‘We make more money now,but we don’t talk to each other anymore’: on new tourism and capitalism in the Danube Delta

ABSTRACT

In 1991, the Danube Delta (Romania), famous for its biodiversity, became a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Tourists have been a constant presence in this area for more than 50 years, being accommodated exclusively, informally, in the local fishing households. Relying on extended participant observation and semi-structured interviews as the main research methods, this study presents how locals from a fishing village relate to tourism and how this process leaves a significant imprint on their social organization, use of natural resources, household economy, norms and values. Exposed to new ideas, opportunities and challenges brought in by tourism, locals are not being swept away, as many of the studies in anthropology of fishing and tourism suggest, but rather act like ‘individuals with agency’, actually empowered by tourism; local fishing and women’s traditional role as ‘the manager of the household’ are reinforced by tourists’ demands for ‘home-cooked fish dish’ and local accommodation. On the other hand, the new tourism has launched local families into a constant competition for natural resources, eroding social cohesion while leading to a commodification of family relationships.     

The impact of website quality on customer satisfaction and purchase intentions: Evidence from Chinese online visitors

With the increasing popularity of online shopping and being the most populated country in the world, China is one of the major online markets now and is likely to become the largest market in the future. In the academic literature, website quality has generally been recognized as a critical step to drive business online. As such, numerous studies have been devoted to website quality and evaluations. Research efforts are, however, in need of understanding the use of websites in regards to online customers’ behavior, especially Chinese customers. This study developed and empirically tested a conceptual model of the impact of website quality on customer satisfaction and purchase intentions. Results indicated that website quality has a direct and positive impact on customer satisfaction, and that customer satisfaction has a direct and positive impact on purchase intentions. While the influence of website quality on purchase intentions exists, customer satisfaction does significantly mediate this effect. Drawing on the empirical findings, managerial implications and recommendations for future research are offered.     

Performance and Competitiveness of Latin American Cities: The Human Capital Case

Abstract

Besides the human capital, elements that make Latin American cities competitive include, for instance, their culture or financial maturity. However, the most important challenge for Latin American cities to succeed is how to manage all these variables. The purpose of this study is to identify the contribution of human capital and its relationships and impacts on the performance of Latin American cities. This quantitative, non-experimental, explanatory, correlational, and cross-sectional study observes factors that increase city competitiveness and develop their relationships. The study is based on the Economist Intelligence Unit database of 2012, in which 120 cities were evaluated, particularly contrasting Latin American cities with the top cities in the world and their characteristics. Urban competitiveness in Latin American cities can be predicted partially on the presence of Human Capital. In some instances, we found positive relationships between human capital and the characteristics considered in a city’s performance.     

The War in Ukraine,Agricultural Trade and Risks to Global Food Security

Intereconomics - Any calls to move towards a centrally planned economy or autarky are strongly advised against, as this would only be to the detriment of food security in the Global South.     

The key risk indicators of road traffic crashes in Serbia,Niš region

Traffic crashes are a serious public health and socio-economic problem, and they are one of leading causes of death of males in Serbia. In order to determine the main causes of road traffic crashes in Ni? region, Republic of Serbia, nine key risk indicators of road traffic crashes are identified, organized into four groups (number and structure of crashes, consequences of traffic crashes, temporal and spatial location of traffic crashes, causes and sanctions), and described in detail. The indicators are ranked based on group fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP), where experts from insurance companies, professionally engaged in the process of risk assessment, with different previous experience present different impact on the final ranking. In relation to the most influential factors in the assessment of traffic crashes, improper and unadjusted vehicle speed, overtaking and passing, as well as the physical condition of the driver have the highest effect.     

EL inference for partially identified models: Large deviations optimality and bootstrap validity

This paper addresses the issue of optimal inference for parameters that are partially identified in models with moment inequalities. There currently exists a variety of inferential methods for use in this setting. However, the question of choosing optimally among contending procedures is unresolved. In this paper, I first consider a canonical large deviations criterion for optimality and show that inference based on the empirical likelihood ratio statistic is optimal. Second, I introduce a new empirical likelihood bootstrap that provides a valid resampling method for moment inequality models and overcomes the implementation challenges that arise as a result of non-pivotal limit distributions. Lastly, I analyze the finite sample properties of the proposed framework using Monte Carlo simulations. The simulation results are encouraging.     

Political crises and the stock market integration of emerging markets

This paper investigates the role of political crises in explaining the degree of stock market integration in emerging markets over the period 1991-2006. Using the International Crisis Behavior database, which contains detailed information on political crises around the world, and employing data on more than 15,500 firms, we assess whether political crises affect stock market integration in 19 emerging markets in South and East Asia, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe. We conclude that crises with certain characteristics generally reduce the level of stock market integration in these regions. In particular, the beginning of a political crisis, its severity, the involvement of the US in the conflict, and the number of parties involved in a crisis all have impacts on the level of stock market integration in these markets.     

Measuring customer attractiveness

Various beneficial consequences can accrue when a customer is perceived to be an attractive customer, particularly in a business-to-business context. Opinions differ as to what makes for customer attractiveness and a number of different features have been suggested as contributing to it. Currently there exists no comprehensive view of what factors constitute customer attractiveness and how this may be valued, measured and evaluated. Drawing on various facets of customer attractiveness suggested in the literature, this paper seeks to delineate the customer attractiveness construct and develop an instrument to measure it. The paper concludes by discussing how the scale developed can be used as a tool to address some critical issues in assessing customer attractiveness.