Program

The mounting threat of terrorism poses legal challenges to democratic societies. How can they effectively interrogate and detain suspected terrorists, while still protecting basic human rights? Experts from Israel and the United States discussed the challenges of providing an adequate legal framework for contending with the new threat posed by international terrorism in the 21st century and options for future progress.

Is political patronage the dark underbelly of American politics, whose practitioners are fortunate to keep one step ahead of the sheriff? Or is it an essential ingredient of effective governance, rewarding and cementing loyalty while greasing the gears of government? The authors of a newly-released book discussed how political patronage is alive and well in the 21st century, though changed. It now includes the privatization of services, earmarks, and the expansion of hybrid agencies, with highly paid salaries for top executives.

Governments use a number of measures to support the production and use of biofuels; in the United States biofuels subsidies totaled nearly $6 billion in 2009. Corn use for ethanol in the United States has expanded corn demand by nearly 30%, driving corn prices, along with prices of other commodities, higher. Panelists discussed whether such support should be considered as agricultural subsidies and about whether and how such support is being notified to the WTO.

The rapid urbanization of the developing world has brought the growth of slums and increases in urban poverty. Two leading experts examined how non-health- specific programs in urban areas such as housing, water and sanitation, infrastructure improvements and micro finance can improve the health conditions in slums.