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This paper reconsiders causes and implications of the global bank merger wave, especially for developing economies. Previous studies of the global bank mergers—that is, mergers between banks from different nations—had assumed that these combinations are efficiency‐driven, and that the U.S. case defines the paradigm for all other nations' banking systems. This paper argues that the U.S. experience is unique, not paradigmatic, and that bank mergers are not efficiency‐driven; instead, this merger wave has arisen because of macrostructural circumstances and because of shifts over time in banks' strategic motives. This paper argues that large, offshore banks often engage in cross‐border mergers because they want to provide financial services to households and firms that have reached minimal threshold wealth levels. For developing economies, this suggests that cross‐border acquisitions of local banks by offshore banks will have mixed effects; and it cannot be assumed that the net social impact is positive.

Intro -- Contents -- 1 From Pro-Kemalist to the Populist and Pro-Violence Diyanet -- Erdoğanism and Its Politics: A Zero-Sum-Game Between Friends and Enemies -- Religious Populist and Pro-Violence Narratives of Erdoğanism -- Friday Sermons -- Methodology -- Chapters of the Book -- References -- 2 The Evolution of the Kemalists' Diyanet -- Introduction -- Kemalists' Diyanet -- Building a Sunni Muslim Turkish Nation by the Kemalists -- Diyanet Islam: State's Manufacturing of Turkish Islam -- Diyanet's Competition with Non-state Islamic Groups -- Conclusion -- References -- 3 Redefining Diyanet in the AKP Era -- Introduction -- AKP 1.0 (2001-2008): Emergence and Rule of Muslim Democrats -- AKP 2.0 (2008-May 2013): Authoritarian Drift -- AKP 3.0 (2016-Present): Erdoğanist Authoritarianism -- Diyanet's Role in the Post-coup Erdoğanist State (2016-Present) -- Conclusion -- References -- 4 Swinging Between Turkish Nationalism and Global Pan-Islamism -- Introduction -- The Reinterpretation of National Identity -- Nationalism in Diyanet Sermons Post-2015 -- Diyanet's Growing Transnational Politicization -- The Construction of a Greater Ummah -- Imagining and Constructing the Geography of Heart -- Conclusion -- References -- 5 Antagonism Towards Christians and Interfaith Dialogue -- Introduction -- AKP 1.0: The Globalist, Inclusive, and Pro-Interreligious Dialogue -- AKP 2.0 and 3.0: Mobilizing the Ummah Against the Crusader West -- Conclusion -- References -- 6 Islamist Populist Conspiracy Theories and Victimhood -- Introduction -- Emergence of Conspiracy Theories in Diyanet Sermons -- The Warning of Fitna -- The Source of the Fitna -- The Trials of the Faithful -- Conclusion -- References -- 7 Demonization and De-Humanisation of AKP's Opponents -- Introduction -- Gezi Park Protests: Diyanet Defaming 'the Enemy'.

The definitive guide to the international fluid sealing industry to help you make the right business decisions. & bull; Will help you to keep track of the major issues affecting the market. & bull; Will enable you to identify new business opportunities. & bull; Includes Market forecasts, commentary and analysis sup.ported by primary research Completely revised and updated, the 3rd edition of Profile of the International Fluid Sealing Industry - Market Prospects to 2008 reviews the markets, technological trends and major manufacturers of fluid seals on a global basis. We have drawn on the expertise from our existing portfolio, Sealing Technology newsletter and World Pumps magazine to bring you vital information, analyses, forecasts that cannot be found anywhere else. The study deals with items and materials used, very largely, in the mechanical engineering sector, to effect hermetic closures or the separation of fluids. It therefore covers gaskets and packings, O-rings and mechanical and bellows seals. Profile of the International Fluid Sealing Industry covers the structure of the industry, highlighting developments, identifying future trends, and looking at recent mergers and acquisitions in the sector. Market estimates and forecasts to 2008, by region and seal type, are presented along with an analysis of the main end-user markets for fluid seals, as well as a technology overview. Forty leading international fluid sealing manufacturers are profiled. A directory of seal manufacturing companies is also included. For a PDF version of the report please call Steve Kimber on +44 (0) 1865 843666 for price details

Sustainable agriculture is the basis for long-term economic growth ensuring employment for the rural population. The aim of this research is to assess the dynamics in agricultural output, investments, direct payments and energy use in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) during 2008-2017. The method of research is the evaluation of production factors generated by agriculture and related activities carried out by the model of the EAA system. The performance of the agricultural holdings is measured using economic indicators: output of the agricultural 'industry', gross fixed capital formation (GFCF), direct payments, return on capital, total labour force input, average farm income. We discuss the trends in absolute and relative indicators relates to different aspects of the sustainable agricultural development to identify the key priorities of the CAP in the Baltic States which are new European Union Member States. The results indicate that in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania EU support has affected investments in capital. The amount of GFCF over ten years annually grew an average by 0.1% in Estonia, by 8% in Latvia and by 17% in Lithuania which has led to increase productivity on farms, positively influenced growth on output agriculture and income as well. During the period 2008-2017 marked growth in the agricultural output levels and direct payments on average annually by more than 4% and 5-6%, respectively. These induced higher capital investments which require reasonable revision of the CAP measures in order to avoid overinvestment and address changes in the global agricultural markets.

Sustainable agriculture is the basis for long-term economic growth ensuring employment for the rural population. The aim of this research is to assess the dynamics in agricultural output, investments, direct payments and energy use in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) during 2008-2017. The method of research is the evaluation of production factors generated by agriculture and related activities carried out by the model of the EAA system. The performance of the agricultural holdings is measured using economic indicators: output of the agricultural 'industry', gross fixed capital formation (GFCF), direct payments, return on capital, total labour force input, average farm income. We discuss the trends in absolute and relative indicators relates to different aspects of the sustainable agricultural development to identify the key priorities of the CAP in the Baltic States which are new European Union Member States. The results indicate that in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania EU support has affected investments in capital. The amount of GFCF over ten years annually grew an average by 0.1% in Estonia, by 8% in Latvia and by 17% in Lithuania which has led to increase productivity on farms, positively influenced growth on output agriculture and income as well. During the period 2008-2017 marked growth in the agricultural output levels and direct payments on average annually by more than 4% and 5-6%, respectively. These induced higher capital investments which require reasonable revision of the CAP measures in order to avoid overinvestment and address changes in the global agricultural markets.

The development of the tourism sector is one of the efforts in improving the economic community both locally and globally. The management of a local tourism-based village requires the attention and participation of the community to constantly innovate and creatively in developing the village area used as a tourist village. Undang-Undang No. 12 of 2008 on Regional Government has provided an opportunity for local governments to manage and optimize the potential of their region independently including the interests of the tourism sector. Year 2015 is the first year of implementation of Undang-Undang No. 6 Year 2014 about Village. Therefore, a module book was created on the development of tourist villages and community empowerment based on local potential as a medium to increase the added value of the community.Pembangunan sektor pariwisata merupakan salah satu upaya dalam meningkatkan ekonomi masyarakat baik di tingkat lokal maupun global. Pengelolaan desa wisata yang berbasis potensi lokal memerlukan kepedulian dan partisipasi masyarakat untuk senantiasa berinovasi dan kreatif dalam mengembangan wilayah desa yang dijadikan sebagai desa wisata. Melalui implementasi Undang-Undang No 12 tahun 2008 tentang Pemerintah Daerah telah memberikan peluang bagi pemerintah daerah untuk mengelola dan mengoptimalkan potensi daerahnya secara mandiri termasuk mengelola sektor pariwisata. Tahun 2015 merupakan tahun pertama dilaksanakannya UU No.6 Tahun 2014 Tentang Desa. Oleh karena itu, dibuat satu perancangan buku modul mengenai pengembangan desa wisata dan pemberdayaan masyarakat berbasis potensi lokal sebagai media untuk meningkatkan added value masyarakat.

Today social responsibility of business is recognized the major making long-term strategy of a sustainable development of the country. In this regard the considerable attention is paid to advance of ideas of corporate social responsibility, creating favorable conditions for socially responsible behavior of the enterprises. In 2008 at the first Forum on social responsibility of business, the head of state Nursultan Nazarbayev set qualitatively new level of inclusion of business in the solution of major problems of development of society and in this regard charged to continue work on formation of the favorable environment stimulating increase by subjects of business of corporate social responsibility. Signing in 2008 of the Agreement between the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the population of RK and the large companies on advance of the principles of the Global contract of the UN in the sphere of the social and labor relations became the important instrument of development of social responsibility of business. For the first time business structures assumed obligations for observance of requirements of national laws, the principles of 12 ratified Conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO) which are directed on freedom of association and recognition of the right for the conclusion of collective agreements, elimination of all forms of forced labor, including, child labor, elimination of discrimination in the sphere of work and employment. Today in Kazakhstan many elements of world practice of maintaining corporate social responsibility are used.

Hasta 2008, nadie hubiese pensado que en América Latina ocurrirían cambios sustantivos en las políticas de lucha contra el narcotráfico. Durante los últimos 50 años, el hemisferio occidental fue el escenario privilegiado para la aplicación de los moldes y estándares internacionales previstos en las convenciones de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU) y las distintas políticas de los Estados Unidos para luchar contra el narcotráfico. Sin embargo no fue así, y en poco tiempo el sistema político normativo fue perforado por una serie de iniciativas políticas, administrativas, legislativas y jurisdiccionales de distinto rango, ocurridas en diversos países de la región de forma simultánea. Este artículo realiza un corte para describir y analizar, con una mirada de conjunto, los intentos de reforma de las políticas de drogas, sus caracterizaciones, implicancias y resultados. ; Until the year 2008, nobody in their right mind would have thought that in Latin America substantive changes might occur in drug-control policies. In the past 50 years, the Western Hemisphere was the ideal scenario for implementing the models and international standards provided for in the UN Conventions and the different policies of USA in its international fight against drug trafficking. However, in a short amount of time the normative political system was punctured by a series of policy initiatives—administrative, legislative, and judicial—that occurred simultaneously in various countries of the region,. This article intends to describe and analyzes these global attempts of drug policy reform, focusing on how they occurred, along with their specific characterizations, implications, and results.

Human capital is the central determinant of economic well-being and social advancement in the modern global economy. The key characteristic that distinguishes between advanced economies, middle-income economies and low-income economies is the knowledge content of their economic activities and production processes. Industry, agriculture and especially services have become increasingly knowledge and skill intensive in recent years. Further, the dominance of knowledge and skills is increasing at an accelerating rate. Among advanced economies, for instance, the education levels of their populations is the single most important factor determining their economic performance [Hanushek and Welch (2006), Hanushek and Woessmann (2008)]. Among middle-income and low-income countries, too, economies that have high education attainment enjoy considerable welfare gains [Fasih (2008), Patrinos and Psacharopoulos (2011)]. Human resource development is particularly important for the economic development of small states [Martin and Bray (2011)]. Education also produces a variety of social benefits. These include healthier and better nourished families and children; the creation of the enlightened citizenry needed for a modern liberal democracy; and the promotion of social mobility [OECD (2012)]. This paper offers an overview of the general education system and the current status of access and participation in the Maldives. This is followed by a discussion of the economic and social benefits of investment in education. The paper concludes by discussing options to expand access and participation at education levels where the Maldives lags behind other comparable small island economies.

Over the last four decades, rapid industrialisation and a Westernized lifestyle have changed disease patterns in South Korea. This study was conducted to review the current state of men's health in South Korea. By reviewing reports of government authorities and domestic and foreign studies related to men's health, we found that in men ≥65 years of age, 28.4% considered their health status good, whereas 38.3% considered their health status poor. The prevalence of moderate-to-severe lower urinary tract symptoms was similar to that in Caucasians. The prevalence of erectile dysfunction was higher than the global average. The incidence of cryptorchidism and hypospadias showed a tendency towards increase. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus continuously increased by 10.8% in 2008 and was the fifth leading cause of death in 2008. The prevalence of obesity increased from 26.0% in 1998 to 31.7% in 2007. The prevalence of ischaemic heart disease has continuously increased, with heart diseases causing one of every 12 deaths. The prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 2005 was 17.2% among adults ≥45 years of age. The top five prevalent cancers in men, in descending order, were cancers of the stomach, lung, liver, large bowel and prostate, among which the incidence of stomach, lung and liver cancers decreased by 0.7%, 0.6% and 2.2%, respectively, from 1999 to 2007, whereas the incidence of large bowel and prostate cancers increased by 7.0% and 13.2%, respectively. The prevalence of depression, dementia and sleep disorders was estimated as 17.3%, 4.21% and 20.2%, respectively. Together, these findings suggest that disease patterns in South Korean men are becoming Westernized.

Abstract. In this paper, we examine variations in climate characteristics near the area of Cortina d'Ampezzo (Dolomites, Eastern Italian Alps), with particular reference to the possible implications for debris-flow occurrence. The study area is prone to debris-flow release in response to summer high-intensity short-duration rainfalls and, therefore, it is of the utmost importance to investigate the potential increase in debris-flow triggering rainfall events. The critical rainfall threshold is agreed to be a crucial triggering factor for debris-flows. Data from a monitoring system, placed in a catchment near Cortina (Acquabona), show that debris-flows were triggered by rainfalls with peak rainfall intensities ranging from 4.9 to 17.4 mm/10 min. The analyses of meteorological data, collected from 1921 to 1994 at several stations in the study area, show a negative trend of annual rainfall, a considerable variation in the monthly rainfall distribution, and an increase in the temperature range, possibly related to global climate changes. Moreover, high-intensity and short-duration rainfall events, derived from data collected from 1990 and 2008, show an increase in exceptional rainfall events. The results obtained in a peak-over-threshold framework, applied to the rainfall data measured at the Faloria rain gauge station from 1990 to 2008, clearly show that the interarrival time of over-threshold events computed for different threshold values decreased in the last decade. This suggests that local climatic changes might produce an increase in the frequency of rainfall events, potentially triggering debris flows in the study area.

This report compiles summary notes of the NMRIPP Conference on "Environmental Technology and Innovation - Drivers and Policy Measures", held from 2-3 September 2008 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The NMRIPP Conference was held as a concluding event of the Green Market and Clean Technologies (GMTC) project. Starting in 2006, the GMTC project has been conducted by four Nordic research institutions and was funded by the former Nordic Council of Ministers Working Group for Integrated Product Policy (NMRIPP), today called the working group for Sustainable Consumption and Production (HKP). The overall aim of the GMTC project has been to provide analysis of the ways in which the development and diffusion of environmental technologies can be enhanced. Key publications originating from the GMTC project include three sector reports covering (1) the building sector, (2) the pulp and paper sector, and (3) the mobile phone sector, as well as one synthesis report outlining investigations and lessons in sector specific and general environment and innovation policy for cleaner technologies. The purpose of the 2008 NMRIPP Conference was to present and discuss Nordic and global experiences on drivers and challenges for environmental innovations in different sectors and to discuss the role and implications of public policy to facilitate environmental technology and innovation. Approximately 70 participants representing Nordic governmental, business and research organisations attended the conference. This report summarizes the presentations and open discussions of the NMRIPP Conference and should be used for better understanding of relevant problems as well as opportunities.

The international prices for dairy products were very high in 2007. This surge of prices, which was followed by a sharp decline in 2008, is due to the combined effect of several factors: a growth in global demand ; a scarcity of available stocks ; a drop in supply in both economic zones (European Union and Oceania) responsible for three quarters of world exports. Beyond the short-term, this article presents an analysis of long-term trends in this market, distinguishing successively production, consumption, trade and prices (at international and European level). While recalling that the potential development of this sector is important, it indicates that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will strongly influence the future of dairy farms. ; Le marché international et européen des produits laitiers a fait l'objet, en 2007, d'une conjoncture de prix exceptionnelle. Cette envolée des cours, qui a été suivie d'une forte baisse en 2008, résulte de l'effet combiné de plusieurs facteurs : une croissance soutenue de la demande mondiale ; une rareté des stocks disponibles ; une baisse de l'offre dans les deux zones économiques (Union européenne et Océanie) responsables des trois quarts des exportations mondiales. Au-delà des variations de court terme, cet article propose une analyse des tendances de long terme à l'œuvre dans ce marché, en distinguant successivement la production, la consommation, les échanges et les prix. Tout en rappelant que les potentialités de développement de ce secteur sont importantes, il précise que le devenir des exploitations laitières déprendra aussi fortement des futurs instruments qui seront adoptés dans le cadre de la prochaine révision de la Politique Agricole Commune (PAC).