Volume 11 Spring 2009
The Future Of China's Energy Security
By Joseph P. Giljum
University of California, San Diego
Abstract:
China’s equity oil strategy is inadequate in providing energy security and actually contributes to instability. The strategy choice currently employed by policymakers is unsustainable given China’s future oil demand. Furthermore, this strategy has far‐reaching and unintended consequences that must be addressed by China’s leaders. Recognizing that China is part of the global oil market and that the security and stability of that market, not their own, is the key to long‐term security. Beijing must understand that it cannot operate outside of the global energy market effectively and that diplomatic and multilateral cooperation is essential to future energy security
Colombia: Securing A Prosperous Future Through Meaningful Integration
By Matthew Maher and Vera Scheidlinger
University of California, San Diego
Abstract:
This paper assesses the origins and conditioning factors of Colombia’s foreign policy stances and makes recommendations aimed at improving Colombia’s regional credibility, securing peace and the rule of law, and promoting sustained economic growth. Colombia’s principal foreign policies are analyzed through three distinct yet intertwined policy directives: economic, security, and diplomatic relations. Recommendations focus on continued multilateralism, regional cooperation on issues of mutual interest, trade liberalization, Institutional strengthening, and a reoriented national security policy.
Addressing Financial Exclusion Through Microfinance:
Lessons From The State of Madhya Pradesh, India
By Mira Mendoza
University of California, San Diego
Abstract:
In India more than half of the poor are financially excluded from the country’s formal banking sector. The situation is similar in other developing countries. This article analyzes the state of financial inclusion using the case of Madhya Pradesh, one of the poorest states in India, and suggests microfinance as a tool for successful financial inclusion. Through various interviews with the stakeholders of financial inclusion in Madhya Pradesh, the author identifies the obstacles and challenges faced by banks, microfinance institutions, and non‐governmental organization in their efforts to scale up.
Addiopizzo: Can A Label Defeat The Mafia?
By Chiara Superti
University of California, San Diego
** Rust S. Adams Essay Winner**
Abstract:
The Mafia in Sicily has important socio‐economic effects on the local population. This paper focuses on the practice of asking for a “protection tax”, or pizzo, which is paid by close to 70% of the businesses in the region. In 2005, a group of young Palermitan professionals created an organization named Addiopizzo (goodbye pizzo) with the specific goal of fighting the Mafia’s extortion of money. They invented a label to certify that a business does not pay the pizzo. Using the resources offered by the market and the institutions, involving consumers, businesses, the police and schools, Addiopizzo was able to start a successful new trend of pizzo‐free consumption.
