RHI - ROGER HANSEN INSTITUTE for Global Interchange of Perspectives
Publications
Papers, Opinions, Interviews
South Africa’s Expropriation Act:
Purpose vs Portrayal
The enactment of South Africa’s Expropriation Act has sparked heated political debate, with opposition parties portraying it as a threat to property rights and economic stability. In this analysis, Rolien Buhrmann examines the Act’s actual implications, arguing that fearmongering—rather than the legislation itself—poses a greater risk to South Africa’s growth and investor confidence.
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Find out more about Rolien here
The Rise of Nationalism and Its Role in The Crisis of The Liberal World Order
The resurgence of nationalism, driven by populist leaders, fuels global conflicts and deepens the crisis of the liberal world order. In this short analysis, Dr. Ravi Shankar Raj examines these conflicts to provide insights into the future implications of rising nationalism on global stability.
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Find out more about Ravi here
Croatia’s Presidential Candidates
Our guest analyst, Anto Ćorić, reviewed the foreign policy positions of the 2024 Croatian presidential election candidates.
Anto Ćorić is a master’s student in political science at the University of Zagreb. He also conducts political analysis for the Croatian TV channel Nova TV.
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Part 3: Trump is Back - Uzbekistan
In this analysis, Davronbek Nurmatov shares his thoughts on Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 US elections and what it could mean for Uzbekistan and Central Asia.
Davronbek holds a BSc from the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies and is currently pursuing his master’s in International Economics and Politics at Leuphana University in Germany.
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Part 2: Trump is Back - South Africa
In this analysis, Rolien Buhrmann shares her thoughts on Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 US elections and what it could mean for South Africa,
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Find out more about Rolien here
Part 1: Trump is Back - India
Over the next couple of weeks the RHI will explore the consequences of Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential elections. In the first part, Ravi Raj starts us off by elaborating on the future of US-Indian relations.
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Find out more about Ravi here
Uganda's Coffee Bill and its Political Consequences
The latest addition to the RHI-Team Erisa Sserwadda discusses the latest development in Ugandan politics. We are happy to have him on board and present his article delving into the contradictions, implications, and drama surrounding the recent passage of the controversial National Coffee Amendment Bill 2024.
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Find out more about Erisa here
China-Africa relations in a changing global order
In his guest article Max Ellinghoven explores the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. He analyses how it benefits Chinese influence around the world, and how Sino-Africa relations are impacted by the Chinese challenge to the global order. The article tackles the issue on cultural, economic, and geopolitical dimensions and concludes with interesting findings regarding the future of Chinese power projection around the world and on the African continent.
Max Ellinghoven holds a MSc (Hons) in International Relations from Leiden University and currently works as a Senior Consultant speacializing in Cyber Threat Intelligence at Booz Allen Hamilton. His interests lie especially in diplomacy, conflict resolution, and cyber security.
The influence of Western education on African lawmakers
Despite most African countries out of colonial supression for well over 50 years, going abroad for their tertiary education is still common among young prospects from the continent. Luke Exner explores the possible neo-colonialist effect this practice might imply in a qualitative analysis of Kenyan parliamentary delegates.
Nyerere´s socialism
In 1967 Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere proposed a change in Tanzania's socio-economic policies. This proposal known as the Arusha Declaration was a form of anti-imperial Socialism that was meant to increase the country's development without being reluctant on foreign aid/investment. His particular form of socialism gave Tanzania the chance to slowly detach from British colonial rule. It also functioned as a way of not taking a position in the ongoing cold war between the USA and the Soviet Union. However its main purpose, to develop the country and its economy, did not succeed as planned. Nick Bornemann takes a deeper look into Nyerere's Declaration in February 1967 and throws up the question, how did Nyereres reform fail its aimed purpose, and what positive results could still be drawn from it?
​Lots of money, no results - Aid efficiency in the Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo receives enormous amounts of financial aid. Their effect however, is negible. Guest author Katharina Doelfs explores the reason for the lack of aif efficiency in the DRC. The analysis is embedded in the general discourse about the usefulness of foreign aid in the economic development of the global South.
Katharina Doelfs has graduated from Leiden University cum laude. She has specialised in African Studies and is primarily interested in topics that lie in the intersection of politics and economics. She has been a Research Assistant to Dr. Walter Nkwi Gam of Leiden´s History department, and worked on a project concerning colonial and contemporary Cameroon.
Democratization through democratic trade
Lennart Engel explores the impact of trade with democracies on the democratization of developing countries. His argumentation proposes a "democratization through trade", implying an urge to European policy-makers to engage in trade with emerging markets not only for the economic purposes, but also political ones.
The European Standard of Good Tax Governance and its influence on developing economies
The European Standard for Good Tax Governance is set by the European Union (EU) and meant to guide the taxation governance of potential future members and other states the EU engages with, for example by sending aid. The standard the EU sets evolves over time. While it has stressed transparency, exchange of information, and fair tax competition since its first implication in 2008, the EU recently also started to include the implementation of the four minimum standards of the program against base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS). The required adherence to these standards has diverse implications for developing and developed non-EU countries, as well as on EU countries themselves.
Determining factors in peacekeeping missions- what works?
Peacekeeping missions have been conducted in a number of African states. Some succeeded, many failed, most prominently UNAMIR in Rwanda. But what factors determine whether a mission is likely to succeed? This question is crucial for decision-makers to evaluate how missions need to adapt to circumstances. Especially given the controversial nature of what might be perceived as a breach of sovereignity by some, ensuring the highest possible success rate of peacekeeping missions is highly important. A paper by Co-Founder Luke Exner explores the impact that domestic religiosity has on peacekeeping missions´ success.
Democratization through democratic trade
Lennart Engel explores the impact of trade with democracies on the democratization of developing countries. His argumentation proposes a "democratization through trade", implying an urge to European policy-makers to engage in trade with emerging markets not only for the economic purposes, but also political ones.