scholarly journals Critical political economy of the public infrastructure crisis in Lebanon

Author(s):  
Karim Eid-Sabbagh ◽  
Ulrich Ufer

In this interview, Karim Eid-Sabbagh and Ulrich Ufer discuss how the case of the public infrastructure crisis in Lebanon highlights the importance of including analytical dimensions of critical political economy and global financial dynamics in technology assessment alongside a technology-society-governance perspective – in particular when focusing on the Global South. The Lebanese crisis has built up through long-term structural problems that include the legacies of colonialism, the country’s peripheral position in global capital relations, elite nepotism, sectarian strife, and the state’s dependency on international donor funding to build and maintain public infrastructure. These have coincided with short-term disintegration and disaster events over the past two years: mass migration, countrywide anti-government protests in fall 2019, the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, the destruction of large parts of the country’s capital by the devastating explosion in the port of Beirut in August 2020, and the spiraling devaluation of the Lebanese currency.

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 168
Author(s):  
Md Mostafizur Rahman ◽  
Mahmud Uz Zaman

Pharmaceuticals agglomerations consistently use their brand image and versatile product portfolios to consolidate their position in the financial sector, which is evident in their continuous profit making and expansion in market share. This paper explores the short-term and long-term investment attractiveness through ‘consumer centric decision’ approach in two selected pharmaceutical companies, Renata Limited and Orion Pharma Limited, of Bangladesh over the last three years’ period. This research adopts a systematic approach which primarily addresses the various concerns of investors to illustrate the decision-making process of the existing and future investors. Using primarily domestic transaction data, this study explores how the leading pharmaceuticals companies of Bangladesh effectively use the wide array of drug portfolios mix with appropriate branding techniques to increase their financial profit and market share simultaneously. Both SWOT analysis and Porters Five Forces Model explore the business analysis of Renata Limited in compare to Orion Pharma Limited that provides a conclusion regarding investors’ decision to invest in Renata Limited. Considering the financial analysis, Renata’s financial liquidity is not very satisfactory and could have been improved further if management is prudent on financial strategy settings. Findings of the business analysis indicate that Renata Limited would be a good investment choice for existing and prospective shareholders based on its opportunities for long term and short term growth and further expansion in developing the market. The results suggest that even lower liquidity coupled with higher interest borrowings can be balanced by posing positive picture to the public shareholders by returning the positive dividend to them.


2009 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 371-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefaan Marysse ◽  
Sara Geenen

ABSTRACTThe recent involvement of China in sub-Saharan Africa is challenging and changing the world geostrategic scene. In the article, we analyse the agreements between the Congolese government and a group of Chinese state-owned enterprises. A number of public infrastructure works will be financed with Chinese loans. To guarantee reimbursement, a Congolese/Chinese joint venture will be created to extract and sell copper, cobalt and gold. These are the biggest trade/investment agreements that China has so far signed in Africa. This article seeks to contribute to the discussion regarding the agreement's impact on internal development in Congo. Does it create a ‘win-win’ situation for all, or is it an unequal exchange? We outline the internal and international debates and analyse several noteworthy characteristics of the agreements. In conclusion, we present a balanced view on the likely impact on Congo's short-term and long-term development.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 442-455
Author(s):  
Olufemi Soyeju

Project finance is a subset of financial techniques used traditionally in raising long-term debt financing for projects particularly in the energy and mining sectors of the economy. However, over the years, it has proved helpful in raising the required funds to drive public infrastructure projects through the public private partnership framework. By its nature, project finance is either non-recourse, or of limited recourse, to the project sponsors and hence identifying the various risks and determining who should bear these risks is the overarching essence of project finance technique. These uncertainty and risks may have significant impact on outturn costs or benefits of a particular infrastructure project. Generally, typical project finance transaction is fraught with many project risks which sometimes overlap. However, among these inherent risks there are some that are legal in nature and hence they are referred to as legal risks. So, this article seeks to interrogate the related legal risks in project finance as a financing technique to fund development of infrastructure and in particular, the procurement of critical public infrastructure assets in Nigeria and the various ways by which these risks can be mitigated to drive infrastructure development in the country.


2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 783-810
Author(s):  
Angélica Pott de Medeiros ◽  
Giulia Xisto de Oliveira ◽  
Reisoli Bender Filho

Resumo: O cenário de instabilidade política, a recessão econômica e as mudanças nas regras de concessão de crédito pautaram o objetivo de examinar o relacionamento do crédito consignado, por segmento de concessão, com variáveis macroeconômicas, caso do consumo, da produção industrial e do produto agregado, na última década (2007-2017). Os resultados foram obtidos por meio da estimação do vetor de correção de erros, funções de impulso-resposta e decomposição da variância, possibilitando a análise das relações de curto e de longo prazo entre as séries temporais e indicaram que as diferentes modalidades do crédito consignado implicam efeitos distintos sobre as variáveis econômicas em curto prazo. O segmento de aposentados e pensionistas impacta positivamente ambas as variáveis analisadas, com destaque para os bens de consumo das famílias. Já a concessão ao setor privado, embora represente a menor parcela do crédito consignado concedido, mostrou elevada sensibilidade a alterações na oferta dessa modalidade de crédito, enquanto que o crédito ao setor público, de maior participação, apresentou efeitos reduzidos e de curta duração.Palavras-chave: Crédito consignado. Segmentos. Economia brasileira. Payroll loans: segments and economic effects Abstract: The environment of political instability, economic recession and changes in the rules of granting credit were guiders to aim to examine the payroll loans relationship, by concession segment, with macroeconomic variables, case of consumption, industrial production and aggregate product, in the last decade (2007-2017). The results obtained by error correction vector estimation, and functions of impulse-response and variance decomposition, making it possible to analyze the short- and long-term relationships between the time series and indicated that the different modalities of payroll loans imply different effects on economic short-term variables. With retirees and pensioners segment positively impact on both analyzed variables, highlighting the household consumption goods. The concession to the private sector, although it represents the smallest portion of payroll loans granted, it showed high sensitivity to the changes of this modality. About credit to the public sector, which has the biggest portion, it showed reduced and short-term effects.Keywords: Payroll loans. Segments. Brazilian economy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Yifu Lin ◽  
Yan Wang

The world economy needs a growth-lifting strategy, and infrastructure financing seems to hold the key. Based on the New Structural Economics (Lin, 2010; 2012) we discuss the heterogeneity of capital focusing on the long-term versus short-term orientation (STO). Traditional neoliberalism assumes that capital is homogenous, complete capital account liberalization is “beneficial”.However, previous studies have found evidence of long-term orientation (LTO) in the culture of many Asian economies (Hofstede, 1991). In this exploratory paper, we suggest that the LTO can be considered a special endowment which, under certain circumstances, can be developed into a comparative advantage (CA) in patient capital. If these countries can turn their latent CA into arevealed CA in patient capital, and develop the ability to “package” profitable and non-profitable projects in meaningful ways, they would have a “revealed” competitive advantage in infrastructure financing. The ability to “package” public infrastructure and private services is one of the key institutional factors for success in overseas cooperation.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lionel Effiom ◽  
Peter Ubi

<p>It is common knowledge that Nigeria’s road infrastructure, and indeed the general infrastructure of sub-Saharan Africa, is in a most despicable condition. This paper formalises this observation by providing current data to support the hypothesis. By deploying descriptive and theoretical methodological approaches, it demonstrates that road infrastructure is not only deteriorating but also suffers from a twin evil of deficit and deprioritisation in the public sector’s preferential scale–a state of indifference of sorts. Long and short term policy choices have to be made to urgently address the issue. In the short term, infrastructure concessions, public private partnerships (PPP), pension funds, sovereign wealth fund, savings from reduction in fuel subsidies, leveraging on the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) mechanism–are part of the portfolio of choices that government can readily choose from. In the long term however, the paper recommends increase in the statutory allocation to the states and local governments which would ensure that component units of the federation control more resources to deploy and develop infrastructure in their immediate domain.</p>


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillipe Naszalyi ◽  
Arnaud Slama-Royer

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the structural problems emerging in the course of managing and safeguarding a French association for home care to a thousand elderly or disabled people between 2007 and 2012, employing 150 - 190 people and on the verge of bankruptcy. In France, small local businesses not only compete with major capital outlets in this sector but also with associations of varying size and origin. Free market rules apply, under the legislation of 2003, to what is, in part, “competition free”, being “in the public interest” and within the framework of local and national public funding. Design/methodology/approach – This paper analyses those pragmatic solutions put in place to meet the aim of shared governance and in the context of a generalized financial crisis. Findings – Borrowing from cooperatives and associations, the non-profit-based management structure the authors arrived at, including worker participation in the decision-making processes, raises questions for researchers as to the advisability of any short-term models and the validity of present social and supportive economic models. Originality/value – The hybrid management of this paper is offered as a working model in what the authors have termed an “adhocracy of stakeholders”.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Loroño-Leturiondo ◽  
Paul O'Hare ◽  
Simon J. Cook ◽  
Stephen R. Hoon ◽  
Sam Illingworth

Abstract. Urban centres worldwide are adversely affected by flooding and air pollution. Better prepared citizens are crucial to limiting the impacts of these hazards, and both lay knowledge and personal experiences are important in complementing and challenging expert opinion. For the first time, this study offers a critical comparison of how different two-way communication formats have been used worldwide between experts and the public in relation to flooding and air pollution risk. Through a systematic review, we analyse social media, educational programmes, serious games, citizen science, and forums in terms of their effectiveness in respect of communicating short-term incidents, long-term awareness, and long-term knowledge in the context of flooding and air pollution risk. We find that there is neither a one-size-fits-all, nor superior, format of communication. No single format is effective in fulfilling all three communication purposes. All five formats analysed appear to be successful under different circumstances and are never representative of all segments of the population. Communication between experts and the public is difficult and full of tensions, information alone is not enough. Our study shows different ways of incorporating strategies to build trust between experts and the public and make communication more fun and accessible, breaking down hierarchies and creating safe spaces for co-creation where everyone feels empowered to participate and benefits.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 176
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Eusepi ◽  
Richard E. Wagner ◽  
Qingyang Gu

Our intention in assembling this special issue of the Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development is to offer a state-of-the-art tour through the political economy issues associated with the provision of public infrastructure, and with the use of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in particular. Anyone who is familiar with PPPs cannot fail to be impressed by the diversity of positions and claims regarding their properties. Some scholars maintain that PPPs are an efficient tool to enhance productivity due to their ability to manage demand-side risk. In contrast, other scholars see in PPPs a scheme whereby the public assumes the risk while the private partner takes the profit.


2002 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mamadou Baro

This paper examines rural livelihood systems in Haiti from both a political andecological perspective. While political developments in Haiti have taken center stage inmost analyses, the environmental impacts of population growth, highly varied livelihoodstrategies, and migration opportunities appear to have played a major role in the current tragic situation. Illegal migration not only seems to alleviate short term poverty but also appears to benefit households long term as revenues from migration improve households' land holding situation. Nevertheless, the steadily declining ecological situation may already be exceeding the creative livelihood strategies of Haitian producers.Key words: Haiti, political economy, political ecology, livelihood strategies,households, livestock, agriculture, migration.


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