Description
Book SynopsisWhy do some nations fail while others succeed? How can we compare the political capacity of a totalitarian regime to a democracy? Are democracies always more efficient? The Performance of Nations answers these key questions by providing a powerful new tool for measuring governments' strengths and weaknesses. Allowing researchers to look inside countries down to the local level as well as to compare across societies and over time, the book demonstrates convincingly that political performance is the missing link in measuring power and military capability. For the theorist, political performance data helps to fill in the gaps when GDP alone does not explain the outcome of wars. For the practical policy specialist, political performance sheds a bright light on why some governments succeed and some fail, why investments disappear in one province but multiply in another, and why it is easier to promote health programs in one region but not in its neighbor. This groundbreaking book will be an
Trade ReviewFourteen papers consider the means to compare the performance of nations at the global, subnational, and local levels by way of a political indicator similar to gross domestic product and gross domestic product per capita. * Journal of Economic Literature *
The Performance of Nations is a superb team effort, led by editors Kugler and Tammen, to answer an important but somewhat neglected question at the intersection of comparative and international politics: How do we assess the political performance of a state? This book introduces a standard measure that possesses cross-national relevance. Authored by established and rising stars, the chapters cover thoroughly the theoretical and policy-related aspects of how political performance is to be evaluated. Concepts such as extraction, reach, and allocation are applied effectively at national, subnational, and local levels to produce insights about how governments perform in diverse areas of policy. This book will be essential reading for political economists from all disciplinary backgrounds—scholars and students alike. -- Patrick James, University of Southern California
Political scientists and economists have devoted substantial efforts to measuring the military-industrial capabilities of states and the efficiency and productivity of national economies. Much less attention has been paid to the conceptualization and measurement of the effectiveness of political systems. In The Performance of Nations, Jacek Kugler, Ronald L. Tammen, and their colleagues provide a groundbreaking and illuminating analysis of political performance at the national, subnational, and even local levels, as well as of the impacts different levels of political performance have on such phenomena as economic growth, integration, attracting foreign investment, and immigration. Their book is destined to be recognized as an intellectual landmark in the academic as well the policy-making communities. -- James Lee Ray, Vanderbilt University
Capturing empirically and with some precision what governments actually do is a woefully underdeveloped art. In this volume, the authors apply standardized measures of extraction, reach, and allocation to a variety of processes ranging from economic growth through conflict to specific types of policy. The volume represents a highly novel and worthwhile read. -- William R. Thompson, Indiana University
Table of ContentsIntroduction Ronald L. Tammen and Jacek Kugler Part I: Defining and Measuring Extraction, Reach, and Allocation Chapter 1: Political Performance Marina Arbetman-Rabinowitz, Jacek Kugler, Mark Abdollahian, Kyungkook Kang, Hal T. Nelson, and Ronald L. Tammen Part II: Cross-National Performance Chapter 2: Setting the Stage: The Politics of Economic Growth Mark Abdollahian and Kyungkook Kang Chapter 3: How Political Performance Impacts Conflict and Growth Jacek Kugler, Ronald L.Tammen, and John Thomas Chapter 4: Political Performance, Leadership, and Regional Integration in Europe Gaspare M. Genna, Birol Yesilada, and Peter Noordijk Chapter 5: Political Performance as a Moderator of International Migration Tadeusz Kugler, Constantine Boussalis, and Travis G. Coan Chapter 6: Oil . . . Path to Prosperity or Poverty: The Effects of Political Performance in Africa Marina Arbetman-Rabinowitz and Kristin Johnson Part III: Sub-National Performance Chapter 7: Following the Wisdom of Elders: Instability in China Kristin Johnson, Marina Arbetman-Rabinowitz, and Siddharth Swaminathan Chapter 8: Will Foreign Aid Help Curb Terrorism in Pakistan? Ayesha Umar Wahedi and Marina Arbetman-Rabinowitz Chapter 9: Provincial Politics and the Attraction of FDI in India and China Tadeusz Kugler, Travis G. Coan, and Constantine Boussalis Chapter 10: Indian Performance, Religion, and Economic Growth Yi Feng and Saumik Paul Chapter 11: The Politics of Births in India: Evidence from the States Siddharth Swaminathan and John Thomas Part IV: Local Performance Chapter 12: Government Performance and U.S. Residential Building Energy Codes Hal T. Nelson Chapter 13: Do Local Governments Matter? Impact of U.S. Municipal Level Relative Political Extraction Capacity on Crime Rate Masami Nishishiba, Mariah Kraner, and Mathew Jones Part V: A New Tool Chapter 14: The Contributions of Political Performance Jacek Kugler and Ronald L. Tammen
