Suchergebnisse

Introduction: structure and spirit -- Spirits in motion: folklore and function -- State decentralization and the collaborative spirit -- Sustainable sovereignty: international NGOs and civil society in Cuba -- Patriotic spirits: religious welfare programs and the politics of syncretism -- Conclusion: development and dialogue.

In Diaspora and Trust Adrian H. Hearn proposes that a new paradigm of socio-economic development is gaining importance for Cuba and Mexico. Despite their contrasting political ideologies, both countries must build new forms of trust among the state, society, and resident Chinese diaspora communities if they are to harness the potentials of China's rise. Combining political and economic analysis with ethnographic fieldwork, Hearn analyzes Cuba's and Mexico's historical relations with China, and highlights how Chinese diaspora communities are now deepening these ties. Theorizing trust as an alternative to existing models of exchange—which are failing to navigate the world's shifting economic currents—Hearn shows how Cuba and Mexico can reformulate the balance of power between state, market, and society. A new paradigm of domestic development and foreign engagement based on trust is becoming critical for Cuba, Mexico, and other countries seeking to benefit from China's growing economic power and social influence.

Described by political scientists as a necessary condition for efficiency, productivity, and prosperity, trust has become a precept of good governance with global reach. The concept is often marshaled to support a conservative political agenda of state retrenchment and market deregulation. Proponents of this agenda argue that the natural inclination of private actors to trust and cooperate with each other is undermined by government monitoring and compliance regulations. The evidence from Mexico points to an alternative conclusion: when carefully targeted, state support to private actors has strengthened rather than impeded trusting relationships between suppliers, customers, and investors. Commercial competition with China raises an urgent challenge for Mexico's government: to broaden the scope of its assistance beyond a narrow set of elite firms to small and medium-sized enterprises, including those of the resident Chinese community.Considerado por politólogos como condición necesaria para la eficiencia, productividad y prosperidad, la confianza ha llegado a ser un precepto de buena gobernanza con alcance global. Se utiliza el concepto a menudo para respaldar una agenda política conservadora de recortes del estado y desregulación del mercado. Los defensores de tal agenda sostienen que la inclinación natural de actores privados de confiar y cooperar entre sí es socavada por la fiscalización gubernamental y las regulaciones de cumplimiento. La evidencia desde México apunta a una conclusión alternativa: seleccionado cuidadosamente, el apoyo estatal a actores privados ha fortalecido en vez de impedir las relaciones de confianza entre proveedores, clientes, e inversores. La competencia comercial con la China presenta un desafío urgente para el gobierno de México: de ampliar el alcance de su ayuda más allá de un conjunto reducido de compañías élites hacia pequeñas y medianas empresas, inclu-yendo las de la comunidad residente china.

AbstractChinese communities resident in Mexico and Cuba face a common problem: their dealings with business partners in China are perceived as a threat to national interests. In Mexico this concern emanates from manufacturers unable to compete with Chinese imports, and is evident in antagonistic news media and acts of hostility against Chinese businesses. In Cuba it stems from the state's stewardship over economic sovereignty, and is evident in efforts to assimilate Havana's Chinatown and its entrenched informal sector into a centralized scheme of commercial regulation. Interviews with policy makers, local officials and Chinese entrepreneurs indicate that the "rationalization" of Chinese ethnic allegiances for the greater public good is a critical step towards alleviating tensions. I conclude that both countries can leverage benefits from overseas Chinese communities, but to do so they must support their entrepreneurial activities, harness their networks to promote targeted imports and exports, and develop more culturally sensitive regulations.

China's deepening engagement with Latin America has been accompanied by concerns about the Chinese government's regard for international conventions of economic governance. Critics claim that across Latin America and the Caribbean, Chinese aid and trade are characterised by excessive state intervention. This article argues that, for two reasons, the rationale for these misgivings is dissipating. First, since the onset of the global financial crisis, China has gained influence in multilateral institutions, prompting them toward greater acceptance of public spending in developing countries. Second, recent developments in Cuba show that China is actively encouraging the Western hemisphere's only communist country to liberalise its economy. China sits at the crossroads of these local and global developments, prompting Cuba toward rapprochement with international norms even as it works to reform them. (JCCA/GIGA)