Contests of citizenship: A comment

The language of citizenship is one of authority, legitimation and contest. Citizenship rights were brought about in some parts of Europe through struggle and revolution, and even then excluded the masses and women. But the ‘law‐state’ and constitutions they established were the necessary conditions for subsequent struggles by these sectors for inclusion and ultimately for cultural and social citizenship. The advocacy of human rights is frequently denounced as ‘Western’ imposition of an individualism alien to other cultures, but these culturalist defences act as a cover for communitarian and state authoritarianism. The establishment of legal rights does not contradict social bonds, but can ensure reciprocity of obligations and protection from communal authority. This is specially pertinent for women. Social bonds are not peculiar to the ‘East’ or ‘South’, but are universal, including the mythical ‘West’, and legal rights for the individual are a necessary condition for achieving justice in social relations.     

Sheikh Muhammad Abu Zahra (1898–1974) on international relations: the discourse of a contemporary mainstream Islamist

The literature on Political Islam has not devoted ample space to the intellectual contributions of contemporary moderate Islamists. This article attempts to rectify this by examining the international relations discourse of a twentieth-century Egyptian religious scholar: Sheikh Muhammad Abu Zahra. Despite Abu Zahra's prominence in the Islamic world, his writings have received scant attention from academics. The article provides a close reading of his three principal works on international relations: al-?Alaqat al-Duwaliyya fi al-Islam, Nazhariyat al-Harb fi al-Islam and al-Wihda al-Islamiyya; as well as a fourth work with a significant bearing on the subject: al-Mujtama? al-Insani fi Dhil al-Islam. It contends that Abu Zahra's international relations discourse is part of a more than a century-old tradition of theorizing on international relations that dates back to the religious reformers Jamal al-Din al-Afghani and Muhammad Abdu. Accordingly, Abu Zahra is treated here as an exemplar of what I refer to as the moderate and reformist school in contemporary Islam, in contradistinction to the radical school that is associated with salafi-jihadist figures and movements. A close analysis of Abu Zahra's international relations discourse thus provides penetrating insights on one pivotal, albeit understudied, dimension of this reformist/moderate current in contemporary Islam: its perspectives on international relations.     

Explaining the UCR-NCVS Convergence: a Time Series Analysis

The study intends to explain the convergence of the UCR and NCVS data series (1973–2008). Hypothesized explanatory variables include increased police productivity, change in people’s attitudes toward crime and the police, demographic changes, changes in the measurements used in data collections, and the advancement of telecommunication tools. The time series models with relevant predictor variables are estimated to explain the convergence of the two crime data series in five different crime categories. The results show that an increase in the total number of employees in the police, changes in measurements, especially the methodological changes adopted in the victimization survey in 1992, and changing attitudes toward crime and the police affect the relationship between the two crime data series and may have helped the convergence of the two. We argue that (1) the convergence of the two crime data series is not a mere convergence of methodological inadequacies resulting from the declining quality of the victimization survey and (2) all the predictor variables only partially affect the convergence of the two crime data series. Methodological limitations of this study are also addressed.     

Dynamics of remittance practices and development: Bangladeshi overseas migrants

Remittances from migrant workers play a significant role in keeping the economy of Bangladesh vibrant, adding around six per cent to the country's GDP and helping to maintain the balance of payments. This article examines remittance flows from Hong Kong and Malaysia to Bangladesh; the dynamics of remittance practices; and the impact on the well-being of migrant families. Data were collected from 126 labour migrants (56 in Hong Kong and 70 in Malaysia) between November 2004 and October 2006. The article presents empirical data showing that while remittances are significant component of the Bangladeshi economy, a considerable amount goes to ‘unproductive’ schemes. Hence remittances at the micro level that do not significantly contribute to increasing household capacities fail to bring about the anticipated sustainable development at the macro level.

La dynamique des pratiques d'envoi de fonds et le développement : migrants bangladais à l'étranger

Les envois de fonds par les travailleurs migrants jouent un rôle considérable dans le maintien du dynamisme de l'économie du Bangladesh, car ils comptent pour environ six pour cent du PIB du pays et contribuent à maintenir la balance des paiements. Cet article examine les transferts d'argent de Hong Kong et de Malaisie vers le Bangladesh, la dynamique des pratiques d'envois de fonds et l'impact sur le bien-être des familles migrantes. Des données ont été recueillies parmi 126 ouvriers (56 à Hong Kong et 70 en Malaisie) entre novembre 2004 et octobre 2006. Cet article présente des données empiriques qui montrent que, si les envois de fonds constituent effectivement un élément considérable de l'économie bangladaise, une quantité importante va vers des programmes « non productifs ». Ainsi, les envois de fonds au niveau micro qui n'apportent pas une contribution importante à l'accroissement des capacités des ménages ne donnent pas lieu au développement durable prévu au niveau macro.

Dinâmicas de práticas de remessa e desenvolvimento: imigrantes bengaleses

As remessas feitas por trabalhadores imigrantes desempenham um papel significativo em manter a economia de Bangladesh vibrante, adicionando cerca de seis por cento do PIB do país e ajudando a manter o balanço de pagamentos. Este artigo examina os fluxos de remessa de Hong Kong e Malásia para Bangladesh, as dinâmicas das práticas de remessa e o impacto sobre o bem-estar das famílias de imigrantes. Os dados foram coletados de 126 trabalhadores imigrantes (56 em Hong Kong e 70 na Malásia) entre novembro de 2004 e outubro de 2006. O artigo apresenta dados empíricos mostrando que embora as remessas sejam um componente significativo da economia de Bangladesh, um montante considerável vai para esquemas “improdutivos”. Assim, as remessas no nível micro que não contribuem significativamente para melhorar as condições da família, não conseguem promover o desenvolvimento sustentável previsto no nível macro.

La dinámica de las remesas y el desarrollo: los migrantes de Bangladesh en el extranjero

Las remesas de los trabajadores migrantes constituyen una parte importante de la economía de Bangladesh ya que representan el seis por ciento del PIB del país y contribuyen a mantener el equilibrio de la balanza de pagos. Este ensayo analiza los flujos de remesas de Hong Kong y Malasia hacia Bangladesh, la dinámica de cómo se utilizan las remesas y su impacto en el bienestar de las familias de los migrantes. Se recopilaron estadísticas de 126 trabajadores migrantes (56 en Hong Kong y 70 en Malasia) entre noviembre de 2004 y octubre de 2006. Los datos empíricos que presenta el ensayo demuestran que, si bien las remesas son un componente significativo de la economía de Bangladesh, una parte considerable se destina a actividades “improductivas”. Por lo tanto, las remesas a nivel micro que no contribuyen de manera significativa a mejorar las condiciones de los hogares no aportan al desarrollo sustentable a nivel macro que sería deseable.     

Arts Organizations and Branding: Creating a New Joint Brand for Three Arts Organizations

This article investigates brand architecture by analyzing stakeholder perceptions of brand images when a new joint brand is created for the existing brands of three arts organizations. The theoretical framework is based on previous literature on brand architecture and brand image. The empirical study is based on a quantitative, 418-respondent survey among stakeholders of these three arts organizations. The study makes two major theoretical contributions. First, the results show that the new joint brand can be endorsed by the existing sub-brands, contrary to brand-architecture literature. Second, even in the case of a new brand, stakeholders perceive the functional attributes as important.     

The mediating role of dynamic managerial capabilities: The interplay between dominant logic and small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises performance in China

Transition economies, such as China, are characterized by volatile and rapidly changing markets. Firms, in order to be successful and get a competitive advantage over their competitors, need to build intangible resources. In the light of the resource‐based view and dominant logic (DL), this study is an endeavor in this regard and proposes that DL and managerial capabilities are intangible resources, which can drive the performance of small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). We hypothesized that dynamic managerial capabilities (DMCs), measured by human capital along with social capital and managerial cognition, play a mediating role in the relationship between DL, consisting of proactiveness and routine, and firm performance. The data in this study were obtained through a survey from 204 SMEs in China and were analyzed by structural equation modeling to generate results. We found that while successfully utilizing intangible/operant resources that are characterized as firm dynamic capabilities, SMEs can achieve superior performance and competitive advantage. Our results support the proposed hypotheses that show the importance and significance of DL and DMCs in order to attain higher level of performance. The concept of DL and its impact on SME's performance has been less researched in general, particularly in China. Limited research is available regarding intangible resources and their impact on SME performance in China.