Political economy of privatisation: Poland in comparative perspective

Regardless of one's stand on the privatisation issue, there is certainly one point on which all protagonists and antagonists of privatisation agree. This is the political importance of the issue in question. Privatisation part of the transition to the market system is a major political, nor only economic change. Therefore, it should be analysed not only in economic but also in political terms. Politics, or, more precisely, political economy of privatisation is, then, a legitimate - and highly relevant - topic of analysis. Preferences and interests of various actors (public and private ones), ways of articulating these preferences and interests, actors' interaction with the political system, etc., all impinge upon privatisation process and outcomes. Also, the political environment within which the transition has been taking place is of great significance to privatisation. Finally, since transition away from the centrally planned, Soviet-type economy is without precedent, any expectations with respect to both process and outcomes have to be based upon privatisation experience elsewhere. It is this experience that the present writer will look into, first in order to form preliminary expectations about the political economy of privatisation in Poland. First section deals, then, with political economy of privatisation in post-Soviet-type economies (post-STEs for short) in comparison with that in developing countries (LDCs for short).

The role of the new, entrepreneurial private sector in transition and economic performance in light of the successes in Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary

The central theme of this paper is the role of the new, entrepreneurial private sector, established after the fall of communism, in output recovery, and, more generally, in economic expansion of post-communist economies. This role is considered specifically in the context of the successes in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. The author notes a substantial difference between the performance of the new private sector and the privatized sector in the short to medium run (3-7 years) from the start of privatization. New private firms typically enter the economic game with well-established de jure and de facto property rights and with industrial relations based on market economy rules. Unlike the public sector or privatized firms, the labor force of these firms is not demoralized by the change to market-economy rules. As a result, they often perform better and are quick to increasing their share of aggregate output. This also helps the economy as a whole emerge earlier from transitional recession. The author discusses two hypothetical paths of recovery and expansion; one with and one without a dynamic new private sector. The determinants for establishing and growth of new private firms are considered. In addition to the specific rules and general framework of transition, the study concludes that broad institutional fundamentals of political liberty, law and order, and trust contribute to the successful emergence of this new entrepreneurial sector.new private sector; transition; growth; Poland

Assessing Infrastructure Constraints on Business Activity in Kisumu, Kenya

The primary objective of this study is to better understand the current infrastructure constraints faced by commercial enterprises active in the Kisumu region and to identify key opportunities for investment in infrastructure that could enable existing and future businesses to operate at full capacity. Prior to this study, anecdotal evidence suggested that most businesses in Kisumu were operating below full capacity due to shortages of water, electricity, and fuels as well as the high costs of transporting raw materials and finished goods resulting from poor road infrastructure. Research conducted by MCI in Kisumu over the last year – through a literature review and interviews with government officials – has also identified infrastructure as a main constraint to business growth in the region. This study aims to understand how the current state of infrastructure impacts commercial activity in Kisumu from the perspective of the businesses themselves. Most importantly, this study was undertaken to understand the various coping mechanisms used by businesses to deal with infrastructure challenges and to solicit recommendations for infrastructure investment opportunities

Numerical studies of superfluids and superconductors

In this thesis we demonstrate the power of the Gross-Pitaevskii and the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations by numerically solving them for various fundamental problems related to superfluidity and superconductivity. We start by studying the motion of a massive object through a quantum fluid modelled by the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. Below a critical velocity, the object does not exchange momentum or energy with the fluid. This is a manifestation of its superfluid nature. We discuss the effect of applying a constant force to the object and show that for small forces a vortex ring is created to which the object becomes attached. For a larger force the object detaches from the vortex ring and we observe periodic shedding of rings. All energy transfered to the system is contained within the vortex rings and the drag force on the object is due to the recoil of the vortex emission. If we exceed the speed of sound, there is an additional contribution to the drag from sound emission. To make a link to superconductivity, we then discuss vortex states in a rotating system. In the ground state, regular arrays of vortices are observed which, for systems containing many vortices, mimic solid-body rotation. In the second part of the thesis, we initially review solutions to the Ginzburg-Landau equations in an applied magnetic field. For superconducting disks we observe vortex arrays similar to those in rotating superfluids. Finally, we study an electrical current flow along a superconducting wire subject to an external magnetic field. We observe the motion of flux lines, and hence dissipation, due to the Lorentz force. We measure the V – I curve which is analogous to the drag force in a superfluid. With the introduction of impurities, flux lines become pinned which gives rise to an increased critical current

Structural transformations in economic development: interpretations and extensions

Gospodarki nie tylko rosną, ale zmieniają swoją strukturę w procesie wzrostu. Ponadto, chociaż zmiany strukturalne następują w całym procesie rozwoju gospodarczego, istnieją – zdaniem autora – dwie fazy procesu zmian strukturalnych, które z racji ich znaczenia zasługują na specjalną uwagę badaczy. Są to industrializacja (przesunięcie roli silnika wzrostu z sektora rolnictwa do sektora przemysłu) oraz współcześnie przesuwanie się tejże roli z przemysłu przetwórczego do usług o wysokim udziale kapitału ludzkiego.Pierwsza faza jest znacznie lepiej rozpoznana intelektualnie. Rozliczne  badania ukazują ogólne prawidłowości strukturalnych transformacji i ich zróżnicowanie. Autor wskazuje w swoich komentarzach jedynie na potrzeby pewnych, niewielkich korekt. Na przykład nieco niższego pułapu udziału przemysłu przetwórczego w PKB, po osiągnięciu którego następuje zmniejszanie się tego udziału, niż sugeruje to literatura przedmiotu. Zwraca on też uwagę, że nowsze badania wskazują na znacznie wcześniejszy moment rozpoczęcia intensywnego wzrostu gospodarczego i wzrostu udziału przemysłu przetwórczego, niż wynika to z uznanej za standard literatury przedmiotu.Druga faza transformacji strukturalnych znajduje się z punktu widzenia badawczego jeszcze w powijakach. Właściwie brak teoretycznych pewników, nie mówiąc już o solidnej bazie empirycznej. Jedyny pewnik to pozytywna korelacja udziału (różnie mierzonych) udziałów subsektora usług o wysokim nasyceniu kapitałem ludzkim z poziomem PKB per capita. Przedmiotem dyskusji jest nawet to, czy przesuwanie się produkcji i zatrudnienia do sektora usług jest szkodliwą deindustrializacją czy pozytywnym przesunięciem popytu i podaży w kierunku wykorzystującym wysoki poziom kwalifikacji mieszkańców bogatego Zachodu.Autor artykułu prezentuje swój wkład w debatę w kwestii determinant owych przesunięć roli silnika wzrostu. Zwraca on uwagę, w ślad za Fukuyamą, że w procesie industrializacji wolności ekonomiczne i obywatelskie odgrywają mniejszą rolę wzmacniającą ten proces. Wskazuje jednak, że ich siła oddziaływania rośnie wraz ze wzrostem PKB per capita i rosnącym udziałem usług o wysokim nasyceniu kapitałem ludzkim. Teza autora znajduje potwierdzenie empiryczne.Economies not only grow, but also change their output structure in the process. Although structural changes take place throughout the whole process of economic development, the author identifies certain phases of that process, which in his opinion are of particular significance. They are: industrialisation (a shift in the development engine role from agriculture to industry) and an emerging engine role of human capital-intensive services (a shift of dominance from industry to services).The first of these phases has been intellectually much better researched than the second. There are numerous researches that prove general standardised patterns of structural transformation as well as differences between them. The author notes that the inflection point, when the share of the manufacturing sector reaches its maximum level (between 30% and 40% GDP), is probably somewhat overstated, given various distortions generated by activist developmental strategies. Also, he points out to the studies that place the beginning of intensive growth (growth on per capita basis) in poor countries at a much earlier date than it would arise from the established literature sources.The second phase is less well recognised both theoretically and empirically. There are no ‘fixed’ issues and the theoretical part, as well as the empirical, are at the very early stage of development. The only certain fact, or constant, is the positive correlation between the level of development (in terms of GNP p.c.) and the share of human capital-intensive services  calculated in different ways.The author’s contribution to the study of the second phase of transformations concerns the link between the level of GNP p.c. and the level of economic and civic freedoms. It is stressed that while in the industrialisation process the correlation between the two variables is weak, it is much stronger in the second major phase of emerging dominance of human capital-intensive services.

Benthic community development in Boca de Quadra, Alaska

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1986The purpose of this experiment was to find ways of evaluating the community development in Boca de Quadra, a fjord in southeast Alaska, after a severe physical disturbance. Containers of defaunated sediment were used near the head of the fjord to simulate the benthic habitat after such a disturbance. Important features of community development were described, potential indicator taxa were selected, and the extent of community development was examined. Seasonal variations tended to mask the developmental trends. However, samples collected during the same season, but representing various lengths of colonization, allowed developmental trends to be observed in faunal composition, numbers of taxa, density, biomass, and diversity. Maldanidae, Nematoda, Lumbrineris luti. Leitoscoloplos pugettensis, Pholoe minuta. and Spionidae are potential indicators of community maturity