Urban tourism in the developing world: The case of Johannesburg

Urban tourism has attracted a growing literature in the context of cities in the developed world. In this article, the role of urban tourism is explored in the developing world setting of Johannesburg. As in the case of the developed world, in Johannesburg the promotion of urban tourism is linked to economic regeneration and urban economic development. Johannesburg's tourism economy exhibits distinct geographical and sectoral clustering, with business tourism being the most vibrant subsector for tourism development. New development initiatives by both provincial and local government are seeking to further enhance the role of tourism in Johannesburg's economic development.     

Local governance and urban prospects: The potential of city pride

The recent re-alignment of urban policy, involving the promotion of a diversity of public-private partnerships, a fostering of local business elites, and the increasing importance of city marketing and image reconstruction, all point in the direction of a “new localism” in urban regeneration. Focusing on the potential of the recent City Pride initiative in building up consensual and holistic “visions” of Britain's main cities, the following set of papers assess the role of the “urban prospectus” in fostering local coalitions and the benefits of mutuality in order to address issues of resource procurement and allocation. The potential of this new approach for targeting large-scale programme and project investment in the local economy, infra-structural priorities and aspects of social cohesion are all considered by the contributing authors, who look specifically at recent developments in London, Manchester and Birmingham.     

Urbanization and third world stability

This essay reviews images of urbanization that have been held by academics and activists, including revolutionary leaders. It examines the methodology and findings of case studies in Nigeria, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Kenya, Turkey, Malaysia and other countries with the aim of determining how well suited are our data and theories for assessing the relationship between urbanization and political stability. The review examines the following topics: migration; political participation and the urban poor; radical parties and urban violence; the ‘over-urbanization’ thesis; class and ethnicity. It especially evaluates the role of so-called ‘urban marginals’ in urban political life and concludes that the evidence is overwhelming that there is no widespread ‘culture of poverty’ or ‘culture of apathy’ among the urban poor indeveloping countries.     

The challenge by domestic enterprises to the transnational corporations' domination: A case study of the Argentine pharmaceutical industry

Given the relative reduction in the rate of innovation of the large TNCs operating in the pharmaceutical field and the reduced interest in the Argentine market by most of the TNCs in the late 1960s and the early 1970s, domestic firms have been able to challenge the domination of the pharmaceutical industry by foreign enterprises. Using the techniques of product differentiation, they have been able to launch more new medicines into the market than foreign enterprises. This was done through transfer of technology agreements in a number of cases, relying on non-patented sources for the provision of active components in other cases and devoting some resources to local R and D. As a result of the challenge, foreign participation in the market for finished products in Argentina was not high by international standards (57% in 1972), the majority of the pharmaceutical sub-markets showed a medium degree of business concentration and the ranking of the leading firms included 6 local enterprises among the 15 leaders of the country.     

Enterprising Refugees: Contributions and Challenges in Deprived Urban Areas

The role of enterprise in addressing the problems of deprived urban areas has been an area of emphasis within recent British urban policy. Yet the potential for such policies among increasingly diverse and often highly deprived populations remains poorly understood. This issue is particularly pertinent with respect to refugees where self-employment and enterprise creation is a route pursued by some, yet there remains limited understanding of the role and impact of enterprise within refugee communities and the constraints they face. Drawing upon original primary data, this paper presents findings related to the local impacts of refugee enterprises, the constraints refugees face in starting and running enterprises, and the adequacy of existing business support infrastructure to their needs. The paper concludes with a consideration of the challenges for the future development of business support policy and services for refugees.     

Community action by the urban poor: Democratic involvement,community self-help or a means of social control?

This is the first of two papers, in which we examine the nature and effectiveness of formal channels for encouraging community action and participation among low-income groups in Bogotá (Columbia), Mexico City (Mexico) and Valencia (Venezuela). We are concerned with the forms of community participation among the poor, how demands are channelled to the state, the formal organization of community links with the state, and the origins of community action programmes. Organizations to facilitate popular participation in barrio upgrading have existed since the late 1950s, most of which have been imposed from the top down. We argue that the poor have derived few benefits from these government-inspired organizations although they have sometimes given resources to local communities for the first time. The primary purpose behind these organizations is to legitimate the political system and to encourage compliance with urban policy. Greater power over decision-making has not increased among local groups.     

The effects of state-led relocation on labor market participation: Evidence from China

The urbanization of China has been accompanied by large-scale state-led relocation (SLR) programs. This paper studies the effects of urban SLR on labor market participation. With three waves of China Household Finance Survey (CHFS), we find that urban SLR reduces labor market participation, on both the extensive margin and the intensive margin. The reduction is stronger for females, and there is some substitute effect between husbands and wives. The reduction is also stronger for individuals who are elder and less educated, and who choose lump sums of monetary compensation. Finally, we find no evidence that urban SLR experience stimulates business creation.     

Inequality in metropolitan industrial revenue bond programs

Industrial revenue bonds (IRBs) have become an increasingly popular, though expensive and controversial, tool of economic development at the state and local levels. That controversy has focused on the economic impact of IRBs: Whether or not they meet the intended goals of creating jobs and stabilizing the tax base of local communities, and whether the benefits are worth the costs. Though IRBs are often justified, at least in part, as a particularly useful program for older, urban, minority communities, little research has been done on the participation of racial minorities and women in IRB programs. This article examines Chicago’s IRB program and finds that minorities have not participated equitably. Racial minorities and women are underutilized in many firms receiving this form of publicly subsidized financial assistance, and minority-owned businesses receive a disproportionately small share of the loans. Policy recommendations are offered to assure equitable participation of racial minorities and women in IRB programs.     

Big ideas for a small town: the huddersfield creative town initiative

Whilst much of the attention of those concerned with culture and regeneration has rightly been focused upon the core cities and regional capitals, it would be a mistake to assume that smaller towns and cities do not also have a role to play. Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, is one of a number of towns clustered around the Pennines that grew, and for a hundred years prospered, from the textile trade but which, by the 1980s, were in serious economic decline. This article examines how culture has contributed to the regeneration of the town and the wider local authority district.¹ It reviews the developing role of the creative industries within the district and, in particular, the role of the local Council as a key catalyst for many of the institutional and policy shifts that have contributed to this development. The paper is very much intended as reflection on a particular case study. It is certainly not offered as a blueprint but as an opportunity to contribute to the developing knowledge base concerned with the role of the cultural and creative industries in urban development.     

调控背景下的地方融资平台发展战略转型研究

2010年6月,国务院下发了《关于加强地方政府融资平台管理有关问题的通知》后地方融资平台面临着城市基础设施建设融资困难且原有融资渠道受限的两难局面。本文基于此背景,对地方融资平台发展战略转型,探索城市经营模式提出相关建议。     

The Current State of Business History in Latin America

Business history in Latin America has seen significant growth in the past 25 years, most notably since the beginning of this century. Although the sub‐discipline benefitted from seminal studies by British and U.S. scholars, most works of note are currently produced by local scholars. Latin American business history holds great comparative potential for business historians in other parts of the world undertaking studies in the areas of emerging economies, business‐state relationships, the role of entrepreneurship, business groups, entrepreneurial families, and foreign investment and imperialism.     

Mineral wealth – ‘in the name of morafe’? Community control in South Africa's ‘Platinum Valley’

Direct control of mineral resource wealth by communities in resource-endowed regions is advocated as a panacea to conflict and fundamental towards attainment of self-determination and local autonomy. Based on the study conducted in Royal Bafokeng and Bakgatla Ba Kgafela, the two prominent, platinum-rich traditional communities in South Africa's North West Province, this article reveals that, although mineral wealth in South Africa's platinum-endowed communities such as Royal Bafokeng is reportedly distributed ‘in the name of morafe’ (‘community’ in Setswana), inadequate participation produces polarised local priorities and tensions at the grassroots level. Community control of mineral wealth is thus likely to paradoxically generate conflict and exclusion at the traditional community level, particularly in contexts where participation in mineral wealth-engendered community development is championed by traditional leaders through customary-derived spaces of local engagement.     

Re-forming urban regeneration? The practice and potential of English partnerships

English Partnerships has taken a central position in land regeneration and development. Ostensibly it has been allocated the resources, status and mechanisms to answer many of the criticisms that have been levelled at urban policy during the last decade. This paper looks at how the agency is pursuing its given role in the context of the changing features of urban regeneration, and what factors are determining its effectiveness.     

连云港市私营企业主政治参与现状、问题与对策

连云港市的私营企业主的政治参与意识较高,通过相应的参与渠道起到了参政议政的作用。但是在参与的过程中,还存在着一些问题,这就需要对私营企业主政治参与制度进行完善,以实现有序化的政治参与。     

International migrant remittances and labour force participation in Nigeria

This study examines the effect of remittances inflow to Nigeria on labour force participation in the country using the propensity score matching and Heckman two‐step benchmark model. With data sourced from Nigeria's 2015/16 General Household Survey, results reveal that receipt of remittances increased both labour force participation for non‐farm economic activities and labour force participation in urban areas, perhaps as a result of investing received remittances in new business ventures. In addition, remittance inflows raised economic activeness of the younger members of the labour force who constituted a greater percentage. The study recommends the proper functioning of institutions aimed at facilitating remittance inflows as well as enhancing the utilization of such remittances in industry‐based business start‐ups.     

Barriers to Involvement: the Disconnected Worlds of Disability and Regeneration

Disabled people are noticeably absent from the government's regeneration agenda, despite its current emphasis on empowering and involving local communities in urban renewal. This paper explores some of the barriers to disabled people's involvement in regeneration initiatives at the local level, focusing particularly on the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB). Interviews with regeneration managers, local authority officers, disabled people and disability groups identified a range of barriers. These included a lack of strategic recognition that disabled people were 'relevant' to regeneration, difficulties with the SRB's centrally-prescribed outputs and timescales, a lack of accessible information for disabled people, and circumscribed local political networks which served to marginalize certain disability groups from local regeneration processes. The paper concludes by suggesting ways in which some of these barriers might be addessed.     

Mining companies' role in sustainable development: The 'why' and 'how' of corporate social responsibility from a business perspective

This article - the first in a pair of articles on corporate social responsibility (CSR) - provides an overview of mining companies' role in sustainable development, from a business perspective and in the South African context. It argues that companies' social and environmental responsibilities are increasing, due to global changes in the way the role of business is perceived, South African policy developments, as well as a strong 'business case' for companies to actively support sustainable development - beyond philanthropy and impact mitigation. Partnerships between companies, the government and civil society are introduced as a potentially effective and efficient strategy for CSR. They are no panacea, however, and require a commitment to local communities' rights to informed prior consent and authentic participation. CSR hence presents mining companies with significant challenges. Given committed leadership and the right approach, it can entail important opportunities as well. Particular attention will need to be given to potential tensions between the international debate surrounding CSR, on the one hand, and local South African development challenges and companies' responses to them, on the other.     

陕西农业产业化龙头企业经营分析

陕西省龙头企业的产生比较晚，但发展速度比较快，分析陕西农业产业化龙头企业经营状况，进一步推进农业产业化经营。     

官员来源、本地信息与地区经济增长——基于地级市数据的新证据

通常认为地方官员在地区经济发展中扮演着重要角色。文章基于1994-2012年中国24个省、自治区241个城市市委书记与城市的匹配数据，采用"倍差法"系统地考察了地方官员来源方式对地区经济增长的影响。研究发现，官员外调使得流入地的经济增长速度降低了0.98个百分点，外调官员对本地信息的缺乏是造成这一现象的重要原因。以地方官员前后任职地区之间的地理距离作为本地信息的代理变量，进一步发现，对一个外调官员而言，前后任职地区之间的地理距离越远，当前任职地区的经济表现越差。此外，官员横向交流和纵向交流对当地经济增长绩效并无显著的差异。研究结果对中国官员交流制度的进一步完善具有重要的政策参考价值。     

The Contribution of Childcare to Local Employment: Poor Work or Work for the Poor?

In recent years local economic development and regeneration agencies have begun to examine how locally based childcare can contribute to economic and social regeneration. This paper is based on current research by the authors and reports on the expectations and current realities of community based childcare as part of an economic regeneration strategy. It suggests that whilst the incorporation of childcare into urban regeneration strategy holds the potential to reduce the barriers to labour market involvement by mothers in low income households, less positive effects are also identifiable. Early evaluation is used to show that the commodification of care within urban regeneration policies reinforces care work as low paid, insecure gendered employment. It concludes by arguing that a more critical evaluation of both the economic and social impact of childcare on area regeneration is necessary.