Investment demand in early stages of growth: The case of Philippine manufacturing

Theories of economic growth have traditionally minimized the problem of effective demand by assuming that the only limit to investment is the volume of savings from all sources. We explore this assumption by investigating the nature of the investment demand function for a cross‐section of 160 manufacturing companies in the Philippines. We regressed investment on a number of variables suggested by theory, such as the rate of profits, lagged sales, etc. The major conclusions are as follows: (1) For small firms, investment is mainly dependent on the rate of retained earnings. (2) The dominant importance of internal fund sources for small firms is due to their view that maintenance of complete control is a primary constraint on investment policy. (3) Large firms’ investment, in contrast, depends mainly on accelerator affects, and and their investment behaviour is generally similar to firms in developed countries as described by Eisner and others. (4) Foreign firms generally exhibit behaviour similar in many respects to small firms, partly because of their reticence to share control with local residents. (5) Depreciation is not nearly as important an explanatory variable for gross investment as in developed countries, partly because of the difference in the relative sizes of capital stock and investment. (6) In numerous industry regressions we investigated the impact of tax exemption on investment, and conclude that tax exemption is not an effective policy tool for achieving significantly different investment rates. (7) A plausible general inference from our findings is that as development proceeds and the size composition of firms changes in favour of larger, possibly publicly owned enterprises, the economy‐wide investment demand function is likely to become more accelerator‐oriented in its behaviour.     

Agricultural Workers,Credit Rationing and Family Networks in Rural Mexico

Abstract

We use mixed methods and first-hand household data in Mexico to investigate credit practices by households engaged in agricultural wage employment. Quantitative analysis shows evidence of rationing in the formal sector but also suggests the existence of mitigating mechanisms. Qualitative analysis provides additional insights. First, income patterns associated with agricultural wage generate income smoothing needs that are sometimes better met by the informal sector. Second, family networks can perform key functions as gateways to the formal sector, through specific informal arrangements that inject flexibility into formal rules and procedures.     

Community policing in indigenous societies – Venezuela: a country profile

In this paper we examine how local citizens and community organizations together have helped shape policing in their neighborhoods, providing new insights into how community policing operates in Venezuela. We also emphasize the unique attributes of policing practice and the current challenges of communal policing.     

Miscommunication in the COVID-19 Era

This article discusses issues around the communication of preventive health messages related to COVID-19 to indigenous language-speaking communities in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Official communication is primarily in Spanish, and the many translation initiatives that have arisen do not always succeed in getting the message across due to the lack of cultural interpretation that needs to accompany the linguistic message. This situation compounds the vulnerability of indigenous peoples in the face of the crisis.     

Democracy and Development in a Globalized World: Thinking About Latin America from Within

The choice among paths that countries should follow has been a staple of political debates in Latin America and, over the past 40 years, Fernando Cardoso has brought his analysis to bear on these debates. This article summarizes and then assesses Cardoso’s argument about the choice of paths faced by Latin American countries, the consequences for democracy and development of following different paths, and the political position that is supported by this analysis of choices and their consequences. Though Cardoso explicitly supports the path of globalized social democracy over an anti-globalization option in the current period, I suggest that the current state of knowledge does not offer unequivocal support for the argument that choosing to follow the path of globalized social democracy—or that of anti-globalization—is the best political option for all countries in Latin America. Different countries might very well be doing what is best for them, given their circumstances, by following different paths.     

Agrarian crisis and social differentiation in Mexico

This article explores the double crisis of Mexican agriculture: one relating to the capitalist sector, the other to the peasant economy. An analysis of cash crops in contrast with subsistence crops is provided, using production and prices data for the 940–83 period. Then, based on the 1970 census, we present a spectrum of social differentiation of agrarian producers in Mexico which reflects the extent to which the peasant economy had been eroded by that year. By contrasting these data with those of 1960, we illustrate how the middle peasantry tends to disappear.