Tangled Web of Associational Life: Urban Governance and the Politics of Popular Livelihoods in Nigeria

Drawing on case studies of informal enterprise associations in Christian and Muslim parts of Nigeria, this paper explores the differing ways in which networks of ethnicity, class and religion are used to forge links between dynamic informal organizational systems and formal institutions of government

Online Personal Data Processing and EU Data Protection Reform. CEPS Task Force Report, April 2013

This report sheds light on the fundamental questions and underlying tensions between current policy objectives, compliance strategies and global trends in online personal data processing, assessing the existing and future framework in terms of effective regulation and public policy. Based on the discussions among the members of the CEPS Digital Forum and independent research carried out by the rapporteurs, policy conclusions are derived with the aim of making EU data protection policy more fit for purpose in today’s online technological context. This report constructively engages with the EU data protection framework, but does not provide a textual analysis of the EU data protection reform proposal as such

Foreign direct investment and integration into global production and distribution networks : the case of Poland

Not until the end of the twentieth century, the"second globalization,"has the ratio of trade to Gross Domestic Product been comparable to that during the first globalization, which took place at the end of the nineteenth century and was interrupted by World War I. Technological progress has increased the importance of the international division of labor and of global production and distribution networks. Multinational corporatios have been a driving force behind these developments. As a transition economy, Poland provides an interesting case for study, as its sudden opening to foreign investment after a long period of isolation allows the process of integratio into global networks to be studies more clearly. Using Poland as a case study, the authors study multinational corporatios'role in integrating a host country into the increasingly international division of labor. They provide evidence that inflows of foreign direct investment are increasing Poland's participation in global production and distribution networks. They conclude that because of the large volume of foreign direct investment inflows expected in Poland in the near future, Poland's exports--driven by fragmented production production--will continue to expand at even faster rates than observed there recently.Agribusiness&Markets,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Trade Policy,Payment Systems&Infrastructure,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,TF054105-DONOR FUNDED OPERATION ADMINISTRATION FEE INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT,Trade Policy,Consumption

PROJECT FOR THE ANALYSIS OF LAND TENURE AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

The paper arises out of the Land Market Project and covers detailed data at the individual farm level and in-depth analyses of legal and historical processes. The agricultural sector in Macedonia is characterized by two very different farm enterprise types: small family farms operating on privately owned land, and large socially owned farms. About 30 percent of the total arable land in Macedonia belongs to socially owned farms. Most of the balance belong to the private farm sector; the cooperative sector occupies a small percentage of the arable land. The Land Markets Project addressed five tasks during the six-month term of the project: (1) assess the appropriateness of legislation, regulations, and institutions affecting land tenure and land use, (2) document and assess the land-related constraints to increased productivity and profitability of private farms, (3) document and assess the land-related constraints to increased productivity and profitability of socially owned farms, (4) propose land policy adjustments that would promote increased productivity and profitability of the agricultural sector, (5) identify financial and technical assistance to support the development of land markets that promote efficient, sustainable, and equitable increases in agricultural incomes. This paper reports the results of the first three tasks and then presents a comparative review of the land tenure and productivity results for both the private and the social sector. This comparison forms a basis for policy dialogue. The paper also includes a comprehensive discussion of the policy recommendations that stem from the Land Markets Project.Land tenure--Macedonia (Republic), Land use, Rural--Economic aspects--Macedonia (Republic), Farms, Size of--Macedonia (Republic), Agriculture--Economic aspects--Macedonia (Republic), Agricultural productivity--Macedonia (Republic), Land markets--Macedonia (Republic), Agrarian structure--Macedonia (Republic), Land Economics/Use, Productivity Analysis,

INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS AS LOCAL SYSTEMS OF INNOVATION

This essay examines the situation and the lines of development of industrial districts from the point of view of local systems of innovation. First of all, this article points out to the modernity factors of the district model – which are ascribable to the supply chain economy, to entrepreneurial dynamics and to the importance of geography as a competitive resource – through the analysis of recent contributions of economic literature that examined the emerging organizational models in knowledge economy. Secondly, the outcomes of recent research on leading companies of Italian industrial districts will be presented, looking at three particularly topics of ongoing changes: the process of international opening of the value chain, the technological conditions of competitive advantage, the relationship between strategies and economic performance. Finally, some considerations on the issue of policies will be developed. Such considerations underline the need to re-think the traditional models of local governance of development and suggest to look at the new external district economies, based on service economies, on much more considerable investments in training, technological and cultural activities and, finally, on more aware institutional actions with reference to the association of companies in innovation projects.Industrial districts, Innovation Systems, Entrepreneurship, Global Value Chain

Emerging Hubs in Central-Eastern Europe, Trade Blocs and Financial Co-operation.

Many European countries have faced the erosion of the competitive advantage in the international market with a mixed strategy of productivity increase at home and labour cost reduction abroad, through the international fragmentation of production and subcontracting in low wage countries. Italy in particular, has delocalized segments of its industrial production in Eastern Europe. The advantage of delocalization abroad – with particular reference to East European countries – is due to the low cost of labour, depends from the capability to transmit information efficiently and the availability of a complete supply-type blueprint in the receiving country. The paper discusses the prospects open to Italia apparel firms and presents a case study dealing with the development of outsourcing by the Benetton group in the last decades.Vertical Integration, Global Organization of Production, Macroeconomics

The Potential of an Enhanced Cooperation Measure in the EAFRD (2014-2020): the case of Ireland

This report was funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) through the National Rural Network (February-May, 2012).The current Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on support for Rural Development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) includes Article (36) Cooperation that is potentially instrumental for realising the objectives of FOOD HARVEST 20204. The purpose of this report is to assess the scope and potential of Article 36 in the context of Irish agriculture and its findings have four key aspects. First, the main areas of confluence between Article 36 and primary policy objectives as set out in Food Harvest 2020 are identified. Second, a range of cooperation categories and types relevant to Article 36, many of which are operational in Ireland, are profiled. Third, drawing from case-studies of these co-operation types5, the operational characteristics of each type are presented, focusing on compatibility with Article 36. Possible supports that would encourage and assist the formation and operation of the cooperation types on a broad scale into the future, and also any possible constraints that would prevent success, are indicated. Fourth, a brief discussion of some key implementation considerations arising from the analysis overall is presented.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marin

The Tangled Web of Associational Life

This paper examines how decentralization and informalization are reshaping urban governance in contemporary Africa. By exploring the interface between urban institutional failures and popular organizational solutions, the paper considers how informal goveinformal economy, urban governance, Nigeria, enterprise clusters, civil society