Neodevelopmentalist state capitalism in Brazil and Argentina: chances, limits and contradictionsh

This article critically analyses the recent reinvigoration of state capitalist economic strategies, guided by neodevelopmentalist political thought, in Brazil and Argentina. It makes use of analytical tools drawn from materialist state theory and dependency perspectives to show how the chances, limits and contradictions of these projects are shaped by the basic dynamics of peripheral capitalism. Thus, while both the Brazilian and Argentine state capitalist strategies have been relatively successful on many counts, especially compared to the previously dominant neoliberal paradigm, their social and economic balance has remained ambiguous overall. While in the Brazilian case there has been no fundamental break with the historical pattern of exclusionary growth, Argentina has achieved better social results, but at the price of heightened political instability. Neither country has managed to overcome classical problems of dependent development, such as a dependence on primary goods exports.Dieser Artikel untersucht kritisch das jüngste, durch neodesarrollistisches politisches Denken angeleitete Wiedererstarken staatskapitalistischer Wirtschaftsstrategien in Brasilien und Argentinien. Unter Verwendung analytischer Werkzeuge aus materialistischer Staatstheorie und Dependenzperspektiven zeigt er, inwiefern die Chancen, Grenzen und Widersprüche dieser Projekte durch die grundlegenden Dynamiken des peripheren Kapitalismus beeinflusst werden. Obwohl sowohl der brasilianische als auch der argentinische Staatskapitalismus insbesondere im Vergleich zum zuvor dominanten neoliberalen Paradigma in vielen Aspekten relativ erfolgreich waren, blieb ihre soziale und ökonomische Bilanz daher insgesamt widersprüchlich. Während im brasilianischen Fall kein grundlegender Bruch mit dem historischen Muster ausschließenden Wachstums vollzogen wurde, hat Argentinien bessere soziale Ergebnisse erzielt, allerdings um den Preis höherer politischer Instabilität. Keines der beiden Länder hat klassische Probleme abhängiger Entwicklung, etwa die Abhängigkeit von Primärgüterexporten, überwinden können

Gewerkschaftliche Krise und Erneuerung - Labour Revitalisation Studies als globale Konversation

Der Artikel liefert einen Überblick über die Kernannahmen der labour revitalisation studies (LRS), um dann die mögliche Bereicherung dieses intellektuell-politischen Feldes durch einen stärkeren Fokus auf Erfahrungen mit gewerkschaftlicher Krise und Erneuerung im Globalen Süden zu diskutieren. Mit Bezug auf vorhandene wissenschaftliche Literatur behandelt er ein breites Spektrum empirischer Beispiele aus verschiedenen Weltregionen, geordnet entlang von vier thematischen Linien: transnationales Gewerkschaftshandeln, die Organisierung informeller und prekärer Beschäftigter, die gewerkschaftliche Auseinandersetzung mit der geschlechtlichen Natur von Arbeit und die komplexe Beziehung zwischen Gewerkschaften und dem Staat. Der Artikel argumentiert, dass die LRS als "globale Konversation" betrachtet werden sollten. Weiterhin plädiert er für eine Horizonterweiterung über traditionelle Gewerkschaftsorganisationen und ihre Handlungsrepertoires hinaus, aber auch für die Überwindung falscher Dichotomien zwischen Erneuerungsinitiativen, die "innerhalb", und anderen, die "außerhalb" etablierter Gewerkschaften entstehen.This article provides an overview of the key premises of labour revitalisation studies (LRS) and then discusses how this intellectual and political field might be enriched by an even more sustained focus on experiences of union crisis and revitalisation in the Global South. It discusses a broad range of empirical examples from a variety of world regions documented in scholarly literature, ordered along four thematic lines: transnational unionism, organising among informal and precarious workers, union engagement with the gendered nature of labour, and the complex relationship between unions and the state. On this basis, the article argues that LRS should be conceived of as a ‘global conversation’. Furthermore, it argues for broadening the view beyond traditional union organisations, their key political fields and repertoires of action, but also for overcoming false dichotomies between revitalisation initiatives that develop on the ‘outside’ and on the ‘inside’ of established unions

Critical political economy and the critique of comparative capitalisms scholarship on capitalist diversity

This introduction to the special issue focuses on the rise to dominance in debates on capitalist diversity of approaches which take institutions as their starting point, rather than the wider social relations in which institutions sit and are constituted by. However, although this is part of broader trends across the social sciences over the last three decades, the self-marginalisation of critical political economy perspectives from these debates was also a factor, as was the declining dialogue between critical political economy researchers rooted in different geographical and philosophical traditions. Echoing the influence on the emergent Conference of Socialist Economists of German-language debates on the state in the 1970s, we call for renewed dialogue between researchers from different linguistic and intellectual backgrounds in the name of a renewed critique of dominant comparative capitalisms (CC) approaches. In so doing, we emphasise the range of alternative perspectives that can be offered through such dialogues and critiques, and thus the significant potential for further collaboration and advances in our understanding of capitalist diversity. </jats:p

2-Oxoglutarate:NADP(+) Oxidoreductase in Azoarcus evansii: Properties and Function in Electron Transfer Reactions in Aromatic Ring Reduction

The conversion of [(14)C]benzoyl-coenzyme A (CoA) to nonaromatic products in the denitrifying β-proteobacterium Azoarcus evansii grown anaerobically on benzoate was investigated. With cell extracts and 2-oxoglutarate as the electron donor, benzoyl-CoA reduction occurred at a rate of 10 to 15 nmol min(−1) mg(−1). 2-Oxoglutarate could be replaced by dithionite (200% rate) and by NADPH (∼10% rate); in contrast NADH did not serve as an electron donor. Anaerobic growth on aromatic compounds induced 2-oxoglutarate:acceptor oxidoreductase (KGOR), which specifically reduced NADP(+), and NADPH:acceptor oxidoreductase. KGOR was purified by a 76-fold enrichment. The enzyme had a molecular mass of 290 ± 20 kDa and was composed of three subunits of 63 (γ), 62 (α), and 37 (β) kDa in a 1:1:1 ratio, suggesting an (αβγ)(2) composition. The native enzyme contained Fe (24 mol/mol of enzyme), S (23 mol/mol), flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD; 1.4 mol/mol), and thiamine diphosphate (0.95 mol/mol). KGOR from A. evansii was highly specific for 2-oxoglutarate as the electron donor and accepted both NADP(+) and oxidized viologens as electron acceptors; in contrast NAD(+) was not reduced. These results suggest that benzoyl-CoA reduction is coupled to the complete oxidation of the intermediate acetyl-CoA in the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Electrons generated by KGOR can be transferred to both oxidized ferredoxin and NADP(+), depending on the cellular needs. N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis revealed that the open reading frames for the three subunits of KGOR are similar to three adjacently located open reading frames in Bradyrhizobium japonicum. We suggest that these genes code for a very similar three-subunit KGOR, which may play a role in nitrogen fixation. The α-subunit is supposed to harbor one FAD molecule, two [4Fe-4S] clusters, and the NADPH binding site; the β-subunit is supposed to harbor one thiamine diphosphate molecule and one further [4Fe-4S] cluster; and the γ-subunit is supposed to harbor the CoA binding site. This is the first study of an NADP(+)-specific KGOR. A similar NADP(+)-specific pyruvate oxidoreductase, which contains all domains in one large subunit, has been reported for the mitochondrion of the protist Euglena gracilis and the apicomplexan Cryptosporidium parvum

Rethinking Varieties of Capitalism from the Latin American Periphery

The article reconsiders how capitalist diversity is conceived of in the mainstream institutionalist “comparative capitalisms” literature. It highlights the division between centers and peripheries as a differentiation prior to national varieties, subsequently introducing the concepts of “nuclei of accumulation” and “nuclei of state implication.” It proposes to analyze (peripheral) varieties of capitalism as results of the conformation and change of these nuclei, their interrelations, and their insertion into global economic and political networks.Fil: Fernández, Víctor Ramiro. Universidad Nacional del Litoral; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Ebenau, Matthias. Ig Metall Bildungszentrum Lohr-bad Orb; AlemaniaFil: Bazza, Alcides. Universidad Nacional del Litoral; Argentin

Genes and enzymes involved in the biodegradation of the quaternary carbon compound pivalate in the denitrifying Thauera humireducens strain PIV ‐1

A utilisé MicroScope PlatformInternational audienceQuaternary carbon‐containing compounds exist in natural and fossil oil‐derived products and are used in chemical and pharmaceutical applications up to industrial scale. Due to the inaccessibility of the quaternary carbon atom for a direct oxidative or reductive attack, they are considered as persistent in the environment. Here, we investigated the unknown degradation of the quaternary carbon‐containing model compound pivalate (2,2‐dimethyl‐propionate) in the denitrifying bacterium Thauera humireducens strain PIV‐1 (formerly T hauera pivalivorans ). We provide multiple evidence for a pathway comprising the activation to pivalyl‐CoA and the carbon skeleton rearrangement to isovaleryl‐CoA. Subsequent reactions proceed similar to the catabolic leucine degradation pathway such as the carboxylation to 3‐methylglutaconyl‐CoA and the cleavage of 3‐methyl‐3‐hydroxyglutaryl‐CoA to acetyl‐CoA and acetoacetate. The completed genome of Thauera humireducens strain PIV‐1 together with proteomic data was used to identify pivalate‐upregulated gene clusters including genes putatively encoding pivalate CoA ligase and adenosylcobalamin‐dependent pivalyl‐CoA mutase. A pivalate‐induced gene encoding a putative carboxylic acid CoA ligase was heterologously expressed, and its highly enriched product exhibited pivalate CoA ligase activity. The results provide the first experimental insights into the biodegradation pathway of a quaternary carbon‐containing model compound that serves as a blueprint for the degradation of related quaternary carbon‐containing compounds