State formation and economic development in post-war Somaliland: the impact of the private sector in an unrecognised state

ABSTRACT

Unrecognised internationally, Somaliland operates as a hybrid political order where a range of state and non-state entities provide security, representation and social services. Local business elites have impacted state formation after war by lobbying against a range of regulations, providing the government with loans and contributions rather than paying sufficient taxes, and by hindering the development of sound financial institutions. The success of such activities has led to de facto protectionism, where foreign ventures have had limited access to the Somaliland market. While such protectionism may have negatively impacted economic development and growth opportunities, recent engagements by multinational corporations in the Berbera port suggest that foreign private investments risk sparking violent conflict. In contrast, domestic businessmen have played a role in preventing or resolving violent conflict at crucial stages in Somaliland’s recent history. Based on fieldwork in Somaliland, we argue that the impact of international corporate actors in post-war contexts needs to be understood in light of local culture and power dynamics, in which the political and economic roles of local business elites are central.     

How Can Business Share Responsibility for Disaster Resilience?

This paper contributes to knowledge of disaster resilience policy implementation in Australia and proposes measures to strengthen partnerships between government and the business sector to enhance national disaster resilience capacity. In Australia, business makes a significant contribution to disaster relief and recovery. Even so, there are unexplored opportunities to enhance the role of business in disaster resilience, particularly through partnerships with government. The extent that state, regional and local‐level disaster plans engage business in disaster relief and recovery is described and their relatively less prominent involvement in disaster resilience is discussed. Examples of disaster resilience policies and their capacity to influence business practices to support disaster resilience are introduced with suggestions for how they can be enhanced. Some potential benefits and pitfalls of public–private sector collaboration are explored and it is noted that, in disaster resilience settings, these risks can be ameliorated through appropriate implementation.     

State-local sales tax,spillover, and economic activity: examining county governments in the US

The reliance on sales taxation has increased in both states and counties. This study aggregated county-level data and empirically explored the associations between state-local sales taxes and economic activity by industry types in county governments for the period of 1990–2013. The results revealed negative associations of sales tax rates with economic activity, especially in the manufacturing industry. Further, the findings provided the spatial dependence of economic activity across counties as a form of possible spillover. This study suggests that policymakers should pay attention to how the manufacturing and retail industries respond to any changes in sales tax rates for business activity.     

Limited Liability for Small, Closely-Held Businesses

The article assesses the likely impact of the newLimited Liability Partnership envisaged by Limited LiabilityPartnerships Bill. It examines the present choices oforganisational form available to entrepreneurs in English Law andconsiders arguments for and against limited liability bothgenerally in relation to contractual and tortious claims andspecifically in its application to small businesses. The articleconcludes that the Limited Liability Partnership may offerattractive flexibility for small businesses but that there isstill some uncertainty surrounding its provisions, particularlyin relation to members' liability. These must be adequatelyresolved if the new model is to prove an attractive alternativeto incorporation.     

论人才流动过程中商业秘密保护的相关问题

随着我国加入世界贸易组织,在商业秘密的法律保护方面应尽快与国际惯例接轨。到目前为止,我国保护商业秘密的法律体系虽已基本形成,但由于受立法技术和立法经验等客观条件所限,商业秘密的保护仍有许多待完善的机制,人才流动是商业秘密保护亟待解决的首要问题。     

强化刑事技术实践性教学初探

作为高职高专层次的公安高等专科学校,培养的学生应定位在既要掌握相应层次的文化基础知识与专业技术理论,又要具备很强的技术应用能力、现场操作技能素养。我们通过强化实验教学、开放实验室、完善实践考核、精心组织实习实训等方面教学改革,以培养学生具有较强刑事技术实践动手操作技能,收到了明显的效果。     

诉讼时效在保障工商业文明社会信用体系中的核心价值--诉讼时效基本理论的反思与我国诉讼时效立法的重新选择(二)

农耕文明的自然经济和熟人社会特点决定了农耕文明社会成员之间信用的不发达,信任得以天然维系,无需诉讼时效制度对信用加以保护,诉讼时效即无从产生.而工商业文明的商品经济和陌生人社会,则是产生大量信用,社会成员信息不畅.为了保障任何第三人不至于因债权人突然行使产生于年代久远而处于休眠状态的权利而受损,有必要设置诉讼时效制度切断久远的债权债务关系影响到对当事人财产信用的评价,维护债权信用体系.诉讼时效通过其独有的弱化甚至消灭权利的功能维持了整个社会的债权信用,尽可能保障一般社会的交易安全.这即是诉讼时效的制度基础之所在.     

安全化操作与美国全球供应链政策的战略性调适

2021年美国拜登政府施政伊始就推动了一系列关于供应链的新政策,特别是以“国家安全”为叙事手段强化国内产业政策,扶持先进制造业和新兴技术研发,并联合安全盟友构建关键产业国际供应链联盟。与特朗普政府相比,拜登政府的新供应链政策进一步强调了经济安全和国家安全并重的原则。对于这种政策转变的本质,相关研究出现了战略性转变和功能性转变等两种观点。从理论逻辑看,经济政策的安全化分析路径,可以剖析全球供应链的安全效应,明晰经济和安全策略组合的类型,从而进一步揭示美国新供应链政策“混合式安全化操作”的生成机制。从政策实践看,拜登政府针对供应链问题的安全化操作主要呈现两个新的特点,一是新冠肺炎疫情冲击之下的兼顾供应链安全与大国战略竞争,二是以国内投资重塑产业链,并配合国际运作以形成关键产业供应链联盟,从而对战略对手实施经济权术。这些新政策面临着战略利益和市场力量之间的张力,存在诸多制约,其带来的政策冲击也为后疫情时代全球经济的稳定和复苏增加了不确定性。     

Exchange Rate Regime,Central Bank Independence,and Political Business Cycles in Brazil

This article examines policy consequences of electoral cycles and exchange rate regime choices in Brazil. The literature on opportunistic political business cycles maintains that governments adopt expansionary economic policies before elections to mobilize voters’ support. However, research findings in Latin America based on the theory has been inconclusive. I argue that the lack of conclusive evidence in Latin America stems from measurement errors common in the use of cross-national aggregate data. Using Brazil’s monthly data from 1985 to 2006, this article shows that there are electorally induced fiscal cycles under fixed and crawling peg exchange rate regimes and electorally induced monetary cycles under floating exchange rates only when the nation’s central bank is not independent. Indeed, accounting for Brazil’s unique economic contingencies and longitudinal variations in the de facto central bank independence, its public policy behavior remarkably resembles that of the more affluent, economically stable OECD countries.

谈风险投资运作模式

风险投资对支持高科技发展具有重要的意义,其投资风险主要表现在技术、人才、转化和市场四个方面。风险投资的过程可分为选择、协约、管理、退出四个阶段的循环,对其运作过程的研究,可以加强投资风险的防范。