Migration and Americanization: The special case of Belgian economics*

One of the distinguishing features of Belgian economics is that, from the early 1920s, so many of Belgium's best economists pursued postgraduate studies at top American universities, a case of ‘temporary’ migration. This was made possible by the fellowships granted by the Commission for Relief in Belgium, a legacy of the First World War. After a stay in the US of a few years, most returned to Belgium. However, they maintained strong links with the US. Also, they tried to recreate in Belgium the most valuable elements of their American experience. It would lead to a strong and early Americanization of Belgian economics. Moreover, they were at the forefront of several initiatives to organize economics on a European scale, such as the European Economic Review and the European Economic Association.     

A quantitative determination of the food security status of rural farming households in the Northern Province of South Africa

The majority of South Africans living in rural areas are food insecure despite high levels of national food self-sufficiency. The household food security position of two groups of rural farming households in the Venda region was evaluated quantitatively: one group produces vegetables that are sold or consumed locally, the other group produces cash crops – mangoes and other subtropical fruits. Using the collected data, food availability and energy, protein and fat requirements were calculated and balances derived. It was found that more than 80 per cent of the households had a negative balance of energy, protein and fat intake. The average energy, protein and fat coverage consumption was the same for both groups of farmers. A number of agricultural determinants were tested, but only non-agricultural determinants were found to be significant. These include household size, household (food) expenditure and proportion of the budget spent on food.     

Wine choice and drivers of consumption explored in relation to generational cohorts and methodology

The objectives of the present study were to: (1) assess the relative importance of driver and choice factors in wine consumption behaviour, (2) assess the impact of generational cohorts upon drivers of wine consumption and wine choice factors, and (3) compare the present study's survey results relating to wine choice to those obtained by means of Discrete Choice Analysis (DCA). A geographically balanced sample of 1,229 Australian wine consumers was obtained via means of telephone survey. The results of the present study indicate that taste is the primary choice and driver factor. The present findings failed to support the empirical literature's predications relating to generational cohorts and wine consumption behaviour. Further research is required in order to assess the suitability of making and marketing wine based on generational cohort characteristics. Finally, the findings of the present study suggest that, when it comes to wine choice, a simple, cost and time effective questionnaire that utilises indirect questioning may be equally as effective as DCA. If further research continues to show congruence between results collected using both methodologies, the research community may be behoved to continue the use of traditional survey methodology.     

The Ethics Report: a Means of Sharing Responsibility

"An ethics report is a snapshot of a process taking place at various levels within a company and between its stakeholders." Ethics reports can serve a number of purposes, and for large multinational companies they can provide an important tool for stakeholder management, as is illustrated in the case of Shell. Muel Kaptein and Johan Wempe both work for KPMG Ethics & Integrity Consulting and lecture in business ethics at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam. Both are involved in the verification of the Shell Report.     

Utopian thought and the politics of sustainable development

This article argues that utopian thought is a necessary condition for the politics of sustainable development. Since utopian thought has so far been constrained by some typically Western features from the era of modernity, this requires a shift that transcends the following three fundamental aspects: the notions of fixed truth, fixed territoriality and fixed final goals for politics. The article argues that the concept of global sustainable development can entail three new elements of utopian thought: the disintegration of fixed territoriality, a never-ending story, and prismatic blueprints. Using these elements, utopian thought can provide transformative power, so that politics and policymaking can meet contemporary global challenges to development and the environment.     

Minimum Living Level and Consumer Price Index: What's in a name?

The Minimum Living Level (MLL) denotes the minimum financial requirements of members of a household to maintain an acceptable living standard, which is above the Poverty Line. Sufficient quantities of relevant expenditure items based on minimum health standards are allowed for when calculating the MLL, but rational expenditure on them is assumed. The MLL is measured in monetary value. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measurement of changes in the prices over time of a basket of typical consumer goods and services and is measured by an index or percentage. The basket of expenditure items used in the CPI depends on household expenditure surveys. This article sets out to differentiate between the MLL, CPI and the Poverty Line, since the latter and the MLL are sometimes used in the same context in South Africa.     

Converging New Public Management Reforms and Diverging Accounting Practices in Flemish Local Governments

This paper aims at presenting a comparative study of the diverging development of accounting reforms in Flemish local governments in terms of accounting from a technical point of view. On the one hand, the objectives and the framework of current governmental accounting reforms aiming at improving New Public Management are currently converging. On the other hand, a conceptual examination reveals that the prescribed accounting practices are widely diverging and apparently this is also the case for the practical implementation of the reformed accounting systems. By way of conclusion, a number of possible reasons for this unsuccessful proliferation are presented.