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After 1989, the transition process, by means of which Romania went over from a planned economy to a market economy has involved a constantly changing of the dynamics of industry, and hence, of the occupational profile of the population in all areas of the country, regardless of population size and of the level of economic development. The main processes that have led to changes in the industrial profile of the cities were economic restructuring and privatization, in most cases accompanied by de-industrialization and economic decline. The transition from a socialist economy to a market economy, involving a process of significant restructuring, is an ongoing continuous phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new commercial globalization changed the map of the global industry. Today's world is different from yesterday. North does not dominate South in the same way. In the South there are large heterogeneities between developing countries, the emerging Asian and Latin American countries, etc. Some countries in the South have come to impose their own rules. However, not all emerging economies in the South have the same capacity prevail, as Latin America. Some Asian countries benefit temporarily from high growth, but experience a process of deindustrialization that weakens them. Some theories and analytical tools have become outdated or inaccurate, such as the center-periphery approach. Countries that yesterday belonged to the periphery have acquired characteristics of the old center and even exercise control over developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay offers a critical reexamination of the works of Friedrich List by placing them in the context of nineteenth-century imperial economies. I argue that List's theory of the national economy is characterised by a major ambivalence, as it incorporates both imperial and anti-imperial elements. On the one hand, List pitted his national principle against the British imperialism of free trade and the relations of dependency it heralded for late developers like Germany. On the other hand, his economic nationalism aimed less at dismantling imperial core–periphery relations as a whole than at reproducing these relations domestically and expanding them globally. I explain this ambivalence with reference to List's designation of imperial Britain as the prime example of successful economic development and a model to be emulated by late industrialisers. List thereby fashioned his ideas on national development out of the historical experience of an empire whereby he internalised its economic logic and discourse of the civilising mission. Consequently, List's national economy culminated in an early vision of the global north–south relations, in which the global industrial-financial core would expand to include France, Germany and the USA, while the rest of the world would be reduced to quasi-colonial agrarian hinterlands. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article studies Iraq's recent economic development. It views development as a process mediated by institutions and driven by the attainment of human capabilities and capacities, including state capacity. This approach departs from the two prevalent sets of models that have been used to explain Iraq's lacklustre economic performance: theories that highlight the negative effects of oil on economic outcomes as well as those that stress the importance of the, often formulaic, application of policies that advocate economic liberalization and marketization. This study posits that many of Iraq's economic difficulties, including those of the provision of public services and realizing investment, are best comprehended as the result of prolonged institutional decline and decay in human capabilities, especially since 1990. What is more, the article contests some basic maxims concerning Iraq's recent economic history. For example, the post-2003 era is viewed primarily as a continuation of the sanctions period to the extent that it has been characterized by continued deterioration in both human capabilities and economic institutions, despite radically changed political and economic arrangements.` [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Over the 2000s, Toronto initiated and instituted a process of cultivating itself as a creative city. Entrepreneurial city visionaries found that in order to enter the global market, their planning had to be strategic. This paper explores how Toronto's policy entrepreneurs used planning, partnerships, and an expanded definition of economic development to create a "Cultural Camelot." In addition to competing on the financial and revenue-generating fronts, a coalition of cross-sector leaders took on the challenge of fostering a livable city with a deep social ethos imbued within a variety of dimensions of urban life. This new focus gave Toronto the chance establish itself as a center for innovation, which strengthened urban cultural capital and helped promote the strategic agenda of becoming a competitor in the creative economy sector. Investment in research and creative city strategic planning, coupled with the allocation of financial and human capital resources across a variety of industries, served to encourage creativity, promote culture and competitiveness, and drive economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main characteristic of the current development process in Republic of Croatia's coastal area is its unevenness. While former studies on differences in regional development have mainly discussed inequalities in terms of coast/inland/islands, this study analyzes a differentiated economic development along the Croatian coast, not including the islands. Basic analytical spatial units are cities and municipalities that can be classified into seven major coastal spatial units (sub-regions): Istria, Rijeka, Sub-Velebit, Zadar, Šibenik, Split and Dubrovnik-Neretva coastal area. In order to rate the level of development and determine differences in economic activities of coastal spatial region, several economic indicators have been taken into account. The results have confirmed that Istria and Rijeka coastal subregions are the most prosperous parts of Croatian coast. The economic orientation of cities and municipalities on the coast has been determined with the index of specialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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For two of the richest English-speaking countries, Britain and the United States, growing income inequality has been a persistent feature of the past thirty years, leading some economists to question the cosy assumption that as economic development proceeds, intra-country inequality must ultimately fall. Various hypotheses have been advanced to explain this phenomenon, the best known being that the technological revolution has driven a wedge between skilled and unskilled labour, but none is remotely convincing. Fundamentally, it is a question of political economy whether under conditions of stagnant real wages and a falling wage share, growth in deregulated, finance-driven economies can last. The argument advanced here is that probably it cannot. The profit squeeze of the 1970s having given way to a neoliberal wage squeeze, growth came to depend on asset bubble driven consumption and investment. The Great Recession of 2008 raises questions not merely about neoliberal beliefs, but about whether future capitalist growth can occur unless investment is socialized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an integrated global economy, specialisation in trade is an increasingly prominent strategy. A labour-abundant, resource-rich economy like Indonesia faces stiff competition in labour-intensive manufactures; meanwhile, rapid growth in demand for resources from China and India exposes it to the 'curse' of resource wealth. This diminishes prospects for more diversified growth based on renewable resources like human capital. Using an international panel data set we explore the influence of resource wealth, foreign direct investment and human capital on the share of skill-intensive products in exports. FDI and human capital increase this share; resource wealth diminishes it. We use the results to compare Indonesia with Thailand and Malaysia. Indonesia's reliance on skill-intensive exports would have been greater had it achieved higher levels of FDI and skills. Its performance in accumulating these endowments, and its relative resource abundance, impede diversification in production and trade. We present policy options flowing from these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]