Liberal Policy Research Articles

The Impact of Farmland Transfer on Urban–Rural Integration: Causal Inference Based on Double Machine Learning

Urban–rural fragmentation represents a significant challenge encountered by nations globally, particularly in both developing and developed contexts, during the modernisation process. This study examines the effects of rural land system reform on facilitating integrated development between urban and rural areas. The analysis of the impact of the 2010 liberalisation of the land transfer policy employs a dual machine learning model, utilising provincial-level data from China spanning 2005 to 2022, to address the limitations of traditional causal inference models while ensuring estimation accuracy. The findings indicate that the reform of the rural land system significantly enhances integrated urban–rural development, particularly in demographic, economic, and ecological dimensions. The mechanisms encompass the facilitation of extensive land and agricultural service operations, the development of new business entities, the migration of rural labour, and the enhancement of agricultural capital. Furthermore, notable disparities exist in the effects of reforms across various regions, particularly concerning urban–rural integration development and land transfer levels. The policy effects of land transfer exhibit a marginally diminishing trend. The influence of land transfer on urban–rural integration varies with economic development levels, demonstrating a nonlinear relationship, with the most pronounced effects observed in regions with moderate economic development. Additionally, the policy effects of land transfer differ based on geographic location. The impact of land transfer policies varies across geographic regions, with the central region exhibiting the most significant effect, followed by the north-eastern region, the western region, and the eastern region, which shows the least effect. This study provides a reference for advancing the reform of the marketisation of land factors, improving the efficiency of land resource allocation, and regionally and in multiple layers advancing the reform of the rural land system.

How can governments respond to anti-gender groups’ attacks against feminist policies

How can governments respond to anti-gender groups’ attacks against feminist policies

The association between state cannabis policies and cannabis use among adults and youth, United States, 2002-2019.

To measure the association between state cannabis policies and use among adults and youth in the United States from 2002 to 2019, given rapid policy liberalization and complex state cannabis policy environments. Repeated cross-sectional time series analysis. Three sets of models assessed the linear association between the Cannabis Policy Scale (CPS), an aggregate measure of 17 state cannabis policy areas that weights each policy by its efficacy and implementation rating, and prevalence of cannabis use. The first included year and state fixed effects; the second added state-level controls; the third replaced state fixed effects with state random effects. Standard errors were clustered at the state level in all models. United States. Past-month prevalence of cannabis use is from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health Small Area Estimates, a nationally and state-representative cross-sectional survey of household population ages 12 and older for years 2002-2003 to 2018-2019. Exposure data include the CPS. A 10 percentage-point increase in the CPS (i.e. greater cannabis policy restrictiveness) was associated with lower past-month use prevalence by 0.81 (95% confidence interval [CI] = -1.05 to -0.56) to 0.97 (95% CI = -1.19 to -0.75) percentage-points for the population ages 12 years and older. When models were stratified by age, a 10 percentage-point increase in the CPS was associated with a 0.87 (95% CI = -1.13 to -0.61) to 1.04 percentage-point (95% CI = -1.03 to -0.84) reduction in past-month use prevalence for adults ages 18 years and older, and a 0.17 (95% CI = -0.24 to -0.09) to 0.21 percentage-point (95% CI =-0.35 to -0.07) reduction for youth ages 12-17 years. More restrictive US cannabis policies appear to be associated with reduced cannabis use for both adults and youth.

AN ANALYSIS OF POVERTY ALLEVIATION EFFORTS IN RURAL INDIA IMPACT OF MICRO-FINANCE WITH SELF-HELP GROUP-BANK LINKAGE SCHEME

During the 1990s numerous structural adjustment programs have been implemented across the world for eradicating poverty. The government of India has also made innumerable efforts to address poverty, but still, the rate of poverty is still high in comparison to other developing nations. Data also suggest that the rate of savings is also accelerating but this is not distributed equally. The policies of liberalization, globalization and privatization during the 1990s resulted in the growth of the economy of the country during 1999-2000 and 2004-2005. However, it failed to eradicate poverty uniformly in the different regions of the country. To uplift the rural parts of this county, the National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) implemented a self-help groups bank linkage program in 1992. This was done to boost microfinancing in rural parts of India through self-help groups.Microfinancing programs have been used by many countries across the world to facilitate the availability of banking facilities to economically weaker people. NABARD implemented this program in 13 states for penetrating financial services to the disadvantaged population. Researchers have noted that microfinancing programs have helped people affiliated with the SHGs in getting credit help. However, it has been found that many women have joined these groups to gain banking help and address gender inequality (Malhotra, 2016). Research scholars have noted that most of the people in these groups have a need for financial assistance for income generation activities, for clearing debt or for social purposes.

The Effect of Trade Openness and Political Fragility on Foreign Direct Investment

This study examines the influence of trade openness and political fragility on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows in six ASEAN countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, over the period from 2013 to 2022. Trade openness is analyzed as a critical economic factor that can attract FDI by facilitating international trade and reducing barriers. Political fragility represents the political dimension, reflecting how instability and weak governance can deter foreign investors. Additional economic factors considered include market size, interest rates, and infrastructure, while crime rates represent the social dimension affecting investment decisions. Secondary data were sourced from the World Bank, Numbeo, and The Fund for Peace. Panel data regression analysis was conducted using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), and the Common Effect Model was selected. The results reveal that trade openness has a positive and significant impact on FDI inflows, emphasizing the importance of liberal trade policies in attracting foreign investment. Conversely, political fragility negatively and significantly affects FDI, highlighting that political instability can undermine investor confidence. Market size and interest rates also positively influence FDI, while infrastructure and crime rates have a negative effect. These findings suggest that governments aiming to boost FDI should prioritize enhancing trade openness and addressing political fragility by fostering stable political environments and effective governance.

The Examination of Britain’s Annexation of Awadh Illustrates how Colonial Misinterpretation Validated Imperial Policies

This paper examines the British annexation of Awadh (1856) through the framework of colonial misinterpretation, focusing on how the British applied the norm-deviation concept to justify their imperial policies. Drawing on Partha Chatterjee’s “Pedagogy of Violence,” the paper critiques how Nawab Wajid Ali Shah’s rule was mischaracterized as “deviant” due to its divergence from Western bureaucratic norms. This portrayal fueled British claims of misgovernance, leading to the annexation, which disregarded Awadh's indigenous political systems and cultural vitality. The annexation’s economic and social disruptions—heavy taxation, property confiscation, and the erosion of local industries—created widespread discontent among peasants, nobility, and sepoys, culminating in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Additionally, the paper explores the conservative critique of British liberal policies, which highlighted the failures of ignoring local traditions. This conservative backlash advocated for a more respectful approach to Indian customs, ultimately influencing British governance reforms, including the Queen’s Proclamation of 1858. By examining these dynamics, the paper reveals the consequences of imposing foreign standards on a culturally rich and politically complex society, underscoring how the annexation of Awadh became a case study in the larger imperial struggle between governance, cultural misunderstanding, and resistance.

The Tariff Liberalisation Policy Nexus with Non-Tariff Measures: Panel Model Evidence in the SA–EU Fruit Products Trade

Higher levels of quota granted can induce and increase exports, but the impact is not the same across all tariff lines. Answers are sought to the question of how the level of exports changes as the quota size of tariff rate quotas changes, thus enabling the investigation of whether unilateral quotas granted to South Africa by the European Union have influenced fruit products’ export flows in the presence of non-tariff measures. Drawing on panel data regression techniques, this study observes five fruit products’ tariff rate quotas repeatedly from 2004 to 2021. It also incorporates a variable to capture non-tariff measures based on the data from the WTO I-TIP database. The findings indicate a positive relationship between quota size and exports, further showing that for a given quota size, the increase in exports is small in the presence of non-tariff measures. These findings draw attention to future trade reforms that focus on seeking the expansion of quota size for the most productive tariff lines in terms of export growth while aiming for the simultaneous reduction of non-tariff measures and tariff rates.

How Does Energy Consumption Affect Economic Growth in Saudi Arabia? A Cointegration Approach

Energy consumption is considered an important driver of economic growth in recent times due to its positive impacts on all economic activities. However, the Saudi Arabian economy has received very less attention from researchers as far as the energy-growth nexus is concerned. Amid this backdrop, the current paper is interested in assessing the responsiveness of economic growth to increased energy consumption in the presence of control variables. Our analysis of Saudi Arabia is based on date for the period 1971-2021. The recently proposed “Auto Regressive Distributed Lagged (ARDL)” cointegration approach is adopted for the estimation purpose. The estimation results revealed a significant positive short-run and long-run impacts of energy consumption on economic growth. The causality exercise also revealed a one-way causality running from energy consumption towards economic growth. Besides, energy consumption, we found that education and employment level have also a dominant positive role in promoting the economic growth of Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, openness to trade is found to be important for economic growth only in the long run confirming that trade liberalization policies could only be effective in the long run. Our results have important policy implications for the policymakers of Saudi Arabia.

FORMAÇÃO DE PROFESSORES DA EDUCAÇÃO INFANTIL EM NÍVEL LATO SENSU: PENSAR O PROCESSO FORMATIVO NA PERSPECTIVA HISTÓRICO-CRÍTICA

The text aims to reflect on the training process experienced by Early Childhood Education teachers in a lato sensu postgraduate course, highlighting its implications for pedagogical activity with children. The specialization course in Early Childhood Education and Child Development is based on formative actions aimed at creating possibilities for teachers from the perspective of human formation. The course is part of the teacher training policy for Early Childhood Education and is supported by the Common National Base for Basic Education Teacher Training (BNCFP), the National Curriculum Guidelines for Early Childhood Education (DCNEF) and the Common National Curriculum Base (BNCC). Our analysis is based on Historical-Cultural Psychology and Historical-Critical Pedagogy, both grounded in the epistemology of Historical-Dialectical Materialism. The reflection developed here highlights the concern to guarantee the humanization of teachers in a training process that continues to be guided by liberal educational policies. The results indicate that the learning developed through the course has relevant implications for teachers' pedagogical activity. However, there is a pressing need to ensure that teacher training for Early Childhood Education is an ongoing public policy and that the public authorities provide the objective conditions necessary for this learning to reverberate in consistent practices, so that teachers and children experience humanization, in other words, develop towards the human race.

More Liberty, More Rules? Abortion Policy and the Liberalization-Rule Nexus

While conventional wisdom often equates liberalization with deregulation, theoretical arguments from different scientific backgrounds suggest that states tend to increase their rule stock when they adopt more liberal policies. This article studies the case of abortion policy to better understand the liberalization-rule nexus. By examining data from 25 countries over 50years, we empirically assess the dynamics between liberalization events and corresponding regulatory changes. Our findings reveal that while the majority of countries does indeed introduce more rules upon liberalizing abortion, the extent of these regulatory changes varies considerably. The analysis suggests that the extent of rule growth depends on the conflicts that characterize liberalization processes in particular countries and time periods. Right-leaning governments, religious groups and institutional veto players are shown to have a positive influence on rule growth. On the contrary, higher levels of liberalization reduce the necessity for additional rules. By illuminating a contested empirical relationship, the article helps to better understand the implications of liberalization in modern democracies.

Stalin’s Repressions and Rehabilitation of the Victims in the Politics of Memory in Uzbekistan

This article is devoted to the analysis of how Stalin’s repressions are represented in the politics of memory in Uzbekistan, becoming part of the process of constructing a national ideological discourse. Uzbekistan’s multi-ethnicity and authoritarian system of governance have had a significant impact on understanding the country’s past and the formation of official memory. The research sources included official data, published memoirs, as well as individual interviews with witnesses of the era. The idea that Soviet repressions should be seen in the context of the anti-colonialist struggle against the aggression of the Russian Empire was not an invention of Uzbek political elites, but was developed by Uzbek cultural elites. The first president of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, in close dialogue with the Uzbek intellectual elite, contributed to the formation of a national memory of Soviet repressions and their victims. During this period, the rehabilitation of victims of Soviet repressions was carried out selectively. Since Shavkat Mirziyoyev came to power, there has been a more liberal government policy and a wider discussion of the issue of Soviet repressions and the rehabilitation of their victims. In official narratives, all residents of the former Uzbek SSR who suffered from Stalinist repressions, regardless of their political position, are considered victims of the Soviet regime. Unlike neighbouring countries, the political and cultural elite of Uzbekistan does not follow the ethnic principle of studying the victims of Soviet repressions, but adheres to internationalism and territoriality.

Stalin’s Repressions and Rehabilitation of the Victims in the Politics of Memory in Uzbekistan

This article is devoted to the analysis of how Stalin’s repressions are represented in the politics of memory in Uzbekistan, becoming part of the process of constructing a national ideological discourse. Uzbekistan’s multi-ethnicity and authoritarian system of governance have had a significant impact on understanding the country’s past and the formation of official memory. The research sources included official data, published memoirs, as well as individual interviews with witnesses of the era. The idea that Soviet repressions should be seen in the context of the anti-colonialist struggle against the aggression of the Russian Empire was not an invention of Uzbek political elites, but was developed by Uzbek cultural elites. The first president of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, in close dialogue with the Uzbek intellectual elite, contributed to the formation of a national memory of Soviet repressions and their victims. During this period, the rehabilitation of victims of Soviet repressions was carried out selectively. Since Shavkat Mirziyoyev came to power, there has been a more liberal government policy and a wider discussion of the issue of Soviet repressions and the rehabilitation of their victims. In official narratives, all residents of the former Uzbek SSR who suffered from Stalinist repressions, regardless of their political position, are considered victims of the Soviet regime. Unlike neighbouring countries, the political and cultural elite of Uzbekistan does not follow the ethnic principle of studying the victims of Soviet repressions, but adheres to internationalism and territoriality.

Family Friendly? A Matrifocal Critical Realist exploration of mothers’ experiences of parent focused policies in Sixth Form & FE Colleges

This paper outlines the research process undertaken when using a small-scale qualitative study to explore the experiences of mothers in the tertiary education sector as they combine their working lives with their mothering. It explores the context for the research and reviews the literature surrounding mothers working in education, feminist policy analysis and feminist motherhood research. The use of Matricentric Feminism and Critical Realism to provide a theoretical framework to the study is discussed, along with an explanation of how the two differing theories may be combined to create a novel analytical framework. The paper explains the methods used within a feminist methodology and a discussion of the methods of data analysis used is undertaken. It then concludes by suggesting how all these can combine to allow for an explanation of how policies are experienced by the mothers in the study and how changes could be made to improve this experience.

China's Financial Liberalization: Specific Aspects and Effects6

The article is devoted to studying financial liberalization in China. The study is identified the main stages of financial liberalization and its adjustments depending on internal and external circumstances. A new international financial crisis is growing and has already begun to affect China's economy. A comparative analysis of China and the G20 developing countries was carried out in terms of financial openness and financial integration into the global financial system, cryptocurrencies regulations and digital national currency, features of economic policy and the state of the external financial sector. China's liberalization policy began with the removal of restrictions on foreign direct investment and the current account. The priorities of the financial liberalization policy is changed by reason of the economy grows and develops: from domestic economic development to the financial expansion of other countries in order to gain access to new markets and technologies. But most restrictions on the movement capital remain in China. The use of cryptocurrencies as an opportunity to circumvent currency restrictions is legally prohibited, and instead an attempt is being made to impose a national digital currency on society. The degree of government participation in the economy plays an important financial liberalization. Comparing other developing countries, China has a much higher degree of government involvement in the economy. This allows to maintain macroeconomic stability within the country even during international financial and economic crises. It is concluded that a gradual and partial financial liberalization with the maintaining domestic macroeconomic stability will provide the best results.

The Paradoxical State: The Political Economy of Multidimensional Gender Inequality in Korea

ABSTRACT Why do Korean women, who live in one of the most technologically and economically dynamic countries in the world, lag so far behind men in most important aspects of social life? Conventional answers to this question believe that more government intervention is needed, but Korea has followed state feminist policies since democratisation with limited success. This article draws on insights from the field of feminist political economy and the theory of performativity to propose a revised model of state–society interaction that better explains this puzzle. Historically, the South Korean state has oscillated between creating gender inequality for its economic and political nation-building projects, and then seeking to reduce it for the purposes of social reproduction. However, this reverse movement is ‘sticky’ because many non-state actors’ performances of gender inequality are resistant to state feminism, and others are closely associated with national identity. We conduct a plausibility probe of our model by applying it to three key performances of gender in Korea: traditional culture, conscription, and sex work. Our findings suggest the need for more bottom-up activism and campaigns against actors within and beyond the state who continue to resist gender equality.

Liberalisation of alcohol policy in Lithuania and the role of public health coalitions: change in policy beliefs and strategy

Purpose This study aims to investigate the role of the public health advocacy coalition (PHC) in the context of policy change. Using the “advocacy coalition framework” theory, this study examines how new ideas and the transformation of the policy subsystem influenced the adaptation of strategy, framing and messaging used by PHC actors. Design/methodology/approach A detailed policy case study was conducted based on a range of primary documents and individual semi-structured interviews (n = 34) with key decision-makers, civil servants, NGO leaders, public health experts and AI representatives. Findings In 2020, the Lithuanian PHC coalition became involved in policy-making with a slightly re-framed strategy, which was based on public health priorities and scientific research evidence. The priorities and relevant activities were aimed at maintaining a wide range of regulative measures. The PHC advocates focused on and prioritised arguments pertaining to the social and economic harms of alcohol. This framework created some ground for policy-influencing action and was important for debates with AI actors. The PHC put a great deal of pressure on Members of Parliament to continue the implementation of evidence-based policies. Originality/value Over two decades, Lithuanian alcohol policy has shifted in waves, from liberalisation to stricter control interventions. The previous wave of strict alcohol policy was effective from the perspective of the measures implemented, and it also reduced alcohol-related harm. In 2020, two liberal and conservative parties focused on a laissez-faire approach to the elimination of some unfavourable restrictions for the alcohol industry (AI).

Theoretical Origins and Implications of the Western Linear Development Models in Contemporary International Relations and Development Economics

Beginning with Lenin's criticism of imperialism and working through the modernization theory presented by academics such as Walt Rostow, this study attempts to investigate these development theories' theoretical roots and consequences. This paper examines the theoretical origin and contemporary implications of Imperialism, neocolonialism, neoliberalism, and trade liberalization, focusing on applying linear development models in international relations and development economics. Using critical theoretical frameworks, including Lenin's theory on imperialism, dependency theory, and modernization theory, analyzed the transformation of economic control from colonialism to the neocolonial practice perpetuated by transnational corporations and international monetary institutions. Cases including the reconstruction of the Haitian earthquake in 2010, President Trumans inaugural address, and Chiles neoliberal economic reforms under Pinochet provide an empirical examination of how trade liberalization and neoliberal policy strengthen the economic reliance of developing countries and increase their internal inequality. By challenging the traditional Western linear development model, this paper criticized how the global economic system perpetuates a hierarchical relationship between the Global South and North.

Factors Influencing Export of Soya Bean Oil from India: A Panel Gravity Model Analysis

Soya bean, the ‘miracle bean’, belongs to the family Leguminoceae, subfamily Papilionoidea. Soya bean oil is one of the most widely consumed cooking oils and is rich in linolenic acid. In the past 20 years the export of soya bean oil from India was mainly focused on Bhutan, Jordan, Canada, Singapore and Myanmar. The data was collected from 2002-03 to2021-22. The sources of data were Food and Agriculture Organization Statistics (FAOSTAT), Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS), International Monetary Fund (IMF), Statista and Trade map. The panel data was estimated by the Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) method. For soya bean oil the per capita GDP of India's trading partners, distance, trade openness, and exchange rates are the most significant factors affecting bilateral trade. While partner countries' prosperity and liberal trade policies boost trade, greater distances and unfavorable exchange rates hinder it. India's GDP and domestic inflation show minimal impact on trade flows. Wooldridge test indicated no first-order auto-correlation.

Effect of the multilateral surveillance of trade policies on trade policies

ABSTRACT We examine the effect of the multilateral surveillance of national trade policies (MSTP) – under the umbrella of the World Trade Organization (WTO) – on national trade policies. The analysis has used an unbalanced panel dataset of 137 countries over the period from 1997 to 2020, and the feasible generalized least squares approach. It has revealed that the transparency exercise brought about by the WTO’s MSTP has been instrumental in promoting trade policy liberalization in WTO member states, especially in non-poorest countries, and non-African countries.

Cannabis Policies, Cannabis, and Opioids in Suicide and Undetermined Intent Death

Introduction: Suicides and deaths of undetermined intent frequently involve cannabis or opioids, yet the relationships between cannabis and opioids, and cannabis policies and cannabis or opioid involvement in these deaths are not well-characterized. Additionally, although there have been substantial changes to cannabis policies, there have been conflicting findings on relationships between changing cannabis policies and cannabis-involved or opioid-involved deaths. MethodsThis was a repeated, cross-sectional study of decedents using restricted access data from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) from 2003-2018, and the Cannabis Policy Scale (CPS). The following associations were assessed among decedents from suicide and deaths of undetermined intent using mixed effects logistic regression: 1) relationships between cannabis involvement and opioid involvement; 2) relationships between cannabis policies and cannabis involvement; and 3) relationships between cannabis policies and opioid involvement. Analyses were conducted from 2021-2022. ResultsStates contributing to NVDRS increased in number from 7 to 41 throughout the study period, and the final sample included 68,924 decedents of suicide and undetermined intent. Cannabis involvement was associated with increased odds of opioid involvement (AOR 1.29, 95% CI: 1.22-1.37). A 10% increase in CPS, representing a more restrictive cannabis policy environment, was associated with reduced odds of cannabis involvement (AOR 0.87, 95% CI: 0.84-0.90) and opioid involvement (AOR 0.88, 95% CI: 0.85-0.91). ConclusionsThese findings do not support the idea that cannabis policy liberalization and/or cannabis use are likely to be useful strategies to reduce cannabis or opioid involvement in deaths of suicide and undetermined intent.