Influential Partners Research Articles

Northern European Countries in Modern Global Value Chains: Comparative Analysis

This article dwells upon the comparative aspects of Northern European countries’ participation in modern global value chains (GVCs). The aim of the research was to identify economic sectors in which the analysed countries maintain the most beneficial position in GVCs. Methodology applied is based on the calculation of the vertical specialisation indices and indicators of centrality and clustering in international production networks. New indices of relative GVC specialisation, namely GVC participation intensity index and deviation index, were introduced and applied by the author. Quantitative assessment of the network metrices is based on a construction of the international production network graph. The nodes represented 76 world largest economies and the edges were non-negative normalised quantities of intermediate products interflows. The main source of raw data is the OECD Data Explorer statistical database. Geographical scope of research covers Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden. The time period is 2010‒2019, before the COVID-19 pandemics. The results obtained suggest that Northern European countries participate in GVCs differently. Denmark and Sweden are well-positioned at higher stages of the value chain, whereas Norway and Finland occupy lower stages. At the same time, Denmark and Norway display a distinctive specialisation in water transport, Finland specialises in wood and paper manufacturing, and Sweden has a competitive edge in transport manufacturing. Denmark and Sweden are firmer integrated into the international production network, and they cooperate with relatively more influential partners than that of Norway and Finland. It has been unveiled that GVC participation of the two latter countries depends greatly on the state of the global market.

The Post-1990s Hydro- Diplomacy in Eastern Nile Basin Towards Changing the Power Asymmetry


 
 
 There have been diplomatic tensions and instances of threatening and concerned rhetoric between the countries of the Nile, especially between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. This paper examined the post 1990 water diplomacy in eastern Nile River basin. For a long period of time in eastern Nile basin Egypt used to contain and influence the behavior of Sudan and other Nile River riparian states, particularly over issues pertaining to the utilization of the Nile’s waters. This paper argues the post 1990 multi-lateral water diplomacy especially NBI reduce the established power asymmetries, while contributing to the "sustainable socio-economic development of all riparian’s through the equitable utilization of, and benefit from, the common Nile basin water resources. On the other hand, following NBI, Ethiopia shifted from ‘silent partner’ to ‘bargaining power’ so that it involved through a successive water deal among the nine countries. Consequently, in 2009, the discussions among the Nile riparian are on establishing a cooperative framework agreement reached and the constructions of Ethiopia Grand Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile near the Ethiopian– Sudanese border transforming Ethiopia from “silent partner” to “influential partner and it is considered as a historic event not only for Ethiopia but also for the members of NBI’s. Drawing from lesson this article suggested that the Egyptians stand might not be consistence and the discussions and negation of Ethiopia on GERD project increasingly signaled a more flexible position on cooperating with the upstream states.
 
 

Влияние стратегического партнерства АУКУС на геополитическую ситуацию в Индо-Тихоокеанском регионе

The purpose of the AUKUS strategic alliance is to develop cooperation between the member countries (U.S., UK and Australia) in the field of security and defence in the Indo-Pacific region. The agreement provides for the supply of submarines powered by nuclear reactors to Australia. The emergence of this new strategic alliance was caused by the following factors: the increased power of China in the region; the weakening of the U.S. position in the Indo-Pacific; the desire of the UK to implement the “global Britain” strategy in practice; and the need for the U.S. to have reliable allies to contain China. These factors reveal the true purpose of AUKUS—containment of China and opposition to its active policy in the region. In this article, the author uses comparative analysis to reveal the different goals and geopolitical interests of the AUKUS countries. The systematic approach helps to describe the essence of the complex developing geopolitical system of the Indo-Pacific region.The theories of new institutionalism and constructivism make it possible to identify both continuity and gaps in the security policy and foreign policy of regional actors. Australia’s participation in the AUKUS allows it to: strengthen its political ties with influential partners—the United States and Great Britain; receive additional security guarantees from them in the context of increased activity of Chinese policy in the region; raise the country’s status in the regional hierarchy; and strengthen its defence capability. Australia’s entry into the AUKUS means the formation of a new, anti-Chinese strategy in the region. For the UK, membership in the AUKUS allows it to: expand its naval presence in the Indo-Pacific region; strengthen its special relations with the United States; improve its image, which was shaken after the country’s exit from the EU; and restore traditional ties with Australia. For the United States, AUKUS is the implementation of the strategy of “pivot” to Asia and the creation of a new alliance that has greater opportunities for military-strategic cooperation in the face of the threat from China to use the Pacific Ocean to oust the United States from a leading position. There are some possible geopolitical consequences of creating AUKUS for the region. They are escalation of tension and the nuclear arms race of the opposing parties; a new cold war with China; expansion of the club of nuclear powers because of Australia; imbalance of geopolitical forces in the region; undermining transatlantic unity; and a common strategy in the foreign policy of European countries and the United States.

Влияние стратегического партнерства АУКУС на геополитическую ситуацию в Индо-Тихоокеанском регионе

The purpose of the AUKUS strategic alliance is to develop cooperation between the member countries (U.S., UK and Australia) in the field of security and defence in the Indo-Pacific region. The agreement provides for the supply of submarines powered by nuclear reactors to Australia. The emergence of this new strategic alliance was caused by the following factors: the increased power of China in the region; the weakening of the U.S. position in the Indo-Pacific; the desire of the UK to implement the “global Britain” strategy in practice; and the need for the U.S. to have reliable allies to contain China. These factors reveal the true purpose of AUKUS—containment of China and opposition to its active policy in the region. In this article, the author uses comparative analysis to reveal the different goals and geopolitical interests of the AUKUS countries. The systematic approach helps to describe the essence of the complex developing geopolitical system of the Indo-Pacific region.The theories of new institutionalism and constructivism make it possible to identify both continuity and gaps in the security policy and foreign policy of regional actors. Australia’s participation in the AUKUS allows it to: strengthen its political ties with influential partners—the United States and Great Britain; receive additional security guarantees from them in the context of increased activity of Chinese policy in the region; raise the country’s status in the regional hierarchy; and strengthen its defence capability. Australia’s entry into the AUKUS means the formation of a new, anti-Chinese strategy in the region. For the UK, membership in the AUKUS allows it to: expand its naval presence in the Indo-Pacific region; strengthen its special relations with the United States; improve its image, which was shaken after the country’s exit from the EU; and restore traditional ties with Australia. For the United States, AUKUS is the implementation of the strategy of “pivot” to Asia and the creation of a new alliance that has greater opportunities for military-strategic cooperation in the face of the threat from China to use the Pacific Ocean to oust the United States from a leading position. There are some possible geopolitical consequences of creating AUKUS for the region. They are escalation of tension and the nuclear arms race of the opposing parties; a new cold war with China; expansion of the club of nuclear powers because of Australia; imbalance of geopolitical forces in the region; undermining transatlantic unity; and a common strategy in the foreign policy of European countries and the United States.

GANGGUAN IDENTITAS DISOSIATIF ANTAGONIS DALAM NOVEL TEROR KARYA LEXIE XU: KAJIAN PSIKOANALISIS SOSIAL KAREN HORNEY

This study aims to identify the Neurotic Needs, Neurotic Trends, and Dissociative Identity Disorder of character Johan in Lexie Xu's Terror. This study used a descriptive-analytical method through a literary psychology approach, using the Social Psychoanalysis theory by Karen Horney. The findings are that Johan character has five out of ten forms of Neurotic Needs: influential partner, power, taking advantage of others, social respect or prestige, and personal admiration. Character Johan has a Neurotic Trends: against others, and seven out of ten symptoms Dissociative Identity Disorder: occasionally not aware of his actions, has deeply traumatization, often paranoid, has fluctuating abilities, depressed and unhappy, often experiences rapid emotional changes, and frequently experiences hallucinations.

TRENDS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOREIGN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY IN UKRAINE AT THE PRESENT STAGE

The article considers the issue of foreign economic activity (FEA) of Ukraine. Today, the Ukrainian economy is deeply integrated into the global system of international division of labor both as a seller and as a buyer of goods and services. In such circumstances, the issue of foreign trade is extremely important for economic development and that is why the development of such an area as foreign economic activity is one of the main tasks assigned to the state bodies of our state. In this work, in order to reveal the main trends in foreign economic activity at the present stage, the dynamics of exports and imports of goods and services for the period 2016-2020 was analyzed, the commodity structure of exports and imports of goods and services and the most influential partner countries. Foreign trade significantly affects the growth of the country's GDP as the main source of income for financial entities. Scholars and practitioners have proven that the export-import activity of the state has a positive impact on the country's GDP growth, especially in conditions of high productivity and competitiveness of domestic products. The results of this study were obtained through the collection and analysis of analytical information posted on the official website of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine (Gosstat) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine (Ministry of Economy), and other scientific publications. The research allowed to identify the main problems that have a negative impact on the development of export-import operations and, as a result, the economy as a whole and offer some recommendations for further development and improvement of the current state of foreign economic activity of domestic enterprises and, in general, states.

MOST-FAVORED NATION TREATMENT CLAUSE IN INVESTMENT ARBITRATION

Bilateral and regional investment agreements have proliferated in the last decade and new ones are still being negotiated. Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) clauses link investment agreements by ensuring that the parties to one treaty provide treatment no less favorable than the treatment they provide under other treaties in areas covered by the clause. MFN clauses have thus become a significant instrument of economic liberalization in the investment area. Moreover, by giving the investors of all the parties benefiting from a country’s MFN clause the right, in similar circumstances, to treatment no less favorable than a country’s closest or most influential partners can negotiate on the matters the clause covers, MFN avoids economic distortions that would occur through more selective country-by-country liberalization. Such a treatment may result from the implementation of treaties, legislative or administrative acts of the country and also by mere practice. The present article provides a factual survey of jurisprudence and related literature on MFN treaty clauses in investment agreements with a view to contributing a better understanding of the MFN interfaces between such agreements. Key words: dispute resolution, foreign investment, ICSID, most-favored nation treatment, third party treaty, mandate of the arbitration tribunal, a selective import

Rejecting African Solutions to African Problems: The African Union and the Islamic Courts Union in Somalia

ABSTRACT The subservience of the AU to its influential partners compels it to protect their interests, even when these interests are detrimental to AU (peace) objectives. This is the case in Somalia where Ethiopia and the United States have waged a proxy war through the AU. Considering the current conflict stalemate, this paper questions if the AU ignored viable indigenous options for peace in Somalia? Using process tracing as the method of analysis, this paper argues that ignored local administrative processes that have stabilized the north, and once used by the ICU in south-central Somalia, are the best options for stability.

Flavonolignans: One Step Further in the Broad-Spectrum Approach of Cancer

The small chemical class of flavonolignans encompasses unique hybrid molecules with versatile biological activities. Their anticancer effects have received considerable attention, and a large body of supporting evidence has accumulated. Moreover, their ability to interact with proteins involved in drug resistance, and to enhance the effects of conventional chemotherapeutics in decreasing cell viability make them influential partners in addressing cancer. The review provides an outline of the various ways in which flavonolignans advance the combat against cancer. While the main focus falls on flavonolignans from milk thistle, attention is drawn to the yet, underexplored potential of less known flavonolignan subgroups derived from isoflavonoids and aurones. Proceeding from the presentation of natural flavonolignan subtypes and their occurrence, the present work reviews these compounds with regard to their molecular targets in cancer, anti-angiogenetic effects, synergistic efficacy in conjunction with anticancer agents, reversal of drug resistance, and importance in overcoming the side effects of anticancer therapy. Recent advances in the endeavor to improve flavonolignan bioavailability in cancer are also presented. Significant progress has been achieved in detailing the molecular mechanisms of silybin and its congeners in experimental models of cancer. The availability of novel formulations with improved bioavailability, and data from phase I clinical trials in cancer patients provide an encouraging basis for more extensive trials aimed at evaluating the benefits of Silybum flavonolignans in cancer management. On the other hand, further research on the antitumor efficacy of iso-flavonolignans and other subtypes of flavonolignans should be pursued.

Integrating nutrition outcomes into agriculture development for impact at scale: Highlights from the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund.

The Canadian International Food Security Research Fund programme supported research and scaling up of nutrition‐ and gender‐sensitive agriculture innovations from 2009 to 2018. Women and girls were identified as agents of change and were targeted as the main programme beneficiaries. Projects were implemented in 25 countries through multistakeholder partnerships among universities, research institutions, public and private sectors, and civil society groups, reaching over 78 million people, mainly women and children. Approaches specific to nutrition included growing more nutritious crops, improving dietary diversity, value added processing, food fortification, and nutrition education. Scale‐up for impact was achieved through a number of pathways that started with evidence through rigorous research, followed by a combination of elements such as understanding local and regional contexts to identify specific bottlenecks and opportunities for the deployment and adoption of successful innovations, selecting politically effective or influential partners to lead the scaling up process, and investing in long‐term local capacity and leadership building. Overall, the knowledge generated in the programme indicate that well‐designed nutrition‐sensitive agriculture and food‐based interventions can have meaningful impacts on pathways that will lead to better health and well‐being of women and children through improving household and individual access to nutrient‐rich foods. Longer intervention times are needed to demonstrate changes in health indicators such as reduced stunting. This overview paper summarises the programme and showcases examples from studies that demonstrate the impact pathway for nutrition interventions that encompass efficacy and effectiveness studies, value‐added processing, cost effectiveness of interventions, and bringing a proven intervention to scale.

He Pikinga Waiora: supporting M\u0101ori health organisations to respond to pre-diabetes

BackgroundType 2 Diabetes (T2D) is a common long-term condition affecting the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders; one in every four New Zealanders is pre-diabetic. Māori, the Indigenous people of New Zealand, are at an increased risk of developing pre-diabetes and T2D and there are significant inequities between Māori and non-Māori for T2D complications. The purpose of this study was to explore the questions of how the strengths of Māori heath organisations may be leveraged, and how the barriers and constraints experienced by Māori health organisations may be negotiated, for the benefit of Māori; and from a systems perspective, to identify strategic opportunities that may be considered and applied by Māori health organisations, funders and policy makers to respond more effectively to pre-diabetes and reduce health inequities between Māori and non-Māori.MethodsUtilising case study methodology, a range of data sources were triangulated including nine semi-structured interviews, documents, and a diabetes system map to identify possible strategic opportunities for key stakeholders to respond more effectively to pre-diabetes.ResultsKey themes and possible actions to improve health outcomes for Māori with pre-diabetes include: (1) Recognising Māori health organisations as conduits for the community voice and influential partners in the community to effect change; (2) Strengthened partnerships with Māori health organisations for community benefit and to support measurable, evidence-based change and service delivery, particularly when Māori knowledge systems are viewed alongside a Western scientific approach; and (3) Intersectoral integration of health and social services to support provision of whānau-centred care and influence the social determinants of health and local environment.ConclusionsMāori health organisations are important actors in systems seeking to improve outcomes and eliminate health inequities. Support from funders and policy makers will be required to build on the strengths of these organisations and to overcome system challenges. To realise improved health outcomes for Māori, the value placed on whānau and community perspectives not only needs to be acknowledged in the implementation of health interventions, health and social policies and funding arrangements, but performance measures, service design and delivery must evolve to accommodate these perspectives in practice.

Does Management Really Matter? And If so, to Who?: Comment on "Management Matters: A Leverage Point for Health Systems Strengthening in Global Health".

The editorial is commendable and I agree with many of the points raised. Management is an important aspect of health system strengthening which is often overlooked. In order to build the capacity of management, we need to consider other factors such as, the environment within which managers work, their numbers, support systems and distribution. Effective leadership is an issue which cannot be overemphasized as part of management capacity in resource deprived settings as difficult settings require leadership skills in order to achieve managerial success. A primary issue of importance highlighted in the editorial is country ownership of management effectiveness initiatives, which may be very difficult when the health sector is dependent on support and funding from donors and influential partners, who drive change often without a good understanding of the context. How partners finance health programmes is another dilemma as it can distract from locally determined priorities. Further research should help us to understand better what works and under different settings.

Human-mobility networks, country income, and labor productivity

AbstractThis paper asks whether the level of integration of world countries in the international network of temporary human mobility can explain differences in their per-capita income and labor productivity. We disentangle the role played by global country centrality in the network from traditional openness measures, which only account for local, nearest-neighbor linkages through which ideas and knowledge can flow. Using 1995-2010 data, we show that global country centrality in the international temporary human-mobility network enhances both per-capita income and labor productivity. Our results hold cross-sectionally, as well as in a dynamic-panel estimation, and take into account potential endogeneity issues. Our findings imply that how close a country is to the theoretical technological frontier, depends not only on how much she is open to temporary human mobility, but mostly on whether she is embedded in a web of relationships connecting her with other influential partners in the network. Our exercises also suggest that most of the gain in income and productivity can be attained if country centrality in the network comes mostly from influential partners that lie not too far away from, but neither too close to them in the network.

Civil Society Development and its Impact on the Democratization Process in Kosovo

The process of establishing a sustainable and active civil society that effectively and responsibly participates within a democratic system of governance is crucial for transitional countries. After years of conflict and political uncertainty, Kosovo’s independent status poses great challenges, including healing ethnic and political conflicts while rebuilding the nation’s economy and infrastructure. The fragile society of Kosovo faces many challenges, the development of civil society is just one of them. Unfortunately Kosovo’s civil society is not yet an effective and influential partner of government public decision-making. Civil society in Kosovo went through two developmental phases: the so called ‘civil resistance’ against Milosevic’s regime in the 1990s, and the post-war period under international administration and building of democratic governance. In Independent Kosovo, problems of political and economic nature concerning the building of new institutions require the support of public discussion. The role of NGO’s whose focus is political activism that tends to expand the practices of citizenship is reduced, and true public debate and coverage of all sides of important issues – elements crucial to a functioning democracy – are hampered if not prevented. Hence, the process of democratization of Kosovar society is negatively impacted. This article will explore the process of civil society development in Kosovo, from its days of origin, through the complicated political situations of the 1990s, and its increasingly active role in contributions toward the current democratization process. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n2s5p69

Human-Mobility Networks, Country Income, and Labor Productivity

This paper asks whether the level of integration of world countries in the international network of temporary human mobility can explain differences in their per-capita income and labor productivity. We disentangle the role played by global country centrality in the network from traditional openness measures, which only account for local, nearest- neighbor linkages through which ideas and knowledge can flow. Using 1995-2010 data, we show that global country centrality in the temporary human-mobility network enhances both per-capita income and labor productivity. Our results hold cross-sectionally, as well as in a dynamic-panel estimation, and take into account potential endogeneity issues. Our findings imply that how close a country is to the theoretical technological frontier, depends not only on how much she is open to temporary human mobility, but mostly on whether she is embedded in a web of relationships connecting her with other influential partners in the network. Our exercises also suggest that most of the gain in income and productivity can be attained if country centrality in the network comes mostly from influential partners that lie not too far away from, but neither too close to them in the network.

‘British Leadership is Experienced, Cool-Headed and Predictable’:Anglo-Danish relations and the United States from the end of the Second World War to the Cold War

This article analyses and portrays the bilateral relationship between Great Britain and Denmark from the end of the Second World War to 1951. It is shown how Great Britain played an important role for Denmark in this period both as a trading partner and as a political partner. This state of affairs was primarily due to most Danish politicians holding a dichotomous view on the still more influential partner in the far west, the United States. In the early post-war years, Denmark thus relied on Britain in both major and minor matters. It is argued that Britain exploited this state of affairs to promote British policies and political as well as economic interests in the still more important Nordic region in an era where British influence on world politics was diminishing and where British policies were certainly not always in concordance with American policies.

Prevention and control of malaria and sleeping sickness in Africa: Where are we and where are we going?

The International Symposium on Malaria and Human African Trypanosomiasis: New Strategies for their Prevention & Control was held 7-8 October, 2010 in Cotonou, Benin with about 250 participants from 20 countries. This scientific event aimed at identifying the gaps and research priorities in the prevention and control of malaria and sleeping sickness in Africa and to promote exchange between North and South in the fields of medical entomology, epidemiology, immunology and parasitology. A broad range of influential partners from academia (scientists), stakeholders, public health workers and industry attempted the meeting and about 40 oral communications and 20 posters were presented by phD students and internationally-recognized scientists from the North and the South. Finally, a special award ceremony was held to recognize efforts in pioneer work conducted by staff involved in the diagnostic of the Sleeping illness in West Africa with partnership and assistance from WHO and Sanofi-Aventis group.

Bike, Walk, and Wheel: A Way of Life in Columbia, Missouri

With funding support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Active Living Partnership of Columbia, Missouri, sought to make routine physical activity more commonplace in the community through behavioral and environmental change strategies. The Active Living by Design 5P model (partnerships, promotions, programs, policy changes, and physical projects) was modified to create two mutually reinforcing components. Programs and promotions (e.g., Walking School Bus) were implemented to influence individual behaviors and generate public policy advocates. Policy changes, such as activity-friendly street design standards, created safe and attractive places for physical activity programs. A strong, diverse community partnership supported all efforts. Key project successes were a citywide social marketing program; the Walking School Bus program, which grew rapidly; and policy campaigns resulting in improved street design standards and a voter-approved $3.5 million sales tax for sidewalks around schools. Notable challenges included programs targeting teenagers and efforts to increase physical activity through self-reported activity logging. The most important lesson was to implement multiple strategies because programs can leverage policy successes, and new policies often lead to more funding for infrastructure. Other lessons learned were to build early successes by reaching first for the "low-hanging fruit" (e.g., elementary-age children rather than teenagers) and to have a flexible plan to take advantage of unexpected opportunities (e.g., a new, influential partner with a specific interest). A modified 5P model was tested and found to be an effective framework for achieving behavioral and environmental changes that promote healthy, active lifestyles in the community.

World Bank‐directed Development? Negotiating Participation in the Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Project in Laos

ABSTRACTThe omnipotence of the World Bank on a global scale means that it is often regarded as the most influential partner in bringing about transformations in developing countries. This article contributes to ongoing discussions of this issue by examining some effects of the Bank's participatory agenda in one of its flagship projects, the Nam Theun 2 (NT2) hydropower scheme in Laos. Critical accounts suggest that the Bank's promotion of participation in donor‐dependent countries like Laos is either a guise or an imposition. These propositions are considered in two settings where participation was debated around the time of the Bank's loan appraisal for NT2: first, an international stakeholders’ workshop held in Vientiane; and second, some international attempts to identify the concerns of villagers living near the NT2 dam site. In workshops and villages, participation is a negotiated performance whereby competing representations emerge through the interaction between village, state and international actors. More generally, this article shows that a grounded view of development can attend to the practices that constrain the hegemonic tendencies of the World Bank, even while maintaining awareness of the potency of its policies and interventions.

Control in Pyramidal Structures

ABSTRACTManuscript Type: Conceptual.Research Question/Issue: Shareholding structures are sometimes so complex that it can be difficult to know who are the actual owners and controllers of a firm. In particular, in continental Europe and Asia, control tunnelling appears frequently through pyramidal structures. Different methods exist to isolate control from ownership. This paper attempts to better understand these different models and their implications.Research Findings/Results: After describing ownership structure through a graph association, this paper analyzes the voting game at stake in the race for control. It compares existing methods and algorithms to identify the owners and controllers of a firm in a pyramidal structure without cross‐ownership. These different methods are then applied to the case of a Belgian retailer, Colruyt. The results are compared and the influence of a control threshold is analyzed. Furthermore, it shows how the ownership structure allows the Colruyt family to maintain control of the firm even if there is dissension within the family.Theoretical Implications: This study clarifies definitions of ownership structures and provides a better understanding of models that analyze ownership structure and their implications.Practical Implications: In practice, these models can help shareholders achieve a majority of voting rights in the general assembly by identifying who are the influential partners. Furthermore, the models provide a means for external parties to determine whether control of a firm is attainable, and if so, how. Established shareholders may also use these models to ascertain the optimal ownership structure that will preserve their control with a minimum level of investment.