State Intervention Research Articles

An agent-based approach to the limits of economic planning

AbstractMises’ and Hayek’s arguments against central economic planning have long been taken as definitive proof that a centrally planned economy managed by the government would be impossible. Today, however, the exponential rise in the capacities of AI has opened up the possibility that supercomputers could have what it takes to plan the national economy. The ‘economic calculation debate’ has thus reignited. Arguably, this is because neither Mises nor Hayek have given a clear and conclusive argument why central planning of the economy is impossible in principle. The paper frames the problem of economic planning as an agent–environment interaction, offering a taxonomy of the different sets of agents at play a) in a market economy and b) in a centrally planned economy equipped with the most sophisticated AI technology. The argument is that public institutions as planning bodies cannot replace the market order, no matter the AI technology behind them, for the elimination of the market entails the elimination of crucial kinds of agents that cannot be recreated or emulated through AI or careful social planning: the proactive action of entrepreneurs driving market allocation.

Conflict between Fulani herders and village landowners in Ghana: capitalism, climate change, and peasant struggles

In discussions of the capitalism–climate change interplay in the agrarian world, the intrusiveness of corporate and state-guided capitalism has been pre-eminent. This ‘hard capital’ focus obscures indirect linkages like how ‘soft capital’, although disoriented from raping nature, unlike the former, exacerbates climate change effects in ways that accelerate the destabilisation of agrarian economies. This indirect connection is evident in agrarian settings in Ghana’s Northern Region, where the resultant peasants’ revolt is directed at neither corporations nor the state but rather local landowning elites (soft capital), who transfer the burden of the twin pressures of climate change and hard capital (state intervention and privatisation of fertiliser supply) to their labourers. Using Marxian social relations of production as a theoretical lens, this paper unpacks how this capitalism–climate change interface plays out in Gushiegu, Northern Ghana. By highlighting that interface and the resultant agrarian struggles, this paper does two things: (1) invites agrarian scholars to transcend the commercialisation of agriculture and carbon capitalism in analysing how the intersection of capitalism and climate change destabilises the agrarian world; (2) encourages scholarship that transcends the more obvious herder–farmer conflicts over land and water in examining the destabilising effects of the aforementioned intersection.

Mapping fertility rates at national, sub-national, and local levels in Ethiopia between 2000 and 2019.

Fertility rates are key indicators of population health and demographic change, influencing economic development, healthcare planning, and social policies. Understanding subnational variation in fertility rate is important for effective geographical targeting and policy prioritization. This study aimed to identify geographic variation, trends, and determinants of fertility rates in Ethiopia over the past two decades. We estimated total fertility rates (TFRs) and age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs) using five nationally representative cross-sectional Demographic and Health Surveys collected in Ethiopia between 2000 and 2019. ASFRs represent the number of live births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 49 during the 3 years before each survey, while TFRs indicate the average number of children a woman would have by the end of her reproductive years, calculated as the sum of ASFRs over five-year intervals. We developed model-based geostatistics by incorporating demographic and healthcare access data with spatial random fields to produce high-resolution fertility rate maps. These results were then aggregated to produce fertility rate estimates at local, sub-national, and national levels in Ethiopia. The national TFR gradually declined from 4.8 live births in 2000 to 4.2 live births in 2019, but it is still above the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman. There were sub-national and local variations in TFR, ranging from 5.7 live births in Somalia and 5.3 Oromia regions to 2.7 live births in Addis Ababa and 3.6 live births Dire Dawa cities. Geographical areas with high TFR were mostly associated with a high proportion of Muslim women and low access to health facilities. Despite a decline in fertility rates among women of reproductive age over the past two decades, marked spatial variation persists at sub-national and local levels in Ethiopia, with demographic factors determining the spatial distribution and rate of decline, highlighting the need for tailored programs and strategies in high-fertility areas to increase access to family planning.

Anthropologie argentine

Argentine Anthropology is a discipline of disciplines—sociocultural anthropology, archaeology, ethnohistory, folklore and ethnology, biological anthropology and forensic anthropology—whose first academic exponents date back to the end of the 19th century. It accompanied studies in the United States and Western and Central Europe and developed in close relationship with the institutions of the Argentine State, particularly educational, military and those dedicated to population policies and territorial definition. It was characterized by applying to a country that exported temperate products, with little need for intensive and slave labour, with repeated state intervention to the University system, and with an extensive overseas immigrant population. After a relatively conservative period, anthropology became one of the most innovative and reference disciplines in the Argentine social sciences.

Study of directions of unification of technology transfer in ukraine with the regulation of the European Union

Problem setting. In modern economic conditions, the key to effective economic development of any country is the development of the production sphere of the national economy. At the same time, its level depends on the penetration of knowledge-intensive, advanced and breakthrough technologies. Most economically developed countries even implement integrated state policies aimed at stimulating and scaling technology transfer processes. Thanks to this, the number of those technologies that are implemented in the sphere of public production increases, and the share of highly competitive products increases significantly. The economic system of Ukraine is no exception to this rule. Thus, since 2006, Ukraine has had a special official document the Law of Ukraine “On State Regulation of Activities in the Field of Technology Transfer”. Its main task is to determine the requirements of how the state (in the form of authorized bodies) will contribute to the scaling process of technology transfer. The course announced by Ukraine for joining the European Union (hereinafter referred to as “the EU”) imposes on it special obligations regarding the unification of regulatory approaches to the identification of technology transfer with EU requirements. The specified situation determines, on the one hand, the relevance of scientific research on this topic, and places on scientists the task of forming relevant proposals. It is science that should shape them and determine effective directions, methods and forms of unification of the principles of functioning of Ukraine with EU requirements and thereby stabilize and intensify the transfer of technologies. Purpose of research is to develop methods and techniques for unifying the regulatory approach to defining the essence of technology transfer in Ukraine with the requirements of the European Union. This will make it possible to formulate recommendations for the Ukrainian public authorities when they implement managerial decisions within the framework of the State technology policy and form the basis for proposals for amending its national regulatory acts. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to solve the following interrelated tasks: (1) to analyze the state of regulatory support for technology transfer under EU law; (2) to study the state of regulatory support for technology transfer under Ukrainian law; (3) to formulate proposals on the main directions of unification of legal regulation of technology transfer under Ukrainian law with the requirements of EU law. Analysis of recent research and publications. An analysis of recent research and publications on the topic shows that many scholars have considered the general issues of state intervention in the national economy. The problem of the essence of technology transfer has been studied both at the level of independent economic systems and within international organizational entities. Article’s main body. The object of this research is a set of regulatory methods and techniques for determining the content and essence of such a category as technology transfer. Both the requirements of Ukraine and the regulatory approaches of the European Union are studied. The analysis and generalization of the existing world and international approaches to the identification of the essence of technology transfer established that they are not unified among themselves and differ significantly from each other. It has been proven that this does not meet the needs of technology transfer participants and does not meet the strategic goals of Ukraine’s development. The expediency of expanding the existing concept of determining the essence of technology transfer defined in Ukraine is substantiated. Recommendations on directions for the unification of regulatory approaches to the definition of technology transfer with the European Union have been formed. The need to amend the provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On State Regulation of Activities in the Field of Technology Transfer” in order to bring it into line with the requirements of the European Union has been proven. Conclusions and prospects for development. It was determined that the current legislation of Ukraine contains a narrower approach to determining the essence of technology transfer. Recommendations on the unification of the requirements of Ukraine with the requirements of the EU, on the issue of identification of technology transfer, have been formed. The expediency of expanding the forms of technology transfer is substantiated by supplementing them with the following: – Transfer of technology during the implementation of special interstate defense and industrial programs. – Transfer of technology within the framework of grant funding and cooperation. – Transfer of technology during the implementation of public procurement. – Transfer of technology as a contribution to the integral property complex (statutory or accumulated capital) of economic entities. – Transfer of technology during the creation of startups.

Some issues regarding the principles and criteria of lawful restriction of human freedom

The article is devoted to the study of the content and peculiarities of implementation of the principles and criteria for limiting human freedoms. The author concludes that the principle of freedom should be studied through the following aspects: axiological, theoretical and practical. The first one involves maximum absolutisation of the principle of freedom for its further deployment in social relations. The theoretical dimension involves the study of the specifics of the content, types, features, and nature of freedom as a legal principle, which allows for a better understanding of it and its more harmonious implementation in legal relations. The practical dimension involves studying the problems of implementing the principle of freedom, the degree of its presence in various branches of law, and the specifics of its restrictions. The article notes that the principle of proportionality means that restriction of freedom can only be a means, not an aim, freedom is always the highest value for law and its restrictions as the ultimate goal are inadmissible, but only as a regulatory means to ensure rights and freedoms, national security, healthcare, public order, etc. The principle of public welfare as a criterion for restricting freedom is more complicated, since there are two doctrines: classical liberalism, which puts freedom above all else and limits state intervention, and social liberalism, which insists on the welfare of all and therefore more active state intervention in the economic life of society. The author concludes that restrictions on freedom must be in the general public interest in the economic, social and political spheres. The author notes that limitation of the principle of freedom is a reduction of its scope, but not a restriction of its content. By restricting freedom, its content remains unchanged, otherwise it will lose its legal value. The article provides the author’s definition of restriction of the principle of freedom as a lawful interference by the State with the capabilities of a person, which is expressed in setting limits for a possible model of behaviour in a certain territory, individually or for certain groups of persons. The author emphasises that one of the key problems with the implementation of measures restricting human freedom is excessiveness. An important public interest allows for the restriction of freedom to achieve it, but other interests and values may suffer. The principles of minimum possible restriction and priority social value should apply here.

Winning the transition: Strategic state action in France and Germany amid the low carbon transition and energy shock

European economies are in flux, destabilized by the low carbon transition (LCT) and post-Ukraine energy shock. How are states responding to this instability? This article contributes to emerging environmentally focused Comparative Capitalisms (CC) scholarship by developing a novel framework for analysing how state action is shaped by the demand-competitiveness-energy nexus. We comparatively examine the cases of France and Germany since 2022, drawing upon 19 elite interviews and documentary analysis of stakeholder accounts, to advance three arguments. First, it is essential for CC frameworks to integrate energy supply dynamics to understand state action and processes of capitalist development. Second, the asymmetric impact of the LCT on France and Germany has shaped distinct state-led capitalist restructuring designed to protect and extend national competitive advantages. For Germany, this has primarily involved ‘greening’ its existing export-led model of growth, whereas French state actors are attempting to advance its interests via the ‘strategic autonomy’ (SA) agenda at the domestic and regional levels. Finally, the energy shock has initiated more interventionist state action in Germany that exposes critical instabilities in its export-led growth model. This analysis has significant implications for CC scholarship and its understanding of capitalist development by illustrating the significance of energy supply dynamics and advancing understanding of how disequilibrium can be theorized within the literature.

The Development of a Geographic Information System for Mapping Creative Economy Actors in Balikpapan Using the Prototype Method

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) play a crucial role in collecting, managing, analyzing, and presenting geographically referenced data. This research focuses on the development of a GIS-based application designed to map and analyze the distribution of creative economy participants in Balikpapan. Using the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Prototype method, the study integrates spatial data with geographic analysis, utilizing technologies such as Node.js, Leaflet, Laravel, and QGIS in the development process. Data related to creative economy actors is gathered locally, while spatial data is sourced from the Ina Geoportal website. This web-based application provides comprehensive mapping capabilities, enabling users to identify strategic business locations, optimize business potential, and improve service accessibility. Additionally, the tool aims to offer insights for local government policymaking, contributing to regional economic growth and enhancing community welfare. The integration of GIS into the application also supports the preservation and promotion of regional cultural identity, offering valuable information for sustainable development. Ultimately, this research highlights the significant role of GIS in improving economic planning, fostering informed decision-making, and driving sustainable development in Balikpapan.

Contribution of Sweetpotato Production to Economic Empowerment of Farming Households in Niger-Delta Area of Nigeria

Many farming households in Nigeria are deprived, and poor, hence, the need for economic empowerment intervention. Sweetpotato production, due to its short cycle and low input requirement could be projected on a larger scale for farming households’ economic empowerment. However, data regarding ability of sweetpotato farming for farming households’ economic empowerment is scarce. Therefore, farming households’ sweetpotato production and economic empowerment in Nigeria’s Niger-Delta Area was investigated. 364 sweetpotato farming households were chosen through a five-stage sample process. Descriptive statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, T-test, and multiple regression were used to analyze the data that interview schedule was used to collect. Most respondents were female and aged 42.7±11.9 years. Farm size; farming experience; and income from sweetpotato, other crops, and non-crop livelihood activities were 2.6±3.4 hectares; 17.2±12.4 years; and ₦1,327,723.0±1,639,414.0 yearly, ₦2,385,815.0±2,615,273.0 yearly, and ₦1,828,004.0±2,336,270.0 yearly, respectively. The sweetpotato production and economic empowerment were low and high amongst farming households, respectively. Age, farm size and income from sweet potato were significantly related to economic empowerment. The economic empowerment status of high and low sweetpotato producers differed significantly. Between farming households with low and high income from sweetpotato production, their economic empowerment status significantly differed. Farming households’ economic empowerment was mostly predicted by farming experience; and income from sweetpotato, and non-crop livelihood activities. Sweetpotato production influenced farming households' ability to prosper economically. Agricultural policies oriented towards improving economic empowerment should be promoted to emphasize increased sweetpotato production.

Between control and complexity: RRI in the Norwegian Biotechnology Advisory Board

This paper investigates the integration of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) principles with focus on public engagement within the Norwegian Biotechnology Advisory Board (NBAB). RRI, as an inherently relational set of practices, requires flexibility and adaptability from the State to promote responsible innovation. The NBAB case study provides insights into the complexities and tensions of State intervention, highlighting the necessary shift from rigid control to a more flexible approach. This shift is crucial for effectively fostering RRI among citizens, firms, and organizations. By examining NBAB's role in evaluating and advising on the ethical implications of biotechnology, this study demonstrates the importance of inclusive and deliberative governance. The findings suggest that public institutions must adapt to changing societal needs and engage diverse stakeholders to promote responsible innovation practices effectively.

Exploring the Complexity of Energy Poverty in the EU: Measure it, Map it, Take Actions

AbstractEnergy poverty presents a pressing challenge in the European Union (EU), worsened by recent geopolitical events and economic vulnerabilities, particularly highlighted by the COVID-19 crisis. This article explores the complexity of energy poverty within the EU context, emphasizing the necessity to define, measure, and monitor it comprehensively. It reviews the evolution of energy poverty definitions and causes, underlining the multifaceted nature of the issue influenced by factors such as low-income, high-energy prices, and building inefficiencies. Various measurement indexes are examined, and categorized into consensus, expenditure-income comparison, and direct/indirect measurement indicators, offering insights into their advantages and limitations. Furthermore, the work discusses mapping methodologies to pinpoint instances of energy poverty spatially. It also examines best regulatory practices employed by nations, including economic accessibility enhancements and structural interventions like investments in energy efficiency and renewable sources. Finally, the authors propose a novel approach to map energy poverty at municipal granularity in Italy, integrating economic vulnerability and building energy efficiency indices.

Теоретичне підґрунтя публічного управління у сфері водопостачання та водовідведення

The sphere of water supply and drainage is a critically important component of the socio-economic mechanism, which is characterized by numerous challenges that were actualized in wartime. Aim of this paper is to analyze the main theoretical approaches of public management in the field of water supply and drainage in order to identify the main principles and tools that affect the efficiency and sustainability of the field. The tools of strategic planning, operational management and emergency response are considered as key components of successful management in this area. Emphasis is placed on the special role of developing fair tariff policies and financial support for infrastructure investments. The importance of the legal framework that regulates the sphere, ensuring compliance with environmental standards and protection of consumer rights is highlighted. The environmental aspect of resource management in the field, which includes modern methods of wastewater treatment and minimizing the negative impact on natural water bodies, is considered. It was emphasized that state intervention is a key factor in ensuring equal access to clean water, which is a basic human right according to the United Nations. The problem of natural monopoly in the field is considered through the prism of high capital investments and low elasticity of demand, which limit market competition. Strategies to stimulate competition and improve service quality are explored, including regulating tariffs and encouraging innovation. The example of Scotland, where water supply management is centralized through the creation of a single national company Scottish Water, reveals the effectiveness of such an approach in improving infrastructure and ensuring high quality services with public participation. The importance of a multidisciplinary approach to management in the field is emphasized, with a special emphasis on the stability of the service in wartime. The research may be useful to researchers, state and local authorities, and international organizations. Further perspectives of research include the study of the peculiarities of the application of the theoretical base in the solution of scientific and practical problems in the field in Ukraine during the war.

THE POLITICS OF VIOLENT CONCATENATIONS

AbstractBased on three years of ethnographic fieldwork, this article examines face‐to‐face violent interactions in a high‐poverty squatter settlement in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Delving into the situational interactions and biographies of those who simultaneously exercise and suffer violence—victims and perpetrators—we illustrate in fine‐grained detail the concatenations of violence and their political dimensions. Violent concatenations are political in a twofold sense: (1) they are shaped by state (legal and illegal) interventions, and (2) they are understood by both victims and perpetrators as being caused by state actors either directly (in the form of police repression) or clandestinely (in the form of collusion with criminals).

“Borderism”: Imaginative Geographies and the Production of Modern Boundaries in Spain and Portugal, 1840–1870

This article aims to analyze the nature and main characteristics of the discourse on borderlands and border local communities during the process of delimiting the Spanish–Portuguese boundary that took place in the middle third of the nineteenth century. It examines how both local and state actors represented conflicts and violence in border areas and how these discourses played a crucial role not only in securing the involvement of central state agencies in local conflicts but also in legitimizing state intervention in border disputes. Beyond the case studied here, this research contributes to a comparative perspective across different geographical and historical contexts on how border regions and their inhabitants have been frequently represented as problematic spaces and societies. In this regard, the article provides a critical understanding of the border-delimitation process undertaken by the Spanish and Portuguese liberal states as part of a broader national and territorial building process that, among other objectives, sought to control, normalize, discipline and integrate peripheral regions and their populations. Drawing on some of the main concepts coined by Said’s Orientalism and the contributions of Foucault in The Birth of the Clinic as well, it proposes the term borderism to describe the imaginative geographies that legitimized this kind of border-delimitation processes, not only in the Iberian context but also in other similar cases.

Competitive Peacekeeping Interventions, State Factionalisation and the Escalation of Organised Violence: the Case of Syria

Abstract This study investigates the paradox of peacekeeping interventions exacerbating conflict intensity, particularly when executed by various competing powers rather than the UN, through the lens of the Syrian conflict. By tracing the causal pathway from intervention to state factionalisation and subsequent violence escalation, we utilise novel data highlighting the impact of corruptive state factionalism on conflict dynamics in Syria. Through qualitative and quantitative analyses, we show that competitive interventions create credible threats and mobilise violence, thus intensifying the conflict. This research underscores the necessity for non-partisan, UN-led peacekeeping efforts to mitigate the adverse effects of competitive interventions in fragile states.

Antizipation von Zukunft?

Abstract Current research in medieval studies focuses on how the future was dealt with in medieval culture. While Reinhart Koselleck has denied the Middle Ages any interest in an inner-worldly future, recent contributions show a variety of diverse endeavours to know and influence the future. By examining naval campaigns of the city commune of Genoa from the 12th–14th centuries, this article argues in favour of examining the social practice of medieval societies more intensively in terms of how people tried to influence what would happen in the future. The study of three military campaigns – the attacks on the Spanish harbour cities of Almería and Tortosa in 1147 and 1148, the conquest of Chios and Phocaea in 1346 and a failed expedition to Cyprus in 1383 – shows that in all cases the exercise of military force was at best planned in outline. As a rule, it was assumed that the available contingents and experience would be sufficient for success. Concrete tactics, but in the case of Chios and Phokaia also the targets of the attacks, were only agreed upon during the campaigns. A record of one such negotiation has even been preserved from Cyprus. On the other hand, there were diplomatic and, above all, economic planning horizons that stipulated long-term agreements even before the attack, in which precise deadlines and dates for payments were fixed as well as alliance obligations. The interference between these futures, which were planned and plannable to varying degrees, resulted in the inherent dynamics of non-synchronised temporalities.

The road to censorship: the case of digital audiovisual industries in India

ABSTRACT This article examines the influence of the Indian government on digital content creation, amidst growing concerns about freedom of expression due to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 (IT Rules). Introduced by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), these regulations have sparked debate over their impact on India’s vibrant digital audiovisual industry, which has been a bastion of diverse storytelling and production capabilities. The situation is complicated by threats from extremist groups affiliated with the BJP, and right-wing groups against platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, raising suspicions that these legislative measures serve ideological and political agendas under the guise of ‘digital welfare’. Through a mixed-method approach comprising qualitative content analysis of the IT Rules, discourse analysis of governmental communications, and interviews with practitioners and policy experts, the study explores the triangulated power dynamics between the state, global platforms, and content creators. It reveals how state intervention, presented as a nation-building effort, effectively legitimises digital and mob censorship, encourages self-censorship among creators due to policy ambiguity, and aligns digital content creation closely with the state’s ideological objectives.

Geographical Evaluation of Real Estate Services Offices in the City of Abha - Saudi Arabia, A Geographical Study using Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Service geography is one of the branches of applied geography that has emerged as an applied intellectual interest to engage with the immediate direct needs of both urban and rural communities. The importance of studying services is due to their connection to economic planning, so geographical interest in them increases, as applied geography is based on a specific approach and philosophy of relevance or social benefit that focuses on the application of geographical knowledge and skills. To come up with solutions to real-world social, economic and environmental problems. The study focused on the use of geographic information systems in analyzing the geographic calendar of rental offices in the city of Abha, relying on the most important applied aspects of geographic information systems represented in spatial analysis. To reveal the characteristics of the spatial distribution of rental offices and their distribution pattern, and to evaluate the efficiency of their distribution according to the local standard. The study came out with a number of results and recommendations, and also verified the hypotheses assumed by the researchers.

Policy lessons from green gdp convergence over five decades: Enhancing sustainability and economic outcomes

This study analyzes the convergence of Green GDP among 160 countries from 1970 to 2019, emphasizing the pivotal role of environmental policies in shaping sustainable economic outcomes. By comparing traditional and Green GDP (includes environmental degradation), this paper identifies distinct economic clusters or “convergence clubs” and reveals how policy-driven changes influence these classifications. The findings highlight the significant impact of environmental policies on economic convergence and propose applicative policy recommendations to foster sustainable growth, making this study essential for policymakers engaged in economic and environmental planning. This study demonstrates the long-term convergence of the selected countries' economic growth, influenced by their disparate commitments to sustainable practices and regulatory frameworks that govern environmental protection. Thus, regardless of the variations across countries and their environmental policies, diverse economic strategies tend to produce similar outcomes in the long term.

Captured green aims: The case of Hungary

The article aims to shed light on the environmental risks of the Hungarian autocratic economic policy coupled with increased state interventionism and the revival of industrial policies. Green economic strategies proliferate in democratic countries, but we know less about contemporary hybrid regimes. In the case of Hungary, we show that the pillars of green industrial policy do not exist in practice. There is however a façade and rhetoric of green aims which serve only as one tool among others to rent-seeking and keep the ruling power. By several illustrative cases, we describe the mechanisms of hollowing out, capturing environmental institutions, instrumentalising green aims and repressing civil initiatives as systemic characteristics for illiberal hybrid regimes.