Occasional Papers
Occasional Paper 48
Freedom Properly Understood
Tom G. Palmer, 2008
Freedom is rightly considered to be the highest end of mankind. While many people agree on this, many people do not agree what freedom actually is. Quite often it is confused with the material goods that flow from it, such as wealth. health or knowledge. This often provides politicians with some justification for limitations of freedom in the name of these goods. Tom Palmer (Cato Institute, Washington) in his essay tries to clarify the discussion about what freedom actually is. PDF-file
Occasional Paper 47
Civil Society? NGOism at Work
Temba A. Nolutshungu, 2008
Temba Nolutshungu criticizes NGOs in the “statist camp”. They are a mostly living with a bifurcated view to the world – villains on one side, victims on the other. As they permanently lobby for increased state intervention in their particular area, they hardly deserve the label “NGO”. In a further step he characterizes the approach of classical liberal NGOs, who believe in taking personal responsibility for one’s own destiny. PDF-file
Occasional Paper 46
KYOTO – several years after
Martin Fronìk and Jirí Schwarz, 2008
Global climate change is in the headlines every day. The most important documents for the debate are the Reports Climate Change 2007 by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, written by the former chief economist of the World Bank. Fronek and Schwarz elaborate the criticism of top academic economists on these two documents. PDF-file
Occasional Paper 45
Human Rights in Danger? Myths and Realities in the UN
Doug Bandow, 2008
On the whole, the Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations 60 years ago offers a positive vision for humanity. Doug Bandow gives a disillusioned description of today’s human rights engagement of the UN, which he regards a lost opportunity and failure. Should democratic states consider investing the bulk of their current UN contributions in a new organization, open only to liberal democratic nations? PDF-file
Occasional Paper 44
CSR: CAPITALISM AT ITS BEST OR AN ANTI-CAPITALIST MENTALITY?
Parth J. Shah, 2008
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is widely accepted as a high moral achievement in modern market society. Self-interest and morality are still seen as opposites. Shah disapproves special ethics for business men: “What we need is not corporate social responsibility but individual self-responsibility.” Not special ethics for social groups are required: “Business morality is simply personal morality. No more and no less.” PDF-file
Occasional Paper 43
Soft Power and International Rule-making
Frank Vibert, 2008
In international rule-making there is a mix of hard and soft techniques. In his paper Frank Vibert focuses particularly on soft power in the sense of making international rules of behaviour as a way of avoiding the use of coercive means also as economic sanctions and the use of force. PDF-file
Occasional Paper 42
NATION-BUILDING IN THE MIDDLE EAST:
THE NEW IMPERIALISM ?
Erich Weede, 2008
Since September 11, 2001, failed states within the Muslim world are perceived as training camps and bases for the global export of violence. The rich countries of the West and especially the United States undergo big efforts to avoid state-failure by nation-building everywhere on the globe. Erich Weede firstly outlines some obstacles to successful nation-building, followed by analysis of the experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq. PDF-file
Occasional Paper 41
The Crisis of the WTO
Wolf-Dieter Zumpfort, 2008
The paper begins with a short overview of world trade after World War II, followed by a discussion of the current situation. WTO with its 151 member countries today is the legal backbone of world trade. The ongoing round of negotiations has come to a standoff. A failure would nullify all that has been achieved so far. If there is no outcome, what is at stake for world trade – and e.g. for the developing countries?PDF-file
Occasional Paper 40
A Market driven critique on the International Financial Institutions role in the Development Process in Latin America
Juan Carlos Leal Sosa, 2008
The International Financial Institutions (IFI), World Bank and International Monetary Fund, are today in the struggle to survive or compete in the global world they help to create. In several crises in Latin America, the IMF stepped into its role as lender of last resort. The interventions of the IFI were vast – and sometimes unnecessary. Are they still up to date, as in today’s world helping has become a private business?PDF-file
Occasional Paper 39
Early Childhood Education in Finland
Liisa Heinämäki, 2008
In this paper Early Childhood Education in Finland is presented by three main aspects: 1. Finnish Social policy as a frame for Early Years Education, 2. Arranging Services: systems and forms, and 3. Early Years Education: Principles and Guiding. Early Childhood Education and Care includes Caring, Educating and Teaching. ECEC is educational interaction taking place in young children’s different living environments, aimed at promoting their balanced growth, development and learning. PDF-file
