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This article argues that epistemologies are significantly relevant to the decolonial project and the advancement of discourse around human interactions. Moreover, it is asserted that the decolonization of the mind can only occur within the context of changing the framework through which we understand the world and its history. As a concept, decolonizing the mind is dependent upon correcting dislocation and disorientation that leads to confusion about reality. However, decolonial discourse is often vulnerable to assume its own colonial orientation and can still be entrapped in centering European and Arab experiences regarding African history; it is the interrogation of those elements that Africology promotes. This paper demonstrates an imperative for a restructuring epistemology that is, inclusive of a multiplicity of perspectives. From the Africological vantage, the universalisms of European and Arab centered epistemes are grounded in cultures that in reifying their own existence, are antithetical to the free existence of those who do not adhere to their beliefs and values.

PurposeWith a newly developed measure of economic freedom across US local government jurisdictions, this paper aims to estimate the relationship between economic freedom and bond ratings.Design/methodology/approachThe author uses a battery of cross-sectional econometric models to identify the impact that economic freedom might have on bond ratings using a sample of US municipal governments.FindingsOverall, the results indicate that relatively more economic freedom within a local jurisdiction is associated with higher bond ratings and thus lower borrowing costs. However, similar to Roychoundhury and Lawson (2010), no specific subcomponent seems to affect bond ratings.Originality/valueTo the author's knowledge this is the first scholarly work to address this topic at the local level.

Significant research has assessed how judicial independence influences a number of economic outcomes, however, less has been done to evaluate how financial institutions perceive an independent judiciary. Therefore, this paper considers how greater judicial independence across US states may affect state bond ratings. Overall, the results suggest that states with relatively more independent judiciaries do in fact have higher bond ratings, which translates into lower borrowing costs. The results are robust to a number of specifications and suggest the role that an independent judiciary plays in contract enforcement along with several other important implications for future research.

Myanmar, with a human development index ranking of 145 out of 188 countries (UNDP,2016), has been given the prestigious title as the number one giving nation in the world for three years running (2014-2016) by Charities Aid Foundation, challenging the notion that giving is tied to wealth. Explanations for why this is the case tend to focus on the religious practices of Theravada Buddhism and merit-making. This explanation is only part of the picture, however, and does not account for the similarly high rates of giving by other religious groups in Myanmar or for the failing of other Buddhist nations to equal Myanmar's generosity. I will argue that the low levels of state investment in basic human welfare and the widespread deprivation in the country due to the long years of military rule, coupled with the lack of effective institutions to provide basic social welfare services, are equally strong motivators for charity. At the same time, I will demonstrate that giving trends in Myanmar - even those motivated by compassion or religious duty - area response to immediate needs that are unmet by government or institutional support. For the vast majority of people, reliance on your neighbor is the only available insurance. Such charitable giving rarely extends to philanthropic giving, which addresses systemic and root causes of poverty rather than targeting symptoms. I provide explanations for the high level of charitable giving in Myanmar, looking at everyday examples of giving in Myanmar from both individuals and local businesses and considering the humanitarian disaster of Cyclone Nargis in 2008 as a case example.