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This paper shows how all-ages venues resist and contradict basic assumptions behind sociological, cultural policy and "creative cities" approaches to grassroots culture. We use literature review, geographical analysis, and a sound understanding of the actual nature of all-ages venues to discuss the relevance of these institutions to cultural policymaking and sociological theories of social capital alike.Our first section discusses the rise of all-ages venues in terms of a social movement, and posits the movement as a potential counternarrative to pessimistic visions of the future of social capital in youth communities. In our second section, we discuss the definitional and methodological issues in cultural policy that lead to the overlooking of grassroots, participatory, youth-oriented art worlds like those surrounding all-ages venues. Our third section places the rise of all-ages venues in the context of the "creative class" discourse on urban development. Nearby amenities, arts jobs, and high rents are all conventional signs of flourishing culture -- but are negativepredictors of all-ages venues. Instead, these all-ages venues comprise a set of "sites of resistance" across the country, encouraging youth social capital, leadership development and political organization in anti-corporate, communitarian, and ethically-rooted milieu.

After generally discussing models in ecology and economics that combine competition, optimization, and evolution, this article concentrates on models of intraspecific competition. It demonstrates the importance of diversity/inequalities within populations of species and other environments for the sustainability of their populations, given the occurrence of environmental change. This is demonstrated both for scramble (open‐access) and contest competition. Implications are drawn for human populations and industrial organization. The possibility is raised that within‐industry competition may not always exist between firms in all stages of the development of a new industry. Policy implications are considered. For example, it is argued that policies designed to encourage intense business competition and maximum economic efficiency have the drawback of eventually making industries highly vulnerable to exogenous economic changes. (JEL L100, J100, Q150)

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed at a United Nations General Assembly in 2015 embrace an ambitious and wide-ranging set of global environmental, social and economic issues designed to effect a transition to a more sustainable future. The United Nations called on all governments to pursue these ambitious goals but also acknowledged the important role of the private sector in addressing the SDGs. The aim of this paper is to offer an exploratory review of if, and how, Europe's leading retailers publicly claim to be committed to addressing the SDGs. The paper reveals that seven of Europe's top ten retailers reported their commitment to contribute to the SDGs, though the scale and the extent of their commitment varied. The paper also suggests that if the leading European retailers are to make a substantial contribution towards the achievement of the SDG's then they may have to face up to four sets of challenges, namely the prioritisation of SDGs, issues about measurement and metrics, reporting and communication, and fundamental tensions between sustainability and economic growth. The paper concludes by outlining a number of avenues for future research.

Metadata only record ; This report is the product of an unprecedented global public policy effort to bring governments, the private sector and civil society together in one process. It provides the first comprehensive global and independent review of the performance and impacts of large dams. It presents a new framework for water and energy resources development, and it develops an agenda of seven strategic priorities and corresponding criteria and guidelines to guide future decision-making.

Another critical problem for Africa, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa is that of desertification. The crisis of desertification in the Sahel and other dryland regions of Africa increases exponentially, that is, its effects are incrementally debilitating. Each year of delay in dealing with this problem in an effective way, using available technology and resources, moves the problem further beyond our capacity to handle it. Furthermore, desertification has many direct and indirect effects on, among others, food production, land use, transport, housing, and weather patterns, further compounding the problem. The scale of the problem is enormous, and neither African governments nor international organizations organizations have mounted an effective response. The problem of desertification in Africa is, however, to a great extent, a tale of opportunities missed. The application of existing technology and resources has encountered obstacles and resistance, while potential resources have failed to materialize.

IN THIS STUDY THE AUTHORS TRY TO ACCOUNT FOR THE CONSISTENT ADVERSE EFFECT OF ONE TYPE OF EXPORT DEPENDENCE-HIGH COMMODITY CONCENTRATION. THAT ATTEMPT MAY SEEM UNNECESSARY TO SOME, SINCE THE REASON FOR THE ADVERSE EFFECT APPEARS TO BE OBVIOUS: HIGH CONCENTRATION MAKES A NATION VULNERABLE IN THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET. SURPRISINGLY, THOUGH, NUMEROUS STUDIES IN DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS FAIL TO SUPPORT THAT CONTENTION. SO IN THIS PAPER THE AUTHORS TEST AN ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATION BASED ON THE LINK BETWEEN TWO TYPES OF EXPORT DEPENDENCE: HIGH COMMODITY CONCENTRATION AND SPECIALIZATION IN THE EXPORT OF UNPROCESSED MATERIALS. THEY FIND THAT LDCS WITH HIGHLY CONCENTRATED EXPORTS IN 1960 IN FACT WERE SOMEWHAT LESS LIKELY TO UPGRADE (INCREASE THE PROCESSING OF) THEIR EXPORTS IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS. APPARENTLY, THE MORE HIGHLY THAT EXPORTS ARE CONCENTRATED IN A FEW COMMODITIES, THE MORE DIFFICULT THEY ARE TO UPGRADE. IT IS THIS FACT-AND NOT THE PURPORTED BUT ELUSIVE LINK BETWEEN CONCENTRATION AND MARKET VULNERABILITY-THAT ACCOUNTS FOR MUCH OF THE ADVERSE EFFECT OF HIGH COMMODITY CONCENTRATION.

It is far from easy to decide, at any given moment, whether the state of a particular branch of intellectual inquiry is to be described as healthy or unhealthy, as full of promise or stagnant and moribund. The criteria of advance are not clear and personal bias may distort judgment. Development seems to take place not in a smooth upward trend but in a series of discontinuous steps. What seems at first sight to be a period of inactivity or even decline may on a longer view turn out to be merely a necessary pause preparatory to further growth. Anyone undertaking to appraise the present state of an intellectual discipline such as economic history must therefore be aware that his task is a hazardous one.There is no scarcity of evidence to suggest that economic history is at present in critical condition, at least in the United States. Traditionally tied to both history and economics and called upon to meet the expectations of each, it has always led a somewhat precarious existence. At least since the First World War its relationship to economic theory, always debatable, has become tenuous, until today it is a common experience to find in the same university department economic historians who know little economic theory and find no use for what they do know, and economic theorists who know little history and have no interest in learning more. This alienation has proceeded far beyond the normal differences of emphasis that might be expected to exist between specialists in the inductive and the deductive methods. Economic theory today, in most of its branches, neither draws on economic history for its data nor goes to economic history for empirical verification. Economic history, for its part, commonly uses only the crudest of the tools in the economist's tool-box, and displays almost complete indifference to the refinements in analytical methods that occupy the theorist's working time. The consequences of this divorce have been unfortunate for economic history. Some would say they have been unfortunate for economic theory also.

This research aims at giving a comprehensive overview and understanding of the Syrian revolutionary process that started in mid March 2011. Previous research on the Syrian uprising has typically focused on few aspects of the revolution. This thesis presents an alternative perspective, using a historical materialist analysis to situate an understanding of the Syrian uprising in the socio-economic and political developments of the country and the wider region. To this end, the thesis begins by explaining the establishment and dynamics of the authoritarian regimes led by Hafez al-Assad and followed by his son Bashar on political and socio-economic levels. The research then analyzes the nature and dynamics of the protest movement and the organizations and sectors of society composing it during the first years of the uprising. The militarization of the uprising and establishment of Free Syrian Army (FSA) units are also observed. The implications of the Kurdish question in Syria are also analyzed. The various challenges and threats faced by the uprising from the regime and its foreign allies, Islamic fundamentalist and jihadist movements, and the International and regional political scenes are examined. Finally, the thesis examines at the current political and socio-economic situation in Syria and the challenges the country is facing for the future, notably in the reconstruction issue. Through this analysis, the thesis provides a holistic approach of the Syrian uprising – an analysis with important implications for understanding revolutionary processes more generally. -- Cette recherche vise à donner une vue d'ensemble et une compréhension du processus révolutionnaire syrien qui a débuté à la mi-mars 2011. Les recherches antérieures sur le soulèvement syrien ont généralement porté sur des aspects particuliers de la révolution. Cette thèse présente une perspective alternative, utilisant une analyse matérialiste historique pour situer une compréhension du soulèvement syrien dans les développements socio-économiques et ...

1. Rao, Sandhya: The cyberpath to development in some Asian countries. Introduction. 2. Klopfenstein, Bruce C.: The role of the United States in global internet innovation and diffusion. 3. Mori, Yuji ; Phoha, Vir V.: The internet in Japan. 4. McIntyre, Bryce T.: Let a hundred modems bloom. The internet in today's China. 5. Rao, Sandhya: The skills route to Cyberspace. India's internet experience. 6. Kang Wonsuk: The engine for the next economic leap. The internet in Korea. 7. Bin Abu Hassan, Musa: The internet in Malaysia. 8. Peng Hwa Ang ; Lee, Brian: Wiring an intelligent island. The internet in Singapore. 9. Panol, Zenaida Sarabia ; Rao, Sandhya: Taiwan. An epicenter in the high-tech world

This paper deals with the failures in the promotion of the rule of law in the six countries of the Western Balkans that are in different stages of their EU accession process. Drawing on concrete examples from more than two decades of rule of law promotion through the enlargement circles, the paper identifies the different evolutionary stages of this undertaking. It finds that the current dominant paradigm of rule of law conditionality concerning the benchmarking of progress in the areas of Chapters 23 and 24 of the acquis fails to tackle state capture as the main structural obstacle to the rule of law in the Western Balkans. The paper proposes that this situation is to be improved by re-imagining rule of law promotion as an effort focused not merely on standards but on building a rule of law constituency. Four different approaches to rule of law promotion that have been less frequently used so far are offered: legal mobilisation, institutional strengthening, the politicisation of anti-corruption, and economic development. The paper concludes with reflections on the realistic reach of the proposed interventions into efforts to promote the rule of law, arguing that while imperfect they remain necessary in order for the project to succeed.