Locus Classicus: Origin Brands in Roman Luxury Markets, c. 100 BC – c. AD 130

This thesis examines the social and economic context for so-called’ origin brands’ (products referred to and associated with a particular town, region or country) in ancient Rome, and develops a hypothetical model of how a Roman brand’s reputation might grow. This thinking is illustrated by four detailed case studies of luxury brands. Chapter 1 examines the role of brands in the Roman world in the light of modern thinking on the nature of brands and branding. I discuss the role of the consumer, in relation to brands, both modern and ancient, leading into an explanation of how brands are adopted by consumers, and how this might apply to a Roman luxury brand. Finally, I introduce and develop the concept of ‘origin brands’ in the Roman world, and relate the phenomenon of the origin brand to the consumer context. Chapter 2 sets out the élite socio-economic context in which Roman brands developed. The last part of this chapter examines the potential role of literature and its performance in élite households in the communication of brand information. Chapter 3 examines the nature of brand communication in the Roman world. In ancient Rome this was primarily word-of-mouth. This is analysed in a structured way to reflect the entire process from the production of a commodity to its ultimate purchase and consumption, leading to the formulation of a schematic model of the process. The second half of the thesis consists of four extended case studies that narrate the history of selected luxury origin brands and how they achieved their success in the Roman élite marketplace. The four examples – Corinthian bronze, ivory, silk and fine wines – represent different competitive marketplaces, and differing ways in which the brands concerned developed

Development Discourse and Practice: Alternatives and New Directions from Postcolonial Perspectives

Development and aid programs, such as those aimed at promoting economic growth and prosperity in ‘Third World’ nations and transition economies, often arise out of Western and neo-liberal policy ideologies and practices. These programs may, in some cases, provide useful guidelines for restructuring institutional structures and governance mechanisms in nations that have long struggled with poverty, economic instability, health crises, and social and political turmoil. However, a growing number of critical voices are raising concerns over the guiding assumptions and inclusiveness of these policies and programs in their aims to promote economic development and social well-being in non-Western nations. We join these critical perspectives by way of postcolonial frameworks to highlight some of the problematic assumptions and oversights of development programs, while offering new alternatives and directions. By doing so, we contribute to organizational theorizing in a global context, as postcolonial insights provide much needed engagement with international aid policies and programs, as well as development organizations and institutions. To accomplish this, we offer a historical perspective on development, present a critique of the policies and practices guiding many aid programs, and conclude with suggestions emanating from postcoloniality

Aphids influence soil fungal communities in conventional agricultural systems

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form symbioses with the roots of most plant species, including cereals. AMF can increase the uptake of nutrients including nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), and of silicon (Si) as well as increase host resistance to various stresses. Plants can simultaneously interact with above-ground insect herbivores such as aphids, which can alter the proportion of plant roots colonized by AMF. However, it is unknown if aphids impact the structure of AMF communities colonizing plants or the extent of the extraradical mycelium produced in the soil, both of which can influence the defensive and nutritional benefit a plant derives from the symbiosis. This study investigated the effect of aphids on the plant-AMF interaction in a conventionally managed agricultural system. As plants also interact with other soil fungi, the non-AMF fungal community was also investigated. We hypothesized that aphids would depress plant growth, and reduce intraradical AMF colonization, soil fungal hyphal density and the diversity of AM and non-AM fungal communities. To test the effects of aphids, field plots of barley enclosed with insect proof cages were inoculated with Sitobion avenae or remained uninoculated. AMF specific and total fungal amplicon sequencing assessed root fungal communities 46 days after aphid addition. Aphids did not impact above-ground plant biomass, but did increase the grain N:P ratio. Whilst aphid presence had no impact on AMF intraradical colonization, soil fungal hyphal length density, or AMF community characteristics, there was a trend for the aphid treatment to increase vesicle numbers and the relative abundance of the AMF family Gigasporaceae. Contrary to expectations, the aphid treatment also increased the evenness of the total fungal community. This suggests that aphids can influence soil communities in conventional arable systems, a result that could have implications for multitrophic feedback loops between crop pests and soil organisms across the above-below-ground interface

Legitimating the IMF : lessons from the Asian crisis

The thesis sets out to answer three questions: what caused the IMF's apparent crisis of legitimacy in the aftermath of the Asian crisis, why were the subsequent reforms so limited and what does that apparent paradox tell us about the politics of IMF policy-making? Criticism of the Fund's role in Asia was largely criticism of Fund performance but the performance issues fed into pre-existing difficulties with the relationship between the Fund's role and its institutional structures. Essentially, the Fund's role had expanded in developing countries and contracted in developed countries but its institutions remained unchanged. The result was a growing imbalance between institutions designed to ensure IMF technical authority and an increasing need for more political kinds of legitimacy. The increasingly intrusive nature of Fund conditionality has also changed the audiences for Fund legitimacy claims as cooperation from domestic populations became more important to secure implementation. The first part of the thesis explores these developments providing an analysis of the logic of the ll iF's traditional legitimating justifications and a historical view of its evolution over time. The second part of the thesis examines the political consequences of these growing tensions in the context of the Asian crisis. Through four case studies (Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea and the US) it explores the nature of the new conditionality, the politics of programme implementation, forms of political resistance that materialised, and the nature of the relationship between the Fund, states and civil society. It argues that moves to engage civil society have created some modest successes but are ultimately limited by the overall institutional framework within which they operate. Internally, the Fund remains an institution dominated by developed countries despite being principally responsible for developing country policy. It is also dominated by financial elites in both developing and developed countries. Legitimacy is about the credibility of authority claims but the poütical significance of those claims lies in the extent to which they are able to attract political support and trigger political resistance. A combination of modest reforms, new arguments and public ambivalence or incomprehension have currently reduced political dissent but the possibility of further resistance, and therefore reform, in the face of subsequent crises persists while institutions remain unreformed

New Zealand Reserve Bank Reform: Phase One

The inflation-targeting approach to central banking was invented in New Zealand, before becoming the global standard during the 1990s. Despite this popularity, significant reforms were introduced to the Reserve Bank Act in late 2018 as part of a two-stage review, notably an expanded mandate and a committee decision-making structure. This article reviews the changes in the light of global and domestic challenges to central banking emerging since the global financial crisis