Economic Discourse Research Articles

How do countries shift their export specialization? The role of technological capabilities and industrial policy in Ireland, Spain and Sweden (1995–2018)

Abstract This article contributes to the Comparative Political Economy discourse on countries’ export specialization transitions. While current growth model literature often highlights producer coalitions’ influence, we present a complementary perspective emphasizing industrial policies. These policies, we argue, are not solely shaped by politics but are also deeply influenced by sectoral technological capabilities. By strategically engaging in both demand and supply-side sectoral innovation processes, industrial policies deepen existing technological capabilities with spillover effects into new sectors or foster new sector-specific capabilities. Our empirical analysis comprises two main steps. First, we create export profiles for eight European nations, using OECD TiVA data from 1995 to 2018. These profiles are categorized based on their technological and innovation content. Second, we identify significant shifts in export structures within Ireland, Sweden and Spain. Through thorough case studies, we illustrate the role of industrial policies in cultivating sector-specific technological capabilities.

HEART metaphors in economic discourse corpora: conceptual evidence and translation insight

HEART metaphors in economic discourse corpora: conceptual evidence and translation insight

Political and Economic Discourses of Centralization and Decentralization: Education and Science in Russia

Incidents are increasingly occurring in schools, for which municipalities are being held responsible in Russia. Business makes complaints about the level of training of university graduates, which is a problem of coordinating the activities of the leadership of the constituent entities of the Federation with classical and technical universities. According to the authors, this is a consequence of the functioning of informal institutions that have developed in post-Soviet Russia in the field of education and science. Differences are determined by the different informal institutions that develop in these organizations. Such institutions are identified by insiders – employees and consumers of services (parents of pupils and students, students themselves), distinguishing between types of schools and universities. But their knowledge remains tacit and is not included in public discussion. From the point of view of officials responsible for the functioning of secondary and higher schools, some types of organizations highlighted in the work do not exist. Scientific activity began to be assessed on the basis of bibliometric indicators. But there is an international legal cartel operating in this area, which allows large publishing houses to maximize their income. Russian scientists spent about $ 10 million in 2020 to pay for the services of the publishing houses. The current system meets the needs of representatives of elite universities and schools, which is common for peripheral capitalism. At the same time, municipalities and Subjects of the Federation are very interested in changing the situation – minimizing the scope of “negative” informal institutions in schools, developing advanced scientific and educational centers in the regions.

What do economists teach about climate change? An analysis of introductory economics textbooks

Is the training of economists keeping pace with the growing research on climate change? Is climate change considered a central or a specialized economic topic? This study documents the attention given to climate change in economics by conducting a comprehensive analysis of fifty-seven introductory textbooks. The findings reveal a notable divergence in perspectives across countries and between the domains of Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. These divergences persist irrespective of individual academic standing, underscoring a pronounced schism within the profession regarding the emphasis placed on climate change in economic discourse.

Equity zombies in Canada’s blue economy: a critical feminist analysis for equitable policy implementation

IntroductionOcean equity is a key aim of blue economy frameworks globally and is a pillar of the international High Level Panel for A Sustainable Ocean Economy. However, the Panel offers only a general definition of ocean equity, with limited guidance for countries. Canada, as a party to the High Level Panel’s blue economy agenda, is developing its own blue economy strategy, seeking to reshape its ocean-based industries and advocate for new ones. How equity will be incorporated across scales is not yet known but has implications for how countries like Canada will develop their ocean-based industries. This raises important questions, including what are Canada’s equity commitments in relation to its blue economy and how will they be met? Currently, the industries identified in Canada’s emerging blue economy narratives are governed through both federal and provincial legislation and policies. These will shape how equity is implemented at different scales.MethodsIn this paper, we examine how the term equity is defined in relevant federal and provincial legislation and look to how understandings of equity found in critical feminist, environmental justice, and climate justice scholarship could inform policy and its implementation within Canada’s blue economy. We focus on two industries that are important for Canada’s blue economy: offshore oil and marine salmon aquaculture in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. We investigate how existing legislation and policy shapes the characterization, incorporation, and implementation of equity in these industries.Results and discussionOur analysis highlights how a cohesive approach to ocean equity across the scales of legislation and policy is needed to ensure more robust engagement with social and environmental equity issues in blue economy discourse and implementation.

Health Metaphor and Embodied Meaning in English Economic Discourse

In economic discourse, economists use conceptual metaphors to explain complex and abstract economic concepts or theories. Among them, health metaphors based on physical experience are widely used. Therefore, this article selects health metaphors with the highest frequency in the British National Corpus as research object, and conducts analysis on its typical usage. Results show that the vast majority of health metaphors tend to map economy as a healthy organism. Moreover, the health metaphors that appear in economic discourse have signifi-cant embodied meanings.

Starting from an Empty Plate: A Semiotic Study of Instant Noodle Advertisements during the Fasting Month of Ramadan in the Covid-19 Pandemic

From the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 until 2022, Indomie has consistently issued advertisements during the fasting month of Ramadan. During this period, it is a challenge for food manufacturers to promote their products. In the case of Indomie’s advertisement, which started with an idea that visually displays an empty plate and is broadcast during the fasting month, is quite viral because it dares to advertise without displaying the products it sells. Interestingly, Indomie is still holding up empty plates for their advertisement in 2021. The continuity of the story that started with empty plates is what prompted me to continue the analysis of Indomie instant noodle ads that were aired during the fasting months of Ramadan during the pandemic in 2020, 2021, and 2022. The purpose of this research is to reveal the meaning and ideology of what is to be conveyed through these ads. Rolland Barthes' semiotic analysis method is considered suitable to analyze the mythology and ideology behind them. The presence of an empty plate shows the meaning of tolerance for fasting Muslims. Each advertisement describes this form of tolerance differently. Even though it is covered by religious, social, cultural, and economic discourses, the ideology of capitalism is still sensed in all the advertisements that are displayed.

习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想对日传播研究

Xi Jinping’s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the New Era of dissemination in Japan has a special historical context. China strives to build a Sino Japanese relationship that meets the requirements of the new era. Japan urgently needs to calibrate its cognitive positioning towards China, as well as the dominant position of the United States in its communication with Japan. The core discourse includes political discourse, economic discourse, social discourse, and cultural discourse.

The technocentric consensus: a discourse network analysis of the European circular economy debate

ABSTRACT How do different framings of the circular economy structure relations between key European policy actors? The circular economy is emerging as a dominant environmental governance framework, but multiple interpretations of what it entails and how it is to be implemented abound. This article investigates the way policy actors in the European Union frame the circular economy, and how certain framings facilitate coalition-building. A Discourse Network Analysis, which combines content and network analysis, allows us to draw connections between frames and actors. Building on an existing typology of circular economy discourses, we combine inductive and deductive coding of selected policy documents from policy actors (EU institutions, business associations, think tanks, trade unions, NGOs). This content analysis is visualized as a discourse network, which disaggregates discourses into their subcomponents and connects them to policy actors. The strongest discourse coalition emerges around technocentric framings of circular economy. In particular, we identify production, innovation and waste management as central sub-components which strengthen the congruence of this coalition. More transformative frames advanced by environmental organizations struggle to break the technocentric consensus. We argue that the current framing of a technocentric circular economy is unlikely to change unsustainable patterns of production and consumption.

Kaçak electricity: negotiating rights and privileges in the Ottoman Empire during the imperialist era

ABSTRACT What are the political and economic relationships between public utilities, companies, states and people that contemporary societies inherited from the age of imperialism, when new energy infrastructures and technologies started spreading across the world? Through a historical-anthropological exploration of kaçak (informal/illicit/smuggled) electricity use and exchange during the late Ottoman Empire, this article analyzes how the relationships between companies, state and consumers were negotiated at the outset of electrification and how the moral economic discourses established in this era continues to influence the current nexus. By examining the terms of formal and informal access to electricity in the Ottoman Empire, first as a privilege for the few and then as a public good, I show how people living in the periphery during capitalist markets’ expansion to the Ottoman Empire related to electricity as a new commodity. Through examining kaçak use and exchange in the process of Ottoman electrification, I argue that the question of kaçak is a moral economic discourse on who is a citizen worthy or deserving of access to public utilities and infrastructure, extending to the relationship between economic privileges and political rights that is also at the center of the current global debates about neoliberalism and privatization.

The common good from an economic perspective: Insights from EU policies during the COVID-19

Abstract This paper delves into the diverse conceptualizations of the “common good” within the economic discourse and scrutinizes their implications for European integration during the pressing COVID-19 pandemic. Employing a comprehensive literature review, policy analysis, and case study examination, it explores the manifestations of the common good in the context of European Union policies. Two key interpretations emerge from our investigation: the first presents the common good as an ultimate objective, seeking a balance between individual and collective interests achieved via adept economic governance; the second considers it a continuous process underpinned by the principles that direct the journey toward such a balance. Our findings reveal that the EU’s response to the COVID-19 crisis led to shifts in fiscal policies and innovation strategies. The research outcomes demonstrate a marked transition in the EU’s approach, with a stronger focus on social welfare, environmental sustainability, and collective well-being.

Continuity and Change in Norm Translations After the Paris Agreement: From First to Second Nationally Determined Contributions

Abstract Following the Paris Agreement, states have submitted nationally determined contributions (NDCs) pledging how they aim to prevent dangerous climate change. These documents reveal how states translate the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) normative expectations based on their domestic circumstances. We examine continuity and change between first and second NDCs with an inductive method of quantitative text analysis—topic modeling. Overall, these pledges rely on UNFCCC’s norms, indicating the stability of the liberal order. Many norms are translated similarly in first and second NDCs. When states prioritize some norms over others, this continues to align with the annex divide, reflecting differences in domestic circumstances (e.g., vulnerability). Yet, some discourse coalitions also cut across this line. Two innovative translations stand out in the second NDCs: first, the low-carbon economy discourse adds a new spin to “liberal environmentalism,” apparently driven by competition among higher-income countries, and second, interlinkages with the human rights regime point to successful transnational socialization in democratic states. These findings indicate potential directions for global climate politics.

Bridging the gaping hole: central bank economists’ role in the rise of macro-finance post-crisis

AbstractHow has mainstream academic economic discourse evolved to regain its epistemic authority after the financial crisis of 2008 revealed serious blind spots in economic modelling that shattered the profession’s claim to be able to predict and control macroeconomic variables? To answer this question, we combine content with bibliometric analyses of nearly 70,000 papers on macroeconomics and finance published in academic journals from 1990 to 2019. These analyses reveal how a structural rapprochement between macroeconomics and finance created the new subfield of macro-finance. We show that contributions by central bank economists, driven by central banks’ newly acquired macroprudential mandate, were key to its establishment. Acting within the space of regulatory science, they connected macroeconomic and financial knowledge to satisfy their employers’ administrative needs, while also helping to bridge the gaping hole in economic discourse, thereby taking on an important stabilizing role for the epistemic authority of economics.

Assessing the Impact of Digitalization, Tax Revenues, and Energy Resource Capacity on Environmental Quality: Fresh Evidence from CS-ARDL in the EKC Framework

This study examines the dynamic relationships between digitalization, environmental tax revenues, and energy resource capacity within the framework of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC), focusing on their combined impact on environmental quality. It employs a cross-sectional augmented autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) approach, an advanced technique for complex panel data that is specifically designed to address issues of cross-sectional dependence and slope heterogeneity inherent in panel data analysis. The research covers 88 countries, including both low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HICs), to understand how digitalization, as a driving force of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, interacts with environmental taxation and energy resource management to affect greenhouse gas emissions. The results reveal distinct effects of environmental taxes and energy capacity on environmental quality, with marked differences between LMICs and HICs. In HICs, technological progress, especially in information and communication technology (ICT), is found to contribute significantly to environmental quality. For LMICs, the effects are less evident, and the findings suggest the need for tailored strategies in environmental policy and energy management. By providing empirical evidence on the differential impacts of digitalization and energy policies in different economic contexts, this research enriches the environmental economics discourse. It highlights the need for policy frameworks tailored to specific contexts that effectively balance economic growth with sustainable development goals, thereby providing insightful implications for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Quantitative modeling and empirical analysis of the communication effects of cross-cultural economic discourse

Abstract In cross-cultural economic communication, language, culture, and business activities are closely linked. In order to construct China’s foreign economic discourse system, this study selects five types of economic discourses of China’s cross-cultural communication, climbs relevant research data, and tries to use the improved AHP-CRITIC combined assignment method to convert the abstract foreign communication effects into measurable indexes, and establishes a set of comprehensive and systematic quantitative assessment model of the impact, so as to make the communication effects of the assessment objects comparable. We summarize the degree of influence of each indicator on the communication effect of the five types of cross-cultural economic discourse based on their assigned weights. We also quantify the communication effects of the five types of economic discourse based on the differences in the TOPSIS method. The dissemination effects of the five types of cross-cultural economic discourses are ranked as follows: “Belt and Road Initiative” (0.64215), “China’s Financial Reform” (0.55381), “China’s Economic Reform” (0.41473), “China’s global economic role” (0.39387), and “China-US economic relations” (0.28852). From the perspective of audience cognition, attitude, and behavior, this study suggests that the effect of foreign communication on cross-cultural economic discourse can be enhanced through three aspects: strengthening communication media, innovating content production, and strengthening the content production and construction of economic discourse.

ՏՆՏԵՍՈՒԹՅՈՒՆԸ ՀԻՎԱՆԴ ՕՐԳԱՆԻԶՄ Է ՓՈԽԱԲԵՐՈՒԹՅԱՆ ՀԱՍԿԱՑԱԿԱՆ ԱՐՏԱՊԱՏԿԵՐՈՒՄԸ / CONCEPTUAL MAPPING OF «ECONOMY IS A SICK ORGANISM» METAPHOR

The aim of the article is to study the conceptual mapping of the metaphor ECONOMY IS A SICK ORGANISM within Armenian economic discourse. The primary goals of the study encompass analyzing the semantic-structural characteristics of the source domain "sick organism" and exploring the cross-domain mappings of metaphorical patterns derived from the conceptual domains "sick organism" and "economy." The topicality of this article arises from the increasing scholarly attention to conceptual metaphors within economic discourse, both as cognitive instruments and as influential tools for manipulation. The selection of linguistic analysis methods is justified by the nature of the examined data and the research objectives. The examination of the material was carried out through linguistic descriptive analysis and contextual analysis. The research findings led us to conclude that the metaphor ECONOMY IS A SICK ORGANISM gains increased relevance in the press during periods of external economic shocks such as pandemics or wars. The primary intent behind employing this metaphor in press publications is to elucidate the country's economic condition to the non-professional audience through the most familiar source domain ("sick organism"). Throughout the phases of economic crisis, negative metaphors predominated, depicting the economy as weak and vulnerable, with symptoms similar to diseases. Conversely, during post-crisis periods, positive metaphors emphasizing economic recovery become more prominent.

ЕКОНОМІЧНИЙ ДИСКУРС ТЕОРЕТИЧНИХ ЗАСАД РОЗУМІННЯ ЦИФРОВОЇ ЕКОНОМІКИ

The article analyzes theoretical scientific approaches of foreign and Ukrainian scientists regarding to the definition of the «digital economy» concept in an economic discourse. It was defined, that the global informatization together with science and technological progress in the field of information and communication technologies, fundamentally influenced on the further formation of the digital economy and the main components, which contribute to its future development. It has been proved, that the digital economy is the next stage of the post-industrial paradigm of the global economy development, because thanks to the science and technological progress more and more everyday operations and business processes take place though to the internet network use. It was emphasized that the digital economy creates digital assets, transforms traditional business processes into digital ones, with which production, logistics, services, sales and advertising are critically depends on a number of information and communication technologies of Industry 4:0. Understanding the theoretical foundations for understanding digital economy is an extremely important element in the research of the digital issues, because all the economic and social advantages that it carries to the country are imperatives for its survival, competitiveness and transparency, which ultimately ensures long-term economic growth and high life standards of the citizens. The basis of the digital economy development in the transformation conditions from the traditional economy are such: forming political will for digital reforms conducting in country, the presence of an appropriate digital infrastructure, the ability to implement information and communication technologies into existing service and manufacturing industries, the affordability in price of IT equipment among the broad masses of the population. The country’s Government policy should be aimed to promoting of the innovative development of its economy, financial support of inventors and high-tech manufacturing with focusing on the intellectual capital while creating a high-level educational and business environment.

Conversational Implicature on Selected Episodes of Jklive Talk Show on Citizen Television, Kenya

The study involved an analysis of Conversational Implicature on sampled episodes of the JKLive talk show of Citizen TV in Kenya. The research objective was to determine the observance of cooperative principle maxims on selected episodes of the JKLive talk show. The study used a descriptive research design in which judgmental sampling was employed in selecting the episodes in the talk show that were more relevant to the study. A sample size of two episodes which had a runtime of one hour each, were used for conversational data and then subjected to analysis. Data was collected through audio and video recording based on naturalistic observation of the talk show. The data was then transcribed orthographically to identify the language features required for the study. Data analysis was guided by the theory of Conversational Implicature by Grice (1975), which he termed as an indirect speech whereby, what is meant by an utterance may go beyond what is communicated. As a theory, Conversational Implicature advocates that, in order to simplify the use of language, rules are needed to govern how we bring out information and at what stage, for effective communication to occur. This theory was used to account for observance or violation of cooperative principle maxims, in line with the objective of the study. Prevalence of violations of cooperative principle maxims were observed, particularly instances of quality, quantity, manner and relevance maxims being disregarded in political discourse, and instances of quantity and relevance maxims also being disregarded in economic discourse. Addressing violations of these maxims can improve clarity and coherence, with the host playing a crucial role in moderating discussions to foster mutual understanding, prevent conflicts, and promote constructive exchanges, ultimately enhancing the viewer experience.

A Case Study of Semantic “We” in Academic Discourse

The personal pronoun “we” is the most frequently-used self-mention language of the author’s presentation in academic discourse. This study adopts quantitative and qualitative designs, selecting 60 English academic discourses from the Linguistics Journal of The Modern Language Journal and the Economics Journal of The Journal of Finance as samples to build two corpora. With the help of Antconc and Log-likelihood and Chi-Square Calculator 1.0, the present study analyzes the semantic use of the self-mention “we” in the corpus. The finding shows that there are significant differences in the use of “we” between the academic discourse of the two disciplines from the perspective of between disciplines (p < 0.001), and the use of “we” is more frequent in the economic academic discourse. From the perspective of within disciplines, the use of “exclusive we” is more frequent and there is a significant difference in the use of “inclusive we” and “exclusive we” in the academic discourse of the two disciplines. Finally, the study also analyzes the textual function of “we” in academic discourse, intending to provide some help to the understanding and writing of academic discourse in different disciplines, especially Linguistics and Economics.

Forex Reserves: A Catalyst for Economic Sustainability

The intersection of foreign exchange reserves allocation and the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals 8 (SDG 8) stands at the forefront of contemporary economic discourse. This research paper conducts a comprehensive analysis aimed at understanding the intricate relationship between countries' Foreign Exchange Reserves and their progress toward achieving sustainable development. Through quantitative analysis, this research evaluates the alignment of foreign exchange reserves with SDGs 8 by identifying the linkage between Forex and GVA. The findings reveal valuable insights into the patterns of foreign exchange allocation and their significance for sustainable development initiatives. Moreover, this research offers a clear perspective for optimizing foreign exchange reserve management to better serve the aspirations of sustainable development. This study offers a vital framework for policymakers, economists, and transnational institutions striving to harmonize economic stability with sustainable development priorities on a global scale. Granger Causality test have been considered for Quantitative analysis of data.