International Politics and Society

Wachsender Widerstand gegen den WTO-Prozess entspringt nicht der Unkenntnis der Freihandelsvorzüge, sondern dem Mißtrauen gegenüber einer zutiefst undemokratischen „Global Governance“. Den Völkern wird die Macht über die politische Gestaltung ihrer Lebensumstände entzogen, indem der Primat der Marktöffnung gegenüber allen anderen Belangen festgeschrieben wird.

The Washington Consensus lent political muscle to the intrusion of the global market into the domains of the nation state. The WTO has become the center piece of its new world order. But it evinces signals of decay just when it seems to have succeeded in re-shaping the world after its tenets. The defeat of MAI and the events of Seattle 1999 point to growing resistance.

MARGARETA E. KULESSA / JAN A. SCHWAAB
Konzepte zur „Ökologisierung“ der internationalen Handels- und Wirtschaftspolitik

Nationale Umweltpolitik kommt ohne internationale Absicherung nicht recht voran. Die „Ökologisierung“ der Welthandelsordnung macht mühsame Fortschritte. Wirksamer als Ökoklauseln sind indes multilaterale Umweltabkommen wie die zum Artenschutz und zum Schutz der Ozonsphäre.

BARRY BLUESTONE
The Battle for Growth with Equity in the 21st Century

Unlike conventional wisdom has it, high growth of the US economy in the 1990s was the belated result of publicly financed breakthroughs in information technology which occurred more than a decade before. The neglect of publicly financed R&D as well as of wage-fed demand threatens to sabotage future growth and perpetuate extreme inequality.

HEINER FLASSBECK
Wanted: An International Exchange Rate Regime
The Missed Lesson of the Financial Crisis

With open capital markets, currencies of industrializing countries have a tendency to first become overvalued and then collapse. Ultimately, free movement of capital is not compatible with differences in inflation. But even convergence in inflation rates will not stop exchange rates from taking „random walks“. Only coordinated intervention can avoid costly misalignments.

FRANZ WALDENBERGER
From Corporatist to Market Capitalism? Japanese and German Systems of Corporate Governance Facing a Changing Environment

German and Japanese companies can no longer protect their employees’ interests by internalizing labor market functions. External labor markets will have to take over. But they need to be developed. Capital markets, in turn, will not easily dislodge stable dominant-owner-based patterns of corporate control.

KAI HIRSCHMANN
The Changing Face of Terrorism

New types of terrorists have appeared on the scene. Altogether, terrorism will be on the rise as the discontents of modernization and globalization increase and unsettled issues of statehood re-emerge. Effective deployment of ABC weapons is unlikely but cannot be ruled out completely. Cyberterrorism has the most „promising“ future.


		Politik und Gesellschaft Online International Politics and Society 3/2000
		Contents 3/2000 Beiträge / Articles Rezensionen / Book Reviews Lesetips / Reading Suggestions Résumés / Summaries / Zusammenfassungen Autorinnen / Autoren / Authors ARTICLES PETER WAHL Zwischen Hegemonialinteressen, Global Governance und Demokratie Zur Krise der WTO Wachsender Widerstand gegen den WTO-Prozess entspringt nicht der Unkenntnis der Freihandelsvorzüge, sondern dem Mißtrauen gegenüber einer zutiefst undemokratischen „Global Governance“. Den Völkern wird die Macht über die politische Gestaltung ihrer Lebensumstände entzogen, indem der Primat der Marktöffnung gegenüber allen anderen Belangen festgeschrieben wird. HOWARD M. WACHTEL World Trade Order and the Beginning of the Decline of the Washington Consensus The Washington Consensus lent political muscle to the intrusion of the global market into the domains of the nation state. The WTO has become the center piece of its new world order. But it evinces signals of decay just when it seems to have succeeded in re-shaping the world after its tenets. The defeat of MAI and the events of Seattle 1999 point to growing resistance. MARGARETA E. KULESSA / JAN A. SCHWAAB Konzepte zur „Ökologisierung“ der internationalen Handels- und Wirtschaftspolitik Nationale Umweltpolitik kommt ohne internationale Absicherung nicht recht voran. Die „Ökologisierung“ der Welthandelsordnung macht mühsame Fortschritte. Wirksamer als Ökoklauseln sind indes multilaterale Umweltabkommen wie die zum Artenschutz und zum Schutz der Ozonsphäre. BARRY BLUESTONE The Battle for Growth with Equity in the 21st Century Unlike conventional wisdom has it, high growth of the US economy in the 1990s was the belated result of publicly financed breakthroughs in information technology which occurred more than a decade before. The neglect of publicly financed R&D as well as of wage-fed demand threatens to sabotage future growth and perpetuate extreme inequality. HEINER FLASSBECK Wanted: An International Exchange Rate Regime The Missed Lesson of the Financial Crisis With open capital markets, currencies of industrializing countries have a tendency to first become overvalued and then collapse. Ultimately, free movement of capital is not compatible with differences in inflation. But even convergence in inflation rates will not stop exchange rates from taking „random walks“. Only coordinated intervention can avoid costly misalignments. FRANZ WALDENBERGER From Corporatist to Market Capitalism? Japanese and German Systems of Corporate Governance Facing a Changing Environment German and Japanese companies can no longer protect their employees’ interests by internalizing labor market functions. External labor markets will have to take over. But they need to be developed. Capital markets, in turn, will not easily dislodge stable dominant-owner-based patterns of corporate control. KAI HIRSCHMANN The Changing Face of Terrorism New types of terrorists have appeared on the scene. Altogether, terrorism will be on the rise as the discontents of modernization and globalization increase and unsettled issues of statehood re-emerge. Effective deployment of ABC weapons is unlikely but cannot be ruled out completely. Cyberterrorism has the most „promising“ future.
		© Friedrich Ebert Stiftung \| technical support \| net edition malte michel \| 7/2000