Political Institutions and their Effect on Economic Policy essays

Political Institutions and their Effect on Economic Policy essays Political Institutions and their Effect on Economic Policy Imagine, if you will, a country with no political institutions. A country ruled by anarchy. What kind of economic policy would this country have or would it have one at all? Now imagine a country with highly powerful and regimented political institutions. What kind of economic policy would this country have? The two fictitious countries mentioned above would certainly have very different economic policies. The first would probably be lucky to even have an economic policy at all. Its citizens would live in a world of economic uncertainty, never knowing what their future may hold. On the other hand, the citizens of the second country, although possibly unhappy with their ruler, would at least have a pretty good idea of their economic future. These citizens would be able to place their money in banks and exchange it in international markets. They could save for their future without the fear of having everything taken from them at any given moment. What is it though that makes the economic policies of these countries so different? While there are clearly many factors that affect a country's economic policy, in this paper I would like to argue that the most important one is the presence or lack of strong political institutions. In the beginning large nations or political states did not exist. The law of the land was every man for himself. As time went on small bands of people began to form. In the beginning membership in such groups was voluntary, but those who joined soon learned of the benefits of cooperation. With time these bands became larger and larger and it was apparent that some groups were stronger than others. The strongest of these groups became what is known as "roving bandits". (Olson 1993,568). If the "roving bandits" can be seen as the first form of political institution then the ...

Drug Use and Abuse in America Historical Analysis

Drug Use and Abuse in America Historical Analysis Introduction Drug abuse has become a major challenge to the United States of America for a very long period of time now. During the 19th century, drugs such as cocaine, morphine, and heroin were discovered and this marked the beginning of incidences of drug abuse and rampant addiction (Abadinsky, 2008). At the beginning of the 20th century, America introduced stringent rules restricting the use of illegal drugs.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Drug Use and Abuse in America: Historical Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This action was taken due to the potential threat posed by uncontrolled drug abuse. Owing to the scope that drug dealing had taken, both domestic and international laws were enforced to regulate the growing of crops such as coca and opium (Crutchfield, 2000). These laws succeeded significantly in minimizing the impact of drug abuse. The paper discusses the history of drug abuse in the US from th e year 1950 to 2000. The Boggs Act of 1951 and the Media By the end of the World War II (WWII), drug abuse in America had decreased significantly until it was no longer a major social issue (Crutchfield, 2000). However, a few years later the problem reemerged and hence the need for immediate action. In 1951, the Boggs Act was introduced as a one of the most important drug law. It reflected the basis for effective drug legislation in America where the media perceived and reported an increase in drug abuse. This would imply that any such information resulted in the introduction of a new law to fight criminals. The new penalties would be harsher than the preceding ones and this was set for every single category of offense. During this period, the perception of increased drug abuse was drawn from the content of the media reports like in movies and television. For instance, it would be noted that there was an increased use of drugs among high school students. Subsequently, the Boggs Act of 1951 would allow the quadrupling of the penalties associated with every single offense category (Shahidullah, 2008). In particular, the application of the Boggs Act was more inclined to justifying and ensuring the prohibition of marijuana (Abadinsky, 2008). Law enforcers, while giving the rationale for the prohibition claimed that, despite being highly addictive, the drug caused insanity, increased criminality, and even death to the user. This claim, however, was quickly refuted by a renowned medical doctor who was a witness in case and he said that marijuana could produce passivity in the users. Another witness added a twist to the whole case when he said that marijuana was the major cause of heroin addiction. This, for the Boggs Act of 1951, was a sufficient rationale for the prohibition of marijuana and other related drugs (Staley, 1992). It was the perceived use of drugs by the ‘foreign enemies’ to subvert the American youth that inspired the tightening of drug l egislations.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More 1956 and the Daniel Act The second drug law within this period was introduced in 1956 and was known as the Daniel Act which was named for the then Texas senator, Price Daniel (Shahidullah, 2008). The new law was similar to the Boggs Act of 1951 in that it employed the same formula of using perceived increase in drug use in the country. As a result, it provided the rationale for the introduction of a new criminal law. In 1956, there were reports of organized crime in the US. This was through televised Senate hearings presented by the then senator of Tennessee, Estes Kefauver (Crutchfield, 2000). This, at the end of the day, created the perception that there was increased drug use in America. That the organized criminals were in the country and were making a lot of money through drug deals. Consequently, the Daniel Act was enacted and came with harsher penalties than those of the Boggs Act in every of the offense categories. The two acts, the Boggs Act of 1951 and the Daniel Act of 1956 formed the basis upon which states formulated and passed their own versions of acts. Between 1958 and 1969, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and Virginia itself had passed laws with the heavy penalties for crimes involving the possession of marijuana, or any other prohibited drug (Staley, 1992).This was occasioned by the fact that during the 1960s, drugs such as marijuana, psychedelics, and amphetamines were the most abused drugs. In fact, the mandatory least sentence that one would serve was twenty years and the accused was not eligible for parole. This could not be compared with the sentence served by first degree murder in the state of Virginia which had mandatory sentence set at five years less while rape case attracted a mandatory least sentence of ten years. On the other hand, one convicted of selling marijuana would serve a m andatory least sentence of forty years (Crutchfield, 2000). The 1969 Dangerous Substances Act In 1969, another drug law known as the Dangerous Substances Act was introduced and was quite unique in that it did not apply the formula used by the preceding drug legislations. Just like in the previous years, there was perceived increase in drug abuse but the penalties were lowered (Staley, 1992). It was also during this time that the â€Å"taxing† mythology was dismissed. Apart from nicotine and alcohol, the 1969 Dangerous Substances Act targeted the users and sellers of all other drugs. The 1969 act classified all drugs except nicotine and alcohol under the following: the drug’s medical importance and the drug’s potential for misuse (Crutchfield, 2000). The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration The 1970s also continued to witness the explosion of the drug culture and the US government responded by developing new drug laws and specialized agencies to deal with the con tinuing problem. In 1973, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration was established to ensure that the federal laws on drugs were fully enforced (Shahidullah, 2008).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Drug Use and Abuse in America: Historical Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It was during this period that cocaine reentered the market. In the 1980s, there was reemergence in the use of crack which proved very addictive and its users were characterized by excessive violence. This period was also filled with perceptions of increased use of drugs. Consequently, the government declared war not only on the drugs with high potential for abuse but also on the drug users and dealers (Abadinsky, 2008). Any Progress? The fight against drugs and drug users continued to the 1990s albeit with little success. One drug law after another with revised penalties was introduced. By 1990, about a third of the minority population of the City of Baltimore alone who were male aged between 20 and 29 were being supervised by the court for drug cases (National Urban League, 1989). This proportion is significantly high in spite of the strict drug laws which had been in place for sometime then. The Year 2000 Despite the declaration of war against drugs and its users, there has been evidently minimal success in the endeavor. After about half a century, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s toughest challenge is the dynamism exhibited by organized crime (Shahidullah, 2008). In the earlier years, the criminals conducted drug deals on American soil, however, the year 2000 witnessed the emergence of highly networked and powerful drug traffickers with headquarters spread strategically in foreign countries and controlling drug business in the U.S. Therefore, it is evident that the fight against drug abuse in America has a long and complicated history and new approaches of combating the ever growing drug problems need to be identified if the war is to be won in the modern information age. References Abadinsky, H. (2008). Drug use and abuse: a comprehensive introduction (6th ed). Belmont, CA: Cengage, Thomson-Wadsworth Crutchfield, R. D. (2000). Readings in Crime: drug use and abuse (2nd ed). Pine Forge Press National Urban League (1989). The state of Black America by 1989. The State of Black  America, 13. Transaction Plc.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Shahidullah, S. M. (2008). Crime legislations in America: laws, institutions, and  programs. University Press of America Staley, S. (1992). Understanding drug policy and the decline of America cities. Transaction Plc.

How to cut the cowardly language and say what you mean

How to cut the cowardly language and say what you mean Cut the cowardly language Cowardly writing is the linguistic equivalent of your unreliable ex. It avoids committing. It leads you astray. It wastes your time. And it evades all entreaties to be straightforward or say what it really thinks. You can recognise it by its long sentences, convoluted structure and overuse of words and phrases such as ‘clearly’, ‘it may be assumed that’ and ‘there is evidence that’, with no verifiable evidence in sight. These vague, deceptive or empty proclamations are also known as ‘hedges’ or ‘weasel words’ (so called because of weasels’ habit of sucking the insides out of eggs, leaving a shell that still looks full). Linguistics professor Ken Hyland defines hedging as ‘any linguistic means used to indicate either a) a lack of complete commitment to the truth value of an accompanying proposition, or b) a desire not to express that commitment categorically.’ Â  The hedging writer distances themselves from their own content, either out of insecurity or a lack of knowledge: ‘it may be believed that’ is a big, frightened step away from ‘I believe that’. Come out, come out So why do people hide behind woolly wording? Well, because actually saying something can be scary. It puts you at risk: of being questioned, proved wrong, or held accountable. Long, overly complex sentences and unnecessary jargon are often a sign that someone’s trying to hide something – perhaps the fact that they don’t know what they’re talking about. And even if they do know, it’s going to look to the reader like they don’t or that they’re a bit shifty. Editor Patrick Neylan lives up to his Twitter handle @AngrySubEditor on the subject of cowardice in language, and the causes behind it. ‘Usually [the writer’s] only goal is to have written To have been understood is a worry. To have inspired action in others is terrifying.’ Pull the wool Of course, the whole point of writing is to inform and inspire, not confound. And if your writing goal is to persuade or encourage your reader to take action, you’re more likely to achieve this if you are clear and sound authoritative. So here’s how to pull the wool from your writing – and therefore your readers’ eyes: Start by knowing what you actually want to say: do your research, plan, and structure logically. Ask yourself the all-important questions: who, where, why, what, how – and how much does it cost? And dont start writing until youre firm on the answers. Avoid the temptation to cover your back. Never mind ‘it could be said that’: are you saying it or not? Be direct – don’t qualify everything with ‘possibly’s and ‘perhaps’s (unless you’re making the point that something is uncertain): state facts, reference them, and note their implications. Use the most direct words possible to make the relation between things clear, eg ‘because’ not ‘due to the fact that’. Favour simple sentence structure (subject-verb-object) wherever possible, eg ‘Prices have fallen.’ Remove words and phrases that add nothing but ink. For example, ‘consensus of opinion’ (just ‘consensus or ‘opinion’ will do), ‘as is explained below’ (are you explaining it twice?), ‘as the case may be’, and ‘at the overall level’. Speaking of inspiration, we could all do with some. Consider then, these wise words from Chinese artist and political activist Ai Weiwei,: ‘Say what you need to say plainly, and then take responsibility for it.’ Or, with @AngrySubEditor’s tough love approach: ‘(Wo)man up; say what you’ve got to say, say it briefly, then shut up.’ Image credit: Elena Yakusheva / Shutterstock

Politics and government Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Politics and government - Article Example n’s representation in a third world country (Kenya); it will look at the pros and cons of quota system and then put it in the context of the selected country. The quota system is aimed at increasing the number of women who are involved in active politics to a significant minimum; say 30 or 40 per cent. This system does not apply to only elective positions but also appointive positions such as members of committees and boards. The use of this system in political representation therefore constitutes all fields in politics (Kiplagat, 2008, p.52-78). The quota system does not discriminate but help women overcome the barrier that prevent them from engaging in active politics. Women entry into politics is faced with several challenges such as the perception that the society has towards them, their lack of aggressiveness that is required in politics among other barriers. The introduction of quota system, which sets aside a certain percentage of political positions for women, eliminates all the barriers that women face in competing with men; therefore, providing women with an opportunity to compete among themselves equally. In Kenya, the positions of women representative from all the 47 counties derive their legitimacy from the constitution; these positions are only open to women candidates (AfriMAP, OSIEA & OSMP, nd, 3). In addition, the constitution also provides for nomination of women and other marginalised groups into the national and the county assemblies (Mutunga & Mazrui, 2004, p. 308-417). The right to equal representation of women in politics is no different from that of men and the quota system helps in achieving that equal representation. Most of the representatives in the political arena are usually men; therefore, most of the issues that they discuss are likely to favour men, which deny women the chance to air their opinions in legislation. The quota system has increased the number of women in political seats and consequently increased their bargaining

Critical Issue Paper Four Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Critical Issue Paper Four - Essay Example The Second World War proved to be a period of technological breakthrough according to Weinberg. In his book â€Å"A world at Arms: A Global History of World War II,† he related that technological improvements such as radio direction finders and sonar, along with the breaking of the Germans Enigma Code, improved the Allies defenses against their Axis counterparts. He goes on to say that the Germans were able to design new types of submarines, which were faster and could stay submerged longer, however said submarines â€Å"did not become operational before the end of the war.†3 1 Terry Boardman. â€Å"What Was the 20th Century?† A lecture delivered on 17th March 2000 in Stourbridge, England. http://www.monju.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/20th%cent.htm (accessed September 9, 2008), p.1. In relation to the above statements, historian writer Richard Overy in his book â€Å"Why the Allies Won† also made references that the last World War of the 20th century (WWII), showed that American technology and ingenuity combined with correct and better tactics won the war for the Allied forces despite the fact that the Axis nations had the backing of German engineering ingenuity. Overy reasons out that the Allies whose military capacity in the beginning was inferior compared to the Axis forces, integrated technology and logistics with moral force. He detailed facts that the nations which comprise the Allied Grand Coalition succeeded in World War II because they knew that it â€Å"was a life-and-death struggle for fundamental values.†4 Values that are needed in order to establish a better society. Moreover, Keegan in his timeless masterpiece â€Å"The Battle for History: Re-Fighting World War II† says that the Second World War, which was generally acclaimed as a â€Å"wonderful† period in history, should be examined closely because there is nothing wonderful

Internet Galaxy by Manuel Castells Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Internet Galaxy by Manuel Castells - Coursework Example The Internet Galaxy by Manuel Castells provides a framework for understanding how the network society affects both oppresses and liberates individuals and global populations. The text makes suggestions regarding the impact of the internet and other digital communications media on society but falls short in providing adequate solutions that can be implemented on an individual or regional level to improve the success of society in the digital age. Digital communications have created what Castell terms a â€Å"network society†. Digital communications are libratory in that they allow the free and fair exchange of information with virtually no restrictions, a process describe in the text as â€Å"reinventing society† (Castell, 2001, p.61). Just as previous communications advances such as language and printed text, the widespread adoption of the internet as a means of communication has caused a social stratification between individuals of different ages, ethnicities, economic background, and nationality based on their proficiency and access to the internet, which is considered to be the fundamental element of the contemporary network society. Communication can be described as a human’s ability to express symbolic ideas as representations, which may be written, oral, and even tactile. Humans differ from most other animals in that they can create what is known in psychological terms as â€Å"decoupled representations†, or representations that are not bound specifically to a stimulus (Pleyer, 2010). While most animals respond with a distinct reaction only to a certain stimulus, humans can express such reactions even when that stimulus is not present. The written word, and subsequently printed text allowed representations to further be decoupled from their original stimulus, allowing ideas to exist independently of their cause and source.  

Yale researchers unravel genetics of dyslexia and language impairment Assignment

Yale researchers unravel genetics of dyslexia and language impairment - Assignment Example Apart from genetic variants, Peart also claims that prenatal exposure to nicotine also predisposes children to dyslexia and language impairment (Peart 1). According to him, earlier diagnosis of challenges associated with dyslexia and language impairment will aid significantly in managing the associated complications. To achieve this, Peart asserts that it is crucial for the genetic components of reading as well as verbal language to be observed as earlier as possible. Additionally, he claims that most of the learning disabilities are as a result of dyslexia and language impairment. Thus, it is evident that his article provides detailed information on dyslexia and language impairment which enhances effective intervention of dyslexia and language impairment. The article enables persons suffering from the diseases understand the causes of their reading disabilities. Additionally, the article succeeds in making the families of the victims of dyslexia as well as language impairment seek for early interventions which as a result leads to effective