Time Of Economic Transition Research Articles

Herzegovina`s Literary Portrait in Alija Nametak`s and Almin Kaplan`s Prose Work

Alija Nametak and Almin Kaplan are two writers of Bosnian-Herzegovinian literature. Their prose work is defined by two separate historical periods. Alija Nametak`s prose originated in the 1930s, retaining a realistic poetic framework of storytelling and thematically entering into historical strife, folklore, and social relations amalgamated into the patriarchal way of life of Bosniak rural communities in Herzegovina. On the other hand, Almin Kaplan creates in the cultural climate of the first decades of the 21st century, combining poetic and prose expression in his literary work. Kaplan's literary world built on post-war actuality realistically depicts Bosnian society and convincingly portrays a man sandwiched between the magma of dreams and harsh reality, at the crossroads of personal and collective values, in a time of economic transition, unemployment, broken ethical values, and new globalist movements, but still burdened by the war trauma of the 1990s. Although they are separated by almost the whole century, Alija Nametak and Almin Kaplan can be connected by certain similarities that will be the backbone of this research: woven into the Herzegovinian ambiance with all its geographical, historical, social, and cultural conditions, both draw their literary motifs from the socio-cultural landscape of Herzegovina, which is a stage for small human stories and universal truths. The research corpus of this paper will be based on the novel Meho (2019) and the collection of short stories Dubravske priče (2020) by Almin Kaplan and several short stories from the collection Trava zaboravka (1966/1998) by Alija Nametak.

After Empire Comes Home: Economic Experiences of Japanese Civilian Repatriates, 1945–56

The economic impact of large influxes of population is a complex topic. This research contributes to this field by examining one of the most significant, but least researched, examples of postwar migration – the repatriation of more than six million (including three million civilians and demobilised soldiers each) to Japan after the Second World War. One pervasive image of Japanese civilian repatriates is that of the immigrant farmer of Manchuria who settled as a part of Japan’s Manchurian policies and had difficult repatriation experiences under the hostility of local people. However, many returned from other regions as well, including Korea and Sakhalin, and repatriates consisted of not only farmers but also colonial government officials, employees of public and private corporations, and small business owners, amongst others. This paper specifically focuses on civilian repatriates in selected prefectures (Ibaraki, Hiroshima, Kanagawa and Osaka) in 1956 and their occupational changes during the time of economic transition. Whilst it is evident that for many repatriates the postwar transition was not entirely smooth, the data presented in this research suggests that in contrast to prevailing notions, repatriates’ postwar resettlement was facilitated by a) employment in family farming and the tertiary sector, b) employment at government agencies or c) the transferability of repatriates’ skills in industry and retail and services. The information from the 1956 government survey into repatriates’ postwar lives shows that approximately 60 per cent of repatriates fell in these categories, while the other 40 per cent found employment in new areas or became unemployed. As a result, despite the scale of the repatriation, the settlement was broadly successful. It can be argued that this type of transition helped to bring political and economic stability, which became a foundation of Japan’s postwar growth.

Redeveloping Old Havana: The Challenge of Maintaining Social Equity in the Face of Rapid Change

AbstractThis research explores the ways that professionals and the processes in which they engage for the redevelopment of the historic district of Old Havana, Cuba, consider social sustainability. As Cuba proceeds with ongoing market reforms, the country is faced with significant challenges in maintaining social equity, particularly within the urban region of Havana. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with urban planners, architects, economists, community activists, urban agronomists, medical professionals, housing specialists, and religious leaders in this unique sociocultural context in a time of economic transition. Literature on social sustainability in urban regeneration and the social determinants of health informed categories for framing and analyzing social implications of redevelopment and economic change. Our findings indicate that substantial measures are being taken to reinvest in housing and social infrastructure while restoring historic structures and promoting tourism. However, due to overwhelming challenges that planning professionals and health practitioners face, such as inadequate supply and crumbling housing infrastructure, difficulties remain in addressing health, safety, and security concerns. Despite the country’s legacy of community-focused values, changing conditions have increasingly given rise to two Havanas, exemplified by a dual economy, a generational split, and an unsettling of spiritual identity across lines of race and class. Cuba’s foundational social equity values, which prioritize access to health, education, and housing, seem to be at risk of unraveling as the country transitions toward a more open, market-oriented economic system.

Valuing managerial flexibility: an application of real option valuation in time of economic transition

The purpose of the paper is to present a real option valuation (ROV) model that will help to measure the value of managerial flexibility. The value of managerial flexibility appears to play a pivotal role nowadays, given the transition nature of Latvian economy. There are few academic works on the topic, yet none of the major companies in the Latvia have publicised ROV application. We have carried out ROV based on Scenario Planning and Strategic Alternatives. Having combined Scenario planning with Monte Carlo simulation and Risk–Neutral Probability–based ROV with alternative strategies of Company, authors provided a solution to the company's problem at hand. Thereby we have identified value maximising decisions regarding the Business Unit of the Latvian Company. The flow chart of ROV application has been created which would be a useful 'road map' for Latvian practitioners in time of economic transition.

Transformation of Scenario Planning into a Real Options Valuation in Time of Economic Transition: Latvian Case

The value of managerial flexibility appears to play a pivotal role nowadays, given the transition nature of Latvian economy. Overall aim of the research is to carry out Real Options Valuation (ROV) based on Scenario Planning, thereby identifying value maximizing decisions regarding the Business Unit of the Latvian Company. Having combined Scenario planning with Monte Carlo simulation and Risk-Neutral Probability-based ROV with alternative strategies of Company, authors provided a solution to the company's problem at hand. The flow chart of ROV application has been created which would be a useful “road map” for Latvian practitioners in time of economic uncertainties.

Chinese Bureaucracy in the Time of Economic Transition: the Case of State Economic and Trade Commission

Chinese Bureaucracy in the Time of Economic Transition: the Case of State Economic and Trade Commission

Restructuring and repositioning Shenzhen, China's new mega city

Shenzhen, a new mega city founded under China's ‘open door’ policy, has experienced dramatic urban development over the past 30 years. From humble beginnings as a fishing village before the 1980s, it benefited from locational advantage next to Hong Kong, an autonomous city with a global role in finance and trade. Shenzhen was first among cities in China to adapt the capitalist world's urban development practices to an indigenous, centrally controlled land management system. As a new city, Shenzhen may best represent the role of planning in a time of economic transition. Urban planning in Shenzhen was ambitious in its reach, using ‘experimental reform’ as a vehicle for institutionalising changes in management of the land resource. These reforms became generalised in China, leading to a recent decline in academic investigation of Shenzhen. While the city as ‘reformer’ seems to have run its course, new challenges upset the old assumptions and call for more research. Today, as industry moves inland away from increasingly costly coastal areas, the city is grappling with the need to restructure its economic base. The city has undertaken major infrastructural projects in a bid to secure its role as a major transhipment hub and logistics command centre, while also developing a rail-based mass transit system. The regeneration of disused industrial land and ‘urban villages’, built up to accommodate at low cost a huge factory workforce, are important ongoing city programmes. While the city extends its infrastructure to connect more effectively with the rest of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) and with Hong Kong, more fundamental questions surround its role within a restructuring regional economy. Ambitions for international stature, bolstered by a large and young population base, a world-class port and modern facilities are challenged by a rapidly evolving regional economy.

Redefining Adult Education in an Emerging Economy: The Example of Shenzhen, China

At a time of economic transition, when jobs are continually disappearing and emerging, adult education and training in the workplace have developed very rapidly to meet the needs of skills development. This paper looks at how firms and their employees deal with workplace changes in the Shenzhen conurbation, site of China's earliest experiment in introducing a market economy. The author finds that adult education and on-the-job training are taking on new roles in aiding development. He argues that, while learning to reorganise production, firms have taken charge of meeting the demand for human capital in a changing workplace. At the same time, individual employees are becoming conscientious learners and accessing adult education as a means of personal development in their work lives.