Engaging arts, impacting PaR

This provocation explores the issue of impact and KE on the use of Practice as Research in interdisciplinary research. I argue that the KE and Impact turn has resulted in the ‘arts’ part of arts and humanities research being met by the use of arts to disseminate research findings or to develop participatory modes of research. This risks the place of practice as research in interdisciplinary research teams. Full text HTML PD

The Sea Among Us: The Amazing Strait of Georgia by Richard Beamish and Gordon McFarlane

Review of The Sea Among Us: The Amazing Strait of Georgia by Richard Beamish and Gordon McFarlane

Institutions for Enhancing Economic Policy Performance

institutions, development, regulation

East Asian Economic Integration and its Impact on Future Growth

Two propositions appear to be gaining wide currency, given the revealed preference for preferential trade agreements (PTAs) in the East Asian region and elsewhere. The first is that economic integration is a good way to promote economic growth. The second is that PTAs, particularly ones that go beyond goods trade, are an effective way to promote economic integration. Yet both propositions are empirical questions. In this paper, a partial evaluation of the evidence suggests caution is called for. Current PTAs appear to be doing little to remove the important impediments to growth in the region. Far greater income gains would come from comprehensive reform of nondiscriminatory impediments to competition, as part of a thorough-going program of unilateral domestic regulatory reform. It may be time to rethink East Asian economic integration as a policy priority, or at least review the way in which it might be pursued.East Asia, economic integration, trade, Growth

Publication Review - Social and Environmental Policies in EC Procurement Law - new Directives and new Directions Edited by Sue Arrowsmith and Peter Kunzlik

A critical review of a book by Sue Arrwsmith and Peter Kunzlik which examines two significant aspects of EU 'horizontal' policies which embed social and environmental considerations into the public procurement process. A range of academic debates examine alternative perspectives focused on contemporary social and environmental issues including competitive priorities, green energy , social justice and non-discrimination and how they can be taken into account in the procurement of public works, services and supplies

Challenges and Opportunities for Trade and Financial Integration in Asia and the Pacific

The aim of this chapter is to explore whether there are principles that can be brought to bear in negotiating the services and investment provisions of trade agreements, and which can help to ensure that the partial reforms achieved under those agreements add to, rather than detract from economic well-being. These principles might be seen as the services and investment equivalents of the "top-down" principle for tariff reform. It is not intended to go as far as developing a negotiating modality for services or investment, as that would be premature. However, the principles developed here could be used by individual countries on a voluntary basis when undertaking negotiations in services and investment.negotiate, service, investment, trade agreement, tariff reform, liberalization

Institutions for enhancing economic policy performance

development, institutions, finance