Suchergebnisse

International audience ; This paper introduces a refined approach to conceptualising the commons in order to shed new light on cooperative practices. Specifically, it proposes the novel concept of Common-Property Assets (CPAs). CPAs are exclusively human-made resources owned under common-property ownership regimes. Our CPA model combines quantity (the flow of resource units available to members) and quality (the impact produced on the community by the members' appropriation of the resource flow). While these two dimensions are largely pre-existing in the conventional case of natural common-pool resources, they directly depend on members' collective action in CPAs. We apply this theoretical framework to farm machinery sharing agreements-a widespread grassroots cooperative phenomenon in agriculture-using a systematic literature review to generalise the findings from a sample of 54 studies published from 1950 to 2018. Our findings show that in successful CPAs, members endorse and do not deviate from a quantity-quality equilibrium that is collectively agreed upon. Despite the existence of thresholds for both quantity and quality due to (axiological) membership heterogeneity, qualitative changes in respect of the common good are possible in CPAs that promote democratic practices. Our study has potentially strong implications for developing ethics in cooperatives and the sustainable development of communities worldwide.

International audience ; This paper introduces a refined approach to conceptualising the commons in order to shed new light on cooperative practices. Specifically, it proposes the novel concept of Common-Property Assets (CPAs). CPAs are exclusively human-made resources owned under common-property ownership regimes. Our CPA model combines quantity (the flow of resource units available to members) and quality (the impact produced on the community by the members' appropriation of the resource flow). While these two dimensions are largely pre-existing in the conventional case of natural common-pool resources, they directly depend on members' collective action in CPAs. We apply this theoretical framework to farm machinery sharing agreements-a widespread grassroots cooperative phenomenon in agriculture-using a systematic literature review to generalise the findings from a sample of 54 studies published from 1950 to 2018. Our findings show that in successful CPAs, members endorse and do not deviate from a quantity-quality equilibrium that is collectively agreed upon. Despite the existence of thresholds for both quantity and quality due to (axiological) membership heterogeneity, qualitative changes in respect of the common good are possible in CPAs that promote democratic practices. Our study has potentially strong implications for developing ethics in cooperatives and the sustainable development of communities worldwide.

This article examines how pollution and its health effects during childhood can affect the dynamics of inequalities among households. In a model in which children's health is endogenously determined by pollution and the health investments of parents, we show that the economy may exhibit inequality in the long run and be stuck in an inequality trap with steadily increasing disparities, because of pollution. We investigate if an environmental policy, consisting in taxing the polluting production to fund pollution abatement, can address this issue. We find that it can decrease inequality in the long run and enable to escape from the trap if the emission intensity is not too high and if initial disparities are not too wide. Otherwise, we reveal that a policy mix with an additional subsidy to health expenditure may be a better option, at least if parental investment on children's health is sufficiently efficient.

Article à paraitre dans la Revue économique et monétaire de la BCEAO ; International audience ; In the context of the worrying new rise in central government debt in ECOWAS, this article determines through a non-linear approach, the debt threshold not to be exceeded so that central government debt has a positive effect on economic growth. By adopting Hansen's (1999) approach, the analysis carried out over the period 2007-2016 reveals the existence of a debt threshold estimated at 30.71% of GDP, threshold below which any additional debt has a positive effect on economic growth. Conversely, above 30.71% of GDP, central government debt has a negative effect on economic growth. The threshold estimated in this article corroborates those in the recent literature. Nevertheless, it should not be considered as a static, optimal threshold that could compromise the validity of the budgetary norm in force in the region, which limits the debt to 70% of GDP. The gap between the two thresholds is due to the fact that the estimated threshold is endogenous, i.e. it takes into account the debt behaviour over the period considered in this paper. The article then proposes economic policies for making fiscal policies more effective, for slowing the rise in debt levels, and finally discusses the potential consequences of the rapid increase in debt on the West African regional monetary integration process. ; Dans le contexte de la nouvelle montée inquiétante de la dette du gouvernement central dans la CEDEAO, cet article détermine à travers une approche non linéaire, le seuil d'endettement à ne pas excéder de sorte que la dette du gouvernement central ait un effet positif sur la croissance économique. En adoptant l'approche de Hansen (1999), les estimations effectuées sur la période 2007-2016 révèlent l'existence d'un seuil d'endettement estimé à 30,71% du PIB ; seuil en dessous duquel une dette additionnelle a un effet positif sur la croissance économique. En revanche, au-delà de 30,71% du PIB, la dette du gouvernement central a un ...

Over the past decades, Turkish economic growth was fueled by availability of credit. A potential credit starvation poses a significant risk for the private sector, which has been the main beneficiary of the last decade. In order to avoid a long recovery, which is typical for recessions accompanied by debt overhangs, Turkey needs to have banks resume lending. This doesn't seem possible given the at-limit sources and unattractive profitability of the banking sector. Therefore, troubled assets on bank balance sheets need to be cleared with timely and competent action. Naturally, this could work only if accompanied with a rational, predictable and market-friendly macroeconomic framework and certain regulatory/ judiciary support. The public-private partnership approach to deal with distressed assets advocated in this paper would (i) support private sector (employment, commercial capacity, value chains around certain firms) while improving its competitiveness (elimination of zombies, creating at scale firms); (ii) enable banking system to resume lending thanks to released capital; (iii) use taxpayer funds effectively through an independent, transparent and performance-oriented vehicle; (iv) mobilize foreign funding resources; and (v) send a strong positive signal to the broader market. Enough experience on distressed asset relief programs has been accumulated by EBRD and IFC in the aftermath of the global crisis.

1. The vision of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is to achieve a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific (Figure 1). Strategy 2030 sets the course for ADB to respond effectively to the region's changing needs by focusing on poverty and inequalities, gender equality, climate change, livable cities, rural development, governance, and regional cooperation.1 2. Strategy 2030 recognizes that rapidly changing digital technology is resulting in profound changes to the way people live, work, interact, and do business in Asia and the Pacific, and is bringing new opportunities. 3. To deliver a stronger, better, and faster organization, ADB will enhance human resources, maintain a strong country presence, improve its products and instruments, modernize business processes, and improve operational efficiency. 4. Critical to the implementation of Strategy 2030 will be the digital transformation of ADB through the use of secure, modern information and technology (IT) systems and digital processes to enhance effectiveness, efficiency, and resilience. 5. The Digital Agenda 2030 provides the vision and road map for ADB's digital transformation. It builds on the progress made under the Information Systems and Technology Strategy (ISTS) III,2 including the Real-Time ADB IT reforms commenced in 2016, and responds to huge demand throughout the organization and among clients and partners for more modern and connected IT systems. The Digital Agenda will be implemented in stages with Stage 1 covering 2019–2023.

International audience ; The issue of countries' competitiveness and sustainable economic growth is constantly at the centre of interest and represents the frequent object of research in economic theory as well as economic practice. The multi-criterial approach and the assessment methodologies relating to the global competitiveness have been dynamically adjusted over the recent years to reflect the current globalization trends in the world economy. The main objective of this study is to analyse the objectivity and resulting values' deviations of the Global competitiveness Index (GCI) and World Competitiveness Index (WCI) composite indexes that are currently considered to be the world's most respected and to identify the impact of key factors that affect the countries' competitive positions with a focus on Slovakia. The research study is realized within the group of EU (24) countries for the period 2006 – 2016. The partial objective is to summarize the main starting points of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and Institute for Management Development (IMD) composing these indices, to identify their common features and different approaches that create differences in the results achieved. Then we analyzed the differences between the resulting rankings and the resulting scores of the GCI and WCI rated countries. In the next part, we focused on analyzing the position of Slovakia using the correlation and multiple regression analysis and identifying the interrelationships between individual pillars and the GCI score in order to determine the impact of key factors that influence the competitive position and sustainable growth of Slovakia and improve or worsen its position. Our results highlighted the economic and statistical context of GCI Slovakia development and the impact of the following key pillars and key factors: pillar P1 (P1: Institutions – Public trust in politicians), pillar P3 (P3: Macroeconomic environment – Government debt) and pillar P11 (P11: Business sophistication – Nature of competitive advantage). All ...

The challenging geography and poor infrastructure of many Pacific nations mean digital financial services (DFS) are a particularly effective means of enhancing financial inclusion in the region. However, a number of major challenges confront DFS in the Pacific, including the establishment of reliable agent networks and the building of sufficient consumer trust in DFS for it to become a viable payments channel. This report examines the current use of DFS in the Pacific, analyzes the issues that need to be addressed, and provides recommendations for increasing financial inclusion in the region.

On the African continent, the usage of mobile money, an innovative, new form of financial service, is expanding rapidly. According to the World Bank's,1 Global Findex Database 2014, 13 countries with the highest user bases in proportion to the population (>10%) were all located in sub-Saharan Africa. Mobile money, a typical model of FinTech industry, is regarded as a practical alternative to the classical banking system. Due to the minimal requirements for its financial service infrastructure, mobile money services are expanding rapidly across developing countries. The widespread usage of mobile money services in Africa is viewed as a meaningful progress in financial innovation in that the service was formed on the back of local demand. The companies distributing the service in this case took a bottom-up approach in developing the platform. The new service, now expanding from developing countries to well developed countries, shows how innovative solutions to a local problem could engender a completely new type of service that could be applied globally. Therefore, we need to assess the current usage pattern of the service and try to understand its impact on the consumer banking service in Africa and beyond.

Joël Rideau addresses in this article the legal content of the participation of the Member States in the European Union and the problems arising with that membership. Considers it essential to indicate to the fullest extent possible the different situations prevailing in the Member States in order to take action on the problems encountered, on the solutions given, but also on the persisting non-compliance. From that point of view, the French situation is thus analysed as the fruit of that 50 years' participation in the construction of Europe. ; Joël Rideau se v tomto článku zabývá právním obsahem účasti členských států v Evropské unii a problémy vzniklými s tímto členstvím. Považuje za podstatné uvedení co možná nejúplněji různé situace, které v členských státech převládají, aby byla přijata opatření týkající se vzniklých problémů, daných řešení, ale také přetrvávajícího nesouladu. Z tohoto hlediska je tak analyzována francouzská situace jako plod témeř padesátileté účasti na výstavbě Evropy. ; Joël Rideau addresses in this article the legal content of the participation of the Member States in the European Union and the problems arising with that membership. Considers it essential to indicate to the fullest extent possible the different situations prevailing in the Member States in order to take action on the problems encountered, on the solutions given, but also on the persisting non-compliance. From that point of view, the French situation is thus analysed as the fruit of that 50 years' participation in the construction of Europe. ; International audience

In a wide-ranging and in-depth study of the recent history of anthropology, David Price offers a provocative account of the ways anthropology has been influenced by U.S. imperial projects around the world, and by CIA funding in particular. DUAL USE ANTHROPOLOGY is the third in Price's trilogy on the history of the discipline of anthropology and its tangled relationship with the American military complex. He argues that anthropologists' interactions with Cold War military and intelligence agencies shaped mid-century American anthropology and that governmental and private funding of anthropological research programs connected witting and unwitting anthropologists with research of interest to military and intelligence agencies. Price gives careful accounts of CIA interactions with the American Anthropological Association (AAA), the development of post-war area studies programs, and new governmental funding programs articulated with Cold War projects. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, American anthropologists became increasingly critical of anthropologists' collaborations with military and intelligence agencies, particularly when these interactions contributed to counterinsurgency projects. Awareness of these uses of anthropology led to several public clashes within the AAA, and to the development of the Association's first ethics code. Price compares this history of anthropological knowledge being used by military and intelligence agencies during the Cold War to post-9/11 projects.

The ongoing Covid-19 crisis has severely affected the key economic sectors of Nepal. As the fiscal policy is one of the key tools used by the governments around the world, the government and other key stakeholders in Nepal naturally expect this tool to incorporate enough provisions to support the national economy. This policy brief aims to provide policy recommendations to the GoN towards the preparation of the White Paper and the Fiscal Policy.

Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Leaving No Country Behind is the thematic report of the Asia-Pacific SDG partnership for 2021. Reflecting on the theme of the 8th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development, it informs regional and global dialogue on sustainable development as well as national and regional implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It invites governments and stakeholders to align COVID-19 response and recovery strategies with the achievement of the SDGs and provides insights for the way forward.

This paper studies the impact of COVID-19 on different demographic groups in the Thai labour market using the Labour Force Survey in 2018 and 2019. We construct a new set of COVID-19 impact indicators capturing both the degree of risk in industries and degree of occupational flexibility in the Thai context. Our results show that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is highly unequal across demographic groups and it may further worsen the pre-existing inequality in the Thai labour market as a result of the composition of industrial sectors and occupations. The results suggest that education attainments and income levels play a significant role in protecting individuals from the current crisis, indicating the important contribution of human capital. In addition, marriage affects men and women differently in the COVID-19 crisis, with married women suffering more. Finally, our study highlights the need for government supports that target vulnerable groups, including workers with low education, informal workers, private employees, older women, and the young, who are more likely to be affected by COVID-19.

The impact of COVID-19 on the Russian economy was undoubtedly enormous, clearly, negatively. The GDP of the Russian economy shrank 3% in 2020, the sharpest contraction after the previous economic disaster in 2008. The two economic downturns resemble each other. They show that resource dependent economies are susceptible to sudden declines in raw material prices, where they resort to too much. It is not anew that fossil fuel exports, including oil and natural gas, serve as a linchpin for the Russian economic system. Exports of the energy resources constitute a whopping 60% of all goods exports while accounting for more than a major bulk of government revenues. Excessive economic dependence on the resource sector has been a perennial concern, and the ominous premonition was correct again. The Russian economy contracted 8.5% in the second quarter of 2020 when the Ural oil price plummeted to $18 per barrel, reminiscent of the 2008 economic recession sparked by the sudden collapse of the oil price by more than 70% of its peak value.