Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers and African Developmental States
Although the participatory approach is essential to development in its aims, its application through the PRSP initiative needs reworking.
The Role of the Business Community in Reconciliation and Peace-building
Though social justice and the advancement of peace has not yet evolved to occupying centre-stage in the corporate agenda, a significant development is that businesses are no longer averse to the idea.
Chinese Soft Power Starts at Home
Many Western analysts miss the fact that Chinese soft power is not merely a tool for building international relations. Just as important, its deployment is critical at home within the country as well as abroad. These differences are significant in practice, because they reflect the underlying differences in motivation and in stages of development.
What are the Main Challenges to the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP)?
The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) came into being in 2004 after the last round of accessions where decided. As the EU’s borders went eastward and southward, the EU came more and more into contact with areas of instability. The ENP thus is the policy aimed at stabilising the EU’s new neighbours through a normative agenda. This essay will look at the historical and institutional context in which the ENP appeared, what the ENP is and then assess the challenges that it faces.
A New Constitution for Turkey Without Democracy
Turkey may be heading for yet another constitutional change, but not for a societally-based and well-deliberated democratic constitution writing. Meanwhile, deliberations continue under a façade of the moderate Islamists as the vanguards of anti-military democratic politics in Turkey.
The Role of the Economic Elite in Mexico’s Democratic Development
A widely held middle class critique of Mexico’s governing institutions is that politicians are accountable only to the private elites and do not respond to middle and lower class needs. Indeed, with a history of oligarchic-type rule and pervasive government corruption, private sector elites have consistently been major players in Mexican politics.
American Exceptionalism, U.S. Foreign Policy, and the 2012 Presidential Campaign
The debate over American exceptionalism has only just begun. It appears to be at its apex during times of anxiety and crisis within the American polity. Hence, the current state of affairs in America makes the 2012 election season such a juncture.
The Evolution of Stalin’s Foreign Policy during Word War Two
Throughout the war what Stalin wanted most from the Western Powers was their commitment to a second front, economic aid and their agreement to the restoration of Russia’s 1941 borders. Although his methods evolved, these objectives did not change.
Review – China: The Pessoptimist Nation
Pessoptimist, coined to describe the combination of positive and negative feelings China has about itself and others, is an apt neologism to describe China’s bipolar sense of national identity, formed from a confused superiority and inferiorly complex that has emerged from its recent economic growth and historical humiliation.
Women and Microfinance: A Route to Poverty Reduction?
The first part this essay introduces the concept of microfinance and the rationale behind targeting women, which is critically examined. The second part looks at the impact of microfinance initiatives on poverty alleviation. Drawing on examples from some African and Asian countries, the argument is built on the examination of two dimensions of poverty, namely income generation and empowerment.
