Deciphering the Chinese Economic Miracle: Lessons for the Developing World

Despite enormous historical, demographic, geographical, and geopolitical adversities, China has enjoyed unprecedented economic success in world history. This article aims to decipher the formula behind China's historic economic success and distill policy lessons for developing countries in their endeavors to reach an advanced stage of economic development. Based on descriptive case study and statistics, the article suggests that the Chinese economic miracle can be explained by a four-fold formula: a) devising an autocentric economic model aspiring to improve national autonomy and cushion the impact of foreign interference, b) insisting on socialism and the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which allows for strategic coherence and long-term planning to overcome free-market anarchy, c) creating a state-driven industrial base fueled by national science and technology policies, and d) adopting a balanced approach to development centered on attaining a higher sociocultural and ecological quality of life. The findings also help to debunk the myths surrounding the Chinese miracle, particularly the "cheap labor thesis", the "technology theft thesis", the "foreign investment and capitalist integration theses", the "imperialism thesis", and the "Mao-the-monster thesis"

Comparison of the optical behaviour of five different multifocal diffractive intraocular lenses in a model eye

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the optical performance of five trifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) following the ISO 11979-2 standards, analysing the impact of tilt and decentration. Five different diffractive trifocal IOLs were evaluated in this experimental study: Acriva Trinova (VSY-Biotechnology) (AT), FineVision HP (PhysIOL) (FVHP), AT LISA tri 839 MP (Zeiss) (ATLT), PanOptix TFNT00 IOL (Alcon) (PO), and Tecnis Synergy (J&J Vision) (TS). In-vitro optical quality analysis of them was performed with the Lambda PMTF system that has an aberration neutral cornea model (Lambda-X Ophthalmics). Measurements were performed on-axis, with 5º of IOL tilt and with 0.5 mm of IOL decentration using 543-nm monochromatic light. Finally, IOL dimensions and diffractive disk profile inspection was performed using the VisIOLA system (Rotlex). On-axis measurements showed a far through-focus MTF > 0.3 at 3 mm aperture, except for TS. FVHP and PO showed better far MTFs for larger apertures (3.75 mm and 4.5 mm) while AT showed good intermediate and near vision for such apertures. With 5º of IOL tilt, the better optical performance at all distances was found with AT for medium-sized pupils (3 mm) and an important reduction of MTF was found for ATLT and PO, especially in the intermediate focus. The induction of 0.5 mm of IOL decentration especially affected the intermediate focus of ATLT and TS and the far focus of FVHP and PO. IOL dimensions and diffractive profile were consistent with those described by the manufacturer. In conclusion, there are differences in the optical performance according to the pupil aperture of the five trifocal IOLs evaluated and this should be considered in clinical practice when selecting the most appropriate implant in each specific case. IOL tilt and decentration can affect significantly in most of the designs evaluated the performance of the IOL at intermediate vision range. It should be noted that measurements were made with an aberration-free cornea, being necessary future studies analysing the impact of different levels of corneal aberrations.David P. Piñero received funding from VSY Biotechnology within the framework of the research project VSY1-22TPA in collaboration with the University of Alicante

La souveraineté alimentaire dans le système-monde : une étude comparative des structures agraires cubaine et mexicaine

Suite à l‘éclatement de la bulle des « subprimes » en 2008, le tournant décisif de cette période de crise, toutes les attentions se sont focalisées sur la crise de la « finance mondialisée », masquant d‘autres conséquences de la crise aussi lourdes et perverses que l‘essor du chômage et le resserrement du crédit (Carfantan 2009). Ce travail se consacre ainsi aux autres aspects de la crise tels que vécus à la campagne, en particulier la crise alimentaire et la crise des sociétés paysannes. Le point central de cette recherche porte plus particulièrement sur la montée de « l‘alternative de la souveraineté alimentaire » en réponse à la crise agraire de manière à poser un véritable défi au modèle agroalimentaire du néolibéralisme (Desmarais 2008; Holt-Giménez 2009). La présente recherche étudie donc les déterminants sociopolitiques qui conduisent à l‘édification des politiques de souveraineté alimentaire malgré la pression du régime alimentaire néolibéral. Ce mémoire avance que les politiques de souveraineté alimentaire sont issues de contre-mouvements paysans qui parviennent, en premier lieu, à établir une structure domestique agraire de nature « populaire-démocratique » et « antisystémique », et en second lieu, à transnationaliser cette structure de manière à défier le régime alimentaire néolibéral en crise. En adaptant la théorie intermédiaire de « structures domestiques » à l‘étude critique des structures agraires autour de trois différentes variables (Risse-Kappen 1999), le mémoire soutient que l‘émergence des politiques de souveraineté alimentaire nécessite la décentralisation de la prise de décision et la collectivisation du secteur agricole à travers une transformation agraire radicale et agroécologique (variable de « structure politique »), de même que l‘émergence d‘une structure sociétale agraire robuste construite sur des réseaux politiques consensuels, en présence d‘un État puissant et d‘une société civile agraire mobilisée (variables de « structure sociétale » et de « réseaux politiques »). Au niveau conceptuel, la recherche repose sur la théorie du système-monde, et consiste en une étude comparative modelée sur une étude de cas contrastes; le cas de Cuba, caractérisé par une forte résistance aux défis agroalimentaires du système-monde contemporain, et celui du Mexique, marqué par l‘adoption des politiques alimentaires néolibérales.Following the bursting of the subprime bubble in 2008, which is considered to be the turning point of this period of crisis, much attention has been focused on the global economic meltdown, masking the other consequences of the crisis which are as heavy and perverse as the rise of unemployment and the credit crunch (Carfantan 2009). This research is dedicated to the study of other aspects of the crisis as it evolves in the countryside, mostly dealing with the socio-political consequences of the global food crisis and the crisis of peasant societies. The focal point of this study concerns in particular the rise of the "food sovereignty alternative" which mounts a serious challenge to the dominant agri-food model of neo-liberalism in crisis (Desmarais 2008; Holt-Giménez 2009). Therefore, the present study seeks to reveal the socio-political determinants leading to the establishment of food sovereignty policies despite the pressure of the neo-liberal food regime. This thesis maintains that food sovereignty policies originate from peasant counter-movements which engender, in the first place, the establishment of a new agrarian domestic structure of "popular-democratic" and "antisystemic" nature, and secondly, the transnationalization of this structure so as to challenge the neo-liberal food regime in crisis. By adapting the intermediary theory of "domestic structures" to the critical study of agrarian structures on the basis three different variables (Risse-Kappen 1999), the thesis argues that the emergence of food sovereignty policies requires the decentralization of the decision-making and the collectivization of the agricultural sector through a radical and agro-ecological agrarian transformation (the "political structure" variable), as well as the emergence of a potent agrarian societal structure which is built on consensual political networks, in presence of a strong state and a mobilized agrarian civil society (the "societal structure" and "policy networks" variables). At the conceptual level, the research draws on the world-systems theory, and consists of a comparative study modeled on a contrasted case study approach which includes the case of Cuba, characterized by a strong resistance to challenges posed by the neo-liberal food regime, and Mexico, marked by the adoption of neo-liberal food policies

The Changing Geopolitical Economy of Transcaucasia under Multipolarity

This article sheds light on the changing character of the Transcaucasian geopolitical economy based on the question of how the multipolarization of world politics has shaped the course of regional conflicts and the balance of forces in the region. In this framework, the article proposes transcending static labels such as Georgia / Azerbaijan as a “Western post,” Iran and Azerbaijan as “arch enemies,” and Armenia as a “traditional Russian ally” by reference to recent developments such as the peaceful rise of China in the region, Putin's Eurasianist geostrategic leanings, and the reorientation of Turkey's foreign policy since 2016. Georgian and Armenian color revolution dynamics are likely to be suppressed thanks to the recent foreign policy shift of Turkey as a strategic ally of Georgia, Georgia's inclusion in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and the Russo-Turkish rapprochement. Amidst deteriorating relations with the US and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the 2010s, moreover, Azerbaijan's foreign policy gives increasingly greater weight to relations with Russia, which can be further deepened under the influence of Turkey's foreign policy. A similar situation goes for Azerbaijan's involvement in the Non-Aligned Movement and BRI, as well as Iranian acknowledgment of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity despite unresolved tensions in bilateral relations. </p

Comparing traditional sports and electronic sports

Electronic sports (eSports) viewership numbers have been growing over the years. Video games such as League of Legends, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, or Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft have a large following. During the League of Legends regular season matches, 250,000 people regularly tune in to watch the games. Professional players such as Enrique “Xpeke” Cedeno-Martinez have 470,000 Twitter followers. In this study, we built two visualizations to explore similarities and differences between eSports and traditional sports. We focused on the salaries earned by eSports players and the emergence of a new way of interacting with professional players via live streaming. We then compared how fan loyalties differ between the two fields

Food Security, Inequality and the Neoliberal Diet in Emerging Economies

How have growing food-import dependency and intra-state inequalities impacted class diets under the neoliberal food regime? This study shows a deepening inequality between low-to-middle-income working classes, whose diet has become increasingly compromised nutritionally, and higher-income classes, who have gained increased access to healthful or “luxury” foods like fresh fruits and vegetables. We develop an index that measures the risk of exposure to what we call the “neoliberal diet” for low-to-middle-income working classes. Using this index, we compare the US and Canada with a group of countries including the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) plus South Africa, Indonesia, Mexico, and Turkey. We conclude that food security for most people in these so-called emerging nations can hardly be achieved under the “comparative advantage” logic of the neoliberal food regime and its nutritionally compromised diet. A more promising, and democratic, alternative is a food-sovereignty program of agrarian reforms to promote peasant production and social empowerment, as well as rural–urban alliances. &nbsp

Hindistan ile Pakistan’da yükselen popülizmin ikili ilişkilere etkisi ve Keşmir sorunu

Latin Amerika, Avrupa ve ABD’de kendinden sıkça söz ettiren bir inceleme konusu haline gelen popülizm, aynı zamanda Hindistan’da Modi’nin ve Pakistan’da İmran Khan’ın iktidara gelmesinden sonra Güney Asya bölgesinde güncel siyaseti belirleyen önemli bir unsur olarak görülmektedir. Bu makale, popülizm literatüründe oldukça az ele alınmış olan popülizm-uluslararası ilişkiler ilişkisine ve Güney Asya örneğine yoğunlaşmaktadır. Popülizmin yükselişi altında Hindistan ve Pakistan’ın dış politikaları gözle görülür bir dönüşüm geçirmiştir. Örneğin Khan, İslami tonu güçlendirilmiş bir popülizm anlayışıyla Pakistan siyasetini olduğu gibi şekillendirmiştir. Pakistan’ın ABD’den gitgide uzaklaşadursun Çin ve İran gibi müttefiklerle yakınlaşması, Modi’nin Hindistan’ının Pakistan ile ilişkilerinin daha da gerilmesine ortam sağlamaktadır. Tabii Modi’ye bakıldığında, onun sağ popülizminin keskin bir Müslüman karşıtlığı pratiğinden beslendiği görülecektir. Bu yönde bir söylemin yarattığı siyasal ortamda Müslümanlara karşı saldırıların artış göstermesi şaşırtıcı değildir. Benzer doğrultuda, Modi’nin söylemi, İslam ile ilişkilendirilen sözde tehdidin salt iç kaynaklı bir sorun teşkil etmediğine işaret etmektedir. Hatta Pakistan’ın şeytanlaştırılması, Modi’nin “Hint-Pasifik” kavramsallaştırmasında anlamını bulan etnosantrik dış siyaset görüşü ile örtüşmektedir. Bu doğrultuda, Modi’nin bölgede Pakistan’ın baş müttefiki olarak Çin’i de hedef alması da anlamlıdır. Modi’nin dış siyaset anlayışının sağ popülist motifleri Keşmir sorununda kolaylıkla ayırt edilebilir. Modi’nin, sorunu İsrail-Filistin çatışmasına benzetmesi ve bu eksende uluslararası hukuka taşıması göze çarpmaktadır. Keşmir’de tarihin en çatışmalı döneminin Modi-Khan döneminde yaşanmakta olduğu gözlemlenmektedir. Khan özelinde, Pakistan’ın Suudileri karşısına alarak Keşmir sorununu diğer İslam ülkeleri ile yakın ilişki geliştirme ve iç siyasette taban desteğini ilerletme çabaları dikkate değerdir. Ancak, bu şekilde, bölgede “Keşmirlilik” kimliğinin gitgide zayıflamakta olduğu ve İslami kimliğin öne çıkmasıyla ulus-aşırı İslamcı unsurların güç kazandığı bir gerçektir.Publisher's Versio

The Relationship Between Saving, Profit Rates and Business Cycles

Konjonktür dalgalanmalarının kaynakları, nedenleri ve belirleyicileri konusunda iktisat okullarının farklı yaklaşımları söz konusudur. Bu yaklaşımlar Klasik ve Keynesyen akım çerçevesinde şekillenmiştir. 2008 yılında yaşanan Küresel Finans Krizi konjonktür dalgalanmaları ile ilgili literatürün yeniden canlanmasına zemin hazırlamıştır. Bu çalışmada, OECD ekonomilerinde, 1990- 2013 dönemi için, ekonomideki faaliyetlerin büyük bir bölümünü gerçekleştiren özel sektörün tasarruf ve kâr oranlarının ekonomide bir canlanmaya mı yoksa resesyona mı yol açtığı panel veri yöntemleri kullanılarak analiz edilmektedir. Bulgular; kâr ve bir yıl gecikmesi alınmış tasarruf oranlarının konjonktür dalgalanmaları üzerinde pozitif etkiye sahip olduğunu göstermektedir. Bir başka ifadeyle, tasarruf ve kâr oranlarındaki artış trend düzeyinden yukarı doğru sapmalara neden olmaktadır. Diğer taraftan analizlerde kullanılan; ticari ve finansal açıklık, toplam faktör verimliliği, ileri teknoloji ihracatı, yurt içi kredi hacmi, M2 para arzı, reel döviz kuru ve hükümet harcamaları değişkenlerindeki artışlar trend düzeyinden yukarı (canlanma eğilimi), faiz, enflasyon ve işsizlik oranları ise trend düzeyinden aşağıya doğru (resesyon eğilimi) sapmalara yol açmaktadır.There are different approaches of economics schools on the sources, causes and determinants of business cycles. These approaches have been shaped in the Classical and Keynesian currents. The Global Financial Crisis that lived in 2008 laid the groundwork for the revival of the literature on business cycles. By using the panel data methods for the period between 1990 and 2013 in OECD economies, this study has investigated the effects of private sector profit and savings rates playing an important role in creating the cyclical fluctuations. The findings show that profit and the lagged saving rates have positive effect on the cyclical fluctuations. In other words, an increase in profit and savings rates causes the upward deviations from the trend level. On the other hand, the increases in the variables used in the analysis, like commercial and financial openness, total factor productivity, high-tech exports, domestic credit volume, M2 money supply, real exchange rate and government spendings, give rise to upward deviations tendency to boom) from the trend level while interest, inflation and unemployment rates have a reverse situation (tendency to recession)

The Effectiveness of Bank Credit Channel in Turkey

Parasal otoritenin yürütmüş olduğu para politikası, reel ekonomiyi; geleneksel faiz kanalı, varlık fiyatları kanalı, döviz kuru kanalı, kredi kanalı ve beklenti kanalı olmak üzere parasal aktarım kanalları aracılığıyla etkilemektedir. Bu çalışmanın esas konusunu oluşturan kredi kanalı, banka kredileri kanalı ve bilanço kanalı olarak iki alt kanala ayrılmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, 2003Ç1-2018Ç4 döneminde Türkiye’de banka kredi kanalının etkinliğinin VAR modeli kullanılarak araştırılmasıdır. Analizde para politikası göstergesi olarak kısa vadeli faiz oranları kullanılmış ve faiz oranındaki değişikliklerin özel sektörün (finansal olmayan) kredi hacmine olan etkileri araştırılmıştır. Etki-tepki fonksiyonlarının sonuçları Türkiye’de banka kredi kanalı mekanizmasının çalıştığını göstermiştir.Monetary policy carried out by a monetary authority affects real economy by means of monetary transmission channels consisting of traditional interest rate channel, asset pricing channel, exchange rate channel, credit channel, and expectation channel. Credit channel forming the main subject of this study is divided into two subclasses: Bank Credit Channel and Balance Sheet Channel. The objective of this study is to analyze the effectiveness of bank credit channel for Turkey for the period of 2003Q1-2018Q4 by using Vector Autoregressive Model. In the analysis, short-term interes rate is considered as indicator of monetary policy and impact of changes in policy rate on private non-financial sector credit volume were investigated. The result of impulse-response functions revealed that bank credit channel mechanism works in Turkey

Are Profit Rates Procyclical?

İktisat teorisi, A. Smith’in yaşadığı dönemden bu yana ekonomide konjonktür dalgalanmalarının kaynakları ileilgili görüş birliğine varabilmiş değildir. Konjonktür dalgalanmalarının nedenleri, ekonominin herhangi birmüdahale olmaksızın dengeye gelip-gelmemesine göre açıklanmaktadır. Ana akım iktisat düşüncesinin öncülükettiği yaklaşıma göre, genişleme ve daralma dönemlerinin ortaya çıkmasında dışsal şoklar (teknoloji ve arzşokları gibi) etkilidir. Keynesyen çizgideki iktisat düşüncesine göre ekonomide görülen dalgalanmaların içsel(toplam talep, yatırım, kâr, bölüşüm vb.) nedenleri vardır. Bu çalışmada, OECD ekonomilerinde, 1995-2016dönemi için, kâr oranlarının konjonktür yönü panel veri yöntemleri kullanılarak araştırılmaktadır. Bulgular;OECD bölgesinde kâr oranlarının konjonktür yönlü olduğunu göstermektedir.Since the time when Adam Smith lived, economy theory has not come to an agreement on the sources of cyclicalfluctuations in economy. The reasons for cyclical fluctuations are accounted for on the basis of whether economycomes to the equilibrium without the intervention. According to the approach lead by the mainstream economicthought, external shocks, such as technology and supply shocks, are in effect on creating the periods of economicexpansion and contraction. In the economic thought held by Keynesians, there are internal reasons for theflactuations seen in economy, like such as total demand, investment, profit, distribution etc. By using the paneldata methods for the period between 1995 and 2016 in OECD economies, In this study, in the OECD economies,the cyclical direction of profit rates is being investigated. Findings show that profit rates are procyclical inOECD area