Proximity Of Countries Research Articles

What you google is where you are from: Power and proximity in the global information flow of online searches

What information do people search about other countries and why? In this study we coded and analyzed more than 15,000 Google searches related to France and Spain during a 16-year period, from 18 countries with diverse characteristics and relationships with France and Spain. We coded these search queries into topical categories. We also collected country-level variables to reflect the power of each country and its proximity to France and Spain. We studied the associations between the components of power and proximity of countries and their search topics. Our findings reveal that the power and proximity of the searching countries can predict much of their search topics with some specific differences between France and Spain. While economically powerful countries tend to search more for travel destinations, poorer countries search more for sports. Richer countries with geographic proximity tend to search for shopping and transportation, while poorer countries with historical and cultural proximity search more for language and education opportunities. We propose an integrative model to assess the different dimensions of power and proximity of countries and discuss the implications of our findings to theories of global information flows.

International methods of accounting and giving financial reporting to banking institutions

The article analyzes the trends of annual increase in the number of countries that encourage the use of IFRS in their territories in different companies and in different spheres of activity. Developed system of IFRS implementation, their transparency and openness will further lead to a significant improvement in relations with investors and increase their confidence in banks. The comparison of the status of the IFRS use for organizations around the world has been conducted. The immediate connection between the effective activity of banking institutions in foreign countries and the introduction of IFRS has been demonstrated. The factors of proximity of countries to the political forces formed in IASB have been highlighted, and the indicators of probable national strategies of IFRS implementation in different countries of the world have been given. While Ukraine is one of the countries that has quite weak political influence on the management decisions of the IASC. It was found out that in Ukraine the process of harmonization of accounting with IFRS in the banking sector began in 1998, however they began to be considered as a subject of regulation only recently. Nowadays, IFRS is already the basis of UAS and other regulations, which indicates the effectiveness of the process of combining national characteristics of doing business in Ukraine with international ones. It has been established that an important factor in adjusting the Ukrainian banking accounting system is to provide real financial information about the true price of assets of the bank, their profitability, transparency of accounting activities, creating effective methodological and legal documents governing the accounting of financial instruments under international rules. The plans of bank accounts before and after the reform have been considered, their advantages and disadvantages have been outlined. In this research the general problems in banking institutions in the process of implementing international standards, as well as possible ways to solve them have been also analyzed. The process of monitoring the quality of financial reporting in banks is also important. The analysis of foreign systems of this process has shown that the most favorable for Ukrainian banks is the control structure used in Germany. Among the main risks of full implementation of IFRS in banking institutions of Ukraine, we have identified: 1) internal ‒ an increase in the number of users of financial information; content of corporate reporting (integrated, non-financial, management); corporate auditing policy; 2) external ‒ financial risks; the danger of rapid integration into international financial markets; interest rate risks. Key words: accounting, IFRS, banks, organization of accounting, chart of accounts, regulation of accounting standard, financial

Commercial Relations Between Brazil and India: An Analysis of Trade Chain and the Challenger for the Coming Years

Brazil and India are distinct countries in many fields such as culture, politics and religion, but some similar characteristics are noted. When it comes to territorial extension and population, the two countries are classified as emerging and are currently members of the BRICS Summit. The proximity of countries has become evident in the 21st century, where they seek to achieve the same goal, a greater participation in the world order. The trade relationship between them aims at positive impacts on both economies. This paper seeks to present the characteristics of the Brazil-India trade relationship and its implications for Brazil. Part of the scope of this research was the study of the relationship between the Brazil-India Trade Chain and some macroeconomic variables of these countries, for that a nonlinear causality test was applied, and the Factorial Analysis (main components) was also used. Finally, three methodologies were applied to model and forecast the Trade Chain (cross-validated LASSO, Neural Networks and non-tuned Random Forest) and a comparison was made between the metric performances, thus generating a satisfactory result, where was it noted that India presents a growing share of its trade balance on the GDP, which makes this market attractive to Brazil, because there is a significant increase in commercial relations.

COVID-19 fatalities, latitude, sunlight, and vitamin D

BackgroundSince Vitamin D is known to be vital in regulating the immune system, and sunlight UV radiation exposure on the skin produces Vitamin D and UV intensity is highest nearest the equator, a study was done to examine the correlation between the latitude and COVID-19 fatality rates for countries.MethodsEighty-eight countries were selected based on their likelihood of providing reliable data. Using death rates/million for each country from the “worldometer” website, a correlation analysis was done between death rates and a country's latitude.ResultsA highly significant, positive correlation was found between lower death rates and a country's proximity to the equator (Pearson r = 0.40 P < .0001, 2-tailed t test). The R squared of 0.16 means that 16% of the variation in death rates among nations is accounted for by the latitude of the country. Evidence is presented suggesting a direct correlation between sunlight exposure and reduced mortality.DiscussionThis study is the first to document a statistically significant correlation between a country's latitude and its COVID-19 mortality and is consistent with other research regarding latitude, Vitamin D deficiency, and COVID-19 fatalities. Limitations of this study are noted.ConclusionsFurther research is needed to confirm the correlation between latitude and COVID-19 fatalities, and to determine the optimum amounts of safe sunlight exposure and/or vitamin D oral supplementation to reduce COVID-19 fatalities in populations that are at high risk for vitamin D deficiency.

The proximity of nations to a socially sustainable steady-state economy

There has been increasing interest in new economic models that aim to improve quality of life without increasing consumption. This article provides the first empirical analysis of how close modern-day economies are to the concept of a “steady-state economy”, and explores whether there is any relationship between a country's proximity to such an economy and its social performance. The analysis is carried out using the Degrowth Accounts, a set of 16 biophysical and social indicators that are derived from Herman Daly's definition of a steady-state economy and the social goals of the degrowth movement. These indicators are applied to ∼180 countries over a 10-year period. The analysis reveals that the majority of countries in the world are biophysical growth economies. There are only a small number of countries where resource use is relatively constant from year to year (e.g. Denmark, France, Japan, Poland, Romania, and the US), and only four countries experiencing biophysical degrowth (Germany, Guyana, Moldova, and Zimbabwe). There are no countries that achieve a true steady-state economy, defined as an economy with a stable level of resource use maintained within ecological limits. However, a few countries come relatively close, including Colombia, Cuba, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, and South Africa. In general, countries with stable resource use perform better on many social indicators than countries with either increasing or decreasing resource use. This finding runs contrary to conventional economic thought. However, social performance is also higher in countries with greater per capita resource use. Overall, these findings suggest that a steady-state economy can be socially sustainable, but countries need to become much more efficient at transforming natural resources into human well-being if all seven billion people on Earth are to lead a good life within ecological limits.

Ukraine and the great biofuel potential? A political material flow analysis

Ukraine was once considered the breadbasket of the Soviet Union, its agriculture subject to both extensification and intensification measures. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, both these processes were reversed, giving modern-day Ukraine the image of untapped agricultural potential. Alongside the country's proximity to the European Union and its access to the Black Sea, this has made Ukraine a key candidate as a global supplier of feedstock for biofuel. Demand for the latter is rising noticeably, especially in the wake of current European and international blending targets for liquid biofuels. Ukraine has responded with a number of initiatives to further biofuel feedstock production. We have compiled a material flow account for Ukraine, focusing especially on the development of the agricultural sector since the early 1990s. By complementing this physical account with an in-depth analysis of political and economic developments, we are able to trace the impact of rising demand for biofuel feedstock on Ukraine. We find that the attempt to establish a biofuel sector based largely on rapeseed was not successful but has nonetheless left the country at a cross-road in the development of both its economy and its resource use.

First molecular assessment of the African swine fever virus status of Ornithodoros ticks from Swaziland.

African swine fever (ASF) is an economically significant haemorrhagic disease of domestic pigs. It is caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV), a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)arbovirus. Argasid ticks of the genus Ornithodoros, which are widely distributed throughout southern Africa, play a primary role in virus maintenance and spread within the endemic sylvatic cycle. The ASF status of Swaziland is unknown, but this land-locked country is surrounded by ASF-positive countries, has a burgeoning pig industry and sylvatic cycle hosts present within its borders. In this first assessment of ASF status, warthog burrows in seven nature reserves and game management areas in Swaziland were investigated for tick and virus presence. Tick infestation rates of between 33.3% - 88.8% were recovered for the four Ornithodoros-infested reserves. A total of 562 ticks were screened for virus genome presence using a duplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) that targets the C-terminal end of the p72 gene of the ASFV and confirms DNA integrity through amplification of the 16S rRNA tick host gene. All samples were negative for virus genome presence and positive for the tick genome target. Nucleotide sequencing of the latter confirmed that Ornithodoros ticks from Swaziland are identical to those from the Kruger National Park in South Africa across the gene region characterised. Whilst this first evaluation of ASF presence in Swaziland indicates that the virus does not appear to be present in the key virus vector, the presence of sylvatic cycle hosts, together with the country's proximity to ASF-affected countries calls for expanded investigations and regular monitoring of the ASF status of Swaziland.

Testing the PPP hypothesis in bilateral real exchange rates of the Malawi kwacha

This article establishes that the bilateral Real Exchange Rates (RERs) of the Malawi kwacha mostly follow a nonlinear trend-stationary process in line with the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) hypothesis. The argument that the PPP hypothesis may be enhanced by the geographical proximity of countries is partially supported.

Policymakers’ perceptions of cardiovascular health in Europe

Prevention of cardiovascular disease at population level has proven to be both possible and successful. The European Heart Health Charter (EHHC) outlines goals for successful cardiovascular (CV) prevention both in individuals and at a national level. The objective of this study was to explore key European health policymakers' perceptions of their country's proximity to the EHHC-targets and their views on obstacles to domestic CV health and on the actions needed to improve it. Questionnaire, descriptive. The questionnaire was distributed to health policy leaders (n = 116) within the Ministries of Health, public health institutes, cardiac societies and heart foundations in 32 European countries, assessing previous knowledge, goal fulfilment of the EHHC, perceived obstacles to CV health, actions deemed to be important to improve the CV situation, and measures to promote CV health. The response rate was 68%. The general consensus was that the national CV situations were far from attaining the EHHC targets. How different health policy leaders rated the proximity to specific targets and measures did, however, not necessarily reflect the actual situation. There was a polarisation between the health policy leaders regarding obstacles to CV health and what actions are needed to improve it. There were small differences between the four professional groups and regions of the extent measures were believed to be used. Discrepant views on the CV situation and on the actions needed to improve it, underline the importance of information assessing the national situation and the necessity of a dialogue between organisations and policymakers responsible for CV disease throughout Europe.

Does It Matter Where Countries Are? Proximity to Knowledge, Markets and Resources, and MNE Location Choices

We suggest that the proximity of a country to other countries is a factor that affects its choice as a multinational enterprise (MNE) location. We introduce the concept of a country's proximity to the global distribution of knowledge, markets, and resources, and frame this concept as a function of both geographic distance and the worldwide spatial distribution of these factors. We test our location model on a data set comprising 138,050 investments undertaken by U.S. MNEs worldwide. Our findings show that the proximity of a country to the rest of the world has a positive impact on MNEs choosing that country as a location. Proximity to the world's knowledge and markets are stronger drivers of location choice than is proximity to the world's resources, after accounting for the country's own endowments. Larger firms are able to benefit more from remote locations than smaller firms are.

Does it Matter Where Countries Are? Proximity to Knowledge, Markets and Resources and MNE Location Choices

We suggest that the proximity of a country to other countries is a factor that affects its choice as an MNE location. We introduce the concept of a country's proximity to the global distribution of knowledge, markets and resources, and frame this concept as a function of both geographic distance and the worldwide spatial distribution of these factors. We test our location model on a dataset comprising 138,050 investments undertaken by US MNEs worldwide. Our findings show that the proximity of a country to the rest of the world has a positive impact on MNEs choosing that country as a location. Proximity to the world's knowledge and markets are stronger drivers of location choice than is proximity to the world's resources, after accounting for the country's own endowments. Larger firms are able to benefit more from remote locations than are smaller firms.

The United States, Japan, and the International Drug Trade: Troubled Partnership

Despite the efforts of the United States to enlist the support of other advanced industrial countries in the war against drugs of abuse and addiction, scholars appear to have paid scant attention to the political dynamics shaping relations between the U.S. and Japan on this issue.1 Japan's importance to the U.S. drug war has traditionally been in the country's proximity to the Southeast Asian heroin trade, has increased with the growing role played by Japanese banks in international financial transactions, and has become even more important since the September 1989 declarations by President Bush and Prime Minister Kaifu on global partnership in the war against drugs. Yet, Japanese participation in the drug war coordinated by the United States is paradoxical. In contrast to the drug problems faced by the U.S. and the European Community (EC), Japan has had only limited problems with heroin and cocaine. Instead, the Japanese war on drugs has focused primarily on stimulant drugs-amphetamines and methamphetamines-

Sunrise over Brussels: The first year of photography in Belgium

Abstract The virtually simultaneous announcement of the invention of photography in Paris and London in January 1839 marks the “official” birthday of the new technology. The reception given to this announcement in the course of that year, and the subsequent diffusion of knowledge and practice of the technology, show significant differences from country to country. These differences in impact and the rate of take-up may have depended on such factors as the country's proximity to the key events, its level of intellectual openness and general economic development, as well as the ex~stence of key individuals — businessmen and scientists — willing to experiment in the untried processes out of sheer curiosity or for personal gain.

The Struggle for Swazi Labour, 1890-1920

Although the results of colonial expansion have been described in other general studies of the region, this is the first book to take a close look at the case of the Swazi in Swaziland. Jonathan Crush shows that while the Swazi experienced many of the classic problems of underdevelopment, there were also a number of significant differences. For example, traditional relationships between chiefs and commoners showed much greater resilience than elsewhere. This considerably affected the pace and nature of Swaziland's incorporation into South Africa's notorious migrant labour system. As well, because of the country's proximity to a number of alternative labour markets, the Swazi had a greater choice of employment than did many other groups in the region. Crush shows how the Swazi were able to use the system to their own advantage and how this helped shape the patterns of early Swazi migrancy. The Struggle for Swazi Labour examines the changing nature of the Swazi migrant labour force, the spatial patterns and temporal rhythms of migration, and the emergence of the Witwatersrand as the dominant, though by no means exclusive, employer of Swazi labour. It also shows how the local history of white settlement and land alienation influenced the manner in which the Swazi were subordinated to foreign economic and political control. The book fills an important gap in the history of Swaziland and in the economic history of the south African region as a whole. It will be helpful to anyone wishing to understand the pre-eminence of traditional personalities and institutions in contemporary Swaziland, and to those seeking an explanation for South African economic domination of the surrounding countries. Its comparative perspective makes it valuable to a wide range of scholars with interests in the social and economic development of southern Africa, as well as to labour and social historians, rural economists, and economic geographers.