Suchergebnisse

Every economist must be pleased to start some hares; it can become embarrassing, however, when they begin to breed like rabbits. In the ten years since we first tried our slavery model in public, in Professor Gerschenkron's history seminar, more than thirty published arguments addressed to that model have come to our attention. We don't pretend to know whether that represents an increased output over preceding decades. Besides, in our youthful enthusiasm we gave the impression that we were disposing, once and for all, of a piece of intellectual game that was already rather high. In any event, the apparent egocentricity that turned up all those papers and articles may be explained, if not justified, by Ralph Barton Perry's dictum that every reader looks up two references in an index: sex, and his own name.

Introduction. - 1 Peacebuilding: Conceptual Framework-From An Agenda for Peace and its Supplement to An Agenda for Development. - 2 Economic reconstruction amid the multidisciplinary transition to peace. - 3 The economics of war, the economics of conflict resolution, the economics of peace, the economics of development. - 4 Economic reconstruction vs development: Evolving conceptual views. - 5 Peacebuilding at the UN-From conceptualization to operationalization. - 6 The peacebuilding record, lessons, and challenges. - 7 Specific economic issues affecting peacebuilding in selected countries. - 8 Policymaking premises for effective economic reconstruction. - 9 Moving forward: Thinking outside the box

Examines UN missions which combine both civilian and military responsibilities that engage a variety of agencies within the UN system; focus on El Salvador.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explain the competitiveness obstacles that European businesses face, which, if not addressed, limit the potential of the EU economy, particularly in terms of the Lisbon goals. Adopting a broadly defined compliance‐centred approach, the paper seeks to identify how some significant competitiveness obstacles of European business might best be addressed.Design/methodology/approachIn‐depth interviews in 44 multinational and medium‐sized companies were used to investigate compliance requirements, the tools and methods used to manage compliance, compliance‐related obstacles to competitiveness. A survey of four European Information Centres was conducted to evaluate their effectiveness in achieving their stated mission.FindingsOrganisations lacked systems to proactively manage compliance to allow them to deepen or sustain their competitive positioning. Companies were concerned with the reliability and comprehensiveness of reports on compliance risks and how these could be related to prioritised strategic goals. A gap was identified between regulation production and dissemination, and conversion of regulatory information into knowledge used to gain and maintain business advantage. This gap is inadequately filled by business supports, including the European Information Centres.Originality/valueThe business‐focused approach to managing compliance suggested here could increase the competitiveness of EU businesses and the EIC Network is potentially well positioned to play its part in the value‐adding process of both the providers and consumers of EU information.

In light of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, this project synthesizes and advances critiques of the possibility of a sustainable capitalism by adopting an explicit 'negative' theory of ideology, understood as ideas that conceal contradictions through the reification and/or legitimation of the existing social order. Prominent climate change policy frameworks – the 'greening' of markets (market-corrective measures), technology (alternative energy, energy efficiency, and geoengineering), and growth (the green growth strategy) – are shown to conceal one or both of the two systemic socio-ecological contradictions inherent in the current social formation: (1) a contradiction between capital's growth-dependence and the latter's degrading impact on the climate (the 'capital-climate contradiction') and (2) a contradiction between the potential of using technological infrastructure that aids in emissions reductions and the institutionalized social relations that obstruct this technical potential (the 'technical potential-productive relations contradiction'). Attempts to reform the very techniques and institutions that brought about the climate crisis will remain ineffective and reproduce the social order that results in climate change. After proposing a way in which societies might move out of the ideological trappings of green markets, technology, and growth, two alternatives are proposed: economic degrowth coupled with Marcuse's conception of a 'new technology'.

The desire for unification is deeply rooted in European thought, & the concept has gained in importance & acceptance over the cent's. At the close of WW II, Europe lay in shambles which were the culmination of strife, misrepresentation, & hatred. Separated from its eastern portion & faced with the Communist menace, Western Europe had the choice of cooperation or going under. Co-operation was chosen. Obstacles to practical unification, some of them formidable, remain, but they can be overcome. The divisive forces which exist - & which Communist leaders hope to exploit in order to break Western solidarity - include geography, racial myths, language barriers, history, religion, cultural diff's, psychol'al factors, nat'lism, econ competition, problems of minorities, & divergent foreign-policy objectives. The split of Europe into East & West means that unification can be discussed in immediate terms only for Western Europe &, indeed, for only a part of that. Expecting too much too fast in Europe can only lead to disillusionment, yet the progress toward European community since WWII has been little short of phenomenal, & the obstacles which challenge unification are no cause for despair. AA.

The desire for unification is deeply rooted in European thought, and the concept has gained in importance and acceptance over the centuries. At the close of World War II, Europe lay in shambles which were the culmination of strife, misrepresentation, and hatred. Separated from its eastern portion and faced with the Communist menace, West ern Europe had the choice of co-operation or going under. Co- operation was chosen. Obstacles to practical unification, some of them formidable, remain, but they can be overcome. The divisive forces which exist—and which Communist leaders hope to exploit in order to break Western solidarity—include geogra phy, racial myths, language barriers, history, religion, cultural differences, psychological factors, nationalism, economic com petition, problems of minorities, and divergent foreign-policy objectives. The split of Europe into East and West means that unification can be discussed in immediate terms only for Western Europe and, indeed, for only a part of that. Expect ing too much too fast in Europe cannot but lead to disillusion ment, yet the progress toward European community since World War II has been little short of phenomenal, and the obstacles which challenge unification are no cause for despair. —Ed.

The Creative Citizens project asks whether new media enhance new forms and scale of creative civic activities. If so, the project seeks to identify practices that will exploit this new individual and collective activity, presumably as a means of achieving authentic self-governance. This paper considers three potential obstacles to the realization of a creative citizenship: that the sort of political engagement it fosters may be too personal and episodic; that the commonsensical political knowledge typical of politics known at a distance as performance and simulation may impose further limits on effective understanding and engagement; and that the emerging new media environment may be different enough that today's digital skills and relationships may be insufficient in the medium term. The paper looks at the same conditions that inspire the creative citizenship project and reaches reverse conclusions – but not on the grounds of nostalgia or pessimism.