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Huge numbers of middle-income groups are distributed in China and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). In this context, global firms recognize the need for localization strategy. The practical upcoming challenge of global companies is to determine the best way to accomplish localization. In this paper, we present the development of a self-contained localization system based on organizational capabilities, and suggest the self-contained localization strategy through case studies of Japanese firms. The foreign subsidiaries with self-contained units include their own R&D, operations, marketing, service, and human resource functions. Therefore, the self-contained localization strategy allows the foreign subsidiary a large degree of autonomy in responding appropriately to local competitive conditions with locally responsive strategies. When we analyze the relationships between Japanese headquarters and local business subsidiaries, we find the larger a degree of autonomy of self-contained subsidiaries, the higher their global market share. Huge numbers of middle-income groups are distributed in China and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). In this context, global firms recognize the need for localization strategy. The practical upcoming challenge of global companies is to determine the best way to accomplish localization. In this paper, we present the development of a self-contained localization system based on organizational capabilities, and suggest the self-contained localization strategy through case studies of Japanese firms. The foreign subsidiaries with self-contained units include their own R&D, operations, marketing, service, and human resource functions. Therefore, the self-contained localization strategy allows the foreign subsidiary a large degree of autonomy in responding appropriately to local competitive conditions with locally responsive strategies. When we analyze the relationships between Japanese headquarters and local business subsidiaries, we find the larger a degree of autonomy of self-contained subsidiaries, the higher their global market share. Huge numbers of middle-income groups are distributed in China and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). In this context, global firms recognize the need for localization strategy. The practical upcoming challenge of global companies is to determine the best way to accomplish localization. In this paper, we present the development of a self-contained localization system based on organizational capabilities, and suggest the self-contained localization strategy through case studies of Japanese firms. The foreign subsidiaries with self-contained units include their own R&D, operations, marketing, service, and human resource functions. Therefore, the self-contained localization strategy allows the foreign subsidiary a large degree of autonomy in responding appropriately to local competitive conditions with locally responsive strategies. When we analyze the relationships between Japanese headquarters and local business subsidiaries, we find the larger a degree of autonomy of self-contained subsidiaries, the higher their global market share. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper was to assess the level of community participation and the localization of decision-making with regards to foreign donor funded projects in Zimbabwe. The participatory approach was the theoretical framework that was adopted for the research paper. The primary data were collected from a survey of 52 project members who were from two local NGOs that were randomly selected from Chiredzi District, located in the South Eastern low veld of Zimbabwe. The findings show that there was partial to no involvement of the project members in various phases of the project cycle. Furthermore, there were consultations with the local leadership, but not during the assessment phase of the project. The authors conclude there is need for community involvement in decision making, project ownership, and clear lines of communication with the NGOs, among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nigerian urban centers, especially the socially disadvantaged neighborhoods (SDNs), like other disadvantaged communities across Africa, are increasingly becoming breeding grounds for youth violence and Armed Non-State Actors (ANSAs). The increasing waves of violence in socially disadvantaged communities in Nigeria and the inability of security apparatus to curtail them, suggests a 'nation' bewildered and a comatose state. This article attempts to dissect the root causes of youth violence in socially disadvantaged urban areas of Nigeria using relevant sociological theories. The paper subjects the current waves of youth violence across ethnic cleavages in Nigeria to a more nuanced and pragmatic analysis in order to dissect and unravel the socio-structural and political factors responsible. The paper argues that the inherent social structural maladies embedded in socially disadvantaged communities appear to have provided an impetus for youth violence and the emergence of ANSAs in Nigeria. These social structural maladies are captured within the context of social disorganization, relative deprivation, and broken windows theories. The assumptions of these theories provide insights into understanding the predisposing and enabling factors to youth violence and the emergence of ANSAs in socially disadvantaged communities in Nigeria and beyond. They also provide fundamental policy and research options to nip the contours of violence in socially disadvantaged environments in Nigeria and beyond in the bud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper empirically assesses the effect of the determinants of Internet use, using several samples of both developed and developing countries. Based on a sample of 23 low-income economies in 2015, we find that Internet use depends upon computer access. Using a sample of 38 lower middle-income countries we find that Internet use depends upon Internet quality and Internet affordability. Using a sample of 41 upper middle-income countries, we find that computer access and Internet affordability influence Internet use. From a sample of 45 high-income countries, we are able to show that computer access, Internet quality, and affordability do affect Internet use. Using a sample of thirty OECD countries, we find that Internet use depends upon computer access and Internet quality. When a sample of 150 developing and developed countries is used, results show that Internet use is influenced by computer access, Internet quality, Internet affordability, and Internet application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EU energy policy objectives are directed at three highly interdependent areas: energy supply security, competitiveness and decarbonization to prevent climate change. In this paper, we focus on the issue of energy supply security. Security of energy supply for the immediate and medium-term future is a necessary condition in the current context of the global political economy for the survival of the Union and its component member states. Since the Lisbon Treaty entered into force, energy policy no longer comes onto the agenda of the European Commission through the backdoor of the common market, environment and competitiveness. The Treaty created a new legal basis for the internal energy market. However, securing external supplies as well as deciding the energy mix, remain matters of national prerogative, though within the constraints of other parts of EU's legislation in force. Without a common defense policy, the highly import dependent Union and its members face external instability in the energy rich Arab Middle East and North Africa. Concern about energy security has been triggered by declining European energy production as well as the strain on global demand exerted by newly industrializing economies such as China and India and the Middle East, as well as the political instability in this reserve-rich part of the world. This paper explores the following two topics [1] the current situation and past trends in production, supply, demand and trade in energy in the EU, against the background of major changes in the last half decade and [2] threats to the security of the supply of oil and natural gas from import regions. Fossil fuel import dependence in the eu is expected to continue to increase in the coming two decades. As global trends show, and despite new fields in the Caspian region and the Eastern Mediterranean, conventional fossil oil and gas resources remain concentrated in fewer geopolitically unstable regions and countries (i.e. the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and the Caspian Region (CR) including Russia), while global demand for fossil energy is expected to substantially increase also within the energy rich Gulf countries. This combination directly impacts EU energy supply security. It should be noted that the trend towards higher levels of import dependence was not interrupted when the era of low energy prices, between 1980 and 2003, came to an end. Within the eu itself, domestic resistance to the development of unconventional resources is an obstacle to investment in unconventional sources in this part of the high-income world. This should therefore not put at risk investments in either renewables or alternative sources at home or conventional resources mainly in the Arab-Middle East. The situation is exacerbated by the spread of instability in the Arab-Middle Eastern countries. There are three domestic and geopolitical concerns to be taken into consideration: (1) In the Arab-Middle East, threats to EU energy supply security originate in the domestic regime of these countries. Almost all Arab resource-rich countries belong to a type of patrimonial, rentier-type of state-society relation. These regimes rely on rents from the exploitation of energy resources and the way in which rents are distributed. Regimes of this type are being challenged. Their economies show uneven economic development, centralized power structures, corruption and poverty at the bottom of the social hierarchy. The discrimination of females is a major obstacle to the development of the service sector. At present, even the monarchies fear the spread of violent conflict. Offshoots of these consequences have proven to cause civil unrest, exemplified by what optimists have called the Arab Spring.' (2) The second concern is the domestic and global impact of Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFS) managed by Arab patrimonial rentier states. SWFs have proven to be an asset in both developing and developed economies due to their ability to buffer the 'Dutch Disease,' and to encourage industrialization, economic diversification and eventually the development of civil society. In patrimonial states, however, SWFS are affected by corruption and the diversion of funds away from long-term socioeconomic development to luxury consumption by political elites. In fact, Arab SWFS underpin the persistence of the Arab patrimonial rentier state system. (3) Finally, the post-Cold War, ME and CEA geopolitical landscape is shifting. The emergence of China and other Asian economies has increased their presence in the Middle East due to a growing need for energy and the expansion of Asian markets. The recent discovery of energy resources in the US has led to speculation that there will be less us presence in the region. There would be a serious risk to EU energy security if emerging Asian economies were to increase their presence in the Middle East as us interests recede. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines China's policy and position in relation to the evolving climate change negotiations in order to explain how China is dealing with the dilemma of meeting its growing development needs while reducing GHG emissions. It argues that global climate governance requires steering and leadership to deal with the interlocked political process; that the developing countries (DCS) right to develop is challenged by the need for ecosystemic standards especially as climate change is seen as a zero-sum game as the more one country emits the less another one can. This is especially problematic as Industrialized countries (ICS) appear to be both unwilling and unable to increase growth without increasing emissions. This explains China's policy of insisting on its right to develop, of demanding that ics reduce their emissions and that they fulfil their obligations under the FCCC, while expressing its willingness to take on a voluntary target. The paper argues that China's state-led transition has eight unique characteristics that may allow it to lead as it moves beyond a no-regrets policy to a circular and green economy, cooperating with other DCS and mobilizing conscious green values in citizens. The question remains--will the initial success and scale of state-led transition lead the global green transition to a sustainable world? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a world where we are being confronted with seemingly ever more distressing images of our inability or unwillingness to exercise and extend our humanity to one another, this paper discusses global development aid, and how education, and, more specifically, syllabus and policy documents, can contribute to a more informed and empathic response to people who see through eyes different from our own. This paper discusses curricular initiatives, to enhance students' understanding and responses to issues of global inequalities. The paper embeds this discussion within an examination of elements shaping minds and hearts with regard to such issues, and on impediments to and opportunities for a more informed and humane response to our shared humanity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-books are regarded as a new, digital way to access reading material and as a learning tool for students. Therefore, South African institutions of higher learning are spending increasing amounts of money on the provision of e-books for use by students. However, the extent to which students will accept e-books remains unclear. This paper is aimed at examining the factors of e-book use intentions among students in tertiary education, based on theoretical considerations rooted in UTAUT. Data used in the analysis was sourced from 544 participating students from five institutions of higher learning using a structured questionnaire. Results of the analysis identified performance expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions as salient factors of e-book use intentions among tertiary students. Interestingly, gender and e-book use experience had no significant moderating effect of the factors of use intention examined in this study. The implications of these findings on the efforts aimed at promoting a more enthusiastic acceptance of e-books among tertiary students are highlighted in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

His research interests include development studies, borderland studies, political sociology, environmental sociology, and cultural politics. Hongjiang Zhao is an associate professor of Finance at the School of Management and Economics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC). Is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China-Chengdu. [Extracted from the article]

The introduction of an old age pension in Lesotho in November 2004 brought relief and hope to the elderly. The paper examines how the old age pension has helped in the acquisition of material goods, increased access to health care and, most importantly, strengthened the status of the elderly in their households. Two hundred and fifteen old age pension recipients in rural areas were interviewed. Results show that the elderly now participate more in household decision-making and contribute towards income and community projects. The poverty and hunger vulnerability existing before the pension have been halved. Pensioners play an increasing role in the care of orphans and vulnerable children. This has boosted pensioners' self-esteem and strengthened respect given to them. Although the pension is seen as meagre, elections results show the efforts of the government continue to be highly appreciated. The paper concludes the old age pension has empowered the elderly and helps them live a more graceful life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to understand different phases of solar photovoltaic (SPV) technology in India and the interplay of scientific, technological, economic, and political factors in each of the phases. There are four distinct phases. In the first-phase (1947-1970), SPV technology was recognized as an important source of energy for countries like India. In the second phase (1971-1990), the oil crisis led to the formulation of new scientific and technological initiatives and programs in SPV, but due to a lack of political commitment the initiatives disintegrated. In the third phase (1991-2003), several factors seemed to have undermined the development of SPV sector. Currently in the fourth phase (2003 to the present), India has virtually lost the race for development of photovoltaic technology. Within the context of climate change and resource constraint, India has reformulated its strategy which has taken the form of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission Plan (JNNSM).This paper examines how JNNSM influences indigenous attempts in photovoltaic technology development. The paper shows how scientific, technological, economic and political factors have contributed to discontinuities in the development of the technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines why Chinese National Oil Companies (CNOCS) conduct transnationalization and why the level of transnationalization remains low. Part one of the paper reveals the three main factors behind the transnationalization process since China has become a net importer of oil. Firstly, following economic reform in the 1990s, oil companies acquired autonomy and began to address the problem of domestic resource scarcity by seeking business opportunities abroad. Given the dependency on oil imports, the Chinese government is worried about energy security and so supports the overseas activities of NOCS to ensure reliable sources of international oil. Furthermore, some basic conditions for transnationalization have been met: NOCS have more than 30 years of domestic experience in oil exploration and development; the structural change of the international oil market, with resource countries looking East and welcoming cooperation with China; and the strategic adjustment of established international companies, making room for participation by Chinese companies. Part two evaluates the level of transnationalization of Chinese oil companies from a comparative perspective using UNCTED's Transnationality Index (TNI). Subsequently, four challenges to transnationalization are identified: geopolitical risks, resource nationalism, business competitiveness and human resources development. Part three provides empirical analysis on the performance of CNOCS in Sudan and Saudi Arabia, focusing primarily on the driving forces, conditions, achievements and challenges of CNOCS in these two countries; it also shows how some of the challenges are successfully addressed. Three conclusions are reached: that the ongoing transnationalization of CNOCS is a necessary result of the combination of a number of factors; that we should not exaggerate the level of transnationalization of CNOCS, which remains low. Moreover, by addressing the challenges, CNOCS are exploring a new way of transnationalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many communities in Cameroon are fast losing large expanse of ancestral land in the wake of a global land rush to local and foreign capitalists operating in the mining and agricultural sectors. This study examines the legal status of commercial land acquisition, the extent to which investors are complying with the law, and the land rights of those affected. It is based on primary data collected through interviews conducted among local administrative and traditional authorities, community members, and civil society organizations. The article highlights how agro-investors with complicity of the State have exploited weakness in Cameroon land laws to dispossess poor communities from ancestral lands. Findings indicate that in violating both laws and due processes to acquire land, the current land rush has left affected communities impoverished and without land and security. Commercial agriculture has displaced communities from traditional sources of livelihood to promote international capitalist interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ambiguous nature of electronic government (e-government) has resulted in hype and confusion, with little systematic consideration of the expectations and limitations of taking government online. This paper seeks to examine the role of e-government in the United states as an evolving process that manifests itself in three distinct sectors: government-to-government, government- to-business, and government-to-citizen. Using this typology as an organizing principle, we show how information technology has the potential to enhance government accessibility and citizen participation. We also show how the move toward a market-focused conceptualization of government information and service delivery raises the potential for blurring citizen and consumer roles, possibly at the cost of a robust, informed, and engaged citizenry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comparative analysis of four key players in the Japanese trucking industry, Nippon Express, Fukuyama Transporting, Yamato Transport, and Sagawa Express, in order to address the question of how the sources of competitive advantage in the logistics area are changing in the face of a new global commerce model enabled by technology and characterized by an increasing number of direct-to-consumer transactions. The analysis concludes that, while efficiency remains an important success factor, network building capability and innovative partnerships are the dominant factors leading to sales, market share, and profitability in the contemporary Japanese trucking industry. Firms with the ability to build wide-reaching networks, to augment those networks through innovative partnerships, and thus fill structural holes for parties wishing to engage in business transactions have the greatest chance of success in the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the main factors determining corruption in developing countries. It employs the fixed-effects estimation technique to data for several developing countries, pooled for the period 2004 to 2010. The empirical results revealed that the level of economic development, country size, natural resource exports, foreign direct investment, absence of democracy, and colonial legacy as the main correlates of corruption in the developing economies. Some policy implications are drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deployment of electronic governance over the past few years has enabled citizens to access government information and services with more ease and less cost. Unfortunately, the majority of governments embracing these technologies and making the citizen-government interaction easier to navigate are found primarily in the industrialized West. One exception is India, which is the focus of this paper. Beyond viewing electronic governance as a means of facilitating state-citizen interactions, I explore the linkages between electronic governance and corruption deterrence, and by doing so, fill in a crucial void in the current literature. After reviewing successful ICT-led government reform efforts in the West from public administration literature, a simple model is proposed to determine how these technologies may come to be utilized for reform. The model is then applied to the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and the neighboring government of Bangladesh to test the salience of the variables, and to determine why the former may be more successful than the latter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People are multi-identited subject to multiple layers of identities, some more pronounced than others. The level of significance attached to each identity is dependent on different factors, among them spatiality and temporality. In extreme cases, one identity is brought to the forefront of all others, potentially at the expense of all others. For such shuffling and reshuffling to take place, often a choice is made by the subject/ object. This space for choice and agency could be minimized, influenced by others, or simply rendered nonexistent by those who are willing and wield significant power. This article examines the adoption of singular identities by the Afghans who took part in the Jihad and became Mujahidin, an American-supported insurgency that resisted Soviet occupation and its satellite state in Kabul in the 1980s. This paper argues that the space for deliberation and critical engagement by potential recruits was organized in such a way that little to no scrutiny was allowed when inviting potential recruits to adopt the mantle of the Mujahid. Safeguarding Afghanistan's independence, introduction of radical Islamism, and deliberate targeting of specific parts of the populace, is fundamental to that intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the state of Internet penetration across the developing world. We examine a variety of socioeconomic, human capital, and media and technology-related measures as they relate to Internet adoption. Results demonstrate that the Internet is not only dependent on economic variables such as spendable income, costs and poverty, but also education, literacy, share of urban population; population growth, and old and new telecommunication measures such as telephone subscriptions, broadband subscriptions and related costs, computer and mobile phone ownership, number of telecommunication secured lines and bits generated, trade matters such as communication services exports, and political environment issues such as political and democratic openness, economic freedom, and freedom of the press. Contrary to earlier research, GDP and English language are not statistically significant variables. Our findings on telecommunication industry competition and literacy run contrary to many earlier studies that find these variables to be unrelated to the Internet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa's situation of financialization, low growth, unemployment, and inequality is linked here to the 'installation phase' of a new technology as described by Carlotta Perez. South Africa's informational economy is examined, and the role of the financial sector is summarized. The article then considers the strengths and weaknesses of the manufacturing and service sectors, and the embeddedness in them of digital technologies. The article concludes by supporting manufacturing as the best route to a new productive economic core while other sites of digital industry take deeper root. The need to shape finance to more national ends is also affirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2000, with the Agricultural Reform Implementation Project (ARIP) initiated by the World Bank in Turkey, the agricultural market entered a liberalization process. However, the ARIP policies were not implemented as envisaged. By means of a case study approach, this paper analyses the reasons for the failure of the ARIP policies in the hazelnut market. The technical reforms introduced by international institutions disregard local lives, as well as the impact of these reforms on the local people. The legislative changes, including the controversies and crises, have met strong resistance at the local level. In light of the local configurations of power and exchange relations, the locality creates the conflict and controversy surrounding the liberalization policies. This study examines the process of liberalization, focusing on the hazelnut market characteristics, the politics of market relations, policy-making, and pricing between 2001 and 2009 in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last 12 years, Mexico City has endured significant transformations, which have given rise to constant tension between the need for public works that modernize the urban infrastructure and the needs of the population affected by such works and projects. These changes are part of a broader process of capital's global expansion under the neoliberal modality. For this reason, urbanization is most often planned against the interests of the local population. By looking at the movement of social resistance against the construction of the West Superhighway through La Malinche, this paper shows how changes in the world's economic model—and the particularities they produce in a country like Mexico—have taken a toll on both organizational forms and elements of social struggle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalization is one of the outcomes of extended economic development in recent decades, which inevitably has direct and indirect effects on different aspects of human life. This paper explains the effect of globalization on housing dilemmas in global cities or cities that want to be global. For this phenomenon, the effect of immigration—resulting from globalization and space polarization, the economic influence of globalization on housing as a global good, the effect of globalization on cultural characteristics, and finally changes in urban space structures emerging from globalization—on site selection of residential land use will be analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the late 1990s, several urban projects have been developed to preserve and renovate some areas in Mexico City, gentrifying and revaluing different key housing and historical areas. One of the most recent urban projects, Nuevo Polanco, has being developed through the urban conversion of an old industrial area, emptied through a decade-long process of displacement of industry to the periphery and becoming an area of multiple uses (for housing, commercial, and corporate buildings). The project is advertised as a new development hub, from which all traces of its industrial past were erased. Through the description and analysis of this case study, this paper aims to point out the complex dynamics of urban development in a context of multiple forms of construction and reconstruction of urban identity and local belonging. This dynamic involves a struggle between distinct social groups with different worldviews about the past and future of the metropolis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Application of agricultural technologies has been supportive for fulfilling the requirements of food and raw material of an individual and an industry as well. But it has also injured the farming community in India without providing adequate treatment for physical and economic health. What are the measures available for the safety and social security of farming communities by which risk can be ameliorated? This paper examines such predicaments by locating the response of the scientific community engaged in the research and development of agricultural technologies. The discussion is based upon the transcript obtained after in-depth interviews of the scientific community. An effort has been made to interpret the empirical reality of occupational health hazards in farming relating to emerging social security measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores bank lending to agriculture in Fiji, a small developing country. It examines bank lending by bank type—commercial bank lending and lending by the Fiji Development Bank (FDB), a non-commercial bank. The findings reveal the importance of both banking types as well as a significant drop in lending since 1993, despite the need to fund the agricultural sector to boost food production activities. Interest rates, government spending and food production strongly determine FDB lending to agriculture. The availability of arable land has a negative and significant effect on FDB lending to agriculture. The results show commercial banks are performing a slightly different role in the agricultural sector than the Fiji Development Bank; they appear to be unresponsive to economic variables that the FDB is responsive to. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of access to electricity is still a major challenge to about 2 billion people that still live in rural and urban off-grid areas on incomes of $1-2/day. Since the cost of linking these people to the grid is high, there is a need to explore the development of alternative energy solutions for the provision of electricity in such contexts. There is also a need to develop new insights for the formulation of evidence-based policy that could enable the development of strategies to provide electricity to people that live in off-grid areas. This paper presents the results of a survey that provides insights for the formulation of evidence-based policy for the adoption of solar lanterns into rural/urban off-grid areas. The two year questionnaire study was carried out in Mpala Village in the Laikipia district of Kenya. The study identifies the factors that resulted in the adoption rate of 96% and a decrease of 14.7% in annual family expenditures. The social and health impacts are also elucidated before discussing the implications of the results for the formulation of evidence-based solar energy policy in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the "brain drain" experienced by developing countries, as their scientists and engineers chose to work and live permanently in developed countries, is seen as reversing. Although a reverse brain drain is projected as a new trend, a substantial number of immigrant scientists and engineers continue to work and live in developed countries. This paper presents the reasons why Indian faculty in science and engineering stay in the United States. Data for this study come from 51 in-depth interviews of faculty members of Indian origin working in various research universities across the US. Findings show that, although Indian faculty came to the US for higher education without intending to become permanent residents, they chose to stay mostly due to the research opportunities, favorable work environments, career prospects and lifestyle preferences available in the US. They cope with the absence of family and cultural distance through periodic visits to India and by developing professional relationships with scientists and engineers in their home country—activities that facilitate transnational migration. The study adds validity to the international migration theory, which has not taken this particular group of faculty into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Is an associate professor in the department of Global Studies and World Languages at Winona State University in Winona, MN. Dr. Kleiner also teaches a summer course to international students in international political economy for the University of Alberta at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. Georgina Murray was Associate Professor of Humanities at Griffith University where she lectured in political economy. [Extracted from the article]

This paper investigates the patterns of transnational investments and alliances of Chinese state-owned oil companies since the mid-1990s and the social networks of their directors, taking the case of CNPC and its listed subsidiary PetroChina as the example. Using Social Network Analysis, I will map how the oil companies and their directors are embedded in corporate and political networks both inside and outside China. The preliminary findings presented in this study show that with their overseas expansion, CNPC and PetroChina increasingly collaborate with other oil companies. Significantly, also forming what I have called 'hybrid alliances' with Western private oil majors. However, they remain wedded to a different role at home, where they are expected to adhere to priorities and values tightly knit to the state, such as supply security and social responsibilities. This duality is mirrored by the Chinese oil company directors who must maintain a balancing act between their 'two faces' of corporate managers, on the one hand, and commitments to party-state interests, on the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nikolay Gudalov holds a PhD in Political Science and is an Associate Professor at Saint-Petersburg State University (SPbSU). Her research interests include historical sociology, world-systems analysis, political economy, and social identity in historical policing. His areas of teaching and research interests include international migration, South Asian diaspora, transnationalism, and religion. [Extracted from the article]

Nikolay Gudalov holds a PhD in Political Science and is an Associate Professor at Saint-Petersburg State University (SPbSU). Her research interests include historical sociology, world-systems analysis, political economy, and social identity in historical policing. His areas of teaching and research interests include international migration, South Asian diaspora, transnationalism, and religion. [Extracted from the article]

Dr. Sicelo L. Makapela holds a M.A. in Sociology from the University of Connecticut, USA and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Fort Hare, South Africa. Dr. Sicelo L. Makapela holds a M.A. in Sociology from the University of Connecticut, USA and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Fort Hare, South Africa. His major research interests are the international political economy; African political economy; globalization; and socio-economic rights. [Extracted from the article]

In this paper we try to raise caution against the consequences of the overwhelming drive for microfinance institutions to become financially self-sustainable-more often than not pushed into this by international organizations. Such a push can have severe consequences, ranging from mission drift to questionable practices employed by institutions. Focusing on India, we discuss the extent to which donors influence the microfinance sector and identify the role that international organizations play in pushing microfinance institutions away from their primary objective of delivering financial services to the poor. Revisiting the microfinance crisis which erupted in India in March 2006, this case study reveals a fundamental problem: the zeal of private and public actors, driven by motives that are hard to relate to the fight against poverty, a new commercial niche for the former and a collection of vote banks for the latter. Understanding the origin, the driving forces, and the extent of this problem may not only help us work out an improved governance process, but may also help us evaluate the reach and limits of microfinance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the hands of the South African government, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for development operates as a powerful discourse, which functions both as an ideology and a rhetorical tool. The South African government's discourse is framed in a rigid modernization schema informed by an overoptimistic understanding of the power and valence of ICT for poverty reduction and broad-based development. Government invokes new ICT as an autonomous and largely unassailable force. Over the last decade, a narrow and deterministic model of ICT for poverty reduction has become hegemonic as an ideal as well as a set of development practices, a model which operates to exclude alternatives. The view of technology as an external, autonomous force exerting an influence on society presents a limited set of options: (1) uncritical embracing of technological change or (2) defensive adaptation to it. If we are to attempt a more objective, detached analysis of ICT for development, then it would seem appropriate to move beyond the linear "cause and effect" model of technological determinism and explore alternative perspectives on society and technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses various reports in the issue on the topics including supply chain management capabilities, the other on global markets of Japan and the third on increasing prevalence of networks, alliances and public goods.

In the hands of the South African government, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for development operates as a powerful discourse, which functions both as an ideology and a rhetorical tool. The South African government's discourse is framed in a rigid modernization schema informed by an overoptimistic understanding of the power and valence of ICT for poverty reduction and broad-based development. Government invokes new ICT as an autonomous and largely unassailable force. Over the last decade, a narrow and deterministic model of ICT for poverty reduction has become hegemonic as an ideal as well as a set of development practices, a model which operates to exclude alternatives. The view of technology as an external, autonomous force exerting an influence on society presents a limited set of options: (1) uncritical embracing of technological change or (2) defensive adaptation to it. If we are to attempt a more objective, detached analysis of ICT for development, then it would seem appropriate to move beyond the linear "cause and effect" model of technological determinism and explore alternative perspectives on society and technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peru and Chile have experienced an economic boom in recent decades that has transformed the urban form of their respective capital cities of Lima and Santiago. According to United Nations data, Lima and Santiago numbered just over one million inhabitants each in 1950. From 1950 to 2010 Lima's population grew 740 percent and Santiago 351 percent, to 8.95 million inhabitants in Lima and 5.96 million in Santiago, part of a corresponding migration from rural to urban areas throughout Latin America. In this period, the urban form of each city was modified to accommodate growth. Urban development has been typified by densification of the core, agricultural land conversion, and a rise in informal settlements (barriadas or pueblos jóvenes in Lima and callampas in Santiago). In both Lima and Santiago, fragmented, polycentric growth has had transformative effects. The paper compares social, economic, and urban form indicators of urban sub- units in each city to understand the spatial and social connotations of growth and centrality in two South American cities. Given the largely unimpeded growth and resultant urban form, is decentralization a means for increasing access to amenities and citizen participation or is the lack of regional planning detrimental to vulnerable populations? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turkish carpet making and marketing, a rapidly expanding niche in the world market in the latter 19th and early 20th centuries, offers an excellent case study for modernity in a major Ottoman provincial urban center such as Izmir and its hinterland in western Anatolia. Representative of the changes that the city's economy was undergoing was the Amalgamated Oriental Carpet Manufacturers Limited (OCM), which included multiethnic and multiconfessional actors similar to the city's business sector and general population, as well as dual nodes of administration in London and Izmir. This case study of OCM (and of its emulators) reveals the degree of modernity that Izmir's business circles were capable of at the turn of the century, and their ability to put together a trust and strategize accordingly along similar lines as the trusts in Europe or the US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the shift of the world growth gravity from the industrialized countries to the emerging economies, the China-Latin American relationship has greater political and economic implications in the current international power transition. The energy ties between China and Latin America have been significantly strengthened in the oil sector and the China-Venezuela oil cooperation model is a unique example that might explain the dynamics of China's energy interaction with Latin American resource countries. This oil cooperation model is a plural collaboration pattern with the oil sector as the cooperation axis and is extended to the infrastructure, high-tech, agriculture and other sectors under the intergovernmental institutionalized cooperative framework, which is supported by Chinese financial credit. China and Venezuela have high complementarities of energy interest in terms of the oil trade, finance and infrastructure building, based on the two countries' relative economic advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In absence of vaccine or a well-known treatment at onset of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), public health measures such as social distancing, washing hands, and wearing face masks were implemented as the most effective strategies to combat the spread of the virus. This article explores the perceptions and interpretations of COVID-19-related regulations and implications of the disease to human life in different contexts. The article adopted a qualitative research methodology, where twenty participants were selected purposively and interviewed, then data analyzed inductively. The analysis of interviews revealed varied conceptualizations and interpretations about the disease and social distancing. Notably, COVID-19 regulations such social distancing and face masking were perceived as imported policy, a misconception that would be attributed to non-adherence to COVID-19 protocols. Further, the study underscore that the disease and policies related to it disrupted ways of social life; infringed on people's social-cultural rights; and had adverse health consequences. The study recommends a strategic and deliberate reconstruction of the society to restore its sociological functions post COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines urban water supply systems by using indicators such as quantity, quality, accessibility, and reliability. Shillong city is divided into numerous localities, each governed by both formal (municipal) and informal (non-municipal) institutions. This study focuses on domestic water aspects in non-municipal areas and argues that water inequity is more prominent and widespread, and the role of local institutions in water governance is greater and more significant. The article underscores the complementarity between water distribution and water governance rendered by the local institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Populism is at the center of many debates about socio-political aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, pondering questions such as, "Is coronavirus bad for populism?" or "How do populist leaders respond to it?" is unlikely to bring significant insights into the distribution and operation of power in the context of COVID-19, or more generally. The populist label is used by elites to describe any politics that they dismiss, whether right- or left-wing, rendering populism an empty and incoherent concept. This point is supported by developments associated with COVID-19 as attitudes of "populist" regimes towards the pandemic varied and some of them followed the same strategies as those pursued by "non-populist" governments. This article reveals the limited explanatory utility of the concept of populism and proposes shifting the focus of attention towards neoliberalism as a key factor shaping individual countries' responses to the ongoing biopolitical challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article seeks to reveal the primary barriers to fair economic development based on Kenyans' perceptions of power and globalization. This search was initially sparked by the seeming disinterest of First World scholars to understand the reasons why poor countries benefit so little from the global market as reflected in a subsequent lack of a wide-ranging existing literature about the subject. The literature suggests that global capitalism is dominated by a powerful small elite, the so-called Transnational Capitalist Class (TCC), but how does this relate to Kenya and Africa in general? We know that the TCC has strong connections to financial capital and wealthy transnational corporations. It also pushes neo-liberalism, which becomes the taken-for-granted everyday language and culture that justifies state policies that result in a further class polarization between the rich and poor. Using Kenya as a case study, this article draws on original qualitative research involving face-to-face interviews with Kenyan residents in different sectors who spoke freely about what they perceive to be Kenya's place in the world order. My interview results show that, on top of the general lack of economic power in the world order, the main barriers to Africa's performance are neo-colonial and imperialist practices, poor technology, poor infrastructure, general governance issues, and purchasing power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the historical Silk Road in its long-term development. It entails reflections on the knowledge of Eastern global interactions providing a long-term contextual framework for Eurasia as a single continent. Eurasian globalization influenced the interactions of regions from China and India, through Western Asia, the Middle East, Eastern and Northern Africa and the Mediterranean, and the south of Europe. An important role was played by the Silk Road, as the main historical long-term network of global interactions and communication, which is now being echoed in the new current global initiatives, particularly the Belt and Road Initiative, which updates the historical Silk Road. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with a differentiation of the historical phases of African trajectories in the global context from independence to the present day in order to overcome colonialism and global capitalism. It explains how to understand the historical trajectories from post-colonialism to unilateralism, multilateralism, and finally, the potential of polylateralism. It focuses on the problems and tendencies of advancement in Africa, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, in order to indicate a potential model for the social, political, economic, and cultural arrangement of relations for the recognition of people in Africa in global interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the economic development of Belarus, which took the gradualist approach in transition. Rejecting the Washington Consensus—based reform, Belarus experienced a quick recovery during the 1990s and rapid economic growth during the early to mid-2000s. The government took various policy measures to ensure the structure of a centrally planned economy. These measures included price control, emphasis on the large state-owned enterprises, restrictions on foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, and tariff protection. Facing limits to economic growth since the late 2000s, the government has undertaken liberalization measures including price decontrol, promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises, derestriction of FDI inflows, and trade liberalization. In the meantime, realizing the role of industrialization, it placed an emphasis on development of the manufacturing sector by lowering tariff rates imposed on capital goods. Finally, the article provides policy implications for the other developing and transition economies pursuing economic development in light of the experience of Belarus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oman's regional trade flow, especially with the Indian Ocean Rim countries, is examined within a gravity model framework. The analysis is based on the generalised method of moments (GMM) estimation procedure. The findings show that Oman's exports are strongly determined by the Indian Ocean Rim countries' populations, gross domestic product, infrastructure, Oman's trade policy and a common border and language. Distance is found to induce significant friction for Oman's imports. We conclude that the Indian Ocean Rim countries are sources of active markets and provide opportunities for greater trade integration. In light of the dramatic decline in world oil prices in recent years, Oman also needs to reduce its reliance on oil earnings and intervene more aggressively in its domestic economy by diversifying its non-oil sector and concentrate more on non-oil led exports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian banking and financial sector has endured a long journey from social and development banking to digital banking and financial inclusion. In recent years, there has been a growing consensus in support of digital financial inclusion. Several influential international entities argued strongly in favor of digitization of banking and expansion of digital finance. We tried to understand the journey of Indian banks through the lens of historical and economic changes, ranging from social and developmental banking to digital financial inclusion. In particular, the journey has been analyzed in the context of the changing role of the state, data-driven banking, and the infrastructural base required for a digital banking and payment system. Further, drawing experiences from other emerging nations, an attempt has been made to understand how far digital financial inclusion would be successful in India in reaching the unbanked and marginalized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mainstream interpretation segments globalization as: (a) a self-regulating-market neoliberal reincarnation; (b) an innovative regime of information communication technology; or (c) a reorganization of production on a world scale. This segmented view, however, is predicated on the state and the police in the background. In contrast to the mainstream view, which fits globalization in a state-centric prism of the police, we argue that what is referred to as globalization is policing. Policing is founded on household structures that are in turn instituted in the global commodity chains. Accordingly, it is the most crucial element integrating social-identity, social control, and social relations in the modern world-system. Hence, the unfolding prominence of globalization is actually the increasing saliency of policing. It reflects the terminal crisis of the capitalist world-economy, putting pressure on the household structures and the secular trend of accumulation. It is in view of this that policing, under the guise of globalization, is the re-intensification of social control, isolation of social-identities, and reification of social-relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]