Changing Economic Circumstances Research Articles

Kazakhstan’s evolving regional economic policy: assessing strategies of post-socialist development

ABSTRACTCore foci of economic geographic research are spatial inequality and policies to mitigate it. The variables considered in creating such policy evolve over time and attend to changing political, social, economic, ecological, and geopolitical circumstances and ideals. As a former Soviet republic with considerable hydrocarbon resources and substantial executive power, Kazakhstan has periodically reconsidered its regional economic policies. This study analyzes Kazakhstani government documents to track evolving strategies of development and utilizes econometric analysis to assess their effect on disparity across the state’s regions. Such research should prove useful in comparison with other cases of the post-Soviet realm and developing states more generally.

Trends and Developments in Chinese Insolvency Law: The First Decade of the PRC Enterprise Bankruptcy Law

Insolvency law in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has gained increased prominence in the last five years in light of changing economic circumstances and government policies. This Article analyzes trends and developments in Chinese insolvency law since the enactment of the PRC Enterprise Bankruptcy Law in 2007, focusing on the dynamic transformation of insolvency practice, jurisprudence, and the profession over the last five years. It also draws on examples from Japan to highlight that China is not alone in relation to a number of contemporary debates and developments in insolvency law. Moreover, the Article brings together academic, judicial, and practitioner perspectives to examine key contemporary issues in China, including the influence of Chinese courts; the treatment of secured creditors; the professionalization, appointment, and remuneration of insolvency practitioners; and reorganizations of listed companies, unlisted real estate companies, and unlisted foreign investment enterprises. The Article also emphasizes the different rates of development in more sophisticated economic regions, such as Shenzhen City and Zhejiang Province, from which recent data and case studies are drawn. Finally, the Article analyzes China’s approach to cross-border insolvencies. Whilst challenges remain, the Article evidences China’s indigenous and increasingly sophisticated insolvency framework and highlights future innovations including publication of insolvency-related information and the potential for a personal insolvency regime.

Sorcery and Negotiating Economic Agency: A Critical Observation from Solomon Islands

In this paper, my aim is to add to the discussions of sorcery in Melanesia by focussing on its relation to economic agency in the context of a case example from Malaita, Solomon Islands. Using Taylor's (2015) categories of ‘distributive’ and ‘possessive’ agency as a critical point of departure, I illustrate how sorcery can be considered as an outcome when people are perceived not to be balancing these forms of economic agency. By drawing on the example of an entrepreneur from Malaita, I highlight the complexity of the negotiations between possessive and distributive agencies and show how critically investigating these negotiations is important for understanding why sorcery may happen but also how to limit the chances of it happening. Furthermore, I also illustrate how critical investigations of accounts of sorcery can reveal complexities of socio‐economic and political life in changing economic and social circumstances.

Reflections on and Inquiry into Unfamiliar as well as Familar Factors that may Influence the Market for Municipal Bonds

This study investigates the impact of various factors on the ex-ante real interest rate yield on high grade municipal bonds. The AR/2SLS estimation implies that this ex ante real interest rate is an increasing function of the ex-ante real interest rate yield on thirty-year Treasury bonds while being a decreasing function of net capital flows. The yield in question also is found to have been negatively impacted by the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act. Furthermore, the estimation finds that this interest rate measure is a decreasing function of the maximum marginal federal personal income tax rate. In addition, it is found that, in the presence of an interaction term, the ex-ante real interest rate yield on high-grade municipals is an increasing function not only of the budget deficit but also the aggregate tax gap. The policy implications of these results include the need to limit the extent of budget deficits and to also limit the extent of income tax evasion in the U.S., lest there will be significant limitations placed on the ability of towns, cities, counties, and states to create new infrastructure in response to changing demographic and economic circumstances and/or maintain existing infrastructure.

Obsidian sourcing and dynamic trade patterns at Izapa, Chiapas, Mexico: 100 BCE–400 CE

Recent research on Mesoamerican economies has demonstrated that Prehispanic trade networks were not static, but constantly evolving. Relationships between peoples in different settlements and regions shift as social, political, and economic circumstances change. One question that results from these findings is how significant events such as sociopolitical decline or abandonment affect exchange networks. This study investigates changes in obsidian procurement during a period of widespread upheaval across southern Mesoamerica, ca. 100–250 CE, from the perspective of a surviving capital on the Pacific coast of Chiapas, Mexico. X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis using a Bruker Tracer III–V was conducted for obsidian collected from Terminal Formative (100 BCE–250 CE) and initial Early Classic (250–400 CE) domestic contexts to evaluate how obsidian procurement patterns at the ancient city of Izapa were affected by events in neighboring regions. Obsidian results are compared to known shifts in sociopolitical relationships as observed through ceramics, burials, and art styles. Data indicate that residents of Izapa shifted trade from east to west over the Terminal Formative to Early Classic period transition. Patterns correspond with sociopolitical turmoil at the Guatemalan highland capital of Kaminaljuyú and the rise of the central Mexican city of Teotihuacan. Results also indicate, however, that economic relationships may continue even in places where political affiliations have been severed. Results suggest that datasets for different artifact classes, when viewed independently, introduce additional nuance into the questions of collapse and resilience of ancient societies.

For Better or for Worse: Fifty Years Since the Removal of the Marriage Bar in the Australian Public Service

Fifty years ago, in late 1966, the Australian Public Service officially removed the “marriage bar” policy that had prevented the recruitment or continued employment of married women. The anniversary of this historic milestone is an opportunity to reflect on the introduction and removal of the marriage bar and to reflect on the policy change process and lessons that can be applied to the continuing struggle for gender equality at work. The research uses John Kingdon's framework for policy change to examine the delays and obstacles to the removal of the marriage bar. It highlights a number of occasions when the window of opportunity for policy change was briefly open but rapidly closed again due to changing political and economic circumstances.

DSS-Ecopay – A decision support software for designing ecologically effective and cost-effective agri-environment schemes to conserve endangered grassland biodiversity

Agri-environment schemes (AES) compensate farmers for applying costly land-use measures that are beneficial to biodiversity. We present DSS-Ecopay, a decision support software for the simulation and optimization of grassland AES. DSS-Ecopay consists of a database capturing the ecological and economic input data, an ecological model for calculating the effect of mowing regimes, grazing regimes and combinations of mowing and grazing regimes on endangered birds, butterflies and habitat types, an agri-economic model for estimating their costs and a simulation and an optimization module for determining ecologically effective and cost-effective AES. DSS-Ecopay is highly flexible and adaptive as it can be applied to different regions and changing economic and ecological circumstances.

Rural Women, Resistance, and the Egyptian Family Planning Program, 1965–1980

This article proposes new ways of thinking about subaltern agency and resistance through a historical study of Egypt's family planning program. According to demographic data and ethnographic studies of rural reproduction in Egypt from 1965 to 1980, the vast majority of rural Egyptian women resisted government attempts to manage their reproduction. This resistance was unique from other forms of subaltern resistance scholars usually study: it was neither a violent uprising, nor was it a "hidden transcript" as described by the historian James C. Scott. Instead, rural women engaged in a different kind of resistance by openly flouting the government's initiatives in an unorganized way without fear of state retribution. Examining rural women's responses to this new government family planning program reveals the state's developmental anxieties in the post-colonial period and the strategies that rural women adopted in response to changing economic circumstances. This article contributes new insights about subaltern agency, resistance, and state power.

Enrolment in Higher Education in Africa: A case of the University of Nairobi Kenya

Irrespective of whether a country’s economy is prospering or experiencing a downturn, employers can benefit from a skilled workforce able to respond to changing economic circumstances. Training their workers is one means of building such a workforce. But what influences the decisions by employers to train their workers is the heart of this study and the reason as to why employees pursue further studyThe purpose of the study was to establish the varying factors influencing employee’s enrolment in higher education. .The study adopted mixed method research design and the sample of 202 employees in the middle and lower level carder from the University of Nairobi. The questionnaires were used to collect data .The findings of the study indicated that (87%) of the employees work environment was not appealing. The findings also indicated that most staff had no knowledge and lack proper policy in terms of pursuing education, these could also be attributed to enrolment for higher education as cited by 68% employees. The study recommended the establishment of educational policy, to benefit those pursuing courses in line with the profession and hence no benefits to institutions. That there is need to undertake a savvy on the impact of training.

Quebec’s Economic and Commercial Linkages with the United States, 1994–2017

Abstract This article examines the ebb and flow of the Quebec government’s economic and commercial relations with the United States in the period 1994–2017. The topic demonstrates the impact of three major forces on Quebec’s economic and commercial ties with the US: (1) the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which became operational in 1994 and was fully implemented over a 15-year period; (2) the onerous security policies put in place by the US government in the decade following the horrific events of 11 September 2001; and (3) changing economic circumstances in the United States ranging from robust growth to the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The article also indicates that the Quebec government continues to sponsor a wide range of activities in the United States, often more elaborate and extensive than comparable activities pursued by many nation-states with representation in the US.1 1 Stéphane Paquin, ‘Quebec-U.S. Relations: The Big Picture’, American Review of Canadian Studies 46, no. 2 (2016): 149–61.

How do Economic Circumstances Determine Preferences? Evidence from Long-run Panel Data

Preferences for redistribution and social spending are correlated with income and unemployment risk, but it is unclear how these relationships come about. I build a theory emphasizing that only large changes in economic circumstances provide the information and motivation needed for people to change their preferences. Stable long-run preferences are shaped mainly by early socialization, which includes economic and ideological influences from the family, and early labor market experiences. Enduring shocks, low intergenerational mobility and the tendency of left-wing parents to be poorer generate correlations between circumstances and preferences. Because preferences are stable, greater inequality may not increase aggregate support for redistribution. Support is found for the theory with panel data from Switzerland, using a range of empirical tests.

Environmental protection preferences under strain: an analysis of the impact of changing individual perceptions of economic and financial conditions on environmental public opinion during economic crisis

ABSTRACTThis paper uses panel survey data from 2002 to 2008 – covering a period of economic prosperity and intense economic difficulties – to analyse the impact of changing levels of economic and financial security from the 2008 economic crisis on individuals’ environmental protection preferences. Declining economic conditions in the aftermath of the crisis have been thought to produce lower levels of support for environmental protection and previous literature has predominantly supported this claim. Due to the availability of data, most analyses undertaken to date have focused on aggregate changes using repeated cross-sectional data and various economic indicators. Research looking at individual-level change and how individuals’ perceptions of changing economic conditions may affect their prioritization of environmental protection has however been lacking. This paper finds that neither changing economic perceptions nor changing household financial circumstances can account for the decline in environmental protection prioritization witnessed in the aftermath of the great recession.

Grey areas: temporal and geographical dynamics of international trade of Grey and Timneh Parrots (Psittacus erithacus and P. timneh) under CITES

ABSTRACTInternational trade in wild birds is a driver of biodiversity loss, species invasions and the spread of diseases. Grey and Timneh Parrots (Psittacus erithacus and P. timneh) have been among the most frequently traded of all birds listed in the Appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and were recently categorised as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Records of international trade, available on the CITES trade database, were used to establish geographical trends in imports and exports of Grey and Timneh Parrots since 1975. Patterns of trade varied dramatically over time, with key trading partnerships changing frequently. Net exports of over 1.2 million wild-sourced parrots were reported, the majority of which were exported to North America prior to 1992 and Europe prior to 2005. Recently, there has been a rapid rise in exports of captive-bred parrots to parts of Asia, notably countries in the Arabian Peninsula. The majority of captive-bred Grey and Timneh Parrots originate from South Africa, which has at times also been the largest importer of wild-sourced parrots. Patterns of trade are considered in the context of the changing economic, cultural, governance, and biological circumstances to understand the potential drivers of major shifts and identify research needs and interventions to control trade.

Reviving the Dragon: Social Ideas and Social Policy Development in Modern China

Social policy development in China is closely related to the generation and diffusion of social knowledge through which political and social elites define social problems and elaborate policy solutions. Drawing on theoretical insights from the ideational institutionalism, this paper seeks to trace the origin and evolution of the social ideas in order to map common threads spanning different phases of modern Chinese history. It argues that the “social” idea has been essentially shaped by the continuous desire for national resurgence in response to China’s perceived existential crisis triggered by Western imperialism at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Starting from the late Qing dynasty, the majority of the Chinese intelligentsia advocated for the restraint of individual rights in the service of promoting a strong statehood able to pursue commonweal and restore national pride. Social policy and social rights appeared more as a means to achieve other elevated goals than as an end in itself. In this light, the contemporary People’s Republic of China represents political undertakings that initially addressed the “national question” using a socialist approach, and later switched to market economic reforms. In various phases, the social ideas have been constantly reframed to accommodate changing political and economic circumstances with profound implications for social welfare developments with a clear disposition in favor of the statist approach.

A Review of the Tools Used for Marine Monitoring in the UK: Combining Historic and Contemporary Methods with Modeling and Socioeconomics to Fulfill Legislative Needs and Scientific Ambitions

Marine environmental monitoring is undertaken to provide evidence that environmental management targets are being met. Moreover, monitoring also provides context to marine science and over the last century has allowed development of a critical scientific understanding of the marine environment and the impacts that humans are having on it. The seas around the UK are currently monitored by targeted, impact-driven, programmes (e.g. fishery or pollution based monitoring) often using traditional techniques, many of which have not changed significantly since the early 1900s. The advent of a new wave of automated technology, in combination with changing political and economic circumstances, means that there is currently a strong drive to move towards a more refined, efficient, and effective way of monitoring. We describe the policy and scientific rationale for monitoring our seas, alongside a comprehensive description of the types of equipment and methodology currently used and the technologies that are likely to be used in the future. We contextualise the way new technologies and methodologies may impact monitoring and discuss how whole ecosystems models can give an integrated, comprehensive approach to impact assessment. Furthermore, we discuss how an understanding of the value of each data point is crucial to assess the true costs and benefits to society of a marine monitoring programme.

Protecting energy intakes against income shocks

Whether and how changes in economic circumstances or household income affect individuals’ diet and nutritional intakes is of substantial interest for policy purposes. This paper exploits a period of substantial income volatility in Russia to examine the extent to which, as well as how individuals protect their energy intakes in the face of unanticipated shocks to household income. Using rich data from the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey, our results suggest that households use substitution, disproportionally cutting back spending on non-foods to protect spending on foods, change the composition of the consumption basket, and increase the consumption of ‘cheaper’ calories. Taken together, however, we find that total energy intakes as well as the nutritional composition of the diet are almost fully protected against income shocks. Specifically, we find that 12–16% of the effect of permanent income shocks on food expenditures is transmitted to energy intakes, with 84–88% protected through insurance mechanisms.

PROMOTING SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP PRODUCT

The object of the research are the social entrepreneurs and its business development. The aim of the research is to discuss existing marketing strategies applied to social entrepreneurship and to offer possible ways of their improvement. The research is relevant and consistent with the increasing role of social entrepreneurship taking the full power throe the fast changing political, economic, socio cultural and technological circumstances of the 21st century. While marketing the social entrepreneurship, the focus on marketing strategies must be revised. The research methodology includes both traditional and modern elements of marketing, such as marketing mix, strategies, customer segmentation and targeting, pricing altogether with the main elements of social entrepreneurship, such as social and economic aspects.
 The results present thet in standard marketing strategies, the strategy for social entrepreneurs should include segmentation of the customers and consumers by taking into consideration standard criteria (such as geographical, demographical, psychographic and behavior segmentation) but also implementing own criteria most adequate for the products they are currently interested to produce. It is important which factors are significant enough to take decisions of expansion, harvest or liquidation of products.

Ambitious climate policy through centralization? Evidence from the European Union

Finding the right balance between centralization and decentralization is a struggle as old as the European integration project itself. Centralization, defined as a shift of competences to a higher and more aggregated governance level, offers a number of advantages, including greater policy consistency and fewer market barriers and competitive distortions. However, it also comes at the price of reduced flexibility to accommodate national circumstances, which in turn can undermine domestic political support. As the evolution of climate policy in the EU illustrates, the degree of centralization does not necessarily correlate with the level of policy ambition with respect to climate protection. Tracing the role of centralization debates in the context of emissions trading and of policies to promote renewable energy, this article shows shifting preferences about centralization over time, and attempts to explain the causes of these changes and their implications for climate policy. It also addresses a recent trend towards greater regional cooperation, which is reflected in the emerging notion of a European Energy Union. But it also concludes that generalizations about the impact of centralization – or a lack thereof – fall short of the nuances in each individual case.Policy relevanceFollowing its recent enlargement, and faced with changing economic and political circumstances at the national level, the EU must once again confront difficult questions about the adequate balance between centralized and decentralized approaches as it seeks to operationalize the climate and energy targets for 2030. The need for greater ambition in climate protection, unilateral measures taken by Member States to induce greater greenhouse gas mitigation in the power and industry sectors covered by the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, divergent strategies to stabilize electricity markets as these integrate growing shares of variable renewable energy sources, or the ongoing discussion about a European Energy Union all underscore the need for improved understanding of the implications of centralization. This article draws on past experiences with central climate and energy policies to explain factors affecting the decision for or against centralization, as well as the effects of such decisions.

ENVIRONMENTAL TAXATION IN THE UK: THE CLIMATE CHANGE LEVY AND POLICY MAKING

Environmental taxation is different from many other forms of taxation as it is not only used to raise revenue but it is also able to marginally influence behaviour to protect and enhance the environment. It provides valuable market led mechanisms to help limit greenhouse gas emissions, encourage sustainable behaviour and improve environmental performance to address climate change. The Post Paris (COP21) agreement provides a framework for global actions to address climate change and this sets the context for the discussion of environmental taxation.Environmental taxes have enormous potential to change carbon usage. In 2012, the Coalition Government (2010-2015) opined that the definition of an environmental tax includes three principles, namely that the tax is explicitly linked to the government’s environmental objectives, that the primary objective of the tax is to encourage environmentally positive behaviour, and that the tax is structured in relation to environmental objectives, particularly the more polluting the behaviour the greater tax levied. The current Government has adopted and applied this definition. By way of contrast, the definitions of environmental taxation favoured by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), respectively, give a wider remit for environmental taxation and policy making and include, for instance, various transport taxes which, as will be seen, do not fall within the Government’s definition of an environmental tax. The Climate Change Levy, which is the focus of this article, was introduced as one of a series of new environmental taxes on business energy use in 2001. It is charged on electricity, gas liquefied petroleum gas and solid fuels used by business.Generally, environmental taxes are intended to increase investments in renewable technologies while reducing carbon emissions, but they are vulnerable to political influence and policy changes. Thus, the rationale for environmental or ‘Green’ taxes has shifted perceptibly to raising revenue rather than enabling government to meet its obligations under the Climate Change Act 2008. Environmental taxes are also susceptible to oil prices and fluctuations in the global economy. The North Sea oil and gas industry is going through a difficult period of retrenchment. A recent independent report has suggested that the industry has two years to adjust to changing economic circumstances. Inevitably, this will impact on the tax revenues raised from this sector.In an ideal world, environmental taxes should be easy to avoid through a change in behaviour and, consequently, hard to evade. Environmental taxes provide important means to achieve policy objectives, but their full potential requires public support and, especially, engagement by the business community. The future of environmental taxes may depend on the success of ‘green’ investment. There is a case for introducing a single climate tax on business. Undoubtedly, environmental taxes deserve greater attention in the economic toolbox to meet climate change commitments. The UK faces some difficult policy decisions under the Climate Change Act 2008 to meet the 2030 energy and climate change package targets. Currently, the UK receives 7.5 % of tax revenue from environmental taxes. To date, environmental taxation has had mixed outcomes in the UK, though few doubt its potential to define the future of carbon based energy use.

Millennials and car ownership: Less money, fewer cars

Americans are driving less. The changes are most pronounced among Millennials, those born in the 1980s and 1990s. Much ink has been spilled debating whether these changes in travel behavior are due to changing preferences or economic circumstances. In this paper, we use eight waves of data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) to examine recent changes in auto ownership among US families with a particular focus on Millennials. We find that today's young adults do own fewer cars than previous generations did when they were young. However, when we control for whether young adults have become economically independent from their parents, i.e. left the nest, we find that economically independent young adults own slightly more cars than we would expect, given their low incomes and wealth. We caution planners to temper their enthusiasm about “peak car,” as this may largely be a manifestation of economic factors that could reverse in coming years.