The Challenge to ‘Informal’ Empire: Argentina,Chile and British Policy-Makers in the Immediate Aftermath of the First World War

From the late nineteenth century, both Argentina and Chile were integral parts of Britain’s ‘informal’ empire in Latin America. It has been suggested by historians that this ‘informal empire’ came to an end around the mid-twentieth century. By analysing contemporary sources from within the British government and the findings of later economic historians, it is the purpose of this article to contest this viewpoint. It will instead argue that the end of ‘informal’ empire in these countries was a direct consequence of the First World War, and that the decline in British influence in the region was registered by British policy-makers much earlier than has previously been argued.     

Mid‐Holocene Development of Mangrove Communities Featuring Rhizophoraceae and Geomorphic Change in the Richmond River Estuary,New South Wales,Australia

This paper describes the hitherto unreported occurrence of mid‐Holocene mangrove deposits in the Richmond River estuary, southeastern Australia, thereby providing evidence for changes in the distribution and composition of mangrove communities within a subtropical estuarine system during the Holocene. Stratigraphic, radiocarbon and palynological evidence indicates that widespread development of mangrove communities took place in the upstream reaches of the Richmond River estuary during the period 7000 to 6000 years BP. These communities maintained their habitat through substrate aggradation under the conditions of a moderate sea‐level rise, in contrast to other estuaries within the region, which generally experienced the submergence of intertidal substrates. Mangrove species belonging to the family Rhizophoraceae, most likely Bruguiera gymnorrhiza and Rhizophora stylosa, dominated these communities, in strong contrast to contemporary communities, which are dominated by Avicennia marina. Moreover, these mid‐Holocene communities were located a considerable distance upstream of the contemporary occurrences of Rhizophoraceae species within the estuary. The changes in the spatial distribution and composition of mangrove communities parallel the large‐scale evolution of the estuary driven by sea‐level variation. Shallow, buried Pleistocene terraces probably contributed to the regionally unique aggradational response of the mangrove communities and their substrates to a sea‐level rise during mid‐Holocene times.     

The Impact of Global Financial Crisis on the Mechanism of Economic Growth in Russia

A noted specialist on the Russian economy presents an assessment of the impact of the global financial crisis on the mechanism of the country's economic growth. Focusing on the demand side of the economic ledger, the author explores the question of whether Russia will be able to re-attain the high economic growth rates of the period from 2000 to 2007 after recovering from the crisis. The paper analyzes the sharp drop in production in 2008 and the first quarter of 2009, attributing most of the damage to liquidity problems and declines in the price of oil. Empirical evidence is based primarily on data collected by the author from the Central Bank of Russia and the country's federal bureau of statistics (Rosstat). Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: E010, E200, E660, F210, G010. 11 figures, 3 tables, 29 references.     

Russian Accession to the WTO: An Assessment

A senior World Bank economist presents a study focusing on issues controlling Russia's accession to the WTO in 2007. The paper discusses the principal reform commitments that Russia has made in an effort to become a member of the organization and addresses the question of whether the country faces excessive demands due to political considerations. While exploring such issues as potential relations with foreign exporters and investors, the author summarizes the relevant parts of his recent joint study of Russian import tariffs that casts a new light on a complex aspect of international trade. Among other problems relating to Russia's entry, he discusses in some detail branch banking and the tradedistorting subsidies in agriculture. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: F13, F40, O19. 3 tables, 26 references.     

What do we need to bring about a financial crisis? A long-term look at the development of banking systems,money supply and crises 1850–2010

Financial crises are not a new phenomenon. We had them in the 18th century; there were several well-known ones in the 19th century, not to mention the crisis which started the Great Depression of the 1930s. The recurrence of financial crises in the last decades has revoked a wave of research on the topic among economic historians and economists. Still, it has been difficult for us to really understand how these crises emerge, why they have been so severe recently and why they have occurred so often in the last decades. This paper tries to explain the phenomenon by asking, how is, and how was the volume of money stock determined, and why does scarcity of money, and thus rising interest rate, not check excess borrowing and creation of speculative bubbles - and then emerging crises.     

Historical Perspectives on Pre-Colonial Irrigation in Southern Africa

Abstract

One of the basic areas of interaction between water as natural resource and human societies as agents of cultural transformation is the technology of irrigation. In Africa at least 66 per cent of the available water is used for purposes of irrigation. For more than 4 000 years irrigation has secured food supplies for humans on a continent that is noted for its relative shortage of sufficient natural water supplies.

There is a remarkable hidden power of water in the history of southern Africa. This is particularly the case when we consider the development of early irrigation technologies of Iron Age farmers. The small irrigation furrow of the subsistence farmer was just as important to an insular community of Bantu-speaking people in pre-colonial times, as is the sophisticated irrigation technology in present-day South Africa. Currently there is a paucity of information about pre-colonial indigenous irrigation technology. This can be ascribed to a number of factors of which the invasion of modern Western traditions in the nineteenth century is perhaps the most important. A number of other factors for the apparent blind-spot is also presented in this study.

In southern Africa there are traces of indigenous pre-colonial irrigation works at sites such as Nyanga in Zimbabwe; the Limpopo River Valley; Mpumalanga; and South Africa's eastern Highveld. Reference is also made in this article to specific strategies of irrigation used by Iron Age communities, prior to the advent of a colonial presence. Finally, attention is also drawn to pre-colonial land tenure and state formation against the backdrop of Wittfogel's theories on hydraulic society.     

江苏盐城海滨湿地社区参与生态旅游开发模式研究

社区参与是生态旅游的本质需求,社区参与生态旅游开发对实现盐城海滨湿地生态旅游可持续发展具有重要意义。本文分析了盐城海滨湿地生态旅游开发和社区参与的现状,对湿地社区居民参与旅游开发的态度和行为进行了调查,在此基础上提出了社区居民参与生态旅游的决策规划模式、经营管理模式、产品开发模式以及利益分配模式,并提出了居民参与旅游开发的保障机制。     

洞庭湖湿地景观特征与农业产业化模式研究

洞庭湖湿地是我国最大的淡水湖泊湿地景观生态系统之一,湿地农业资源丰富,农业开发历史悠久,生产化水平较高,是我国重要的农业商品基地。由于过去长期受传统耕作方式的影响,农业产业化程度较低,农业经济发展缓慢;本文根据洞庭湖湿地景观特征,对洞庭湖湿地农业资源和湿地农业开发现状进行了评价和分析,指出了湿地农业开发中存在的问题,提出了洞庭湖湿地农业产业化开发利用模式,以实现洞庭湖湿地农业经济的飞速发展。     

中美网络银行发展环境比较研究

中国和美国在网络银行发展过程中,存在很多的差异,这些差异主要表现在经济环境、银行的竞争环境、网络银行系统和网络银行潜在用户这四个主要方面。通过对这四个方面的中美比较研究,我们得到中国网络银行的发展差距还是很大的结论。针对我国网络银行发展中存在的不足,本文提出了几点解决办法。     

湿地公园建设与湿地旅游资源保护的协调机制研究——以江苏、上海沿海湿地自然保护区为例

本文从湿地公园的概念与研究动态入手,以江苏、上海沿海湿地自然保护区为例,提出了湿地公园建设与湿地旅游资源保护的协调机制,从理念、目标、规划与政策、技术和管理、决策调控五个层面提出协调机制实施的基本模式。通过研究,希望能丰富湿地旅游资源保护的方法和途径,对湿地生态功能结构的维护和资源开发提供新的思路。