DOES FIRM OWNERSHIP AFFECT SPILLOVER OPPORTUNITIES? EVIDENCE FROM CHINESE MANUFACTURING

The clustering of economic activity is believed to generate both positive own‐industry (localization) spillovers and negative competitive pressures. Using data on manufacturing enterprises operating in China during 1998–2006, this paper provides evidence on the net effect of opposing spillovers from nearby economic activity. Central to the analysis is the opportunity to distinguish local manufacturing enterprises by state, private, or foreign ownership. Systematic differences in average productivity of these firms enable inferences about differences in the strength of spillovers from one type of firm to another type. Results indicate that spillovers are larger within the same ownership type than they are across them, consistent with localization economies that operate within segmented channels of influence.     

Spatial Causality: A Systematic Review on Spatial Causal Inference

The growing interest in causal inference in recent years has led to new causal inference methodologies and their applications across disciplines and research domains. Yet, studies on spatial causal inference are still rare. Causal inference on spatial processes is faced with additional challenges, such as spatial dependency, spatial heterogeneity, and spatial effects. These challenges can lead to spurious results and subsequently, incorrect interpretations of the outcomes of causal analyses. Recognizing the growing importance of causal inference in the spatial domain, we conduct a systematic literature review on spatial causal inference based on a formal concept mapping. To identify how to assess and control for the adverse effects of spatial influences, we assess publications relevant to spatial causal inference based on criteria relating to application discipline, methods used, and techniques applied for managing issues related to spatial processes. We thus present a snapshot of state of the art in spatial causal inference and identify methodological gaps, weaknesses and challenges of current spatial inference studies, along with opportunities for future research.     

Can South–South Cooperation Compete? The Development Bank of Latin America and the Islamic Development Bank

Southern‐led multilateral development banks (MDBs) play a key role in harnessing global capital to finance the sectors most important to borrowers, especially infrastructure. Two prominent Southern MDBs, the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), have become crucial drivers of regional infrastructure growth. This article explores whether their performance has lived up to their goals of establishing borrower control over bank governance without sacrificing financial dynamism. Using power‐weighted voting indices for member representation on bank boards, the authors determine that these banks offer borrowers much more representation on their boards than do their Northern‐based counterparts, the Inter‐American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). The article also analyses bank operations to determine whether their governance structure impacts their internal performance, as reflected on balance sheets, and external performance — gaining relevance in development finance and particularly in infrastructure lending, including the burgeoning sector of sustainable (climate‐resilient) infrastructure. The authors find that the CAF and IsDB have become major players in development finance, including in sustainable infrastructure. However, important issues remain in relation to their continued internal capacity development, especially with regard to the environmental and social safeguards necessary to oversee lending.     

FARMERS,HERDERS OR TRADESMEN? ANALYSING SETTLEMENT PATTERNS OF THE MIDDLE AND LATE BRONZE AGE ON THE SARFIROUZABAD PLAIN,KERMANSHAH, WESTERN IRAN

The highland plains of western Iran have been investigated with varying intensity. The Sarfirouzabad Plain located in the south of Kermanshah province, although visited perfunctorily, has not previously been studied systematically, despite attractive ecological and environmental conditions. In 2009, a team from Tehran University conducted a systematic and intensive field survey in the region to identify Bronze Age settlements and to assess their location in relation to ecological, environmental and cultural factors that may have impacted their distribution on the plain. The surveyed area was walked in transects at 20‐metre intervals and resulted in the identification of 332 archaeological sites from different cultural periods, which added much to the limited knowledge about the history of this region. Twenty‐four of these settlement sites belong to the Middle and Late Bronze Age horizons. This study uses GIS to map the distribution of archaeological materials and construct spatial models to determine the significance of the distribution patterns of the Bronze Age sites.     

World Trade and Workers' Rights: In Search of an Internationalist Position

Trade unions and NGOs have been divided sharply over the issue of a workers' rights clause in WTO trade agreements, and have failed to reach a consensus despite heated debate. This appears to be due to elements of protectionism and nationalism in positions on both sides. Arguments against a workers' rights clause can be classified into those opposing (1) globalisation, (2) the WTO, (3) any linkage between workers' rights and trade, and (4) the proposed mechanisms for enforcement. The first three types of objections can be traced to nationalistic considerations, which subordinate the interests of workers to a "national interest" that represents various business groups. The fourth type, however, includes valid criticisms and reveals elements of protectionism in the current proposals for a workers' rights clause. If the proposal is revised to eliminate these elements, it should be possible to arrive at a consensus among progressive labour unions and NGOs. This would be an important step towards an internationalist strategy to fight for minimum labour rights worldwide.     

Study of Effects of Sediment-Damping,Impedance Contrast,and Size of Semi-Spherical Basin on the Focusing and Trapping of the Basin-Generated Surface Waves

This article presents the effects of sediment-damping, impedance-contrast (IC), and size of semi-spherical (SS) basin on the focusing and trapping of the basin-generated surface (BGS) waves and the spatial-variation of average-spectral-amplification (ASA), differential ground motion (DGM), and average-aggravation-factor (AAF). A frequency-dependent focusing of the BGS-wave is inferred. Increase of ASA, DGM, and AAF with increase of size of the SS-basin with a fixed-shape-ratio revealed that the BGS-wave focusing has counter-balanced the sediment-damping effects. It is concluded that the BGS-wave focusing and trapping in the SS-basin is more sensitive to change of IC as compared to the similar change of sediment-damping.