Series Of Institutional Changes Research Articles

The decline of incrementalism in U.S. lawmaking

AbstractPunctuated equilibrium theory (PET) posits that policy change is incremental for long periods of time with occasional shifts in problem definition and governing authority that produce large changes. Incrementalism results from shared norms and standard operating procedures within policy subsystems. The U.S. Congress experienced a series of institutional changes in the 1990s that both introduced more partisanship into subsystem interactions and made it easier for majority party leaders to enact their agenda. These changes have disrupted many of the processes that produce incrementalism. Using data from 1949 to 2022, I find that U.S. policy outputs, measured through public laws, have experienced fewer incremental changes from one term to the next and more moderate and very large changes since 1995. The shift in outputs has been driven primarily by increased partisan conflict within congressional committees. This study highlights the utility of using the stochastic process approach to compare distributions of outputs across time and not only across countries or institutions.

Trend Shocks, Liquidity Constraints and China’s Economic Fluctuations

The development of China’s economy not only contains the commonalities of all countries in the world, which can be explained by existing theories to a large extent, but also presents many development characteristics that are different from other countries, which needs to be explored from a new perspective. Analyzing the data on output, consumption, and investment in the 40 years after the reform and opening up from 1978 to 2018, we can find the following characteristics: (1) The economy of China is more volatile than those of developed countries, and consumption volatility is greater than that of output, a phenomenon in sharp contrast with the rational consumption behavior obtained from the permanent income hypothesis. (2) Since 1978, China’s economic volatility has shown a downward trend, and consumption volatility has declined even faster than that of output. (3) Since 2008, China’s economic growth rate has continued to decline.The academic circles attribute the miracle of China’s economic development to a series of institutional reforms since the reform and opening up. However, what has been ignored by the academic circles is that since the institutional reforms are the main driver of China’s rapid economic growth in the past 40 years, as a logical corollary, they must also be an important factor that leads to sometimes rapid and sometimes slow performance of China’s economic growth and the formation of several development cycles. Different from the deviation from trend caused by various random shocks, such as government purchases, money and information, and financial and non-financial frictions, a series of institutional reforms such as the transformation from a planned economy to a market one, the development of private enterprises from illegal to mushrooming, and China’s entry into the World Trade Organization impact the trend itself, changing and supporting China’s rapid economic growth, intertwining its trend fluctuations with cyclical fluctuations.In order to illustrate the above characteristics, this paper constructs a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model of small open economies with persistent trend shocks and liquidity constraints. The research results show that: First, after the reform and opening up, a series of institutional changes are an important cause for China’s economic fluctuations to be greater than that of developed countries. Second, there is an obvious random trend in China’s economy. Large fluctuations in output, especially in consumption, are caused by both trend shocks and cyclical shocks. Third, these two shocks are not enough to explain large fluctuations in consumption, especially the fact that consumption fluctuations are greater than that of output, but their combination with liquidity constraints explains this feature pretty well. The introduction of trend shocks increases consumption volatility through the permanent income hypothesis, while the introduction of liquidity constraint increases consumption volatility by reducing the inter-temporal substitution of consumption. Fourth, through comparative analysis of the changes in the driving factors of economic fluctuations in the two stages from 1978 to 1999 and from 2000 to 2018, it is found that with the gradual improvement of the market economic system, both the cyclical shock that has a temporary impact and the trend shock that has a persistent impact on economic fluctuations show a gradual attenuation trend, reducing China’s economic volatility. As the impact of trend shocks declines faster, cyclical shocks gradually play a dominant role in China’s economic fluctuations.

Financing urban low-carbon transition: The catalytic role of a city-level special fund in shanghai

Financing mitigation actions in cities is critical to achieving 1.5 °C emissions pathways. Direct funding, such as grants and subsidies, is a feasible financial instrument to enable local authorities to conduct climate mitigation projects. Current literature has largely focused on the cost-effectiveness of direct-funding instruments on carbon reduction, but little on how these instruments influence other aspects of the urban low-carbon transition. A comprehensive understanding of the role of direct funding in low-carbon transition is important, as this new understanding may potentially encourage more direct investments by cities into their low-carbon initiatives. Here we examine the direct and flow-on effects of a city-level direct-funding scheme on urban low-carbon initiatives, taking Shanghai as a case study. Our findings show that the direct results of Shanghai’s fund scheme include carbon reduction outcomes and a variety of policy outputs, such as a range of subsidy policies, data reporting systems, and demonstration projects. More importantly, over the 11 years of its implementation, the fund has become a catalyst for a series of institutional changes – by enabling and enhancing cooperation across numerous government departments in Shanghai. In addition, the funding scheme created avenues for the engagement of business stakeholders and raising public awareness on low-carbon and sustainability issues, through subsidizing technology adoption and low-carbon-themed campaigns. Collectively, these processes have improved the city’s capacity for achieving low-carbon transition. Our study shows that a well-designed, city-level direct-funding scheme can fill the “implementation” gap between the policy intentions (i.e., the low-carbon initiatives and implementation framework) and the policy outcomes (e.g., carbon reduction and the institutional formation in the transition). Such a scheme may also nurture and enable a pool of policy experiments and innovations for effective policy learning, identification of successful experiments, and upscaling. With these broader catalytic effects, a city-level direct fund could be a justifiable and attractive option in managing low-carbon transition.

Estrategia didáctica para fortalecer la competencia de comunicación matemática por medio de la fotografía

This research article aims to address one of the systemic problems that is identified in Latin American countries as serious acts of corruption and kleptocracy that are currently at critical and intolerable levels in the region; as well as the negative impacts it has had on the human rights of millions of people affected by the abuse of public power for the private benefit of a few. Based on the analysis, it is proposed to develop a series of actions and initiatives aimed at generating a standard regulatory framework in the region for its treatment and propose a series of institutional changes, comprehensive policies and multi-level protection, which address the historical causes of structural corruption, in order to avoid its devastating effect on human rights.

Responsive Government: The Diversity and Institutional Performance of Online Political Deliberation Systems

Along with innovation in ICT technology and the spread of the internet, the online network, through its “technological empowerment” of citizens and governments, has driven a series of institutional changes designed to promote government responsiveness. The global spread of online political deliberation is indeed an achievement of the internet-driven construction of responsive government. In recent years, the Chinese government has vigorously promoted online political deliberation, established virtual platforms to build bridges between netizens and public power, brought internet activism into institutional channels, and implemented political absorption and online consultation. Under the influence of policy initiatives and local innovations, China has created diversified response systems that strengthen the institutionalization of online political deliberation and thereby enable this system to play an active role in improving government capacity and regulating the relationship between the state and society. At present, China has seven types of online response: the Communist Party Committee-led mode, the mixed mode, the government-led mode and the modes led by the departments in charge of absorption, business, supervision departments, and petitioning. Empirical studies show that the diversity and degree of institutionalization of online political deliberation significantly affect institutional performance and that political authority and professionalism are important features that enable the different response systems to influence institutional performance. In short, the endogenous elements of the response system—level of institutionalization and institutional diversity—are key factors in institutional performance.

Institutional change and the Inter-American Human Rights System

ABSTRACTThis article introduces the special issue of the International Journal of Human Rights on institutional change in the Inter-American Human Rights System (IAHRS). In doing so, it identifies the main concepts and ideas central to understanding the institutional change the IAHRS has experienced over the past six decades. Since the adoption of the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man by the Organization of American States (OAS) in 1948, the IAHRS has undergone a series of institutional changes and transformations that have affected and been affected by the System’s normative leanings, rules of procedure and institutional design, as well as by the position of the System within the broader landscape of the Americas. This special issue explores these changes from a variety of angles, including the process of change in historical context, normative and legal changes in the Inter-American Court’s jurisprudence, and the changing relationship between the IAHRS and other regional and international human rights institutions. This special issue features contributions and insights from the disciplines of history, law, and political science, among others.

The Coal Mine Mafia of India: A Mirror of Corporate Power

AbstractAn investigation of the source of power of mafia‐type organizations may reveal how other non‐state actors can operate as if they are independent of the state. This study of the coal mafia in Dhanbad, India shows that power often derives from socially hierarchical relationships involving debt and/or caste. It also demonstrates how state policies that are thoughtlessly implemented may solidify existing hierarchies. By analogy, modern corporations gain some of their power by behaving as if they were semi‐sovereign institutions that draw their strength informally from social networks and other extralegal relationships.The mafia in the Dhanbad coalfields emerged through a series of institutional changes. Labor shortages were initially resolved by labor intermediaries, who eventually controlled the labor through linkages associated with debt, caste, and social obligations. These intermediaries eventually assumed official positions in labor unions, which gave them a platform for electoral politics. When the coal industry was nationalized, the union leaders further solidified their position in the nationalized corporation. In this way, private labor intermediaries became local political leaders who controlled the state apparatus to some extent.Corporations follow similar patterns. Both mafias and corporations exploit weak governments, collude with them, and often operate with a high degree of independence. Like mafias, corporations often derive their power from socially embedded networks that they craft in local communities and populations. Because the roots of their influence are embedded in social networks, simple legal and regulatory changes are often insufficient to limit their power. Transnational corporations engaged in extraction of natural resources share with mafias the ability to leverage monopoly power in one domain into control of other domains. As a result, this case study of the coal mafia in India offers a unique entry point to understand corporate sovereignty.

Dualities in the transformation of the urban realm: Smyrna and Salonica 1840–1900

Starting from 1840s, the Ottoman State underwent a series of institutional changes which was reflected in the transformation of major cities like Smyrna and Salonica, two prominent ports of the Mediterranean. This paper aims to present a critical and comparative evaluation of the urban transformation in Smyrna and Salonica between 1840 and 1900. Through case studies, such as the regulation of roads and the re-organization of burnt-out neighbourhoods according to the new building codes, and the construction of large-scale infrastructure projects – railroads and quays – the dichotomous nature of urban transformation is revealed. Despite all the zealous efforts of local authorities and implementation of urban regulations, only certain sections in both cities were actually modernized, these being the new investment areas and the burnt-out zones. The Ottoman State and the European investors worked together for creating profitable investment zones, which dramatically changed the appearance of these cities in a short period of time. Except for these areas, the traditional urban fabric still prevailed in Smyrna and Salonica at the end of the nineteenth century.

Economic transition, industrial location and corporate networks: Remaking the Sunan Model in Wuxi City, China

This research investigates the transition of the Sunan model, which was centered on local-state directed township and village enterprises (TVEs), through a case study of Wuxi City. Based on questionnaire surveys and firm/government interviews, we have found that Wuxi has been undergoing a series of institutional changes, economic transition and spatial restructuring. TVEs have been replaced by domestic private enterprises and to a lesser extent, foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs). However, in comparison with Suzhou, a leading city in Sunan (southern Jiangsu) where FIEs are a major driving force of economic restructuring, domestic capital and private firms have played a more important role in Wuxi. It is found that domestic firms in Wuxi have their own local production networks, rather than forming networks with FIEs. Moreover, local governments remain a key agent of economic transition and firm (re)location. The case of Wuxi highlights the multiple trajectories of remaking the Sunan model, the strong hand of local states, and the uneven process of economic development.

Towards a Competitive City: Shanghai's Urban Development

This paper investigates Shanghais urban development since 1988 contextualized the series of institutional changes. It examines the rapid urban expansion, and elucidates the large scale and comprehensive re-development within the inner city. The research identifies the transition from government-backed development to property-led development.

Japan's Failed Experiment: The DPJ and Institutional Change for Political Leadership

Abstract With the establishment of the DPJ government, Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio introduced a series of institutional changes in order to transform the existing bureaucracy-controlled government and to establish political leadership. These changes, however, created instability and irregularity in Japanese politics. As a result, they were reversed by his successors.

Does the Confidence in the EU Spill Over to the National Level? A Longitudinal Analysis of Political Trust in Central Europe

The EU enlargement brought about a series of institutional changes in the new member-states. This article shows how the EU also shapes citizens' attitudes towards their domestic political institutions. Using survey data from the Candidate Countries and Standard Eurobarometers (2002–06), we show that political trust in national institutions in Central Europe is the effect of trust in the EU and of the expectations projected onto the evolution of the national economies. Such determinants got stronger after EU accession, thus supporting our central argument, according to which we witness a third phase in the formation of attitudes towards institutions in post-communist Europe. Keeping to these lines, our study sheds new light on the patterns and origins of political trust formation, showing that a transfer of legitimacy is possible not only from a national to a supranational level, but also in the reverse direction.

Understanding Social Trajectories: Structure and Actor in the Democratization Debate

Carnegie's article (this volume) proposes a primarily actor-centred approach, clearly very much influenced by the well-known literature on democratic transitions,1 by which to assess the Indonesian trajectory since 1998. Such an approach is utilized as well to question the interpretations of analysts of a more persuasion. The latter is represented by authors such as Robison and Hadiz,2 who have suggested that a reorganization of social and political power has taken place in Indonesia, in which the forces of a predatory oligarchy have maintained their ascendancy in spite of a series of important institutional changes. Although Carnegie's article raises issues related to the specific Indonesian case, it also engages with problems pertinent to broader debates on democratization. The superiority of an actor-centred approach is said to lie in its ability to reveal the degree to which Indonesia has progressed toward democratization. The significance of that progress is said to be underappreciated by structuralist authors, who tend to emphasize issues of oligarchy in their analysis. Indeed, the series of institutional changes that have occurred in Indonesia in the last decade has been meticulously documented by a number of scholars, and has involved everything from the advent of free elections, vibrant political party life, press freedoms, and regional decentralization. All of these changes must be taken seriously and, in fact, the Indonesian people can rightly take great pride in them, given the preceding three decades of stifling authoritarianism. However, the crux of the matter, it is argued here, is not whether democratization has taken place, but what kind of democracy has now been entrenched, after a decade of the post-Soeharto era.

Existe influência da ideologia sobre o resultado fiscal dos governos estaduais brasileiros?

O objetivo deste artigo é estudar a relação entre a ideologia partidária e o resultado fiscal dos governos estaduais brasileiros entre os anos de 1986 e 2005. Para alcançar esses objetivos, construiu-se uma variável ideológica para representar a ideologia do Executivo e do Legislativo. Três resultados merecem destaque neste trabalho. Primeiro, existe influência da ideologia partidária na determinação do resultado fiscal dos governos estaduais. Segundo, governos classificados ideologicamente como de direita produziram melhores resultados primários, principalmente pelo aumento de receitas. Terceiro, as mudanças institucionais introduzidas pelo governo federal nos anos noventa influenciaram a relação entre a ideologia e o resultado primário: os governos de esquerda apresentaram melhores resultados fiscais depois de introduzida a legislação que reestruturou as suas dívidas; de forma similar, os Legislativos de esquerda passaram a apoiar melhoria nos resultados fiscais depois da adoção da Lei de Responsabilidade Fiscal. Os resultados deste trabalho foram alcançados usando a técnica de Panel Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE).

Institutional Changes in Turkmenistan's Agriculture: Impacts on Productivity and Rural Incomes

Two agricultural economists examine the impact of a series of institutional changes during the 1990s on patterns of land ownership, farm income, crop specialization, and overall agricultural output in Turkmenistan. More specifically, the changes investigated entail the distribution of state-held irrigated land to private plots in 1990-1992, allocation of land to independent private farmers in 1993-1996, and the conversion of collective and state farms to associations of private leaseholders in 1996-1997. The study is based on official government statistics and the authors' survey of private farmers (2001) and leaseholders in peasant associations (2002). Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: Q15, Q18, Q24. 6 figures, 4 tables, 10 references.