Suchergebnisse

Da international vergleichende Studien trotz zunehmender Einigkeit über die Bedeutung von Humankapital für Wachstum und Beschäftigung mangelnde Vergleichbarkeit und Datenqualität von Bildungsvariablen zu inkonsistenten Ergebnissen kommen, wurde die Bedeutung von Humankapital mit Daten auf der Ebene der deutschen Raumordnungsregionen überprüft. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass regionale Disparitäten für das Humankapital bestehen, die nicht im Zeitverlauf konvergieren. Die Altersstruktur der beschäftigten Bevölkerung ist hierfür nicht verantwortlich. Die Branchenzusammensetzung erweist sich als moderierende Variable für die Wirkung von Humankapital auf die Beschäftigungsentwicklung. Eine Wachstumsregression unterstreicht, dass dem Humankapital eine wichtige Rolle zukommt, was jedoch nicht für den Anteil von Beschäftigten mit Hochschulabschluss gilt. Signifikante Effekte haben aber die
durchschnittlichen Jahre formaler Bildung der Beschäftigten und der Anteil von Abiturienten
mit und ohne Berufsausbildung.

The Lebanese conflict has gone through a number of phases, each with its own rationale, incorporating different issues and at times different players. Throughout there were attempts on both the domestic and the external level to find a solution to what was plaguing the country and eroding its political and social institutions. This article examines three major attempts at resolving the Lebanese conflict when the representatives of the domestic factions sat together and came up with formulae that appeared to address everyone's concerns. The process of multilateral negotiations, the asymmetrical structures of those negotiations, the ripe moment for negotiating, the role of external mediators, and the whole issue of the valid spokesman are analyzed within a theoretical framework based on I. William Zartman's model of government-insurgency negotiations.

This article discusses the structure and the functioning of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and then proceeds to analyse ARF's achievements, expectations, as well as increasing perceptions of its irrelevance as a security institution. It suggests that any analysis of the relevance of the ARF first has to examine whether the interests of its central members are opposed to the ARF's agenda and raison d'être. The three most powerful national actors (the United States, China, and Japan) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) all have an interest in supporting the ARF. It argues that the ARF is a forum that reflects the convergence of strategic interests of both the regional and external actors. Nevertheless, it concludes with the observation that the effects of the ARF are surely not sufficient to fully secure peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific, but it is arguable whether any form of institution could satisfy this goal. (Contemp Southeast Asia/DÜI)

Doing business sheds light on how easy or difficult it is for a local entrepreneur to open and run a small to medium-size business when complying with relevant regulations. It measures and tracks changes in regulations affecting 10 areas in the life cycle of a business: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency. In a series of annual reports doing business presents quantitative indicators on business regulations and the protection of property rights that can be compared across 183 economies, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, over time. This economy profile presents the doing business indicators for East African Community. To allow useful comparison, it also provides data for other selected economies (comparator economies) for each indicator. The data in this report are current as of June 1, 2011 (except for the paying taxes indicators, which cover the period January-December 2010).

"Beim Vergleich zwischen der regional bedeutendsten Macht Australien und den Pacific Islands States (PIS) fallen nicht nur die reinen Größenunterschiede auf, sondern auch die relativen und absoluten Kennziffern für politische, ökonomische und militärische Kapazitäten. Die genaue Analyse der australischen Pazifikpolitik offenbart jedoch ein Spannungsfeld zwischen engen politischen Beziehung zu den USA und wirtschaftlichen Verbindungen mit China." (Autorenreferat)

The Hanover Region was created in 2001 as a new type of urban regional body. The article deals with the conditions and goals of this administrative reform. It examines factors that contributed to the success of the reform. It is emphasised that above all the region's predecessors' more than three decades of experience with regional tasks were crucial. Also important was the fact that the region was initiated by three 'doers' from the local level, starting a bottom-up process. Crucial for the region's profile is solidarity between the municipalities with their different economic and social structures. This is guaranteed by the contribution that all municipalities pay to the region. The article also deals with the regional planning principles in the Hanover Region, which has attempted to prepare and maintain a comprehensive physical structure. It is pointed out that the main advantage of the Hanover Region is that there is political responsibility at the regional level with directly elected politicians.