Hasil untuk "Political institutions and public administration - Asia (Asian studies only)"

Mohamad Zreik

Abstract This paper explores the growing trend of academic collaborations between China and Arab countries as a form of Track II diplomacy, offering a counter-narrative to the securitization of knowledge exchange that has emerged in Western countries. As the geopolitical landscape shifts, Western nations have increasingly framed academic cooperation with China through the lens of national security and ideological competition, epitomized by initiatives like the U.S. China Initiative. In contrast, many in Arab countries view China-Arab academic partnerships as opportunities to foster peaceful international relations and mutual development, with less political scrutiny than often accompanies Western collaborations. However, perceptions of these collaborations can vary within the Arab world, depending on national, political, and institutional contexts. For example, while some Arab nations embrace these engagements as part of broader development goals, others may be more cautious due to their historical and geopolitical relationships with both China and Western powers. This paper examines how these collaborations function as a tool for China to engage with the Arab world on the basis of shared academic and cultural values, promoting understanding and cooperation. By investigating key initiatives such as joint research programs, university partnerships, and student exchanges, this paper highlights the role of China-Arab academic diplomacy in promoting regional stability and global collaboration, positioning it as an alternative to the politically charged academic exchanges occurring between China and the West.

Rod Dacombe, Marta Wojciechowska

Recent years have seen a rapid growth of interest in the inclusion of citizen participation in the work of public institutions, advancing a well-established literature in public administration, which aims to reconcile the goals of public bureaucracies with those of democracy. Consequently, a rich body of literature and empirical work has emerged, which explores the extent to which the aspirations of the literature are reflected in practical experiences of participatory initiatives. In this article, we argue that this literature would benefit from a deeper connection with democratic theory. In particular, we suggest that our ability to make assessments over the functioning of citizen participation initiatives would be strengthened by a closer engagement with the contributions made by social choice theorists. We aim to promote a constructive dialogue, suggesting that considering social choice perspectives in analyses of participation might allow the claims made by proponents of citizen involvement in public administration to be strengthened considerably.

Minwang LIN

China and Pakistan celebrated the 10th anniversary of the launch of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in 2023. Over the past decade, the CPEC has been developed amid controversies and challenges, and has achieved notable successes, especially in large-scale infrastructure construction, which has laid the foundation for Pakistan’s economic development in the long term. However, the ever-changing domestic and international environment has not alleviated the challenges and risks facing the future development of the CPEC. Domestic instability in Pakistan, as well as intensifying strategic competition between the United States and China, could affect the future of the CPEC.

Thuy Anh Nguyen, Lan Anh Nguyen

Emerging countries like Vietnam are increasingly becoming alluring destinations for international students, fostering diversity and cultural interaction in the university environment, and contributing to the enhancement of the countries’ soft power. However, while numerous studies have explored Vietnamese students’ engagement in transnational education, very few have investigated international student mobility in Vietnam. This study aims to understand the decision-making process and the factors influencing foreign students’ choices to study and stay in Vietnam. The qualitative study involves interviewing international students across various disciplines and institutions to reveal the elements that either promote or hinder their decisions to study and remain in Vietnam upon graduation. The study broadens the existing literature by providing insightful reasoning processes behind international students’ actions in choosing to study, stay, or leave a country. The utilization of the theory-of-action framework enables the study to provide methodological, context-specific, and practical insights that transcend conventional theoretical debates. The practical implications toward building and sustaining an inclusive environment for international students contribute to the formulation of more effective policies aimed at attracting and retaining international students in Vietnam and beyond.

Innokentii G. Aktamov, Anna V. Vinokurova, Munkhbat Orolmaa

Goals. The article aims to characterize some key aspects of present-day migration from Mongolia to Australia. Materials and methods. The study employs a comprehensive methodology to analyze international and national statistics data from the United Nations, UNESCO, Governments of Australia and Mongolia, etc. It also involves discourse analyses of Russian-, Mongolian- and English-language print and online publications dealing with the migration of Mongolian citizens to Australia. Survey methods have proved as instrumental, e. g., expert surveys, informal interviews, and questionnaires. Field research was conducted in the summer of 2022. Results. The study reveals key characteristic features of Mongolian migration to Australia. Firstly, Mongolian migrants in Australia are a fastest growing group of foreign migrants. Currently, Australia is becoming an increasingly popular labor (third place after the Republic of Korea and the USA) and educational (fourth place after China, Korea and Japan) destination for Mongolian citizens. Secondly, the main driving force of labor migration from Mongolia to Australia is the economic motive; however, non-financial factors play an equally important role — low population density, similar to landscapes, high living standards and quality of life, favorable migration situation in the host society. Thirdly, educational migration from Mongolia to Australia, as well as labor migration, has a high potential, is associated with further employment prospects and professional self-realization for Mongolian citizens both at home and in the destination country. Labor and educational migration is stimulated by active special government programs within operating Australia-Mongolia agreements both in industrial/economic (primarily in mining) and humanitarian spheres (various scholarships, academic mobility). The countries anticipate an expansion of economic, cultural and educational cooperation, which shall make it possible to implement mutually beneficial projects.

Aike P. Rots

This article discusses the problem of lingering methodological nationalism within Japanese studies. It argues that methodological nationalism remains widespread not only in research but also in university teaching and public dissemination, which legitimises popular conceptions of Japan as a singular, unified entity that is essentially different from both the West and continental Asia. This methodological nationalism is a consequence of the ways in which disciplinary structures contribute to the reification, demarcation and naturalisation of ‘Japan’ and ‘things Japanese’ as distinct objects of study in need of their own guild of specialised interpreters. The article argues that to overcome methodological nationalism, scholars of Japan need to reconsider their choice of subject matter and reflect more upon their use of the adjective ‘Japanese’. It proposes three research agendas for the academic study of Japan. First, we should study discursive and institutional processes of Japan-making instead of being complicit in them. Second, we need to rethink ‘Japan’ as our main spatio-cultural unit by focusing on diversity within the Japanese isles and beyond (including migrant and Indigenous perspectives). Third, we should conduct and contribute to comparative research that focuses on both local particulars and transnational connections, rather than using the nation-state as our main unit of analysis.

Sindy Valenita, Endah Mustika Ramdani, Joni Dawud et al.

Pusat Koordinasi dan Informasi Covid-19 Jawa Barat (Pikobar) application system is an example of digital services implementation in West Java. Since pandemic condition has been improving, thus, Pikobar application needs system adjustment. This research was carried out at Jabar Digital Service (JDS) as the  developer and organizer of Pikobar, to analyze Pikobar services so that they can be used in post-pandemic era. The aim of this research was to look at the potential of JDS to create services that suit the need of the community, especially digital health services. The research method was descriptive and qualitative through interviews and observations. This study used successful service strategy model according to Devrye (1997), which consisted of seven aspects, namely: Self-esteem, Exceeded expectations, Recovery, Vision, Improving, Care, and Empowerment. The results showed that the seven aspects had been met by JDS, but there were still room for improvement. Pikobar service improvement can be used to adjust features made in the future with the support from various strategies, such as digital-based public service policies making, technology infrastructure support, and transforming Pikobar into health service center. Thus, in the long run, West Java citizen could use Pikobar as digital public service in postpandemic era.

Haerana Haerana, Fatmawati Fatmawati, Burhanuddin Burhanuddin et al.

The Public Service Innovation Network is a form of cooperation in the development of public service innovations that are run between related agencies, as an effort so that all parties are connected to each other in the development of public service innovations. This research is based on qualitative research method with descriptive type. Data were collected through interviews, observation and documentation. The data validation technique uses the theory of Miles & Huberman. The results of the research show that the implementation of the South Sulawesi JIPP is well implemented, with the ability to distribute the latest information with the support of a website that was created, as a learning tool and a data center for public service innovation information, and become a center for accelerating the quality of public services in the province of South Sulawesi so that a number of Regional Apparatus Organizations have succeeded. won an award at the Public Service Innovation Competition at the National level. The Public Service Innovation Network is a stakeholder collaboration node for the success of the one agency one innovation movement so that ultimately a creative climate is created to create public service innovations in the scope.

Gefilloyd L. De Castro, Abee M. Eijansantos, Nuriza P. Jalani et al.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic across various sectors are far-reaching, and the education sector is not an exemption. Approved and recognized vaccines are clinically proven to provide protection and have been considered one of the primary mitigations against the virus. Knowledge, attitude, and related practices (henceforth KAP) toward the virus is widely considered to be an essential cognitive key in public health for health intervention, prevention, and promotion. Previous studies revealed a positive correlation between knowledge and attitude. This study investigated the KAP and their relationship among the 857 college students in one state college in the Philippines using an online survey. Using descriptive statistics, the findings showed that the majority of the respondents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Respondents were shown to be knowledgeable about COVID-19, specifically about its transmission, clinical symptoms, treatment, risk groups, isolation, prevention, and control. Positive attitudes toward individual and governmental mitigation and control of the virus were shown. Their scores on practices revealed that they always exhibit protective and preventive behavioral practices. Pearson correlation revealed a weak significant relationship between knowledge and practice, and a fair significant relationship between attitude and practice. No significant relationship is found between knowledge and attitude. This study hopes to find its place in the literature worthy of consideration as empirical support toward understanding a specific group's perceptive risk and preventive behavior toward the virus, policy making, and health intervention and promotion.

Andrian Sukmana, Haula Rosdiana

In response to the crisis caused by Covid- 2019 outbreak, the government issued the Minister of Finance Regulation Number 23/PMK.03/2020 regarding tax incentives for taxpayers affected by the coronavirus outbreak as part of the national economic recovery program, which along with the pandemic situation has been amended or replaced several times. One of the incentives provided is the Income Tax Article 21 incentive. Thisresearchexaminesto gives a comprehensive review and analysis of the implementation of the Income Tax Article 21 incentive for taxpayers affected by the Covid-19 Pandemic and the problems encountered throughout the policy's implementation. This study uses a descriptive qualitative approach to explain objectively, in detail, and in-depth the results obtained. Observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation techniques were used in collecting the data. This study indicates that although the Income Tax Article 21 incentive is beneficial for the recipients in spending during the pandemic, its implementation faces various challenges. In terms of the realization of this incentive, it is relatively low compared to the initial budget allocation, so it is doubtful that it will provide the expected multiplier effect on economic growth, as the objective of this policy. Thus, the improvement in economic and public consumption growth cannot be linked directly to the contribution of the Income Tax Article 21 incentives policy alone because many other things and policies can affect the economy.

Do Thanh Hai

The article examines the evolution of Vietnam–China relations in the post-Cold War to identify the factors that shapes its dynamics. It finds that the bilateral relations have been significantly changed overtime, from strategic antagonism to ideology-shared partnership and subsequently from economic sistership to security rivalry. The two countries’ worldviews have gradually diverged. Given geographical nearness is a constant, such a course is driven by the interactions of four factours, including shifts in security environment, internal factional politics, economic calculations, and rising nationalism. At different points of time, some factor rises dominantly and these others matter less. However, it is observed that since the normalization in 1991 shared ideology figured less and less significantly.

Md. Sayeed Al-Zaman

This study analyzes 419 fake news items published in India, a fake-news-prone country, to identify the major themes, content types, and sources of social media fake news. The results show that fake news shared on social media has six major themes: health, religion, politics, crime, entertainment, and miscellaneous; eight types of content: text, photo, audio, and video, text & photo, text & video, photo & video, and text & photo & video; and two main sources: online sources and the mainstream media. Health-related fake news is more common only during a health crisis, whereas fake news related to religion and politics seems more prevalent, emerging from online media. Text & photo and text & video have three-fourths of the total share of fake news, and most of them are from online media: online media is the main source of fake news on social media as well. On the other hand, mainstream media mostly produces political fake news. This study, presenting some novel findings that may help researchers to understand and policymakers to control fake news on social media, invites more academic investigations of religious and political fake news in India. Two important limitations of this study are related to the data source and data collection period, which may have an impact on the results.

John Kennedy, Lin Sun

Questions about language and cultural differences and their implications for survey research are discussed in the November 2021 Editor in Chief note, including the process of a PhD student planning a survey.

Effi Ratna Furkon, Eko Prasojo

The implementation of the Vice President's broad and dynamic duties must of course be supported by good performance tools. As the Vice President's first support system, the position of the Vice President's Secretariat (Setwapres) was very strategic to improve organizational performance. The purpose of the study was to analyze the performance factors of the Vice President Secretariat in providing support to the Vice President from the perspective of the McKinsey 7S Framework. This research was a descriptive research with a qualitative approach. The study used primary data and secondary data. Primary data sources using the interview method. Secondary data sources using relevant document data search. All data were presented descriptively and analyzed through data reduction, data presentation, and verification. The results of the study indicated that the supporting factors were (1) a structure where there was a clear division of tasks and functions as well as good coordination; (2) a style in which democratic leadership made communication work well with direct involvement of the leadership in carrying out tasks; (3) the existence of shared values accompanied by internalization and strengthening activities. The inhibiting factors were: (1) a strategy in which several activity programs were not in accordance with the Vice President's priority program; (2) a system where the implementation of SOPs was not entirely appropriate; (3) staff where the placement was not in accordance with the educational background; (4) skills that had not been supported by appropriate training.

Liudmila L. Lidzhieva, Bamba E. Ubushieva, Zhanna A. Mukabenova

Introduction. The article examines spatial uses of the postposition деер in the Kalmyk language. The semantic system of postpositions that form postpositional constructions comprises a complex area of various relations. A remarkable place in the Mongolic languages is occupied by spatial meanings of postpositions, the postposition деер being a most common and productive one therein. Goals. The research aims to describe spatial meanings of the postposition деер in the Kalmyk language. Materials. The work analyzes data selected from various dictionaries, literary and journalistic texts included in the National Corpus of the Kalmyk Language, Kalmyk National Corpus, and the Kalmyk Digital Library. Results. This postposition is mentioned in all dictionaries of Mongolic languages and is a most common and productive lexical unit. It expresses a wide variety of relations resulting from its syntactic ties: spatial, temporal, comitative, target, and quantitative-restrictive values. Along with concrete, real relations this postposition in various speech situations acquires additional, sometimes very abstract meanings based its core seme. The spatial meanings of the postposition деер in the Kalmyk language are considered in detail. In addition to its main meaning — location or movement on the surface — this postposition indicates movement or performing an action over the surface of an object without reaching contact, in close vicinity, near a landmark, and also shows the direction of action. This postposition can express ‘event space’. Conclusions. The analysis of spatial relations expressed by the postposition деер shows a variety of transmitted meanings in various speech situations, as well as features of its use in the Kalmyk language.

Zulpikar Zulpikar

The management reforms of regional governance in Indonesia had started since the enactment of Law Number 22 Year 1999 regarding Regional Governance. The policy has influenced and changed the institutionalization/institution of between Central and Regional Government. Meanwhile, the implications that appeared towards the institutionalization of the regional government, amongst others, were the occurrence of less harmonious work relations between provincial and regency/city governments. Another implication that was also very important to be further observed was the institution of District that has become one of regional apparatus organizations since the implementation of Law. District seems have no important roles and functions like they had before. The main cause of this condition was about delegation of authority. Therefore, this descriptive case study was conducted. The main purpose of study was to find out the formulation of authorities that could be delegated. Case study was conducted in the Regency Government of Sumbawa where the districts were Sumbawa, Tarano and Lapelopok district. The basic concept used to build the formula of delegation of authorities was the potency of geographical characteristics. Primary data were collected through open and closed questions, whereas the secondary ones were collected from some relevant documents. Data were analyzed by triangulation method and statistical descriptive. The paper suggested that delegation of authorities should give differently based on geographical characteristics. Therefore, every district might have different authorities depend on their potencies

J. C. Botello, Martín Dâvila, Carolyn Vargas

During the eighties, Latin America was surrounded by economic crises, increased external debt, and poor growth of the Gross Domestic Product as well as little attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI). Later in the nineties, some countries in the region inspired by the desire to eliminate the protectionist model had to undertake reforms that sought to achieve their commercial opening to start a new economic model and thereby show the world as an attractive area for attracting investment mainly from Europe and Asia. One of the countries that made institutional changes by creating good conditions in the nineties as well as in the next decade to attract FDI was Colombia. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how Colombia attracted foreign capitals during 2005-2012. A probit model was applied (Botello, J.&Davila, M.,2015) to determine if the probability of improving the number of determinants to attract FDI will result in more inflows. The results show that the design of an industrial policy focused on attracting FDI, as well as the increase of the Gross Domestic Product, the offer of natural resources to foreign investors, the skilled workforce and the improvements in infrastructure were the determinants that increased the attraction of capitals. The implications for policy makers are to improve the rest of the determinants studied in this original research to increase the FDI flows into Colombia. Corresponding author: Juan Carlos Botello Email address for corresponding author: juancarlos.botello@upaep.mx First submission received: 5th June 2018 Revised submission received: 5th November 2018 Accepted: 24th November 2018 Introduction In recent years, FDI has grown faster than trade flows and global production for various reasons such as political and economic changes in many developing countries. Those changes are characterized by the shift to democratic political systems as well as changes toward economic and legal systems oriented in the direction of trade liberalization in which Colombia and other countries played an important role since 1951 when signed as a GATT member. Many developing countries have made economic and structural changes in order to obtain some benefits and attract FDI, in that sense, FDI flows are likely to be attracted to developing economies that pursue an outward-oriented strategy of economic development such as Colombia (IMF, 2015). In Latin America, the relative stability of the region and the adoption of outward-oriented public policies have reassured foreign and local investors based on market reforms. Because of such liberalization and changes, the FDI increased in developing countries in the 1990 ́s (Erdal, F. & Tatoglu, F., 2002) and particularly, Latin America has shown a sustainable growth since 2010 (ECLAC, 2013). International Journal of Business and Economic Development, Vol. 6 Number 3 November 2018 www.ijbed.org A Journal of the Academy of Business and Retail Management (ABRM) 2 On the other hand, the attractiveness of a state or a city for foreign direct investment flows depends on the number and kind of determinants they possess. Deichmann, J., Karidis, S. &Sayek, S. (2003) found that some factors determining the spatial decisions of multinational firms in a Middle East country depend on policy implications. Considering the above, the government agenda should focus on making the country more attractive for FDI, especially in times of crisis when traditional determinants are put to the test and inspire proposals for new opportunities. Popovici, C. & Calin, A. (2012) note that the idea of entering a new era of determinants of FDI is not new as there are several studies that highlight the key factors for attracting FDI. This emphasizes that the classical theories of FDI probably should be changed and others should be based on the emergence of new local capacities. This research is divided as follows. In second part, a literature review is offered. Several research papers were analyzed to describe the key factors for attracting FDI considering classical theories in order to compare them with the determinants used by Mexico (Botello et al., 2015).Section three includes the data and variables used to explain the new determinant creation theory; based on the model proposed by Botello, et al. (2015) where the most relevant determinants used to obtain FDI are infrastructure, skilled labor, low labor cost, security, tax-break, natural resources, gross domestic product, legal system, geographical location and industrial policy. A probit model to test the theory in section four is presented. Finally, conclusions are discussed in section five. Literature review Latin America has undergone great economic changes. In 1982, the external debt crisis that affected the entire region exploded. Moreno, N. (2008) reported that this, generated capital flight and negative growth, which made that decade was considered "lost."At the same time, the economic policy of President Deng Xiao Ping helped make Latin America look very attractive to capitals from Asia, which allowed the arrival of volumes of investment, production and trade as well as the opening of multinational companies (Moreno, N., 2008). These were the beginnings of the flows of foreign investment in the region that originated the economic change that contributed to the stabilization of the crisis. After these events, positive changes began in the region; several contributions of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) were made in the years 2005 to 2012. This contributed to a good and constant economic growth, since better investment flows were achieved like never before.FDI, in addition to be an opportunity for economic growth for each country, also means that it is one of the best and most effective ways to internationalize the region and make it a participant in globalization (Zapata, Y.; Kalmanovitz, S., 2007). Latin America, in general, has seen economic stability from 2005 to 2012 (which is the period studied in this article), with steady annual growth that indicates that each year the government strategies work best for attract new companies to these territories (ECLAC, 2005) but in recent years FDI in the region continued trending downwards. In 2017, FDI flows into the region stood at US$ 161.911 billion, 3.6% down on 2016. The main two reasons for the decline have been lower export commodity prices— which have led to a substantial drop in investments in the extractive industries— and the economic recession in 2015 and 2016, mainly in Brazil, albeit also in other South American economies. These two trends, however, were partially reversed in 2017, as commodity prices recovered and the region returned to growth (1.3%). Most of the literature related to the attraction of FDI by countries is based on different theories such as localization economies and their determinants, trade and resource endowments. In that sense, the eclectic paradigm of Dunning (1988) argues that the path FDI takes is partly due to the specific advantages which one country has, because of its regional geographic location and / or location in the world. These advantages arise from using resource endowments and / or assets held abroad by some countries in the world which are attractive to a company by combining them with its own resources. International Journal of Business and Economic Development, Vol. 6 Number 3 November 2018 www.ijbed.org A Journal of the Academy of Business and Retail Management (ABRM) 3 That combination suggests that if a foreign company wants to use the resources of a country, it should establish a subsidiary by initiating a flow of FDI and then establish a start-up operating facility (Hill, Ch., 2008) but, the risk is a main determinant that has to be considered. As of 2010, countries that wanted to invest in Latin America began to take an interest in the technology sector, but due to the low level of the industry, they took advantage of the opportunity to invest in low and medium-low technology (ECLAC, 2010).One of the sectors in which Latin America has been a recipient of investment from Europe is electricity, focused on the telecommunications, banking and energy subsectors (Zapata, Y., 2007). On the other hand, one of the main reasons why the European Union decided to invest in Latin America is the opportunity that this region offers to access new and distant markets. Within the contribution of the Colombian legal framework as an incentive to attract FDI, there is a whole process to remove the protectionist model that historically had, this process began in 1990. It wanted to propose an opening of international competition, beginning by adapting neoliberal tendencies, efficient allocation of resources and institutional changes begun in the government of former President Virgilio Barco and at the beginning of the mandate of César Gaviria, with whom they became official and put into practice. These new policies were based on principles such as economic freedom, foreign trade reforms, labor legislation, foreign exchange regime, foreign investment policies, among others (Ramirez, C., 2011). During the 2000s, the prohibition of FDI was eliminated in sectors that were previously not allowed and new financial, tax, labor, and port provisions were implemented in a positive manner, as well as an international investment statute. The law that stands out most is Law 963, made in 2005, under which investors will continue to be entitled to facilities and accessibility for them, under certain specifications imposed by the government (Ramirez, C., 2011). The elimination of infrastructure gaps plays a key role in sustaining strong and broad-based growth and supporting further economic diversification. Relatively weak road infrastructure represents an important obstacle not only for overall GDP growth, including through export diversification, but also for achieving a more evenly-distributed economic performance across regions in Colombia. In 2015,

Erin K. Jenne

Singapore shares with China a performance-based social contract, whereas Venezuela and Brazil possess social contracts similar to the populist-socialist form found in India. The notable exception for China is the Maoist social contract, which was predicated on ideology and ideological commitment over performance—but this was the exception that proves the rule to the broader pattern of a performance-based social contract informing state– society relations in China. In the concluding chapter the author also addresses the potential claim of “cultural determinism” by offering some conditions under which social contracts might change, though as she acknowledges, change occurs only very gradually (through the slow evolution of norms) or rarely (via exogenous shocks or historical ruptures). One of the risks in using the term “social contract” to refer to underlying norms associated with the expectations of government by the governed is the term’s close association with Western political theorists writing in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries about the origins and limitations of sovereign power. Ho discusses briefly the ideas of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau, but chooses not to give a close reading to the much-earlier classical governance texts found in Chinese and Indian discussions of statecraft. She does note that in China, most rulers have sought to protect the population from the direst forms of deprivation and disaster, such as famine and floods. Failure to provide relief from these crises offers legitimate grounds for popular rebellion, as Mencius intoned. But even in this most explicit of formulations in which rebellion is justified against the sovereign, there was no agreement based on mutual consent between state and society, as implied in most conceptions (and in Ho’s own definition) of social contracts. The more interesting puzzle is not, as posed in chapter 1, why authoritarian rulers in China do better at the public provision of water than democratically accountable rulers in India, but rather why Chinese officials so willingly adopted private sector participation in water projects and utilities while in India similar proposals provoked widespread opposition. Public–private partnerships (PPPs) were widely accepted in China, which in 2012 accounted for 14 of 15 total water sector PPPs in East Asia (p. 123). The case studies of the four cities trace the opposition to PPPs in water utilities in New Delhi and Hyderabad, and the relative success in injecting foreign and domestic capital into state-run water utilities in Shenzhen and Beijing. The fact that municipal authorities in China have far greater fiscal autonomy and responsibilities compared to their Indian counterparts is noted frequently throughout the chapters, and it constitutes a potential rival explanation for water provision. Building infrastructure increases officials’ chances for promotion within the Chinese Communist Party and government hierarchies. This intra-party norm has helped spur China’s growthand infrastructure-led development. By sharp contrast, urban officials in India (elected or otherwise) face rigid constraints in raising local revenues and shouldering expenditures, leaving state-level legislatures and administrative agencies to balance urban public goods provision with demands from rural sectors. The social contract concept may shed light on why some authoritarian regimes provide high levels of public services while other autocracies fail to do so (and why some democracies might outperform others in public goods provision). Yet it is worth noting that Chinese citizens pay a high price for the provision of water and other public services, including world-class infrastructure projects—in the form of pollution, corruption, escalating public debt, curbs on individual freedoms, and few viable channels to challenge authorities when public services are not provided or when infrastructure fails. Nonetheless, Thirsty Cities offers a bold approach for understanding how differences in public service provision may arise from variation in informal institutions that connect state and society and less so from formal institutions that are more commonly the focus in comparative studies of public policy.

R. Bolikova

The article characterizes activities of Kalmykia’s National Archive aimed to popularize its fonds. The paper provides an insight into various means and methods applied by the Archive to take advantages of and popularize archival documents. It also contains data about publications prepared in cooperation with academic researchers affiliated with other institutions.

Antje Missbach