VII National and Area Studies / Études Nationales et Régionales
| Published date | 01 June 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/00208345231182644 |
| Date | 01 June 2023 |
472
VII
NATIONAL AND AREA STUDIES
ÉTUDES NATIONALES ET RÉGIONALES
73.4087 ABBONDANZA, Gabriele — A sea of difference? Australian
and Italian approaches to irregular migration and sea-
borne asylum seekers. Contemporary Politics 29(1), 2023 :
93-113.
While Australian and Italian policies on irregular maritime migration are
widely debated, they have seldom been examined together, a gap in the
literature that this article addresses with a comprehensive comparative
analysis. Informed by theories on irregular migrants' reception, it traces
the two countries' policies between 2000 and early 2022, and examines
their many convergences and few discrepancies through a framework
comprising (1) domestic pressures, (2) international pressures, and (3) the
choice between the moral imperative and national interest. It finds that
contrasting socio-political characteristics domestically explain why Can-
berra and Rome have at times adopted opposite policies, whereas com-
parable international pressures clarify the implementation of similar ones.
[R, abr.]
73.4088 ADISSON, Félix ; HALBERT, Ludovic — State financializa-
tion: permanent austerity, financialized real estate and the
politics of public assets in Italy. Economy and Society 51(3),
2022 : 489-513.
Inspired by Streeck’s consolidation state theory, this paper develops a the-
oretical framework of the restructuring of the state in late-stage financial-
ized capitalism. It observes how in Italy, an emblematic consolidation
state, the use of public real estate investment funds supports assetization,
that is how state properties are gradually transformed into financial assets
via multilevel and multi-sector politics of public assets. As it explores the
institutional and material rearrangements underpinning the restructuring of
the Italian state, the paper shows how permanent austerity and financiali-
zation mutually reinforce each other, with the result that state organiza-
tions internalize a financial investor’s vie wpoint, while statecraft in creas-
ingly rely on financial actors, instruments and capital. The conclusion dis-
cusses how this theoretical framework can be extended beyond Italy and
to other public assets. [R]
73.4089 AHRAM, Ariel I. — Rebel oil regimes and economic govern-
ance: the case of the Houthis in Yemen. Conflict Security
and Development 22(6), 2022 : 589-607.
Most studies on oil and rebellion focus on the physical competition to con-
trol sites of resource production such as fields, refineries and export ter-
minals. Issues of ownership are tertiary, even derisory. This paper takes
issues of ownership seriously, detailing how rebel groups make legal
claims to ownership of state-controlled oil assets. Rebel oil regimes are
embedded in broader forms of rebel economic governance and diplomacy.
Rebels can assert legal rights to resources even when they lack physical
access to it. Using the case of the Houthis (Ansar Allah) in northern
Yemen, the paper shows how rebel oil regimes help solidify elite bargains
and relationships with outside patrons in ways that affect the course of
conflict and conflict resolution. Considering legality alongside physical
possession of resources better explains how rebel governance operates
in the economic sphere. [R]
73.4090 ALIM, Eray — Strategic hedging in the Black Sea: the case
of Turkey versus Russia. Comparative Strategy 41(5), 2022 :
459-482.
Although strategic hedging has attracted increasing scholarly attention in
the study of how secondary states manage their relations with a neighbor-
ing great power, existing works on the subject suffer from a serious defect:
privileging unit-level variables over structural determinants and security
imperatives. The crux of secondary state hedging, however, is to manage
the power imbalance against a local great power and security require-
ments must therefore be considered as the prime determinant behind de-
cisions to embrace hedging strategies. I shall examine this hypothesis
against the empirical evidence provided by the case of Turkey and Russia
in the Black Sea region. [R]
73.4091 ANDERSSON MALMROS, Robin — Prevention of terrorism,
extremism and radicalisation in Sweden: a sociological in-
stitutional perspective on development and change. Euro-
pean Security 31(2), 2022 : 289-312.
National approaches to prevent terrorism, extremism, and radicalisation
have changed considerably over the last decades. Previous studies map-
ping these changes have primarily relied on empirical analyses of formal
policy and political processes. This case-study of Sweden takes an alter-
native route, and analyses a dataset of 1405 Swedish newspaper articles
(1985–2019) using a new institutional theory and social movement theory
framework. Therethrough, the paper is able to provide new insights into
the emergence and development of an institutional issue field concerned
with the prevention of terrorism, extremism, and radicalisation. More spe-
cifically, the paper highlights the unstable, fragmented, dynamic and con-
tested character of the field’s development. Frames containing the prob-
lems and solutions considered most important during each of the field’s
five stages are identified, and the subsequent institutional and organisa-
tional consequences are discussed. [R, abr.]
73.4092 APFELD, Brendan, et al. — Higher education and cultural
liberalism: regression discontinuity evidence from Roma-
nia. Journal of Politics 85(1), Jan. 2023 : 34-48.
Some studies suggest that university attendance exerts a liberalizing ef-
fect on attitudes toward cultural issues such as sexuality and sexual iden-
tity, prostitution, drug addiction, abortion, capital punishment, divorce, par-
enting, gender, race, religion, science, and technology. Other studies find
only a weak effect or no effect. Divergent findings may stem from research
designs that rest largely on observational data when assignment to treat-
ment is nonrandom and there are many threats to inference. We enlist a
unique research setting in Romania that allows for a fuzzy regression dis-
continuity design separating those qualified to matriculate to university
from those unqualified to do so. We find that university attendance con-
tributes to a more liberal outlook as measured by our composite index,
corroborating the main (preregistered) hypothesis. Evidence for subsidiary
hypotheses is mixed. [R]
73.4093 APOSTOLOPOULOS, Nikolaos, et al. — Investigating gov-
ernment lending during an economic crisis: a comparative
analysis of four EU countries. European Politics and Society
23(4), 2022 : 548-562.
Many economists argue that fiscal balance (i.e. preventing fiscal deficits
and establishing rules for government lending) positively affects the
growth rate. Several studies document a strong correlation between these
two variables based on the Ricardian equivalence theorem and the crowd-
ing-out effect. It may be argued that high growth rates lead to a positive
fiscal balance, while lower/negative growth rates lead to deficits (but not
vice versa). This study examines this cause-and-effect relationship via a
sample of four EU countries that have been affected by the economic cri-
sis. Specifically, a Granger causality analysis captures the linear interde-
pendencies among multiple time series to determine the causal relation
between the budget deficit and the GDP growth rates for Greece, Italy,
Spain, and Portugal. The results show that no clear rule governs the
cause-and-effect relationship between the GDP growth rates and net gov-
ernment lending rates (as a percentage of GDP). [R, abr.] [See Abstr.
73.4204]
73.4094 ARESPA, Marta ; GONZÁLEZ-ALEGRE, Juan — Tax auton-
omy mitigates soft budget constraint: evidence from
Spanish regions. Journal of Public Policy 43(1), March 2023 :
1-32.
Within the framework of the soft budget constraint problem, this article in-
vestigates the impact of a legislative reform that increased regional tax
autonomy on the propensity of Spanish regional governments to incur a
deficit. For this purpose, a dynamic panel data model is estimated, using
data for the period 1984-2019. The sample shows a breakpoint in 2002,
when the reform of the regional financing system came into force, provid-
ing Spanish regions with greater tax autonomy, more fiscal competency,
and lower intergovernmental transfers. Results show that the budget con-
straint has hardened, as regions have fewer incentives to accumulate
budgetary deficits with the expectation of future compensations from the
central government. A comprehensive review of the evolution of other fac-
tors previously identified as determinants of soft budget constraints, and
the analysis of two regions not included in this financing system, suggest
no other possible explanation for these results. [R]
73.4095 BADEWA, Adeyemi Saheed — Regional security complex:
the Boko Haram menace and socio-economic develo-
Études nationales et régionales
473
pment crises in the Sahel. Conflict Security and Develop-
ment 22(4), 2022 : 321-343.
Regional development and stability in many parts of the Global South is
threatened by violent conflicts — deep-rooted in complex ‘geo-politico-
economic challenges’. This reflects the causality of Boko Haram threats
and security-development crises in the Sahel. To extrapolate the patterns
of insecurity and their effects on peace and development in the region, a
thematic analysis of empirical and secondary data was conducted using
the Regional Security Complex Theory (RSCT). This expatiates on the role
of actors, geopolitics (external) interventions, the environment, and re-
sources in the Sahel’s complex security-development milieu. The study
deduced that escalation of conflicts and negative consequences of inter-
ventions exacerbate states’ fragility and human insecurity, amidst dis-
placement, destruction, and impairment of livelihoods and regional resili-
ence capacities across the Sahel. Therefore, it recommends a holistic re-
gional security-development mechanism, that is evidence-based, to sus-
tainably address the root causes and effects of Sahel’s insecurity and so-
cio-economic predicaments. [R]
73.4096 BAHL, Roy W. ; TIMOFEEV, Andrey ; YILMAZ, Serdar — Im-
plementing federalism: the case of Nepal. Public Budgeting
and Finance 42(3), Fall 2022 : 23-40.
The new Constitution of Nepal established a federal system of governance
in 2015. Implementation began in 2018 following the 2017 subnational
elections. The new system is comprised of seven provinces and 753 local
governments. The constitution assigns important functional responsibili-
ties to provincial and local governments and mandates that they have sig-
nificant autonomy in deciding how services will be delivered. Subnational
governments accounted for over one-third of total government expendi-
tures planned for FY2021, financed primarily by intergovernmental trans-
fers. This paper describes the new federal system, discusses the early
implementation successes and challenges, and draws some lessons from
Nepal's experience. [R]
73.4097 BALDWIN, Kate ; RICART-HUGUET, Joan — Does land
quality increase the power of traditional leaders in con-
temporary Africa? Journal of Politics 85(1), Jan. 2023 : 334-
339.
The power of traditional leaders varies across and within sub-Saharan Af-
rican countries. Existing literature explains this as the result of state-build-
ing decisions about where to employ indirect rule in the colonial and post-
colonial periods. We argue that the contemporary power of traditional lead-
ers is also influenced by land quality. In the precolonial period, land quality
played little role in encouraging political centralization due to its abun-
dance relative to the population. In the current period, traditional chiefs are
more influential in places with higher agricultural potential because of in-
creased competition for land. Drawing on survey, ecological, and anthro-
pological data, we show that the power of traditional leaders is endoge-
nous to local land quality. [R]
73.4098 BANG, Guri ; ROSENDAHL, Knut Einar ; BÖHRINGER, Chris-
toph — Balancing cost and justice concerns in the energy
transition: comparing coal phase-out policies in Germany
and the UK. Climate Policy 22(8), 2022 : 1000-1015.
Europe’s two largest economies — Germany and the UK — are phasing
out coal from electricity production as part of European efforts to fulfil in-
creased climate policy ambitions that require comprehensive energy sys-
tem transitions. German and UK governments varied in the ways they
sought support from diverse societal interests to make the transition so-
cially acceptable and politically feasible. Drawing on 22 expert interviews
and process-tracing methods, this paper compares and explains how po-
litical and economic institutional differences influenced efforts to balance
energy transition concerns, like speed and cost-effectiveness with justice
for companies, workers and communities most adversely affected by the
transition. We find that th e increasing attention to just transition p erspec-
tives after the Paris Agreement affected the design of coal phase-out pro-
cesses in different ways in the two countries. [R, abr.]
73.4099 BARANDIARÁN, Xabier ; CANEL, María José ; BOUCKAERT,
Geert — ¿Qué m ueve a confiar en la gobernanza colabo-
rativa? Análisis de un programa gubernamental en el País
Vasco (What drives trust in collaborative governance?
Analysis of a governmental programme in the Basque
Country). Revista española de Ciencia política 60, Nov.
2022 : 251-275.
Collaborative governance constitutes an aspiration in both the study and
practice of public management. In this endeavour, trust is an intangible
resource that gets of special relevance, because it is assumed that in order
to foster the participation of different actors in public policies it is necessary
to acknowledge the value of their contributions. While the literature on cit-
izen trust on collaborative government programs is large, works about both
intra-organizational trust (between politicians and civil servants) and inter-
organizational trust (from the latter to societal organizations) are scarce.
This article explores the dynamics of trust between actors (politicians, civil
servants and citizens) who participate in a governmental program of col-
laborative governance (Etorkizuna Eraikiz, Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa),
and it focuses on the sources or drivers of trust. [R, abr.]
73.4100 BARBATO, Giovanni ; GALANTI, Maria Tullia — The interac-
tions among structure, institutions and agents: how entre-
preneurs shape narratives. Journal of Comparative Policy
Analysis: Research and Practice 24(5), 2022 : 473-489.
Agents, acting strategically as institutional entrepreneurs, utilise narratives
that resonate with both the structure and institutions to promote change.
The hypothesis in this article holds that if they intend to be successful,
agents must behave strategically by taking into account the different policy
domains and the dominant ideas therein. At the same time, the narratives
of the institutional entrepreneur should take into careful consideration the
various enabling conditions that may occur at multiple levels. The u se of
narratives are compared for two reforms — the “Jobs Act” and the “Buona
Scuola — Good School” – formulated by the Italian government between
2014 and 2015. [R] [See Abstr. 73.2860]
73.4101 BARIS, Omer F. ; KNOX, Colin ; PELIZZO, Riccardo — “Good
enough” governance in the post-Soviet Eurasia. Journal of
Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice 24(4),
2022 : 329-359.
This paper examines the relationship between governance and economic
development. Specifically, it empirically investigates what “good enough”
governance means in post-Soviet Eurasia with an emphasis on Central
Asia. The subject is crucial for international donors in terms of optimizing
interventions to effect change. The findings shed some light not only on
which governance dimensions are critical to secure economic growth but
also on how much good governance is needed to yield developmental div-
idends. In this respect, the analyses confirm Grindle’s hypothesis that not
all governance dimensions affect economic performance. The evidence
supports a more radical version of Grindle’s argument, namely that politi-
cal stability is the most crucial component in Central Asia. [R]
73.4102 BAWA, Jagmeet ; SINGH, Gurphej — Exploring the fault-
lines in Kyrgyzstan's post 2010 premier-presidential sys-
tem. Asian Affairs (London) 53(4), 2022 : 888-913.
At independence in 1991, Kyrgyzstan inherited the former Soviet Union's
distinct 'semi-presidential' system combining a robust president, a weak
parliament, and a meek prime minister. Its governance then was catego-
rized as a 'president-parliamentary' system under Shugart and Carey's ty-
pology. However, Kyrgyzstan's 2010 'April Revolution' paved the way for
a new 'premier-presidential' system intended to elevate the status of the
prime minister and parliament and thereby diffuse power among rival po-
litical elites. This 'premier-presidential' system turned out to be a short-
lived experiment: the 2020 'October Uprising' resulted in a turn to a system
of 'strong presidentialism'. This study aims to present an analysis of the
fissures in the 'premier-presidential' system of 2010-2020 which eventually
contributed to its downfall. It argues that the downfall of the premier-pres-
idential system was primarily caused by two sets of factors, structural and
contingent, working in tandem. [R]
73.4103 BECKLEY, Michael ; BRANDS, Hal — China’s threat to
global democracy. Journal of Democracy 34(1), Jan. 2023 :
65-79.
A powerful but anxious Chinese regime is now engaged in an aggressive
effort to make the world safe for autocracy and to corrupt and destabilize
democracies. Democracy promotion may be out of style in US foreign pol-
icy, but democracy prevention is very much at the heart of Chinese strat-
egy today. [R]
73.4104 BEDIRHANOĞLU, Pınar — Economic management under
the presidential system of government in Turkey: beyond
the depoliticization versus repoliticisation dichotomy.
Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies 24(1), 2022 : 97-
113.
Passage to Presidential System of Government in Turkey in 2018 meant
a leap in the state’s neoliberal transformation since the 1980s. In the eco-
nomic field, this led to politicized, centralized and personalized manage-
ment practices in contrast to the earlier neoliberal mottos of depoliticiza-
tion, decentralization and institutionalization. This article presents a de-
tailed critical analysis of politicized government strategies during the Au-
gust 2018 currency crisis to highlight class-based historical continuities
underlying this shift from depoliticization to repoliticisation. Rethinking Pe-
ter Burnham’s arguments on depoliticization, it argues that the turn to-
wards politicization in economic management is indicative of a more fun-
damental depoliticization process engendered at the level of structured
social relations due to enhanced capitalist subordination of state and so-
ciety by financialisation in Turkey. [R]
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