Some academic studies say that Islamists are effective at providing social services for women, while others contend that Islamic groups "support pro-male policies that disadvantage the well-being of women."  In the current issue of Governance, Lisa Blaydes examines the effects of Islamist rule in neighbourhoods of Greater Cairo.  "Women subject to governance by the Islamic group enjoyed better outcomes in reproductive health" than in comparable neighborhoods ruled by strongmen, Blaydes concludes.  FREE ACCESS to the article.

 

Walter Eucken, a founder of ordoliberalism

The ideas of ordoliberalism, first developed in Germany in the mid-twentieth century, have had a marked revival since the Global Financial Crisis, write Mathias Siems and Gerhard Schnyder in the current issue of Governance.  Commentators from both left and right say that more regulation on ordoliberal principles is needed.  But there is confusion about what ordoliberalism really requires.  Siems and Schnyder clarify the core ideas and show how ordoliberalism can "form the basis for a sounder conception of economic regulation" in the wake of the crisis.  Read the article.

The 2014 Levine Book Prize has been awarded to Christopher Adolph of the University of Washington for his book Bankers, Bureaucrats and Central Bank Politics (Cambridge University Press).  The prize committee was composed of Professors Agnes Batory (Central European University; Chair), Luc Juillet (University of Ottawa) and Julia Fleischer (University of Amsterdam).  The committee says that Adolph's book "raises important questions about the assumed all-importance of central bank independence and provides a fascinating insight into the ways the professional background of key officials shapes monetary policy."  Read more.

 

In the current issue of Governance, Leigh Raymond of Purdue University reviews The Bet by Paul Sabin. This "well-written and deeply researched" book uses the personal conflict between biologist Paul Ehrlich and economist Julian Simon "as a lens for explaining developments in environmental politics since the 1960s."  Read the review.

Peter Larmour of Australian National University reviews Different Paths to Curbing Corruption, edited by Jon S.T. Quah.  This set of five country case studies "complements and extends current econometric approaches to understanding corruption and relates it to broader macrohistorical themes in development."  Read the review.

Thomas Carothers and Diane de Gramont of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace review Problem-Driven Political Economy Analysis: The World Bank's Experience, edited by Verena Fritz, Brian Levy, and Rachel Ort.  The book is a "far-reaching, informative examination" of the World Bank's attempt to improve its analysis of the political feasibility of proposed programs.  All of the case studies "bring up a central problem: clientelism."  And the book emphasizes the need for more attention to "politically responsive policy design."   Read the review.

On the World Bank's Future Development blog, Nick Manning discusses Francis Fukuyama's recent commentary, What is Governance?  Fukuyama's commentary "has reinvigorated the debate on how to measure state capacity in a useful disaggregated way," Manning says.  "But there's a lot to worry about in the development of such metrics." Read the blog. 

And Toby Fyfe, Editor-in-Chief of Canadian Government Executive magazine, also contributes a short response to Fukuyama's commentary.

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