The myth of the narco-state

Despite being used repeatedly in different contexts, the term “narco-state” has never been satisfactorily defined or explained. In fact, the existence of the narco-state is almost always taken for granted. This article will argue, on the basis of a review of existing definitions and of selected case studies, that there is no such thing as a narco-state and that using the term tends to oversimplify if not mask the complex socio-political and economic realities of drug-producing countries. The narco-state notion will be debated and opposed in terms of politics, territory, and economics.     

Willingness to Pay for Solar Lanterns: Does the Trial Period Play a Role?

Where electricity access is limited, solar lanterns are a viable and relatively inexpensive source of basic lighting for households. However, the creation of commercially viable business models for solar lanterns is difficult because the customers are poor and make decisions under tight liquidity constraints. To understand the economics of technology adoption in the case of solar lanterns, we conduct a field experiment on willingness to pay (WTP) for solar lanterns in rural Uttar Pradesh. Applying the Becker–DeGroot–Marschak method of eliciting WTP, we evaluate the ability of a trial period and postponed payment to increase sales. We find no evidence for the effectiveness of the trial period and only weak evidence for the positive effect of postponed payment. Overall, WTP for the product among the customers is low. There is no clear evidence for concerns about the uncertain quality of the product, liquidity constraints, or present‐bias. In this context, policies to subsidize very small solar lanterns would not correct a market failure, as people appear to have only a limited interest in the product.     

入世后我国外贸代理制运作法律环境之分析

依据我国的承诺,我国将逐渐取消对外贸权的限制,以登记制代替许可制,这意味着我国现行的外贸代理制赖以存在的基础已经发生根本性变化,建立在自由市场经济基础上的外贸代理制将成为发展方向,依据世贸组织的规则,参照相关国际代理公约,废除外贸代理方面的一些行政规章,完善我国民法关于代理制度的规定,制定有关代理的特别立法,将是我国外贸代理制度改革的主要方法.     

Challenges of working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic for women in the UAE

This study explored the experiences of working from home among women in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the lockdown. Adopting the interpretative philosophical approach, this study conducts semi-structured interviews with sixteen (16) randomly selected women actively employed in different sectors in the UAE economy. The analysis was carried out using the thematic analysis to derive the themes and sub-themes emerging from the coded data. The research finds that most of the challenges are associated with spillover from work, affecting family time, and invading personal space. The research concluded that women working remotely faced issues linked to glitches, malfunctions, and knowledge deficiencies. The third most identified challenge to working from home was the distractions that come with the conscious attempt to divide attention between work and family, trying to stop one from interfering with the other. However, the research observed some notable advantages including workplace flexibility and control, as well as the opportunity to work from the comfort of the home. The findings also revealed the mixed feelings to continue working from home and its impact on the career progression of women in the UAE.     

生命经济学——人与地球的“共同行动”

生命进化从来就是多方面因素相互作用的变化,而这些相互作用领域的涵盖面和包容性使得相应功能变化呈现出"灰色"的特征。如果说进化是生命的自然形态,那么发展则是人对生命的自觉要求,而这层意义不仅在今天越来越明显和重要,并且在支撑多方因素互动的物质手段方面已经具有或者说达到了星际水平。在"人类世"的今天,灰色生命经济学的可能前景取决于如何实现人与地球一体化的功能跃迁,包括在人类命运共同体的意义上实行可控的、有节制的和适度的发展。     

Centralisation versus regionalisation: Designing the Sixth National Mental Health Plan

In response to the recent Productivity Commission report into mental health, the previous Federal Government announced its intention to produce a new national agreement that lays the platform for Australia's sixth national mental health plan. It has been recommended mental health move to a more regional model of governance and planning, away from a centralised, top-down approach, partly in response to broader reforms affecting health care, and partly in direct response to consistent inquiry evidence that the mental health system remains in crisis. The past 30 years of mental health planning have been centralised. Successive national plans set a broad framework, with real decisions about mental health funding and service allocation made in the health departments of our capital cities. Will the next plan sponsor or inhibit regionality in mental health planning? This paper assesses Australia's historical approach to health planning particularly as it affected mental health and the costs arising. In learning these lessons, we propose the necessary ingredients to facilitate a regional, innovative, and effective approach to decentralised planning, for better mental health outcomes. We cannot afford to replicate the failed planning approaches of the past.     

全面加强职工之家建设充分发挥基层工会作用

站在新的历史起点上,全面加强职工之家建设,要着眼于统一思想,在明确建家新观念上下功夫;着眼于与时俱进,在注入建家新内容上下功夫;着眼于激发活力,在创造建家新载体上下功夫;着眼于整体推进,在拓展建家新领域上下功夫;着眼于求真务实,在完善建家新措施上下功夫.