining on tax revenue and worsening of fiscal deficits. We also find that democracy and fighting corruption significantly reduce the strength of political business cycles (PBCs), while political fragmentation has reverse effects. We recommend improving the quality of institutions that control public action in order to tame PBCs in SSA. Keywords: Incumbent's opportunism, Election, Democracy, Corruption, Political Business Cycle (PBC), system-GMM., Introduction A little more than twenty years after Easterly and Levine (1997) whose aim was to explain what they called 'the tragedy of growth in Africa', the results obtained are [...]

Empires and Encounters 1350-1750 Wolfgang Reinhard, ed. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2015 The past few years have witnessed an explosion in the use of the [...]

Europe in general continues to have difficulty in absorbing the ongoing influx of economic migrants from less advanced Continents. The purpose of this paper is to assess whether welfare traditions in Spain and Norway can explain differences between them regarding social housing policies for refugees at the local community level. Alicante in Spain and Moss in Norway are our cases, and we have used both documents and interviews throughout the study. We have found that local Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Alicante play the dominant role, whereas it is the municipality in this respect in Moss. These different roles fit perfectly into the welfare programs operated in both countries, while similarities that we have found have its roots in Spain's and Norway's obligations according to United Nations conventions. We argue that certain housing challenges for refugees do not relate to welfare traditions, but to some refugees hope to return to their home country (both cases), while others wish to travel to another European country (in the case of Spain). Key Words: Social housing policies; refugees; welfare traditions; Spanish and Norwegian local communities., Introduction One of the biggest challenges to European countries today is trying to absorb the inflow of refugees from non-European countries, and topics related to it have long been high [...]

Citizens' participation in governance and development activities is a fundamental mechanism for building and strengthening local competence towards service delivery. However, the Nigerian experience of citizens' participation is only limited to electioneering and voting activities. Hence the investigation into the influence of Christian Aid on citizens' participation in the development of communities in selected local governments in Kaduna State. The cross-sectional survey research design was adopted and the target population comprised the 3,682 community members of registered community development associations in Jaba, Soba, and Kaduna South Local Government areas of Kaduna State. A random sample of 669 was determined using a random sampling approach. Validated questionnaire was used to collect data, with 94.02% return rate from the respondents. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze respondents' demographic characteristics and simple regression analysis was employed to test the hypothesis of the study. The result ([beta]= 0.593, t = 18.427, p Keywords: Citizens' participation, Development, Development agencies, Participation, Introduction In past decades, the study of citizen participation in governance and development discourse has continued to gain ascendancy as a fundamental mechanism for building local competence towards service delivery [...]

Political economy as a concept has shaped the understanding of human society in relations with different social structures that functions to the betterment of the status-quo. Inequality formation of why some are rich and some are poor, some ruled and few are rulers, the class analysis in the society and its effects brought about the social responsibility of the state, and the underlying forces and motives behind government policies, actions and inactions that affects the mode and means of production. African political economy has been greatly affected by its political and economic elites through the indices of dysfunctional economic growth, unequal income distribution, negative international economic system and high poverty level which has limited the expected growth through a dysfunctional economic policy, economic inequality and hegemonic economic elite's domination that plagued the development of Africa as a continent and Nigeria as a nation. The objective of this paper therefore, was to articulate the poverty dimension that characterizes underdevelopment in Africa in general and Nigeria in particular through a Marxist political economy approach and dependency theory principles. The examination of basic thrust of capitalism, viz, labour wages, surplus and its corresponding influence on African development, growth and poverty level was part of the milieu that shaped our understanding of African classical political economy. The study recommends policies based on the need for African leaders to separate politics from economics considering political bankruptcy in Africa and direct interference of investible capital out of Africa play fundamental roles of restricting the prospects of growth and development in African nations. It is also important for policymakers in Africa to have people-centered economic policies especially as it pertains to lowest class of the society. Preventing sharp drops in economic growth resulting from shocks and economic adjustments will reduce the political economy of poverty on the continent. Key words: Political, Economy, Poverty, Policy., Introduction Political economy is a concept and a field of study. It is the branch of social science which studies the inter-relationships between political and economic processes. It is a [...]

This paper analyzes the phenomenon of vigilantism as a significant byproduct of political systems in a state of crisis. Three examples of vigilantism in different political systems, cultures and eras were chosen to illustrate the author's theme: the Russian Civil War, the Yugoslavian breakup, and post-apartheid South Africa. The authors note that vigilantism is more common when marked ethnic and social divides exist in a country as well as failures of political institutions created to protect the interests of citizens. JEL Classification: Y8 Key words: political systems; vigilantism; Yugoslavia; Russia; South Africa; civil war; cronyism., Outward signs of civil collapse include civil disobedience and vigilantism, that is the disregard for the political and legal processes to protect one's own well-being and socioeconomic interests. In the [...]

The aim of this paper is to present the origins and development of the current crisis in Venezuela and analyse the future implications of relations between the de facto government of Nicolas Maduro, the United States, Russia, China, Cuba, and Middle Eastern Countries. All indications are that the situation in Venezuela cannot be resolved in the near future, unless the governments of Russia, China, Cuba, Iran, and the U.S., together with the government of the interim president of Venezuela and the de facto government of Nicolas Maduro, reach an agreement to create a transitional government and hold free and transparent elections. Keywords: Venezuela, political crisis, economic crisis, international relations, Latin America., The current crisis in Venezuela has such important origins and wide-reaching implications that it should not be underestimated by any country, by multilateral organizations and much less by Venezuelans themselves, [...]

Existing literature suggests that the presence of large youth cohorts make countries more vulnerable to the risk of civil unrest of all forms. There is contradictory evidences as well. This paper examines the role of youth unemployment on civil unrest in a globalized world. Using a Nobel dataset on globalization which categorizes globalization into its major pillars, and more recent information on youth unemployment & urban social unrest, we find new evidence which contradicts conventional wisdom. Our results indicate that youth unemployment does not lead to any onset of unrest per se. However, in the presence of trade and finance globalization, it does play a positive and significant role by increasing the likelihood of unrest. Our findings imply that a one standard deviation increase in youth unemployment around its mean value in the presence of trade globalization increases the likelihood of disruptive events by 1.08 units. Similarly, for finance globalization the chances of events rise by 0.921 units. In addition, for 82 countries in our dataset, large scale finance and trade globalization also contribute to a surge in likelihood. Results remain robust after inclusion of relevant macroeconomic variables and regional dummies. The current findings suggest that caution should be employed in ascribing alleged benefits of globalization to youths. JEL Classification: F6, C25, O1, C1. Keywords: Civil unrest, youth unemployment, globalization, developing country, negative binomial estimation., Introduction Youth unemployment and underdevelopment are threats to political, social, and economic stability of any nation (Urdal 2006, 2012; Collier and Hoeffler 2002). Poverty, relative deprivation, social inequalities, as found [...]

Asato Ikeda University of Hawai'i Press, 2018 Art history, as history, will eventually depend upon categorization. Aesthetics, to be sure, is much bigger than the logic of the mind. Beauty [...]

Tyler O'Neil Post Hill Press, 2020 This is a rather imperfect book about a non-governmental institution, the Southern Poverty Law Center, that grew from a small beginning in 1971. The [...]

Charles Murray Twelve, 2020 Charles Murray, F.A. Hayek Emeritus Chair in Cultural Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, has dwelled on socioeconomic inequality in the US and public policies designed [...]

Previous studies have revealed that national average intelligence (IQ) is a strong indicator of national entrepreneurial potential. This study examined the role of governance quality in regulating the effect of IQ on entrepreneurial activity measured as new business entry density. Employing robust regression analysis, IQ was found to be nonsignificant on entrepreneurial activity, while the effect of governance was found to be both positive and significant. However, there was strong evidence of the negative interaction between IQ and governance, which suggests that good governance raises entrepreneurial activity more in low-IQ than in high-IQ countries. Additional regressions were also carried out employing the ease of doing business (EDB) index as a measure of entrepreneurship. Here, the results demonstrated that IQ, and not governance was highly significant on the EDB. Moreover, the interaction between IQ and governance was non-significant, which implies that the governance quality did not regulate the effect of IQ on the EDB. This study concluded that national average IQ is effective at providing nations with an excellent regulatory environment for entrepreneurship. However, it requires good governance, and not IQ, in order to build people's confidence before they start new entrepreneurial ventures given it involves risks and uncertainty. Keywords: doing business; entrepreneurship; governance; institutions; intelligence JEL Code: Q110; O500; Z130, Introduction Previous studies of national average levels of cognitive ability (also known as national intelligence (IQ)), assessed the impact on the respective country levels of socio-economic development. Countries with higher [...]

The paper looks at the impediments in examining nuclear resistance movements in global literature and how the absence of a separate academic discipline of 'nuclear studies' results in key aspects of nuclear politics being omitted from research. Towards this aim, the paper tries to chronicle the genesis, evolution, character and goals of global nuclear resistance movements in order to analyze the various underlying ideologies. The paper first gives an overview of the global status of nuclear energy in order to answer the question: where are we and how did we get there? The rationale for the spread of nuclear energy in the world is discussed before moving on to global movements against nuclear technology, which began with the start of scientific research to make a nuclear bomb. Finally, an attempt is made to understand common features in discourse on international nuclear politics. Keywords: nuclear industry, nuclear weapons, International Atomic Energy Agency, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, Fukushima Daiichi, nuclear resistance movements., Though there is no dearth of scholarship on various facets of nuclear technology, nuclear issues tend to be studied in a fragmented manner. This is due to non-recognition of nuclear [...]

Justice Neil Gorsuch was appointed to the U. S. Supreme Court by President Donald Trump in 2017. This article goes beyond a review of his recent book and an examination of his qualities as a person and a judge, becoming an extended essay on American Constitutional law, with emphasis on the many issues brought to mind by Gorsuch's discussion. The notes that are added bring attention to his departure from his originalist judicial philosophy (so emphatically argued for in the book under review) in the majority decision he wrote in June 2020 in Bostock v. Clayton County. Keywords: Justice Neil Gorsuch, U.S. Supreme Court, American Constitutional Law, original intent, textualism, substantive due process, Dred Scott, Korematsu, Plessy v. Ferguson, American racial history, freedom of association, Interstate Commerce clause, Wickard v. Filburn, concurrent powers doctrine; Bostock v. Clayton County; Civil Rights Act of 1964; departure from 'original intent.', Neil Gorsuch A Republic, If You Can Keep It Crown Forum, 2019 [Note to reader: This review was written before Justice Gorsuch wrote the majority decision in Bostock v. Clayton [...]

Bill Gertz Encounter Books, 2019 The irruption and transmogrification of communism as a practiced political ideology have been the dominant world historical events of the past one hundred years. When [...]

The establishment of regional groupings has become increasingly common, especially amongst developing countries. The formation of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in 1985 ushered in the era of institutionalized regionalism in South Asia. However, as a regional institution the SAARC has yet to fully achieve its objectives after three decades of its establishment. This raises the question: why has regionalism in the South Asian region under the SAARC framework failed to deliver substantial achievements? A secondary question arises: how can the SAARC cope with the changing dynamics of the region? In this paper, we will address both questions relying on interviews with informed individuals as well as documentary evidence from primary and secondary sources. Keywords: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Regionalism, SAARC, South Asia, Regional Cooperation, Regional Integration, Supranationalism, The world has witnessed a proliferation of regional institutions in the past few decades. Regional arrangements have not only managed to enhance social, political and economic interaction amongst countries but [...]

Beijing frequently complains about what it calls interference by the United States in its internal affairs, in which latter it includes not only Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet, but also, it seems, the South China Sea. This is ironic in that not only does China owe its current prosperity largely to investment and technology from America, but it can be argued that the very survival and ultimate victory of the ruling Communist Party of China (CCP) was massively facilitated by American interference in China's truly internal affairs. It was the American Administration of Roosevelt that, before and during World War II, stopped Chiang Kai-shek from effectively pursuing his efforts to wipe out Mao Zedong's revolutionary CCP forces while these were still weak. And it was Truman's Administration that failed to support Chiang Kai-shek's exhausted Nationalist forces in their final post-War struggle against the now Soviet-backed forces of the CCP. By 1949 the CCP had taken control of the whole of Mainland China and was able to establish the current People's Republic of China. In researching this subject, the author not only consulted the large amount of literature already available on the subject but also primary sources of great historical value, including the US State Department 1949 archives and the memoirs of Ch'en Li-fu, Chiang Kai-shek's personal secretary and confidant for almost three decades. The latter are a gold mine of insider information on the Generalissimo. Keywords: 1868 Burlingame Treaty, Chiang Kai-shek, China, Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Chinese Civil War, Communist International, Kuomintang (KMT), Joseph Stalin, Taipei Act, Mao Zedong, General Marshall, United States (US), Yalta Conference, One of the most commonly used phrases in Beijing's official political discourse relates to America's alleged 'meddling in China's internal affairs'. Indeed, China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying protested on [...]

Although it is easy to think of the attack on American monuments and historic figures as the actions of a few, it actually reflects a broadly-felt animus against the American past by what the author here, by way of analogy to some recent medical thinking, calls 'the interstitium'--the body of opinion-forming sentiment that permeates American society. Jarrett Stepman's new book The War on History rebuts the attacks in an excellent series of informative chapters about such things as Columbus' voyages, the history of Thanksgiving, and the life of Andrew Jackson. The author of this book review article takes the occasion to analyze both the intellectual background that has led to the alienated consensus and several pivotal concepts about America's racial history that, though essential to clear understanding, are commonly left undiscussed and uncomprehended. Keywords: Jarrett Stepman, The War on History, Columbus's voyages, Andrew Jackson, Trail of Tears, attack on Thanksgiving, Pilgrims, Puritans, the interstitium, history of the Left, the Left's changing alliances, America's racial history, slavery in perspective, 'white supremacy,' dispossession of the American Indian, overlooked concepts regarding race., Jarrett Stepman The War on History: The Conspiracy to Rewrite America's Past Regnery Gateway, 2019 This book's subtitle speaks of a 'conspiracy to rewrite America's past.' Although the word 'conspiracy' [...]

The structural trends and determinants of developed countries are compared with structural shifts in the Russian economy. Consequences of Russian economic activity within the export-raw material model, manifested in structural deformations, are determined. Circumstances hindering structural development of the economy are indicated. How Russia has caught up with the world in science and technology is examined. Factors determining the increasing importance of the developing manufacturing, high technologies and knowledge-intensive industries in the Russian economy are formulated. Hindrances to technological development are revealed. Directions for structural development of the Russian economy are proposed. Keywords: export raw material model, Russian economy, technological backwardness, dynamics of macroeconomic indicators, structural development., Introduction Most researchers agree on the negative impact of the export-raw material model on the structural development of the economy, noting the simultaneous development of extractive industries and the degradation [...]

Mara Hvistendahl Riverhead Books, 2020 The confluence of politically correct thinking political and media elites and a coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic that originated in Wuhan, the People's Republic of China, has [...]

The changing social history of Kuwait can be broken into three stages: the period before the discovery of oil in Kuwait, the period immediately after the discovery of oil, and the present-day. This essay will explore the influence of Western liberal ideology on Kuwait's traditional Islamic culture especially with regard to gender and Kuwaiti youths. Gender and acceptance of social liberalism and loosening sexual mores. Though Kuwaiti gender norms have long been unchanged due to strong Islamic traditions and teaching, the influence of ultra-orthodox Islam ideology originating from outside Kuwait has caused Kuwaiti culture Muslims to become more extreme in their effort to reject western liberalism, viewing it as an 'alien cultural.' A divide appears to be growing between Kuwaiti citizens who were American- educated and hold liberal ideologies, and Kuwaitis who hold ultra-orthodox Islamic ideologies on the other, as to who will hold sway over Kuwaiti culture and society in the foreseeable future. Keyword: Traditional Islam, Kuwait, Western influence, liberalism, Gender roles; adaptation., Kuwait before the discovery of oil Kuwait was created in 1716 as a Utopian urban society, occupied by eighteenth-century nomadic central and southern Arabian tribes to escape severe famine. (1) [...]

Fragile structure, weak mandate, mistrust, misperceptions, and conflict among member countries have impeded South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) from fostering regional socio-economic and cultural cooperation and from achieving its political objective of creating a durable, stable, and peaceful regional order in South Asia. This article explores, as a regional organisation, how SAARC has failed to promote cooperation in the region. Against the backdrop of the structural fragility of SAARC and conflict among member states, this article examines the possibility and pragmatism of revitalising SAARC and argues that even if reinvigorated through structural reforms, the organisation will not be able to contribute to regional cooperation and development. Key Words: SAARC BIMSTEC regionalism in South Asia, structural problems, conflict among members, Is the revival of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) possible and rational? The answers may differ, however, among the South Asian countries, there is an increasing desire [...]

The author conducts a pilot study to investigate whether the benefits of global marketing and the purported liberal policies of the Government of India have percolated to the Indian middle-class since the year 2014, when the present government came to power. The author collects data through online surveys from Indian citizens, and then conducts a qualitative analysis of the same to test six propositions based on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Model and the Theory of Reasoned Action. The author finds moderate to strong support for five of his propositions and sets the stage for a more robust research study that the author is planning to conduct on this highly relevant topic. Keywords: Globalization; Consumer experience; Marketing strategy, Political marketing, Summary Statement of Contribution: To the best of the authors knowledge, there does not exist any study in the marketing domain that attempts to validate the Indian governments claim to [...]

Water constraint is a global problem that afflicts both developing and developed countries. More than a fourth, 2.1 out of 7.5 billion people worldwide still lack safely managed drinking water. This water shortage is the result of rapid population growth and poor governance that led to failure to put up the necessary water supply infrastructure and systems to meet the growing demand for water of a rapidly increasing population. In the Philippines, 9 million out of 101 million Filipinos still suffer from unimproved, unsafe and unsustainable water sources. Inadequate and intermittent water supply afflicts not only rural areas and low-income urban cities but also even the foremost urban center, Metro Manila. Governance issues and inefficiencies of government-managed water utilities result in poor access to adequate water both in terms of quantity and quality. Relying heavily on primary data collection methods --focus group discussion, key informant interview and a comprehensive household survey, this paper looks into the water provision aspect of the Philippine governments housing program. Despite a stated imperative for adequate water provision in government housing program, failure of the designated water utility to put up the necessary water supply infrastructure that could meet the water requirements of the resident households results in several unmonitored small-scale water suppliers of highly-priced but poor quality water. The survey of household water purchases reveal that households buying water from the alternative small-scale water suppliers (neighbors with jetmatic pump wells and water tankers) pay more than 5-times but consume just about half of the consumption of those already served by the water utility, reflecting an overly constrained consumption that has wide-ranging health and well-being implications. Keywords: Philippines, Metro Manila, developing countries, global water constraints, public water utilities, alternative water suppliers, deep wells, government resettlement, housing programs, Introduction Water constraint is a global problem that afflicts both developing and developed countries (Lu et al, 2017). Up until 2018, 844 million still lacked basic water services (United Nations, [...]

Some terrorist groups have joined ISIS (Islamic State of Syria and Iraq) and built regional power bases in Indonesia (Poso, Central Sulawesi) and the Philippines (Southern Mindanao) to struggle against the so-called thaghut regime ('evil' regime). ISIS was born as a result of the failure of Iraqi leaders, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, to build an inclusive Sunni/Shi'ite political system. This failure served to increase the number of militants across Iraq, including Sunnis. That in turn gave birth to ISIS amongst Sunni who protested their economic and political marginalization by the ruling Shi'ites. Support from the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar to radical Sunni revolutionary factions in Syria also contributed to the birth of ISIS. The rise of ISIS amongst the ranks of Sunni Muslims has shocked the Islamic World, including Indonesia. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which specifically has a different area of influence. Terrorism in Indonesia sends a clear message to not only the authorities, but also to the people. The message can have multiple meanings, but it is clear that acts of terror are extraordinary political crimes. Therefore, the state and people of Indonesia should be vigilant against terrorism, as militants are still moving to realize the caliphate of their dreams. Keywords: Indonesia, Islam, ISIS, Wahabism, Islamic Caliphate (Khilafah), Terrorism, Introduction After ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) was defeated in 2018, their leader Abubakar Al-Baghdadi--along with fellow ISIS clerics -called for all ISIS networks and cells, as [...]

The city of Shenzhen is known as Chinas Silicon Valley. On 18 August 2019, Chinese authorities released a policy document stating that China will make Shenzhen a model city for others to follow. After an extensive literature review on relevant topics including economic development, innovation, and growth, regional economics and regional government analysis, the following conclusions are drawn: the key of the China Model is the government's proactive and facilitating role in the economy; Shenzhen, which has been transformed from a tiny fishing village to a global innovation metropolis within less than forty years, is a model of the China model; part of the Shenzhen experience can be replicated in the rest of China. At the same time, challenges and uncertainties remain for both Shenzhen and China. Keywords: China Model City; Beijing Consensus; Shenzhen; Regional Disparity; Institutional Development; industrial upgrading JEL Codes: J24, J61, O1, 02, 03, 043, 053, R1, R5, Introduction On 18 August 2019, the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council (Chinas central government) unveiled a policy document on Shenzhen (Wang, 2019). This plan stated [...]

Public and academic interest in legalization of recreational marijuana is increasing after legalization campaigns in 2018. This study describes state government experiences implementing marijuana laws. This article seeks to provide a snapshot of these experiences by a comparative analysis of marijuana tax revenues in Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia. The article provides a history of legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational use in different states, highlights how state legalization would affect the social sphere and what potential health effect this would have as well as the unintended consequences of marijuana laws at the state level in the United States. Key Words: State Government, Marijuana Legalization, Marijuana Tax, Governmental Revenue, Social Costs, Introduction Marijuana legalization and decriminalization have become important policy issues in the United States in last ten years. Decriminalizing marijuana for medical use and creating state-licensed dispensaries are consistent with [...]