Outward FDI from China and its policy context

Since 2000, China's outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) has grown at an accelerating rate as a result of a switch in government policy to strong encouragement of Chinese enterprises to "go global." The bulk of this investment has been into the primary and tertiary sectors, with relatively little so far going into manufacturing. Most has gone to Asia, but Chinese investment is now spreading throughout the world. The precise geographical distribution is veiled, as much of it passes through tax havens. The Government has been slow to tackle administrative obstacles to Chinese companies wishing to invest abroad, but has recently begun to relax them. The global crisis has presented opportunities for Chinese multinationals, which were less seriously affected than their counterparts in the developed world, to raise their stake in the world economy

Why and how least developed countries can receive more FDI to meet their development goals

The 48 least-developed countries (LDCs), most of them in sub-Saharan Africa and a few in Asia, need foreign direct investment (FDI) to help meet their development targets. The FDI they now receive, although inadequate, is enough to demonstrate that investors see potential in them. It is therefore realistic for LDCs to seek more FDI, but they need to enhance their investment environments to attract it in the much greater quantities required. Donors can help by targeting official development assistance (ODA) on investment in human capital and supporting governance improvements. Meanwhile, LDCs should establish effective investment promotion agencies (IPAs)

最不发达国家为什么能够以及如何获得更多FDI 以实现其发展目标

48个最不发达国家（LDCs）（其中大多数在撒哈拉以南的非洲，少数在亚洲），需要外国直接投资（FDI）以帮助实现其发展目标。他们现在所得的FDI虽并不充足，但足以表明投资者已发现其潜力。因此对于LDCs而言，寻求更多FDI是现实可行的。但他们需要改善自身投资环境，以吸引其所需的更多数量的FDI。通过针对人力资本投资的官方发展援助（ODA）以及支持治理的改善，捐助者可以有所助益。同时，LDCs应建立有效的投资促进机构（IPAs）

Inward FDI in China and its policy context

After opening its doors to foreign trade and investment in 1978, China has become the largest recipient of inward foreign direct investment (IFDI) among developing and transition economies. The early policy of investment attraction by means of fiscal incentives and special economic zones has been relaxed now that many -- though still not all -- operating environment deficiencies have been effectively addressed and strong domestic enterprises have developed. While China remains the developing world's favorite investment destination, the government is adopting a more selective approach that may result in slower IFDI growth. Although the global crisis reduced FDI inflows to China, this impact was lower than in many other FDI destinations, and flows have recovered considerably

Why and how least developed countries can receive more FDI to meet their development goals

The 48 least-developed countries (LDCs), most of them in sub-Saharan Africa and a few in Asia, need foreign direct investment (FDI) to help meet their development targets. The FDI they now receive, although inadequate, is enough to demonstrate that investors see potential in them. It is therefore realistic for LDCs to seek more FDI, but they need to enhance their investment environments to attract it in the much greater quantities required. Donors can help by targeting official development assistance (ODA) on investment in human capital and supporting governance improvements. Meanwhile, LDCs should establish effective investment promotion agencies (IPAs)

Physical and economic optima in sowing densities of spring barley in Scotland.

In general, studies on the patterns of innovation in industry and agriculture have described innovations that have already occurred (McCarthy, 1971). Although these studies are useful in describing the characteristics of innovations, they have not, themselves, formed part of the adoption process of any innovation. The analysis contained in this thesis involves the collection of evidence that would assist in the adoption process of a simple innovation in agriculture. The innovation proposed is the reduction in sowing densities for spring barley, which could lead to savings in costs. The evidence is both technical and economic and the arguments are set against the background of barley production and marketing, both of seed and grain, with particular reference to Scotland. Projections are made into the likely effects of some developments in the industry and the crop, and the possible future savings from density reductions are calculated. The analysis is intended not only to provide information on a specific agricultural problem but to illustrate an approach to agricultural management involving both technical and economic appraisals

Households’ Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Recharging Behavior: Observed variation in households’ use of a 5kWh blended PHEV-conversion

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), which run on both electricity from the grid and gasoline, are touted as providing some of the societal and environmental benefits of electric vehicles for a large portion of motorists’ daily travel, while also acting as a transitional technology toward fully electric vehicles. To test analysts’ assumptions about how PHEV users will recharge their vehicles, the observed recharging behaviors of forty households that participated in a PHEV demonstration in Northern California are reported. Recharging behavior is summarized across all households’ last week of their four-week PHEV trial period with regards to the time-of-day, frequency of plugging-in, and electricity demand to recharge the vehicles. While the means of the frequency distribution of plug-in events among demonstration households is similar to prior recharging assumptions made by analysts, the distributions are not symmetrical about the mean and there exists a large variation in both the average number of times households plugged-in per day and the average energy per plug-in event. Further, there is no strong correspondence between the number of daily plug-in events and total daily electricity demand. The range of behaviors reported here support the contention that the success of PHEVs in meeting energy and emissions goals relies on PHEV users’ recharging and driving behavior as much or more as on PHEV designs

Extended HI spiral structure and the figure rotation of triaxial dark halos

The HI disk of the blue compact dwarf (BCD) galaxy NGC 2915 extends to 22 optical scalelengths and shows spiral arms reaching far beyond the optical component. None of the previous theories for spiral structure provide likely explanations for these very extended spiral arms. Our numerical simulations first demonstrate that such large spiral arms can form in an extended gas disk embedded in a massive triaxial dark matter halo with slow figure rotation, through the strong gravitational torque of the rotating halo. We then show that the detailed morphological properties of the developed spirals and rings depend strongly on the pattern speed of the figure rotation, the shape of the triaxial halo, and the inclination of the disk with respect to the plane including the triaxial halo's long and middle axes. These results strongly suggest that the dark matter halo of NGC 2915 is triaxial and has figure rotation. Based on these results, we also suggest that dynamical effects of triaxial halos with figure rotation are important in various aspect of galaxy formation and evolution, such as formation of polar ring galaxies, excitation of non-axisymmetric structures in low surface-brightness galaxies, and gas fueling to the central starburst regions of BCDs.Comment: 13 pages 2 figures (fig.2 = jpg format), accepted by ApJ

Framing the detection of elder financial abuse as bystander intervention: Decision cues, pathways to detection and barriers to action

This article is (c) Emerald Group Publishing and permission has been granted for this version to appear here (http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/8569). Emerald does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from Emerald Group Publishing Limited.This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the detection and prevention of elder financial abuse through the lens of a “professional bystander intervention model”. The authors were interested in the decision cues that raise suspicions of financial abuse, how such abuse comes to the attention of professionals who do not have a statutory responsibility for safeguarding older adults, and the barriers to intervention. Design/methodology/approach – In-depth interviews were conducted using the critical incident technique. Thematic analysis was carried out on transcribed interviews. In total, 20 banking and 20 health professionals were recruited. Participants were asked to discuss real cases which they had dealt with personally. Findings – The cases described indicated that a variety of cues were used in coming to a decision that financial abuse was very likely taking place. Common to these cases was a discrepancy between what is normal and expected and what is abnormal or unexpected. There was a marked difference in the type of abuse noticed by banking and health professionals, drawing attention to the ways in which context influences the likelihood that financial abuse will be detected. The study revealed that even if professionals suspect abuse, there are barriers which prevent them acting. Originality/value – The originality of this study lies in its use of the bystander intervention model to study the decision-making processes of professionals who are not explicitly charged with adult safeguarding. The study was also unique because real cases were under consideration. Hence, what the professionals actually do, rather than what they might do, was under investigation.Economic and Social Research Counci

What will an appreciation of China's currency do to inward and outward FDI?

A revaluation of the Chinese yuan would affect the country's inward and outward FDI, not just its exports and imports. The impact on FDI inflows to China would be both positive and negative. On the other hand, revaluation is likely to provide a strong boost to overseas investments by China's multinationals, which have been rising rapidly in recent years. Suspicions that China's outward FDI is politically motivated are not so far borne out by systematic evidence. The rest of the world should learn how to benefit from this investment, not try to raise protectionist barriers against it