articles by Hilton L . Root
Asian Wall Street Journal/ Milken Institute Viewpoints, 2001
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The Political Economy of US Assistance to the MENA Region The Double Curse With 63 percent of the... more The Political Economy of US Assistance to the MENA Region The Double Curse With 63 percent of the world's proven petroleum resources, and with 37 percent of its natural gas, it seems highly ironic that the Middle East and North African Region (MENA) is also the largest recipient of US foreign aid. In addition to fossil fuels, the region is also well endowed with many other minerals and plants providing it with a per capita GDP twice as high as the average of developing countries, higher even than former socialist transition economies. Poverty is relatively low in MENA, only 1.6 percent of its population earns less than $1 per capita a day. Infrastructure is relatively well developed, 88% of its population have access to improved water sources, and 91% to electricity (World Bank). From the perspective of poverty reduction, MENA's needs for economic assistance from the developed world are by no means as pressing as those of poorer regions, such as Sub-Saharan Africa, yet MENA is the largest recipient of US foreign assistance since 1973. In 2006 the region received 39% of US foreign aid. In this article we will argue that two types of strategic interests essential to the welfare of the US population are prevalent in the region and may be the explanation for the showering of assistance in this unlikely location. First, the US and it principal trading partners have grown ever more dependent on fossil fuels to keep their economies running. Second, a strong bias exists in US strategic thinking that favors balance of power politics to maintain peace. This means the U.S is committed to ensuring relative military parity between Israel and its hostile neighbors. Unfortunately there are unforeseen social and political consequences of US aid that may have long-term effects for US security. Natural resources, we know, do not only bring good fortune, but have negative side effects, sometimes known as the resource curse or " Dutch Disease. " In this article we will argue that abundant allocations of US aid have political consequences akin to the economic consequences of the resource curse. Hence MENA suffers a double curse. We will refer to these consequences as the " alliance curse. " In this article we will suggest that a perverse relationship exist between the level of US assistance and the degree of autocratic control in the region. Nevertheless this aid can become a discretionary fund for the recipient country's leadership. Such external source of funding, we argue, will then prevent the emergence of democratic institutions by interfering in the accountability mechanisms. It may be easier for the US to use foreign aid as means to gain political leverage over an autocratic regime than over a democratic one. Unlike democratic leaders who tend to rely on democratic means to resolve internal conflicts, autocratic leaders tend to rely on foreign assistance, especially foreign military assistance, to resolve internal conflicts.
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National Interest , 1999
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This article demonstrates that the network structures of historical regimes influence the way inf... more This article demonstrates that the network structures of historical regimes influence the way information is spread, which in turn circumscribe the behaviors of the different groups that make up the system. It advances two central claims. The first is a methodological one showing that patterns of long-term historical change are best studied at the system level, rather than by a traditional equilibrium framework grounded in models of individual behavior. Then, an empirical claim is established by comparisons of China's hub-and-spoke hypernetwork with Europe's multi-hub hypernetwork to show that their different patterns of interconnectivity forged their respective capacities to weather intermittent socioeconomic transitions.
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The Pakistan Development Review, 1997
Discretion without accountability is deeply rooted in Pakistan's political history, profoundly s... more Discretion without accountability is deeply rooted in Pakistan's political history, profoundly shaping the country's administrative system. Pakistan's political institutions offer the leadership many opportunities for violating citizen trust. Institutional change is proposed as a tool for politicians to maintain their authority through policy reform rather than patronage. Institutions are needed that allow politicians to lead while preserving the impartiality, permanence, and expertise of a public
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This paper explores the deep roots of complexity theory in economics. It looks at the great debat... more This paper explores the deep roots of complexity theory in economics. It looks at the great debate between John Maynard Keynes and Friedrich Hayek—both of whom used theories that presaged the complexity science approach. That debate, often defined as a debate between optimism and pessimism, is really about how they viewed the economic system. Both saw it as a " living " system of interacting parts, and both aspired to a global order. But Keynes saw the economy as a mechanism to be decoded and controlled, and believed that cultural refinement and technical prowess are mutually reinforcing. For Hayek, the economy is best left to its own self-organizing dynamics—even though the disequilibrium means every boom is eventually followed by a bust. Both arguments have merits and weaknesses, but an important paradox in Hayek's position has become apparent over time: The free trade he promoted also allows economies to thrive that threaten the system of human values, and that protect sovereignty over human freedom.
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Scholars and urban planners have suggested that the key characteristic of leading world cities is... more Scholars and urban planners have suggested that the key characteristic of leading world cities is that they attract the highest quality human talent through educational and professional opportunities. They offer enabling environments for productive human interactions and the growth of knowledge-based industries which drives economic growth through innovation. Both through hard and soft infrastructure, they offer physical connectivity which fosters human creativity and results in higher income levels. When combined with population density, socioeconomic diversity and societal tolerance; the elevated interaction intensity diffuses creativity and improves productivity. In many developing country cities however, rapid urbanization is increasing sprawl and causing deteriorating in public services. We operationalize these insights by creating a stylized agent-based model where heterogeneous and independent decision-making agents interact under the following three scenarios: (1) improved urban transportation investments; (2) mixed land-use regulations; and (3) reduced residential segregation. We find that any combination of these scenarios results in greater population density and enables the diffusion of creativity, thus resulting in economic growth. However, the results demonstrate a clear trade-off between rapid economic progress and socioeconomic equity mainly due to the crowding out of low-and middle-income households from clusters of creativity.
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This article demonstrates that the network structures of historical regimes influence the way inf... more This article demonstrates that the network structures of historical regimes influence the way information is spread, which in turn circumscribe the behaviors of the different groups that make up the system. It advances two central claims. The first is a methodological one showing that patterns of long-term historical change are best studied at the system level, rather than by a traditional equilibrium framework grounded in models of individual behavior. Then, an empirical claim is established by comparisons of China's hub-and-spoke hypernetwork with Europe's multi-hub hypernetwork to show that their different patterns of interconnectivity forged their respective capacities to weather intermittent socioeconomic transitions.
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Hoover Institution Press, 1995
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Asian Survey, 1996
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SSRN, 2016
With 63 percent of the world's proven petroleum resources, and with 37 percent of its natural gas... more With 63 percent of the world's proven petroleum resources, and with 37 percent of its natural gas, it seems highly ironic that the Middle East and North African Region (MENA) is also the largest recipient of US foreign aid. In addition to fossil fuels, the region is also well endowed with many other minerals and plants providing it with a per capita GDP twice as high as the average of developing countries, higher even than former socialist transition economies. Poverty is relatively low in MENA, only 1.6 percent of its population earns less than $1 per capita a day. Infrastructure is relatively well developed, 88% of its population have access to improved water sources, and 91% to electricity (World Bank). From the perspective of poverty reduction, MENA’s needs for economic assistance from the developed world are by no means as pressing as those of poorer regions, such as Sub-Saharan Africa, yet MENA is the largest recipient of US foreign assistance since 1973.
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Milken Institute Policy Brief , 1999
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Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 2015
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articles by Hilton L . Root