Economic Collapse Research Articles

Czy europejski kryzys z lat 1569-1574 wpłynął na dzieje państwa polsko-litewskiego?

Among the several crises that occurred in the 16th century, the famine crisis and high prices in the years 1569–1574 had exceptional significance, as its intensity, scope and duration far out-weighed other economic collapses of the century. Despite this, the course of events and the consequences have been of virtually no interest to historians over the years, which begs the question: why? As it seems, the events connected with the crises in question were overshadowed in Western historiography by other numerous and significant political events at the time, such as the Battle of Lepanto (1571) and the Night of St. Bartholomew in France (1572). In the Polish-‑Lithuanian state, in contrast, between 1569 and 1574, the famine and high prices coincided with a crisis of royal power and the state. This, indeed, drew the attention of historians, but only to political issues, among them the Polish‑Lithuanian union of 1569, the succession to the throne after the heirless Sigismund Augustus died, the first free election, religious disputes, the flight of King Henryk Walezy (Henry III), and the neighbouring wars, rather than to the social problems connected with the mass death of the poorest in the state, and the resulting economic problems. Therefore, in this article, the author synthesises the course of the famine crisis of 1569–1574 in the Polish‑Lithuanian state and hypothesises that the events and implications of this crisis largely preserved the mentality of the nobility in the following centuries and their dominance in the economic and political life of the Commonwealth. This crisis also influenced a choice of different path for development of the Commonwealth compared to other European countries. To clarify, the author does not claim to have exhausted the subject, and the article is intended to spur a discussion and further detailed research.

The Problem of Employment in the Digital Economy in the Government of the Russian Federation

The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of the transition to a digital economy on the workforce. To achieve this goal, such methods as analysis, synthesis, comparison and modeling were used. Results: digital technologies are confidently entering the daily life of society and begin to displace living people from jobs, respectively, the question of employment of the released labor force is exacerbated, but there is no strategy for the adaptation of the unemployed today. The active and passive measures proposed by scientists and politicians to combat technological unemployment are ineffective and cannot provide for the livelihood of the huge number of released workers, the critical importance of which can lead to economic collapse. It turns out that the question of displacement of living people from jobs by it objects remains open. There is a fundamentally new question about the relationship between the digital and social economy. The calculations showed that the increase in unemployment by 1% leads to a decrease in GDP (Gross domestic product) by 0.54%. The results obtained in the course of the study can be used in further studies of structural (technological) unemployment and labor market problems in the digital economy

Development genetic and stability classification of seasonal glacial lakes in a tectonically active area—A case study in Niangmuco, east margin of the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis

The Niangmuco region on the east margin of the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis features a large number of glacial lakes. The development process and stability classification of glacial lakes is of great significance to the study of seasonal glaciers in the eastern Himalayan margin, with implications for economic development and disaster prevention. Based on Landsat remote sensing image data from 2000 to 2021, this study analyzed the development and change characteristics of glacial lakes in the Niangmuco region during the past 21 years, and classified the stability of lakes with areas >0.02 km2 using the fuzzy consistent matrix method. In this area, 126 glacial lakes were identified within an elevation range of 3044–4156 m with a total area of 10.94 km2. These lakes primarily included glacial erosion lakes, valley lakes, tectonic lakes, and landslide dam lakes. Specifically, glacial erosion lakes accounted for 88.9% of the total number of lakes and 60.3% of the total lake area, followed by valley lakes with 6.3% and 23.7%, respectively. From 2000 to 2010, the total area of glacial lakes decreased from 10.53 km2 to 10.09 km2, which may be attributable to climate fluctuations. Subsequently, the area of lakes increased significantly to 10.94 km2 in 2021, an increase of 0.41 km2. Compared with 2000, among the lakes with a growth rate of 0.019 km2/a in 21 years, glacial erosion lakes exhibited the largest change. Among the classified glacial lakes in the study area, 95.7% were stable and relatively stable, mostly comprising glacial erosion lakes at high altitudes between 3468 and 4156 m. Only 4 unstable and extremely unstable glacial lakes were identified, and they were located near a fault zone. The findings show that the development and the change of glacial lakes in the area are primarily controlled by temperature and precipitation, and the topography and fault activity have important influences on the stability of glacial lakes.

Impact of oil price volatility and economic policy uncertainty on business investment - Insights from the energy sector

This research employs a worldwide sample of 4017 energy sector companies from 1996 to 2022 to examine the effects of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) and oil price uncertainty (OPU) on corporate investment in oil/energy sector and this study analyze how market instability and international economic disasters shape the connection between OPU and business assets. GLM regression with firms-years fixed effects and firm-based clustering indicate that both OPU and EPU had a detrimental influence on corporate investment in energy sector. Generalized linear models provide a universal method for addressing various response modeling issues. It is also revealed that oil-producing nations experience OPU and EPU's negative effects more severely than oil-consuming nations. This paper also demonstrates that the link between corporate investment, OPU and EPU is influenced by nations that produce oil, market volatility, and global financial crises. Strong evidence was found supporting the notion that OPU and EPU had a statistically significant detrimental impact on business assets. The findings of the paper are consistent under a variety of robustness tests and show that the association between OPU and EPU and business assets still holds. The results have significant bearing on the asset strategies that company managers and governments should adopt in light of the volatility of oil prices and EPU and this study provide valuable insights for policymakers who are focused on achieving energy transition, enhancing energy security, and meeting environmental goals such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Spatiotemporal Variation and Prediction Analysis of Land Use/Land Cover and Ecosystem Service Changes in Gannan, China

For the preservation of ecosystems, including the enhancement of ecological strategies, examining the temporal and geographical variance in ecosystem services (ESs) and land use/land cover change (LUCC) is crucial. Gannan is situated on the upper Yellow River, which is a notable water conservation region with excellent ecological quality, but in the background of the local traditional production mode and rapid economic development, natural disasters, grassland degradation, and other ecological problems occur frequently. The integrated valuing of ecosystem services and tradeoffs (InVEST) model and the patch-generating land use simulation (PLUS) model are combined in this work to assess the spatiotemporal variance in ESs in Gannan. We set up three scenarios in modeling future land use—ecological protection (EP), natural development (ND), and economic development (ED) in 2050—and analyzed and evaluated the drivers of the variation in ESs. In order to reveal the LUCC in Gannan between 1990 and 2020, we predicted the LUCC and ESs spatial distribution characteristics in 2050, explored the correlation between its driving factors, and comprehensively analyzed and propose optimization measures and protection strategies. Through several simulation experiments, the findings indicate the following: (1) the largest percentage of land expansion for construction in Gannan between 1990 and 2020 is 74.53%, and the most noticeable percentage of shrinkage in the sand area is 20.67%; (2) from 1990 to 2020, Gannan’s water yield, carbon storage, soil retention, and habitat quality all changed, by 60 × 108 m3, 0.04 × 108 t, −10.66 × 108 t, and −0.02, respectively; (3) ESs are influenced by a variety of natural and societal variables: the southern and southwestern regions of Gannan are home to the majority of ESs hot spot areas, while the northern region is home to the majority of cold spot areas. This study contributes to the analysis of the developmental traits of Gannan ecosystems and can serve as a model for the preservation of terrestrial ecosystems with comparable environmental traits.

A difference-in-differences analysis of the impact of government financial subsidies on mobile app usage: a natural experiment during COVID-19

ABSTRACT This study examines the impact of financial subsidies provided by the Korean government to help people during economic crises or natural disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, we conduct a natural experiment by selecting two adjacent South Korean metropolitan regions, wherein only one received a local government subsidy. Additionally, we utilize Nielson panel data to track residents’ usage of two mobile app categories in these regions. To uncover the causal effect of the financial subsidy on mobile app usage, we develop a difference-in-differences (DiD) model, revealing that the subsidy increased mobile app usage for food delivery and medical service apps, and this increase was relatively steady for medical service apps. Furthermore, in response to the subsidy, low-income individuals used food delivery apps more than mid- and high-income individuals, while those with high incomes utilized medical service apps more than those with low incomes. This study presents important managerial implications for policymakers to alleviate the economic damage caused by natural disasters such as future recurrent pandemics.

An evaluation of the impact of mitigation policies on health and the economy by managing social distancing during outbreaks

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated various unavoidable social restrictions, leading to questions about the effectiveness of public emergency interventions and their impact economic growth. Block et al. (2020) conducted a notably study using an agent-based model to evaluate policies for reducing contact and demonstrated how choices in contact behavior can influence the rate and spread of the virus. However, their approach did not consider the economic consequences of these social restrictions. In response, we propose a set of strategies for governments to plan and evaluate policies during emergencies, aiming to contain infections while minimizing negative economic consequences. Our results indicate that there is no trade-off between containment strategies and economic output loss, making containment measures necessary policy instruments. However, potential trade-offs do emerge when selecting the most effective strategy. In this context, we propose and evaluate various policy alternatives to extreme "social distancing" measures, which can partially restore essential social interactions while preventing economic disasters induced by productivity losses.

Defining the concept of identity of national vocational education system

Introduction. Geopolitical, social and economic disasters of all over the world space cause the crisis of identity, which is fixed by the researchers of social and humanitarian sciences. The controversial nature of the process of internationalization of the vocational education system and its striving to keep in safety the traditional values of education are articulated. This process gives close attention not only on studying the problems of creating conditions to form of identity by means of the educational space of the country, but also understanding the phenomenon of identity of the national education system. Purpose setting. The aim of the article is the defining of some essential features, which can explain the concept of the identity of national vocational education system.Methodology and methods of the study. The methods of the research are the analysis of scientific literature, comparative analysis of proposed approaches, integration and synthesis for defining identity kinds and features of the identity of national vocational education system.Results. Some essential features of identity related to contemporary information age are defined. Among them are authenticity and simulativeness, multiplicity, dynamism, givenness and choice, axiology, recombination. Identity can be described as a form of predication of existence and the way of social understanding. The factors of globalization and regionalization have an influence on the identity transformation process. The ideological and civilization identity are described for better understanding the essence of the identity of national vocational education system.Conclusion. Determination of essential features of the identity of national vocational education system and studying of the processes of its formation and transformation indicate the domination of value components of the process. It can be used to explain the risks of transferring practices from foreign educational systems to national education system.

Trends and Development of Fiscal and Monetary Policies of G7 Countries During the Post-Pandemic Era

This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the fiscal and monetary policies enacted by the G7 countries in the post-COVID-19 era, and to investigate their impact on economic recovery. This research is set amid the global disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic, which compelled governments around the world to enact unprecedented measures to stimulate economic activity and prevent financial collapse. The objective of our research analysis is to assess the efficacy of these policies in promoting economic recovery while considering the diverse strategies adopted across the G7 nations. The primary research content revolves around a comparative evaluation of monetary strategies—such as interest rate cuts and quantitative easing—and fiscal measures—such as direct payments, loan guarantees, and tax deferments. This study primarily relies on data sourced from major global agencies and central banks, which serve to quantify the effects of these policies on key economic indicators, such as GDP growth, employment rates, and inflation. The study also takes into account recent forecasts from the IMF and OECD, offering a nuanced view of the prospects for economic recovery among the G7 countries. This analysis can be useful in providing a deeper understanding of the complexities involved in policymaking at a macroeconomic level. The analysis identifies notable disparities in the economic recovery rates across G7 countries, which can be attributed to the variations in the scale, scope, and nature of their fiscal and monetary interventions. Consequently, the study offers valuable insights into the requisite policy calibrations necessary for more targeted and effective economic stimulation.

Locked into a permanent position of vulnerability? Farmers’ trust and social capital with the government from Critical Disaster Studies perspectives

AbstractIn disaster scholarship, there is limited understanding about how vulnerability is socially constructed by a convergence of varying social structural and historical processes that predispose certain vulnerable groups to disasters even before a hazard event occurs. This article aims to fill this void by using Critical Disaster Studies perspectives to explore the root causes of why crop farmers in the coastal region of the Vietnamese Mekong Delta have been locked in a permanent position of vulnerability. In order to develop more sustainable food supply chains, this exploration aims to shed light on the socio-cultural interpretations, experiences, and needs of disaster-affected farmers—the most important but vulnerable actors in the crop production hierarchy in Vietnam. Following a historic disaster between late 2015 and early 2016, local governments deliberately organised farmers into an agricultural cooperative in an attempt to support farmers in enhancing economic resilience and disaster preparedness. However, this intervention has failed since farmers refused to participate in the organisation’s activities. While this reaction may seem irrational, it reflects farmers’ distrust in the government, which was largely a result of their collective trauma from the state’s agricultural collectivisation policy implemented between 1976 and 1985. Farmers chose to cling to their individual working routines out of concern about government supervision, forcing them to take bigger risks and pay for the food supply chains’ catastrophic damage. Our findings show that a strained relationship between farmers and the government can jeopardise disaster recovery and resilience building. Our paper adds to the Critical Disaster Studies literature by revisiting the concepts of vulnerability and resilience, emphasising the importance of addressing socio-cultural vulnerability before improving disaster resilience.

Digital Technology Improving Financial Inclusion in India: Post Covid Evidence

Technology is transforming the financial inclusion landscape and growing the digital infrastructure that is essential to accomplishing numerous national objectives. The Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns imposed in 2020–21 significantly impacted economies worldwide due to restricted mobility and disrupted goods and services, while also exposing the vulnerabilities of traditional financial systems. Amidst this challenging scenario, technology played a crucial role in bridging gaps and enhancing financial access.
 There has been a pivotal role of digital technology in improving financial inclusion prospects, especially during the COVID-19 outbreak, when access to digital transactions and financial services became a necessity to prevent economic collapse. Governments around the world responded by offering financial support to citizens, creating both opportunities and difficulties for promoting financial inclusion.
 Due to its ability to enhance the lives of those with low incomes, financial inclusion is still a subject of extensive investigation. Subsequent analyses highlight the mutually beneficial connections between digital technology, financial inclusion, and economic expansion.
 This research has been carried out in the Indian context using only secondary sources of data, to provide a comprehensive, evidence-based analysis of the role of digital technology in improving financial inclusion with particular reference to the Pre- and Post-Covid eras. A variety of published reports and articles, including newspaper stories, journal articles, and policy papers, have been utilized to conduct the semi-systematic evaluation.
 Drawing from secondary sources of data through documentary analysis, this study uncovers compelling evidence of how digital technology has expanded financial inclusion in India and the Covid-19 pandemic has acted as the prime catalyst of this process. The evidence presented herein also contributes to the growing body of research on financial inclusion's impact on low-income livelihoods and serves as a catalyst for future studies on leveraging technology for economic growth and improved financial well-being.
 The study's overall conclusions indicate that there is a strong correlation between the acceleration of financial inclusion in India and the Covid-19 measures for the quick, simple, and widespread accessibility of digital technology. The post-COVID increase in the RBI's Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI) underscores India's astonishing leap in digital payment usage, which has been fuelled mostly by the success of UPI. The use of Aadhaar and digital payment options, as well as increased competition, has increased financial inclusion, all made possible through contributions from the implementation of the JAM trinity (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, and Mobile).

Diagnosis of the Walbrzych post-mining area: pilot study using social participation

The article presents a pilot study using Public Participation Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS) to comprehensively diagnose the post-mining area of Wałbrzych (Poland) in the aftermath of sudden coal mine closures in the 1990s. Addressing research gaps in social participation and post-mining area assessment, the study provides insights into the complexities of just transition. By combining participatory methodologies, statistical and spatial analysis, the research engages local stakeholders to include the community perspectives in the assessment processes. The study unveils the intricate interplay between social dynamics, environmental concerns, and urban changes following mine closures. The findings illustrate the multifaceted impacts of sudden mine closure, including economic collapse and social crisis. The pilot study contributes to the future holistic approach to diagnosing the post-mining area preceding the processes of just transition and revitalization.

Venture capital, the fetish of artificial intelligence, and the contradictions of making intangible assets

This paper examines the venture capital-driven process of making intangible assets in platform start-up firms. By examining the case study of the rise and fall of a venture capital-backed ‘unicorn’ firm developing a digital health platform, this paper argues that the process of real valorization of capital invested in platform start-up firms involves the making of algorithmic systems and data as intangible assets as well as the experimentation with strategies of exploitation and appropriation, which are inherently linked to the future-oriented financial valorization process of equity shares since unprofitable start-up firms continuously require outside capital to expand operations. While the fetish of ‘artificial intelligence’ posing the firm’s chatbot for self-diagnosis as an intelligent ‘doctor in your pocket’ plays an important role in financial valorization, it is the failed real valorization process in making profits that ultimately leads to the platform start-up’s financial collapse. The conceptual contribution of the paper centres on the contradictory nature of assetization processes which sheds light on how class domination operates in and through venture capital-driven accumulation.

Developmental Challenges Faced by Adolescent Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Chimanimani District in Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe

Background: African communities established strong family support systems because they considered children as the future of their civilizations and an essential component of humankind. The family structure in Zimbabwe has changed as a result of the severe effects of pandemic diseases and the country’s economic collapse from 2009 to 2022. In Zimbabwe, children were often expected to be cared for by adults and community members closest to their immediate family. The inquiry is based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory. Aims: The study investigated the psychosocial consequences of poverty on rural Zimbabwean learners from child-headed households who are lagging behind in their learning. The study also target to generate recommendations based on the research findings. Sample: Through purposive sampling, a sample of 32 research participants comprising 16 learners, eight teachers, four school administrators and four members of the School Development Committees was selected. The sample members were in one way or the other connected to the issues regarding the challenges experienced by secondary school learners from child-headed families. Methods: The study was qualitative in nature. The phenomenological research design, which was couched in an interpretive research paradigm, was employed. Data was collected using in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and document analysis. Results: It emerged from the study that learners from child-headed homes found it exceedingly difficult to support their daily needs. Children in such homes lack a sense of childhood security and are subjected to emotional, social, and psychological stress. The majority of learners’ obligations are handled at home, putting them vulnerable to social isolation, poverty, and the formation of an atmosphere that does not support academic brilliance. Conclusion: In light of the research findings, it was concluded that communities, instructors, and peers be mindful of treating learners from child-headed households with dignity because they are human beings and resources for the nation. They should avoid cultural perspectives that increase marginalization and segregation of these learners.

Internal Barbarism as a Socio-philosophical Problem of Modernity

This work is devoted to the consideration of such a modern problem of the global world order as the growth of internal Barbarism. Based on the concept by N.V.Motroshilova, the authors believe that Barbarism internal to Civilization, in contrast to its external counterpart, is a side result of civilizational development. We can say that each civilization creates its own internal Barbarians, who then contribute to its death. The article also provides a typology of internal Barbarism, which includes such varieties as Midism, destructive countercultural movements, revolutionary movements, social disintegration (understood as aggressive individualism), and digital Barbarism (a decrease in the intellectual and moral level of people under the influence of the transfer of interpersonal communications to the Internet). Some of these types, acting separately, are practically safe for society, but others can lead civilization to political and economic collapse. The older the historical age of a civilized society, the more internal Barbarism grows in it. It can be assumed that in society on the eve of its historical death, all types of internal Barbarism are present, act and complement each other, and the state created on the basis of the political and spiritual principles of such civilization is perceived by all citizens as something external in relation to them. It turns out that fellow citizens are fighting against their own state and against each other, and each of them hopes to get personally some material benefits from general collapse. As an example of manifestation of internal Barbarism in the modern world, the authors consider the drastic African American movement ‘Black Lives Matter’, in the formation and functioning of which all the abovementioned types of internal Barbarism can be traced.

Does Economic Growth Increase or Decrease Economic Losses and Deaths from Storm Surge Disasters in China? An Empirical Analysis from The Aspect of Hazard Exposure

Storm surge disaster is the major threat to coastal residents’ lives and property in China, which could steal away development gains in a short time. Therefore, the storm surge disaster loss reduction is an indispensable part of socio-economic development. However, the relationship between economic growth and the loss of storm surge disasters remains unclear. Herein, we explored the relationship between economic growth and the losses caused by storm surge disasters in China’s coastal zones from 1978 to 2020. We established an empirical model through the indicators of direct economic loss and death toll using negative binomial estimate and tobit estimate models. To ensure the accuracy of the model, multiple socioeconomic factors were also included in the models. The results revealed that there is an “inverted U-shaped” relationship between GDP per capita and the losses from storm surges. Furthermore, we used the entropy method to establish the storm surge hazard exposure index of China’s coastal zone from 2000 to 2020, considering disaster intensity, population density and other factors. When considering hazard exposure level, the role of economic growth may be diminished. In other words, at the same economic level, higher hazard exposure leads to greater disaster losses. We argue that economic growth and disaster resilience are not identical goals. Thus, the government needs sufficient information support when formulating disaster prevention and reduction plans.

Does Democracy Have a Future in Pakistan?

Abstract: Pakistan marked a watershed in its history on 9 May 2023 with the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, sparking nationwide protests and attacks on state institutions. These events, culminating in Khan's incarceration and a ban from public office, have intensified questions about the future of democracy in Pakistan. Political uncertainties are hardly new in in the country, but the coming together of economic crisis, political strife, and climatic disasters such as drought have sharpened age-old concerns about the country's stability. The chances of a genuine democratic dispensation emerging anytime soon can be ruled out, but if the key institutional stakeholders undertake to work with politicians instead of using, exploiting, and defaming them, Pakistan may well succeed in regaining lost ground and return to at least a semblance of normalcy.

Financial performance of external economic activities of enterprises under force majeure circumstances

The article examines the specifics of ensuring effective financial performance of foreign economic activities of enterprises in the conditions of force majeure and dynamic changes in the business environment. It was determined that in the context of globalization and the instability of the world economic environment, modern enterprises face various challenges and threats, which include systemic economic crises, natural disasters, political and military conflicts, and other force majeure events. The key aspects of the influence of force majeure circumstances on the financial performance of business entities in the foreign economic sphere are considered. The functional strategies of risk management were analyzed and the measures that could be aimed at ensuring the stability of enterprises in crisis situations were determined. The role of financial planning, liquidity management and financial analysis in the conditions of unfavorable business conditions of enterprises is studied. The peculiarities of adaptation of the financial management of enterprises to changes in the external environment are determined, and the criteria of optimal strategies for ensuring the stability and efficiency of the economic activity of enterprises in conditions of force majeure are formulated. The objective need of business entities to provide tools to effectively manage financial performance in conditions of increasing uncertainty and risks on the international market has been proven. The impact of force majeure on international financial markets and their reaction to changes in the economic environment is studied. The impact of crisis situations on the financial aspects of enterprise activity is analyzed. The practical aspect of ensuring the ability of enterprises to successfully adapt their economic activities to force majeure circumstances and ensuring the stability of foreign economic activity is considered. The principles of risk management, which are key elements of a successful strategy and backup planning of enterprises, have been studied, on the basis of which the most effective approaches to managing financial performance in unstable conditions have been determined.

SELECTED LEGAL CONCEPTS IN HISTORICAL-LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS JURISLINGUISTICS AND THE METHODOLOGY OF DIACHRONIC LINGUISTICS

The legal lexicon covering the lexical field of words related to the financial collapse of a company in Polish has changed significantly over the years. The most important word today, upadłość (from the verb upadać, Eng. to fall/fail) used to have a general meaning, while 200 years ago, the two words used in this sense were bankructwo (from Italian) and konkurs (from Latin). This latter word is also mentioned in sources from 100 years ago, when it occurred alongside a new word plajta (from German), referring to a specific, premeditated type of bankruptcy. In the following decades of the 20th century, the word upadłość became a specialist term, in contrast to bankructwo, which took on a general meaning, while konkurs fell out of use and plajta began to refer to fields other than economics. The presented analysis, which uses the method of lexical paradigmatic fields, is one of the historical-linguistic tools that can be used in jurislinguistics. Also other methods and concepts, e.g. syntagmatic fields, grammatical analyses, the use of utterance frame or modal frame offer many possibilities to conduct cognitively valuable diachronic analyses of legal language.

How to create a crisis: The roots of financial collapse

How to create a crisis: The roots of financial collapse