Neo liberalism, securitisation and the new transnational regulatory governance

This paper argues that events in the aftermath of September 11 have intensified a move towards a more authoritarian and regulatory global order. The paper presents two central arguments. First, that the events of September 11 should not be seen in simple terms as a reassertion of US hegemony. On the contrary, the emerging regulatory order is to be found within the internal transformation of the state—a transformation characterised here as the ‘new transnational regulatory governance’. Secondly, we argue that the post cold war global order signals a decisive break with the Westphalian notion of statehood. Notions of hegemony and new imperialism are trapped within the Westphalian framework. In contrast, we argue that the intensification of global capitalism creates the conditions for the emergence of new webs of regulatory governance that link capitalist states together in a way similar to Kautsky’s (1978) notion of ultra imperialism. It is within this version of ultra imperialism that we seek to locate Southeast Asia’s role in the global order

Retailing Governance? The Rise of Accountability Communities

'Who' is accountable to 'whom' becomes a crucial issue in new modes of governance. The thrust of a substantial literature on regulatory governance at the global or national level is towards a search for substitute mechanisms of accountability and monitoring, operating outside formal governmental institutions. And here, what I term 'accountability communities' perform a crucial function. Accountability communities are complex and composed of public and/or private organisations and they: a) perform legislative, monitoring and compliance activities in specific functionally based regulatory regimes within and beyond, national boundaries; b) operate through institutional forms such as deliberative forums, markets, or use of network mechanisms; and c) possess particular understandings of accountability that binds various actors together

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The Japanese industry policy model has been a beacon for the Australian union movement in its struggle to situate itself in the region. But Kanishka Jayasuriya argues that the importance of the Japanese model has been dramatically overestimated

Workfare for the global poor: Anti-politics and the New Governance

Civil society is very much in fashion, being the currency in which the tokens of the 'new governance' are traded. Yet it remains an elusive and ambiguous concept. For those active in social movements, civil society provides an alternative sphere of political contestation to that within the formal political apparatuses of government; for others, such as social change analysts and development theorists, including technocrats and multilateral agencies, civil society has become central to the management of the development process, providing the ..

Economic orthodoxy and the East Asian crisis

It is now clear that the economic crisis that struck East Asia so suddenly and violently at the end of 1997 has irrevocably altered the political and economic landscape of the region. Major Asian companies have gone bankrupt, anxious domestic and foreign investors have relocated vast amounts of capital abroad, interest rates have skyrocketed, and inflation and unemployment have soared. At the same time, the economic crisis has also led to the collapse of several governments within the region. In South Korea, an opposition party led ..

The rule of law and regimes of exception in East Asia

The ‘rule of law’ we agree—and it is almost a motherhood statement—is vital for any functioning of liberal democracy. But why then is it so hard to establish and consolidate in East Asia? The usual response to this problem is framed in one way or another in terms of the malevolent interests of dominant political actors. However, I want to propose instead that the problem is much more deep-seated and needs to be located in the modalities through which political actors—even those of an oppositional bent—have cognized the foundation of state power and the relationship between the state and the citizen.1 But let me make it clear that in highlighting these factors I do not in anyway seek to deny the capricious and arbitrary use of the legal system by political leaders for short term ends; the recent and most blatant political trial of Anwar with its flagrant abuse of the Malaysian judiciary is ample testimony to the importance of these factors. What is interesting about the use of state power in East Asia is the constant deployment and justification of executive power in the name of public order and national unity. In pursuit of these ‘public order’ objectives political and military leaders in the region have suspended even the often rudimentary civil and political rights contained in their constitutions. Quite often these objectives have been enabled by emergency or internal security provisions within the constitution—often a product of the colonial state—give public authorities far-reaching power to suspend normal legal and political processes. In short, to exercise power through exceptional and executive prerogative power. Carl Schmitt, the deeply conservative jurist who was a critic of the Weimar Republic, is perhaps the most preeminent theorist of the exception: ‘Exception’ is the capacity of the sovereign to make decisions in terms of its political will rather than be constrained by normative ‘law’. Schmitt suggests the exception as something which is ‘… codified in the existing legal order, can at best be characterized as a state of peril, a danger to the existence of the state, or the like. But it cannot be circumscribed factually and made to conform to preformed law’ (Schmitt 1985: 6). Schmitt especially in his early writings he draws a strong link between the power to decide on what constitutes the exception and sovereignty; it is sovereignty which is at the heart of the regime of exception. Specific emergency constitutional provisions have allowed governments to constitute—in all meaning of that word—a regime of exception. As Loveman (1993) points out in a superb account of Latin American constitutional history, such a regime of exception allows a temporary suspension of existing constitutional provisions in order to give executive authorities far-reaching powers to reorganize the governmental apparatus. The use of such emergency provisions is a familiar aspect of executive power in the region. The beginning of the new order regime, operation cold storage in Singapore, and the May 1969 riots in Malaysia have triggered the initiation of emergency provisions that have resulted not only in the suspension of normal political processes but also a radical reorganization of the apparatus of power which has resulted in extensive centralization of power and increased reinforcement of the coercive powers of the state. This much is familiar enough. Indeed the new order regime provides an excellent illustration of a regime of exception. But what is of more interest here—and this contrasts with Loveman’s) analysis of Latin America—is that there has been, particularly in Malaysia and Singapore, no return to a state of normalcy. In fact, regimes of exception have become the norm

Role of informal healthcare providers in tuberculosis care in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic scoping review.

Achieving targets set in the End TB Strategy is still a distant goal for many Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). The importance of strengthening public-private partnership by engaging all identified providers in Tuberculosis (TB) care has long been advocated in global TB policies and strategies. However, Informal Healthcare Providers (IPs) are not yet prioritised and engaged in National Tuberculosis Programs (NTPs) globally. There exists a substantial body of evidence that confirms an important contribution of IPs in TB care. A systematic understanding of their role is necessary to ascertain their potential in improving TB care in LMICs. The purpose of this review is to scope the role of IPs in TB care. The scoping review was guided by a framework developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute. An electronic search of literature was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Global Health, CINAHL, and Web of Science. Of a total 5234 records identified and retrieved, 92 full-text articles were screened, of which 13 were included in the final review. An increasing trend was observed in publication over time, with most published between 2010-2019. In 60% of the articles, NTPs were mentioned as a collaborator in the study. For detection and diagnosis, IPs were primarily involved in identifying and referring patients. Administering DOT (Directly Observed Treatment) to the patient was the major task assigned to IPs for treatment and support. There is a paucity of evidence on prevention, as only one study involved IPs to perform this role. Traditional health providers were the most commonly featured, but there was not much variation in the role by provider type. All studies reported a positive role of IPs in improving TB care outcomes. This review demonstrates that IPs can be successfully engaged in various roles in TB care with appropriate support and training. Their contribution can support countries to achieve their national and global targets if prioritized in National TB Programs

Physiological Epicotyl Dormancy and Recalcitrant Storage Behaviour in Seeds of Two Tropical Fabaceae (Subfamily Caesalpinioideae) Species

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Physiological epicotyl dormancy in which the epicotyl elongates inside the seed before the shoot emerges has been reported for only a few tropical rainforest species, all of which are trees that produce recalcitrant seeds. In studies on seeds of Fabaceae in Sri Lanka, we observed a considerable time delay in shoot emergence following root emergence in seeds of the introduced caesalpinioid legumes Brownea coccinea and Cynometra cauliflora. Thus, our aim was to determine if seeds of these two tropical rainforest trees have physiological epicotyl dormancy, and also if they are recalcitrant, i.e. desiccation sensitive. METHODOLOGY: Fresh seeds were (i) dried to various moisture levels, and (ii) stored at -1 and 5 °C to determine loss (or not) of viability and thus type of seed storage behaviour (orthodox, recalcitrant or intermediate). To identify the kind of dormancy, we tested the effect of scarification on imbibition and monitored radicle emergence and epicotyl growth (inside the seed) and emergence. PRINCIPAL RESULTS: FRESH SEEDS OF BOTH SPECIES HAD HIGH MOISTURE CONTENT (MC): 50 % for C. cauliflora and 30 % for B. coccinea. Further, all seeds of C. cauliflora and the majority of those of B. coccinea lost viability when dried to 15 % MC; most seeds of both species also lost viability during storage at -1 or 5 °C. Intact seeds of both species were water permeable, and radicles emerged in a high percentage of them inHowever, shoot emergence lagged behind root emergence by 77 ± 14 days in B. coccinea and by 38 ± 4 days in C. cauliflora. Further, plumule growth inside seeds of C. cauliflora began almost immediately after radicle emergence but not until ∼30-35 days in B. coccinea seeds. CONCLUSIONS: Seeds of both species are recalcitrant and have physiological epicotyl dormancy. The kind of physiological epicotyl dormancy in seeds of C. cauliflora has not been described previously; the formula is C(nd) (root)-[Formula: see text] (epicotyl)

What are the tuberculosis care practices of informal healthcare providers? A cross-sectional study from Eastern India

India is the highest TB burden country, accounting for an estimated 26% of the global TB cases. Systematic engagement of the private sector is a cornerstone of India's National Strategic Plan for TB Elimination (2017-25). However, informal healthcare providers (IPs), who are the first point of contact for a large number of TB patients, remain significantly underutilized in the National TB Elimination Program of India. Non-prioritization of IPs has also resulted in a limited understanding of their TB care practices in the community. We, therefore, undertook a descriptive study to document IPs' TB care practices, primarily focusing on their approach to screening, diagnosis, treatment and referral. This cross-sectional study was carried out from February to March 2020 in the Birbhum District of West Bengal, India. Interviews were conducted utilizing the retrospective case study method. A total of 203 IPs participated who reported seeing at least one confirmed TB patient in 6 months prior to the study. In that duration, IPs reported interacting with an average of five suspected TB cases, two of which were later confirmed as having TB. Antibiotic use was found to be common among IPs (highest 69% during the first visit); however, they were prescribed before the patient was suspected or confirmed as having TB. We noted the practice of prolonged treatment among IPs as patients were prescribed medicines until the second follow-up visit. Referral was the preferred TB case management approach among IPs, but delayed referral was observed, with only one-third (34%) of patients being referred to higher health facilities during their first visit. This study presents important findings on IPs' TB care practices, which have consequences for achieving India's national goal of TB elimination