Ineffectiveness Of Policy Research Articles

The origins of policy ideas: The importance of think tanks in the enterprise policy process in the UK

There is no doubt that enterprise policy has become a popular choice for governments seeking to enhance economic growth, despite criticisms of its ineffectiveness. The purpose of this study is to understand the ways in which think tanks and their ideas shape the enterprise policy-making process: how enterprise policy ideas originate, who is involved, what sort of relationships exist between the stakeholders and how these relationships affect the overall process of enterprise policy-making. The application of institutional theory provides a detailed theoretical understanding of the process, the environment and the actors. Interviews with representatives from eight think tanks revealed that the ideas presented by think tanks to government have no formal process and are dominated by the relationships and informal channels of communication between key actors, allowing for an alternative focus on the origins of policy ideas as a possible explanation for the ineffectiveness of enterprise policy.

Exploring the disconnect in policy implementation: A case of enterprise policy in England

Previous studies have acknowledged the ineffectiveness of enterprise policy. However, the reasons for its ineffectiveness remain a matter for debate. This study examines the extent to which the ineffectiveness of enterprise policy can be attributed to the way it has been implemented. Interviews with central government policy-makers, Regional Development Agency staff and business development managers in local enterprise agencies during the Labour administration (2007–2010) revealed that the implementation process of enterprise policy initiatives is complex and confusing, with fragmented relationships between the actors involved. The abundance of enterprise policy initiatives being delivered at the time, the absence of clearly defined objectives, the limited emphasis on the delivery of business support and the lack of measurement and evaluation combined to create an unnecessarily complicated process of enterprise policy implementation which, in turn, reduced its effectiveness.

The Economic Paradigms Need to Be Updated

This contribution deals with the current problems of the stagnating European economy: a high level of debt, political instability and a lower level of ethics. The growth of the income gap in society is viewed as one of the most pressing problems. Reference is made to the ineffectiveness of traditional fiscal and monetary policy, the problematic nature of solutions based on new tools, such as quantitative easing, and the low level of the effectiveness of implemented regulatory projects, which reduce the efficiency of regulated business. In a quest for new approaches to correcting economic paradigms, the authors recommend greater anticipation of empirical and behavioural approaches, or, possibly, even a return to the beginning - ie. to the ideas of the free market.

Carbon Pricing: Stiglitz’ Distinct plus 100 US Dollar Proposal as Example for a Constructive and Promising Debate, Still Lacking Implementability and Acceptability

Carbon pricing would appear to be an adequate answer to the ineffectiveness of current global climate policy. A prominent example is the proposal of Joseph E. Stiglitz to put a substantial additional price on carbon. However, at this early developmental stage, carbon pricing cannot yet be put on the climate policy negotiating table. To foster implementation, scientists from the various disciplines must collaborate with innovative and independent experts who are very familiar with climate policy.

BUILDING MEMBER STATES: HOW THE EU PROMOTES POLITICAL CHANGE IN ITS NEW MEMBERS, ACCESSION CANDIDATES, AND EASTERN NEIGHBORS

1. IntroductionThe European Union (EU) seeks to strengthen the integration capacity of new members, current and potential candidates as well as its Eastern neighbors by helping them to make their domestic institutions and policies conform to the EU's norms and values and by building their capacity to provide collective goods and services. Modes of economic integration aim at mitigating competitive asymmetries and fostering the sustainability of EU market rules. Modes of political integration, in turn, aim to promote democratization and democratic consolidation, and to strengthen governance capacities of new and non-members.EU membership has been considered the key factor in strengthening the integration capacity of post-communist countries in the context of Eastern enlargement. Accordingly, the ineffectiveness of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) in bringing about the domestic change that conforms to the EU's expectations tends to be blamed on the lack of this golden carrot. Likewise, the stalling of domestic reforms in current and potential candidates (Albania, Turkey, Bosnia Herzegovina, and Macedonia) as well as the potential back-sliding of some of the new member states (Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Latvia, cf. Borzel 2014) are explained by the carrot already being eaten up or not being juicy enough (any more). At the same time, however, we do find that Eastern Neighbourhood Countries (ENC) engage in domestic reforms the EU has been promoting, mostly at the policy level (Langbein/ Borzel 2013) but in some cases also with regard to political institutions (Borzel/van Hullen 2014b).This paper reviews the literature regarding the modes of political integration the EU has developed and applied to shape state-building, democracy and rule of law in the new member states, in the current and potential candidates of the Western Balkans, and in the ENC. The first part develops an analytical framework of modes of political integration that combines two concepts: the mechanisms the EU uses to induce political change and the actors targeted by the EU with these mechanisms in its attempt to shape their preferences and build their reform capacities. Particular attention is paid to more indirect mechanisms, such as competition and emulation, which the Europeanization literature with its focus on conditionality and assistance has overlooked so far. The second part uses this framework to make an inventory of the EU's modes of political integration systematically tracing their evolution over time. The analysis draws on a comprehensive review of the general literature complemented by the findings of four separate case studies on the EU's attempts at promoting and protecting rule of law as well as strengthening the governance capacities in past candidates and new members (Dimitrova 2015), current and potential candidates (Fagan 2015; Mufteler- Bac 2015 a), and the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries (Borzel/Lebanidze 2015). I show that the EU's political modes of integration developed through an incremental process of learning by doing rather than through a great master plan by the EU to strengthen the integration capacities of new and non-members. These political modes initially emerged in the development cooperation of the EU with the so-called African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (ACP), then travelled to the Eastern enlargement process and to the ENP and finally also spilled over into the domestic politics of the EU vis-a-vis its new member states.This might suggest that the EU has pursued a one size fits all approach. The analysis indeed reveals some interesting similarities of the modes used by the EU to promote the integration of new member states, candidates, and neighborhood countries. These similarities have been propelled by the lessons the EU has learned over time. While conditionality continues to play a prominent role, it has become more differentiated, both with regard to the rewards offered and the benchmark set to obtain them. …

Crime, politics and police in the Palestinian's society in Israel

ABSTRACTThis paper offers an analysis of crime in the Palestinian society in Israel from the perspective of political relationships. It illustrates that the state of Israel is trying to define and identify crime through ideologies and narrow interests. This process is part of a mechanism of control, which intends to criminalize the daily life of the Palestinians. Discriminatory behavior against Arabs by police is more apparent and the records on crime are sometimes inaccessible, with a mania for secrecy, and view the whole Arab community as a security danger. The Israeli social control policy politicizes this community, with excess control in some areas and a lack of control in others. The paper concludes that no detailed arguments are needed in order to see the ineffectiveness of the Israeli control policy as long as the basic root of the political struggle is not answered.

On the relationship between public and private spending in developing and developed countries

Using annual data, the paper studies the time-series evidence regarding the effectiveness of government spending. The emphasis is on the relationship between public spending and private spending. The objective is to identify whether the effects of public spending on macro variables are reinforced or mitigated through the spillover effects on private spending. The evidence attests to the importance of stimulating private spending to maximize the positive effect of an increase in public spending on real growth. Concerns about the crowding out effects of higher public spending on private demand are more dominant in developing countries. Moreover, the scope for government spending to determine aggregate uncertainty is much larger in developing countries. Overall, the evidence attests to the importance of managing trends and variability of government spending towards maximizing the fiscal multiplier. The paper's evidence spells out potential to maximize the fiscal multiplier via private spending and concerns about the ineffectiveness of fiscal policy where crowding out concerns dominate.

Deposit insurance and effectiveness of monetary policy

This article discusses the impact of deposit insurance on the effectiveness of monetary policy. We apply the technique suggested by Zeileis et al. (2010) and use the data of Taiwan to investigate whether there are structural changes in the effectiveness of monetary policy. The empirical results show there are several break points in the interbank interest rate regression and the bank loan regression. The insignificance of estimated coefficients on open market operations in some segmented regressions implies the ineffectiveness of monetary policy during the period of full deposit guarantees.

IS-LM Paradigm in Macroeconomics: A Survey and Evaluation

This paper analyzes many serious defects existing in traditional aggregate demand/aggregate supply paradigm based on IS-LM model. Those defects cause the situation that IS-LM model declines gradually, but it is still not dead, and continuously revives through modification. This paper distinguishes from rounds of modification on traditional aggregate demand/aggregate supply paradigm. The first round of modification was just introducing the dynamic ad hoc IS-LM model of rational expectation which started from the end of 1970s and the beginning of 1980s. Because the micro-foundation problems are not solved and the rational expectation carries out extreme judgment on monetary neutrality and ineffectiveness of macroeconomic policy, the first modification fails to realize big success. The second round of modification is just happening; through introducing rational expectation and New Phillips Curve (NPC), the powerful improvement has been made in micro-foundation, dynamic form, and monetary policy rules, and the model is called IS-LM/ MP-NPC model. This paper also points out some limitations which are not solved in the second modification.

The Development of Information Technologies in the Sphere of Housing Service and Utilities as a Factor of National Life Quality Increase

There were considered housing and communal services in the article as it is the most important part of life sustainment infrastructure that defines comfort conditions of human life activities. There was stated Ineffective functioning of housing and communal services, which leads to a decrease in quality of life. There was identified a cause for the current situation which is the ineffectiveness of the management system, including the ineffectiveness of technical policy, the policy of energy conservation and resource efficiency, tariff and personnel policy.It is suggested to implement new information technologies (IT) into the housing and communal services sector, namely geo- informational system, to solve management system problems and to increase the effectiveness of functioning of housing and communal services system. The author set the main goal of implementation of geo-informational system into the management of housing and communal services, namely development of housing and communal services system basing on the application of innovative development, development of communication between different government authorities, resource-providing organizations and citizens, as well as increase of life quality. The article states the purpose of the geo-informational system, which is automation of cooperation of all subjects at the national housing and communal services system market, householders’ societies, managing companies, resource-providing organizations and government authorities. There were considered advantages of geo- informational system for all housing and communal services system market insiders. There was given a description of geo- informational system functioning process.

The Rational Expectations Hypothesis: An assessment on its real world application

The Rational Expectations Hypothesis was first developed as a theoretical technique aimed at explaining agents’ behavior in a given environment. In particular, it describes how the outcome of a given economic phenomenon depends to a certain degree on what agents expect to happen. Subsequently, it was introduced into macroeconomic models as a way to explain the ineffectiveness of monetary policy. Since then, most of these models have been based on the rational expectations assumption. This paper assesses the real life application of this feature based on two arguments: the determination of an objective reality through beliefs and subjective expectations; and the exclusion of the evolution of human knowledge and innovation in macroeconomic models.

Measuring and Mending Monetary Policy Effectiveness under Capital Account Restrictions: Lessons from Mauritania

I propose a new approach to identifying exogenous monetary policy shocks in low-income countries with capital account restrictions. In the case of Mauritania, a domestic repatriation requirement is the institutional characteristic that allows me to establish exogeneity. Unlike in advanced countries, I find no evidence for a statistically significant impact of exogenous monetary policy shocks on bank lending. Using a unique bank-level data set on monthly balance sheets of six Mauritanian banks over the period 2006–11, I estimate structural vector autoregressions and two-stage least square panel models to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of monetary policy. Finally, I discuss how a reduction in banks' loan concentration ratios and improvements in the liquidity management framework could make monetary stimuli more effective.

The ineffectiveness of entrepreneurship policy: is policy formulation to blame?

Entrepreneurship policy has been criticised for its lack of effectiveness. Some scholars, such as Scott Shane in this journal, have argued that it is ‘bad’ public policy. But this simply begs the question why the legislative process should generate bad policy? To answer this question this study examines the UK’s enterprise policy process in the 2009–2010 period. It suggests that a key factor for the ineffectiveness of policy is how it is formulated. This stage in the policy process is seldom visible to those outside of government departments and has been largely ignored by prior research. The application of institutional theory provides a detailed theoretical understanding of the actors and the process by which enterprise policy is formulated. We find that by opening up the ‘black box’ of enterprise policy formulation, the process is dominated by powerful actors who govern the process with their interests.

Selectivities at Work: Climate Concerns in the Midst of Corporatist Interests. The Case of Austria

Despite legally binding greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and good pre-conditions for progressive climate action, emissions in Austria are on the rise. This article explores the reasons why climate change policy is so ineffective in Austria. We show that the social partnership has contributed significantly to the standstill in renewable energy production and the rejection of more ambitious reduction targets concerning greenhouse gas emissions, and consider the role of experts and expertise in climate change policies. The ineffectiveness of climate policy in Austria is largely due to corporatist actors who often act like an ex-ante filter or selective mechanism for what is politically acceptable or possible and what is not. Climate change is for the most part successfully kept off the political agenda and (climate sceptical) politicization does not take place. Insights from the literature on corporatism are enhanced by the concepts of strategic and epistemic selectivity to analyse not only access to the state terrain but also the domination of specific knowledge forms, problem perceptions, and narratives over others.

DÍVIDA PÚBLICA, BANCOS E TRANSMISSÃO DA POLÍTICA MONETÁRIA: UMA AVALIAÇÃO EMPÍRICA DO REGIME DE METAS DE INFLAÇÃO NO BRASIL

O objetivo do artigo é discutir se há obstrução no mecanismo de transmissão e, por consequência, ineficácia da política monetária no Brasil para o período posterior à implementação do regime de metas de inflação. Para isso, o trabalho inicia com uma análise descritiva que aponta que, após a adoção do regime de metas de inflação, houve mudança na composição da dívida pública e o aumento da concentração do setor bancário, o que indica que a política monetária seguiu uma trajetória de ganho de eficácia e que a transmissão monetária tenha participação efetiva nesse ganho. Partiu-se, então, para a análise empírica, com a aplicação e a estimação de modelos VAR para o período integral (1996 a 2007) e para o período de metas de inflação (2000 a 2007). Os resultados indicam que há diferença ao se tomar apenas o período de metas de inflação. Percebe-se uma mudança não desprezível no comportamento das variáveis entre os modelos estimados para os dois períodos. Os resultados para o período de metas de inflação sugerem que ocorreram ganhos de eficácia da política monetária para determinar variações no produto e na inflação. O comportamento dos bancos indica que não há obstruções claras provocadas pelos mesmos na transmissão monetária.

The Most Dangerous Idea in Federal Reserve History: Monetary Policy Doesn't Matter

Monetary policy-makers' beliefs about how the economy functions are a key determinant of the conduct of policy. That monetary policy has little impact under the prevailing circumstances is a belief which has resurfaced periodically over the Federal Reserve's 100-year history. In both the 1930s and the 1970s a belief in the ineffectiveness of monetary policy led to policy inaction and poor economic outcomes. For some of the recent period, the same view appears to have limited the policy response to prolonged high unemployment in the presence of low inflation.

Kindergarten Teachers’ Perceptions on in-service Training and Impact on Classroom Practice

Professional development of teachers has become an essential condition in today's knowledge-based society to sustain the quality of teaching. One of the major goal of the Romanian education system is regarding high quality of teacher professional development programs that should enhance their competences and use of new curricular approaches to facilitate successful practice. It is well-known the axis that improving teachers would improve the teaching and learning in school, which in turn would improve the quality of education at national level. But various factors might contribute to ineffectiveness of teacher professional development, like ethical, structural, cultural, economical, policy or personal issues. Purpose of study concerns on a study that investigated kindergarten teachers’ perceptions of their in-service followed training programs, and impact on the professional development process and classroom practice. The qualitative instrument chosen to carry out the research was a structured questionnaire, on-line applied on 84 kindergarten teachers. In qualitative terms, data regarding the perceptions on professional development perspectives of teachers from kindergarten were structured on five issues categories of activities considered to be necessary for teacher training programs, actors that influence the level of teacher professional development, types of activities based on training programs followed that may influence the classroom practice, the level of teacher training programs focused on specific aspects of educational practice, and aspects that might influence the teacher's educational practice. Findings show that there is a significant difference between beginners and newly qualified teachers’ perception and those with more than 10 years experience; in the sense that the former focuses more on the visibility and status to the profession, while the second category focuses its approach on professionalization.

Exploring the ineffectiveness of government policy on entrepreneurship in Nigeria

Entrepreneurship plays a major role in economic development, but some government policies have remained ineffective despite their attempt to encourage entrepreneurship. Calling for a shift in paradigm, this article examines the ineffectiveness of government policy on entrepreneurship with particular reference to Nigeria. It identifies policy implementation as a major causal variable explaining failure.

Measuring and Mending Monetary Policy Effectiveness Under Capital Account Restrictions — Lessons from Mauritania

I propose a new approach to identifying exogenous monetary policy shocks in low-income countries with capital account restrictions. In the case of Mauritania, a domestic repatriation requirement is the key institutional characteristic that allows me to establish exogeneity. Unlike in advanced countries, I find no evidence for a statistically significant impact of exogenous monetary policy shocks on bank lending. Using a unique bank-level dataset on monthly balance sheets of six Mauritanian banks over the period 2006–11, I estimate structural vector autoregressions and two-stage least square panel models to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of monetary policy. Finally, I discuss how a reduction in banks’ loan concentration ratios and improvements in the liquidity management framework could make monetary stimuli more effective.

Solidarity and Mutual Assistance in Low-income Communities: Everyday Practices to Overcome Scarcity and Improve Quality of Life, Recife, Brazil

This article discusses how poor people in Recife, in the northeast of Brazil, deal with everyday difficulties, using solidarity and the gift as resources to cope with needs which are extensive given the insufficiency and ineffectiveness of public policy, and how these practices and feelings are related to quality of life. Solidarity is structured according to the tripartite obligation to give, receive and reciprocate, on which the system of the gift is based. Knowledge of how such relations are established may help strengthen the organic and more sustainable forms that the excluded discover to achieve quality of life for themselves.