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302. Does Lean Improve Labor Standards? Management and Social Performance in the Nike Supply Chain
- Author:
- Greg Distelhorst, Jens Hainmueller, and Richard M. Locke
- Publication Date:
- 08-2015
- Content Type:
- Research Paper
- Institution:
- Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University
- Abstract:
- This study tests the hypothesis that lean manufacturing improves the social performance of manufacturers in emerging markets. We analyze an intervention by Nike Inc. to promote the adoption of lean manufacturing in its apparel supply chain across eleven developing countries. Using difference-in-differences estimates from a panel of over three hundred factories, we find that lean adoption was associated with a 15 percentage point reduction in noncompliance with labor standards that primarily reflect factory wage and work hour practices. However, we find a null effect on factory health and safety standards. This pattern is consistent with a causal mechanism that links lean to improved social performance through changes in labor relations, rather than improved management systems. These findings offer evidence that capabilitybuilding interventions may reduce social harm in global supply chains.
- Topic:
- International Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
303. The 2014 Sochi Olympics
- Author:
- Sergey Markedonov
- Publication Date:
- 01-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Strategic and International Studies
- Abstract:
- On February 7, 2014, the 22nd Winter Olympic Games will open in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi. Because these games will be the first Olympics hosted by Russia since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, they will be more than a mere athletic competition—they possess a singular symbolic character, important to Russia and particularly to Russian president Vladimir Putin. On the eve of the 119th session of the International Olympic Committee in Guatemala on July 4, 2007, at which the decision on the host city for the 2014 games would be made, Putin was the main Russian lobbyist for the Sochi project.
- Topic:
- Economics, Globalization, International Political Economy, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- Russia
304. The Eurasian Customs Union: the economics and the politics
- Author:
- Nicu Popescu and Iana Dreyer
- Publication Date:
- 03-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- European Union Institute for Security Studies
- Abstract:
- Long ignored by the West, the Eurasian Customs Union (consisting of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan) has recently been brought into the international limelight. The project – an attempt by the Kremlin to create a rival to the European Union and its Eastern Partnership project – attracted attention when Moscow, with its characteristic bluntness, began to pressure Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine to join the grouping and drop their plans to sign Association Agreements with the EU. Although Russia has not succeeded in convincing all these states to join, it managed to do so with Armenia in September 2013, and the political tussle over the issue with Ukraine played a central role in triggering the country's current crisis.
- Topic:
- Economics, International Political Economy, International Trade and Finance, and Power Politics
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Eurasia, and Asia
305. Capital Flight: Measurement and Drivers
- Author:
- Léonce Ndikumana, James K. Boyce, and Ameth Saloum Ndiaye
- Publication Date:
- 09-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- African Economic Research Consortium (AERC)
- Abstract:
- This paper describes the nature of capital flight, the methodologies used to measure it, and its drivers. The paper presents updated estimates of the magnitude of capital flight from 39 African countries for which adequate data are available for the period 1970-2010. It gives a global context of the problem of capital flight from Africa by providing comparative indicators on capital flight and related flows for other developing regions. The paper undertakes a detailed econometric analysis of the drivers of capital flight from African countries. It explores empirically the role of domestic and external factors in driving capital flight, including structural factors, the macroeconomic environment, governance, risk and returns to investment, capital account openness, and financial development. The first objective of the study is to contribute to the literature by providing the most comprehensive analysis of capital flight from Africa that takes into account economic as well as non-economic dimensions, and recognizes the importance of both the domestic and global contexts. The second objective is to contribute to the policy debate on capital flight both in Africa and globally.
- Topic:
- Economics, International Political Economy, International Affairs, Global Markets, Global Political Economy, and Capital Flight
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Global Focus
306. Policy Perspective: India’s curious stand at WTO
- Author:
- Rajrishi Singhal
- Publication Date:
- 10-2014
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations
- Abstract:
- India’s decision to block the Trade Facilitation Agreement at the World Trade Organisation in July was perplexing; the confusion was compounded because India was almost alone in its position. This policy perspective explains the reasons for India’s curious stand
- Topic:
- International Political Economy and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- India and Global Focus
307. Pathways to 'The future we want': socio-environmental indicators
- Author:
- José Veiga
- Publication Date:
- 02-2014
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI)
- Abstract:
- José Eli da Veiga critically examines the socioeconomic measures already established, like the GDP and the Human Development Index (HDI). The author contextualizes the creation of such measures and points out the limits of those, which can measure the economic performance of a given society, but are not intended to measure welfare and sustainability. With a keen eye, Eli da Veiga addresses the major issues related to the development and adoption of new indicators, selecting four emerging indicators to be examined in detail. These indexes – all created by renowned international institutions – seek to overcome the notion of wealth based on the production of commodities and on physical capital and propose a narrative of progress that is more compatible with the 21st century, focusing on people’s quality of life and on environmental sustainability.
- Topic:
- International Political Economy, Political and institutional effectiveness, and International Development
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
308. High Tech: The Next Wave of chinese investment in America
- Author:
- Thilo Hanemann and Daniel H. Rosen
- Publication Date:
- 04-2014
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Asia Society
- Abstract:
- it became evident that the world was on the cusp of a significant shift in patterns of global foreign direct investment (FDI). China, which had been a major recipient of inflows from the developed world, was poised to become a more active investor in mergers, acquisitions, and greenfield projects abroad. Therefore, the Asia Society undertook the first of a series of studies to map this shift and to suggest how these new investment flows, might benefit the United States while also enhancing U.S.–China relations. The first study, An American Open Door? Maximizing the Benefits of Chinese Foreign Direct Investment (2011), was written by Rhodium Group’s Daniel H. Rosen and Thilo Hanemann (as were subsequent joint efforts). It examined Chinese investments in the United States, prospects for their growth, potential benefits and risks, and obstructions to even greater flows in the future. Our conclusion was that flows of Chinese capital into the United States—the most open and vibrant economy in the world—were on the precipice of growing dramatically. We also concluded that in spite of political concerns, the United States had much to gain by encouraging even greater inflows from China.
- Topic:
- International Political Economy and Science and Technology
- Political Geography:
- China and America
309. Investing For Impact on Economic Mobility In The US: “Insights from Abroad: Impact Investing in Emerging Markets”
- Author:
- Alexander Pan and Randall Kempner
- Publication Date:
- 12-2014
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Aspen Institute
- Abstract:
- From our perspective at ANDE, we have seen impact investing become an increasingly important tool used to support small and growing businesses in the developing world that are capable of creating jobs, stimulating long-term economic growth, and generating social impact. However, impact investing is still very much an emerging tool. If it is to scale and become a viable solution to social issues in the United States, There are several key lessons from the international context that the industry should consider.
- Topic:
- International Political Economy and Social Movement
- Political Geography:
- America
310. Metrics to Align Mission with Financial Performance: Tips from Practitioners
- Author:
- Mike McCreless
- Publication Date:
- 09-2014
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Aspen Institute
- Abstract:
- Social enterprises and impact investors, along with non-profits and foundations, have invested significant effort in designing metrics to monitor and evaluate impact. Yet these impact metrics do not create as much value as they could. Too often, impact metrics, and the people who manage them, are siloed in their own departments, databases, and discourses, one step removed from strategic and financial decision-making in their organizations
- Topic:
- International Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus