political review | National
Washington University
political review 22.1 | March 2015 | wupr.org
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MARKETS & POWER
Soccer in Sialkot
18
Nahuel Fefer
5
Towards Sustainable World Agriculture
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Catering to Cuba
21
Regulating the Race to the Bottom
22
11
Free Market Environmentalism
25
Privatizing Indonesian Healthcare
26
Beast Mode Cashes In
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A Conversation with Xavier Briggs
Katie Rial
14
Top U.S. Trading Partners Grace Portelance and Simin Lim
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A Global Market for Organs Chloe Naguib
17
The Stubborn Nails of China Katherine Surko
2
Nigeria’s Nadir Reuben Siegman
Aitan Groener
12
Israeli Election Primer Aryeh Mellman
Sonya Schoenberger
NATIONAL
Reparations for Conservatives Gabriel Rubin
Bill Feng
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The Trials of Dzokhar Tsarnaev’s Jurors Rachel Butler
Max Hofmeister
INTERNATIONAL
Incentives for Quality Clinical Care Suhas Gondi
Ben Szanton
Victoria Sgarro
Editors-in-Chief: Gabriel Rubin Sonya Schoenberger
Executive Director: Nahuel Fefer
Staff Editors: Joe Lenoff Billie Mandelbaum Aryeh Mellman
Features Editor: Grace Portelance
Director of Design: Alex Chiu
Assistant Directors of Design: Simin Lim Andrew Kay
INTERNATIONAL
Director of New Media: Ari Moses
Managing Web Editors: Henry Kopesky Aaron Christensen
Programming Director: Hannah Waldman
Finance Director:
Front Cover: Alex Chiu
Theme Page: Andrew Kay
Back Cover: Alex Chiu
In 1776, Adam Smith famously wrote that an “Invisible Hand” guides markets to ensure an efficient allocation of resources. Many free marketeers today still argue that the unfettered market promotes prosperity on national and international levels. This argument may be true in the abstract, but economic forces do not exist in a vacuum. The Invisible Hand is ultimately subordinate to the realities of geopolitics, as powers manipulate global markets to advance their agendas and interests. Even when left to their own efficient devices, market forces are hardly adequate arbiters of a just distribution of global resources. They intrinsically reflect historical inequalities and power dynamics.
Rachel Butler
Alex Beaulieu
Dear Reader,
In this issue, writers examine the relationship between Markets and Power through many lenses. Bill Feng argues that the Obama administration’s recent decision to normalize relations with Cuba will strengthen the Castro regime and its support for forces of terrorism—without helping the Cuban people. Suhas Gondi explores the ways that economic incentives shape our healthcare system, and Max Hofmeister analyzes the state of American industrial agriculture. Other writers address global trade, labor rights, and other topics of national and international import. We welcome you to join our discussion of Markets and Power and other topics by submitting feedback and original article ideas to editor@wupr.org.
With best regards, Gabriel Rubin and Sonya Schoenberger Editors-in-Chief
political review | NATIONAL
political review | Markets & Power
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political review | Markets & power
soccer in sialkot Nahuel Fefer
Y
ou’ve never heard of Sialkot, Pakistan,
1970’s, as the diplomatic situation stabilized
national policies protecting child laborers and
but you’ve almost certainly seen their
and Pakistan began to open it’s economy,
disallowing abusive employment practices.
product – and maybe even kicked it a
capital finally began flooding in.
The Pakistani prime minister went so far as to
couple of times. Sialkot produces half of the world’s soccer balls, including those used in last year’s World Cup. The story of how the city has been shaped by markets serves as a testimony
Investors were drawn to Pakistan’s cheap labor, and Sialkoti businessmen were able to capitalize on their history with industry and
arrange a meeting with CEO of Nike in Davos to persuade him to resume Nike’s business in Sialkot. He was successful.
soccer ball production to convince companies
While child labor remains prevalent in small
like Nike and Adidas to shift production to
businesses that produce goods for domestic
their city. By 1982, all balls used in the World
consumption, labor standards have improved
Cup were produced in Sialkot. The success
significantly in larger companies that rely on
of soccer ball production in Sialkot led more
exports, demonstrating the potential power
surprising results.
manufacturing business to the city, and
of markets to, for better or worse, impose
today Sialkot remains the world leader in the
values. Unfortunately, Sialkot’s recent history
Local tradition holds that it all started in 1889,
production of leather gloves and surgical
also serves as a reminder of the fickle nature
when a British officer stationed in Sialkot
equipment.
of markets. That’s because, after 40 years
to their transformative power. More importantly, Sialkot serves as a reminder of how profoundly interconnected and interdependent we are, and of how history, politics, culture, and economics can combine in unexpected ways to produce
punctured his soccer ball. He took it to Syed Sahib, an enterprising cobbler who repaired the officer’s ball exceptionally well for exceptionally
These industries have transformed Sialkot and made it one of Pakistan’s safest and most
of global dominance, Sialkot’s soccer ball producing industry is dying.
prosperous cities. The average Sialkoti makes
Chinese manufacturers are systemically
twice as much as the average Pakistani and,
out-competing Sialkoti industry, and have
perhaps as a result, Sialkotis are particularly
wrested roughly a third of the market away
uninterested in radical Islam – though its
from Pakistan. Whereas most Pakistani balls
distance from Taliban controlled areas can’t
remain hand stitched, relying on the low cost
to repair their soccer balls.
hurt either.
of Pakistani labor, capital saturated China is
Instead, Sialkot’s predisposition for industry
What’s perhaps more surprising is how the
little, and was soon producing soccer balls for the local regiment. While it’s compelling, this apocryphal story wasn’t unique to Sialkot, and it’s easy to imagine British soldiers across central Asia relying on the local leather workers
investing in high tech manufacturing processes.
industries have changed local laws and
Forward, the Sialkoti company that produced
culture. Soccer balls are a product of particular
the 2014 World Cup ball, is a notable
cultural relevance to much of the world,
exception. It invested early in the thermal
and Sialkoti manufacturers have been exposed
bonding technology necessary to produce
to more intense scrutiny than the producers
World Cup-quality balls, and was thus able to
of almost any other item. In 1996 European
step in when Adidas’ Chinese supplier backed
journalists exposed the routine employment
out. It was, however, an investment born of
Kingdom had faded away.
of children as young as five years old by Sialkoti
passion, not market analysis – the company’s
soccer ball producers. Faced with the threat of
CEO, Khawaja Akhtar, had long dreamed of
For whatever reason, Sialkot remained the
its largest clients switching to their competitors
producing a World Cup ball – and it remains
local hub for soccer ball production long after
the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce signed
to be seen if his gamble will pay off in the
Sahib’s death, and as capital barriers came
the Atlanta Agreement with UNICEF and
long term.
down around the world in the wake of World
the International Labor Organization in
War II and advances in Pakistani infrastructure
1997, ensuring that children younger than 15
allowed land-locked Sialkot to export at
were never forced to miss school to produce
low costs, the industry seemed poised to
soccer balls.
Brazuca was roundly considered to be one of
This process repeated itself when Nike
Pakistan may not have been in the World Cup,
pulled out of a seven million-ball contract in
but in some ways, they were behind every goal
November 2006 amid rumors of violations of
scored.
may go back even further, to 326 BC, when Alexander the Great conquered Sialkot, then known as Sagala, and established it as the easternmost outpost of his empire. Sagala went on to serve as the capital of an Indo-Greek Kingdom that lasted until 10 AD, and thrived as a center for trade and industry long after the
take off. Two factors, however, held it back: protectionist Pakistani policies designed to insulate local industry from the global market, and wars between India and Pakistan in 1965 and 1971. The latter made Sialkot, which is only five miles away from Indian controlled Kashmir, an extremely risky investment. In the mid
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the Atlanta Agreement. Domestic pressure from Sialkoti businesses afraid of losing buyers forced the Pakistani government to draft
In the short term, however, the world’s soccer fans owe Sialkot a debt of gratitude – the the best World Cup balls in recent memory.
Nahuel Fefer is a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences. He can be reached at nahuelfefer@wustl.edu.
political review | Markets & Power
towards sustainable world agriculture Max Hofmeister
I
n 2008, author and activist Michael Pollan
nutrients in the soil. Farms have to make up
pollute our rivers and oceans, causing huge
wrote an open letter to President Obama,
for the harvest of plant material with fertilizers.
dead zones off our coasts—as seen in the
the new “Farmer in Chief,” advocating for a
Likewise, pests in the wild are balanced
Chesapeake Bay or the Mississippi River Delta.
sweeping agricultural reform. Pollan argued that
by a complex ecosystem of predators and
To extend available arable land and improve
reform would make our food healthier, less oil-
prey—competition restricts insect and weed
yields, farmers use approximately 92 percent of
dependent, and more environmentally friendly.
populations, and biodiversity limits the spread
the global water footprint for irrigation While
Seven years later, the Obama administration
of plant diseases and the domination of any
the atmosphere replenishes fresh water, many
has done little to address this issue. Though
particularly destructive species of insect or
areas already face water shortages where water usage exceeds its rate of replenishment.
typically far from the public spotlight, agriculture may become the most important issue of the twenty-first century. The industrial system of agriculture practiced by most countries today relies on chemical fertilizers, tractors, pesticides, and hybrid or genetically modified seeds. Events in the next century will put great strain on this system. A growing world population, overreliance on scarce and diminishing resources, and global climate change threaten to upset the delicate mechanism that brings us food each day. Currently, analysts from the U.S. government expect the world to meet its food needs by farming more land, using technology to increase crop yields, and spreading modern, industrial farming methods from the U.S. to developing countries. The U.N. estimates that the world’s population will increase to between 8.3 and 10.9 billion people by 2050, with a commensurate 70 percent increase in the demand for food. Growing populations are also increasing in
Our system of agriculture is unsustainable due to a reliance on a diminishing stock of fossil fuels. weed. Insects and weeds typically exploit the weakness of a single type of plant; a field of cotton will be decimated by a boll weevil, but a boll weevil is harmless to a field of corn. Farmers using industrial agricultural methods
food per capita and higher energy use foods,
apply oil-based chemical fertilizer, herbicide,
such as meat or processed food. Most of this
and insecticide to deal with these issues,
population and food demand increase will
basically sterilizing a field so only one species
take place in developing countries, so ideally
can survive there. According to Pollan’s
solutions would increase production in those
research, the use of chemicals and machinery
countries, rather than proposing that they rely
require that U.S. industrial farming expend
on Western agricultural surpluses.
“10 calories of fossil-fuel energy to produce a
faces two key problems in the long run: loss of soil fertility and pest management. In nature, a previous year’s decayed plant matter fertilizes the next year’s growth, preserving the
predicted effects, but for agricultural concerns, it will drastically affect water availability. Some areas will receive far more water than before; others will receive far less. Needless to say events such as the ongoing extreme drought in California and severe floods across the world, notably last year’s massive flooding in Pakistan and India, will happen with increasing frequency. A warmer earth increases the amount of water vapor the atmosphere can hold, intensifying severe weather events and changing precipitation patterns. Adaptation to a new warmer climate will shift U.S. agriculture north, and will likely require new water storage techniques to deal with high variability in
affluence, demanding higher quantities of
In addition to population growth, farming
Global climate change has a wide variety of
single calorie of modern supermarket food.” Fossil fuels exist in a finite quantity, meaning eventually we will have to use something else in their place. In the meantime, however, burning fossil fuels pollutes the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect, and farm chemicals
yearly rainfall. We lack the ability to accurately predict the effects of climate change, but we can be sure that climate change will complicate the other problems facing our fragile food system. How can we adapt to these problems? Presently the world produces enough food to feed everyone; the one billion that today suffer from food insecurity could be adequately fed with a more equitable distribution of our current resources. However, growth in demand in the next century will require increased production, not just better distribution. This production can be achieved by greater land usage or more intensification (growing more food on the same amount of land). Transferring the current technology of industrial intensification—i.e. the use of
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political review | Markets & power
chemicals, machinery, and modified seeds—
To repair this rift in the fertility cycle would
to developing countries could dramatically
simultaneously reduce our fossil fuel reliance
improve their yields, but at what cost?
and cut our air and water pollution.
Conversion to industrial agriculture is how we plan to meet future challenges to our food
The USDA has consistently worked to produce
system, but is the industrial food system
large quantities of cheap food for America.
the best system? If we want the rest of the
This has proven to be extremely successful—a
world to emulate U.S. farmers, we should
recent Bloomberg article showed that
first consider the merits and flaws of the U.S.
Americans pay a smaller percentage of their
agricultural system. Industrial agriculture
income for food than virtually those living in
produces huge quantities of food using
every other country in the world. This goal has
small amounts of labor at a low monetary
come at the costs outlined above, but what can
cost. But the price of food and its high
the USDA do to continue to provide
“efficiency” excludes the environmental cost of
lots of cheap food while mitigating
agriculture—fertilizer and pesticide pollution,
environmental costs?
depletion of soil fertility and soil erosion, and greenhouse gas emissions from clearing land, chemical production, machinery usage, and growing livestock. Some of this cost can be reduced through more efficient methods as most chemicals are overused, most crops are overwatered, and soils are overworked by plows. Smarter farming methods, could include the targeted application of fertilizer at specific
Consider the problem of soil fertility: the law could require that all waste be captured from cities and livestock operations and processed until it could be used on farms. Such a policy could perhaps be financed by giving producers the net profit or loss from processing and selling their manure and organic waste. This
Technology can save us from many problems, but eventually agriculture will have to return to a natural cycle of fertility instead of substituting oil for organic wastes.
suggestion sounds expensive, but actually even with today’s prices (not factoring in
field), such as intercropping (planting multiple
environmental costs) this could be profitable,
species of crops together) or permaculture
as it takes something we previously dumped as
(modeling crops after a natural ecosystem,
requirements.
waste and turns it into a product. Cities already
with perennial plant varieties, like an orchard).
Ultimately though, the U.S. system of
high enough quality that it could be reused, the
agriculture is unsustainable due to its
extra effort of which could be profitable given
reliance on a diminishing stock of fossil
the sunk cost of waste management. Charging
fuels. Technology can save us from many
livestock producers for processing their waste
problems, but eventually agriculture will have
would incentivize them to reduce the toxicity
to return to a natural cycle of fertility instead
of their waste—grass-fed, medicine-free cattle
of substituting oil for organic wastes. Food is
don’t produce toxic manure, instead they can
harvested from farms and shipped off to cities,
sell manure for a profit.
times and in specific quantities tailored to each plant. Plants can be genetically modified to reduce fertilizer, pesticide, and water
a one-way flow of fertility that we make up for with artificial fertilizers. To be sustainable, we need to restore the natural cycle; returning the “wastes” created by food consumption in cities and livestock production—specifically concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs)—back to farms. Cities produce millions of gallons of toxic sewage and CAFOs produce huge lagoons of toxic manure (manure becomes toxic due to the use of hormones and antibiotics on livestock) all of which is eventually dumped into our rivers and oceans.
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process their waste, although usually not to a
A few more possible government solutions: we could tax chemical fertilizer pollution (not merely fertilizer usage) encouraging smarter, reduced chemical application. We could
Alternately, we can rely on consumers instead of government to reform the agriculture system. Consumers can vote with their dollars by changing purchases to organic food and chemical free meat. But this approach forces consumers to bear the cost of agricultural reform rather than producers. However we decide to reform it, however, the U.S. industrial agriculture system cannot continue forever as is, nor can it be scaled up to meet the needs of the rest of the planet without adapting to the problems of the future.
reform agriculture subsidies to subsidize only those calories that are actually eaten; cutting out subsides for crop production that goes to ethanol or other nonfood uses. We could refocus government-funded agricultural science to study farming methods other than monoculture (planting a single species in a
Max Hofmeister is a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences. He can be reached at mhofmeister@wustl.edu.
political review | Markets & Power
catering to cuba
Bill Feng | Illustration by Alex Chiu
O
n December 17, 2014, President Obama
its allies in East Asia. Taking
announced that he would use executive
this danger into tconsideration,
action to normalize relations with Cuba.
Obama should have looked into
In addition, the President is pushing for the US
pressuring Cuba to cut trade ties
Department of State to take Cuba off the list of
with North Korea.
“State Sponsors of Terrorism.” Some major media outlets, such as NBC, showered Obama with praise for his part in the decision to normalize relations. This commendation is both undeserved and imprudent. Obama’s concession to Cuba was a monumental fumble from a strategic perspective. Obama conceded much of what Cuba wanted while asking for very little in exchange. This mishandled policy change will likely do little to improve the status quo within Cuba. Additionally, this decision could actually put
Finally, Cuba retains economic bilateral deals with other blacklisted “State Sponsor” countries such as Syria and Iran. By trading with these terrorismcondoning nations, Cuba puts financial resources into the hands of governments that can potentially harm the United States and its allies. Obama
the security of the United States at greater risk.
should have pushed Cuba into
Obama should be more hesitant in having Cuba
loosening of trade restrictions
taken off the list of “State Sponsors.” Although
does significantly improve the
the Cuban government has recently taken steps
Cuban government treasury,
to cease funding and training militant groups, two
Obama would, in effect, be
Colombian paramilitary groups, FARC and ELN,
funding terrorists.
still maintain a considerable presence within the Cuban government. According to cables posted on the WikiLeaks website, Cuba grants these groups safe haven in the country to rest and receive medical treatment. These two groups are largely financed through the production and distribution of illegal drugs. As a result, these groups hold significant sway on illegal drugs trafficked through the United States and its allies. Obama could have pushed Cuba into cutting ties with these groups for the sake of US interests in
eliminating these deals. If the
The opportunity to exert diplomatic pressure on Cuba came at no better time. Although the Cuban government has been requesting the end of trade restrictions and the US embargo for over half a century, a recent development has put the country’s economy into an even higher degree of jeopardy. Venezuela, Cuba’s biggest trade partner, is on the brink of economic collapse due to plunging oil prices. This supply
has reduced the amount of resources Cuba has at hand to harm US interests, it has done little to weaken the Castro regime itself. Fidel and Raul Castro still hold tight control of the Cuban government, as they have for the last fifty years. It is likely that the Castros have prepared a successor to continue their reign. Political parties are still banned within the country and dissent is
exchange for the normalizing trade relations.
shock has sent Cuba into a deep recession that
In addition to the Colombian groups, Cuba has
its hold on public opinion. The Castro regime’s
Without any changes to the political structure
also partnered with North Korea in opposition to
desperation to maintain political stability could
of Cuba, Obama’s concessions will only work
US interests. On July 15, 2013, Cuba and North
have been the opportune window for Obama to
to strengthen the Cuban government, which
Korea were caught smuggling weapons by
push for advances that would mitigate Cuba’s risk
operates a tightly controlled command economy.
Panamanian customs. The North Korean-flagged
of harming US interests. Also, steering Cuba away
A growing Cuban GDP will do more to solidify the
ship Chong Chon Gang was seized for “undeclared
from its economic dependency on Venezuela
power of the Castro regime than to improve the
cargo” found aboard. Cuban-made missile
would significantly diminish the latter’s sphere of
quality of life for ordinary Cubans. In normalizing
launching systems, aircraft, and live ammunitions
influence in the Western hemisphere.
relations without stipulating firm conditions, the
were found tucked underneath several thousand tons of sugar. By supplying arms to North Korea, Cuba broke stipulations maintained by the UN Security Council, which prohibit the shipping of weapons to North Korea. North Korea poses a risk to the security of both the United States and
has diminished the government’s treasury and
To be sure, the normalization of relations with Cuba is overdue. The US embargo on Cuba, which
still heavily punished.
United States wasted its diplomatic leverage to reduce the terrorist threats that Cuba supports.
has now been in place for over half a century, has done little to achieve its primary goal: destabilize the anti-US Castro regime. Although the policy
Bill Feng is a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences. He can be reached at williamfeng@wustl.edu.
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political review | Markets & power
regulating the race to the bottom Sonya Schoenberger | Illustration by Savannah Bustillo
O
n November 24, 2012, a fire broke out in
garment worker wages in Bangladesh remain
Wal-Mart and Target. Julia Wang, a National
the Tazreen Fashions factory near Dhaka,
the lowest in the world, at around $37 a
Organizer with United Students against
Bangladesh. Managers who thought
month—about half those in China. Scott
Sweatshops (USAS), views the Accord as “a
the alarm was a drill ordered employees to
Nova, Executive director of the Workers
much more real contract,” because it is legally
stay in their seats. One hundred twenty-three
Rights Consortium, explains that wages have
binding, whereas the Alliance is not.
workers died as the fire spread throughout the
been kept down over the decades by a weak
building. Those trapped inside were incinerated;
regulatory environment within Bangladesh and
others jumped to their deaths from upper-story
pressure by Western retailers to produce at the
windows.
lowest possible cost.
of all factory-registered unions support the
Five months later, Bangladesh’s textile industry
“The more the Bangladeshis delivered lower
and labor organizers in Bangladesh in 2013.
sustained another high-casualty event about
and lower costs by leaving workers completely
Workers have denounced the Alliance, which
ten miles form the site of the Tazreen fire.
unprotected, the more business the factories
provides no role for organized workers.
On April 24, 2013 the Rana Plaza factory
got, and so the more incentive there was to
And while the Accord makes its reports
building collapsed, killing over 1,100 workers
keep doing more of the same. That’s probably
and recommendations publicly available,
and injuring thousands more. Most of those
the purest illustration of ‘The Race to the
the Alliance is much more opaque, with no
killed were young women working long hours
Bottom’ that you’re ever going to see,”
public information about whether funds
at meager hourly wages. The incident made
Nova said.
are truly being transferred to factories for
The Accord also has much more robust support from workers themselves: 90 percent Accord, said Wang, who met with survivors
international headlines and came to symbolize the human toll of the abusive—and largely unregulated—global garment industry. The horror of the Tazreen and Rana Plaza disasters provoked global outrage and inspired calls for reform. European and American retailers established agreements to investigate and improve working conditions at their source factories. The U.S government suspended Bangladesh’s preferential trade benefits. The Bangladeshi
Ultimately, worker rights must be supported through active labor organizing, rule of law, and a political system that gives workers voice. The status quo in Bangladesh fails on all three counts.
government, despite its deeply entrenched anti-labor interests, permitted two hundred new unions to register. But while many of
In the wake of Rana Plaza, many brands have
these steps represent positive change, they
worked to address the abuses of the garment
are at best partial and superficial reforms.
supply chain. Companies have been divided,
The global garment industry—particularly in
though, about the level of commitment they
Bangladesh—presents immense regulatory
are willing to extend towards improving worker
challenges, and power to initiate reforms lies
conditions. The Bangladesh Accord on Fire and
largely in the hands of brands and consumers.
Building Safety, which has been signed by over
While pressuring brands to sign onto the
190 companies, only 19 of which are American,
Accord is a crucial step to addressing pressing
requires brands to fund factory inspections and
safety concerns in Bangladeshi factories that
structural improvements. Every inspection so
continue to imperil workers, both the Accord
far has revealed some safety violation—a total
and the Alliance are time-delimited and will
of about 80,000 safety violations across
expire in 2018. Without other institutions in
1,100 factories.
place, improvements in working conditions
Bangladesh, a country of 160 million with a GDP per capita of around $800, is the second largest producer of apparel globally, after China. Its garment exports account for 80 percent of export revenue and a full 17 percent of GDP. The industry’s growth over the past several decades has been explosive, with
An alternative agreement, the Alliance for
exports increasing from $12,000 in 1978 to
Bangladesh Worker Safety, does not require
$21.5 billion in 2012-13. But while revenues
contractual commitments from signatories.
from garment exports have played a key role
The Alliance is supported by a smaller group of
in the development of Bangladesh’s economy,
26 companies, including American retail giants
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improvements. USAS focuses its garment worker solidarity work on pressuring universities to cut ties with corporations that haven’t signed on to the Accord, even if they’ve signed onto the Alliance.
could be quickly reversed in the absence of a strong labor rights movement supported by political and regulatory reform. A November 2013 Senate report identified worker unions
political review | Markets & Power
from verbal harassment and intimidation to violent
conditions in Bangladesh would raise the retail
assault. The senate report
price consumers pay for garments produced
mentioned one case in which
in Bangladesh by a mere seven cents an item.
a female union leader was
But he doesn’t expect this to happen without
hospitalized after being
consumer activism.
attacked and knocked
unconscious with a pair of
cutting shears. In December
2014, the New York Times
reported on attacks on female
union leaders at factories
owned by the Azim Group. The Bangladesh government
sanctions these crimes by failing to prosecute perpetrators. Even police forces are often controlled in part by factory owners. The report of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations recommended that apparel brands work more closely with the International Labor Organization (ILO) to pressure factories to tolerate and support organized labor. Ultimately, worker rights must be supported through active labor organizing, rule of law, and a political system that gives workers voice. The status quo in Bangladesh fails on all three
and an active
labor movement as “the best bulwark against another tragic incident.”
Resistance to labor rights, though, is entrenched in
is far from democratic, and no political party with any clout represents worker interests. While the Bangladesh government did register 160 garment unions in 2013 and the first half of 2014—compared to two between 2010 and 2012—they represent only a fraction of the 5,000 garment factories operating in Bangladesh. And unionized workers are
subjected to regular abuse,
than they have about protecting workers,” Nova said. Ultimately, it is up to NGOs, universities, and consumers to serve as watchdogs and activists for worker rights by holding brands accountable for the working conditions in their source factories. As the horrific images of bodies being excavated from Rana Plaza’s ruins fade from public consciousness, so will pressure on brands to ensure safe working conditions. Instead of working in concert with the Bangladeshi government and factory owners to reinforce a production model built on hyper-exploitation, brands should work to ensure factory safety and to pressure the Bangladeshi government to support
actively show brands that they would indeed
authority over garment worker conditions.
be willing to pay an extra seven cents a
While the ILO launched a $24 million dollar
garment to protect basic labor rights overseas.
compatible with market forces—if consumers
initiative to improve working conditions in the ready-made garment sector, it has no enforcement capabilities. The United Nations member states have not exhibited the will to demand change. International pressure from Bangladesh’s top trading partners could force but neither the United States nor the European
someone in the industry. The political climate
greater concern about saving literally one cent
International institutions have virtually no
which caters to industry rather than
themselves, and nearly all have close ties to
and retailers that have always demonstrated
labor organization. These reforms could be
the Bangladesh government to support reform,
parliament members are factory owners
“We’re dealing with an industry with brands
counts.
Bangladesh’s political system, worker interests. Ten percent of
it. Nova estimates that ensuring safe working
Union—the two top importers of Bangladeshi garments—have imposed serious sanctions. In the absence of foreseeable top-down legal or political reform, the onus of action is largely in the hands of consumers and clothing brands. Pure market forces, in the absence of consumer preference for brands that ensure humane worker treatment, will keep garment worker wages depressed and conditions dangerous. Improving the conditions of Bangladeshi garment workers, however, would not require a radical departure from fast-fashion as we know
Sonya Schoenberger is a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at saschoenberger@gmail.com.
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political review | Markets & power
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political review | Markets & Power
free market environmentalism Aitan Groener
N
o challenge poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change,” President Obama stated during his 2015 State of the Union address. It would be easy to dismiss the President’s words as empty platitudes were it not for the landmark agreement he made in November with President Xi Jinping of China, which stipulated that both countries would commit to radically reducing fossil fuel emissions. A classic conservative argument for forestalling action against climate change says that domestic sacrifices are in vain because of the large percentage of carbon emissions that come from China. The November deal was evidence that President Xi is ready and willing to tackle climate change in partnership with the United States. Climate change is a remarkably difficult problem to solve. Its scope is wide, its impact uncertain, its deniers plentiful, and its cost devastating. The number of adjustments that must be implemented across the globe to successfully address the problem make it a daunting and politically fraught issue in even the world’s strongest economies. It is difficult to ensure commitments to carbon abatement because every country is wary of being played the fool, cutting its emissions only to find other countries taking advantage of the market vacuum. Over the past few years, cap and trade has gone from the policy of choice for seriously addressing climate change to a pariah term referred to as “Cap and Tax.” Cap and trade is an emission-trading program that attempts to manage pollution and greenhouse gas emissions by creating a system of market-based incentives. A maximum limit or cap is set on the total amount of carbon to be released during a set period, and that amount is divided and allocated in the form of carbon credits or permits. These permits are distributed by a central government authority and are then eligible to be sold or traded on a secondary market. Corporations are required to obtain permits equal to the amount of carbon that they pollute, and market forces set the price of pollution permits at the efficient level for
production. The scheme attempts to internalize the costs of environment externalities and gives corporations an incentive to decrease their carbon output, effectively working with human nature instead of against it. The European Union Emission Trading System was launched in 2005 and is the largest greenhouse gas permit trading scheme in the world today. It has had mixed levels of success and has been tainted by corruption and the influence of business interests. Initially, policymakers released too many permits and so it was easy for companies to reduce emission levels to the required rates without major abatement or structural change. It is understandably difficult for legislators to know what will be the proper levels of abatement, and governments tend to overestimate the economic cost and legislative difficulties of implementing abatement programs. Emission trading has been employed successfully in the United States in California, where the program raised over $1.4 billion in the first year of its implementation. The Acid Rain Program of the 1990 Clean Air Act was essentially a cap and trade scheme for sulfur dioxide (SO2) pollution, which causes acid rain. The program was quite successful and by 2007 managed to cut SO2 emissions by 50% from their 1980 levels.
credits, create opportunities to cheat through the introduction of carbon offset credits, and stifle other innovative efforts to tackle climate change. Conservatives also dismiss cap and trade as simply another way to tax corporations and lower profits, referring to the scheme as Cap and Tax—an easy way to dismiss a useful program without addressing its actual qualities. Nonetheless, there is still hope for global agreements to address climate change. This past December, officials representing over 200 nations met in Lima, Peru and committed to reducing fossil fuel emissions. This marked
The scheme attempts to internalize the costs of environment externalities and gives corporations an incentive to decrease their carbon output, effectively working with human nature instead of against it.
Environmental activists have been criticized for being too timid in their approach to a problem the size of climate change. Climate activist Larry Lohman argued in the New Scientist magazine that “nothing less than a reorganization of society and technology that will leave most remaining fossil fuels safely underground” can protect against the devastating impacts of climate change. The documentary film “The Story of Cap and Trade” argues that cap and trade systems give unfair advantages to firms that receive free
the first time that such a large number of both developed and developing nations met and agreed to cut back on emissions in concert. However, the negotiations at Lima did not produce a real treaty; nations are encouraged and “peer pressured” to uphold their commitments to reduction, but the Lima Accord is legally non-binding. The Accord is fairly representative of current climate activism around the world: inspirational, ambitious, important, and, ultimately, insufficient to tackle the enormous challenge of climate change.
Aitan Groener is a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences. He can be reached at aitangroener@ hotmail.com.
11
political review | Markets & power
Privatizing indonesian Healthcare Katie Rial | Photo from WikimediaCommons In countries such as Indonesia where the government is far too fragmented and underfinanced to implement meaningful health reforms, privatizing healthcare is an appealing option. For example, in 2012, the Indonesian government spent only $108 per capita on healthcare as compared with the United States, which spent $8,895. It would be both unrealistic and irresponsible to claim that Indonesia, a country where 16.2 percent of its population lived on less that $1.25 a day in 2011, is capable of independently implementing a strong national healthcare system. Proponents of private healthcare claim that non-public healthcare systems can be executed in a way that promotes equality rather than privileging those who can afford healthcare over those who cannot. Furthermore, they insist that private healthcare can actually be targeted to meet the needs of currently underserved populations. In theory, privatizing healthcare is the answer many of Indonesia’s healthcare woes. However, in practice it may do more harm than good
I
especially considering Indonesia’s existing magine you are walking through the halls of
citizens. This challenge is particularly
structures and policies surrounding healthcare.
an old building. You find a large room, its
daunting for developing nations due to a
This is particularly true for hospitals, which
walls lined with rod-iron beds that support
lack of infrastructure, a shortage of medical
are in a unique position to further exacerbate
cardboard-thin mattresses. There are people
professionals, and insufficient tax revenue to
existing inequalities by choosing to provide care
lying in the beds, their bodies covered with
support government-funded health initiatives.
only to those who can afford it.
a thin sheet, if anything at all. There is no air
Currently, Indonesia has about nine hospital
conditioning and it is hot and humid. A handful
beds per 10,000 citizens. Even more troubling
of men and women in white uniforms rush in
is the fact that the majority of hospitals operate
and out of the room. One stops to instruct a
at 50% capacity despite the fact that thousands
young man who is pumping an intubation bag
of Indonesians die each year of treatable
that snakes down the throat of his father. The
diseases such as malaria and dengue fever.
chest of the figure on the bed rhythmically rises and falls. You might be surprised to hear that the place I just described is a hospital. While this scene may be very different from what comes to mind when you picture a hospital, it is relatively common for public hospitals in developing nations such as the Philippines,
providing adequate healthcare is a lack of basic infrastructure. The majority of Indonesians do not live within walking distance of hospitals or clinics, and as previously mentioned, there is an extremely low number of beds per capita.
In recent decades, Indonesia has moved towards
Siloam Hospitals’ plan to open 24 new facilities
a “mixed” healthcare system that is comprised
over the span of seven years is certainly a step
of both public and private entities. The majority
in the right direction, but it only addresses one
of the hospitals in Indonesia are public, but the
reason why the vast majority of Indonesians are
private sector is expanding rapidly, thanks to
left without access to care.
Siloam Hospitals, a major player in the for-profit
Vietnam, and Indonesia.
health business, which manages both public and
Nearly every country struggles to provide
hospitals, and is expected to have as many as
comprehensive, accessible healthcare to its
40 by 2020.
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A major obstacle that Indonesia faces in
private hospitals. In 2013, Siloam oversaw 16
In addition to a lack of infrastructure, is a dire shortage of medical professionals in Indonesia, which has some of the lowest numbers of medical professionals per capita in Asia. There are many contributing factors to this shortage.
political review | Markets & Power
fewer than 5 percent Indonesians earned a
patients that are covered by Jamsostek are far
the wayside. Indonesia’s economic and social
college degree in 2010, and of those who do
less restricted in the hospitals that they have
structure are particularly susceptible to this, as
go on to practice medicine, many search for
access to. However, for most Indonesians, the
evidenced by the fact that so many of its citizens
employment overseas. Additionally, importing
reality is that there is high likelihood that they will
already struggle to get the medical attention they need within the current “mixed”
doctors from other countries is not a solution because Indonesia has very strict laws against such practices. Importing doctors does not make for a self-sustained healthcare system. Although it is logical to assume that an increase in the number of hospital beds will result in a larger volume of patients, without medical professionals, this increase in infrastructure will do little to improve access to healthcare. Another benefit of privatizing hospitals is that for-profit companies are more willing and able to invest money in state-of-the-art technology. Access to the best treatment options available is certainly a major incentive to privatize healthcare, but not without a cost. In fact, a major criticism of private hospitals is that they are quick to order expensive, unnecessary tests and procedures in the interest of making money. This practice would be particularly problematic
Developing nations such as Indonesia are making the shift away from publicly funded healthcare to privately funded healthcare. This commodification of healthcare could leave many of Indonesia’s impoverished population without access to even basic medical care.
system. The consequences of denying large sectors of the population healthcare extend beyond the health of individual citizens. There are severe economic implications that accompany a population in poor health. Without access to basic healthcare, citizens are unable to do their part to stimulate the economy and promote growth. Children who should be in school are instead kept home due to illnesses that are easy to treat, such as ear infections. High maternal mortality rates leave families without a way to care for young children or provide for
in Indonesia, which has the highest rates of out have to personally finance their own healthcare.
their families in other ways. Malnutrition runs
in developing countries to refuse to discharge
The Indonesian government has implemented
between paying for a sick relative’s medication
patients who have unpaid medical bills.
certain policies in attempts to avoid
and putting food on the table each day. Young
discriminatory practices by private hospitals,
adults who could be out earning a living wage
which have been largely unenforced and
are instead seated at an aging parent’s bedside,
unsuccessful. For example, the government
pumping an intubation bag.
of pocket healthcare spending out of any country in Asia. In fact, it is not uncommon for hospitals
The health insurance system in Indonesia is comprised of four tiers that are assigned based on income: Jamkesmas, Jamkesda, Askes, and Jamsostek. The first three are either completely or partially funded by the government, and the benefits associated with them range from minimal to nonexistent. About 33% of the population is covered by Jamkesmas, which
requires private hospitals to reserve at least 10 percent of their beds for low-income patients at a discounted rate. However, when only 50 percent of hospital beds are filled and most low-income citizens cannot afford even the discounted rate, even this half-hearted attempt
rampant in families that are forced to choose
While it is clear that the government cannot realistically provide healthcare to all of its citizens, the shift towards private healthcare leaves us wondering about the fates of those whose pockets are not deep enough to land
at providing equal care falls completely flat.
them in a state-of-the-art private hospital. There
the population is covered by Jamsostek, which
Many worry that private companies do not have
healthcare; in many ways it goes beyond what
is given exclusively to employees of businesses
the best interest of the citizens in mind, because
publicly funded initiatives can offer, yet usually at
that meet certain size and financial criteria. It
their main goal is to make a profit. Despite claims
the expense of the most vulnerable members of
is the only plan that covers a comprehensive
to the contrary, privatized healthcare usually
the population. So the question is: can we find a
list of services, treatments, and prescriptions
means that the wealthy few will be granted
way to take the best of both systems?
without requiring participants to pay more than
access to the best care that money can buy, while
their premium on a regular basis. Additionally,
those who cannot afford to do so are pushed to
pays for clinic and visits to a very limited number of public hospitals. Only about 2% of
are some compelling points in favor of private
Katie Rial is a Sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences and can be reached at krial@wustl.edu
13
political review | Markets & power
TOP U.S. TRADING PARTNERS Grace Portelance | Infographic by Simin Lim
Canada 19%
14.5% BIGGEST IMPORTS Oil $113 billion Vehicles $56 billion
BIGGEST IMPORTS Vehicles $51.7 billion Machines, Engines, Pumps $45.3 billion
Mexico
12.1%
BIGGEST IMPORTS Vehicles $59.9 billion Electronics $57.6 billion
14.3% BIGGEST IMPORTS Machines, Engines, Pumps $38.5 billion Electronic Equipment $36.7 billion
US TRADE IN GOODS WITH WORLD, SEASONALLY ADJUSTED (2014) 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0 -50,000 -100,000
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JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
4)
UN
political review | Markets & Power
China Japan 19.7%
7.7%
BIGGEST IMPORTS BIGGEST IMPORTS Electronics Oil Seed $120.4 billion $13.8 billion Machines, Engines, Aircrafts Pumps $103.3 billion $12.6 billion
6.1%
4.1%
BIGGEST IMPORTS Vehicles $51.1 billion Machines, Engines, Pumps $31.3 billion
BIGGEST IMPORTS Medical Equipment $8.1 billion Aircrafts $7.1 billion
Indonesia BIGGEST IMPORTS Crocheted/ knitted clothing $2.8 billion
Australia BIGGEST IMPORTS Meat $1.6 billion
EXPORTS
JUL
IMPORTS
AUG
BALANCE
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
Sources: www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c0004.html, https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/highlights/top/top1312yr.html
15
political review | Markets & power
A Global Market For Organs
Chloe Naguib | Illustration by Alicia Yang
A
ccording to the American Transplant
year. These large profits demonstrate exactly
organs who don’t have the money to pay
Foundation, an average of twenty-one
how much brokers for organs are managing
for them. Currently, patients are placed on
people die every day due to the global
to exploit patients by marking up prices
waiting lists for matching donations, making
drastically.
transplants occur on a first-come-first-
shortage of organs currently faces, powerless against their personal health challenges. The wait for available ones drags on, with most patients waiting years to rise higher on the list and approximately seven percent dying before ever receiving a transplant. It is currently illegal in almost every country to sell organs, though few people have ever been prosecuted despite the unrestrained black market. Though a controversial idea to some, perhaps the
Furthermore, the methods that many organ traffickers are using to get their supply of organs are far from legitimate. There have been multiple reports in Nepal of organ traffickers tricking the poor into donating their kidneys in exchange for sums of money, the compensation seemingly large to these individuals but relatively small in
serve basis. This creates equality among patients in need of organ transplants, as socioeconomic status of the patients has little influence on the availability of organs for transplant. Creating a market for organs would eliminate this system, as those of a higher socioeconomic status would more easily be able to afford and obtain organs. Those that didn’t have the financial means necessary
legalization of a market for organs
would be shut out of the market,
may be exactly what these patients
perhaps resulting in death for
in dire circumstances need to regain
some.
their power.
Perhaps some government
The main benefit of establishing
regulation of an organ market
a market for organ donation
could be used counteract these
would be, of course, solving the
disadvantages. The government
shortage that the world currently
could work to establish
faces. The monetary incentives
subsidies for the poor in need of
for individuals to provide organs to
transplants that enable them to
those in need would increase the
pay for organs, stopping those
supply, helping restore individuals’
who have the need but not the
power to solve the health
finances from being excluded
problems that they face.
from the market. Furthermore, limits on supplying organs could
Furthermore, it would help
be established to safeguard the
provide more equal access to
poor from selling too many of
organs. Many countries with
their organs, creating health
large populations that hold
problems for themselves in the
strong religious beliefs against
long run.
organ donation like Israel suffer
It is pretty clear that the current
disproportionately in their shortage due to a lack of donations. A global market would help solve this disparity by allowing individuals in countries like Israel the opportunity to more easily obtain organs from other places across the globe. Lastly, the market for organ donation would solve the rampant problem of organ trafficking in the black market. The illegal organ trade is huge due to the large shortage of donors, allowing individuals to profit off of the powerless situation of patients. CNN reported that organ trafficking as a whole generates profits between $513 million and $1 billion a
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comparison to the high prices at which the organ traffickers are then selling the organs. Legalizing the organ trade would solve this problem as more individuals would be willing to donate due to the monetary incentives, disincentivizing organ traffickers from taking such extreme measures in order to supply
system we have for organ transplants is inefficient and in dire need of change. Perhaps establishing a market for organs is exactly the change we need to restore power to patients in need of transplants, enabling them to have greater control over their health needs. With the right restrictions placed on the market, the
their customers.
government could establish a system that not
However, there are some disadvantages
against many of the negative externalities that
to creating this market. Though a market
would be created by that system.
only helps the patients in need, but also prevents
for organs would stop the poor from being exploited by organ traffickers, it would also disproportionately harm those in need of
Chloe Naguib is a freshman in the Olin Business School. She can be reached at chloe.naguib@wustl.edu.
political review | Markets & Power
The Stubborn Nails of China Katherine Surko | Illustration by Caroline Dierksheide
F
or over a year, Luo Baogen and his wife
of the city, away from
lived in a house in the middle of a major
their communities and
road in the Zhejiang province of eastern
their jobs, because they
China. The government asked them to move to
can’t afford housing in
make room for a highway but, unwilling to give
the area. In the cases
up their recently renovated home for inadequate
where the developers
compensation, they stayed put and watched as
guarantee housing for
a highway was paved around their house.
those evicted, the new
Luo Baogen and his wife are part of the “dingzihu,” or a class of “stubborn nails,” in China. The stubborn nails are people who refuse to leave their homes after being asked to relocate by the
homes are frequently smaller than the originals and poorly constructed.
government or large corporations in order to make
People have tried
room for developments. Many of the stubborn
to fight their forced
nails are in the remnants of hutongs, which are
relocation by organizing
the narrow streets that make up the tight-knit
protests and pursuing
communities of old cities like Beijing. Hutongs
litigation, but these
began to form in the 15th century during the Ming
efforts are rarely
dynasty in the alleys formed by more spacious
successful. Some
residences outside of the Forbidden City. By the
with money and
Qing dynasty in the 20th century, the creation of
connections, like Luo Baogen, are able to get
hutongs had taken a more haphazard approach and
better settlement deals, but most people are
the formerly neat appearance disappeared as the
already in the marginalized parts of society
communities began to rapidly expand. The hutongs
and are unable to instigate much change.
have been a crucial part of the identity of cities like
The occasional house in the middle of a
Beijing for over 600 years, and their destruction
shopping mall, or on the corner of a major
erases centuries-old communities.
metropolitan street, is certainly quite a sight,
In order to make room for new high rises and office buildings, the Chinese government buys
but development continues with or without the cooperation of individual homeowners.
hutong façades to stylize their storefronts. The government released a plan last year to bring 85 million people from rural into urban areas by 2020, to reach the goal of having 60 percent of China’s population in cities. The move is being promoted as “human centered,” with an expansion of health insurance and other public welfare services. However, over 200 million Chinese lack a record in China’s household registration system, which enables
up land from homeowners and then resells it to
Mr. and Mrs. Baogen’s house was eventually
citizens to access these types of services. With
private developers at large profit margins. On
bulldozed after a higher settlement price
30 percent of the population already living
average, the government charges developers
was reached, and their family was one of the
below the poverty line, the concept of bringing
40 times the per acre price they paid to those
luckier ones. Most people are forcibly evicted
85 million people (ten times the population
dispossessed of their property. Guan Qingyou,
at a certain point, and receive even less
of New York City) into cities over the next five
of Tsinghua University, estimates that these
compensation than the small sum they were
years will likely have disastrous outcomes and
land sales accounted for about 74 percent of
originally promised. The best that many of
exacerbate problems related to urbanization,
local government income in 2010. The amount
these people and communities can hope for is
like semi-coerced land appropriation.
actually offered to the evicted as compensation
the “museumification” of their homes for the
is too low to make up for their forced relocation,
tourist industry—but even then the family would
much less give them the opportunity to move
still have to leave.
back into their old communities after their development. When a migrant worker from the Jianxi province came home from the Chinese New Year holidays to find that his ancestral home had been razed, he was only given $16,000 for compensation. Families who have been living in the same hutong for decades are forced to scatter farther away from the center
As the homes and the communities of the stubborn nails of China are bulldozed and razed, so are the livelihoods and the cultural heritage
The communities and cultures that have
of the region. The “stubborn nails” may be a
developed in these neighborhoods over hundreds
minority in Chinese society, but their vocal
of years are swiftly being destroyed to make room
struggle represents the plight of millions.
for more capitalistic enterprises, and this trend shows no sign of stopping. Starbucks and other transnational commercial enterprises are replacing the old family-run businesses, using traditional
Katherine Surko is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at surkokatherine@ gmail.com
17
political review | Markets & power
Incentives for quality clinical care Suhas Gondi | Photo taken by UMHealthSystem
T
here is very little that people agree
hundreds. However, this new direction, although
to incentivize good care in any way, but it also
on in healthcare reform. If you’ve
seemingly a more logical way of reimbursing
drives overutilization, or the ordering of more
paid any attention to the controversy
physicians, may not be as impactful as pundits
(and more expensive) services by physicians
surrounding the Affordable Care Act (ACA,
and scholars predict. In fact, a body of research
than is actually necessary for the patient.
also known as Obamacare), you know that
across a number of fields suggests it is precisely
Overutilization is often cited as a primary reason
the policies governing our healthcare system
the wrong direction of reform.
why the United States spends so much more on
are not only hopelessly complex, but also very contentious. Disagreements stem from fundamental ideological gaps, different theories of implementation, and competing
In our “fee-for-service” system, physicians are paid based on the quantity and type of services they provide. The more tests and scans your
healthcare per capita than any other country, and has the same or worse health outcomes than other developed nations.
doctor orders, the bigger the paycheck he or
One of the goals of recent healthcare reform
she takes home. From an economic standpoint,
efforts has been to replace this system of
this method of determining payments is
misaligned incentives with one that promotes
complicates matters further.
almost blasphemous. Professionals ought to be
accountability, efficiency, and quality. The ACA
compensated based on the value of the good or
has a number of provisions that attempt to
Despite these differences, there does seem
service they deliver to a consumer. Although in
do this. There has been bipartisan support for
to be something of a consensus on one
reality many other factors go into determining
this push away from the fee-for-service model
systemic problem in American healthcare: the
the size of the paycheck for any job, that simple
to a model that promotes value by rewarding
existing compensation scheme for physicians
economic principle generally holds in many
high quality, cost-effective care. In fact, this
encourages overuse of medical services,
industries. Healthcare is an exception. Doctors
restructuring of incentives was cited as a point
which contributes to the burgeoning costs of
can make a lot of money in the U.S. without
of agreement between President Obama and
healthcare in the United States. The ACA’s
providing high quality care; all they have to do is
Governor Romney during the 2012 election
solution is to shift away from the existing
order a lot of tests.
cycle, as both candidates agreed that this
financial interests. The fact that very few of the policymakers and advisors have any substantive experience in the healthcare industry only
method of paying providers to one that seems a whole lot more logical. Enthusiasm has exploded for these “pay-for-performance” programs over the past decade, with the number of programs growing from dozens to
18
Obviously, this reimbursement scheme encourages providers to order more services as a means of maximizing their income. Not only is this a flawed incentive structure that fails
was a necessary step to lowering costs and improving quality. These new schemes, which are becoming more and more popular, fall under the umbrella model of pay for performance, in which physicians are incentivized to
political review | Markets & Power
produce good health outcomes for patients by
It turns out that there are decades of research
demanding and intrinsically rewarding, higher
delivering quality care. Doctors will no longer be
from sociology and emerging evidence from
incentives often lead to worse performance.
reimbursed solely based on quantity of services.
behavioral economics that might explain why
Their paychecks will increasingly depend on the
pay-for-performance isn’t working as well as we
value they create for patients.
expected. To understand this, though, we have
On the surface, this seems great. In fact, it makes you question why it wasn’t always this way. Basic economic principles dictate that you’ll get more of what you incentivize. The fee-for-service system incentivized the use of medical services, which helped make American healthcare the mostly costly healthcare system in the world. The new pay for performance model incentivizes physicians to deliver costeffective care that helps patients to recover as quickly as possible. It follows that we should start to receive better quality care at lower costs. But will we? No one knows for sure if these models will prove effective in the long run, although recent studies have shown mixed evidence, most of which does not bode well for the new schemes. It may be too early to tell, but multiple recent studies, which find that health outcomes didn’t improve very much and costs didn’t go down very much after implementing pay for performance models, give us reason to worry. A recent metaanalysis of all the published literature evaluating pay-for-performance programs in hospitals reported bleak results, concluding that most of these programs have little to no effect on clinical care quality, patient outcomes, or cost. A number of other recent reviews have also found insufficient evidence to prove that these new programs benefit patients. The biggest support for pay for performance models in the United States came from an oft-cited joint public-private study investigating how effective this incentive structure could be in controlling costs and improving patient outcomes over six years. Although early results were very promising, helping to fuel the hype around payfor-performance, many studies have since found that any improvements in patient outcomes were short-lived, and largely evaporated by the fifth year. It certainly seems that these new payment schemes may not be as great as we thought.
to briefly digress to a famous social science experiment concerning the “candle problem.” The psychologist Karl Duncker designed the “candle problem” in the 1940s, and it continues to be one of the most popular cognitive performance tasks. The test asks the participant to affix a candle to a wall (so the candle wax doesn’t drop on the table below), and provides participants a book of matches and a box of thumbtacks with which to do this. Many people first try to use a thumbtack to tack the candle on the wall while others try to melt part of the candle and adhere it to the wall. Neither strategy works. The solution requires that participants overcome “functional fixedness” to realize that the box the thumbtacks are in can also be used to hold the candle, and that box can be tacked to the wall. It’s not a very difficult problem to solve, but it does take some time
The connection to pay-for-performance incentives in healthcare is clear. Most physicians would probably agree that diagnosing and treating a patient is not an easy thing to do and is often mentally challenging, and I certainly hope that the vast majority of doctors find caring for patients to be personally rewarding. In these ways, the practice of medicine is analogous to the candle problem. And the provision of incentives for clinical care may have similar results as well. Because clinical medicine is a difficult yet satisfying engagement, pay-forperformance incentives might simply not work in healthcare. According to researchers, this is a consequence of human nature. Insights from social science and behavioral economics have been largely missing from the healthcare reform controversy, although they may be among the most relevant pieces of evidence, providing part of the explanation for why studies have consistently reported mixed results about the
and a little creativity.
effectiveness of pay-for-performance incentives.
Why is this relevant to how we pay doctors?
There’s a larger takeaway here beyond worries
The candle problem has been used to conduct some of the most rigorous and insightful studies into the power of incentives. Several studies have shown that when you offer monetary incentives based on how quickly a participant can solve the candle problem, the participants take longer to solve the problem than do participants who are not offered any incentives. This counterintuitive result goes against our basic understanding of economic principles and human behavior. However, when you take the thumbtacks out of the box and provide them as separate objects to the participant, eliminating the need to break functional fixedness to solve the problem, then the incentivized group solves
about pay for performance. The fact that one of the few proposals that garnered bipartisan support in the healthcare reform controversy is also one of the least evidenced ones is deeply troubling. We trust our policymakers to listen to the research and make educated decisions about our futures, but the only issue on which they can agree and be decisive is also one where research provides only tenuous support at best. Until we can ensure that a political consensus among policymakers arises from a wellsubstantiated consensus among researchers about relevant evidence, it will be difficult to trust our political institutions to make the right decisions regarding our healthcare system.
the task much faster than the control group. These results are very robust, and have been replicated dozens of times. Social scientists conclude that incentives, although very effective for simple, straightforward tasks, do not help and can even do harm for tasks that require creative thinking and problem-solving skills. Particularly for tasks that are both mentally
Suhas Gondi is a sophomore in the College of Arts &Sciences. He can be contacted at suhasgondi@ wustl.edu.
19
political review | NATIONAL
The Trials of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s Jurors Rachel Butler | Photo by WikiMedia Commons
T
he Sixth Amendment guarantees a criminal defendant with U.S. citizenship the right to be tried before an “impartial
jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed.” By this amendment, a jury is meant to be representative of a cross-section of the community in which the crime in question occurred. But what happens when the community itself cannot be deemed impartial? Especially when that jury has the power to decide whether someone lives or dies? The trial of the presumed Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, a U.S. citizen, exemplifies what happens at the confluence of these two questions. The judge, prosecutors, and defense team slated to preside over Tsarnaev’s trial are currently in the final stages of selecting jurors for the case. The trial will take place in Boston, despite multiple requests by Tsarnaev’s defense team to relocate the proceedings elsewhere. His lawyers insist that he cannot get a fair trial in Massachusetts because many in the state were personally affected by the bombings and already presume his guilt. In their most recent change-of-venue request, the defense presented its analysis of over 1,350 juror questionnaires, which showed that 69 percent of potential jurors have a personal connection or allegiance to the marathon or people injured in the bombings. Among them, 68 percent already believe that Tsarnaev is guilty. These percentages are most likely accurate representations of the Eastern Massachusetts community from which the jurors will be drawn.
20
The Boston Marathon
major tactic of the prosecution throughout the
is an event with a huge
trial. The jurors will have to face the conflict
public profile around the
of upholding their duty to the community as
country, but particularly
unbiased jurors while at the same time feeling
in Massachusetts. It’s
a sense of duty they may feel to assuage
New England’s most
that communal injury, perhaps through the
widely viewed sporting
vengeance and closure that a death sentence
event, and second in
for Tsarnaev would impart. The jurors could
the U.S. only to the
be made to feel as though they are letting
Super Bowl. More than
down their own community, the state and even
500,000 spectators
America by not handing down a death sentence
line the course every
for Tsarnaev.
year, mostly from around Boston. Over 21,000 runners participated in the marathon in 2012 when the bombings occurred, many of them from the Massachusetts area. Nearly everyone in the Boston area seems to know, or at least know of, a runner or a spectator who was there. These percentages would not be overly troubling if the jury was only ruling on Tsarnaev’s guilt. There is a preponderance of evidence to support his culpability, and it is virtually assured that he will be found guilty. When that happens, however, that same Massachusetts jury has another task before it: to decide whether or not Tsarnaev will receive the death penalty. This jury is more likely to hand down such a sentence than a jury in another state might be due to the empathy that many Massachusetts residents feel with victims of the bombing. The Boston Marathon is not just the most highly viewed, but also arguably the most well-known and loved event in the state, based upon its long history and location in the center of the city. The marathon finish line on Boylston Street has become a symbol of Boston’s damaged psyche and its resilience, and though no jurors who have personal connections to victims will be allowed to serve, the feelings of hurt and sympathy have transcended the personal to become communal for many in the area. In addition to the possibility of the jurors being
Though no jurors who have personal connections to victims will be allowed to serve, the feelings of hurt and sympathy have transcended the personal to become communal for many in the area. It’s likely that the jury that will decide Tsarnaev’s fate will be a more or less accurate crosssection of Eastern Massachusetts. And yet, this jury can almost certainly not be deemed impartial at the outset. The duty that many of them will feel to their community, conscious or not, has the potential to offset or even outweigh their attempts to impartially decide on a sentence. In a case such as this, the Sixth Amendment no longer holds, but rather contradicts itself. A case that would be difficult to try impartially anywhere in the country has been made even more difficult by the judge’s decision not to move the trial. Like the conviction, a death sentence for Tsarnaev is virtually assured.
swayed by this sense of communal injury based on their own experience, bringing it up and emphasizing its power will undoubtedly be a
Rachel Butler is a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at rachelkbutler@wustl. edu.
political review | National
Reparations for Conservatives Gabriel Rubin
I
f conservative Americans and their elected
positioning the United States to become the
to be a conservative-approved way to pay off
representatives thought of their history
wealthiest nation on earth. They have never
longstanding financial debts. What programs
of racism as a financial debt that must
been compensated for that labor (if you recall,
should be cut in order to pay reparations?
be repaid to their creditors, would they be
Reconstruction didn’t quite make it)—add
more likely to support reparations for African-
that to the debt. Slavery and Reconstruction
Americans? Paying off the national debt, though
were followed by Jim Crow, convict leasing,
not headline news at the moment, has been the
and federal mortgage programs, all of which
conservative rallying cry since the twilight of the
are blatant violations of the Constitution, in
Bush administration. America has a duty to its
particular the Equal Protection clause of the
creditors, they say. It’s about fiscal responsibility
Fourteenth Amendment.
answer of increasing taxation on the wealthy
If conservatives prefer a more market-oriented
historically profited the most from racially
analysis, Jim Crow and racially discriminatory
discriminatory policies) unfortunately does not
laws represent an inefficient and un-capitalist
apply. But there is a difference between raising
intrusion into the free market. The law imposes
taxes and eliminating loopholes and corporate
different costs on different parties, giving a
welfare. Though there is not sufficient space
comparative advantage to those unburdened
here for a line-by-line budget analysis, the funds
by the weight of racism. Conservatives have
for reparations should come from eliminating
railed against the government “picking winners
subsidies to banks, energy companies, and
and losers,” which is exactly what racial
other large corporations. If welfare reform was
discrimination in the marketplace does (spoiler
the conservative cause of the ‘90s, corporate
alert: whites win). A perfect market functions
welfare reform can be the cause of the 2010s.
best when there is equal access to means of
And the governmental savings can then be
production, no barriers to entry, and full access
reallocated to pay for reparations in the form of
to information by all participants in the market.
investments in education, infrastructure, and
The United States has historically violated each
home ownership for African-Americans, all of
of those provisions with respect to African-
which positively affect economic growth.
and being accountable for your actions, they scold. By that standard, has the United States not incurred a great debt from its years of unequal treatment of African-Americans, from slavery to housing discrimination? Should they and their descendants be able to, in the words of Dr. King, “come to our nation’s capital to cash a check?”
Has the United States not incurred a great debt from its years of unequal treatment of African-Americans, from slavery to housing discrimination? On February 18th, Atlantic national correspondent Ta-Nehisi Coates spoke at Washington University at the invitation of WUPR. The focus of his lecture came from his blockbuster cover story, “The Case for Reparations”, which reframed the centuries of racial discrimination towards African-Americans in terms that should be more palatable to the “colorblind” types whose throats constrict when they hear the word “racism.” Without delving into Coates’ extensive analysis, it is worth pointing out some of the more obvious “debts” this country has racked up in its relationship with its African-American citizens. For roughly 250 years, enslaved African-Americans worked for no payment, to say nothing of the brutality of slavery, while
Americans, and financial reparations are the
If an individual is indebted to another, a court may order the garnishment of wages to finance restitution. Since this article attempts to imagine a case for reparations that would be palatable to conservatives, the fairly obvious and on corporations (both of which have
only way to level that playing field.
While this has been an attempt to craft a case
To answer the practical question of, “what
it is worth noting that, ideally, a reparations
would reparations look like?” the example of the
program should go far beyond the conservative
national debt can be illuminating. The 2011-2013
comfort zone. Reparations for African-
Tea Party temper tantrum over the debt ceiling
Americans, along with a larger effort to lessen
resulted in the imposition of a budget sequester
inequality and poverty in this country (the
that indiscriminately cut government programs
two are related but in no way synonymous),
in order to lower the deficit and pay the national
must include an entirely new tax regime
debt. Those cuts had the harshest impact on
rooted in redistribution that recognizes the
already disadvantaged groups like food stamp
predatory nature of extreme wealth and the
recipients, the elderly, and the unemployed.
exploitative reality of living in poverty. In the
However, conservatives praised the cuts as
United States, equality of opportunity has only
the only way to reign in out-of-control federal
ever existed as a chimerical ideal, especially
spending (some, like John McCain, lamented
for African-Americans. To achieve that ideal,
their impact on military spending). Crucially
radically progressive policies will always be
though, a crusade against debt implies that
far more effective than reactionary, resistant
we as taxpayers are responsible for the fiscal
conservatism.
for reparations acceptable to conservatives,
decisions of previous generations. It is not enough to balance the budget; we must actively pay down the debts incurred over the country’s history. Cutting spending, therefore, has proven
Gabriel Rubin is a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences. He can be reached at grubin@wustl.edu.
21
political review | international
Israeli Election Primer Aryeh Mellman
Why is Israel having elections this March?
Naftali Bennett heads another right-wing party,
Unlike the United States’ rigid system, the
apologizing for Israel,” proposes annexing Area
Knesset (Israeli Parliament) is elected for a term
C (the section of the West Bank administrated
of up to four years. At any point, the Knesset
by Israel), and seeks to allow an “autonomous”
can vote to dissolve the government and hold
Palestinian region (not quite a state) to operate
new elections. Following a spat with his centrist
in the remainder of the region. Jewish Home
coalition partners in December, Netanyahu
is primarily attractive to settlers and religious
opted to call early elections himself, coming only
Jews. Projection: ~15 seats.
the national-religious Jewish Home Party. The party has centered their campaign on “not
a year and a half after the previous elections.
How will the election work? Israel’s 120 seat Knesset is elected by a system of proportional representation, where parties gain a number of seats proportional to the amount of votes they received. Unlike most PR systems though, the entire country is contained within a single district. Additionally, a 3.25 percent electoral threshold exists, which means a party must win four seats to sit in the Knesset. This is to prevent small parties from wielding disproportionate power on the government. Once the votes are in, the party with the most votes is tasked with forming a coalition comprised of a set of parties whose seats are greater than or equal to 61.
Also on the left is Meretz. Economically, Meretz is social democratic. It supports territorial compromise with the Palestinians and the immediate establishment of a Palestinian state. Projection: ~5 seats In the center are two parties, Yair Lapid’s center-left Yesh Atid (“There is a Future”), and Moshe Kahlon’s new center-right Kulanu (“All of Us”). Lapid’s new populist party, won 19 seats
If economic issues come to the fore, Herzog and Livni have a chance, but as long as security is king, so is Netanyahu.
in 2013, becoming the second largest party in the Knesset. However, Lapid’s popularity has dropped since then despite legislative accomplishments on education and political reform. Projection: ~11 seats. Kahlon is a former member of Likud whose recognition comes from implementing a government plan to break up the cell phone monopoly in Israel. Kahlon has (purposefully) kept his platform vague. This restricts the general public, which has generally favorable impressions of him, from disagreeing with him on anything in principle. Projection: ~10 seats. The ultra-Orthodox parties, United Torah
Yisrael Beiteinu (“Israel is our home”) is a
Judaism and Shas (a nickname for the
Who’s running in these elections?
center-right party headed by Avigdor Lieberman
Talmud), are niche parties. Their raison d’etre
and secular Russian immigrants. (Due to
is acquiring funding for men to study Torah full
There are 11 parties likely to get seats in the
massive immigration from the oppressive
time (without contributing to the workforce),
election, split into five blocs: right, left, center,
former Soviet Union, Israel, a country of 8
and exemptions for all ultra-Orthodox men to
ultra-Orthodox, and Arab.
million, has 1 million Russian Jews and almost 2
the otherwise compulsory draft. Due to their
million total immigrants from the former Soviet
flexibility on most other issues, they have joined
Union.) Beiteinu ran on a joint list with Likud in
left and right coalitions in the past. Projection:
the 2013 elections, but will go it alone this time.
~8 seats each.
On the right, we have the incumbent Likud party of Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu (As Israelis do not hold the same reverence for political leaders as Americans do, many
Projection: ~5 seats.
The four Arab parties, (“the socialist
senior Israeli politicians go by their childhood
The major player on the left is “The Zionist
Hadash[“New”], Islamic Ra’am-Ta’al [acronyms
nicknames. Netanyahu is Bibi, and his primary
Camp”, a joint list between the traditional Labor
for United Arab List and Arab Movement for
challenger in this election is Yitzhak “Buji”
Party, led by Isaac Herzog, and Ha’tnuah (“The
Renewal], and Arab-nationalist Balad [acronym
Herzog— not to be confused with current
Movement”), headed by Tzipi Livni. Herzog
for National Democractic Assembly]”) recently
Defense Minister Moshe “Boogie” Ya’alon).
has called for a reconstructed, demilitarized
combined to form a joint Arab list due to
Likud prides itself on strong national defense
Gaza, and restoring positive relations with the
concerns that none of the parties would cross
and free-market economics, as well as support
moderate Arab Gulf states, and the party has
the new electoral threshold individually. Though
for settlements and opposition to Palestinian
also focused on improving economic conditions
the parties’ religious and economic stances
statehood. However, Netanyahu has broken
for the middle class and ousting Netanyahu
differ, they tend to support increased rights and
with party lines to voice tepid support for a
after his sixth year in office. Projection:
opportunities for Arab citizens of Israel and a
“demilitarized Palestinian state.”
~25 seats.
Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip,
Projection: ~25 seats.
22
and East Jerusalem. Projection: ~12 seats.
political review | international
The race seems to be a tossup. What about that coalition process you mentioned earlier?
ideological preferences. Livni has criticized
due to a monopoly on the Israeli staple by the
Netanyahu for “hurting relations with the US,”
T’nuva dairy company. The protests quickly
and the Zionist Camp would strive to further
gained steam as general protests of the high
strengthen US ties, and is more in line with
cost of living, and 460,000 Israelis (in a country
Here’s where things get really interesting. If
Obama on his policy of diplomacy vis a vis the
of eight million) marched in support. While a
Likud wins, they should have an easy time
Iranian nuclear program.
few years have gone by since the protests, their
forming a coalition comprised of the three rightwing parties, Kulanu, and at least one of the ultra-Orthodox parties, easily putting them over the 61 seat threshold. But even if the Zionist Camp manages to beat Likud in overall seats, they would have a hard time making the coalition math work out in their
What will happen to Israel’s relationship with the Palestinians? Again, a Netanyahu victory would mean maintenance of the status quo: increased settlement building (mostly in areas that would become Israeli in a future settlement, though a
impact is still felt; the left and center parties are running hard on socioeconomic issues, Stav Shaffir, one of the protests’ leaders, is fourth on the Zionist Camp list, and in one poll, 48 percent of Israelis marked economic issues as their biggest concern, while a total of 34 percent said that their top priorities were relations with the Palestinians, Iran, and regional instability.
favor. If they brought Meretz and the two center parties aboard, they would find themselves at 50 seats with nowhere really to go. The left would be loath to bring on the ultra-Orthodox, and Lapid specifically would object to their inclusion. The joint Arab list would put them over the edge, but Masud Ganaim, the party’s number two, has said that his party would “certainly not be part of any government, no matter how left-wing.” As he objects to the all of the proposed governments, he would rather his party work in the opposition instead.
Following the collapse of the Kerry-led peace talks this summer, a senior Israeli official commented that ‘I have no doubt that, if you put Tzipi and Saeb [Erekat, the Palestinian chief negotiator] in a room alone, you will have a deal in two weeks.
Unless something changes, the only apparent solution would be for the left to form a unity
settlement is unlikely while Netanyahu is PM),
However, security issues still dominate Israeli
government with Netanyahu’s Likud, the man
essentially zero momentum for peace talks, and
political discourse, and here Netanyahu has a
and party they have invested so much time in
little more than a token interest in improving the
significant advantage over Herzog. In a country
trying to defeat, though Netanyahu has said
conditions of Arabs living within Israel.
where nearly everyone’s 18-year old child joins
he would not join a coalition with what he termed the “radical leftist and anti-Zionist”
Herzog and Livni have said little about the
Labor/T’nuah list.
peace process during this campaign, though
What are the implications of this election on American foreign policy?
talks this summer, a senior Israeli official
If Netanyahu wins, his infamously frosty
deal in two weeks”. Even if the Zionist Camp
relationship with President Obama will continue
won, they might find an unwilling partner for a
until one or both of them leave office. While the
peace deal on the other side, as the Palestinian
United States still gives over $3 billion in aid to
Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas,
Israel every year and the two nations maintain
has made the decision to pursue a strategy of
strong economic and military ties, Netanyahu
“internationalizing the conflict”, bringing the
and Obama frequently butt heads over
Palestinian case to the UN and the ICC, instead
settlement building and Iranian nuclear policy.
of leaving it to Israel and the United States.
There have been a number of tense personal
following the collapse of the Kerry-led peace commented that “I have no doubt that, if you put Tzipi and Saeb [Erekat, the Palestinian chief negotiator] in a room alone, you will have a
will each holds toward the other.
When Israelis go to the polls, what will they be voting on?
Obama would likely be personally relieved if
Like most people, Israelis will vote on guns
Herzog and Livni won, and Israelis installed a
and butter. In 2011, popular protests erupted,
government more amenable to his personal
precipitated by the high cost of cottage cheese,
moments between the two that betray the ill
the military and wars are often fought on their own soil, many Israelis feel that above all, they need a strong leader who they can be sure will protect them. Despite three wars against Hamas in Gaza during his tenure, the majority of them feel that Netanyahu is the strong military leader they need, regardless of whether they want him. If economic issues come to the fore, Herzog and Livni have a chance, but as long as security is king, so is Netanyahu.
Aryeh Mellman is a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences. He can be reached at aryeh.mellman@wustl.edu.
23
political review | NATIONAL
your ideas here wupr is always accepting submissions from washington university undergraduates Send your ideas to editor@wupr.org
24
political review | international
Nigeria’s Nadir N Reuben Siegman
igerians presently face a huge decision
from their position in the industry receive
dollars in potential revenue from 2009 to 2011
regarding their upcoming presidential
petrodollars, which are dollars gained from the
due oil theft, largely due to militants stealing oil
election. The incumbent, President
sale of petroleum. Nigerian politicians then buy
in the South. This is a growing issue because of
Goodluck Jonathan of the People’s Democratic
these from the oil elites in order to hide and
the drop in oil prices, as the people exceedingly
Party (PDP) will try to maintain his party’s
sometimes launder their own money. Once
need every last ounce of oil.
dominance which dates back when the
campaign season starts, however, politicians
nation resumed democratic elections in 1999.
turn to anonymous “street changers” who
However, he faces Muhammadu Buhari, a
swap the dollars back to naira, the currency
former Nigerian military dictator in the 1980s,
of Nigeria. They do this in order to be able to
whose popularity has been growing. Buhari
advertise, campaign, and bribe people. Because
is running with the Congress for Progressive
of how large scale this kind of corruption has
Change (CPC), a party that surprisingly won
become, there have been shakes of instability
almost 32 percent of the vote last election,
in the currency.
The presidential battle will determine the next step for Nigeria—whether the country and its potentially new leader decide to battle the corruption that has been plaguing the country from within, and whether the elected winner decides to focus on defeating Boko Haram and the other militants who plague the country from
while the PDP dropped from 69 percent to 58 percent during the same election. A topic that has made the election even more heated is the cascading price of oil, which as the largest sector of the Nigerian economy constitutes approximately 80 percent of the government’s revenue. This has thrown an already chaotic country into more trouble. According to an analysis by the BBC, Nigeria
Because the government partakes in heavily invested joint-ventures with oil companies, a fall in the price of oil drastically changes the way the government functions.
needs oil to cost at least $123 per barrel in order to balance its budget. This is due to their large population, and how heavily the country
Buhari has blamed Jonathan and his
the outside. Whoever the president will be, it is
relies on the industry to provide revenue for
administration for some of this corruption.
crucial that he solve these problems as Nigeria
the government. Because the government
In addition, the former general has criticized
is the eighth most populous country in the world
partakes in heavily invested joint-ventures with
Jonathan for a lack of strength against Boko
with the largest population and fastest growing
oil companies, a fall in the price of oil drastically
Haram and other militant groups. Boko Haram
economy in Africa. Nigeria has the potential to
changes the way the government functions. The
has been rampaging through the northern
be a powerful country, but these dreams will
government has already responded by cutting
Muslim part of the country, and the Nigerian
not simply come to fruition with 62 percent of
its budget by six percent and adding new taxes.
army has been unable to stop them.
the nation living in extreme poverty in a country
In contrast, many Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait whose economies are also dependent on oil have not had to do this or felt such desperation. These countries have reserves of foreign currency stored from all the money they have saved from years of excess sales. Nigeria, on the other hand, does not have these kinds of reserve funds for the government to run on. As a result the country faces a serious crisis that not only affects their economy, but
The army has been largely ineffective against fighting Boko Haram because the soldiers don’t listen to their commanders, who take money from the soldiers’ salaries. Furthermore, the soldiers aren’t supplied with materials like boots
facing problems of corruption, militant fighting, and economic instability due to falling oil prices. The next president must be able to stand strong against these issues and help turn the country around.
and jackets because of corruption, as army officials pocket the money that is supposed to purchase these items. Such corruption and disorganization within the military has allowed
their upcoming political election.
Buhari to gain tremendous support in the
For years, Nigeria has been one of the most
who could bring back discipline to the country
corrupt countries in the world, ranking 121st
and army, allowing for the expulsion of Boko
in the Corruption Perception index. Part of
Haram. He has also seen growing popularity in
this is due to the heavy influence of the oil
the southern Nigeria because of chaos there. It
industry. The elite who have garnered wealth
is estimated that the country lost 10.9 billion
North, where the people see him as someone
Reuben Siegman is a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences. He can be reached at reuben.siegman@wustl.edu.
25
political review | NATIONAL
Beast Mode Cashes In I Benjamin Szanton | Photograph from WikiMedia Commons
“
’m just here so I won’t get fined,” Marshawn Lynch told the horde of reporters gathered
around him on Super Bowl Media Day. True
to his word, Lynch refused to answer a single question thrown at him, repeating that same
phrase 28 more times in the mandatory five-
“All I care about is getting a win.” “We put it all on the line.”
“We didn’t make excuses.”
“I give all the credit to my teammates.”
adopted a uniquely awkward and defiant stance with the media. Although he has rarely skipped his contractually mandated media appearances (all NFL players must be available to reporters as little as ten minutes after a game), Lynch has often refused to give a straight answer to any question, or to even say more than a single phrase. “Yeah,” he responded to every question after the Seahawks beat the Cardinals on November 23. “Thanks for asking,” he said again and again after a win on December 22.
Skittles, which Lynch often does on the sidelines during games, including the Super Bowl. A villain might make a show of hating interactions with the press, but he would not do so with a
“So and so really stepped it up tonight. I’m
come across as being persecuted by the league,
proud of him/her.”
a corporation which itself has unwittingly
else. For the past few years, Lynch, a star running back for the Seattle Seahawks, has
a villain would not gain strength by gulping
smile on his face. Most of all, a villain would not
minute press conference. The reporters could not have expected much
But he has never been cast as a villain, because
“We just played within ourselves.” “We had our backs against the wall.” “We’re just taking it one game at a time.”
snatched the villain role over the past few years. Any time Commissioner Goodell tries to force Lynch to conform on or off the field, such as when he threatened to have Lynch ejected from the NFC Championship game if he wore
Whatever his original intentions were, Lynch’s performance before the media has become an act of shrewd self-marketing. These one-liners serve several purposes.
his preferred cleats, which were painted with
After the Seahawks’ first playoffs win, he
They provide a bevy of appropriate responses,
24-karat gold leaf, it only reminds people more
repeated “I’m thankful.”
allowing the most sought after or the most
serious crimes of other NFL players. Multiple
anonymous athletes to satisfy their media re-
players have been arrested in recent years for
Lynch’s behavior has divided media opinion
quirements. The media exposure gives the fans
crimes ranging from spousal and child abuse
while infuriating the NFL league office.
the illusion of being closer to their sports heroes
to murder, and several of them went totally
Commissioner Roger Goodell fined him
than they really are. Perhaps most importantly,
unpunished, or were only lightly disciplined, by
$131,050 this season alone for skipping media
these clichés are so tame and familiar that they
the league. It rings hollow when Goodell speaks
appearances, and for repeatedly grabbing his
could not possibly incite controversy. A clichéd
of Lynch’s obligations to the fans, seeing as the
crotch after scoring touchdowns. Shirking the
press conference is a non-story.
fans love him, while the NFL has been publicly
Media Day interview would allegedly have cost
accused of failing in its obligations to former
him $500,000 more. It seems patently unfair
But for Lynch, every press conference is a
players suffering long-term health problems
for a private person like Lynch to have to endure
story, and regardless of what he might lead
related to their football careers. Statistically
painfully uncomfortable media sessions week
people to believe. And he’s just fine with that.
speaking, Lynch has at least twice the risk of
after week. After all, it is likely that his behavior
Whatever his original intentions were, Lynch’s
developing Alzheimer’s disease or ALS before
with the media initially stemmed from shyness,
performance before the media has become an
the age of 60 than he would have if he had not
anxiety, or a genuine fear that his words would
act of shrewd self-marketing.
devoted his career to improving the TV ratings
be twisted.
Lynch’s invented persona is not limited to his
and memorabilia sales of a multibillion-dollar, tax-exempt corporation.
There is an easy way that most professional
press conferences. Many fans know Lynch by
athletes choose to handle the media — picking
his nickname, Beast Mode. The moniker arose
However, by using his Beast Mode persona
from a set of universally acceptable answers to
from his powerful running style, but has grown
for his own profit, Lynch is far from being an
common press conference questions. Nearly
to incorporate all the facets of a cartoon hero.
exploited victim. Many athletes have nicknames,
every athlete, from the most personable to the
On the field, Lynch hides his face behind a black
but Lynch has been particularly masterful in
most introverted, learns the routine early on:
visor and celebrates touchdowns with the most
capitalizing off his. Beast Mode is a registered
infamous crotch grab since Michael Jackson.
trademark, as well as a growing clothing brand.
26
political review | National
Lynch is certainly a complicated person. Although he has both a hit-and-run and a DUI in his past, he seems to have a genuine interest in being a role model in his hometown of Oakland, where he does extensive charitable work. Although he is a frustration for the league, he is almost universally liked and supported by his teammates and coaches. After the Super Bowl ended on a controversial decision to pass rather than hand the ball to Beast Mode, Lynch showed nothing but class, as well as uncharacteristic eloquence, saying, “football is a team sport.” “I’m just here,” Marshawn Lynch reiterated for anyone who might have misunderstood, “so I won’t get fined.” But, as he is surely aware, disobeying the NFL’s restrictive rules and getting fined may be the best thing that could happen to him. Punishing him will look silly, and Beast Mode will continue to stand out from less interesting players. Seeking to give a hand to their hero, multiple fundraising campaigns to pay his fines have been started or pledged over the past few years. The most recent, from MeUndies.com, pledged to match any fine for a Super Bowl crotch grab with a donation to Lynch’s charity. The crotch grab didn’t happen, but even if it had, Lynch wouldn’t have had too much trouble Unsurprisingly, when Lynch told everyone that
Bowl Media Week, he did accept an appearance
he was there so he wouldn’t get fined, he was
on Conan O’Brien’s show, where, in his Beast
wearing a Beast Mode hat. (Perhaps wising up
Mode shirt and hat, he joked around with
a bit about how its fines look to fans, the NFL
Conan and Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.
declined to penalize him for advertising a non-
The week also saw the debut of two new
league partner brand). After a performance in
ad campaigns, for Skittles and Progressive
the interview that was soon referenced by Katy
Insurance, both with plots centering on an
Perry and Tiger Woods, business was booming
awkward press conference.
at the small, temporary store selling Beast Mode apparel at the site of the Super Bowl.
Lynch has made awkwardness and defiance
When the Seahawks came up short against
tried Lynch’s media strategy in the past, such as
the New England Patriots, Lynch lost both the
NBA star Allen Iverson, who infamously went
Super Bowl and another chance to reinforce
on a rant in 2002 about the unimportance of
his persona. Winning means an invite to a
practice, have been made into punch lines or
ceremony at the White House, which Lynch
villains. While it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what
chose to skip last year; as always, he quickly
has allowed Beast Mode to be seen differently,
became the story of the trip, as President
his consistency might be the most important
Obama joked that he’d love to tell Lynch “how
factor. In seven years of Beast Mode in the
much I admire his approach to the press. I want
NFL, virtually never have we seen the real
to get some tips from him.” Of course, Lynch
Marshawn Lynch.
is not opposed to all invitations. During Super
paying the resulting fine. Rumor has it that he is considering retiring from football at the age of 28, but a reporter to have a grip on Lynch’s true thoughts would be the first. After receiving an offer for a huge contract extension, he will likely stay in Seattle for the foreseeable future. With a little luck and Lynch’s continued media antics, the Beast Mode brand alone should be worth millions.
seem endearing. The few athletes that have
Benjamin Szanton is a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences. He can be reached at benjamin.szanton@wustl.edu.
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political review | NATIONAL
A Conversation with Xavier Briggs Victoria Sgarro
X
avier Briggs is a self-described generalist.
Budget, where he supervised policy, budget, and
Ferguson, Briggs takes the same balanced
Currently on public service leave from
management issues for about half the cabinet
approach to look for solutions.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology to
agencies until 2011.
serve as vice president of the Ford Foundation’s
“There has to be civilian oversight. ‘We the
Along the way, Briggs published his research on
People’ need to have a say. That has to be
economic opportunity, democracy, and racial
reconciled with an understanding that policing
and ethnic diversity in cities in three award-
is a tough function, a tough job. And ultimately
his career.
winning books: The Geography of Opportunity:
we need police commanders and beat cops
Race and Housing Choice in Metropolitan
and detectives and so on, all the people that
“The real question for me has always been how
America (2005), Democracy as Problem-
work with them, to be an active part of the
to make a difference…[When] you’re early in
Solving: Civic Capacity in Communities across
conversation, and not to hunker down and to
a process of figuring out the range of things
the Globe (2008), and most recently, Moving
feel that they’re universally being demonized.”
you might do in the world, it just takes time
to Opportunity: The Story of an American
to explore,” said Briggs in an interview with
Experiment to Fight Ghetto Poverty (2010).
Briggs believes that the factors that produce and
January 22, 2015.
Today, Briggs credits his success to his
poverty in America are no mystery. But solving
comprehensive approach to problem-solving
these kinds of pervasive social issues requires
As Briggs began his own process of exploration,
and the advantage which overlapping
creative thinking and a multidisciplinary outlook.
teachers encouraged him to pursue his
knowledge in multiple fields offers: “[I realized]
So, his advice for aspiring future leaders?
inclination towards math and science.
at some point in my career, probably 20
Captivated by the United States’ energy crisis
years back, that in a world of more and more
at the time, Briggs followed his teachers’
specialists and specialization, generalists are
advice, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in
correspondingly more valuable. Because they
engineering at Stanford University in 1989.
can be lateral thinkers, because they spot
Economic Opportunity and Assets Program, the sociologist and urban planner’s varying interests have led him down a winding path throughout
the Washington University Political Review on
perpetuate segregation and concentration of
“I do think if you discover that you’re a curious person, you have a range of interests, you like to spot connections — the arts and technological innovation and community organizing, or
uncommon connections.”
housing and health and community, or
that stood out to Briggs during his time at
Briggs has applied this interdisciplinary method
most exciting breakthroughs and a whole lot
Stanford. Rather, it was a class on infrastructure
to create social change throughout his career.
of leadership in this country have always been
planning in developing countries that managed
While he has held prominent and influential
about working the bleeding edge and working at
to pull together Briggs’ seemingly divergent
positions in government, top-tier universities
the intersections. And I think it’s very important
interests in engineering, social development,
and national and international organizations,
that young people in particular have that
and political economy.
he refuses to rely on one institution to promote
courage and take those risks.”
But it was not the traditional engineering classes
“I sort of bumped into [urban] planning. It gave
social justice, preferring the balanced solution.
me a set of tools and a lens for looking at the
“There’s been a tendency sometimes among
world right around me,” said Briggs.
movement builders in social change to expect
The infrastructure class would influence Briggs’ career trajectory after graduation, introducing him to the interdisciplinary field of urban planning. After leaving Stanford, Briggs collected a Master in Public Administration at Harvard University in 1993, and then a Ph.D. in Sociology and Education at Columbia University in 1996. His knowledge of multiple fields brought him from community planning in the South Bronx in the 1990s to academia, and eventually to the White House. In 2009, President Barack
that government alone can rewrite history, rewrite destiny. And that’s a bit naive…you’ve got to have the kid, the parent, community leadership, teachers who care. It is a village, there’s no two ways about it, and government can’t legislate that. It can’t legislate what people should commit to in their everyday lives…I don’t think we can afford to fall into this binary of either you believe in government action or you don’t, or if you believe in it, you believe it’s the be all and end all. That doesn’t make sense.”
Obama appointed him to Associate Director of
When confronted by pressing contemporary
the White House Office of Management and
social issues such as the recent tragedy in
28
something else — go with it. Many of the
For Briggs, that bleeding edge is the site of social change. Xavier Briggs is currently vice president of the Ford Foundation’s Economic Opportunity and Assets program, where he “leads the foundation’s work promoting economic fairness, advancing sustainable development, and building just and inclusive cities in the United States, Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. He also oversees the foundation’s regional programming in China, Indonesia, and India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.” To listen to the full exclusive interview, visit www.wupr.org. Victoria Sgarro is a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at vrsgarro@wustl.edu.
political review | National
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