Liberal Policy Research Articles

China’s policies: post-COVID-19 challenges for the older population

ABSTRACT On 7 December 2022, the State Council of China released ‘Measures to Further Optimize the Implementation of the Prevention and Control of the New Coronavirus Epidemic’. The previous three-year dynamic zero epidemic prevention policy was then replaced with a full liberalization policy. On 5 May 2023, the World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 no longer constituted a ‘public health emergency of international concern.’ However, given the ongoing prevalence of coronavirus, emerging mutations, and the liberalization of restrictions, there are increased risks of vulnerable people contracting new variants. Low vaccination coverage among older people with compromised immune systems, puts them at further risk. The policy shift will increase pressure on already stretched health infrastructure and medical resources. This short article adds to the current debate arguing that the Chinese government should take commensurate preventive measures, including strengthening medical facilities and equipment and targeting ongoing vaccination in older people.

Exploring policy coherence to understand limited progress of gender and social inclusion in the energy sector: The case of Nepal

Goal 7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all by 2030 but securing universal access to energy supplies remains a challenge worldwide. There is increased recognition that gender and social inclusion (GESI) is critical for the transition towards low-carbon energy.Nepal's inclusive 2015 Constitution, and its 2021 federal-level Gender Equality Policy translate this commitment. Likewise, Nepal is committed to SDG 7. Yet energy policy includes only limited provisions for ensuring energy access by marginalized groups and women. This paper focuses on energy policy coherence to identify cohesion between policies and policy instruments at different levels of governance to identify bottlenecks to GESI. Using a policy coherence and feminist policy approach within an energy justice context, it traces the coherence of GESI policy through time and in relation to overall GESI policy objectives. Horizontal and internal coherence are assessed through the parallels/disjoints between energy-related periodic plans, policies, budgets, and GESI aims. The evolution of GESI in energy investments has been slow in part because of a narrow conceptualization of the policy problem and a lack of coherence and synchronization across documents, which undermines implementation of the GESI agenda.

Care to work? Policy Considerations for Engaging Jordanian Women in the Workforce

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the challenge of adapting care and family policies to the government of Jordan’s objectives, from economic development goals to maintaining social norms. Motives for interventions seem to signal an interest in gender equity and concerns around child development and family preservation. Indeed, for some, Jordan’s emerging caregiving market (and other liberal policies) might signal an easing in archetypal gendered norms around caregiving, domestic work, and women’s roles inside and outside of the public spheres. However, an analysis of the theory underlying care work and social reproduction along with a review of Jordanian social perceptions—among men and women alike—hints at a potential gap in policy. The paper challenges policymakers to consider the stubborn female labor force participation rate differently. The paper starts by untangling feminist theories around care and work. It then explores Jordan’s specific context regarding norms and perceptions around gender and work and gender and care. From there, it reviews and analyzes Jordan’s policies and presents opportunities for policymaking.

Bill 7633 on the restriction of the use of Russian text sources in Ukrainian research and education: analysing language policy in times of war

AbstractFor centuries, Ukraine has been a site of conflicts over language rights. During 70 years of Soviet leadership, Ukraine experienced’relentless Russification’ (Reznik in Language of conflict: discourses of the Ukrainian crisis (pp. 169–191). Bloomsbury Publishing, London, 2020 p. 170). After breaking from Soviet rule, the Ukrainian language became an increasingly powerful symbol and means of national identity. Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the language issues have gained yet more public and political attention. Addressing the urgency, the Ukrainian parliament adopted, in the first reading, Bill 7633, aiming to restrict the use of any Russian sources in Ukrainian school and academia, a bill that was met with criticism and experienced intensified debates. This article analyses a range of text sources (both governmental and non-governmental) debating Bill 7633, using Discourse Analysis, and reveals how ‘liberal values’ and ‘lived liberalism’ (Fedirko et al. in Social Anthropol/Anthropol soc 29(2):373–386, 2021) are practiced or violated through problematising or justifying the Bill. Thus, the article contributes to the (recently emerged, i.e. since the start of Russian annexation of the Crimea in 2014) body of research on political and public discourses of the Ukrainian conflict (Epstein in Studies in East Eur Thought 74(4), 475–481; Jones, 2020; Lanvers and Lunyova in Eur J Lang Policy 15(1), 25–68; Slobozhan et al. in Soc Netw Anal Min 12(1), 1–12, 2022). Results show a comprehensive range of arguments both for and against Bill 7633 in both governmental and non-governmental texts which is interpreted as a form of liberalism in fragments (Fedirko in Social Anthropol/Anthropol Soc, 29(2), 471–489, 2021). The conclusion debates the unreserved applicability of western conceptualisation of liberal language policy in the context of war and prolonged linguistic contestations.

The unintended consequences of IMF programs: Women left behind in the labor market

AbstractDespite societal progress toward achieving gender equality, women remain disadvantaged across all walks of life. We examine how pressures by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for austerity and liberalization policies affect women’s economic empowerment in developing countries. Focusing on labor market outcomes, we expect that IMF programs increase the gender unemployment gap. This effect will hold regardless of existing societal gender norms, reflecting that women work in less ‘crisis-proof’ jobs. In contrast, we believe that prevailing societal gender norms will adversely impact women’s ability to remain in the labor force, resulting in widening gender labor force participation gaps. Relying on a dataset covering 128 developing countries between 1992 and 2018, we confirm these expectations. Our findings underscore how, during economically turbulent times, policy demands of the Fund can amplify existing gender inequalities.

UNLOCKING THE SUSTAINABILITY: EVALUATING THE SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION IN ENGLISH TEXTBOOK GRADE IX

The study analyzed the sustainability dimensions integrated in the textbook of English (Grade IX) for Punjab, Pakistan using sustainability framework proposed by Tavanti (2010). For this purpose, the English textbook for Grade IX was purposively sampled and analyzed through the qualitative content analysis processed on NVivo 12 software. The analysis results show that the English textbook for grade 9 also covers environmental, social, institutional, cultural sustainability & value-based sustainability. Moreover, the values have been included like the moral stories for patriotism, national unity, and ethical conduct. The English textbook (grade 9) does not cover economic sustainability adequately. The study concludes that the textbook of English Grade 9 has boundaries to make indifferent students’ responsible citizens as claimed by liberal educational policy of Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board. However, curriculum may be further improved by adding explicit mentions of the sustainable practices, green technologies, inclusive growth, poverty, hunger, responsible consumption, and production. Findings further suggest holistic approach to include education for sustainable development in the textbooks.

Impact of trade and investment on income surge in Bangladesh: Evidence from trade liberalization regime

Trade and investment are crucial drivers of economic growth. Successful execution of trade and investment policy can elevate a developing country to a sustained growth path and make it self‐reliant. Bangladesh implemented a trade liberalization policy in the 1980s, deviating much from its conservative trade policy. This article assesses the impacts of trade, investment in physical as well as human capital, and a few trade policy variables on income surge for the liberalized regime. The econometric analysis finds that export, import, and domestic investment stimulate income. The impact of foreign investment is not conducive. Public spending on education also contributes to the income surge. Among the policy variables, trade openness and currency depreciation produce a beneficial impact. Population growth retards economic growth. The baseline results hold in the estimations involving several specifications of variables and testified as robust. The article views that a comprehensive approach to trade and investment policy would ensure the comparative advantage of trade and the well‐being of Bangladesh.

Adapting to the market: leftist ideological justifications of liberal economic policies, 1977–1986

ABSTRACT Why do leftist forces accept, support and adopt free-market policies? To answer this question, we carry out a comparative study of left-wing groups (both parties and trade unions) in France, Italy and Spain during the late 1970s and the early 1980s. This period is widely acknowledged in international political economy to have represented a paradigm shift from post-war Keynesianism to neoliberal policy-making. We employ in-depth content analysis of memoirs, interviews to the press, opinion articles and policy-papers to explain actors’ positions on landmark policies implemented during such transition. In alignment with a developing literature in political economy (e.g. Mudge 2018), we find a proactive role of progressives in developing the ideological justification for the resort to liberal policies. However, we emphasise that widespread consensus among so-called progressives, rather than a leading role of technocrats or party experts, best explains such shifts. In this way, the paper casts doubts on interpretations of the liberalisation process that place excessive emphasis on the role of external constraints as well as on elite power. Drawing on Hall (1993), we argue that left-wing forces in the early 1980s have enacted a ‘second order change’, whereby policymakers use new instruments to meet existing policy objectives.

Проблема распределения доходов между трудом и капиталом в современном мире: XX и XXI века

This work is devoted to an attempt to quantify the trends in the distribution of income between labor and capital and assess their compliance with the development opportunities of the modern economy. Trends in the distribution of income between labor and capital were assessed by constructing econometric models of the share of labor compensation in national income and GDP. The resulting models with a high level of confidence showed that in the 20th century in the United States there was a tendency to redistribute income from capital to labor. The main trend in the distribution of income between labor and capital in the 21st century in most countries, including Russia, is the tendency to redistribute income from labor to capital. In countries with predominantly socially oriented economic policies, the main trend in the distribution of income between labor and capital is the tendency to redistribute income from capital to labor. The trend of redistribution of income from labor to capital indicates an undervaluation of human capital. This trend does not correspond to the development possibilities of a modern post-industrial economy and leads to a loss of competitiveness of countries in whose economies this trend is observed. The emerging trend of redistribution of income from labor to capital in modern Russia is the result of a liberal economic policy, does not correspond to the development opportunities of the modern economy and slows down economic growth, and under the conditions of sanctions from unfriendly countries, it threatens economic stagnation.

Analysis of Tokyo 2020 Olympic modern pentathlon equestrian jumping results

Modern Pentathlon (MP) includes an equestrian Jumping discipline, with horses drawn blindly by unfamiliar riders. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games, concerns regarding inadequate horsemanship generated adverse publicity for MP. Conventional stadium Jumping in Tokyo provided an opportunity for comparison of the two closest Olympic equestrian Jumping disciplines. The objectives of this study were to complete an objective analysis of the Tokyo MP riding phases, and to test the hypothesis that MP riding faults in women's and men's Tokyo competitions combined were more frequent than in the Individual Jumping Qualifier (JQ). Types of faults for Tokyo MP (n = 71 riders) and JQ (n = 73 riders) were tabulated from published official results and detailed observation of online videos of each competition. Fault distributions were compared using Chi-square analysis (significance at P < .05). MP riders had more jumping faults (15.4 %) than JQ (7.8 %, P < .0001). Both MP and JQ riders had more faults at oxers (17.1 %, P < .0001 and 9.7 %, P = .0171, respectively) than verticals (14.5 % and 6.2 %). JQ (9.8 %, P = .0093) but not MP (15.7 %, p = .5166) riders had more faults in the second half of the course compared to the first half (5.7 % and 15.0 %, respectively). Double clear rounds (no jumping or time faults) were 4.9 times more likely in JQ (34.2 %) than in MP (6.9 %: P < .0001). Proposed solutions to decrease MP fault frequency include lower maximum fence heights, fewer jumping efforts, and a more liberal re-ride policy.

Refractory accounts of feminist educational policy work: the case of Gender Equity: A Framework For Australian Schools

AbstractFeminist engagement in education policy in Australia has been extensive and impactful, with periods of high activity and influence in the past through to a present where it seems difficult to find feminist voices in policy spaces. There are diverse perspectives on the earlier decades of feminist policy influence that shift according to context, the social and political milieus of each moment, location, and position within the policy assemblage. In this paper I focus on the era of the mid 1990s, and the national policy Gender Equity: A Framework for Australian Schools (1997) as a case of policy emergence, mutation and dissipation. Drawing on my own recollections and interviews with eleven policy actors who were variously involved in the gender and education policy work around that time, I explore processes, strategies, obstacles and affordances of the times through four types of trouble: policy trouble, patriarchal trouble, school trouble, and genders and sexualities trouble. I offer these as refractory accounts of feminist policy work, that might break through linear accounts and add further nuance and context to our revisiting of feminism in education.

A Comparative Assessment of the Contribution of Foreign Direct Investment to Economic Development of Nigeria and Ghana

Generally, sub-Saharan countries suffer setbacks in regard to capital accumulation necessary to sponsor investment demands, thus promoting economic development. As a result, they look out for foreign sources such as foreign direct investment (FDI) to augment the investment-saving gap. Recently, due to global shake-ups and uncertainty, there has been a drastic fluctuation in the level of FDI inflow into the West African sub-region, especially in the two giant economies of Nigeria and Ghana. This attracted the attention of this research work. Thus, this study comparatively reassesses the contribution of FDI inflow to the economic development of these giant economies from 1980 to 2020 to determine which one of them benefits the most given the fluctuation in FDI inflows. The outcome reveals that FDI inflows have a significant influence on the economic development of both economies. In Nigeria particularly, evidence shows a strong positive correlation between FDI and Gross Domestic Product Per Capita (GDPPC), implying that the Nigerian economy is investment-driven in the period under consideration. Essentially, the Nigerian economy can achieve its desired development with FDI support. Similarly, findings indicate that FDI inflows into Ghana have a strong positive impact on economic development. Thus, a recommendation is made for the Ghanaian government to source more foreign resources by opening her economic borders wide for global integration. Pursuance of trade liberation policy for the purpose of attracting more foreign resources is critical to the attainment of sustainable economic development in both economies. Policy actions enabling stable macroeconomic conditions and a peaceful environment for smooth investment operations are key factors guaranteeing economic development.

South African attitudes towards refugee settlement: Examining the importance of threat perceptions

Abstract Compared to many other countries, South Africa has quite a liberal refugee settlement policy. But public hostility towards refugees in the country is a serious obstacle to refugee protection. To understand what is driving anti-refugee sentiment amongst the masses, this study investigates refugee settlement policy preferences in the post-apartheid nation. Data from the 2020 round of the nationally representative South African Social Attitudes Survey (N = 3133) was used. Different possible drivers of policy preferences were tested. Data analysis showed that there was a robust relationship between immigrant threat perceptions and policy preferences. This finding is consistent with integrated threat theory, highlighting the damaging effects of widespread negative stereotypes about immigrants in the country. Other notable drivers of attitudes identified include economic anxiety and religiosity. Subjective knowledge, by contrast, only had a weak effect on attitude formation. The study concludes by discussing future research opportunities on anti-refugee sentiment in an African context.

Foreign Direct Investment, Export and Economic Growth: An Evidence from Nepal

The aim of this paper is to analyze and evaluate the present status of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Nepal concentrating economic growth and export boost. Developing nations like Nepal derive significant advantages from foreign investment, fostering economic advancement through the attraction of external capital, entrepreneurial skills, expanding market spaces, and technology transfer. Nepal has witnessed an upsurge in FDI since the 1990s, primarily attributable to the implementation of liberal economic policies by the government. The enactment of the Foreign Investment Technology Transfer Act (FITTA) has further sustained the investment environment in Nepal. This paper analyzes and evaluates the role of FDI in driving Nepal's economic growth and export activities. Employing correlation analysis and an ordinary linear regression model, the impact of FDI on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and exports is measured. Given the documented FDI inflows since the 1990s, this research concentrates on the period from 2010/11 to 2022/23 to measure FDI's impact. The findings of this investigation reveal a positive correlation between FDI, GDP and the country's export growth.

Policymakers’ Abortion Preferences: Understanding the Intersection of Gender and Wealth

When are politicians willing to liberalize abortion laws? While restricted access to legal abor- tion affects millions of women around the world, there is relatively little understanding of the factors shaping the views of politicians who craft or uphold such restrictive laws. This study examines the impact of a public health framing commonly employed by activists to persuade politicians to reform abortion laws. We provide evidence that politicians’ preferences toward abortion reforms are shaped by the intersection of gender and wealth. Drawing on a survey experiment conducted among more than 600 politicians in Zambia, we show that only women politicians from less wealthy backgrounds are more likely to support policy liberalization after being exposed to a public health framing. These findings underscore how economic inequal- ities can affect the substantive representation of women’s interests and provide a baseline for further research on the use of framing strategies in other developing country contexts.

Interest Rate Volatility and Economic Growth in Nigeria: New Insight from the Quantile Autoregressive Distributed Lag (QARDL) Model

AbstractThis is a study on interest rate volatility, a crucial form of volatility which affects local and foreign investments in the real and financial sectors. Whether to prioritize interest rate stability to prevent distortions in the market mechanism or to prioritize other macroeconomic objectives while allowing interest rates to independently react to market forces is a key question for Nigeria’s apex monetary authority. Answering this question is the primary motivation for this research. This paper is an attempt to establish the effect of interest rate volatility on economic growth and further conclude on the suitability of the financial liberalization policy in Nigeria. To reach an evidence-based conclusion, the paper analyzes the relationship between interest rate volatility and economic growth in Nigeria for the period 1981–2020. The QARDL procedure was employed to establish the short-run and long-run quantile-specific impacts of interest rate volatility. As a final step, Granger causality tests are conducted to investigate the predictive powers of the variables. It is discovered from the econometric analysis that interest rate volatility adversely affects the economic performance of Nigeria in both the short run and long run. Consequently, full liberalization is not suitable for the economy. Moreover, we find that the short-run adverse growth effect of interest rate volatility is greater when the economy is already in a relatively weak state, whereas the long-run adverse growth effect is greater when the economy is already in a relatively strong position. The findings sufficiently prove that full interest rate liberalization is not Pareto efficient for Nigeria. Hence, greater supervision of the interest rate corridor system to reduce volatility in the rates and minimize chances of persistent upward or downward bias is advised. Study limitations and directions for further research are also provided.

Immigration and integration policy change in France during Sarkozy’s era

This paper sheds light on the factors behind the introduction of restrictive immigration and integration policy in France between 2002 and 2012, which is closely associated with Nicholas Sarkozy and his party Union for a Popular Movement (UMP). Using the evidence from semi-structured interviews, conducted with The Republicans (UMP) elected representatives, political advisors and civil servants, the paper argues that the introduction of restrictive immigration policies is explained not only through electoral pressure from the radical right Front National, but also by publics’ perceived economic concerns, cultural anxieties around Islam, as well as the effects of the EU integration. The paper also contributes to immigration policy liberalisation scholarship, by highlighting the importance of non-economic benefits migration brings, which take a form of soft power, as a way to increase French influence (rayonnement) in the world, contrary to the previous literature that explains liberalisation from economic advantages of skilled migration.

Recriminalization of drugs in Oregon: The latest backlash

Liberal policies are good for drug users, and good for addiction treatment, but what happened in Oregon last week – the governor signing into law the recriminalization of possession of small amounts of drugs – was inevitable because of poor implementation of those policies. When Oregon promised to decriminalize possession of small amounts of drugs three years ago, following a well‐financed campaign by the Drug Policy Alliance, the goal was to make treatment more accessible. Nobody made treatment more accessible. Drug users flocked to the state for its reputation of easy access. Overdose deaths soared. The only position lawmakers saw for themselves, in the face of constituent horror at the dissolution of the formerly beauty of Portland, was to go back on the decision they themselves made. This is called backlash, and it's not good for people who need treatment. The same thing is underway in San Francisco, which also created a landscape that was appealing to drug users – and lo and behold, the overdose rate soared, and businesses shut their doors in the face of littering and excrement on the streets and children having to step over overdosed drug users on their way to school. These icons of liberal policy need to do something other than reverse course, but it's understandable that they don't know what that is. In San Francisco, the overdose prevention center (OPC) was closed because fewer than 1% of users went to treatment. At least the OPC created a place for people to use drugs without dying. Now, in San Francisco, there is new housing and shelters for drug users, but these just provide a place for people to overdose out of the sight of passersby with naloxone. Do we have an answer? No. But a backlash isn't it. Stay tuned.

Taking Stock and Looking Forward to the Future of Pathogen Politics in Light of New Insights and Recommendations: COVID-19 Threat Was Meaningfully Associated With Support for Liberal Policies in the United States.

Infectious disease outbreaks are expected to predict support for conservative policies. However, earlier studies (January-June, 2020) reached conflicting findings regarding the association between COVID-19 threat and policy preferences in the United States. We revisit this issue by analyzing five nationally representative surveys conducted during the relatively severe periods of the pandemic (August 2020-December, 2020; total N = 82,753). Using Bayesian inference, we find strong evidence that subjective (e.g., fear of infection and pandemic outrage) but not objective (e.g., local cases and deaths) threat predicted support for liberal policies (e.g., immigration and universal health care). Meta-analyses revealed that the estimates depend on the type of subjective (.05 ≥ r ≤ .60) or objective (.00 ≥ r ≤ .14) COVID-19 threat. We propose an emotion-mediated dual-process model of pathogen management suggesting that infectious disease outbreaks activate both avoidance and caregiving motives that translate, respectively, into support for right-wing and left-wing policies.

Investor reactions to legislative liberalization and the run-up in British share prices, 1844 to 1845

We study the association of shareholder returns with liberalization in government policy during Britain's railway run-up of 1844–5. The findings sustain two main claims. First, the railway returns during the run-up were associated with the advent of liberalizing policies, especially related to free trade, enhanced transparency and governance of firms, and industry consolidation. Second, analysis of cross-sectional variation reveals higher returns to large railways in the South and Midlands of England, several of which were leading consolidators. This study is the first to report an association between policy liberalization and run-up returns and to identify consolidators as the prime beneficiaries of the liberalization.