The changing pattern of foreign trade

Like many of the other less developed countries, one of the major sources of growth in the Nigerian economy is foreign-oriented. With exports accounting for close to one-fifth of the Gross Domestic Product and imports representing about the same proportion, external trade since World War II has been of particular importance to the economy.     

West-berlin: after the four-power agreement

After the representatives of the Four Powers had initialled the framework agreement on West-Berlin in principle, another major step had been completed for dismantling the confrontation between East and West. It has taken a full quarter of a century before Berlin, at last, is given the chance to expand its economy under normal conditions, and to benefit from its exposed geographical position.     

GATT in a conceptual vacuum

Getting under way a seventh round of international trade negotiations within the framework of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) has been a long and arduous process.¹ The nub of the problem is the failure of political thought to keep pace with the rapid integration and growing interdependence of the world economy.     

The leverage of foreigners: Multinationals in South Africa

This article argues that foreign multinational corporations (MNCs) in South Africa cannot evade an ethical choice, how best to exercise their leverage against apartheid? Disinvestment is only one, ambiguous option. MNCs need clear ethical goals and an effective strategy. Both arise from the political economy of the MNC (1). It involves 3 relationships, between the MNC parent and its subsidiary; the MNC home society and host society; and the MNC home state and host state. That political economy explains the MNC's dependency (1a) and modernization effects (1b). Those effects give foreigners some leverage against apartheid; but an effective and ethical MNC strategy is needed (2). It involves four goals: dismantling apartheid, a mixed economy, full democracy, and a negotiated peace (2a). It suggests a sequence of MNC/home state options from Do Nothing or Divest to More Corporate Activism, Home State Support, and International Sanctions (2b). But victory is not around the corner; rather, we are all condemned to freedom.     

Nigeria since the civil conflict

It is now over three years since hostilities ceased in Nigeria and “Blafra” was re-absorbed into the Federal Republic. A sufficient period has now elapsed to enable one to judge the extent of Nigeria’s economic recovery from the ravages of the Civil War and to make projections as to the likely future growth and change of the economy.     

The “pipeline” problem in bilateral financial cooperation

It has been observed since about 1976 that financial commitments to developing countries have been disbursed more slowly than in the past. At the same time there have been increasing complaints from recipients that the commitment, appraisal and disbursement procedures of the donor countries were excessively complicated, resulting in a delay of disbursements. The Western industrialized countries, both individually and jointly in the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD, therefore initiated investigations into the importance to be assigned to this phenomenon as well as into the question of whether there are any possible ways of simplifying the administrative procedures. The following article sums up the results of such a study by the German Institute for Development Policy in respect of the Federal Republic of Germany.     

OECD and consumer policy

This paper briefly surveys the work being done by the OECD Committee on Consumer Policy. The Committee, which has existed for more than twenty years, has produced a wide variety of reports on subjects ranging from product safety to general economic issues, financial services, and marketing practices. The discussion of product safety has been one of the Committee's standing tasks.     

The long-term prospects for world development

The increasing interdependence of the world economy requires the development of new approaches to policy-making. Nineteen OECD member countries and the Commission of the European Communities therefore decided to take part in a three-year (1976–1978) research project on the long-term prospects for world economic development and in the attempt to work out a general framework for the economic and social policies in the industrialised countries. Which are the conclusions and results of this research project, which has come to be known as INTERFUTURES?     

Tunisia’s development perspectives

Tunisia is at the beginning of the second decade of its development planning. The first decade (1961–1972) was put under the heading of Socialism. The influence of the socialist conception on development planning was reflected by a high share of public investments in total investments as well as intensified furthering of agricultural cooperatives.     

Why economic sanctions always fail — the case of Rhodesia

Demands for the imposition of economic sanctions under UN auspices on South Africa have been voiced for quite some time. Rhodesia was the first country ever to be subjected to a full obligatory embargo by the UN Security Council. An analysis of the embargo against Rhodesia will therefore help to answer the question whether an embargo on South Africa stands a chance of success.     

Collective Self-Reliance: Concept and reality

The concept of Collective Self-Reliance (CSR) has been of increasing political importance since the early seventies in the North-South negotiations and also at the South-South conferences (of non-aligned and Group of 77 countries), especially in connection with the discussions on a New International Economic Order (NIEO). Development researchers in poor and rich countries have at the same time begun to pay more attention to the concept of Self-Reliance (SR) in both its individual and its collective dimension. The concept of Collective Self-Reliance is examined in the following article as are its chances of realization.     

Reasons for Japan's low unemployment rate

Since the beginning of the seventies, most OECD member countries have suffered from a substantial increase in measured unemployment rates. A notable exception is Japan, whose official unemployment rate is far below observed figures in other countries. This article examines the reasons why Japan's unemployment record has been better than those of the USA and West Germany.     

Experience with joint-ventures in Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia laid the legal foundations for capital investments by foreign firms in 1967. It was the first socialist country to permit foreign investments and apart from Roumania and Hungary is still the only one which has done so. Prerequisites have thereby been provided for very close relations between enterprises belonging to different economic systems. The foreign capital participation must as a rule not exceed 49 p.c. of the total capital.     

International developments in shipping

Looking back at the 5th session, at the spirit of its debates and negotiations and at its results, one could indeed conclude that it reflected more cooperation than the preceding ones. Some of the reasons why this happened may be found in the general development. However, to a great extent it was owed to the personality of the President, Mr. Quartley, the Shipping Commissioner in the Government of Ghana. He had proved his ability to chairing international meetings already in IMCO and elsewhere. He has encouraged cooperation by the members of all groups with the effect that no decision was taken under pressure. The 5th session has therefore been that with the least number of resolutions adopted but one of the most successful.     

Aid and donor countries’ GNP

The authors try to test statistically whether the flow of resources between poor and rich countries has in fact conformed to the “1 per cent” target defined by the United Nations. Basis for testing several hypotheses are data published by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the OECD.     

Bribery

Bribery has previously been viewed as a two-party transaction between the bribe-offerer and the bribe-taker. But there is a third party: the one who has a prior claim on the bribe-taker's loyalty. Breaking the first contract in response to the offer of a bribe is alienation of agency (a category that strictly includes bribes): alienation of agency is the additional immorality of bribery beyond any immorality of the act solicited by the bribe.     

Rural development policy in the Ivory Coast

The Ivory Coast has been the scene of a remarkable economic upsurge since it gained independence in 1960. Agriculture and forestry have been the mainstay of growth. The evolvement of socio-economic structures in the rural areas is outlined in the following article which also discusses aspects of the present reorientation of the policy of rural development.     

State and trends of economic East-West relations — A German view

The trade of the Western industrial states with Eastern Europe has been the object of keen political interest in the past year or two although it accounts for no more than 5–6 p.c. of the total foreign commerce of the OECD countries. The current discussion about the future of the economic relations between East and West focuses on the greatly increased indebtedness of the East European countries to the West. The following review was presented as the introductory paper at a colloquium on the state and trends of East-West relations which was held at the end of February at the invitation of the Senator of Economic Affairs of Hamburg.     

Ethics in bioengineering

Bioengineering, as the decisive extension of engineering action to human life itself, constitutes a fundamental enlargement of the technical realm, and calls for a commensurate expansion of ethical reflection. In fact, the engineering profession has been actively pursuing the development of new ethical codes, and the promotion of ethics by bioengineers both in the United States and on the international level deserves philosophical recognition and support.