Suchergebnisse

In 2010, the Indian Members of Parliament increased their salaries threefold, invoking a controversial debate over the justification for the unprecedented hike. The Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament had proposed the increase based on the notion that MPs should earn more than the highest paid regular full-time civil servant whose salary had shortly before been increased – one symbolic rupee more. Yet, the reason why MPs should earn more was not made explicit in the debate. As the salary increase was not well received by the public, it is critical to dissect the argument and work out the possible Warrant structures supporting it. On that basis, the debate can move from unsupported Claims to more profound discussions about diverging visions for the role of MPs and principles guiding Indian society. This analysis is aimed at initiating such a needed turn in debate by reconstructing and evaluating the main arguments put forward for increasing the salary, namely that MPs should be compensated for the time-intensiveness of their work and that their salary should display their higher institutional status as compared to public secretaries.

"Although prospects for peacekeeping and peacebuilding in Africa have significantly improved since the end of the East-West conflict, creating the conditions for lasting peace nevertheless remains a challenge. While liberal peace as ideological frame and strong regional security organisations (RSOs) account for positive impacts and great potential, their effectiveness remains a hope, rather than a given. This report contributes to the debate on the effectiveness of peacekeeping/ peacebuilding on the African continent by analysing the policies and activities of the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) as well as some of its member states regarding two global norms: a) Protection of Civilians (POC) as one task of peacekeeping operations and b) Security Sector Reform (SSR). Based on the examples of Darfur, Chad, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe, the report finds that the similar interpretation of doctrines is promising and can be considered an indicator that a layered system of global security governance based on strong and connected RSOs could be both effective and legitimate. However, this alignment of doctrines remains fragile and does not always translate into increased effectiveness at the local level due to three classes of frictions the report identifies." (author's abstract)