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Am 1. Januar 2022 übernimmt Deutschland die G7-Präsidentschaft. Der 1975 ins Leben gerufene Zusammenschluss von sieben führenden demokratischen Industrienationen hat wieder an Bedeutung gewonnen, seit Donald Trump nicht mehr US‑Präsident ist. Von der Biden-Administration kommen wichtige Impulse wie die "Foreign Policy for the Middle Class". Dieser Ansatz basiert auf einer klaren Prämisse: Ohne breite Unterstützung aus der Mitte der Gesellschaft sind auch etablierte Demo­kratien wie die USA nicht davor geschützt, von populistischen Bewegungen unter­miniert zu werden. Die Regierung in Washington folgert daraus, dass Innen- wie Außenpolitik künftig stärker an den Interessen der Mittelklasse auszurichten sind. Dies gilt auch mit Blick auf die zahlreichen Krisen, die die G7-Staaten bewältigen müssen, von der Corona-Pandemie über den Klimawandel bis zu geopolitischen Her­ausforderungen durch autoritäre Regime wie China und Russland. Die deutsche Präsidentschaft könnte dazu einen spezifischen Beitrag leisten - mit einer Initiative für strategische Vorausschau im multilateralen Rahmen der G7. (Autorenreferat)

Ziel des vorliegenden Beitrages ist es, verschiedene Formen digitaler Ungleichheit im Rahmen von Kollaborationsprozessen online zu untersuchen. Konkret analysieren wir digitale Ungleichheiten hinsichtlich der geografischen Herkunft von Editor*innen der Wikipedia. Der aktuelle Forschungsstand zeigt, dass Teilnehmer*innen aus Industrieländern hier besonders stark vertreten sind, während in anderen Regionen (insbesondere in sogenannten Entwicklungsländern) kaum Menschen teilnehmen. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht, wie sich die Autor*innengeographie in der Bearbeitung (Partizipation, Einfluss und Erfolg) von Artikeln zu den Unabhängigkeitsprozessen ehemaliger Kolonien in Afrika widerspiegelt. Die Analyse basiert auf insgesamt 354 Wikipedia-Artikeln. Anhand der Geolokalisierung von 75% der beteiligten Editor*innen (N = 23.408) zeigen wir, dass die meisten Bearbeitungen von Editor*innen aus Frankreich vorgenommen werden. Dieses Ungleichgewicht zeigt sich auch gemessen am gesamten Textanteil im Laufe der Zeit. Auf der Ebene der einzelnen Nutzer*innen lässt sich jedoch feststellen, dass Editor*innen aus Frankreich nur geringfügig erfolgreicher sind als jene aus den afrikanischen Nachfolgestaaten, wenn es um die längerfristige Sichtbarkeit ihrer Beiträge geht., The aim of the present paper is to examine different forms of digital divides that may occur during online collaboration. Specifically, we analyse digital inequalities regarding the geographical origin of editors active on Wikipedia. Existing evidence suggests a strong geographic bias among Wikipedia editors, as industrialized countries are strongly represented while others (especially developing countries) are virtually absent. The present study examines how editor geography is reflected in the editing of articles (participation, impact and success) about the independence of former French colonies in Africa. The analysis is based on 354 Wikipedia articles; by geolocating 75% of the editors (N = 23,408), we show that the majority of edits are made by users located in France. This imbalance is also reflected in the overall share of text they contribute over time. However, when looking at the individual user level, we find that editors from France are only slightly more successful in maintaining their contributions visible to the reader, than editors from African successor states.

2019 was Earth's second warmest year since 1850. In 2019 the global mean temperature was cooler than in 2016, but warmer than any other year explicitly measured. Consequently, 2016 is still the warmest year in historical observation history. Year-to-year rankings are likely to reflect natural fluctuations in the short term, but the overall pattern remains consistent with a long-term global warming trend. This would be predicted from global warming, caused by greenhouse gases, temperature increase across the globe is broadly spread, impacting almost all areas of land and oceans. "Climate change" and "global warming" are often used interchangeably, but are of distinct significance. Global warming is the long-term heating of the Earth's climate system, observed since the pre-industrial period as a result of human activities, mainly the combustion of fossil fuel, which raises the heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels in the Earth's air. The term is often used interchangeably with the term climate change, as the latter applies to warming, caused both humanly and naturally, and the impact it has on our planet. This is most generally calculated as the average increase in global surface temperature on Earth. In our research, we examine the relationship between the regulation of carbon emissions and the GDP / capita relationship between developed and developing countries. We assumed applying carbon abatement policies will reduce economic growth and GDP in developed countries, but it will rise economic growth and GDP in developing countries.

Deutschland steht in der Pflicht, eine führende Klimanation zu werden. Daran gibt es keinen Zweifel, das hat das Bundesverfassungsgericht mit seiner Entscheidung vom 29. April 2021 deutlich gemacht. Das Gericht hat nicht nur die Beachtung der Generationengerechtigkeit im begutachteten Klimagesetz angemahnt, sondern auch betont, dass sich Deutschland als führende Industrienation mit dem Unterzeichnen des Pariser Abkommens verpflichtet hat, in Bezug auf Klimaschutz mehr zu leisten als Schwellen- und Entwicklungsländer.

The relationship between India and Western countries is increasingly characterised by a paradox. On the one hand, the country's rise has caused both sides to increasingly share geostrategic interests, for example in the Indo-Pacific. On the other hand, dif­ferences are growing as New Delhi’s domestic policy moves further and further from Western ideals - this applies to economic policy as well as the state of Indian democ­racy. This change is affecting India's relations with Germany and Europe as the pro­motion of Indian industry and the restriction of democratic rights also affect Euro­pean companies and civil society organisations respectively. The narrative of a part­nership with India based on shared values, which has been cultivated for decades in Europe and the USA, will shift more towards coinciding strategic interests and less towards common democratic values. (author's abstract)

Das Verhältnis zwischen Indien und den westlichen Staaten ist zunehmend von einem Paradox geprägt. Auf der einen Seite hat der Aufstieg des Landes bewirkt, dass beide Seiten vermehrt geostrategische Interessen teilen, etwa im Indo-Pazifik. Auf der anderen Seite wachsen aber auch die Differenzen, weil Neu-Delhi sich innenpolitisch mehr und mehr von westlichen Vorstellungen entfernt - was für die Wirtschaftspolitik ebenso gilt wie für den Zustand der indischen Demokratie. Dieser Wandel berührt das Verhältnis zu Deutschland und Europa, denn die Förderung der indischen Indus­trie oder die Einschränkung demokratischer Rechte betreffen auch europäische Unter­nehmen bzw. zivilgesellschaftliche Organisationen. Das jahrzehntelang in Europa und den USA gepflegte Narrativ der Wertepartnerschaft mit Indien wird sich künftig eher an übereinstimmenden strategischen Interessen und weniger an gemein­samen demo­kratischen Werten orientieren. (Autorenreferat)

In this paper, we investigate whether income inequality negatively affects voter turnout. Despite some progress, the answer to this question is still debated due to methodological disagreements and differences in the selection of countries and time periods. We contribute to this debate by triangulating data and methods. More specifically, we use three kinds of data to resolve the question: first, we use cross-sectional aggregate data of 21 OECD countries in the time period from 1980 to 2014 to study the relationship between inequality and electoral participation. Second, we zoom in on the German case and examine local data from 402 administrative districts between 1998 and 2017. Focusing on within-country variation eliminates differences that are linked to features of the political system. Finally, we combine survey data with macro-data to investigate the impact of inequality on individual voting. This final step also allows us to test whether the effect of income inequality on voter turnout differs across income groups. Taken together, we offer the most comprehensive analysis of the impact of social inequality on political inequality to date. We corroborate accounts that argue that economic inequality exacerbates participatory inequality.

Is economy-led urbanization the only answer to urban planning? By 2050, about 70% of the world population will live in urban areas, intensified by rapid urbanization in developing countries. A new urban development framework is critically relevant to investigating urban living’s emerging complexity for advancing human-social-economic-environmental sustainability. The multi-disciplinary study explores a roadmap for solving industrialization’s adverse effects to inform future resilient development in developing countries. The classical Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (MHN) and some scholars have stated that human physiological needs would be prioritized and fulfilled by developing countries, and psychological needs would be satisfied and desired by developed countries after fulfilling physiological needs level. Our study argued that transit-oriented-development (TOD) and ICT could simultaneously fulfill some essential physio-psychological needs with digital-ruralism. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was adopted to test the indicator-based MHN theory developed by literature, urban quality of life (Uqol) evaluation between the developing and developed countries, and backed by digital-ruralism success in developing China. The Uqol evaluation identifies the developing countries’ subjective well-being demand as the health, mobility, governance, environment, social, economy, human capital, technology-ICT, smart living, and lifestyle, which are used to transform the classical MHN model to the indicator-based MHN model. The SEM subsequently illustrates that the observed well-being indicators are positively correlated to the TOD and ICT, defined by the proposed urban-ruralism development framework. The study contributes to an innovative approach to reconnect the classical MHN theory to contemporary sustainable urban planning while narrowing the socioeconomic-environmental gap between the developed (urban) and developing (rural) domains, which encourages a paradigm shift for futu

2019 was Earth's second warmest year since 1850. In 2019 the global mean temperature was cooler than in 2016, but warmer than any other year explicitly measured. Consequently, 2016 is still the warmest year in historical observation history. Year-to-year rankings are likely to reflect natural fluctuations in the short term, but the overall pattern remains consistent with a long-term global warming trend. This would be predicted from global warming caused by greenhouse gases, temperature increase across the globe is broadly spread, impacting almost all areas of land and oceans. "Climate change" and "global warming" are often used interchangeably but are of distinct significance. Global warming is the long-term heating of the Earth's climate system observed since the pre-industrial period as a result of human activities, mainly the combustion of fossil fuel, which raises the heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels in the Earth's air. The term is often used interchangeably with the term climate change, as the latter applies to warming caused both humanly and naturally, and the impact it has on our planet. This is most generally calculated as the average increase in global surface temperature on Earth. Carbon dioxide emission is one of the main reasons for global warming. Since the Industrial Revolution, human sources of carbon dioxide emissions have been growing. Human activities such as the burning of oil, coal and gas, as well as deforestation are the primary cause of the increased carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. In our research, let's examine the relationship between the amount of carbon dioxide emissions and the GDP/capita in developed and developing countries.

This paper develops residual-based monitoring procedures for cointegrating polynomial regressions, i.e., regression models including deterministic variables, integrated processes as well as integer powers of integrated processes as regressors. The regressors are allowed to be endogenous and the stationary errors are allowed to be serially correlated. We consider five variants of monitoring statistics and develop the results for three modified least squares estimators for the parameters of the CPRs. The simulations show that using the combination of self-normalization and a moving window leads to the best performance. We use the developed monitoring statistics to assess the structural stability of environmental Kuznets curves (EKCs) for both CO2 and SO2 emissions for twelve industrialized country since the first oil price shock.

Die aktuelle Covid-19-Pandemie demon­striert eindrücklich die große Bedeutung internationaler Zusammen­arbeit bei der Vorbeugung und Eindämmung von weltweiten Krankheits­ausbrüchen. Dies gilt für alle Erreger, die Pandemien hervorrufen können - einschließlich bestimmter Varianten des Influenzavirus. Deshalb unterhält die Weltgesundheits­organisation (WHO) seit Jahrzehnten ein Netzwerk, innerhalb dessen Influenza­viren beobachtet und zu Forschungszwecken weitergegeben werden. 2007 kündigte Indonesien seine Mitwirkung in diesem System auf, obwohl indonesische Viren­proben als wesentlich für die Abwendung einer befürchteten Grippe-Pandemie galten. Dahinter stand unter anderem eine wachsende Frustration mit Un­gleichheiten innerhalb des Netzwerks, in dem Industrieländer und große Pharma­konzerne von Virenproben aus Ländern des Globalen Südens profitierten, ohne dass letztere an den Profiten angemessen beteiligt wurden. Der 2011 vereinbarte „Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework“ (PIP Framework), der „benefit-sharing“ als gleichberechtigtes Element neben „virus-sharing“ etablierte, reformierte zwar die internationale Grippe­bekämpfung, verschärfte aber auch bestehende Spannungen und Konflikte zwischen verschiedenen Normen und Praktiken: der globalen Gesundheitszusammenarbeit (die den Austausch von Erreger­proben erfordert), dem Schutz geistigen Eigen­tums (der Innovation fördern und Profite sichern soll) sowie dem Schutz genetischer Ressourcen (der Erreger als nationale Ressource betrachtet und bei ihrer Ausbeutung angemessene Profit­beteiligung fordert). Dieses Working Paper zeichnet Indonesiens Politik zur Grippe-Pandemie­vorbeugung und den Reform­prozess innerhalb der WHO nach. Es markiert außerdem die genannten Normkomplexe sowie die Rolle technologischer Neuerungen in der Gen­sequenzierung darin als künftige empirische und theoretische Forschungs­felder., The current Covid-19 pandemic highlights the importance of inter­national cooperation in the prevention and contain­ment of infectious diseases. This is true for all pathogens with pandemic potential, including certain influenza viruses, which is why the World Health Organisation (WHO) has maintained a system for monitoring and sharing influenza viruses for decades. In 2007, Indonesia rescinded its cooperation in this system even though experts ascribed a crucial role to Indonesian virus samples in the prevention of a flu pan­demic; such a pandemic was at the time feared to be imminent. Indonesia’s policy was nurtured inter alia by a growing frustration with inequalities in the existing system in which industrialised countries as well as drug and vaccine producers benefitted from samples provided by countries of the Global South but did not share these benefits ade­quately with those countries. The new “Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework”, concluded in 2011, established benefit-sharing and virus-sharing as principles on an equal footing. It thus reformed the WHO process but also brought to the fore existing tensions and conflicts between various norms and practices: global health cooperation (which requires the sharing of pathogen samples), the protection of intellectual property rights (which is intended to promote innovation and ensure profits), and the protection of genetic resources (which considers pathogens as national resources and requires adequate benefit-sharing in their exploitation). This Working Paper traces Indonesia’s policy regarding pandemic influenza prepared­ness and the reform process within WHO. Moreover, it presents the interlinkages between said norm complexes, which are exacerbated by technological develop­ments in genetic sequencing, as areas that would merit further theoretical and empirical research.

This chapter aims to reveal the geographies of ewaste flows at global and national levels based on waste statistics data and thematic cartography. WEEE management practices are examined for each major geographical area respectively: Europe, North America, Latin America and Caribbean, South America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Pollution and public health threats associated with improper ewaste management practices is a crucial environmental issue, particularly in emerging economies. Generation, collection, treatment, recycling and recovery activities of WEEE fraction are analyzed within each geographical area. The role formal and informal sector is further investigated pointing out the gaps and different prospects in development of sustainable ewaste management systems across developing and developed countries.

The slow progress of innovation in transition economies is not related just to firms' decision to invest in innovation activities. Rather, it is worth distinguishing between their decision to increase investment, reduce it, keep their investments at the same level or not invest in innovation activities at all. To understand these decisions we develop and estimate models for post-transition and developed European countries employing multinomial probit. The analysis relies on responses of 2580 firms from 11 post-transition countries and 4058 firms from 18 European countries collected by the Flash Eurobarometer 433 - Innobarometer 2016 survey. We have established that the firms' decision making process in general is mostly related to previous innovation investment experience. In transition countries, the higher the percent of turnover invested in innovation, the lower the probability of an increase in the future. In the firms operating in developed economies, lower turnover from new products is related to the decision to decrease innovation investment in the future.

In 1937, the Japanese economist Kaname Akamatsu discovered specific links between the rise and decline of the global peripheries. Akamatsu’s theory of development describes certain mechanisms whose working results in the narrowing of the gap between the level of development of the economy of developing and developed countries, and, thus, in the re-structuring of the relationships between the global core and the global periphery. Akamatsu developed his model on the basis of his analysis of the economic development of Japan before World War II, with a special emphasis on the development of the Japanese textile industry. Akamatsu's catch-up development includes three phases: import of goods, organization of the production of previously imported products, and export of those goods. This model proved to be productive for analyzing the development of many other developing countries, especially in East Asia, making the theory of flying geese popular among the economists of these countries, as well as the whole world. The "flying geese" model produces certain swings that may be denoted as Akamatsu waves. Akamatsu waves may be defined as cycles (with a period ranging from 20 to 60 years) that are connected with convergence and divergence of core and periphery of the World System in a way that explains cyclical upward and downward swings (at global and national levels) in the movements of the periphery countries as they catch up with the richer ones.

During the secular change of Prussia from an agrarian state with uprising industries towards an industrial state with a strong and stable agrarian sector, transnational and internal mobility became mass phenomena in the German Northeast before World War I. Regional differences aside, the most important components of this mobility were overseas emigration and remigration, continental immigration, primarily from middle-east and south-east Europe, as well as several forms of internal migration. Thereby we have to distinguish between permanent and temporary migrations, between migrations within the same economic sector (intra-sectoral migrations, e.g. within the agrarian sector), and migrations across sectors (inter-sectoral migrations, e.g. from the agrarian towards the industrial sector). Driven by partly comparable and partly different motivations, this mobility shaped more or less long-lasting migration traditions within a highly complex migration system.

The next G20 Summit will take place in Hamburg on 7/8 July 2017. Under the Chinese Presidency, the G20 adopted the Action Plan on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the 2016 Summit in Hangzhou. The 2030 Agenda had been signed by heads of state and government during the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2015. The German Presidency is now planning a ‘Hamburg update’ of the G20 Action Plan. What kinds of contributions from G20 countries could boost the implementation of the ambitious 2030 Agenda? How can the G20 and UN processes be meaningfully linked, particularly with regard to policy coherence and accountability measures? (Autorenreferat)

Obwohl heute in vielen afrikanischen Staaten Wahldemokratien und "mildere" Formen autoritärer Regime als zur Zeit des Kalten Krieges vorherrschen, hat sich der Demokratisierungsprozess in Afrika verlangsamt und in vielen Fällen sogar umgekehrt. Dies führt zu einer wachsenden Kluft zwischen Bürgern, die weitere demokratische Rechte und Freiheiten fordern, und zahlreichen Machthabern, die vor allem ihre Privilegien sichern wollen.

Globalisation is in crisis. The German Presidency of the G20 in 2017 faces an unprecedented challenge. The G20 cannot save globalisation on its own, but it can play a vital role in finding and facilitating the necessary solutions. This GIGA Focus analyses why the G20 is well-suited to taking on this task, how it might do so, and the pitfalls it must avoid. Globalisation is worth saving, but it needs to be reformed. The G20 might be the ideal forum to achieve this. Its strengths lie in its origins as a crisis management group, its flexible structure, and the critical mass of countries that it brings together along with its outreach processes. A G20 negotiation to rescue globalisation could take three shapes: a) Multilateralism is revitalised and globalisation duly reformed b) multilateralism is diminished and we get a lower-scale but renegotiated globalisation c) multilateralism ends and de-globalisation ensues. The G20 needs high-level individual and collective political commitment combined with sound issue-specific technical measures to renegotiate the bargain on globalisation. It also needs to address its legitimacy deficit while retaining its efficiency and flexibilty. The German presidency offers a unique opportunity to make the most of the G20 process and help solve the current crisis. For the G20 to successfully address the crisis of globalisation, three measures are important: a) Visionary leadership from the highest political levels b) issue-specific and research-backed technical solutions c) attention to enhancing the legitimacy of the group through existing outreach processes and greater inclusiveness towards non-members.

Die Globalisierung steckt in der Krise. Die deutsche G20-Präsidentschaft 2017 steht vor einer beispiellosen Herausforderung. Die G20 kann die Globalisierung nicht im Alleingang sichern, aber sie kann einen wesentlichen Beitrag dazu leisten, notwendige Lösungen zu suchen und zu ermöglichen. Dieser GIGA-Focus analysiert, warum die G20 gute Voraussetzungen mitbringt, diese Aufgabe in Angriff zu nehmen, wie das funktionieren könnte und welche Klippen dabei umschifft werden müssen. Es lohnt sich, die Globalisierung zu sichern, aber sie muss reformiert werden. Die G20 könnte dafür das ideale Forum sein. Ihre Stärken liegen in ihrer Gründung als Krisenmanagementgruppe, ihrer flexiblen Struktur und der kritischen Masse an Mitgliedsländern, in Verbindung mit ihren Outreach-Prozessen. G20-Verhandlungen zur Rettung der Globalisierung könnten drei verschiedene Formen annehmen: a) Der Multilateralismus wird wiederbelebt und die Globalisierung gründlich reformiert, b) der Multilateralismus wird eingeschränkt und wir bekommen eine zwar neu ausgehandelte Globalisierung, aber auf niedrigerem Niveau, c) der Multilateralismus endet und mündet in einer Abnahme globaler Verflechtungen. Um die Globalisierung neu auszuhandeln, braucht die G20 ein hohes Maß an individuellem und kollektivem politischen Engagement, flankiert von soliden, problembezogenen technischen Maßnahmen. Außerdem muss sie ihr Legitimationsdefizit verringern und gleichzeitig ihre Effizienz und Flexibilität beibehalten. Die deutsche Präsidentschaft bietet eine besondere Chance, den G20-Prozess optimal zu nutzen und dazu beizutragen, die aktuelle Krise der Globalisierung zu lösen. Damit die G20 der Globalisierungskrise erfolgreich entgegentreten kann, sind drei Maßnahmen wichtig: a) visionäre Führung auf den höchsten politischen Ebenen, b) problembezogene und wissenschaftlich fundierte technische Lösungen, c) der Wille zur Stärkung der eigenen Legitimation durch bestehende Outreach-Prozesse und eine engere Einbindung von

Although more competitive forms of authoritarianism and electoral democracy are today prevalent in most African countries, democratisation has slowed and in some places reversed. This coincides with an ever-growing rift between African citizens who are demanding further democratic rights and rulers who want to preserve their prerogatives. Western actors need to support those who hold the greatest democratic aspirations more fervently: African citizens themselves.