IMF Conditionality and Objections: The Russian Case

Emerging economies in crisis typically request assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). After evaluating the situation, the IMF makes a loan available to the country, conditional on certain policy reforms. Governments usually resist many of these measures and negotiation ensues. This paper analyzes the most contentious measures of IMF conditionality in the context of Russia after the August 1998 crisis. The most discussed measures include the budget deficit, structural reforms, and exchange rate policy. Our analysis suggests that to some extent the disagreement arose because the IMF is focused on changing steady states somewhat ignoring the transition path, while the Russian government is preoccupied with transitional dynamics without a clearly defined steady state concept.     

The Crisis in Russia: Some Initial Observations

In this article, Brian Henry and James Nixon argue that the sources of the recent crisis in Russia have been developing for some time. Declining productivity, an overvalued real exchange rate, and a chronic fiscal imbalance were the backcloth to the events in the Summer. The reliance on short term government borrowing, and the exposed state of the banking system were further consequences of this long running malaise. Prospects for the immediate future are bleak. If any improvement is to be made in the medium term serious structural improvement in the government finances and the real economy will be necessary.     

“登校拒否”凸现的危机及其启示——日本义务教育的危机

登校拒否现象主要指日本中小学中因讨厌学校或对学校感到恐惧而拒绝上学的现象,自92年开始调查统计以来,呈现逐年上升趋势。登校拒否不仅让学生本身受到极大的影响,其家庭也会因此陷入极大的危机之中。更重要的是,造成登校拒否的原因复杂,但社会环境变化以及竞争的下移无疑是该现象的主要成因之一,认真分析并吸取登校拒否的教训对于我国教育意义重大。     

The University of Crisis

This article explores the history of the university as a modern social institution through the epistemological framework of crisis. Starting from the historical understanding that the university has always‐already been in the throes of crisis, and that such crisis (or crises) are cemented into the conceptual architecture of both the university itself and the inherently promiscuous nature of knowledge in society, this exploration of the university in crisis endeavors to show how crisis is as old as knowledge itself. Building on the insights of such social theorists and historians of the university as Samuel Weber, Bill Readings, Jean‐Francois Lyotard, and Gregg Lambert, my hope is to draw out from these writers the intellectual sustenance that is sorely needed (and largely lacking) in today’s discourse on the “university of crisis.”     

长安汽车危机中崛起的秘密

“你们想在我这儿听什么豪言壮语的话，没有！”这就是尹家绪长安汽车的掌门人从一家曾亏损10多亿的企业转而在2004年上半年跻身中国汽车产销量前三甲尹家绪有什么样的魔法让长安汽车在危机中崛起？     

The Crisis in Public Higher Education: A New Perspective

Public higher education in the United States is being challenged, as never before, by numerous conditions that need to be addressed if the public college and university systems are to survive and fulfill their responsibilities to the American public. Student enrollment at these institutions has been on a significant downward trend for a full decade. There has been a discernible decline in the esteem with which the American public holds higher education. There are numerous dimensions to this phenomenon. In this brief article, we focus on only three dimensions of the problem: escalating college costs; mounting student debt; and the failures of boards of trustees to act as fiduciaries representing the interests of students, parents, and citizens. Once we address these issues broadly, we offer feasible solutions that could improve the circumstances surrounding public higher education and enable it to chart a new course.     

Urban Responses to The Economic Crisis: Confirmation of Urban Policies as Crisis Management in Malmö

It is common knowledge that crisis also signifies opportunity and opens spaces for change. When responding to the current economic crisis, is urban planning seizing this opportunity? This article investigates the case of the Swedish city of Malmö and explores its responses to the crisis by looking dialectically at the crisis, municipal planning policy and real‐estate capital. In this article, the local state and urban planning are regarded as social relations, with the aim of going beyond traditional formulations that oppose market (neoliberal) and state intervention (Keynesianism) as the main focus for crisis management. Against this background, the article shows that the 2008 crisis was met in Malmö by an active municipality that confirmed the existing visions and tendencies, rather than exploiting the crisis as a moment for changes and transformation. The article seeks to explain this by looking at the social relations that have constituted the urban policies in Malmö for the past two decades.     

弱币的升值危机:新兴市场经验对中国的启示

如果考虑货币的不平等,人民币大规模升值冲击可以抽象地称为弱币的升值危机.本文对24个新兴市场进行了实证考察,结果表明:弱币升值危机是存在且不容忽视的,但所谓成功的弱币升值危机并不多见;弱币升值危机对经济的影响可能是收缩性的;相比于贬值危机,弱币升值危机面对更为积极的货币当局干预;弱币升值危机成因中含有高储蓄两难特征.最后本文对缓解人民币升值投机提出了政策建议.     

中国企业的危机管理：问题及对策

每个企业都难免遭遇危机,但企业是否被危机所击垮,取决于企业危机管理的水平。本文分析了中国企业不同发展阶段面临的危机管理问题和普遍性的危机管理问题,探讨了企业危机管理应遵循的原则和企业危机管理的具体措施。     

The Regulatory Crisis of the 1990s: Some Solutions

Much of the regulatory crisis arises from over-zealous enforcement. Most methods of countering it are unsatisfactory and expensive. Self-inspection, as under the 'Hoists and Lifts' model, would be much cheaper and more effective.