Mi vida/anda de un hilo pendiente

Le drame espagnol du Siècle d’Or aborde très fréquemment le thème de l’ascension et de la chute du privado, ou favori du roi : c’est le cas pour de nombreuses pièces de Juan Pérez de Montalbán. La présente étude se propose d’explorer la représentation de la précarité du favori dans l’œuvre du dramaturge, en portant une attention particulière aux apariencias emblématiques.Spanish drama of the Golden Age exploited with great frequency the theme of the rise and fall of the privado, or royal favourite. It is a theme that appears in many plays by Juan Pérez de Montalbán. This study explores the dramatist’s depiction of the precariousness of the favourite, with a special focus on emblematic discovery scenes.El drama español del Siglo de Oro cultivó con una frecuencia sorprendente el tema de la subida y caída del privado. Es un tema que aparece en muchas de las obras dramáticas de Juan Pérez de Montalbán. El análisis presente explora la representación de la precariedad del privado en la obra del dramaturgo con un enfoque especial en las apariencias dramáticas emblemáticas

«¿Quién es marido de quién?». Gender Confusion in the Plays of Cristóbal de Monroy y Silva

Much critical work has been dedicated in recent years to the transgressive representation of gender in the plays of the Spanish Golden Age, an interest sparked in great measure by Melveena McKendrickʼs sem­inal work: Woman and Society in the Spanish Drama of the Golden Age. A Study of the «Mujer Varonil» (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1974). This article examines the depiction of gender ambiguity and confu­sion in the plays of the Andalusian dramatist Cristóbal de Monroy y Silva, with a special focus on El caballero dama and La batalla de Pavía y prisión del rey Francisco. While Monroy y Silvaʼs depictions of gender ambigui­ty usually correspond to the conventional categories of mujer vestida de hombre or mujer varonil, these two plays offer interesting and original case studies. La batalla de Pavía y prisión del rey Francisco presents an almost unheard of case of gender dysphoria

Shakespeare

If scholarship devoted to the influence of emblematics on Cervantes is a relatively new field, the same cannot be said for Shakespeare. The study of the debt owed by Shakespeare to emblem books began in earnest over a century ago with the publication of Henry Green's pioneering Shakespeare and the Emblem Writers: An Exposition of their Similarities of Thought and Expression. Preceded by a View of Emblem-Literature Down to A.D. 1616 (London: Trübner and Co., 1870). One constant in the approach of Shakespeare critics in their handling of possible emblematic influence is to urge caution and prudence when considering emblem literature as a possible source or influence on Shakespeare.Si la investigación dedicada a la influencia de la emblemática en Cervantes es un campo relativamente nuevo, no podemos decir lo mismo en relación a Shakespeare. El estudio de las deudas del dramaturgo con los libros de emblemas se remonta a más o menos un siglo, con la publicación del estudio pionero de Henry Green, Shakespeare and the Emblem Writers: An Exposition of their Similarities of Thought and Expression. Preceded by a View of Emblem-Literature Down to A.D. 1616 (Londres: Trübner and Co., 1870). Una constante del acercamiento de la crítica a este asunto siempre ha sido recomendar la mayor cautela y prudencia en la consideración de la literatura emblemática como fuente o influencia posible sobre los textos de Shakespeare

Cervantes

Si la intución de vincular a Shakespeare con el mundo de los emblemas fue rastreada por la crítica anglosajona desde antiguo, dando lugar a estudios extensos y minuciosos, no ha sido así con la obra de Cervantes. De hecho, no podemos hablar en rigor de unos primeros —y aún tímidos— análisis de este enlace hasta principios de los años ochenta del siglo pasado, y habrá que esperar a que acabe prácticamente el siglo para contar con una mínima bibliografía dedicada. Sin duda, la multiplicación de estudios coincide con el nuevo interés que gana en nuestro país la literatura de emblemas a impulsos de la Sociedad Española de Emblemática, de sus congresos y las publicaciones de sus miembros. Pero hay que destacar que, aún así, y hasta hoy, la figura de Cervantes se presenta escurridiza para la consolidación de esta bibliografía

Mentoring Young Entrepreneurs: What Leads to Success?

Youth Business International (YBI) has helped a significant number of young entrepreneurs through its network of business programmes worldwide. It provides young people, who have little more than a bright idea and the determination to succeed, with a start-up loan and the services of a volunteer mentor. However, what is less well known is the true nature of the mentor-client relationship and the impact this has on a young person’s personal and business success. This study takes as its sample two distinct groups of mentors, young entrepreneurs and programme managers from two different countries and using a case study method explores what leads to success. The emerging themes show the nature of the relationship is affected at three critical phases: start-up, midpoint and endpoint. The results also show that mentors are required to use an approach towards entrepreneurs that reduces dependency and increases self-confidence. The findings indicate a style of mentoring which is less directive and more empowering as the client’s business starts to grow

Banking sector stability, efficiency, and outreach in Kenya

Although Kenya's financial system is by far the largest and most developed in East Africa and its stability has improved significantly over the past years, many challenges remain. This paper assesses the stability, efficiency, and outreach of Kenya's banking system, usingaggregate, bank-level, and survey data. Banks'asset quality and liquidity positions have improved, making the system more resistant to shocks, and interest rate spreads have declined, in part due to reduction in the overhead costs of foreign banks. Outreach remains limited, but has improved in recent years, driven by mobile payments services in the domestic remittance market. Fostering a level regulatory playing field for all deposit-taking institutions is a key remaining challenge. Specifically, an effective but not overly burdensome framework for regulation and supervision of microfinance institutions and cooperatives is a priority. Maintaining an openness to new, and non-bank, providers of financial services, which has enabled the success of mobile payments, could also further outreach.Banks&Banking Reform,Access to Finance,Debt Markets,Emerging Markets,Bankruptcy and Resolution of Financial Distress

Mutually Destructive Bidding: The FCC Auction Design Problem

Dissatisfaction with previous assignment mechanisms and the desire to raise revenue induced Congress to grant the FCC authority to auction radio licenses. The debate over an appropriate auction design was wide ranging with many imaginative proposals. Many of the arguments and their scientific support are unfortunately not publicly available. Here, we present our side of this debate for the record. Synergies across license valuations complicate the auction design process. Theory suggests that a “simple” (i.e., non-combinatorial) auction will have difficulty in assigning licenses efficiently in such an environment. This difficulty increases with increases in “fitting complexity.” In some environments, bidding may become “mutually destructive.” Experiments indicate that a combinatorial auction is superior to a simple auction in terms of economic efficiency and revenue generation in bidding environments with a low amount of fitting complexity. Concerns that a combinatorial auction will cause a “threshold” problem are not borne out when bidders for small packages can communicate

The Emblematic Exemplum in Agustín Moreto y Cabaña and Other Golden Age Playwrights

Taking as a point of departure Juan de Horozco's definition: «las emblemas se pueden hazer con figuras solas, como es más ordinario o con figuras y letras que siruan de mote, y esto es, porque la emblema quanto más guardare las propiedades de la empresa tanto será mejor según yo entiendo y juzgara qualquiera» (f. 64v), this study analyzes the presence and function of dramatic emblems in the plays of Agustín Moreto y Cabaña and other Spanish Golden Age Dramatists. It postulates that the poetic images, derived in many instances from emblem books, function as exempla in order to comment on the dramatic situation. The dramatic emblems are divided into two main groups: «marked emblems and «unmarked emblems». KEYWORDS: Agustín de Moreto; argumentum emblematicum; dramatic emblems; exempla