The Nobel Diplomacy in Perspective N°25

by Josepha Laroche Translation: Pierre Chabal Before analyzing the current situation, it seems necessary to recall the historical context in which the Nobel prizes register. The Nobel system has been in existence for over a century. We owe it to the will of the Swedish philanthropist Alfred Nobel who decided to devote his fortune to it1. A literary man, a polyglot and an amateur poet, Nobel was primarily a chemist at the origin of more than 300 registered patents. This famous inventor of dynamite was also a particularly shrewd industrialist and financier who created one of the first multinationals with, already in his time, subsidiaries in a large number of countries (Germany, United States, France Italy, Norway, Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, etc.). This entrepreneurial dimension allowed him to carry out the pacifist project to which he was attached more than to anything else. Download The Nobel Diplomacy in...

Est-ce réellement une bonne idée de vouloir réduire les déséquilibres globaux en temps de crise ? N°24

Par André Cartapanis Revue d’économie financière, Numéro 103, Les politiques de sortie de crise Automne 2011 Summary Is it really a good idea to consider that reduction of global imbalances is a priority, as proposed by the participants at the G20 Finance in Washington on 13 and 14 April 2011, adopting a set of indicative guidelines to address major and persistently large imbalances? To answer, several questions must be addressed. What was the role of global imbalances in the rise of financial fragility before the crisis? What are the theoretical foundations of such a limiting external surpluses and deficits? Is it an intrinsic objective of economic policy, or rather an intermediate target in the way to more coordination in economic policies and exchange-rate dynamics? And above all, is it appropriate in times of crisis? Télécharger l’article Est-ce réellement une bonne idée de vouloir réduire les déséquilibres globaux en temps de crise...

Políticas públicas y servicios financieros rurales en Mesoamérica N°8

Par Florent Bédécarrats CEMCA. TRACE 52, dec. 2007 Abstract This article is a critical synthesis of the report “Políticas públicas y servicios financieros rurales en Mesoamérica” written by Michelle Deugd, Hans Nusselder, Iris Villalobos and Ignacio Fiestas. The document analysed consists in a comparative study in five Mesoamerican countries (Mexico, Guatemala, el Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua) of the articulation between public policies of promotion of rural financial services and public policies for rural development. After presenting a detailed panorama of the national situations, the authors show that there are some recurring schemes of disarticulation between the considered public interventions. On the basis of their diagnostic, they present some propositions for a better integration of these policy frameworks. Here we put forward the valuable findings of this research that contribute to a good understanding of complex institutional architectures. We also point some approaches that have not been taken in account by the authors and that should be explored in order to have a more complete vision of the problematic. Télécharger l’article Políticas públicas y servicios financieros rurales en...

L’Influence de la régulation sur la contribution de la microfinance au développement Le cas de la Bolivie - N°4

Par Florent Bédécarrats GRET-CERISE et Reynaldo Marconi FINRURAL Cet article est publié avec l’aimable autorisation de la Revue Tiers Monde, 197(1), 2009. Abstract Bolivia, a microfinance pionneer, is also among the first countries that implemented a regulation of this activity. Firmly supported by international institutions, this framing was designed to support a commercial vision of the sector, promoting its growth and sustainability. The settled rules urged upon the practice standardization and gave priority to profitability and stability. Nevertheless, they hampered the capacity of microfinance service providers to meet the social mission they initially stood for. Given these limitations, the Government impulsed public policies that pressure them to intervene more in support to rural and productive sectors. To overcome these antagonist constraints, some actors put some norms forward that combine social and financial criteria. In the current context, such evolutions can contribute to the reflexions toward a better regulation of the financial sector. Keywords: Bolivia, microfinance, development, regulation, norms.. Download L’Influence de la régulation sur la contribution de la microfinance au développement. Le cas de la...

The Structural Imbalances of the WTO Reconsidered A Critical Reading of the Sutherland and Warwick Commissions

Par Daniel Drache
Acting Director Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies and Professor of Political Science York University.
The best that can be said about the Sutherland 2004 and the Warwick 2007 Reports on the future of the WTO and the reform of the multilateral trading system is that both boards of enquiry launched modest…