competitive markets from Satisfied producers

What is the future of Competition Policy? Russell Lewis discusses this and other issues with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, the Rt Hon, Peter Lilley MP.     

A Theory of Trade Union Membership Retention

The retention rate of unemployed members can vary substantially between trade unions and may not particularly reflect the structure of the labour market within which a union operates. This raises the issue of whether retention of these members is due to supply-side factors characterised by individuals or to the policy of trade unions towards their unemployed members.     

Strategic partnering in Eastern Europe

There are alternatives to the much-touted “joint venture” in Eastern Europe. Some of these, such as licensing and cooperation agreements, have actually been available for some time. Others, like wholly owned subsidiaries, mergers, and acquisitions, are in the early stages of development. Clearly, the pace of reform indicates it is time to rethink the conventional wisdom on corporate development in Eastern Europe.     

discovering the truth about aid

Economists in the House of Lords are rare; Russell Lewis interviews the celebrated sceptic of foreign aid - Lord Bauer, better known perhaps as Professor P. T. Bauer, and explores his still controversial views about inter-government aid and aspects of his eventful life.     

Suggestions for providing services to the handicapped in Latin America

This paper discusses some issues involved in the transfer of models of programmes for the handicapped from the US to Latin America. It argues that different needs require a re-evaluation of criteria of efficiency and the uses of professional help in Latin-American programmes. A variety of studies by international organizations concerned with services for the handicapped (in the context of provision of general health services) as well as this author's experience indicate that such services should be more closely tied to the community, provided in places that do not cost a great deal of money to construct or maintain, and delivered by local people who are involved in the daily lives of the recipients. This paper attempts to answer the question why Latin-American countries, despite such recommendations, continue to base their programmes on inappropriate and highly professionalized models from the US.     

Capitalist lessons for communists

Are there any tips that capitalists can offer former communists in introducing and managing a market economy? Russell Lewis reviews the dangers and opportunities.     

Impacts and risks associated with developing,but unsupervised,stingray tourism at Hamelin Bay,Western Australia

Interacting with stingrays at Hamelin Bay, in the south‐west of Western Australia, appears to be substantially growing in popularity. Promotion of the rays is increasing through websites and brochures and larger tourism productions, such as the ‘Getaway’ television programme, have shown interest in the Hamelin Bay site. Yet there is still very little known about the impacts on rays (both behavioural and physical), risks to humans, or indeed the issues that provisioning stingrays can present. Although Shackley (1998) conducted an impact study of stingray provisioning in the Cayman Islands, provisioning activities at Hamelin Bay, and other areas in the southwest are unique because they are shore‐based. As part of developing a profile of conditions at the Hamelin Bay provisioning site we investigated stingray numbers and their distribution in the area. We also collected data on the type and amount of provisioned food, investigated stingray behaviour and observed how tourists interacted with stingrays. It was shown through site profile data that rays are attracted to the site principally by food provisioning and secondarily by boats due to learned association with food. They are most common at the provisioning site in the middle of the day, as are peak visitor numbers. Behavioural impacts on rays were found to be attraction to humans, resulting in aggression and hierarchy towards one another. Attraction to humans at the provisioning site reflected that the rays may be partially habituated. However, rays were also seen foraging naturally for food, indicating that they are not yet dependent on humans. Other potential impacts to rays include boat damage from pleasure craft, overfeeding, being fed the wrong food, damage from fishing hooks and risk of disease from foul water. Lesions on skin and permanent shoaling behaviour, as witnessed at other stingray provisioning sites, were not observed at Hamelin Bay. Management actions are recommended to reduce impacts on the rays, eliminate risks to visitors and increase visitor satisfaction. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.