The global economic crisis brought on by the American sub-prime collapse has accentuated debate over the appropriateness of using GDP (gross domestic product) alone in measuring the welfare of people and nations. In October, the subject was a centerpiece of the “Beyond GDP” conference held in Busan, South Korea. Attendees sought to lay the foundations for setting in motion new methodologies for calculating both the meaning of income and the resulting quality of life; east’s Donato Speroni attended the conference and compiled the Dossier we publish in this issue. We also devote ample space to the controversial Russia of President Dimitri Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, which has returned to play a major role in global affairs.
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by Jamileh Kadivar
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The presidential elections of June 12, 2009 harmed both to the “Islamic” and “democratic” sides of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Three months after the vote, the crisis is still going on. Democracy is based on a belief in the value of the individual human being, and a further criterion is therefore the extent to which certain basic rights are guaranteed to every citizen. We have a very special system of governance with many features of democratic countries (holding elections, having political parties and a parliament) and, at the same time some criterions of tyranny regimes. The regime jails opponents, bans magazines and tolerates few challenges. But it is not a monolithic dictatorship and is best described as an oligarchy with considerable debate and dissent within the elites.
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by Riccardo Perissich
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Behind some Euroskepticism is the ghost of the abiding German question. But contrary to what many seem to believe, there never was a “golden age” of German Europeanism. On the contrary, the country has always respected the idea of parity among states while at the same intransigently defending its own interests. What it can’t stand is a Europe that makes it pay for the economic shortcomings of its neighbors. |
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The European Union and its integration process face two central dilemmas: How to enhance its own legitimacy and ensure that the new member states match older ones when it comes to the application of democracy and rule of law. At the same time, it faces ‘outside’pressure, from the development of American policy, Russia’s ambitions, and the emergence of China. Taken together, transformation within the EU becomes both urgent and essential. |
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The Beneficial Social Effects of EU Membership Among the ten post-communist EU member states (EU-10), there is a link between social equality and prosperity. On average, they confirm the academically established view that the more equal a society is, the more prosperous it tends to be. However, it is not as clear that the less equal are necessarily also less wealthy, and relative wealth also depends on the various countries’ starting positions at transition. Communism has left a positive mark in terms of strong support for egalitarianism, but also a negative legacy in a tendency among older people to continue to expect the state to provide. |
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by Stefano Carrer
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Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama recently became the first modern Japanese government chief to mention the Meiji Revolution of 1868, which restored imperial power and helped lay the groundwork for modern Japan. That was a bloodless overhaul that helped introduced the country to the party system. Now Hatoyama’s “revolutionary” Democratic Party of Japan faces its first test with partial elections in 2010. |
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