963 research outputs found
China and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), established in 1988, is part of the World Bank Group. Its mandate is to promote foreign investment in its member countries by providing political risk insurance and technical assistance to promote investment. In developing this case study of China's evolving relationship with MIGA, the author asked: Why did China decide to seek membership in MIGA? What was the outcome of the relationship between China and MIGA? How has that relationship affected economic and legal reform in China and the country's integration with the multilateral investment insurance system? How can MIGA strengthen its role? And how can MIGA prevent potential claims to its portfolio in China? MIGA's comparative advantages are its international experience in underwriting and operating its portfolio, its neutral position and approach, its mediation and legal advice, and the fact that its guarantee portfolio is unaffected by bilateral relations. The author suggested that in China, MIGA should screen foreign direct investment (FDI), not just encourage it, because some FDI in China has been of poor quality, with little transfer of skills and technology. Some local partners have conceded too many discounts to foreign investors, without considering the cost of key assets such as land and machinery. Some foreign investors have taken advantage of local officials'eagerness for foreign capital, pressuring them to grant guarantees they should not grant and to allow unacceptable levels of environmental pollution in industry. China receives one-third of all FDI in developing countries. To continue attracting such investment, it must design a rule-based legal system governing FDI, making its rules and regulations more transparent, uniform, and consistent with international practice. As a neutral third party, MIGA could make policy recommendations that authorities might consider and accept -- such as policies designed to encourage less investment in labor-intensive firms and more in high-tech industries.International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Legal Products,Fiscal&Monetary Policy,Payment Systems&Infrastructure,Environmental Economics&Policies,Environmental Economics&Policies,Legal Products,National Governance,Foreign Direct Investment,International Terrorism&Counterterrorism
A Noise-Robust Fast Sparse Bayesian Learning Model
This paper utilizes the hierarchical model structure from the Bayesian Lasso
in the Sparse Bayesian Learning process to develop a new type of probabilistic
supervised learning approach. The hierarchical model structure in this Bayesian
framework is designed such that the priors do not only penalize the unnecessary
complexity of the model but will also be conditioned on the variance of the
random noise in the data. The hyperparameters in the model are estimated by the
Fast Marginal Likelihood Maximization algorithm which can achieve sparsity, low
computational cost and faster learning process. We compare our methodology with
two other popular learning models; the Relevance Vector Machine and the
Bayesian Lasso. We test our model on examples involving both simulated and
empirical data, and the results show that this approach has several performance
advantages, such as being fast, sparse and also robust to the variance in
random noise. In addition, our method can give out a more stable estimation of
variance of random error, compared with the other methods in the study.Comment: 15 page
Bifurcation and dynamic response analysis of rotating blade excited by upstream vortices
Acknowledgements The authors acknowledge the projects supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Project)(No. 2015CB057405) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11372082) and the State Scholarship Fund of CSC. DW thanks for the hospitality of the University of Aberdeen.Peer reviewedPostprin
Eine neue Solidargemeinschaft? Die soziale Bedeutung der Flucht-und Migrationsliteratur
This thesis explores the capacity of literature about
flight and migration to contribute to shaping a community of
solidarity in contemporary German society. It analyses three
novels published after the 2015 refugee âcrisisâ â Ohrfeige
by Abbas Khider, Gott ist nicht schĂźchtern by Olga Grjasnowa and
Gehen, ging, gegangen by Jenny Erpenbeck. To examine the impact
of such literature on readers, I apply Rita Felskiâs theory
about the uses of literature, and in particular in relation to
the first two novels, its capacity to create shock and deliver
social knowledge. In Ohrfeige, I argue that âshockâ is used
as a strategy to arouse uneasiness, in order to encourage
thoughtful listening and understanding about the frustration
experienced by asylum seekers. In Gott ist nicht schĂźchtern,
readers are encouraged to expand their empathy while negotiating
traumatic stories of war, torture and despair. In the
interpretation of Gehen, ging, gegangen, I apply the theories of
memory studies scholars such as Aleida Assmann and Michael
Rothberg to highlight the parallels between refugeesâ memories
of fleeing and Germansâ memories of the Nazi and East German
communist past. These parallel memory spheres resonate with each
other and can lead to critical self-reflection among the German
and European communities. Across these three chapters, this
thesis argues that literature about flight and migration has the
power to evoke empathy towards refugees and strengthen solidarity
across differences in society
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