capture
« Previous EntriesWill now FIFA finally ban North Korea from International Soccer, moving away from double standards?
Saturday, July 31st, 2010It is well known that a month ago Sepp Blatter, the president of the world’s soccer governing body, FIFA, was irritated, vociferous and quick to officially react when French politicians engaged on a debate about the performance of their national football squad at the South Africa World Cup. Imperiously, and consistent with the monopolistic [...]
Wall Street Financial Reform: Less than meets the eye on Financial Institutions, More than meets the eye on Oil Companies
Friday, July 16th, 2010
The 2,500 page long Dodd-Frank Financial Regulatory Reform Bill has passed through the United States Senate. The bill will now be signed into law by President Barack Obama. It signals a halt to the deregulatory process that the U.S. financial system has experienced for almost fifteen years.
The bill promises to strengthen consumer protection. In principle, it [...]
Blowing the Vuvuzela on FIFA: Governance Reforms for Development
Friday, July 9th, 2010Sixty-two games have been played at the 2010 World Cup, which has been marvelously hosted by South Africa. Only two games remain; one tomorrow for third place, and then Sunday’s much awaited World Cup Final between Spain and the Netherlands. In a couple of days, we will have a brand new world soccer champion. [...]
Will June 27 become ‘Instant Replay in Soccer’ Day?
Sunday, June 27th, 2010This day, June 27th, is important for both Britain and Argentina. Over 200 years ago, on this day in 1806, the British captured Buenos Aires. Today, June 27th, 2010, fortunes were reversed. Two crucial soccer games took place in the knockout stage of the World Cup. In the first, Germany sent England home 4-1, [...]
Greece and Volcanoes, BP Oil and Hurricanes
Saturday, May 29th, 2010 The earth’s wrath is ubiquitous these days, as vividly witnessed by the fiery eruptions of the Eyjafjallajokull, Turrialba and Arenal, Pacahua, and Tungurahua, the active volcanoes in Iceland, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Ecuador, respectively.
In ancient Greece, a volcano eruption was a sign of divine disapproval. It is unclear whether modern Greece has taken notice.
For better [...]
Corruption and Fiscal Deficits in Rich Countries
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 Some of my research tends to challenge orthodoxy, such as taking issue with the claim that the developing ‘world’ is the corrupt one (contrasting wealthy nations); that corruption is largely about blatant bribery, and that corruption and macro-economic stability should be viewed separately from each other by different types of ‘experts’.
Right now I am committing the heresy of focusing on the [...]
Wall Street Reform and Beyond
Friday, April 16th, 2010 For years I have been arguing that regulatory and state capture is a major challenge in many countries, including in the US. I wrote papers, presented analysis and evidence, even argued the case to top executives at the World Economic Forum long ago.
All with limited success, other than getting some articles published in journals [...]
Breaking the Cycle of Crime and Corruption (while questioning existence of the cycle)
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010 The World Policy Journal asked for the views of a few of us on “How Can Nations Break the Cycle of Crime and Corruption?” I answered, in a just-published short piece, though I disagreed with the main premise behind such question: Crime and Corruption need not be inextricably linked, or party to a vicious cycle.
In [...]
Transparent Aid for Haiti’s Reconstruction: Capture Matters
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
On Wednesday, March 31, international donors are convening at the United Nations to discuss Haiti’s long-term reconstruction plans and to make assistance pledges. The publicly disseminated Action Plan for Reconstruction and National Development of Haiti, produced by the government of Haiti with inputs from the U.N., European Commission, the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and civil [...]
Desastres Naturales y Deberes Nacionales: El Terremoto de Chile en una Perspectiva Internacional
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 Un enfoque amplio de gobernabilidad comparativa conlleva a nuestra conclusión de que Chile ha respondido relativamente bien al mega-terremoto, a pesar de errores serios en la etapa inicial. Identificamos logros, errores, y desafíos en la reacción frente al terremoto, los cuales constituyen una oportunidad de reforma para el país.
Traducción del artículo “Natural Disasters, National Diligence: The Chilean Earthquake in Perspective”, por D. Kaufmann y [...]
Natural Disasters, National Diligence: The Chilean Earthquake in Perspective
Saturday, March 6th, 2010 The Chilean earthquake that hit during the early morning hours of February 27 has brought searing images of devastation; and international news coverage has shown scenes of looting and arson incidents occurring in its immediate aftermath. In Chile, criticism of the government’s response is widespread.
Many are wondering whether numerous deaths and severe destruction could [...]
Guns, uninterrupted: beyond Alabama killings, onto Virginia and National Parks
Friday, February 19th, 2010 Predictably, the Alabama faculty killings by Amy Bishop have generated views from all sides, including to my previous post (here, and in Facebook as well). I posted that entry as news about the shootings were emerging. Subsequently I contributed a commentary piece at Brookings (here).
In that commentary I mention that it could be argued that the system did not fail, but that Amy Bishop [...]
Harvard Educated Professor Kills Faculty Colleagues: Second Amendment of the Constitution traveled from Massachusetts to Alabama
Saturday, February 13th, 2010I defer to the news outlets to continue to cover yesterday afternoon killings of three faculty member at the University of Alabama at Huntsville, allegedly perpetrated by a Amy Bishop, a Harvard doctorate in neurobiology. She is accused of opening fire during the biology department faculty meeting she was a member of, which discussed [...]
State Capture by “Main Street”?: The Toyota Saga Accelerates
Thursday, February 11th, 2010A few days ago I argued that one ought not point a finger at Toyota alone for the ’sudden unintended acceleration’ (SUA) woes in their vehicles, and suggested that the problem also reflects the failure of the US Government regulatory agency (NHTSA) to do its job. At that time I provided incipient evidence that [...]
Revamping Aviation Security: Non-terrorist Delta Flight 59 Exposes Ongoing Risks
Monday, February 8th, 2010In a previous entry critical of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) new profiling guidelines in the aftermath of the Christmas Day attempted terrorist attempt, I suggested that instead of focusing on nationality as a profiling devise for travel screening, a different and multi-pronged strategy may prove more effective. It would entail shifting away from national [...]
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