History as an Obstacle to Change: The Case of Haiti

1989 ◽  
Vol 31 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mats Lundahl

…widespread social evils are seldom unconnected with the selfish and brutal behavior of powerful groups and individuals…(Andreski, 1966)Most economic models do not explicitly incorporate the “state” or the “government” into their analyses. Instead, this entity is viewed as a deus ex machina which plans and directs economic policy according to notions of efficiency, growth, distributional justice, and so on, that form the central concepts of the models. Unfortunately, the same naive thinking permeates a good deal of public policy analysis. This is the case, for example, with issues of development and underdevelopment. Here, attention is concentrated on “technical,” or “economic,” solutions, while taking for granted, either implicitly or explicitly, the existence of the political will necessary to implement them.

1981 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
George J. Graham

The purpose of this course is to introduce a new framework linking the humanities to public policy analysis as pursued in the government and the academy. Current efforts to link the particular contributions from the humanities to problems of public policy choice are often narrow either in terms of their perspective on the humanities or in terms of their selection of the possible means of influencing policy choice. Sometimes a single text from one of the humanities disciplines is selected to apply to a particular issue. At other times, arguments about the ethical dimensions of a single policy issue often are pursued with a single — or sometimes, no — point of access to the policy process in mind.


2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 381-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
LEONARDO WELLER

The London House of Rothschild depended on Brazil to maintain its reputation. This became a problem in the 1890s, when the Brazilian government almost defaulted on its sovereign debt after a change of regime had made politics unstable and economic policy unorthodox. This article shows how the relationship between the bank and the state developed to the point that Rothschilds was forced to rescue its client. Exposure enabled Brazil to implement policies designed to defend the regime at the expense of payment capacity without defaulting. The debt crisis ended only after the political situation stabilized toward the close of the century, when the bank pressured the government to tighten economic policy.


Author(s):  
Kvasha Oksana

Effective counteraction to corruption at all levels is not possible without the symbiosis of such components as influencing the causes and conditions of corruption, creating systemic anti-corruption legislation, its effective application to all without exception manifestations of corruption in all levels of state power. However, such a symbiosis can only produce a positive result if the political will of the state leadership is available. I would call it a "conditio sine qua non" (a condition without which there is) overcoming corruption in the country, because in Latin "conditio sine qua non" means "a necessary condition", a necessary condition for the result. Political will in combating corruption is not only the will of the political leader (head of state) as an individual, but also the will of individuals from his immediate environment. Only political will is capable of ensuring the effectiveness of all other necessary components of counteracting corruption. The political will of the leadership of the state is a conditio sine qua non of minimizing corruption in the country, that is, a condition without which effective counteraction to corruption and corruption crime in Ukraine is impossible. The presence of political will is a prerequisite in the chain of others who are not capable of effectively preventing the spread of corruption in the absence of political will of the government. No other political conditions, economic, social or legislative levers will succeed in reducing corruption. Therefore, a promising direction for further research on this issue is the development of a scientifically sound mechanism for political influence of the government on the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures in Ukraine.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Daniel Wandera Clief Naku

Purpose: Economists argue that a nation will never survive morally or economically when so few have so much, while so many have so little. In the context of Uganda where the level of economic inequality is high as revealed by the present gini coefficient of 0.42, the purpose of this paper was to explore obstacles making it difficult to bridge economic inequality in the country and the possible opportunities that could be capitalized on so as to bridge this gap. Methodology: The study employed an extended literature review to explore the state of economic inequality in Uganda, the obstacles to dealing with the problem of economic inequality and the possible opportunities for addressing economic inequality in Uganda Findings: Study findings show that economic inequality in Uganda is a chronically growing problem that will need more than just policies and regulations to deal with it. In this regard, political will and commitment by both the government of Uganda and its citizens are essential factors in this struggle. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The paper recommends that the political will and commitment of the prevailing leadership and policy makers in Uganda will be vital in bridging economic inequality gap in the country.  


Author(s):  
Denise Direito

Through a systematic and in-depth literature review, this article presents an overview of categories and concepts used on French approaches to public action analysis, consolidated up from the 1980s. This literature, known as Sociology of Public Action, is still little explored in Brazil. By “sociologizing” public policy analysis, we understand that public action occurs within a negotiation environment between multiple actors inside and outside the State. The text analyzes the origins and main theoretical influences that formed the French approaches, as well as substantive aspects related to these analyzes, such as the understanding of what is State and Actors, and initial concepts on Cognitive Approach, which serve as an analytical complement and, for some authors, as a methodology for empirical studies.


1989 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 471-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Klak

In public policy analysis the state is often presented as primarily technocratic and virtually separate from society. It freely chooses its own goals, but falls short primarily because of shortcomings in policy planning techniques. This view, however, conflates policy and investment programs, while neglecting state–society relations, multipurpose policies, and the legitimation of spatial policy. State theory must be able to interpret these dimensions of the state and its limited autonomy, as this critique of Lim's theory of state policies suggests.


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