Suchergebnisse

Germany has always had an essential influence on Serbia's economic development. Today, Germany is Europe's economic and political superstar so this is even more pronounced. Hence, the aim of this paper is to explore the fundamental causal relationship between German and Serbian economy. In doing so, after the introductory part, where we emphasized interconnection in terms of investment, foreign trade, employment, new technologies etc., we are extending our study using quarterly 2004q1-2015q2 GDP data of both Serbia and Germany to estimate the Vector Error Correction model (VECM). The results suggest that there is co-integration between Serbia's and Germany's economic growth. The statistically significant negative coefficient on êt-1 indicates that Serbian GDP responds to a temporary disequilibrium between the Germany and Serbia. On the other hand, Germany does not appear to respond to a disequilibrium between the two economies; the t-ratio on êt-1 is statistically insignificant. These results support the idea that economic conditions in Serbia depend on those in Germany incomparably more than conditions in Germany depend on Serbia. Despite a solid long-term impact, there is not short run causality running from GerGDP to SrbGDP.

National audience ; We present a decision support model for plurennial sizing and scheduling of a vegetable farm investments and workforce hiring, in order to maximise the farm profit given a known client demand. We propose a mixed integer programming model which integrates costs and times linked to the installation of productive equipments such as greenhouses ou irrigation. The model is based on the formulation of lot-sizing and scheduling problems with setup times and costs. Numerical results obtained on realistic data instances are presented. ; Nous présentons un modèle d'aide au dimensionnement et à la planification pluri-annuels des investissements matériels et humains pour maximiser le revenu agricole d'une ferme maraîchère en réponse à des demandes connues de clients. Ce modèle en programmation linéaire mixte intègre les coûts et les temps liés à l'installation des infrastructures productives, telles que les serres, les tunnels ou les réseaux d'irrigation. Nous fondons notre formulation du modèle sur les problèmes de dimensionnement de lot et d'ordonnancement avec coûts et temps fixes. Des résultats numériques sur des instances réalistes sont présentés.

Amidst growing analytical interest in the spatial dimensions of sustainable energy transitions, relatively little attention has been given to the role of sub-national government, or the ways in which dominant socio-technical regimes for energy navigate diverse contexts. This paper addresses these two concerns by assessing the impacts of devolution within the UK on renewable energy development. It draws principally on policy networks analysis as the basis of a comparative assessment, examining how far the governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have translated their formal powers in the energy sphere into renewable energy outcomes. Scotland's relative success in facilitating rapid expansion of on-shore wind is attributed to a more enduring and cohesive policy community around renewable energy growth than in Northern Ireland and Wales, but this success has been adversely affected by fragmenting policy networks around renewables at national (UK) level. The analysis highlights especially the role of planning and consenting, as mechanisms by which devolved governments have worked to contain the potentially disruptive effects of opposition to major infrastructure investments, thereby enhancing regime reproduction.

The paper develops Post Keynesian theory of endogenous money and applies it to analysis of changes in monetary circulation in the Russian transitional economy in 1991-1998. These changes were characterized by displacement of bank deposits by cash, barter and inter-firm arrears as special means of payment. Author treats this process as «monetary degradation» because it created additional barriers to financing investment, made for criminalization and contributed to cost-push inflation. All this could be ruinous for creation of monetary capitalist economy in Russia. The main cause of monetary degradation is associated with inability of the government to enforce effectively contracts due to sharp institutional changes generated by shock therapy policy. The paper also focuses on the «legacies» of monetary degradation which matter at the present time. These are low coefficient of monetization, large M0/M2 ratio and absence of such monetary aggregates as M3 and M4. All these phenomena are the barriers to rapid and steady economic growth not based on rising oil prices. So, money structure can be considered as both institutional feature and macroeconomic variable.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, food-related policies such as fertilizer subsidy programs (FSPs) have undergone a revival and triggered a controversy about their impact. In this article I applied a simulation-based approach to examine the FSPs' short- and long-term potential for increasing maize availability in Zambia. The study revealed that FSPs are an effective policy measure to enhance maize availability in the short-term. However, in the long-term, the food system becomes dependent on the government's annual expenses. The dependency occurs because FSPs fail to build up adequate stock levels of soil organic matter (SOM), which is an important source of resilience and productivity, and thus represents a long-term leverage point in Zambia's maize production system. For this reason, alternative policies that combine increasing productivity and building up SOM stock levels were analyzed. They were found to be a viable means for enhancing long-term maize availability. The study concludes that gradually reducing investments in FSPs while simultaneously promoting farming practices that build up SOM stock levels is a promising strategy to enhance maize availability sustainably. ; publishedVersion

"This article compares the evolution of China's and Japan's foreign policies to Lusophone Africa, focusing on the period post-2000. The lack of analysis on Beijing's and Tokyo's respective aid policies towards Portuguese-speaking African countries (Países Africanos de Língua Oficial Portuguesa, PALOP) makes this study relevant. Arguably, Japan's development 'edge' over China in terms of the 'aid model' approach towards PALOP countries is under threat. This raises questions about China's changing pattern of aid, characterised by an increasing amount of 'soft' aid towards PALOP states outside of trade and investment relations, which is much in line with Japan's aid philosophy and, according to observers, less neocolonialist than Japan's previous aid practices. This paper asks which model of cooperation is morally better and which is more effective, as both donors have interests in PALOP countries beyond development assistance. It finds complementarities in the two countries' aid allocation to PALOP states, such as poverty eradication given the sectoral diversity of Chinese aid, and the empowerment of local communities fostered by Japanese aid's emphasis on grassroots and human-security projects." (author's abstract)

"There are now some 60 million refugees and internally displaced people in the world. The last time the number exceeded 50 million was during World War II. Roughly half of this population - divided into 19 million refugees and 41 million internally displaced people (IDPs) - are female. Children under 17 constitute over 50% of the displaced. This the highest number ever recorded and the numbers continue to rise. Women, already facing multiple inequalities, confront significantly greater risks in displacement - especially discrimination at various levels, grinding harassment, and often sexual and gender based violence. Host and transit countries need to be aware of these needs and try and provide for the safety and special services required, especially for the most vulnerable, i.e. unaccompanied women and children, female headed families, and pregnant, disabled, and older women. This is a growing crisis which needs urgent investment and focus. This short note looks in particular at issues around female-headed families, child brides, gender and education for refugees and the challenges women and girls face as they travel to and through Europe." (author's abstract)

From 2010 to 2016, then-President Benigno Aquino balanced China's expansive maritime claim in the South China Sea. President Aquino challenged China by shifting the AFP's focus from domestic security to territorial defence, bolstering closer Philippine-US security relations, acquiring American military equipment, seeking from Washington an explicit security guarantee under the 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty (MDT), and promoting a strategic partnership with Japan. However, the Duterte administration is unravelling its predecessor's balancing agenda by distancing itself from the United States and gravitating closer to China, despite the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) July 12 2016 award to the Philippines. President Duterte's foreign policy is directed at reviving the equi-balancing policy on China, in contrast to then-President Aquino's balancing strategy. This is best exemplified by his efforts to harness China for several major infrastructure and investments projects in the Philippines and to resort to bilateral negotiations with Beijing. The present article argues that instead of relying on the US, President Duterte is fostering closer security partnership with Japan to equi-balance an emergent China. (JCSA/GIGA)

In 1999 the State Council of the People's Republic of China (PRC) introduced the Regulation on the Minimum Living Standard Scheme(MLSS, 低保 or dibao) for urban residents in China. Policy learning from different parts of the world significantly shaped the formation and expansion of the MLSS, and Chinese social policy researchers have drawn conclusions about the experiences of these multiple regions. Through expert interviews, we discovered that the Chinese social assistance scheme has been influenced by the US ideas of "social investment" and "workfare." Furthermore, the European values of "universal entitlement" and "social citizenship" have also been internalised by the Chinese actors behind the scheme. In addition, Hong Kong's social assistance scheme has inspired Chinese policymakers to explore a model consisting of various categories that target the country's enormous special welfare needs. Thus, scholars and policymakers from China have used values and ideas outside China to create a hybrid model of social assistance that is characterised by broad coverage, a low benefit level, and a highly provincial administrative structure. (JCCA/GIGA)

The merger and acquisition (M&A) of Carlyle and Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG) is an important takeover case between a foreign corporation and a leading Chinese enterprise in recent years that deserves the special attention of researchers interested in the Chinese political economy. This case involves multiple actors and a complicated institution environment. For the agreement to be reached, this M&A case required the approval of Xuzhou municipality, Jiangsu province and the central government of China. Regulatory authorities such as the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC), National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and Department of Foreign Investment Administration and Ministry of Commerce of China were also actively involved in the process. Moreover, the M&A activity of Carlyle-XCMG took place in the context of an important shift in China's development strategy from "market in exchange for technology" to "independent innovation". In accommodating the shift, the state administration adjusted its development-oriented ideologies towards "independent innovation", which had had an impact on the M&A case of Carlyle and XCMG. (China/GIGA)

The tax system of Ukraine has been analyzed by comparing it with its analogues in the European Union (EU) member countries in order to define the competitiveness of our country in the world market of goods and investments and to choose key directions for tax system reforming. The influence of the tax system on the socio-economic development of Ukraine and the EU countries has been highlighted and analyzed. The comparison has been made in the following areas: according to the level of general tax burden, its allocation between the main types of taxes and groups of payers as well as fiscal efficiency of tax systems. ; Проаналізовано податкову систему України у порівнянні з її аналогами в країнах-членах ЄС для визначення конкурентоспроможності України на світовому ринку товарів та інвестицій та вибору головних напрямів реформування податкової системи. Розглянуто та проаналізовано вплив податкової системи на соціально-економічний розвиток України та країн ЄС. Порівняння проведено у таких напрямах: за рівнем загального податкового навантаження, його розподілу між основними видами податків та групами платників, а також фіскальної ефективності податкових систем.

The village is the governance structure at the bottom and directly in contact with the public. The village has the potential and assets that can be developed to build public welfare. Therefore, the village government has a strategic role in the economic empowerment of the community. The village government of Bleberan exploit the potential and assets for economic empowerment of communities through the development of tourism village. This study aims to assess the measures undertaken by the Bleberan village government in building a tourism village and its impact on the local economy. Research conducted qualitatively by the method of collecting data through observation, interview, and documentation. In addition, the questionnaire is used to complete the data. Based on the research it was found that the construction of tourism village is done through the stages of village potential exploration, build a dream, strategy, and action. Meanwhile, economic empowerment is done through awareness, provision of facilities, and training of skills. The result of development of tourism village impact on work opportunities, increased income, and investment growth in the tourism business for the local community.

The APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) proposed in September 1998 that APEC leaders take joint action to develop a so-called APEC Food System to boost the food sector's contribution to the prosperity of APEC's economies. ABAC believes aggregate food needs could be met in a more efficient and environmentally responsible way, and in such a way that people feel more food-secure and the poor are better off. It sees the need for developing more extensive rural infrastructure, in terms of both physical and human capital; for importing, adapting and adopting new farm and food technologies; and for reducing impediments to international food trade and investment. In reviewing the ABAC proposal, this paper addresses the following questions: Why is now the right time to focus on this ABAC proposal? What would be its effects? In particular, how would food security in the region be affected? What initiatives or actions are still required by governments, non-government organizations and the private sector to ensure its development? And what policy options are available for contributing and adjusting to it? ; Thanks are due to MFAT for financial support.

The APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) proposed in September 1998 that APEC leaders take joint action to develop a so-called APEC Food System to boost the food sector's contribution to the prosperity of APEC's economies. ABAC believes aggregate food needs could be met in a more efficient and environmentally responsible way, and in such a way that people feel more food-secure and the poor are better off. It sees the need for developing more extensive rural infrastructure, in terms of both physical and human capital; for importing, adapting and adopting new farm and food technologies; and for reducing impediments to international food trade and investment. In reviewing the ABAC proposal, this paper addresses the following questions: Why is now the right time to focus on this ABAC proposal? What would be its effects? In particular, how would food security in the region be affected? What initiatives or actions are still required by governments, non-government organizations and the private sector to ensure its development? And what policy options are available for contributing and adjusting to it? ; Thanks are due to MFAT for financial support.

The objective of this thesis is to shed light on households' agricultural investments and adaptation to climate risk and shocks, and how politicians and local customs may impact households' behavior in Sub-Saharan Africa. The future development of this region is closely tied to households' ability to tackle climate variability, increased e_ciency in the use of government resources and raised levels of human capital in the young and growing population. This thesis is an empirical contribution to the debate on how these issues may be tackled. The thesis consists of an introductory chapter and four independent research papers. ; Formålet med denne avhandlingen er å belyse husholdningers investeringer i landbruk og tilpasninger til klimarisiko og værsjokk, samt hvordan politikere og lokale skikker kan påvirke husholdningers adferd i Afrika sør for Sahara. Den framtidige utviklingen til denne regionen er nært knyttet opp mot husholdningers evne til å takle variasjoner i klima, mer effektiv bruk av offentlige ressurser og økt human kapital i den unge og voksende befolkningen. Denne avhandlingen er et empirisk bidrag som belyser disse temaene, og hvordan relaterte problemer kan løses. Avhandlingen består av et introduksjonskapittel og fire uavhengige artikler.