The current image of Iraq in the media and public discourse is of a country sharply divided by communal boundaries and conflicts of religion, ethnicity, and community. This image goes right against... Show moreThe current image of Iraq in the media and public discourse is of a country sharply divided by communal boundaries and conflicts of religion, ethnicity, and community. This image goes right against any notion of “cosmopolitanism.” Yet, research into the history of the country in the twentieth century would show that, while communal boundaries and conflicts did exist, these were socially permeable, allowing much close interaction between individuals, families, and neighbourhoods across the boundaries. Show less
Islamic feminists are reinterpreting Islamic sources in order to achieve equal rights for women within an Islamic framework. They have challenged traditional interpretations of scripture and... Show moreIslamic feminists are reinterpreting Islamic sources in order to achieve equal rights for women within an Islamic framework. They have challenged traditional interpretations of scripture and received notions of interpretive authority, both in Muslim majority societies as well as in the diasporic Islamic world. With their new interpretations they have contributed to the transformation of the legal, political and social rights of Muslim women. There are, however, also limitations to the feminist interpretations of scripture and their potential to deliver gender equality. Show less
We investigate whether the set of available enforcement mechanisms affects the formation of risk sharing relations by applying dyadic regression analysis to data from a specifically designed... Show moreWe investigate whether the set of available enforcement mechanisms affects the formation of risk sharing relations by applying dyadic regression analysis to data from a specifically designed behavioural experiment, two surveys and a genealogical mapping exercise. During the experiment participants are invited to form risk sharing relations under three institutional environments, each associated with different enforcement mechanisms: external, intrinsic and endogenous extrinsic, i.e., the threat of (partial) social exclusion. Dyads who are similar in age and gender, genetically related, or who belong to the same organizations with an economic purpose are more likely to share risk. However, the latter are associated with less risk sharing when endogenous extrinsic incentives can be applied, while co-membership in religious congregations and being related by marriage support enforcement through such incentives. We find no evidence of assortative grouping on risk preferences but, ex post, co-groups members' risk-taking behavior converges. Show less
Why does the state bureaucracy in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) appear to have been affected very little by the post-communist transformation when compared to other public institutions and... Show moreWhy does the state bureaucracy in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) appear to have been affected very little by the post-communist transformation when compared to other public institutions and sectors of the economy? Why have declared reforms of civil services failed so far to reach most of their objectives and even have had a counter-productive effect in some cases? On the basis of a comprehensive analysis of the development of the Russian and Czech state administration over the last decade and a half the author provides a thorough insight into the causes of the prevailing tendencies in the administrative development of CEE countries and explores key factors that have led to more than modest results in the reforms of their civil services Show less
