Planned Economy Research Articles

Beyond biomedical institutions: An ethnographic study of community science and the rise of alternative therapeutic imaginaries

This paper examines the project Open Insulin—a community-based initiative aimed at producing their own insulin in response to rising prices in the United States—as a lens to analyze the emergence of “alternative therapeutic imaginaries.” These imaginaries represent a particular form of social activity: a planning approach toward greater individualization, fragmentation, and corporatization of healthcare. Examples include health and biomedical practices undertaken by citizen scientists, do-it-yourself (DIY) patients, and others who resist or operate outside institutions of medicine. Drawing on ethnographic research, this study analyzes the construction of Open Insulin's health politics, which I argue is inspired by forms of direct social action. Unlike conventional activism approaches that tend to make claims on the state or others in power, direct social action involves direct intervention in segments of society. This paper explores how this approach is complicated by the regulatory economy and materiality of drug research, and the need for diverse expertise in the space of pharmaceuticals. I examine how project members grappled with these complications, surfacing competing perspectives for how to produce insulin safely and the role of industry experts and scientific institutions in this pursuit. I argue that Open Insulin's vision for community-produced and -owned medicines sheds light on growing mistrust of health institutions and diminishing public responsibility over healthcare provisions, leading to technolibertarian logics to address unmet healthcare needs, and potentially exacerbating health disparities by privileging those who can participate in such alternatives. This analysis contributes to broader debates on transformations in healthcare and social activism, highlighting the need for reorienting biomedical institutions toward public benefit.

Nature-Based Secondary Resource Recovery under Climate Change Uncertainty: A Robust Multi-Objective Optimisation Methodology

The management of high-volume (HV) waste poses a persistent challenge in sustainable materials management and represents an untapped opportunity in circular economy models. This study proposes a conceptual decision-making framework to operationalise a novel circular economy strategy for HV waste, involving temporary storage to facilitate nature-based secondary resource recovery. Using an illustrative case study of a candidate HV waste (legacy mining waste), we apply a robust multi-objective spatial optimisation approach at a national scale, employing an exact solution approach. Our methodology integrates mixed-integer linear programming to evaluate the economic viability, social benefits, and impacts of climate change uncertainties on nature-based solutions (NbS) implementation across diverse scenarios. The results demonstrate that NbS can enhance economic feasibility by incorporating carbon sequestration and employment benefits while demonstrating resilience against climate change projections to ensure long-term sustainability. The findings suggest that although NbS can improve the circular economy of HV nationally, it is essential to assess additional ecosystem services and address multiple uncertainties for effective macro-level sustainability assessment of HV management. This study offers a robust decision-making framework for policymakers and stakeholders to plan and implement nature-based circular economy strategies for HV waste streams at a national level while effectively managing long-term planning uncertainties.

A generation expansion planning method considering conditional value-at-risk

Abstract The uncertainty of load forecasting can lead to certain risks in generation expansion planning. Different from the traditional large-capacity unit planning in the past, renewable energy has the characteristics of small single-machine capacity and fast construction speed, etc. The uncertainty of load forecasting will have a more significant impact on the results of generation expansion planning including renewable energy. For this reason, this paper proposes a generation expansion planning idea considering load forecast uncertainty based on conditional value-at-risk (CVaR). Firstly, scenario technology is used to simulate the uncertainty, and CVaR is introduced to quantify the risk of generation expansion planning. Then, considering the coordinated development of traditional and renewable energy sources, a generation expansion planning model that considers risk is established to minimize the total costs. Finally, the effectiveness of the model was verified through a case study, and this model has reference significance for balancing the economy and reliability in generation expansion planning.

Artificial Intelligence-Driven Multi-Energy Optimization: Promoting Green Transition of Rural Energy Planning and Sustainable Energy Economy

This research contributes to the overarching objectives of achieving carbon neutrality and enhancing environmental governance by examining the role of artificial intelligence-enhanced multi-energy optimization in rural energy planning within the broader context of a sustainable energy economy. By proposing an innovative planning framework that accounts for geographical and economic disparities across rural regions, this study specifically targets the optimization of energy systems in X County of Yantai City, Y County of Luoyang City, and Z County of Lanzhou City. Furthermore, it establishes a foundation for integrating these localized approaches into broader national carbon-neutral efforts and assessments of green total factor productivity. The comparative analysis of energy demand, conservation, efficiency, and economic metrics among these counties underscores the potential of tailored solutions to significantly advance low-carbon practices in agriculture, urban development, and industry. Additionally, the insights derived from this study offer a deeper understanding of the dynamics between government and enterprise in environmental governance, empirically supporting the Porter hypothesis, which postulates that stringent environmental policies can foster innovation and competitiveness. The rural coal-coupled biomass power generation model introduced in this work represents the convergence of green economy principles and financial systems, serving as a valuable guide for decision-making in decisions aimed at sustainable consumption and production. Moreover, this research underscores the importance of resilient and adaptable energy systems, proposing a pathway for evaluating emission trading markets and promoting sustainable economic recovery strategies that align with environmental sustainability goals.

Cluster partition-based two-layer expansion planning of grid–resource–storage for distribution networks

In order to realize the optimal planning of grid–resource–storage for distribution networks (DNs) with high penetrated distributed photovoltaics (PVs), a cluster partition-based two-layer expansion planning for DNs is proposed. First, a comprehensive cluster partition index-based cluster partition method is proposed, which involves the indexes such as electrical distance, power balance of the cluster, and cluster size. Second, a cluster partition-based two-layer expansion planning model is proposed. In the upper layer, a line planning model for clusters is established to carry out the planning of cluster connection lines. In the lower layer, a robust source-storage planning model is established with the uncertainty of PVs and loads, and then, the optimal location and capacity of PVs and energy storages (ESs) can be obtained. In addition, the uncertainty regulation parameter is utilized to control the range of uncertainty sets, which can reduce the conservatism of the optimization. Finally, the proposed method is carried out in a real DN in China, which can effectively improve the economy of DN planning.

The Role of Culinary Tourism in Local Marketplace Business—New Outlook in the Selected Developing Area

Local producers constitute a crucial segment of the local economy, playing a pivotal role in driving rural development and the progress of tourism. Their avenues for showcasing products extend beyond markets, bazaars, or food events, often being integrated into a destination’s tourism offerings. Moreover, they contribute to the culinary progress within tourism. Originating from wider rural areas or nearby villages, local producers significantly impact everyday migrations, services, and financial transactions in relationships spanning suburban–urban, village–town, and cross-border cooperation. This study aims to scrutinize the social facets of the organization and work of local producers, offering insights into contemporary market processes. It also serves to illustrate cross-border cooperation and the role of culinary tourism in local business. Through qualitative data processing, we will delve into the outcomes of cross-border projects, emphasizing ethical and sustainable values rooted in territory, landscape, local culture, authenticity, and the application of culinary elements in tourism. The results will shed light on the economic, social, and cultural ramifications on markets in border regions, influencing daily life and the economy. This study will define key aspects of rural development. These research findings can inform local governments, the economy, and communities in future strategic planning for developing this market segment. Tourism, especially in hospitality, will empower rural communities to enhance financial inflow and create local employment opportunities, such as roles for vineyard tour guides or local chefs. Simultaneously, it will bolster other sectors of the local economy, such as agriculture.

Exposure of Syrian refugee agricultural workers to pesticides in Lebanon: a socio-economic and political lens.

This article adopts a socio-economic and political lens to elucidate the interplay of factors that heighten the vulnerability of Syrian refugee agricultural workers and their exposure to pesticides in Lebanon. It provides a comprehensive understanding for the interconnected social, political and economic factors at the global, regional, national and local levels and how they increase the vulnerability of Syrian refugee agricultural workers, particularly their exposure to pesticides. The global factors highlight the shifts from colonialism to state-controlled economies to neoliberal policies. These changes have prioritized the interests of large agricultural schemes and multinationals at the expense of small and medium-sized agriculture. Consequently, there has been a boost in pesticides demand, coupled with weak regulations and less investment in agriculture in the countries of the Global South. The article explains how the dynamic interaction of climate change and conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa region has negatively impacted the agriculture sector and food production, which led to an increased potential for pesticide use. At the national and local levels, Lebanon's social, political and economic policies have resulted in the weakening of the agricultural sector, the overuse of pesticides, and the intensification of the Syrian refugee agricultural workers' vulnerability and exposure to pesticides. The article recommends that researchers, policymakers, and practitioners adopt a political-economic-social lens to analyze and address the full dynamic situation facing migrant and refugee workers in Lebanon and other countries and promote equity in the agricultural sector globally.

Nazi Policy of Tourism in Central Europe

The primary focus of this paper is on the period of tourism from 1938/39 to 1945. The intention of this paper is to present and explain the reasons and consequences of the implementation of organizational changes, as well as the impacts of the integration of tourism into the staterun economy of Nazi Germany. In this context, we evaluated the specifics of the development of tourism areas of the former Czechoslovak state (the Sudetenland, the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, Slovakia). It turned out that even during the war, tourism, despite all the restrictions (legislative, territorial, time, transport, etc.) did not disappear, except in areas where war operations were taking place, and its management became an integral part of the war economy. The explanation can be seen based on the studied materials in the multilayered nature of this part of the national economy and its broad social scope. The paper is based on the study of archival unpublished materials from Czech and foreign archives and literature. The basic method used is the historical-critical method supplemented by a comparative, direct and indirect approach with an effort to capture the overall changes in the field of tourism during the war.

A Comparison of Market Economy and Planned Economy: Based on German Democratic Republic and Federal Republic of Germany

The economic confrontation between East and West Germany is one of the key topics. Researchers have reached a consensus that the market economy of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) is more superior and more realistic than the planned economy in German Democratic Republic (GDR). However, the research still lacks a persuasive explanation about the deep and essential reason why market economy is better than command economy. Also, there are debates about the practical application and future extension of two economic formats. Thus, the study allocates and compares the international relations, important statistic and divergent economy systems of two Germanies, attempting to address these research gaps based on the fait accompli in GDR and FRG. The research outcomes illustrate that in all three domains did market economy in FRG overwhelmed planned economy in GDR, while the command economy also showed strength in particular areas. The outcome of the research indicates that market economy is more superiors and more functional in a macroscopic aspect than planned economy. To be specific, market economy obtains the strengths of developed productivity, a free market with countless chances, the opportunities to compete freely with high rewards and the ability of continuingly creating wealth to the society, while planned economy protects and promotes the equivalence of the distribution of social wealth. Based on it, the emergence of a highly integrated economy is forecasted, which is a combination of market economy and command economy but the main part is market economy.

Application of Uncertainty Analysis in Distributed Planning of Urban Comprehensive Energy System

The conventional distributed planning method of urban integrated energy systems uses the LINMAP coupling model to obtain the optimal solution of planning, which is vulnerable to the impact of decision-making load demand, resulting in the final annual value of energy planning costs being too high. Therefore, it is necessary to design a new distributed planning method for urban integrated energy systems based on uncertainty analysis. Based on the analysis of uncertain factors, the mathematical model of equipment planning of the energy system is constructed, and combined with the energy storage relationship, the distributed planning operation algorithm of the integrated energy system is designed, thus completing the distributed planning of the integrated energy system. The experimental results show that the annual value of energy planning cost of different system equipment is low after using the designed distributed planning method of urban integrated energy systems based on uncertainty analysis, which proves that the designed distributed planning method has good planning effect, economy and certain application value, and has made certain contributions to reducing energy planning loss.

‘An Atmosphere of Waffle and Woolliness’: British Developmental Aid and Economic Transformation in Czechoslovakia

Discussions of the Thatcherite foreign policy often centre exclusively on the Cold War and especially on the relationship with the USSR. Therefore, the British relationship with smaller communist states is often unexplored, even though it is where British influence was most prominent. The brand of political and economic thinking espoused by British Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher found avid disciples in the newly democratic Czechoslovakia in the 1990s. A group of influential Czechoslovak politicians and officials led by Finance Minister, and later Czech Prime Minister, Václav Klaus sought to transform the Czechoslovak communist economy into a free market one that roughly followed Thatcherite lines. This was not only because they felt an ideological closeness to Thatcher but also because Britain was one of the few countries at the time that had experienced a large-scale privatisation of industries. Therefore, the reformers saw it as a model. The Prime Minister reciprocated these warm feelings. She authorised the sending of a team of British experts to Czechoslovakia, with the goal of aiding its economic reform programme. British advisers greatly contributed to privatisation and other schemes, especially on the practical side.

The study of World Englishes: Impulses from beyond linguistics

The paper argues that, in view of the current boom in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and related developments of globalisation, research on English as a World Language should pay more attention to economic factors. Sociolinguistic models of postcolonial English which emphasise speakers’ desires to express new local identities as the driving force behind the ongoing differentiation of English remain valid, but should be refined through engaging with work on the political economy of language and language planning. The potential benefits of such dialogue across disciplinary boundaries are illustrated in two brief case studies on English in India and in sub-Saharan Africa (where the focus is on recent realignments in the traditional English and French zones of linguistic influence). The paper concludes that establishing English as the global lingua franca for a multilingual world and for multilingual speakers makes economic and political sense for the 21st century world. Multilingualism of the ‘English Plus X’ type should also be embraced by global citizens whose native language is English.

Uniqueness, complexities, and research issues of logistics and trade facilitation in Greater Bay Area of China

The Greater Bay Area (GBA) is to become a major innovation and technology hub of global impact. Such a transformation is to take place in the midst of a policy-driven economy in GBA’s Mainland region and a market-driven economy in Hong Kong and Macau. In this paper, we examine the uniqueness and complexities of logistics and trade facilitation in GBA. This study establishes a discourse in GBA’s logistics and trade facilitation between government and non-government stakeholders. Based on the discourse, we provide a conceptual context on the unique aspects of GBA, pinpointing critical issues such as the coexistence of differing institutional systems and interplay between state planning and market economy. A major objective of the paper is to identify and conceptualize unique logistics and trade features of GBA development, and to highlight opportunities for academic and policy research.

Albena Shkodrova. Communist Gourmet. The Curious Story of Food in the People’s Republic of Bulgaria

Albena Shkodrova. <i>Communist Gourmet. The Curious Story of Food in the People’s Republic of Bulgaria</i>

How’s it going with the CPTPP?

There is no doubt that the United States is losing out on market access. But one of the original goals of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was for a rules-based trading regime in the Pacific, namely rules not written by China. Thanks to Australia and Japan that seems to be happening even with the U.S. no longer at the helm. The Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership or the awkwardly nicknamed CPTPP is a Pacific trading bloc that consists of 11 countries, spanning the Pacific Rim, and includes Malaysia and Chile. The member countries represent 13% of world GDP. Once the UK officially joins, that figure jumps to 15% and the trade bloc will reach across the Atlantic. The United States was key in drafting the text of the agreement, starting with the George W. Bush administration, which was clear in its commitment to openness. As China shifted back to a more state-controlled economy, the Obama administration underscored a key U.S. goal: for the United States and not China to write the trade rules for Asia. Key goals included modernizing countries’ rules on ecommerce and digital trade and establishing rules on state-owned enterprises. The Obama administration carried the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) through right up to the finish line. President Trump took a sharp turn and withdrew the United States from the agreement, claiming the agreement would not be good for the United States. Even though there are signs that the American public is open to more trade, the Biden administration and Congress have not pursued Trade Promotion Authority or any new trade deals that would lock in more market access abroad. The United States is no doubt missing out on market access in parts of the Pacific, especially agriculture. But thanks to quiet leadership by Australia and Japan a rules-based trading bloc in the Pacific not led by China is forming.

Reform of Kosovo Competition Law: Closer to EU Competition Law

After the 1999 war, Kosovo’s economic model transformed from being a state-controlled economy, as it was under former Yugoslavia, towards a market economy.1 As the market economy emerged, a competition law and a responsible institution to enforce competition law were needed. In this context, in 2004, the first Law on Competition was adopted and entered into force on 11 July 2007.2 As stated in Article 1, the purpose was to ensure development of economy by prohibiting all undertakings, engaged in economic activity within or having economic impact within the territory of Kosovo, that restrict or distort competition. Albeit the Law on Competition aimed to ensure the development of a sound market economy, it faced several setbacks to its implementation due to (i) lack of administrative capacity,3 (ii) a delay in establishing the competition authority,4 (iii) politicization regarding the method of appointing the members of the competition authority,5 and (iv) a failure in the implementation of its provisions.6

How are informal transport networks formed? Bridging planning and political economy of labour

This paper presents a model for understanding how private-sector transport operators make individual and collective decisions on the change and expansion of transport networks, based on a comparison of Lilongwe, Malawi; Kampala, Uganda; and Nairobi, Kenya. This network geography underpins accessibility, including the equity, affordability and usefulness of mass transportation services available to different people across the space of cities. Governance of informal transport remains disjointed, and planning processes within the sector itself are rarely engaged with. Neither top-down nor bottom-up, this study finds that different forms of internal organization, the role and power of workers, and the geographic scope and level of organization in the industry affect the planning practices of operators and the ways and locations to which they expand their services. Where there is little route-level organization, independent vehicles have difficulty creating services to new destinations. Where route-level organizations take the initiative and invest capital to start new services, whether vehicle owners or frontline workers such as drivers and conductors are more involved leads to different levels of dialogue with communities and different willingness to tolerate internal conflict, creating different types of transport networks and different mobility patterns.

A hybrid physical-data approach for solving dynamic optimal power flow considering uncertainties and different topology configurations

The security and economy of power system operation or planning are threatened by various uncertain factors, including the unpredictability of renewable energy, the variation of topology configurations, and significant load fluctuation. It is a challenge to solve dynamic optimal power flow efficiently for the operation and planning of power system considering uncertainties on both Renewable generation and Load, as well as different Topology configurations (RLT-DOPF). For fast solving the RLT-DOPF problem, we propose a hybrid physical-data approach using a physics-driven method — two-stage robust optimization approach based on an improved uncertainty set, and a data-driven method combined the Graph convolutional network with Long short term memory named GL-DOPF. The two-stage robust optimization approach can supply robust solutions for the RLT-DOPF problem under various topology configurations. Then the GL-DOPF model is trained using a training dataset that includes robust solutions. The solutions for RTL-DOPF are available with the trained GL-DOPF model and an AC power flow calculation fast. Simulations on IEEE 30/300-bus systems show that the speedup of the proposed hybrid physical-data approach is x25/29 as compared to a robust optimization method for RLT-DOPF under almost the same accuracy and the solutions for RTL-DOPF are feasible and robust. The training dataset for GL-DOPF generated from the proposed two-stage robust optimization model is less conservative than the original RO models and can cover the prediction errors of uncertainties. The effectiveness and robustness of the proposed hybrid physical-data approach for the RLT-DOPF problem clearly outperform.

План и рынок в смешанной экономике. Обеспечение базового дохода и занятости

Based on the justified criticism of the planned economy (PE) by Ludwig von Mises, the author concludes that the planned economic activity organization will be more effective compared to the market economy if used in combination with the market form in stationary areas of the economy oriented towards irreducible demand while manufactured goods will be distributed equally and free of charge. Criteria are proposed to determine which products are more efficient to produce in a planned manner in a mixed planned-market economy. The author shows that the introduction of a mixed economy makes it possible to best solve the problem of providing citizens with a universal basic income (UBI), simultaneously finding the answer to the issue of ensuring universal employment.

Non-Dominated Sorting-Based Hybrid Optimization Technique for Multi-Objective Hydrothermal Scheduling

Short-term hydrothermal scheduling problem plays an important role in maintaining a high degree of economy and reliability in power system operational planning. Since electric power generation from fossil fired plants forms a major part of hydrothermal generation mix, therefore their emission contributions cannot be neglected. Hence, multi-objective short term hydrothermal scheduling is formulated as a bi-objective optimization problem by considering (a) minimizing economical power generation cost, (b) minimizing environmental emission pollution, and (c) simultaneously minimizing both the conflicting objective functions. This paper presents a non-dominated sorting disruption-based oppositional gravitational search algorithm (NSDOGSA) to solve multi-objective short-term hydrothermal scheduling (MSHTS) problems and reveals that (i) the short-term hydrothermal scheduling problem is extended to a multi-objective short-term hydrothermal scheduling problem by considering economical production cost (EPC) and environmental pollution (EEP) simultaneously while satisfying various diverse constraints; (ii) by introducing the concept of non-dominated sorting (NS) in gravitational search algorithm (GSA), it can optimize two considered objectives such as EPC and EEP simultaneously and can also obtain a group of conflicting solutions in one trial simulation; (iii) in NSDOGSA, the objective function in terms fitness for mass calculation has been represented by its rank instead of its EPC &amp; EEP values by using the NS approach; (iv) an elite external archive set is defined to keep the NS solutions with the idea of spread indicator; (v) the optimal schedule value is extracted by using fuzzy decision approach; (vi) a consistent handling strategy has been adopted to handle effectively the system constraints; (vii) finally, the NSDOGSA approach is verified on two test systems with valve point loading effects and transmission loss, and (viii) computational discussion show that the NSDOGSA gives improved optimal results in comparison to other existing methods, which qualifies that the NSDOGSA is an effective and competitive optimization approach for solving complex MSHTS problems.