The discourse of competitiveness and the dis-embedding of the national economy

In the 1950s–1970s inward foreign direct investments (IFDI) were widely seen as a menace, threatening to undermine national economic development. Two decades later such concerns had virtually disappeared. Rather than as a problem, IFDI were now portrayed as a solution – even symbols of national economic success. To better understand the ideational dynamics underlying this remarkable transformation in perceptions of IFDI, this research traces the evolution of economic discourses in the United Kingdom over the post-war period. Deviating from conventional accounts in constructivist IPE, the investigation indicates that the rise of first-generation neoliberal discourses in the 1980s played only a secondary role in these processes. Instead, the discursive re-shaping of IFDI was primarily driven by the rise of the narrative of national competitiveness in the early 1990s – a discourse inspired by managerial rather than neoclassical economic theory. Building a framework that prioritizes (multinational) firms over national economies, the rise of this second-generation neoliberal narrative played a critical role in promoting now taken-for-granted imaginaries of the global economy as an economic ‘race’ between nations-as-platforms-of-production. The findings highlight the ideational underbelly of the rise of the competition state and how it re-shaped dominant social representations of IFDI

Economic Narratives and the Legitimacy of Foreign Direct Investments

In the 1990s, the primary focus of the international investment regime shifted from the restriction and regulation towards the promotion and attraction of foreign companies. Dominant accounts in the international political economy literature emphasize the role of interests and institutions in explaining this policy shift but pay little attention to their legitimation. This article argues that transformations in dominant economic discourses—and in particular the rise of the competitiveness narrative—played an important role in granting legitimacy to this U‐turn in international economic affairs. To test the argument, the article focuses on the impact of the differential changes in the portrayal of greenfield and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) inward foreign direct investments (IFDI) in economic discourses in the UK before and after the rise of the competitiveness narrative. In line with the theoretical argument, findings indicate that individuals who passed their early adulthood in a period in which the narrative of economic statism was still prevalent hold notably more skeptical views of M&A IFDI even though they are otherwise not more opposed to investments from abroad. A causal mediation analysis lends further empirical support to the argument

Speeding Up “Slowbalization”:The Political Economy of Global Production before and after COVID-19

The global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 brutally exposed the vulnerabilities of hyperconnected just-in-time production networks. It was met by prominent calls by business and political leaders to prioritize resilience over efficiency and to reshore global production. About one year later, this commentary provides an early assessment of the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the political economy of globalized production. Rather than fundamentally changing the structural organization of multinational corporations, it is argued, the pandemic highlighted and accelerated important trends that were already well underway before the outbreak of the pandemic. Even though the COVID-19 crisis has not fundamentally altered infrastructures of global production, there are indications that transnational production networks may be in the process of bifurcating further into US- and China-centered spheres—with more cross-border integration within but less across the two—in the years to come

Less compelling than it seems: rethinking the relationship between aggregate FDI inflows and national competitiveness

Levels of FDI inflows are commonly regarded as an unmistakable cause and outcome of a country’s economic “competitiveness”. This Perspective argues that the connections underlying such views are not as straightforward as they might seem, and calls for a more nuanced analysis of the economic meaning of FDI inflows

PERAN KEPALA MADRASAH DALAM MENGEMBANGKAN BUDAYA DISIPLIN DI MTsN 2 KOTA PADANG

This article is motivated by the role of the madrasa head in developing a culture of discipline at MTsN 2 Padang City. This study aims to find out what actions are taken to discipline it, this can be seen by symptoms such as students who arrive late, students who are late for more than 15 minutes are told to go home, there are still students who are not dressed neatly, there are students who play in the madrasa yard during class hours, there are still students who don't do homework. The results of the findings of the madrasa principal's strategy in developing a discipline culture in the field of discipline, first, the discipline in the madrasa is discussed every year to further refine it. So, this is a pretty good thing. This means that the discipline of students in this madrasa is always being improved. in compiling the rules, the madrasah also invited parents of students, teachers, head of the madrasah, TU staff. this is a good thing, because by involving the student's guardians in the preparation of the rules, the student's guardians will automatically know what rules apply in the madrasa. Second, after the rules have been discussed and approved, then the head of the madrasa socializes the rules so that students know what obligations and restrictions apply. The socialization that was implemented was by explaining it during the school orientation period (MOS), displaying the rules of conduct in each class, the school principal, guidance counselor and other teachers always reminded students. This way of socialization should be effective enough to make students understand the culture of discipline in the madrasa

The national accounting paradox:How statistical norms corrode international economic data

The transnationalization and digitization of economic activity has undermined the quality of official economic statistics, which still center on national territories and material production. Why do we not witness more vigorous efforts to bring statistical standards in line with present-day economic realities, or admissions that precision in economic data has become increasingly illusive? The paradoxical answer, we argue, lies in the norms underpinning global statistical practice. Users expect statistics to draw on unambiguous sources, to allow for comparison over time and across countries, and they prize coherence—both internally and with holistic macroeconomic models. Yet as we show, the ambition of the transnational statistical community to meet these norms has in fact undermined the ability of economic data to represent economic life more faithfully. We base our findings on interviews with two dozen leading statisticians at international economic organizations, archival research at the International Monetary Fund and a thorough review of debates among statistical experts