Ag econ angst crisis revisited

The present paper was inspired by and is a response to the Rola-Rubzen, Hardaker and Dillon paper 'Agricultural economists and world poverty: progress and prospects' (Rola-Rubzen et al. 2001). It is agreed that the position of agricultural economists in foreign aid and poverty programs has declined over recent decades. Such a feeling of guilt and remorse expressed by the above authors does indeed create considerable 'angst'. A major reason for this state of affairs lies in 'the flavour of the month' approach of the development agencies. These include women in development, gender-based farming systems research, household nutrition and food security, people participation, and targeting the poorest of the poor. These fads have driven disciplinary considerations to the wall and the more widely-defined objectives have reduced the drive for economic efficiency. We argue there is still a place for better designed and delivered assistance programs within the wider framework of assistance that has become fashionable. Greater application of institutional principles in both the political processes associated with assistance and the implementation agencies would improve the outcomes of many projects. Particular attention would need to be given to the interface between the development agencies and recipient governments. The present paper picks up on the market failure aspects of agriculture's rather poor contribution to development, and develops a wider perspective in terms of the new institutional economics and a continuing role for the agricultural economist.     

我国商业银行与外资银行合作探讨

在国际金融业并购的背景下，中国银行业面临入世后的竞争压力，吸收外资不仅能增强国内商业银行实力，更重要的是能给银行带来了先进的管理理念，把国内商业银行日益改造成符合国际标准的银行；对外资银行而言，与中资银行合作乃绕过管制，低成本向中国市场扩张，实现本土化发展战略的最佳选择。     

没有舞台的歌舞剧--土族婚俗

土族婚礼是世间最奇特、最热闹、最壮观的婚礼,整个婚礼犹如一出精彩美妙的歌舞剧,演义着土族独特的婚礼风俗。 土族婚礼作为一出大型歌舞剧,大致可分为四场,前两场在女方家举行。迎娶新娘的前一日,女方家设嫁女宴,将新娘的嫁妆及新娘准备抬进男方亲朋的“针线”一一摆开,供人观赏,新娘在至亲女宾的陪伴下,唱起《哭嫁歌》……     

Possibilities for remote participation in trade unions: mobilising women activists

This paper argues that trade union activism within the new era of information and communication technologies (ICTs) offers the potential for unions to become more inclusive of under‐represented groups. Traditional conceptions of activism, participation and democracy within trade unions require physical presence at meetings at times and in spaces incompatible with caring responsibilities and atypical hours of work. This restricts the participation of women and other ‘atypical’ workers in trade unions. The paper explores the complexities of electronic forms of union activism in practice, indicating that while some positive features are experienced, there are also a range of obstacles, barriers and possible negative consequences.     

Network Resources for Internationalization: The Case of Taiwan's Electronics Firms*

ABSTRACT This paper illustrates foreign direct investment (FDI) as the management of important network relations, using Taiwan's electronics firms as an example. Through FDI, seemingly small and weak firms propel the process of internationalization by making maximum use of external resources to which they have access. FDI often starts at a location close to the home base where support from the domestic networks can be drawn, subsequently moving on to more distant locations after investors have accumulated new network resources. The location chosen is usually an area rich in network resources or in close proximity to such rich networks. FDI enables the investors to construct a regional, or even global, sub‐network under their control to supply a set of wide‐ranging, differentiated and low‐cost products in a flexible fashion, and sometimes within close proximity to the markets. With this capacity for versatility, investors become valuable partners for multinational firms that offer global services.     

深圳市线路板蚀刻废液中铜、砷、铅、汞、镉含量调查

对深圳市60家线路板企业含铜蚀刻废液中铜、砷、铅、汞、镉含量的检测结果显示:酸、碱性蚀刻废液铜含量范围分别为38.6～167.9g/L、53.7～171.8g/L,,通过测量比重推算铜含量适用于碱性废液但不适合酸性废液.56个样品可检出砷(大于3mg/L).56个样品未检出铅(小于5mg/L),其余4个铅含量偏高.所有样品汞、镉均未检出,含量分别小于4mg/L、0.3 mg/L.将各样品砷、铅、汞、镉含量实测值换算为铜含量100ga.时的相对值后发现,上述四元素在蚀刻废液中的正常值分别为＜12mgAs/L、＜5 mg Pb/L、＜4 mg Hg/L、＜0.3 mg Cd/L.     

“济南就是我的家”——济南外商服务月侧记

5月下甸,又是一个烈日炎炎的夏日,杰克·史密斯先生按照惯例早早就起了床。但与平日不同的是,作为公司行政总监的他并没有直接去自己的办公室开始一天的工作,而是手拿一份查体表来到了济南市中医院,成为济南市第二届外商服务月活动中的首项内容“为济南市外企员工查体活动”的第一批受益者。在经过非常细致的心、脑、血液等项目的     

浅谈我国银行保险的发展

伴随着加入世贸步伐的加快，中国金融业真正面临着国际化竞争所带来的巨大机遇和挑战。正是在这样的大背景下，最近一段时期，各保险公司纷纷与银行达成合作意向，合作内容包括代理保险、提供全方位的金融服务、资金网络清算、基本客户群的共建、金融创新、信息交流等方面。同时，各家保险公司的各种产品在银行和邮政的柜台上摆开了战场，一种全新的金融服务——银行保险，进入了人们的视野。这正是企业之间强强联合、优势互补、资源共享、以促进市场开拓和业务创新的必由之路，它必将推动我国保险业与国际保险业的接轨和新型业务产品的发展。     

Private borrowing during the financial revolution: Hoare's Bank and its customers, 1702–241

The financial revolution improved the British government's ability to borrow, and thus its ability to wage war. North and Weingast argued that it also permitted private parties to borrow more cheaply and widely. We test these inferences with evidence from a London bank. We confirm that private bank credit was cheap in the early eighteenth century, but we argue that it was not available widely. Importantly, the government reduced the usury rate in 1714, sharply reducing the circle of private clients that could be served profitably.