Islam og Europa
Årets siste nummer av Internasjonal Politikk er ute og åpent tilgjengelig, med en høyaktuell fokusspalte.
How to Deal with North Korea: Lessons from the Iran Agreement
The current and oft repeated pattern of responses to North Korean nuclear and missile provocations has failed to produce results. With the stakes becoming increasingly high it is time that a new approach is explored. The success to date of the deal to cap Iran’s nuclear program offers clues to a different approach with North Korea. North Korea’s position now is stronger than ever before it has more bargaining chips. Conversely the threats posed by North Korea have never been greater. A negotiated settlement is the only acceptable outcome. The key will be to have a broad enough agenda for negotiations to ensure all parties see benefit: addressing the nuclear and missile issues, economic issues (removal of sanctions) and security issues (a Korean peace treaty to replace the armistice). The alternatives to negotiations are war or another nuclear weapon state with a de facto nuclear deterrent capability. Neither prospect will make any nation in the region more secure.
Nytt skatteparadis i Nairobi?
Vil etableringen av det nye internasjonale finanssenteret i Nairobi (NIFC) være nøkkelen til Kenyas økonomiske utvikling, eller vil det vise seg å bli enda et skatteparadis?
Utviklingsland er netto-kreditorer i verdensøkonomien
Utviklingsland har fungert som netto-kreditorer for resten av verden, der skatteparadis har spilt en stor rolle i flukten av uregistrert kapital, viser ny rapport fra forskningsprosjekt i SkattJakt-nettverket
Listening to aid recipients in "aid-development" debate: findings from "The listening project" and Jerge-Tal village in Kyrgyzstan
Foreign aid is an important aspect in understanding human development in aid-dependent societies. Original assessments of aid are generally based on the viewpoints of aid agencies, while the opinions of aid recipients often remain ignored. This perpetuates inconsistencies in understanding foreign aid, leaving a knowledge gap. In-depth analysis of aid efforts and recipients’ perceptions can shed light on the advantages/limitations of such aid, and enable appropriate development-oriented strategies. This article brings new empirics to bear on the foreign aid debate. It builds on ‘The Listening Project’ (LP), which has explored the ideas and insights of those on the receiving end of foreign aid. Inspired by “listening to people” approach, this article demonstrates the central importance of explicating empirical data and including such findings in the debate on foreign aid and development. Presenting empirical evidence on aid reception in the village of Jerge-Tal, Kyrgyzstan, the author examines whether and how feedback from aid recipients is in line with the patterns and recommendations of the LP. Both these studies add to the growing literature on foreign aid for development by virtue of “listening to aid recipients” in donor–recipient relations. The conducted benchmark analysis reveals that the characteristics of aid provisions in Jerge-Tal village comply with the patterns and common assessments discovered by ‘The Listening Project’. Key findings relate to greater opportunities for public participation, ownership and coordination of the aid programs and development projects. Aid recipients of LP stress the issues of appropriate knowledge on aid-recipient societies; of aid as “business model” with irrational allocation of budget and recruitment of recipients that creates “project societies” instead of the intended civil societies. The study of aid recipients in Jerge-Tal village brings an example of aid-recipient empowerment and participation in development achieved through cooperation with international and local aid agencies together with the Kyrgyz state. Potential policy implications refer to the fostering of collaborative activities between aid agencies, aid recipients and state institutions as a condition for effective aid management and coordination.
VIDEO: Forsker for et sikrere Europa
- Europa har behov for en mer konsekvent sikkerhetspolitikk, sier seniorforsker Nina Græger. Gjennom et utvekslingsprogram for nordiske forskere har hun fått mulighet til å jobbe med temaet i tett samarbeid med svenske kollegaer.
Kald krig eller åpent vindu?
Hvorfor skal vi være gode naboer og venner med Russland i nord, når vi er uvenner i sør? spurte Lars Georg Fordal i Barentssekretariatet da han åpnet for debatt på Litteraturhuset.
SkattJakt-Konferansen 2016
Skatteparadis og utviklingsland – hvilke konsekvenser ser vi og hvordan begrense den stadig økende kapitalflukten fra utviklingsland? 21-22 november møttes ledende forskere og eksperter i Bergen for å diskutere disse problemstillingene samt presentere den nyeste forskningen.