Capitalism Research Articles

Многолетняя урбанизация территории Республики Бенин на примере города Котону

Good management of a country`s resources is essential to its development. Whether it is land, agricultural or humans, each element plays an important role. The Republic of Benin is situated in West Africa; its economic potential is great. Indeed, for almost 8 years, the country has made great progress in terms of industrialization, road infrastructure and land security having improved each sector thanks to the new reforms started by its government. The authors present the results of a study on the development of Cotonou, one of the most important cities in the country. Actually, it is its economic capital. We used satellite, historical and land data to show the effects of uncontrolled urbanization over a period of 30 years, the consequences of poor soil study as well as the importance of effective management of land resources for the proper development of the territory

Techno-economic analysis of green hydrogen production, storage, and waste heat recovery plant in the context of Nepal

Alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) operated by surplus electricity is suitable for producing green hydrogen in Nepal. Simulation models are built using DWSIM software for AWE, multistage compression, and the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). The AWE system's Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) is determined to be $47 million and Operational Expenditure (OPEX) of $7.65 million/year. The storage system, including the multistage compression system and Type IV cylinders, has a CAPEX of $52 million and an OPEX of $17 million/year. The ORC has a CAPEX of $500,000 and an OPEX of $200,000/year. The thermal power generated from AWE and multistage compression can be converted to electricity by the ORC and supplied to the AWE system. This process decreases the Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH) from $3.5141/kg over 5 years to $3.4725/kg over 25 years. The techno-economic analysis performed confirms the feasibility of implementing these plants in Nepal.

The Saudi educational and learning capitals–perspectives from gifted and non-gifted students and their parents

ABSTRACT Evaluations of gifted education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are hampered by the lack of clear policy objectives as well as practical difficulties in obtaining data. Furthermore, it is unclear if the specific needs of gifted students are unique or shared across non-gifted students. In the current research, both gifted and non-gifted Saudi students (n = 284) and their parents completed Saudi-language versions of the Student Educational and Learning Capitals Questionnaire and the Family Educational and Learning Capitals Questionnaire, respectively, to assess the availability of 11 educational and learning capitals. Additionally, parents reported the major challenges to their child’s learning and what they did to support their children. Rasch modeling was used to assess the measurement properties of the two instruments and to transform the raw scores into Rasch scores (logits). The results indicated that gifted students and their parents differed in their evaluations of economic and social educational capitals, as well as organismic, telic, and attentional learning capitals that support their learning success, with estimates of effect size ranging from small to large. However, the differences between non-gifted students and their parents are similar, showing that the challenges facing Saudi gifted students are shared more generally among non-gifted students.

The Political Unconscious in Ian McEwan’s Amsterdam: The Post-Cold War Paradigm Shift and Morality in the Era of the Late Capitalist Market

Amsterdam opens a new phase in Ian McEwan’s writing career both for its differences from his earlier novels and short stories and for its Booker Prize success. Although the novel’s early critics designate the novel as a lightweight diversion from McEwan’s more serious subject matter, he earnestly dismisses these views and argues that while Amsterdam indeed differs from his novels written up to that point, this does not minimise the novel’s significance. This article takes up McEwan’s side in this debate in that Amsterdam is indeed a significant novel which reflects and reproduces perfectly well a post-Cold War paradigm shift in the world from a bipolar to a unipolar socio-political global order with which the previous power positions are forced, in the 1990s, to transform. McEwan’s novel reflects this socio-political transformation, and it symbolically addresses the crises of power, authority, and direction by way of creating a tension, in its narrative, between moral obligation and self-interest, where moral duty aligns with left-wing politics and self-interest with right-wing politics. This article further argues that the novel does not only reflect and reproduce that historical-political context but also, when it is interpreted using Fredric Jameson’s interpretative model for exploring texts’ political unconscious, serves as a symbolic resolution of its given historical-political moment.

What Are the Roots of the Nation's Poor Health and Widening Health Inequalities? Rethinking Economic Growth for a Fairer and Healthier Future.

Health inequalities are differences in health between groups in society. Despite them being preventable they persist on a grand scale. At the beginning of 2024, the Institute of Health Equity revealed in their report titled: Health Inequalities, Lives Cut Short, that health inequalities caused 1 million early deaths in England over the past decade. While the number of studies on the prevalence of health inequalities in the UK has burgeoned, limited emphasis has been given to exploring the factors contributing to these (widening) health inequalities. In this commentary article I will describe how the Government's relentless pursuit of economic growth and their failure to implement the necessary regulatory policies to mitigate against the insecurity and health effects neoliberal free market capitalism (referred to as capitalism herein) causes in pursuit of innovation, productivity and growth (economic dynamism) is one key driver underpinning this social injustice. I contend that if the priority really is to tackle health inequalities and ensure health for all then there is an imperative need to move beyond regulation alone to mitigate the worst effects of capitalist production; the goal of the economy has to change to fully restore the balance between economic growth and public health.

Maraknya Usaha Franchise dalam Perspektif Field dan Habitus

The franchise business trend is growing rapidly, including in the iced tea trade. One of them that is currently viral is the Solo iced tea franchise business. This research examines the widespread trading of solo iced tea franchises from the field and habitus perspective of Pierre Boudieu. In this research, researchers used a qualitative and descriptive approach about the rise of the Solo Ice Tea Business. The author uses case study research with literature study and in-depth interviews. Habitus' perspective shows that people's consumption habits and preferences for local products contribute to the popularity and growth of this franchise. The development of the Es Teh Solo franchise is strongly influenced by the interaction between social structure (Field) and individual disposition (Habitus). The combination of economic, social and cultural capital is the key to success in a competitive market.

Assembling the multitude: the transversal potential of categories for social work practice

This article elaborates on a theoretically informed model of action rooted in the concept of professional resistance, which approaches groups of people and social problems in an alternative way to the dominant modes of managerial practice. The aim is to create conditions for approaching groups with social needs differently and to be able to act politically for social change within contemporary society. We will do this by exploring the potential of the assembly in line with Hardt, Negri and Butler, as well as the notion of transversal politics as developed by Yuval-Davis, for creating political subjectivities and alliances across differences. The reason for this theoretical approach is based on how the effects of categorisation and its political function can sometimes be challenging to identify. This is argued to especially be the case within a neoliberal capitalist society where categories induce competition between precarious groups to maintain the political status quo.

Where do the Pasinetti Rule and the Pasinetti Index Come from?

ABSTRACT The article describes the origins of the Pasinetti index and Pasinetti rule and links both notions to debates over concerns regarding which socio-economic income group in a modern capitalist economy was being hurt and which broad income class was benefiting from the high interest rate policy, especially during the Volcker era of the 1980s. These were statistical constructs as well as distinct normative concepts that resulted from a close reading of Pasinetti’s original writings published in 1980–81. The purpose of the Pasinetti index was to measure and monitor the actual transfer between the rentier and non-rentier sectors of an economy both cyclically and over the long term. As discussed in some detail, both authors of this article had directly participated in those debates and had basically initiated the early discussions around these concepts among post-Keynesians and other heterodox economists. The first part of our article, after the introduction, is primarily focused on what came to be called the Pasinetti rule, while the following section of the article recounts how the different variants of the Pasinetti index came to be constructed and used. We conclude with a discussion of the possible continued relevance of the Pasinetti norm in today’s world.

Rural Tourism Development in the Philippines: Balancing Economic Growth with Ecological and Socio-Cultural Sustainability

This descriptive study investigated the perceived impacts and challenges of rural tourism in Surigao del Norte, Philippines. A survey of 400 stakeholders from 20 municipalities was conducted to assess perceptions regarding economic, socio-cultural, and ecological capital. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data, and chi-square tests and z-tests were employed to analyze differences between demographic groups and correlations between perceived impacts and challenges. The findings revealed a predominantly positive perception of rural tourism's impacts on all three forms of capital, with significant benefits identified in job creation, investment attraction, cultural exchange, and environmental conservation. However, challenges related to infrastructure, business support, environmental protection, and community involvement were also highlighted, with perceptions of economic challenges varying significantly among stakeholder categories. This research contributes valuable insights for the development of sustainable and inclusive rural tourism strategies in the region.

Family in the Woods

Captain Fantastic, an independent drama written and directed by Matt Ross in 2016, and starring Viggo Mortensen, addresses several themes that are central to utopian studies: the viability of an intentional community removed from mainstream civilization, the possibility of living in harmony with nature, as well as the ambition to inculcate alternative cultural values by a radical educational program. The main character, Ben Cash, decided to raise his entire family of 6 kids in the dense forests of Washington state. While training them to survive under extreme circumstances in the wilderness, he also undertakes their entire education, encouraging individual thinking and a strongly critical attitude to mainstream American society and culture. The sudden suicide of his wife forces Ben to return to ‘normal America’, confronting him with both the consequences of his parental decisions and his potential responsibility in his wife’s death. The essay interprets the movie in the context of the American utopian tradition, particularly its individualist variety exemplified by the myth of the American Adam and the ideas of Thoreau's Walden (1854). Captain Fantastic fulfils a crucial generic criterion by skillfully satirizing some of the characteristic features and attitudes of mainstream American culture through the eyes of the children who experience it for the first time, subjecting the conventional ‘American utopia’ to a trenchant criticism. At the same time, it also questions the possibility of radical alterity: can a single family defy society by re-enacting a mythical American pattern and abandoning civilization to raise their kids in the woods? Do parents have the right to experiment on their children after their utopian hopes of opposing American capitalist society have been dashed? The clash of utopias is ultimately resolved by Ben's decision to admit his responsibility for his wife's mental illness and death and to give up the backwoods utopia and settle on a farm, conforming to another fundamental American symbol: the pastoral ideal of the garden.

The Locations of Palestine and the U.S. in the Global Map of Homelessness: Part 2.

It's now well appreciated that social determinants of health are the strongest predictors of our health and well-being. A good argument could be made that housing is at the top of the pyramid of these determinants. And, surprisingly, housing is also the social determinant that could rapidly turn on a dime-that is, with sufficient political will, creating access to housing could be radically expanded in short order. (Unfortunately, of course, it's true one can also become suddenly homeless, since few protections exist in policy or capitalist economies to prevent it). That alone sets it apart from social factors such as education and racism-conditions that take a long time to change. In contrast to long-term interventions (education) or culturally stubborn and historically rooted problems (racism), housing is rapidly malleable. In this article, we describe the social condition of homelessness in two settings, comparing and contrasting the concepts, causes, and consequences, along with how people are mobilizing to challenge the conditions that create their housing insecurity. As we review the factors that create housing conditions in each setting, we propose some universal international principles for a new approach to the human right of decent and secure housing.

Persepsi Mahasiswa Terhadap Isu Kesetaraan Gender di Lingkungan Kampus UIN Suska Riau

Gender equality is a condition where men and women are equal in fulfilling rights and policies. Gender equality is related to equal pay in work, zero tolerance for sexual harassment, equal opportunities in education, both men and women get the same position in work. Gender equality is also related to socialist feminist theory, where the thinking is related to the sharpening of oppression in the capitalist and patriarchal systems which cause social oppression. The aim of this research is to determine the perceptions of students at the Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau Islamic University regarding the issue of gender equality in education. The method used is a qualitative. The data collection techniques used were questionnaires, interviews, literature. The results of this research indicate that students at the Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau Islamic University are in the circle of gender equality in education.

Analysis of Gender Discourse Bias and Gender Discrimination in Social Media: A Case Study of the TikTok Platform

In the contemporary landscape of new media, social media platforms, particularly exemplified by TikTok, offer female users accessible and cost-effective means for self-expression and communication. However, this study reveals that such platforms, despite their apparent openness and liberality, have not effectively challenged or changed the persistent and deep-rooted issue of gender discrimination that women face. This research adopts a qualitative content analysis and specifically focuses on the TikTok platform, where female users frequently encounter various forms of gender discourse bias and discrimination. The findings suggest that female users on TikTok often face stigmatization through the internet lexicon and the commodification of physical appearance, reflecting broader societal issues of gender inequality and objectification. Simultaneously, a segment of the female user base on TikTok is actively engaging in challenging and negotiating these entrenched stereotypes, striving to redefine their representation in the digital space. Furthermore, the research highlights how the anonymity of the internet, the media’s role in encoding and perpetuating gender stereotypes, and the consumerist traps set by capitalist market dynamics, collectively contribute to an illusory facade of gender equality. This facade obscures the underlying realities of discourse bias and gender discrimination that persist in the digital realm.

Citizenization or Talent Recruitment? The Development of China’s Points-Based Hukou Channels

ABSTRACT Points-based channels for accessing urban citizenship (hukou) have spread in a context where the Chinese central authorities have sought to facilitate migrant workers’ access to hukou, a process named ‘citizenization’ (shiminhua). This multicase study analyses policy documents, media coverages, commercial agencies’ explanations and migrants’ online comments to retrace the development of points-based hukou channels between 2010 and 2022 in seven Chinese megacities. Although points-based hukou channels were initially meant for fostering migrant ‘citizenization’, they have been increasingly used for recruiting the most desirable migrants, so-called ‘talents’. Intended to facilitate the urban integration of long-term ordinary migrant workers, the new points-based channels used criteria related to length of residence instead of mainly level of economic capital. However, adapting to guidelines imposed from the central or provincial governments while pursuing their own interests, municipal governments have made the channels more selective and more complex over the years. The discrepancy between the hopes generated by the promise of citizenization through points-based channels and the complexity of their workings and selectivity generates disappointment, and gives rise to many complaints voiced by ordinary citizens.

Land, reconfigured: Defying the laws of physics, upholding the rules of the market in the metaverse

Land ownership, occupancy, and use are enduringly central components of economies and societies across the world. Even in a capitalist economy increasingly mediated through digital technologies, land remains foundational to wide-ranging aspects of social life. However, conceptualizations of land fundamentally transform through virtual environments like the Metaverse, where digital or virtual land is a core feature. This article examines the construction and use of land under digital capitalism, specifically in the online virtual reality environment Metaverse. Studying virtual land markets in this environment, we show how land exists in continuous material and conceptual transformation via myriad landmaking technologies. Virtual landmaking offers new capital accumulation possibilities while simultaneously reifying existing market logics and creating new fictions around land. We emphasize how, despite its newness, virtual landmaking in the Metaverse relates to landmaking efforts that predate digital capitalism, from state-led large-scale engineering projects to land grabs and colonial expansion. Simultaneously, land reconceptualization in the Metaverse reflects new economic dynamics germane to digital capitalism, including commodification and assetization, and the rise of digital platforms as both market creators, through digital renderings, and rentier intermediaries. Throughout, we highlight the distributional and political stakes of reconfiguring land via new technologies.

The dynamics of EU cultural policies in post-socialist urban regeneration strategies: a case study of Timișoara – European Capital of Culture 2023

ABSTRACT This research explores the Europeanisation processes that take place in the post-socialist Eastern European space, focusing on the case of Timisoara, Romania. In the analysed case, the adoption of EU cultural policies is instrumental in driving economic growth and urban development. The study focuses on how EU cultural policies integrate into the urban regeneration strategies, aiming to make cities more attractive to the creative classes who usually have higher consumption capacities and are key actors in urban development. Timișoara’s designation as one of the cities to hold the European Capital of Culture title in 2023 and its hosting of the Art Encounters Biennial amplify these dynamics by bringing upfront the capitalist market logic within the cultural field. In this context, there is also observed a subtle withdrawal of state’s responsibility in the act of educating and mediating the public, while private institutions are increasingly taking over this role. Overall, the paper showcases the shift towards a neoliberal orientation within the local cultural strategy while also underlining its effects within the two mega-events analysed.

The Great Separation: Top Earner Segregation at Work in Advanced Capitalist Economies

The Great Separation: Top Earner Segregation at Work in Advanced Capitalist Economies

Capitalist urbanization in the post-neoliberal and de-globalizing world economy: A minor critical engagement with VIP-Urbanism literature

The special issue “Contesting VIP Urbanism” includes timely analytical interventions to contest an increasing tendency to luxury investments in many capitalist cities of the past decades. This essay raises some theoretical and empirical questions concerning the present state of globalization and neoliberalism as two defining characteristics of an era of the global capitalist economy in which both the tendency toward VIP-Urbanism and the approaches criticizing it arise. It aims to extend the discussion on contesting the tendency toward VIP-Urbanism by drawing attention to questions regarding the role of macroeconomic structural forces that enable or hinder urban governance. In response to the changing historical context, the essay proposes developing a multi-scalar and inter-sectoral framework, which also includes reintroducing the national level into urban geographic inquiry to contextualize micro dynamics of investments over individual land plots by individual investors.

Cross-Cultural Communication in the Digital Era: Insights from Social Media Interactions

This paper explores the interplay between social media usage and cross-cultural communication in the context of digital globalization. It examines how socioeconomic factors, cultural disparities, and technological advancements impact individuals' engagement and behaviors on social media platforms. By analyzing studies from various scholars, the paper highlights how social stratification influences social media usage, with economic, cultural, and social capitals playing pivotal roles in shaping online engagement patterns. Additionally, this study addresses the trans-formative role of technological advancements, such as digitization and virtual reality, in preserving and sharing cultural heritage across borders, thus facilitating cross-cultural communication. It also delves into the emotional and behavioral variations in social media interactions across different cultures, emphasizing the need for a nuanced understanding of these differences to foster effective cross-cultural communication and enhance cultural sensitivity in the digital age. The synthesis of these insights contributes to a broader understanding of the dynamics of digital communication and cultural exchange, underscoring the complex relationship between social media, cultural identity, and global disconnectedness.

‘On the cusp of something huge’: Anticipatory subjectivities in freelance fashion work

This article draws on an (auto)ethnographic study of a group of freelance fashion professionals, known as ‘fashion agents’, with a particular focus on their relationship to time. It aims to elucidate the temporalities that permeate their work lives and shape their subjectivities, which I coin as anticipatory subjectivities. Such subjectivities, I posit, are emblematic of the conditions of flexibilisation, precarity and hopeful investment in the future characteristic of contemporary cultural industries and, more broadly, late capitalist knowledge economies. I propose that agents’ life-worlds are permeated by a promissory regime – i.e., living in anticipation of constantly deferred, adjourned and unsecured rewards. Such a regime produces subjectivities that are premised on a hopeful emotional investment in the future, coupled with a preparedness for, and a capacity to navigate, incalculable risks. Another feature of the ‘timescapes’ that agents have to negotiate is the simultaneity of multiple fluid, unstructured and often conflicting temporalities and tempos, which requires a particular kind of time-competence. Finally, the article also foregrounds the importance, in agents’ temporal orientations, of kairos: the right, opportune moment. Such a moment is normally perceived as being just about to happen; yet, it cannot be orchestrated or precipitated. As a result, one of agents’ key temporal experiences is that of waiting, which de-subjectivises them and inhibits their capacity to act. Together, these time-orientations – anticipation, managing multiple temporalities and a hopeful waiting for kairos – underpin and foster subjectivities and forms of affective labour that sustain the cultural industries; they are also emblematic of the temporal conditions of late capitalism.