Uruguay trade deals will be key to boost recovery

Significance The move is part of a trade offensive by President Luis Lacalle Pou, who has instructed the foreign ministry to explore possible FTAs with other countries as well. In a region marked by political conflicts and instability, Uruguay is also seeking to position itself as a model country for investors despite its small domestic market. Impacts Feasibility studies for the possible FTA with China will be done by the end of this year. Planned extra-Mercosur trade talks will clash with Mercosur norms and Argentina’s rejection of extra-bloc trade talks. The outcome of a possible referendum on the government’s key reform package is not yet clear.

Subject The outlook for the new government. Significance President Lenin Moreno, who began his four-year term on May 24, faces several short- and medium-term challenges. His most immediate concern will be to restore growth and maintain economic stability. Containing the fallout from corruption scandals and improving public finances are other key challenges Moreno will face in the opening phase of his presidency. Impacts Dealing with the fallout from the Odebrecht scandal will be an early test of Moreno’s presidency. Exporters will press the government to secure new trade deals as dollar strength continues to hit their global competitiveness. Trade liberalisation will create new economic tensions as competition within the domestic market intensifies.


Subject Foreign policy in the Michel Temer government. Significance New Foreign Minister Jose Serra seeks to signal a radical departure from policy under the centre-left governments of suspended President Dilma Rousseff and her predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Nowhere is this more visible than in trade, where the Foreign Ministry has taken over policy responsibility from the Ministry for Development, Industry and Foreign Trade. The governing idea is that Brazil should abandon its focus on multilateral negotiations under the WTO framework and embrace regional trade deals from which it has largely abstained. Impacts As a political 'heavyweight', Serra boosts the role of the Foreign Ministry in the government. His apparent ambition to use the ministry as a launching pad for a 2018 presidential bid will not necessarily undermine his performance. However, it will force him to show significant results quickly.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 686-707
Author(s):  
Marcus Conlé

Purpose The paper aims to take stock of China’s recent biopharmaceutical industry development by analyzing product innovation and changes in the firms’ product portfolios during the five-year period between 2012 and 2017. Design/methodology/approach The paper introduces a classification of biopharmaceutical products. By applying the classification to the product data of China’s drug regulator, the CFDA, it becomes possible to trace the developments within the sector by looking at changes in the number of firms within each subgroup and changes in the number of subgroups in which each firm is involved. The classification allows an evaluation of the latest product innovation achievements. Findings The paper demonstrates a mild shakeout of firms in the relatively long-existing domestic market segments, a trend toward more specialized product portfolios and an enduring prevalence of innovation strategies aimed at exploiting relatively unpopulated domestic market niches instead of pioneering entirely new products. Especially the capability of upgrading to second-generation protein therapeutics has become a key criterion for separating the wheat and the chaff in China’s domestic sector. The paper moreover points out the relevance of acquisitions as a corporate growth strategy. Research limitations/implications The research does not consider complementary indicators, product pipelines in particular. Future research should compare patterns across emerging economies. Originality/value The paper is unique in using the CFDA database for systematic academic research on (bio)pharmaceutical innovation and in introducing a biopharmaceutical product classification to trace innovative activities and changes in corporate product portfolios over time.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 509-527
Author(s):  
Kim Hin David Ho ◽  
Kwame Addae-Dapaah ◽  
Fang Rui Lina Peck

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the common stock price reaction and the changes to the risk exposure of the cross-listing for real estate investment trusts (REITs). Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts the event study methodology to assess the abnormal returns (ARs). Pre- and post-cross-listing changes in the risk exposure for the domestic and foreign markets are examined, via a modified two-factor international asset pricing model. A comparison is made for two broad cross-listings, namely, the depositary receipts and the dual ordinary listings, to examine the impacts from institutional differences. Findings Cross-listed REITs generally experience positive and significant ARs throughout the event window, implying significant superior returns associated with the cross-listing for REITs. On systematic risks, REITs exhibit significant decline in their domestic market β coefficients after the cross-listing. However, the foreign market β coefficients do not yield conclusive evidence when compared across the sample. Research limitations/implications Results are consistent with prudential asset allocation for potential diversification gains from the cross-listing, as the reduction from the domestic market beta is more significant than changes in the foreign market beta. Practical implications The results and findings should incentivise REIT managers to explore viable cross-listing. Social implications Such cross-listing for REITs should enhance risk diversification. Originality/value This is a pioneer study on cross-listing of REITs. It provides a basis for investment decision making, and could provoke further research and discussion.


Significance In 2020 the European Commission appointed a Chief Trade Enforcement Officer for the first time, signalling that Brussels is intent on enhancing its capacity to enforce standards agreed in trade deals. However, the EU's experience with South Korea suggests that holding trade partners to account over breaching standards will be difficult. Impacts Relations with trade partners could deteriorate if the EU is seen to be aggressive in enforcing its standards. Concern over China’s willingness to improve labour and environmental standards could impede ratification the EU-China investment agreement. The EU may be reluctant to sanction some partners, such as the United States, that breach labour or environmental standards.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Aluisius Hery Pratono ◽  
Mario Antonio Lopez ◽  
Ruswiati Surya Saputra

Subject area – This case extends existing social enterprise theory about how an organization balances its mixed goals: financial, social and conservation. Both growing demand and management transition bought about the challenging issue of sustainability. Study level/applicability – The authors have applied the case for undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Case overview – The central protagonist is Mr Samson, a local authority who has to make a decision on whether he should approve or reject the budget with aims to take over the Surabaya Zoo. This is about debate whether conservation social-enterprise should involve human intervention or follow the natural path. Expected learning outcomes – This case introduces some concepts and implementations about social enterprise and public policy. For the undergraduate program, the case is designed to introduce the concept of social enterprise and public policy. For the postgraduate program, the students are encouraged to enhance their analysis through conducting feasibility studies including financial sustainability and ethical analysis. Supplementary materials – Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes.


2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 891-907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Garpenby ◽  
Karin Bäckman

Purpose From the late 1980s and onwards health care in Sweden has come under increasing financial pressure, forcing policy makers to consider restrictions. The purpose of this paper is to review experiences and to establish lessons of formal priority setting in four Swedish regional health authorities during the period 2003-2012. Design/methodology/approach This paper draws on a variety of sources, and evidence is organised according to three broad aspects: design and implementation of models and processes, application of evidence and decision analysis tools and decision making and implementation of decisions. Findings The processes accounted for here have resulted in useful experiences concerning technical arrangements as well as political and public strategies. All four sites used a particular model for priority setting that combined top-down- and bottom-up-driven elements. Although the process was authorised from the top it was clearly bottom-up driven and the template followed a professional rationale. New meeting grounds were introduced between politicians and clinical leaders. Overall a limited group of stakeholders were involved. By defusing political conflicts the likelihood that clinical leaders would regard this undertaking as important increased. Originality/value One tendency today is to unburden regional authorities of the hard decisions by introducing arrangements at national level. This study suggests that regional health authorities, in spite of being politically governed organisations, have the potential to execute a formal priority-setting process. Still, to make priority-setting processes more robust to internal as well as external threat remains a challenge.


Subject Brazilian foreign policy under Aloysio Nunes. Significance Senator Aloysio Nunes, who took office as foreign minister on March 7, is an experienced politician from the centre-right Social Democrats (PSDB). He led the bloc supporting the government of President Michel Temer in the Senate, where he was also since 2015 head of the Commission of Foreign Affairs and National Defence. Nunes replaces Jose Serra at the foreign ministry and will seek overall continuity of Serra's agenda focused on the pursuit of trade opening and border security. Impacts Brazil lacks a clear strategy for its crucial relationship with China. Border security, a key issue for Serra, will remain important for Nunes. Domestic politics may divert Nunes’s attention as the 2018 elections approach.


Significance This follows the Australian government's February 21 travel advisory warning of the risk of terrorist attacks on Western-linked sites and tourist destinations in Malaysia and an earlier similar notice from the UK foreign ministry. Impacts Further security advisories could undermine tourists' confidence, hitting plans for tourism to bolster the national income. Civil society criticism of new security laws is unlikely to prevent them being used effectively for counterterrorism. ISG supporters will plan attacks in Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore from Malaysia.


Subject Implications of the 2016 Legislative Council election. Significance A new generation of political activists, who gained international attention for leading massive pro-democracy demonstrations in 2014, have secured seats in the Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo), the territory's law-making body, in the first electoral contest after the protests. Voting on September 4 for all 70 LegCo seats returned a pro-government ('establishment') majority, but older democracy activists ('pan-democrats') combined with the protest leaders ('localists' or 'radicals') have won enough seats to retain a veto over government-backed legislation. Impacts Experienced pan-democrats will court younger activists, who successfully capitalised on the high level of anti-China sentiment. Opposition veto power will ensure legislative gridlock on controversial issues. Beijing will be tempted to back a challenger to Leung in 2017 as a conciliatory gesture to the opposition. Beijing will also try to sideline independence activists through 'loyalty tests' and other means to de-legitimise the movement. The movement demanding full autonomy for Hong Kong will grow, but remain outside the mainstream business and stability-focused electorate.


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