Room For Manoeuvre Research Articles

Bridgeheads of EU border externalisation? NGOs/CSOs and migration in Libya

This paper analyses the work carried out by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations (CSOs) in Libya from 2009 to 2020 to shed light on its ambivalent relationship to the EU externalisation of migration and border management. While also looking at Libyan organisations, and at initiatives such as EU-funded professionalisation projects, which aim to co-opt the nascent local civil society into the EU border externalisation mechanism, the paper largely focuses on international NGOs, with specific attention being paid to the Italian NGO CIR. The paper shows that even in the difficult Libyan context there is some potential for NGOs/CSOs to radically and effectively oppose EU externalisation, or at least try to do so through activities such as public information and advocacy. However, in a context in which migrants are systematically exposed to a wide range of abuses, and foreign or foreign-funded actors are seen with suspicion, NGOs/CSOs have limited room for manoeuvre. In fact, they mostly end up filling the gaps of the local migration and border management system on behalf of their (European) donors, thus supporting the smooth operation of externalised border management. This is also visible in the way NGOs/CSOs address human rights, interact with donors and local authorities, and perpetuate dichotomies and categorisations that support migration containment policies.

The storm of creative destruction. Understanding the "damage-remedy" logic of capitalism in times of pandemics

This essay aims at investigating what role capitalism, in its ideal-typical logic, plays in times of pandemic crisis. The research hypothesis consists in abandoning a one-sided idea of capital-ism, which is the dominant one in the neoliberal version, to recover, instead, that of "creative destruction", as the most constitutive logic of the phenomenon from its origins and also the most promising for scientifically explaining the relationship between capitalism and pandem-ics. Attempts will be made to demonstrate the scientific inconsistency of a reading that rigidly and dogmatically sets antithetical interpretations of capitalism against each other, and to con-struct, instead, one that combines the possibility of divergences. Finally, the question will arise as to what implications can be drawn from this incidence of the logic of creative destruction in capitalism and whether this is such as to impose deterministic results, as well as supposedly at the level of common sense or generalization, or whether there is still room for manoeuvre and guidance by science and politics in particular.

Transitions through the dynamics of adaptive cycles: Evolution of the Finnish agrifood system

CONTEXTThe escalating sustainability problems of the current agrifood regime call for a radical, systemic transformation. Such a transformation implies a move into a new stability domain, defined by a new set of systemic attractors. These transformations can be conceptualised as regime shifts. OBJECTIVEIn this study, we explored the history of the Finnish agrifood system in order to learn from the past transformations of the system and to inform the current attempts to steer its development in a more sustainable direction. METHODSWe conducted a qualitative analysis on literature discussing the history of the Finnish agrifood system by utilising the concept of the adaptive cycle, which captures the cyclicity of the evolution of social-ecological systems. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSWe identified six regimes from the 14th century onwards: Expansion (1334–1721), Progressive (1722–1868), Cattle (1869–1918), Premodern (1919–1944), Modernisation (1945–1994) and Globalisation (1995–). During each regime, the evolution of the system organised around specific attractors which initially opened up new possibilities for the actors, but over time, the very same attractors became the main source of vulnerability in the system. Along with the system's maturation, path-dependency created rigidity, escalating sustainability problems and decreasing room for manoeuvre for the system's actors, concomitantly decreasing the system's resilience. When an external shock related to climatic conditions, economic turbulence or wars coincided with such a rigidity, the system collapsed, the consequences of which span from food shortages to large-scale, deadly famines. The collapse of the old regime opened up the window of opportunity for a regime shift. The most profound regime shifts were related to changes in the system's metabolism and trade orientation. SIGNIFICANCEWhile the conservation phase of the adaptive cycle increases systemic vulnerabilities, it also offers an opportunity for systemic transformation. Allowing the adaptive cycle to play out on smaller scales—such as at the level of farm systems—helps to avoid collapse on the scale of the whole food system. The current agrifood regime in Finland indicates strong path-dependency and rigidity, manifesting a conservation phase, to be followed by release and reorganisation. This observation calls, first, for considering the resilience of the current system to anticipate a crisis and, second, for outlining alternative visions for the sustainable future of the agrifood system.

Rusija, sukob u Ukrajini i novi prostorni i geopolitički poredak

The conflict in Ukraine is the subject of contradictory narratives in the communication war, but also reflects the rival historical and geopolitical representations between the different actors of this conflict. According to the geopolitical angle, the main issue of the crisis in Ukraine is the rivalry between the great powers for world power and the distribution of geopolitical spaces. The geopolitical angle thus makes it possible to take into account the numerous stakes linked to this crisis on different scales, which go well beyond the purely geostrategic and military aspects. The main hypothesis of this article is to determine to what extent Russia, with its special military operation in Ukraine, is pushing for the emergence of a new geopolitical configuration on a European and global scale. Indeed, Moscow is provoking a redefinition of alliances at the regional and global levels. At the Eurasian level, NATO will probably no longer be able to pursue a policy of expansion in the Russian near abroad (countries of the former USSR), the enlargement of NATO to Ukraine being a casus belli, as the Russian intervention has shown. On a global scale, Russia's membership in the UN Security Council now prevents any unilateral interpretation of international law by the collective West. Moreover, economic sanctions by EU and NATO member states are not being followed by other states in Eurasia, South America and Africa, challenging the unipolar project of the West under the leadership of the United States. The European Union is increasingly aligned with the geopolitical priorities of NATO and the United States, with little room for manoeuvre. Russia's special operation in Ukraine is definitely moving the world towards a multicentric and multipolar geopolitical configuration, with no possibility of returning to the pre-conflict situation. In this analysis, geopolitical cartography will be used to illustrate the problematics but also to emphasize the spatial angle as an analytical tool.

Opposition gegen die Umsetzung von EU-Recht im Bundestag

One function of national parliaments is to transpose EU law into the domestic legal order . This article examines whether and under what conditions opposition parties in the Bunde- stag support such an implementation . The results of a statistical analysis of all votes on national transposition laws since 1990 show a stable trend toward a competitive opposi- tion, which is also manifested in the voting behavior of pro-European opposition parties . In addition, the relatively high rejection rates cannot be explained by a critical attitude toward the substantive translation into national law, because opposition is voiced not only to directives, but also to regulations and ECJ rulings that leave the government hardly any room for maneuver in transposition . Both findings confirm the EU politicization thesis, according to which European politics has become an integral part of national party compe- tition .

Scarcity, corruption, disloyalty, and discrepancies: Containment and defense preparation against the French Intervention in Michoacán, 1861–1863

This article explains the conditions, circumstances, and means in which the liberal-republican faction – identified with the Benito Juárez government – became involved in the containment and defense strategy against the Franco-Mexican troops in state of Michoacán. The period studied extends from the end of the Reform War to the beginning of the French Intervention – i.e., the Franco-Mexican War. As a hypothesis, I assume that the liberal-republican faction was conditioned in its performance by the scarcity of material resources, widespread corruption, disloyalty to institutions and internal discrepancies, which limited its room for maneuver and action. This research is based on documentary interpretation from the perspective of political history and war. I conclude that the Army, the National Guard, and civil society privileged their interests and expectations over the priority represented by the effective organization and defense of the country against the foreign invasion.

Регуляторный капитал по операционному риску: возможности для маневра

В статье проанализированы основные факторы, влияющие на величину размера операционного риска в капитале согласно методологии SMA, предложенной Банком России. Помимо потерь от операционного риска рассмотрено влияние Ñ‚Ð°ÐºÐ¸Ñ Ñ„Ð°ÐºÑ‚Ð¾Ñ€Ð¾Ð², как инфляция, размер операционного Ð´Ð¾Ñ Ð¾Ð´Ð° и активов банка. Описан набор Ñ†ÐµÐ»ÐµÐ²Ñ‹Ñ Ð¿Ð¾ÐºÐ°Ð·Ð°Ñ‚ÐµÐ»ÐµÐ¹ для оценки эффективности системы управления операционным риском, сформулированы предложения по уточнению методологии для расчета размера операционного риска.

Quo Vadis, Market Economy? Challenges of Sustainability and Values, Possible Answers

Over the past half century, mainstream economics, the theoretical basis for the functioning of market economies, has contemplated value-neutral models paradoxically disconnected from reality. The forced abstraction of these models, as well as the fact that economic policies have been dominated by deregulation and liberalization resulted in a situation where markets have not been able to handle crises properly, and they themselves have become the causes of them. In this study, the author claims that there is a solution: a sustainable market economy, based on the reintegration of value orientation into market processes. In other words, a paradigm shift is needed with sustainability in its focus. But sustainability is just a buzzword, as long as we fail to realize the fact that we have limited room for manoeuvre in society and economy, and we cannot do everything we would otherwise have the opportunity to do. Knowing this, we can state it with certainty that only those nations will be successful in the 21st century that find the path to a sustainable market economy and are able to follow it. The model outlined by the author suggests directions for implementing this idea.

Agricultural Extension and Advisory System in Algeria Analysis and Recommended Reforms

In Algeria, dairy cattle breeders are faced with weak support from technical institutions and state extension services, diffi cult access to fi nancing and a milk sector that does not contribute to reducing the level of risk. Breeders fi nd it very diffi cult to predict the future and to project themselves into the future. They have little room for maneuver due to a lack of agricultural land, labor force and fi nancing. This paper aims to analyze the current agricultural extension and advisory system in Algeria, advocating its reform with a new technical advisor. We postulate the hypothesis that development agents are poorly equipped to deal with the diff erent types of production systems and the establishment of eff ective technical support. They still do not conform to the expectations of breeders. To answer our hypothesis, we took the example of the milk sector in Algeria. We focused on the technical advisor and his relationship with farmers in two potential dairy basins. The latter is a civil servant at the level of state services, chosen in view of the preponderance of his role in extension and agricultural advice for the benefi t of stockbreeders. It appears that the advice is a component of a system involving various stakeholders, with a renunciation of the actors. Implementing the advisory requires signifi cant adjustments to the current agricultural extension and advisory system. The conclusions drawn from this study and the proposals made are valid for all of Algeria.

Некоторые аспекты из истории взаимоотношений ханов Абылая и Уали с Цинской империей (на основе архивных источников)

Introduction. In the 1740s–1780s, decentralization processes within the Kazakh Khanate led to that it was involved into somewhat troubled foreign policy relations. The period of struggle for political independence witnessed the emergence of Abylai — among most authoritative leaders of the Kazakh Khanate — as a key political decision-maker of the Great Steppe. His son Uali joined and continued the process of developing diplomatic relations between the Kazakh Khanate and the Qing Empire. In the future, it was a balanced strategy of diplomatic maneuvers under conditions of dual citizenship that constituted the basis of the latter ruler’s administrative agenda across Kazakh lands. Goals. Thus, the study aims to examine Abylai and Uali’s diplomatic relations with the Qing Empire. The paper shall also explore archival materials for data pertaining to diplomatic endeavors of Uali which are scarce enough as compared to those on Abylai’s activities. Materials and methods. The work focuses on documents stored at the Historical Archive of Omsk Oblast, Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire, and Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts. Quite a number of the documents from the Historical Archive of Omsk Oblast have been declassified only in 2019, and were never introduced into wide scholarly circulation. The newly obtained records reveal certain historical facts, including about certain diplomatic endeavors definitely adding to the little-known personality of Khan Uali. The currently available documentary evidence dealing with the events of the 18th–19th centuries virtually shed no light on Uali’s role in historical processes. Our search for information about activities of this historical figure shows how poorly investigated the latter is. The study employs the principles of scientific and historical knowledge, with due regard the value approach. Results. The Kazakh-Qing land-related negotiations after the collapse of the Dzungar Khanate continued with the establishment of trade and economic relations — to witness an increase in mutual diplomatic missions. So, Abylai faced an opportunity to obtain the Qing citizenship as a basis for further development of ties with the Manchu imperial palace. The Qing citizenship of Kazakh rulers Abylai and Uali did significantly expand room for political maneuver of theirs. Abylai is still considered to be a key figure in establishing Kazakh-Qing diplomatic relations, he who had taken the bulk of the responsibility — in this matter — among the then individuals of power and influence in the Steppe. Whereas, the role and activities of Uali remain little-known when it comes to discuss diplomatic relations between the Kazakhs and neighboring states.

Drivers of Fiscal Resources at the Local Level in Russia: Role of Institutions Reflected in Regional Debt

The paper seeks to clarify the consequences of fiscal institutions and centralization of intergovernmental relations in Russia related to regional debt sustainability and intraregional fiscal decentralization. The consolidated regional debt is considered to be the indicator that incorporates various features of institutional framework of the Russian budgetary system, while local fiscal decentralization reflects the number of fiscal resources at the local level. The relationship between governmental debt sustainability and fiscal decentralization is known to be a complex phenomenon. Yet under the analytical framework of this research, I show that the decrease of intraregional fiscal decentralization in Russia is attributable to the growing regional debt. Essentially, I conclude that centralization of intergovernmental relations in Russia leaves little room for maneuver for regional authorities and lead both to growing risk of debt sustainability and shrinking number of fiscal resources at the local level.
 It is found that more prosperous Russian regions exhibit higher fiscal decentralization. This finding reinforces the established theory. However, in the rich northern regions of Russia dependent on oil, gas and other commodities the decentralization is relatively high, so some theoretical predictions seem to be misleading. Those unobserved factors remain to be investigated.
 Further research agenda consists of conducting calculations based not just on pooled but panel data. It will help considering characteristics of each region. Furthermore, the results need to be reassessed for different indicators of fiscal decentralization.

Modern caste system in taxation

The article examines the modern dynamic development of taxation - one of the oldest forms of financial institutions. Taxes have existed since the very history of society. Their role is mainly to cover the financial costs incurred by the state in the performance of its public functions. Thus, they perform a redistributive function. Taxes are often considered as a form of forced alienation of the business entities results in favour of the state, and low levels of willingness to pay are common. One of the most likely reasons for this may be that the refund of taxes paid does not come immediately or within a certain forecast period, and in particular, in many cases, not even in a tangible form. Therefore, many taxpayers feel that they are paying taxes in vain. In this article, the authors examine the issue at three levels: at the level of citizens, business entities, and transnational corporations. Factors and features characterizing this group are defined at all three levels. The willingness of citizens to pay taxes is investigated based on the results of international studies devoted to the issue of tax morality in the state. The expected goal and result of this international study will be the development of a more transparent, unified tax system (where it is more difficult to avoid the tax burden). The authors analyse the willingness to pay taxes and the ways in which taxpayers try to reduce the amount before taxation, or, if possible, eliminate tax risks altogether. Individual citizens have the least prospects in this matter. The room for manoeuvre of companies is already much wider, characterized by the presence of several ways to reduce the size of tax payments at the business level. As the research shows, transnational corporations have the most opportunities in this area. The temptation to make huge profits often outweighs even basic moral considerations. Based on the obtained results, the authors formed a theory of the modern tax caste system and determined possible prospects for its further functioning.

How does delegation structure shape agent discretion in EU foreign policy? Evidence from the Normandy Format and the Contact Group on Libya

ABSTRACT Informal groupings have proliferated in EU foreign policy over the past decade, despite the enhanced role of the High Representative tasked with ensuring the coherence of this policy domain under the Lisbon Treaty. This article analyzes how the decision of select EU member states to act on certain policy issues through informal groupings, bypassing the EU framework, affects the High Representative’s room for maneuver. Drawing on the principal-agent model, the emergence of informal groupings is conceptualized as a manifestation of pathological delegation, which undermines High Representative’s role. The findings reveal two factors that may nevertheless increase the agent’s discretion in cases of delegation anomalies: the low heterogeneity of member state preferences toward the informal grouping and the interaction between agents in the same domain, facilitating agent’s performance. By examining agent's discretion when delegation anomalies arise, the article may be useful for scholars investigating delegation and agency in international organizations.

Annina Gagyiova. Vom Gulasch zum Kühlschrank: Privater Konsum zwischen Eigensinn und Herrschaftssicherung im sozialistischen Ungarn (1956–1989) [From goulash to fridge: individual consumption between Eigensinn and political dominance in socialist Hungary (1956–1989)

Annina Gagyiova. <i>Vom Gulasch zum Kühlschrank: Privater Konsum zwischen Eigensinn und Herrschaftssicherung im sozialistischen Ungarn (1956–1989)</i> [From goulash to fridge: individual consumption between <i>Eigensinn</i> and political dominance in socialist Hungary (1956–1989)

Theater of Ancestral Mediation

Theater of Ancestral Mediation

Effect of Family Involvement and Corporate Governance on Dividend Policy: A Study of Non-Financial Listed Firms in Morocco

Current research on the determinants of dividend policy has focused on the study of developed countries, while&#x0D; research on emerging countries remains limited. The objective of this research is to study the effect of the&#x0D; involvement of the family firm on dividend policy. This paper uses Ordinary Least Squares regression, we&#x0D; analyzed data for Moroccan nonfinancial firms listed on the Casablanca Stock Exchange over the period&#x0D; 2015-2017. The results of this paper show that family firm pay less dividends than non-family firms. Thus,&#x0D; ownership concentration and firm size influence dividend policy, unlike the composition of the board of&#x0D; directors, which doesn&amp;rsquo;t influence it. Our paper contributes to broaden our understanding of the effect of the&#x0D; family firm on dividend policy in one of the emerging countries. It is suggested that the characteristics of&#x0D; corporate ownership determine the share of profits to be distributed, not to say dividend policy, since&#x0D; concentration of ownership limits the power of minority shareholders to make their voices heard. Despite the&#x0D; presence of laws protecting minority shareholders, their room for maneuver remains limited. Our paper&#x0D; enriches the existing literature on the family firm dividend policy by studying the Moroccan context. The results&#x0D; show that family ownership and family CEO involvement do not have the same influence on the dividend policy&#x0D; of family firms, but it depends on the context. Our paper also provides relevant information for practitioners&#x0D; regarding dividend policy in Moroccan family firms.

Caught between Frontstage and Backstage: The Failure of the Federal Reserve to Halt Rule Evasion in the Financial Crisis of 1974

Rule evasion by companies is a major driver of change in contemporary market societies. Recent research holds that periods of market instability offer opportunities to bring rule evasion under control because crises expose hidden market practices. Based on original archival evidence from the financial crisis of 1974, this article shows that rule evasion is disclosed not automatically, but strategically and selectively. To explain the ensuing dynamics, the article develops a Goffmanian framework in which regulators learn of a crisis of rule evasion backstage (in their interactions with companies) but use a conventional definition of the situation frontstage (in their presentations to the public). In an as yet unrecognized outcome, the regulators may find themselves caught between frontstage and backstage: their communications to the public limit their room for maneuver against the companies backstage, forcing them to repurpose their extant crisis-management tools. Because regulators publicly pretend to stay within their mandate, this form of crisis response renders re-regulation of rule evasion less likely. The finding contributes a new explanation for a central puzzle in the burgeoning sociology of crises: why periods of instability so rarely lead to change.

Free will: Dr Johnson was right

Abstract In this attempt to deal with the problem of free will Tallis identifies intentionality as a feature of our lives that cannot be explained by deterministic, natural, physical, causal laws. Our ability to think about the world, and not merely be objects subject to it, gives us room for manoeuvre for free thought and action. Science, far from being antagonistic to the possibility of free will as it is usually presented through its deterministic explanations, is a manifestation of our freedom and could not exist without it. However, doubts arise for the argument owing to a lack of explanation as to how freedom is possible no matter how persuasively we are shown that it appears to be. That is, what kind of world would it have to be for freedom to exist and be explicable. I conclude with my own view, alluded to by Tallis, but not followed up, that the problem with the scientific worldview is that it is wedded to objectivity as the only stance deemed veridical as to the nature of reality, one which therefore cannot by necessity allow subjects or freedom. As freedom is a property of subjects, the scientific worldview cannot allow for freedom. Once the condition is dropped that only the objectively knowable can be real, freedom also may be real, defined as a knowable property of our subjectivity. There is no need to deny physicalism if the definition of it is released from the epistemic bonds of objectivity and we hold that some physical properties may be known subjectively, namely those that characterize our subjective life.

Conflicting agencies in the “Juntas”: “patronas”and“patrocinadas” in Cuba (1880-1886)

The gendered aspects of slavery in Cuba were key in the anticipated dismissal of the forced apprenticeship (the patronato) implemented to orchestrate the transition from slavery to coexisting forms of dependencies. This article explores the role that petitions brought forward by formerly enslaved women (patrocinadas) against their former female slave owners (patronas) had in this process. On the one hand, the characteristics of their enslavement in urban and domestic settings gave patrocinadas relative room for manoeuvre to acquire the social and material resources needed to file a lawsuit. On the other hand, patronas were resolute in trying to maintain control over their prerogatives, and privileges, which patrocinadas were an integral part of. Nonetheless, “property” in enslaved people by well-off and non-affluent women still needs to be thoroughly examined by the historiography on slavery in Cuba. This contribution highlights how the legal quarrels between patrocinadas and patronas could represent a significant primary source for studying this relevant occurrence. Moreover, the same sources might point to the pivotal role these conflicting demonstrations of agencies had in the gradual chipping of the patronato system.

The Economy of the Sino-Soviet Alliance.

Abstract This article examines the research literature on the economic aspects of the “Sino-Soviet Alliance”, which lasted from the end of the Chinese Civil war until the Sino-Soviet split (1949-1960/63). The Soviet and Eastern European contribution to China’s industrialization, called the “largest technology transfer in human history” by some, still awaits detailed examination. This article aims to structure the field as well as inspire future research. The included studies range from on-the-ground microstudies of engineers at specific industrial construction projects to macro-perspectives on economic exchange, trade and governmental negotiations. In contrast to classical Cold War perspectives, which assume a primacy of (geo-)politics, the paper builds on more recent studies, arguing that economic rationales mattered in both the split and the forging of the alliance. The literature review suggests that the room for manoeuvre of actors beyond the Kremlin and party leaderships has to be measured anew, and that the impact of the alliance on Eastern Europe awaits further research. Finally, the influence of the West with its technologies and world markets becomes visible when these apparently exclusive East-East relations are examined more closely.