Restructuring Privatisation Programmes in the Gulf Cooperation Council: Lessons from the Kuwait Stock Exchange

Amid the eruption of a fiscal crisis from declining oil prices and the rise of economic diversification initiatives to foster private-sector development, members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have increasingly recognised the importance of privatisation as a reform measure for underperforming state-owned entities. This article reviews the surrounding objectives of privatisation and presents an optimal privatisation programme structure for GCC policymakers that caters to the requirements of the modern day. Lessons learnt from privatisations of developed countries may not be directly applicable; thus, the recent success case in the region embodied by the Kuwait Stock Exchange privatisation is incorporated to settle upon a recommended privatisation programme structure relevant to the GCC. Though the fiscal crisis for the GCC is only beginning, rushing towards privatisation without careful planning of the programme is inexcusable.

Responsible Veto Restraint: a Transitional Cosmopolitan Reform Measure for the Responsibility to Protect

This article examines reform to the ‘veto’ power held by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. The responsibility to react to mass atrocity crimes under the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) lies predominantly in the hands of the Security Council, meaning that R2P and the veto are inseparable. Veto use can obstruct the Council from meeting its R2P, reflected by the ongoing crisis in Syria, over which 16 Council draft resolutions have been vetoed to date. This article applies a transitional cosmopolitan framework to offer an informal ‘Responsible Veto Restraint’ (rvr) recommendation for veto reform. This measure provides a more effective and feasible avenue for veto reform than the recommendations of the Accountability, Coherency, and Transparency Group’s Code of Conduct and the France-Mexico Joint initiative for veto restraint. rvr can help promote R2P action through the Security Council, offering an avenue for progress towards addressing the problem of atrocity crimes.

Building impartial electoral management? Institutional design, independence and electoral integrity

Electoral integrity is a persistent concern in both established and transitional democracies. Independent Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) have been championed as a key institutional reform measure to strengthen electoral integrity and are now the most common model of electoral management worldwide. Yet, empirical research has found conflicting evidence on the link between formal EMB independence and electoral integrity. We argue that conflicting findings might be driven by the lack of detailed data on EMB institutional design, with most studies using rudimentary classifications of ‘independent’, ‘governmental’ and ‘mixed’ EMBs, without addressing specific dimensions of EMB formal independence such as appointment procedures, budgetary control and formal competences. In this paper we analyse new detailed data on EMB institutional design in 72 countries around the world, develop a more detailed typology of dimensions of de jure EMB independence, and demonstrate how de jure EMB independence affects de facto EMB independence and electoral integrity.

The Partisan Path to Democracy: Argentina in Comparative Perspective

What leads to the initial emergence of democracy? Many studies view democratization as the product of a class struggle over economic redistribution, pitting the landed elites against the masses or the bourgeoisie. This article, by contrast, argues that the initial emergence of democracy in South America stemmed from a struggle between elite parties or factions that pursued (or opposed) democratic reform to gain (or maintain) political power. Democratization occurred when a split within the ruling party or coalition led dissident factions to side with the opposition and push through reforms that expanded the franchise and leveled the electoral playing field. I explore these arguments by examining the origins of democracy in four Latin American countries: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Uruguay. Historical process tracing and a quantitative analysis of the vote on a key democratic reform measure in Argentina in 1912 provide support for these arguments.

Ecclesiastical Law

This fourth edition has been revised and updated to take account of significant changes in the substantive law, specifically: the effects of the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and Care of Churches Measure 2017; the overhaul of the procedure in the Consistory Court in consequence of the Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2015; substantial repeals in the Statute Law (Repeals) Measure 2017 and the new procedure under the Legislative Reform Measure 2017; the effect of the House of Bishops' Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests concerning provision for traditionalists; and the role of the Independent Reviewer under the Priests (Resolution of Disputes Procedure) Regulations 2014. The book offers commentary, analysis, and various materials. Materials include: the Canons of the Church of England, together with the Measures and Rules (updated to 2018) regulating the faculty jurisdiction and clergy discipline.

“Weg Da—Wir Wollen Lernen!” Education Reform in Hamburg, Germany in Neoliberal Times

Background/Context This paper is in dialogue with critical policy scholarship that has developed a certain consensus about what neoliberalism is and what its impact has been on recent education policy. A substantial part of the paper comprises a synthesis of recent German scholarship on neoliberal education policies in that country. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study Drawing on critical analysis of neoliberal education policy, this paper examines a recent education reform measure in Hamburg, Germany. A key component of the intended reform measure was defeated by a ballot initiative spearheaded by a coalition of Hamburg residents widely understood to represent the city's wealthy elite. Making sense of the controversy over this reform measure is the central goal of this paper. To do so, I identify five features of neoliberal education policy in Germany and use them as a framework within which to read the specific reform measure in Hamburg and the resistance to it. Research Design This paper reports an interpretive policy analysis and draws on document sources from four interpretive communities: (a) Hamburg's education ministry; (b) two pro-reform coalitions; (c) one anti-reform coalition; and (c) news media sources. A total of 389 documents were collected for this study, to which I applied a grounded theory approach for data analysis. Conclusions/Recommendations By reading this controversy against previous scholarship on neoliberal education policy, I argue that this specific case of education reform in Hamburg does not follow the pattern such analysis would predict. By stressing this divergence, I neither intend to challenge the consensus on neoliberalism within critical policy scholarship, nor to position this reform policy as a panacea to neoliberal ills. Rather, I argue that the anomalous nature of this specific reform effort in Hamburg provides two unique analytical opportunities: (a) to understand more deeply the constraints imposed by neoliberalism on schooling, especially in a context of policy making that bucks the neoliberal trend; and (b) to identify more clearly what educational policy strategies are required to move beyond neoliberal imperatives for schooling and society.

Structures and Mechanisms of Community Participation in School Management

Realizing that community involvement is vital for quality improvement, the government of Nepal decided to transfer the school management authority to the community as a reform measure for school improvement. But the teaching force, one of the important segments of the community is opposing the government’s strategies. This paper attempts to discuss significance and importance of transferring management responsibility to the community from the perspective of theory and practice and highlights the benefits and prerequisites based on the review of international practices. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jer.v1i0.7954 Journal of Education and Research 2008, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 72-85