Circles of Exclusion: The Politics of Health Care in Israel

Dr. Dani Filc delves into Israel\u27s health care system and provides numerous insights on how a private health care system undermines the principle of caring for the poor. Dr. Filc stresses that blind commitment to a for-profit health care system leads to wasted money and increased social inequity

Is Latin America on the Right Track? An Analysis of Medium-Term Frameworks and the Budget Process

Medium Term Fiscal Frameworks (MTFs) have become one of the most popular reforms to the budgetary process in Latin America during the last decade, and introducing MTFs seemed to be the magic solution for most fiscal ailments. Nonetheless, there has been no comprehensive evaluation of their impact. This document discusses the normative merits of using MTFs, provides a characterization of the different types of MTF, and describes their development in the Latin American region based on extensive field work. As a first approximation for understanding how they are working, this document explores in detail the cases of Argentina, Colombia and Peru. While an unambiguous diagnosis is not possible, this document lays the groundwork for progress toward comprehensive impact evaluations and, eventually, to the consolidation of MTFs in the region.Latin America, Medium-Term Fiscal Frameworks, Medium-Term Expenditure Frameworks, Budget Process, Fiscal Outcomes, Fiscal Reforms

Brauchen wir ein anderes Weltwährungsregime? - Devisenmärkte brauchen stabilisierende Regeln

Seit der Einführung des Euro im Jahre 1999 verfiel sein Wechselkurs insbesondere gegenüber dem Dollar und dem Yen entgegen allen Erwartungen und im Widerspruch zu den Fundamentaldaten. Ist die Abwertung des Euro eine Folge von Ineffizienzen des Devisenmarktes? Brauchen wir ein anderes Weltwährungsregime? --

Absolut oder relativ: zur Diskussion über die Konsolidierung öffentlicher Haushalte

Die öffentliche Verschuldung ist seit dem Stabilitäts- und Wachstumspakt in der Europäischen Währungsunion wieder in den Mittelpunkt des Interesses gerückt. Bleibt bei der Diskussion um die Haushaltskonsolidierung die Balance zwischen Gegenwart und Zukunft gewahrt? Wird die heute Steuern zahlende Generation zu stark belastet? Wie lässt sich eine nachhaltige Stabilisierung der Staatsschulden erreichen? --

Reconstructing data : evidence-Based Medicine and Evidence-Based Public Health in context

The emergence of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) as the gold-standard practice in biomedicine and public health practices represents a significant epistemological turn in modern medicine. The development of Evidence-Based Public Health (EBPH) followed the emergence of Evidence-Based Medicine, as an attempt to ground health policies and interventions on «sound facts». The present paper analyzes the historical and sociological roots of this turn. We evaluate the ethical and social consequences of this transformation, both within the medical profession (the polarization between a medical elite which strengthened its professional status, and a rank and file which experienced a process of «de-professionalization») and in its relationship to the welfare state (the link between the medical elite, EBM, EBPH and the commodification of health care and public health)

Populism, religion and family values policies in Israel, Italy and Turkey

There is a growing focus in political science on right-wing populist parties. But few comparative studies address their discourses and politics relating to family values, especially when involved with policy-making. Moreover, many comparative works about populism focus on a single region – often Western and Eastern Europe. This paper adopts a definition of populism with two different dimensions: the vertical (inclusive), which regards elites, and the horizontal (exclusive), which addresses ‘foreigners’. The use of family values in political discourse and policy pertains to the two axes of populism. On the one hand are elites who are accused of being uncommitted to traditional values and morally corrupt. On the other hand are demographic concerns regarding declining birth rates among native populations and immigrants with large families. The stress on family values can also originate from a value orientation – or merely a tactical move – engendered by political competition. This paper specifically examines the politics of family values in the context of policies concerning gender equality, family planning and LGBT rights in three countries: Israel, Italy and Turkey. These countries share a rather strong religious tradition, experienced changes in family orientations and have populist political parties that appeal to religious values. In our comparative study, we explore these developments and the role of family values in the discourses and policies of the Likud and Shas parties in Israel, the Lega and Fratelli d’Italia parties in Italy and the AKP in Turkey

Economic crisis and the variety of populist response: Evidence from Greece, Portugal, and Spain

Greece, Portugal and Spain are among the countries worst hit by the 2008 Great Recession, followed by significant electoral and political turmoil. However, one of the dimensions in which they differ is the presence and varieties of populism in parties’ political proposals. Drawing on holistic coding of party manifestos, we assess the varying presence of populist rhetoric in mainstream and challenger parties before and after the 2008 economic downturn. Our empirical findings show that populism is much higher in Greece compared to Spain and Portugal. We do not find a significant impact of the crisis as the degree of populism remains rather stable in Greece and Portugal, while it increases in Spain, mainly due to the rise of new populist forces. The study confirms that populist rhetoric is a strategy adopted mainly by challenger and ideologically radical parties. In addition, inclusionary populism is the predominant flavour of populist parties in new Southern Europe, although exclusionary populism is present to a lesser extent in the Greek case. We contend that the interaction between the national context – namely the ideological legacy of parties and the main dimensions of competition – and the strategic options of party leadership is crucial for explaining cross-country variation in the intensity of populism and the specific issues that characterise populist discourse