Serfdom and social capital in Bohemia and Russia1

The ‘horizontal’ social capital generated by networks and communities is widely regarded as inherently antagonistic to ‘vertical’ hierarchies such as serfdom. This article examines this view using evidence from pre‐Emancipation Bohemia and Russia. It finds that serf communes generated a substantial ‘social capital’ of shared norms, common information, and collective sanctions. But communal social capital was manipulated by village elites who collaborated with overlords in taxation, land regulation, and demographic control. This benefited communal oligarchies, but harmed ordinary serfs and the wider economy. Horizontal social capital and vertical hierarchies, the article demonstrates, can as easily collude as conflict.     

Economic policy in Scandinavia during the inter-war period

Abstract

The history of the Western economy, and especially of Western economic policy, during the inter-war period shows some peculiar features. On the one hand it was largely a period of disappointment and frustration in which earlier dreams of economic growth and its positive social effects were not fulfilled, or fulfilled only spasmodically. Resources, especially labour, were far from fully utilised and practical measures of economic policy often followed the traditional pattern, whether justified by traditional arguments or not The prognosis of predestined stagnation and a cheerless economic future was very widely accepted.     

The Swedish Salt Market during the Great Northern War

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine the effects of the great naval blockade on the Swedish salt market during the Great Northern War (1700–1721). Whether or not salt can be perceived as a strategic good subject of wartime shortage is important in interpreting the reasons behind the famous Swedish Navigation Act of 1724. New research claims that the Navigation Act was a welfare enhancing institution, as it helped to secure salt imports. This essay shows that although Sweden was at war with most European Great Powers and the subject of sea blockades during the Great Northern War, the salt market still worked remarkably well. Neither supply nor salt movements show any signs of a great crisis. Thus, there was no need to secure salt imports during the period of peace that followed. Consequently, the Swedish Navigation Act had little to do with welfare but more with rent seeking and monopolies on the freight market.     

Finlands economy during the period of the gold standard

Abstract

The fruitful co-operation between economic history and economics has grown in scope and strength. In his investigations the economic historian has increasingly applied the methods and viewpoints of economic research; and in the field of economics there has been a growing understanding of the significance of the help to be obtained from economic history in expanding the range of economic statistics and other data. Just as, for example, national income calculations and other economic statistics have to-day been brought up to approximately equal standards in the different countries, so there is now an interest in extending these calculations as far back into history as possible. It has already proved possible in Sweden to take fairly reliable national income calculations back to the 1860s, but in Finland the corresponding data have so far been available only from 1926. Consequently, Finnish economic studies have tended, with a few exceptions, to be restricted in time to analyses of the 1930s and the post-war era. This has provided a rather narrow basis for investigations of, for example, business cycles; it has meant in fact that only one complete cycle has been examined, together with various other trends in the economy which were in many ways made exceptional by the war. The statistical background of what is termed economic growth, to which increasing attention has also been paid of late in Finland, has seemed especially limited. There is thus considerable need in Finland to enlarge the range of economic statistics, and the publication of Professor Heimer Björkqvist's work must therefore be greeted with satisfaction. It illustrates many aspects of the development of Finland's economic life during the functioning of the gold standard mechanism from 1878 to 1918, and it contains much new statistical material for the period, e.g. a wholesale price index.     

Freemasonry and business networking during the Victorian period

This article looks at the role of Freemasonry in socio-economic networking in Cornwall during the late nineteenth century. It demonstrates that, like many other fraternities, Masonry created efficient conduits for the exchange of business information and reinforced a pro-business culture. Particular attention is given to its role in facilitating the migration of Cornish miners and mine managers and in creating structures for national and international information flows. Masonry is shown to have the unusual potential to bridge wide occupational, social, and cultural divisions, and the sources for further, wider ranging research are indicated.     

The Swedish iron industry during the First World War and the Post-War depression

Abstract

In a paper read at the annual meeting of Jernkontoret (The Swedish Ironmasters' Association) in 1912 Professor E. F. Heckscher gave an estimate of the proportion of the total annual outpout of the Swedish iron industry which was exported. Including material entering into the exports of steelusing industries, it was estimated at 65–70 %. Assuming this to be correct, then only the saw-milling and paper- and pulp-making industries were at that time more dependent upon foreign markets than the iron industry. ¹ Jernkontorets Annaler (hereafter cited JKA) 1912. p. 183 ff. Cf. E. F. Heckscher, Svenska produktionsproblem, p. 107 and JKA 1919, pp. 181–202.      

Efficiency and productivity growth in Chinese universities during the post-reform period

The social science research performance of Chinese universities is examined using panel data. The universities are found to be very inefficient in general, with not much difference between regions. By far the largest single cause of universities′ overall technical efficiency is pure technical efficiency, along with a considerable amount of scale inefficiency and a modest amount of congestion. No obvious regional differences in the universities′ productivity growth are apparent between 1998 and 2002. Decomposition of the Malmquist productivity index indicates that although there has been technological progress over the years, poor scale efficiency and technical efficiency have resulted in deterioration in the universities′ average productivity. There are signs of increasing congestion during the period studied.     

Variations in the regional distribution of cross-border activity of Swedish transnational corporations during the 20th century

Abstract

This article outlines variations in the regional distribution of foreign activity of eight of the most important long-standing Swedish industrial corporations during the last century. It focuses on foreign subsidiaries, employment and sales by these companies, to determine what were the principal long-term trends: globalization or Europeanization. A wave of Europeanization occurred around 1900–1929, when the companies began establishing their worldwide reach. Before the Great Depression, almost all had founded subsidiaries in both Europe and USA. During the 1950–79 period, all had established subsidiaries in all parts of the world. I show that geographical spread in Europe and the spread in the rest of the world have both been significant trends. During the latter part of the 2011 century, there was a considerable intensification of business activity outside Europe, which in most cases was accompanied by a relative decline of the share in foreign business activity of the home region.     

The creation of big business in the Swedish brewing industry during the aftermath of the Second World War

Abstract

Before the First World War, the Swedish brewing industry was organised into cartels that fixed prices and established distribution areas. During the inter-war years, the major combines in the three biggest cities strengthened their position, since they controlled the market in the most populated areas. Because of the agreements within the brewing cartel Bryggeriidkareförbundet, there was hardly any competition among the breweries and the only way to expand the business was to buy cartel-associated smaller breweries in the fixed ‘natural distribution area’. When the cartel ceased to exist in the mid 1950s, the agreements among AB Stockholms Bryggerier in Stockholm (StB), AB Pripp & Lyckholm in Göteborg (P&L) and AB Malmö Förenade Bryggerier in Malmö (MfB) were informally maintained. They managed to expand in their old distribution areas and beyond, but there was no interference in each other's home market.

This article examines why and how these agreements finally came to an end and the effects of the increased competition. The so-called ‘beer war’ between StB and P&L during the early sixties paved the way for negotiations, which in the end led to a merger of the breweries and a new big combine – Pripps – was created. We take up questions related to the formation of the company, its market expansion, the diversification and other organisational strategies. Pripps's monopolistic position on the Swedish market and the institutional pressure that followed started a process leading in the end to a reorganisation and a holding company, PRIBO, was formed in the early 1970s. A few years later the majority of PRIBO's brewing division (Pripps) was bought by the Swedish state and the rest of PRIBO was sold to one of the upcoming holding companies in Sweden during that time – Beijer Invest.     

经济瓶颈中的经济型酒店

2012年注定是个亏损的年份——中国经济型酒店告别了黄金十年。由于人工及物业成本的飙升、行业高速扩张对利润的挤压、以及由低端品牌向高端延伸的艰难,经济型酒店被卡在了经济效益的瓶颈中。美好时光已成过去忙了一天,回到酒店,冲个澡后,舒舒服服地睡上一晚,早晨起来还有一顿丰富的早餐,费用不过一天一二百元,经济型酒店的价廉物美得到了以商务人士为主的普通消费者的认可,这也成为它能够如同雨后春笋般壮大的主要动力。辉煌啊!那个时候的日子真的是很好过。一位经营者回忆着前几年经济型酒店经营的盛况,很是陶醉,前面客人的退房手续还没办好,后面就有人排     

Swedish artisans in the nineteenth century

Abstract

The history of the artisan class and of the gild system in Sweden has been dealt with in a number of works, such as Professor E. Heckscher's Sveriges ekonomiska historia [The Economic History of Sweden] and in two of the volumes of the great work of Landsorganisationen ¹ Landsorganisationen, popularly known as ‘L.O’, the Swedish equivalent of the T.U.C. : Den svenska arbetarklassens historia [History of the Swedish Working Class], as well as in Professor E. Söderlund's Stockholms hantverkarklass 1720–1772 [The Artisan Class of Stockholm, 1720–1772]. These topics are of course also touched upon in histories of towns and other literature. However, in those studies which cover the whole country the subject has only been pursued to the end of the 18th century or the beginning of the 19th. The subsequent period is discussed in Henry Lindström's two books Näringsfrihetens utveckling i Sverige 1809–1836 and Näringsirihetsirågan i Sverige 1837–1864 [The Development of Industrial Freedom in Sweden, 1809–1836, and The Problem of Industrial Freedom in Sweden, 1837–1864], but only from a special point of view. Thanks, however, to the good offices of Sveriges hantuerks- och småindustriorgonisation (The Swedish Craft and Minor Industries Organisation), an attempt has now been made, in a work by Dr. Tom Söderberg that has been in preparation for some time, to fill the gap thus existing in respect of the period after 1815. The result, in spite of the relatively limited number of pages, is a very comprehensive exposition, even if the subject obviously cannot be exhausted within the given frame of reference.     

“十一五”时期重庆旅游业发展的几点思考

“十一五”时期是我国旅游业处于关键的战略提升期,我们要紧紧抓住经济全球化的机遇,积极应对各种挑战,着力解决重庆旅游业发展中的突出问题,提高重庆旅游的发展质量和效益,为我国旅游业发展做出更大贡献。     

Development of agricultural territories during the post-soviet period: Institutional aspect

The necessity of institutional proposals on the stable development of rural territories is justified in the article. A multivariant approach is proposed for studying the institutional environment of the countryside. The key trends of reformation of the countryside’s social and economic systems are defined based on the results of the our own empiric research.     

论冷战时期美国对泰国的经济援助

冷战时期泰国是美国在东南亚的重要盟友,美国长期向泰国提供大量经济援助,涉及农业、公共卫生、教育、交通、乡村发展等重要领域,有助于推动泰国经济和社会的发展。     

论转型期企业管理的八大创新

管理理念的创新。传统的企业管理,眼睛只盯住眼前利益,只顾及企业效益,只看到老产品生产制造比较熟悉,而全然不考虑长远利益,社会利益,消费者利益,为追求利润目标而不择手段地追求利润,结果事与愿违,事倍功半,达不到自身的目标追求,这里有一个企业经营管理的动因问题,即选择人为财死,鸟为食亡,尔虞我诈,恶性竞争,以谋利为唯一目的;还是建立经营管理动因新体系,即以社会责任感,事业成就感,顾客成功感作为自己的管理新动因,从而构建管理理念新体系,才能使管理圆满地实现,特别是知识经济越来越逼近,要求知识管理是到企业管理的议事日程,知识管理的要求,不仅要推动职工的知识化,而且更重要的是知识的共享化,特别是隐性知识的显性化,共享化,才能提高管理效率,推动企业生产力的发展,再有,还要求企业人有共同的价值观,必须有敢于为之奋斗的企业精神,简言之,就是要下列问题上确立理念：（1）要把竞争作为推动企业前进动力;（2）要把社会责任感,事业成就感作为企业追求的目标;（3）要把企业伦理,企业教养纳入管理目标,既出产品又出人才,使企业形象更加完美;（4）要把企业精神作为企业奋斗的方向和目标,各种不同企业不宜都以“改革开放求实创新”作为企业的目标,而只能当作一个过程,各企业应有不同的企业精神;（5）强调企业管理中生产力属性的国际化,而不宜关起门来,搞自我封闭式的管理;（6）要把企业从落后的“此岸”进到理想的“彼岸”的思维抓住不放;（8）要开辟让顾客共同参与,开辟共生,共存的崭新市场,使企业走向成功。     

A model for China's industrial firms during the transitional period

Three interactive factors affecting the efficiency of firms and the demand for inputs underlie the firm model presented in this paper. They are the chronic shortage of key materials and energy, the immobility of capital and labor, and the endogeny of wage rate determination to firms. These assumptions are relatively more general and realistic for the Chinese economy than assumptions made in other firm models that may be suitable for market or Eastern European economies. By this model it can be shown that resource allocation within Chinese firms generally is not efficient and that the basic demand law for labor and capital is invalidated by immobility of factors and endogeny of wages. Overexpansion or a demand for inputs exceeding the amount necessary for efficient production is very probable.     

Analysis of changes in technical efficiency of Russian agricultural organizations during the reform period

The article analyzes the dynamics of the technical efficiency of agricultural organizations since the beginning of the reforms. The presence of a considerable number of non-effectively used and redundant resources, because of both the poor organization of farms and the insufficient development of market institutions in Russia, has been discovered. In general, based on the analysis, it has been concluded that there is a positive impact of market reforms on technical efficiency of agricultural organizations.     

Engineer training in Sweden during the postwar period in the context of technical and structural change

Abstract

A predilection for far-reaching social planning has been the norm in Sweden for most of the postwar period. During the Second World War, for example, planning ideas were developed by Swedish economists and officials (most of them associated with Social Democratic circles) serving on the Myrdal Commission, as it was called.1 Many of these ideas turned up subsequently in the labour movement's postwar programme and were implemented to some extent during the 1950s and 1960s. In this way a kind of supply economy came into operation. Many prominent Swedish economists became heavily involved in the work of forecasting and planning, in which oneimportant planning aim was the avoidance of structural problems. The end in view, in other words, was to plan in such a way that mutually complementary combinations of productive resources were to hand at every given point in time. Manpower forecasts and socio-economic ‘long-term planning commissions’ were some of the instruments that came to.be employed.     

民国时期东北地区铁路交通与经济发展

清末民初,随着清朝统治者对东北地区封禁的逐渐解除,大量的人口开始涌入东北地区。西方国家对东北地区影响也不断加强,东北地区近代化逐渐起步。东北地区的铁路交通在这一时期发展迅速,为经济的发展提供了重要的条件。在铁路交通的带动下,民国时期东北地区的工业、农业等各大经济产业发展势头强劲,为后来东北地区成为我国的重工业基地打下了很好的基础。