Publikationsreihe "Occasional Papers"

englisch
Publikationen zu aktuellen politischen Themen herausgegeben vom Liberalen Institut

Freedom, The Rule of Law and Market Economy. Concerning a cognitive dissonance

(Detmar Doering, 2011)

Market economy is often subject to suspicion. It appears to represent an aspect of freedom that not everybody feels secure with. Already in Germany (but not only here) stress on a supposed contradiction between the understanding of the rule of law or civil rights freedoms on the one hand and market freedom on the other hand is becoming more and more pronounced.

The future tasks of Liberalism - a political agenda. Theme Report, Liberal International Congress, Pisa, September 1988

(Ralf Dahrendorf, 2011)

“Constraints set limits to what can be done but do not determine what has to be done”, wrote Ralf Dahrendorf more than twenty years ago. This sentence still applies, and has perhaps become even more relevant, to the situation in which political Liberalism finds itself in Germany today. Dahrendorf headed his article The future tasks of Liberalism – a political agenda, and the present political discussion is also about nothing more or less than that.

The Dutch health care system – Can the Germans go Dutch?

(Marcel Canoy, 2010)

Since the health care reform of 2006 only private health insurances exist in the Netherlands. The reform seems to meet the financial standards: in 2009 the health sector has been the first time in the black. There are no waiting lists for specialists any longer, but therefore we find higher efficiency, lower costs and a better transparency of expenses.

92 American Health Care Policy Issues

(Arnold Kling, 2010)

The belief that America has the world‘s greatest health care system implies limits on how much reform the public is willing to accept. Gaps in health insurance coverage are a source of frustration and an impetus for changes in government policy. The belief that Americans waste resources on health care raises the issue of who should be empowered to make different choices. The unsustainable projected fiscal path suggests that politically unpopular reforms are on the horizon.

Agricultural Reform in New Zealand

(Alastair Jardine, 2010)

New Zealand's agricultural reforms (1984-1991) offer a number of lessons for other countries. Perhaps the most obvious is that farmers can prosper without substantial state assistance. Indeed, this is not so much a lesson of the reforms as it is of the entire history of New Zealand agriculture, for which substantive assistance was historically extra-ordinary. And yet the agricultural reforms show impressively how political decisions that cut down on extensive state subsidies don’t let the agricultural sector break down. Given the enormous dimension of the agricultural subsidies in the budget of the European Union it is worth looking at successful reforms that contain subsidies cut-back – even if they took place at the other end of the world.

Liberalism, liberal policy and private property

(Stefan Melnik, 2010)

The author gathers principles that build the basis of the institution of property rights. The relation of property rights to other aspects of a liberal society (like rule of law and democracy) is thereby an essential element. The political adviser Stefan Melnik explains why private property is so important and why we should feel obliged to protect and inplement property rights.

87 Non Centralism - The Swiss Experiment based on Local Government, Direct Democracy and Tax Competition

(Robert Nef, 2009)

Switzerland is known as an sucessful example of cantonal and communal autonomy. Robert Nef, president of the foundation board of the Liberal Institute in Zurich, writes in his new paper about institutional differences between Switzerland and Germany and why this is important for communal self adminsitration in both countries. Non-centralism and democratical legitimatized taxation in Switzerland leads to more efficent production and distribution of public goods than the centralized financing of local government in Germany.

86 The private Provision of Public Goods - The History and Future of Communal Liberalism

(Fred E. Foldvary, 2009)

Fred E. Foldvary illustrates the differences between public and private communal goods, criticizes the notion of implicit agreements between citizens and the state and presents examples contractual provisions of public goods in private communities.

Occasional Paper 84 - The American Dream - Job Migration Into The United States

(Thomas Cieslik, 2009)

The United States remains an attractive destination for millons of migrants yearning for freedom and prosperity, especially from Mexiko. But illegal immigrants has stirred up controversy in both of the neighbour nations: the US and Mexico. The following essay outlines the contemporary debate over immigration in Mexico and the United States.

Occasional Paper 82 - Migration matters - How Germany and the world can benefit from a free movement of people

(Philippe Legrain, 2009)

Immigration divides our globalising world like no other issue. No government would dream of trying to ban the movement of goods and services across borders. But even within the EU, for which the free movement of labour is supposedly a fundamental principle, restrictions still exist. For P. Legrain such controls are morally wrong, economically stupid and politically harmful.

Occasional Paper 78 - Addressing Climate Change in the Context of Other Problems – A Plea for Realism over Ideology

(Indur M. Goklany, 2009)

Some governmental leaders, scientists and media outlets have claimed that climate change is the world’s most important environmental problem. The World Health Organization indicate that a dozen other environmental, food and nutritional risk factors (e.g., hunger, malaria, unsafe water, and indoor and outdoor air pollution) contribute more to global mortality and burden of disease than climate change...

Occasional Paper 56 - Reform of the financial scheme in Germany: A never-ending story?

(Thomas Lenk, 2009)

Professor Thomas Lenk, Director of the Institute of Finance at the University of Leipzig, describes the origins, functioning and complexity of the financial equalisation scheme in the German states or Länder. He is of the opinion that the scheme has become increasingly unmanageable and complex over the years. PDF-file

Occasional Paper 55 - Treaty Federalism: The Canadian Experience

(Julie Simmons, 2008)

According to Julie Simmons, the effects of decentralisation usually vary, are diverse and contradictory. Federalism in Canada has not only been a process but also always a structure. The era of contract federalism found a way out of the impasse of the federal constitution of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Occasional Paper 54 - The Treaty of Lisbon - a Threat to Federalism

(George Herbert, 2008)

George Herbert from St. Peter's College, Oxford University, describes the implications of the Treaty of Lisbon for federalism in Europe. He is of the opinion that it will not come to an EU that is federal in its organisation, as the people in the individual countries will insist on maintaining their national sovereignty.

Occasional Paper 51 - Sport as Virtue . . . as Love . . . as Commerce

(Lincoln Allison, 2008)

What is sport: simply a pastime? Just a business? Is it a cultural activity? Lincoln Allison describes, how things among sportsmen and spectators have changed over the years and he shows that the concept of amateurism is neither financial nor social.

Occasional Paper 50 - Football and political freedom: the historical experience of divided Germany

(Jutta Braun, 2008)

During the Cold War football was highly politicised. The rivalry between the different systems of the East and the West was always a major player in international soccer events and a driving force for government aid for sports. This paper sketches the developments of soccer in eastern and western Germany from the early fifties up to "soccer unity" in the early nineties.

Occasional Paper 49 - Sport, the State and the Market

(Raymond D. Sauer, 2008)

Spectator sport has never been more popular, at least as measured by audience, size and ticket prices. That we love sport does not imply that we should be seeking to protect it from the marketplace. Rather, an enjoyable and vibrant world of sport comes from allowing individuals to organize the competitions in ways that consumers find most appealing.

Freedom Properly Understood

(Tom G. Palmer, 2007)

Freedom is rightly considered to be the highest end of mankind. While many people agree on this, many people do not agree what freedom actually is. Quite often it is confused with the material goods that flow from it, such as wealth. health or knowledge. This often provides politicians with some justification for limitations of freedom in the name of these goods. Tom Palmer (Cato Institute, Washington) in his essay tries to clarify the discussion about what freedom actually is.

Civil Society? NGOism at Work

(Temba A. Nolutshungu)

Temba Nolutshungu criticizes NGOs in the “statist camp”. They are a mostly living with a bifurcated view to the world – villains on one side, victims on the other. As they permanently lobby for increased state intervention in their particular area, they hardly deserve the label “NGO”. In a further step he characterizes the approach of classical liberal NGOs, who believe in taking personal responsibility for one’s own destiny.

KYOTO – several years after

(Martin Fronìk and Jirí Schwarz, 2007)

Global climate change is in the headlines every day. The most important documents for the debate are the Reports Climate Change 2007 by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, written by the former chief economist of the World Bank. Fronek and Schwarz elaborate the criticism of top academic economists on these two documents.

Human Rights in Danger? Myths and Realities in the UN

(Doug Bandow, 2007)

On the whole, the Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations 60 years ago offers a positive vision for humanity. Doug Bandow gives a disillusioned description of today’s human rights engagement of the UN, which he regards a lost opportunity and failure. Should democratic states consider investing the bulk of their current UN contributions in a new organization, open only to liberal democratic nations?

CSR: Capitalism at its best or an anti-capitalist mentality?

(Parth J. Shah, 2007)

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is widely accepted as a high moral achievement in modern market society. Self-interest and morality are still seen as opposites. Shah disapproves special ethics for business men: “What we need is not corporate social responsibility but individual self-responsibility.” Not special ethics for social groups are required: “Business morality is simply personal morality. No more and no less.”

Soft Power and International Rule-making

(Frank Vibert, 2007)

On the whole, the Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations 60 years ago offers a positive vision for humanity. Doug Bandow gives a disillusioned description of today’s human rights engagement of the UN, which he regards a lost opportunity and failure. Should democratic states consider investing the bulk of their current UN contributions in a new organization, open only to liberal democratic nations?

Nation-Building in the Middle East:

(Erich Weede, 2007)

Since September 11, 2001, failed states within the Muslim world are perceived as training camps and bases for the global export of violence. The rich countries of the West and especially the United States undergo big efforts to avoid state-failure by nation-building everywhere on the globe. Erich Weede firstly outlines some obstacles to successful nation-building, followed by analysis of the experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Crises of WTO

(Wolf-Dieter Zumpfort, 2007)

The paper begins with a short overview of world trade after World War II, followed by a discussion of the current situation. WTO with its 151 member countries today is the legal backbone of world trade. The ongoing round of negotiations has come to a standoff. A failure would nullify all that has been achieved so far. If there is no outcome, what is at stake for world trade - and e.g. for the developing countries?

A Market driven critique on the International Financial Institutions role in the Development Process

(Juan Carlos Leal Sosa, 2007)

The International Financial Institutions (IFI), World Bank and International Monetary Fund, are today in the struggle to survive or compete in the global world they help to create. In several crises in Latin America, the IMF stepped into its role as lender of last resort. The interventions of the IFI were vast - and sometimes unnecessary. Are they still up to date, as in today’s world helping has become a private business?

Early Childhood Education in Finland

(Liisa Heinämäki, 2007)

In this paper Early Childhood Education in Finland is presented by three main aspects: 1. Finnish Social policy as a frame for Early Years Education, 2. Arranging Services: systems and forms, and 3. Early Years Education: Principles and Guiding. Early Childhood Education and Care includes Caring, Educating and Teaching. ECEC is educational interaction taking place in young children's different living environments, aimed at promoting their balanced growth, development and learning.

The Impact of Tax and Benefits on Family Structure

(Patricia Morgan, 2007)

Are we a social species? Not if UK household trends are anything to go by – these just suggest increasing fragmentation or atomisation.
As strongly deterrent tax and benefit structure and messy marital laws mean that less and less people will get married, the percentage of all children born to unwed mothers will go on rising and, in the ongoing contest between two reproductive strategies, the direction of the social dynamic is towards fewer conjugal families and more woman-state-child families.

Quality, Quantity and Type of Child Care: Effects on Child Development in the USA

(Jay Belsky, 2007)

This paper summarises major findings emerging from the largest and most systematic investigation of the developmental effects of nonmaternal child care on children’s development ever conducted in USA, the NICHD Study of Early Child Care (SECC).

Free Markets and Peace – An International Overview

(Eric Gartzke, 2006)

Generating peace obviously is an important condition of allowing market mechanisms, limiting the ambit of government and of integrating nations through the network of voluntary exchanges.

Offensichtlich ist die Erzeugung des Friedens eine wichtige Bedingung dafür, marktliche Mechanismen zuzulassen, den staatlichen Herrschaftsbereich zu begrenzen und Nationen durch ein Netz freiwilliger Tauschakte miteinander zu verbinden.

Unfulfilled expectations: Israelis’ changing view of the role of the state and its implications

(Tamar Hermann, 2006)

Israelis’ changing view of the role of the state and its implications
Tamar Hermann, 2006
For a long time the Israeli Jewish society was characterized by a deeply rooted collectivist orientation. The strong state was seen in positive light. Only since the late 1970s slight changes in the attitude towards the state began to appear. In the present paper Tamar Herman, Professor at the Open University of Israel, analyses this process and its consequences for the Israeli society. The current state of mind is incongruent and unstable. It is characterized by still existing collectivist tendencies, but also by disillusionment with the state, resulting in excessive individualism and political escapism. The author argues that this state of mind is very dysfunctional particularly in times of serious politic challenges. It may result in the erosion of Israel’s democratic nature.

Devolution as a Guarantor of Peace

(Leon Louw, 2006)

Mit „Devolution“ ist gemeint, dass Macht nach unten abgegeben wird, an Regionen, Distrikte, lokale Verwaltungen, Gemeinden etc. Die Erfahrung zeigt, dass Devolution Freiheit, Frieden, Wohlstand fördert und mit demokratischen Prinzipien harmoniert.

Orange Revolution: Origins, Successes and Failures of Democratic Transformation

(Olexiy Haran, Petro Burkovsky, 2006)

The Orange Revolution was a symbol of hope for people in the whole post-Soviet space. In 2004 the falsification of the Presidential elections led to massive and finally successful protests. Two years later, in 2006, the Ukrainian political system and the democratic forces faced serious problems.

Consequences of Military and Foreign Policy Competion for Economic Development and the Growth of Big

(Peter Bernholz, 2006)

Heraklit war der Auffassung, Krieg sei der Vater aller Dinge. Vergil dagegen meinte, im Krieg liege kein Heil. Der Verfasser nimmt auf Grund empirischer Untersuchungen eine vermittelnde Position ein: Militärische und politische Konkurrenz zwischen Staaten hat günstige langfristige Auswirkungen auf die Entwicklung von Märkten und regt wirtschaftliches Wachstum an. Dadurch sinken in aller Regel die Militärausgaben

A Variety Of Visions For The Post-9/11 State: Which Is Most Capable Of Reducing Internal Conflict?

(John A. Tures, 2006)

Empirische Daten legen die Annahme nahe, dass Staaten, die Bürgerrechte und wirtschaftliche Freiheit respektieren, mit geringerer Wahrscheinlichkeit unter internen Konflikten zu leiden haben als nicht nicht-liberale Staaten.

How the United Nations Undermines World Peace

(Pierre Bessard, 2006)

In this paper the author sharply criticises the United Nations for its statist and relativist approach. Behind a glossy façade it the organisation did not unite nations, but governments. Pierre Bessard analyzes policies and ideology of the UN and demonstrates that its agenda is collectivist and anti-capitalist. Most of its policies cause much more harm than good for the people and help only small elites. At the same time among the members of the UN were and are even the most brutal regimes in the world. Consequentially the record in peace keeping and conflict solution is very bad.

As an alternative to the United Nations a global order of voluntary cooperation and free exchange of goods, is proposed in the paper.

The West Divided? The Future of Transatlantic Relations

(Jacques Garello, 2006)

Only five years after the events of September 11th 2001 a deep division among the Western governments became obvious. In the present “Occasional Paper”, Jacques Garello, em. Professor at the Université d’Aix Marseille III, analyzes the main reasons for this division.

Freedom and Competion: The Future of Europe

(Sascha Tamm, 2006)

The European integration has brought prosperity and lots of liberties to their citizens. But there are also undesirable developements as bureaucracy and centralisation. This paper contains a liberal concept for the future of Europe.

The Politics of EU Tax Harmonisation

(Richard Teather, 2006)

The European Union has already many powers to raise and harmonise taxes. This not only tifles tax competition, say British economist Richard Teather. It is an attempt to impose the increasingly failing “social model” of “old Europe” on those who do not wish to follow that path.

The Moral Case for Tax Havens

(Daniel J. Mitchell, 2006)

International institutions like the OECD or the EU are increasingly impatient about so-called “tax havens” and ask for concerted political action against them. In his provocation study Daniel Mitchell (Heritage Foundation, Washington) not only argues that tax havens are a necessary pre-condition for genuine tax competition. He also argues that they are safeguards for the individual rights of those who are persecuted by dictatorial regimes all around the globe.

The Economics ofInternational Tax Competition

(Gerrit Köster, 2006)

In the debate over the advantages or disadvantages of international tax competition it is soften overlooked that there are robust economic criteria for its evaluation. To put it more precisely: Under with conditions is tax competition the source of wealth, solid public finances and more employment through innovation? Gerrit B. Koester give an introduction onto the most elementary answers to these questions.

Unfair Competition? Slovakia's Tax Policy

(Martin Chren, 2006)

Slovakia’s dynamic tax policies have not only produced more economic growth, they have also invited criticism from high-tax countries of the EU. “Unfair competition” is the new slogan for those who would like to harmonise taxation on a very high level. Slovakia’s tax policies are, however, not unfair at all, argues Martin Chren (Hayek Foundation, Bratislava). They are rather an incentive for others to “clean up” their tax systems.

Liberty: The best Remedy against Poverty

(Otto Graf Lambsdorff)

Opponents of the free market often argue, that freedom was good for the rich, but bad for the poor. Otto Count Lambsdorff (chairman of the Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung) argues that – on the contrary – the market economy was and is the only path to economic development for the poor.

The Social Dimension of Liberal Policy

(Hubertus Müller-Groeling)

“Liberal policy has per se an important social dimension”, says Prof Müller-Groehling in his new paper. “It is based on a model of society which is intrinsically social, and safeguards the freedom of the individual to fulfil his life plan in the civil society,” says Professor Hubertus Mueller-Groeling, a member of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation’s board and former vice-president of the Institute for World Economics.

Education without the State - British private and charitable schooling in the 19th century and beyon

(James Bartholomew, 2006)

A historical perspective does demonstrate that many results of the public education sector could have been easily achieved by private and non-governmental mean. On the contrary, the state’s influence often lead to a decline in quality.

Independent Schooling in South Africa

(Jean Redpath, 2006)

In South Africa tuition fees have, contrary to the law, excluded many children of the poor from public schools. The relative privileged position of formerly white schools has been reinforced. At the same time private schools have increase in the low income segment, where the low quality of the public schools has created a new demand fort hem.

Education and the Free Society

(Kenneth Minogue, 2006)

Education, understood as the activity of sustaining and transmitting of culture needs freedom as a condition of ist existence. Potentially it is always in conflict with other interests and institutions in society.

Europe and Education

(Ulrich van Lith, 2006)

Competing educational and training systems strengthen Europe and her member states. A European capital market for investment in human capital has to increase the competitiveness and integration of Europe.

An Overview of Parental Choice Education in the United States

(Jennifer Marshall, 2006)

Choice in education in the US leads to mor equality of chances and give more opportunities to disadvantaged student from a low-income family background. School choice has improved the achievements of public schools and their students and has contributed to more contendment of the parents.

The Impact of Dezentralized Knowledge on Education

(Peter A. Henning, 2006)

How does the extreme growth of data and knowledge and its half-life period affect the use and quality of education. Education in the 21st century will means the access to electronic lressources of learning – at any place and not ending at a certain age.

The state versus the Poor

(David C. Berliner, 2006)

The positive correlation between family income and educational achievement has the effect that in the US the school system does not reach ist goals.

The Use of International Comparative Assessment Studies

(Jaap Scheerens, 2006)

International comparative educational assessment studies can be useful in analysing and comparing the average national standards, the differences between the achievements of schools and students, and the effects of given pre-conditions of the school system. They can answer question about efficiency and quality standards.

Sustainability criticised

(Richard D North, 2005)

Kann man das Ziel, Wirtschaftsentwicklung mit Zukunftsverträglichkeit zu kombinieren wirklich so verwirklichen? Zweifel, ob wir überhaupt wüssten, was die Bedürfnisse künftiger Generationen seien, sind durchaus angebracht. Wird durch diesen Ansatz nicht auch bisweilen das Wachstum im Keim erstickt, das erst die Grundlage für ressourchenschonendes Wirtschaften sei? Sollte Wachstum nicht manchmal Vorrang vor "Nachhaltigkeit? haben?

Between Freedom and Censorship. Asian Political Parties in Cyberspace

(James Gomez, 2005)

Wie überall auf der Welt wird auch für die politischen Parteien Asiens das Internet als Informations- und Kommunikationsmedium sowie als Kampagneninstrument immer wichtiger. Doch die Entwicklung hin zu webbasierter politischer Arbeit verläuft nicht ohne Widerstände.

Human Rights and the Wars on Drugs and Terrorism

(Rafael Pardo Rueda, 2005)

In den letzten Jahrzehnten führten die Staaten Lateinamerikas sowohl den Kampf gegen den Terrorismus als auch den gegen die Drogenkriminalität vor allem mit militärischen Mitteln. Rafael Pardo aus Kolumbien analysiert die Auswirkungen auf das politische System und die Reformnotwendigkeiten.

The Drug War Against Civil Liberty and Human Rights

(David B. Kopel, Michael Krause, 2005)

Seit Präsident Nixon im Jahr 1971 den Drogenmissbrauch zum “öffentliche Feind Nummer eins” in den USA erklärte, ist dort eine riesige Bürokratie entstanden, die den „Krieg gegen die Drogen“ führt. Die Autoren vom renommierten „Independence Institute“ beleuchten kritisch, welche Folgen das für die Rechte der Bürger hat.

Liberty in the Modern World

(Richard D. North, 2005)

In modernen Gesellschaften ist ein hohes Maß an individueller Freiheit für die Menschen zur Selbstverständlichkeit geworden. Doch vielen ist nicht mehr bewusst, welche Voraussetzungen diese Freiheit hat. Richard North zeigt anhand verschiedener Beispiele, welche Bedrohungen heute für unsere Freiheit existieren und wie ihnen begegnet werden kann.

What are Human Rights?

(Hardy Bouillon, 2005)

Der international verwendete Begriff der Menschenrechte ist logisch inkonsistent, da er Abwehrrechte und Anspruchsrechte vermischt.
Hardy Bouillon argumentiert im vorliegenden Text, dass aus liberaler Sicht nur die Verteidigung der negativen Freiheit, die sich auf Eigentumsrechte zurückführen lässt, legitim ist.

Globalisation: Threat or Opportunity to Women in the Developing World?

(Jo Kwong, 2004)

Frauen in Entwicklungsländern sind oft ärmer als ihre männlichen Kollegen. Können wir dafür die Globalisierung verantwortlich machen?
Jo Kwong zeigt, dass die Freiheit des Marktes und die Freiheit sich selbst zu organisieren für Frauen eine riesen Chance bietet.

Do Intellectual Property Rights Harm Africa

(James Shikwati, 2004)

Warum gibt es im letzten Buschdorf in Afrika Coca Cola, aber keine Medikamente? Konsequent fordert James Shikwati den Schutz intellektuellen Eigentums auch in Afrika.

Could the Globalisation of Education Benefit the Poor

(James Tooley, 2004)

Globalisierung als Ausweg aus Armut und Analphabetentum in der Dritten Welt? Diese Frage würden viele Leser wahrscheinlich spontan negativ beantworten oder zumindest sehr skeptisch sehen. So sehr wird das soziale Empfinden in Deutschland von den geradezu missionarischen Argumenten der Globalisierungsgegner beeinflußt, erst recht wenn es um Entwicklungsländer geht.

Globalisation and Culture

(Tom Palme, 2004)

In der emotional aufgeladenen Argumentation der Globalisierungsgegner wird oft behauptet, dass gerade indigene Kulturen schutzlos der Globalisierung ausgesetzt seien und von „Coca-Colisierung“ und einer unersättlichen westlichen Konsum-und Profit-Kultur aufgesogen und zerstört würden.

Globalisation and the Poor

(Johan Norberg, 2004)

Armut ist bis heute ein brennendes Problem in vielen Teilen der Welt. Für die Armen gibt es nur Hoffnung auf Besserung, wenn sie durch die Öffnung der Märkte die Chance erhalten, ihre eigenen Kräfte produktiv einzusetzen.