Presidential Address: Mathematics in economics and econometrics

Abstract The paper discusses the choices of mathematical approaches in economics and econometrics, in particular, approaches that either (a) aim for a sharp result or (b) use the least restrictive assumptions. It is argued that, while the choice (a) often necessitates strong mathematical assumptions, choice (b) may lead to only partial identification and may require using less familiar mathematical techniques. This is discussed in the context of the problem of defining a probability density: existence may fail in function spaces; even after imposing assumptions that ensure existence, the problem is not well posed. A density function may not exist for economic variables as a consequence of institutional rigidity such as an income supplement. The apparatus of generalized functions provides the general solution to identification and well‐posedness of density, but at the cost of less sharp results and greater mathematical complexity.     

Jahresinhaltsverzeichnis 2010

Jahresinhaltsverzeichnis

Jahresinhaltsverzeichnis 2010     

The Increasing Selectivity of Foreign Aid, 1984–2003

The Monterrey Consensus includes the idea that foreign aid is more effective when targeted to countries with sound institutions. We examine the extent to which foreign aid, bilateral and multilateral, is “selective” in terms of democracy and property rights/rule of law. We find that multilateral assistance is more selective than bilateral aid in targeting countries with good rule of law. “Selectivity” is a new phenomenon. During 1984–89, both bilateral and multilateral aid had significant negative relationships with rule of law; by 2000–03 this had shifted to a significant positive relationship for multilateral aid, and a positive but statistically insignificant relationship for bilateral aid.     

To be Involved or Not to be Involved? HRM Competences for Internationalization Process in Russian Companies

Abstract

This paper aims to identify the list of human resource management (HRM) competencies that are crucial for a company during the internationalization process. We focus on the Russian context and investigate the level of human resource (HR) managers’ involvement in the implementation of firm’s internationalization strategy, HRM competencies that facilitate internationalization process of Russian companies, and HR manager’s proficiency level, suitable for these competencies. Based on interviews of 125 HR managers from 110 companies, the study proves that communication competence, HR acumen, and relationship management are the most essential competencies that HR managers should possess. This research demonstrates that, in the field of internationalization there is a shift from more universal models to context-related models in terms of competence importance.     

Temporariness made interminable: Pacific Islander farmworkers in Australia and the enduring crises of global agricultural production

Drawing on long-term ethnographic fieldwork with Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP) workers in south-east Australia, I reflect in this paper on the experience of interminable temporariness and on its implications for the structural conditions underpinning contemporary horticultural labour in Australia. Although in many ways reflective of the specificities of a unique historical moment, the interminable temporariness experienced through the COVID-19 pandemic also speaks to broader, enduring conditions produced within contemporary Australian agriculture. Here, the restructuring of the agri-industry produces for many what Lauren Berlant describes as the “impasse” or “crisis ordinariness” of life under neoliberalism. At the same time, logics of development—including racialized imaginaries and border regimes—articulate with agricultural guest worker schemes in ways that seek to fix whole populations and regions in relations of suspended hope. In this context, I argue, the pandemic exposed and intensified structural vulnerabilities and unequal distributions of risk, which are encoded in the political economy of farm work in Australia, while also cleaving open new, if tentative, possibilities for agency and solidarity.     

The South African disability grant: Influence on HIV treatment outcomes and household well-being in KwaZulu-Natal

This paper explores the implications of the disability grant for household members' well-being and adults' success on ART (antiretroviral therapy). It uses case studies based on data from an in-depth qualitative study of 10 households in KwaZulu-Natal. Receipt of the disability grant ensured that the basic needs of the HIV-infected adult could be met by other household members, especially when the grant was received when the person first met the qualifying criteria and in conjunction with ART. Where treatment was effective, HIV-infected adults were able to make substantial contributions to the well-being of other members in addition to the financial support provided by the grant itself. Thus, early access to financial support in conjunction with commencing ART may lead to improved health outcomes and reduce poverty and vulnerability associated with illness in poor households. This synergistic relationship between social welfare and treatment may in turn contribute to greater cost-efficiency.