Understanding land in the context of large-scale land acquisitions: A brief history of land in economics

In economics, land has been traditionally assumed to be a fixed production factor, both in terms of quantity supplied and mobility, as opposed to capital and labor, which are usually considered to be mobile factors, at least to some extent. Yet, in the last decade, international investors have expressed an unexpected interest in farmland and in land-related investments, with the demand for land brusquely rising at an unprecedented pace. In spite of a fast-growing literature analyzing the variety of “spaces” affected by large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs), the contemporary process of “commodification” of land embedded in this phenomenon has taken present day economists by surprise. This paper reviews the evolution over time of the concept of land in economics and it suggests how different aspects of this evolution are relevant to the understanding of contemporary LSLAs. Rather than presuming to analyze in a systematic and comprehensive manner the immense literature in land economics, this article investigates what makes land a peculiar and complex commodity. Indeed, different branches of economic thought, at different moments in time, pointed out that the location of land in space matters; that land is a living and fundamental component of the ecosystem; that it is a valuable economic asset, and yet, it is often hard to value it in pure monetary terms; eventually, that land is intrinsically connected to societies, cultural and spiritual identities, mores, and institutions. Through a brief history of the evolution of the concept of land in economics, this paper identifies four broad categories—namely, space, economics, environment, and institutions—that help understanding land as a peculiar good. These four elements characterize land as a commodity, as well as its peculiarities, and constitute the prerequisites of a conceptual framework for the analysis and the understanding of the forces at play in the contemporary wave of large-scale land acquisitions

The 24th IUPAC International Conference on Physical Organic Chemistry (ICPOC 24)

The IUPAC sponsored biennial Conference on Physical Organic Chemistry (ICPOC) series bear a long history and a solid reputation as the leading international gatherings on Physical Organic Chemistry. Since their first installment in Crans sur Sierre (Switzerland) in 1972, ICPOC meetings have been held in Noordwijkerhout (The Netherlands, 1974), Montpellier (France, 1976), York (UK, 1978), Santa Cruz (USA, 1980) Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium, 1982), Auckland (New Zealand, 1984); Tokyo (Japan, 1986), Regensburg (Germany, 1988), Haifa (Israel, 1990), Padua (Italy, 1994), Incheon (Korea, 1996), Florianopolis (Brazil, 1998), Göteborg (Sweden, 2000), San Diego (USA, 2002), Shanghai (China, 2004), Warsaw (Poland, 2006), Santiago de Compostela (Spain, 2008), Busan (Korea, 2010), Durham (UK, 2012), Ottawa (Canada, 2014), Sidney (Australia, 2016). The 24st IUPAC International Conference on Physical Organic Chemistry (ICPOC 24) was held at the University of Algarve, in Faro, Portugal, July 1–6, 2018.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

On righteousness and dignity : two challenging issues since early modern times

Concepts such as righteousness, equality, tolerance and freedom are nowadays considered fundamental issues that should prevail in any society. Balance and righteousness thrive however on a very thin layer. We are, in fact, living in an era of duality and antithetical paradigms. This essay approaches two Renaissance authors who dealt with the same matters in their works, at a very different time and through different ways of reflection: Thomas More and Sir Walter Raleigh

The road to rulership : Henry Tudor, King of England

At the close of the Wars of the Roses, a new dynasty was founded by a man lacking a prince’s education; moreover, his weak claim to the throne of England gave rise to a set of serious problems. These two crucial, interrelated elements are central in Francis Bacon’s biographical account of Henry VII. The literal road leading Richmond from exile to victory in Bosworth Field, in 1485, is eventually transformed into a metaphoric path that prefigures the long, deep process of learning undertaken during his 24-year reign. This fundamental process carried out by the king will be approached mainly through the passages focused on the Lambert Simnell/Perkin Warbeck affairs, the most difficult probelms the monarch had to face in a time and in a kingdom of many uncertainties. The Simnell/Warbeck menaces embodied Henry Tudor’s greatest dilemmas, continually emphasised in Bacon’s work – the essence of legitimacy and the essence of royalty

A villain and a monster : the literary portrait of Richard III by Thomas More and William Shakespeare

The process of vilification of Richard III started at the end of the fifteenth century, when a well-planned policy of Tudor propaganda was set in motion by Henry VII himself, who commissioned a series of historiographical writings, mainly aiming at the solidification of the newly founded dynasty. One of the strategies, probably the major one, consisted in the definitive annihilation of the last Plantagenet king of England, whose defeat and death on the battlefield should not by any means transform him into the York victimised hero of the Wars of the Roses. Thus, various historiographers delineated Richard of Gloucester as a vile, wicked, monstrous creature. But the hyperbolic process of vilification undoubtedly reached its highest climax with two major early modern authors. The Life written by Thomas More – The History of King Richard the Third (ca. 1514) – and the play written by William Shakespeare – King Richard III (ca. 1591) – may be considered the epitomes of the tradition that has forever shaped the king as a monster. In this text, I focus on the way More and Shakespeare exploit and amplify the vituperative historiographical tradition, though mostly based on rumour, uncertainties and legendary elements. Within this widely accepted tradition, both authors manage to shape a solid portrait of Richard III, an exemplum not to be imitated or followed, but whose performance, built through a set of powerful rhetorical devices, is masterful, both in the Life and in the play

Winning Organizational Campaigns, Communicating Adverse Consequences of Unionism: The Board’s View, circa 1980

Article about union-free work environments

Beholding a ‘Brave New World’: Sir Walter Raleigh’s The Discovery of Guiana and William Shakespeare’s The Tempest

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the idea of the world was broadened on an unprecendented scale. The Portuguese and the Spaniards dominated a first stage in the maritime expansion and even divided the planet into two halves. Those times were primarily characterized by a need to overcome the fear of the unknown, to explore and cross the oceans, to reach coast after coast and to register in maps and charts the new found lands. In the wake of the first explorers and benefiting from the extraordinary advancements in the art of navigation, the English, the French and the Dutch, particularly motivated by mercantile interests, started dominating a second stage of sea voyages. Beyond circumstances and motivations, both moments involved unparalleled events in the field of mentality and worldview: fragile ships managed to cross the vast oceans and arrive in unknown lands inhabited by unimaginable human races, plants and animals. From then on, an immense variety of works on voyages, discoveries and adventures was produced. After a brief approach to the general context of the time, I explore the broad dichotomy ‘Civilization versus Nature’ in two Renaissance English texts that, in very different ways, tell of sea voyages and behold a ‘Brave New World’: Sir Walter Raleigh’s The Discovery of Guiana (1595) and William Shakespeare’s The Tempest (1623).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Metaphors of opulence and power in the life of Thomas Wolsey, the King’s Cardinal

This essay approaches the display of power and rulership both through the art of writing and the art of painting by focusing on George Cavendish's biographical account of Thomas Wolsey