Small and Medium Enterprises in Bolivia, a Look Back to the Future, 1900 - 2020

The main objective of this article is to analyze Bolivian small and medium enterprises (SMEs), their evolution, and their contribution to the country's economy. The globalization of markets is currently a reality to which companies are exposed for their survival, growth and development. In developing countries such as the plurinational State of Bolivia, this reality becomes more relevant due to the socioeconomic characteristics of the country, where the main economic activity is dependent on the export of non-renewable natural resources (natural gas and minerals), and to a lesser extent the export of primary products. In this context, the article shows that SMEs struggle to consolidate their position in local markets, and have a low participation in global markets. The article reviews relevant secondary and primary literature, and concludes that SMEs require public and private support to contribute to the promotion of entrepreneurial culture, enter into global production chains, develop technological and innovation capabilities, and achieve growth in a sustainable manner and with high levels of competitiveness. The research method used is the review of relevant primary and secondary bibliographic sources of information about the origins, evolution and current situation of SMEs in Bolivia, and about possible alternatives for growth and development.

Conquering the labour market: the socioeconomic enablement of refugee women in Austria

Refugee women from the Near and Middle East face specific challenges when entering the Austrian labour market. Particularly gender-based factors, including care and reproductive work, exert pressure on these women and constitute major hurdles for successful entry into employment in Austria. Based on nine qualitative interviews with refugee women who swiftly gained entry to the labour market as well as ten qualitative interviews with experts from public and private support organisations, we investigate refugee women’s social and cultural capital as well as the individual agencies that foster paths into the labour market. We introduce the concept of enablement as the process of gathering the preconditions for overcoming the challenges that arise on that path. Finally, we illuminate the ways in which the three dimensions of individual, relational and institutional enablement interrelate and shape individual agency with regard to labour market integration.

From the Subcontinent with Love

“Africa weaves a magic spell around even a temporary visitor,” wrote the former Indian high commissioner to East and Central Africa, Apa Pant, in 1987, echoing the allure that the continent had over him and other fellow Indian diplomats. But the diplomatic roles of men like Pant and the history of Indian engagement with Rhodesia has not, until now, been explored. This article argues that the central role of India in the colonial world ensured that London reined in the white settler Rhodesian government from enacting discriminatory legislation against its minority Indian populations. After Indian independence in 1947, the postcolonial government shifted from advocating specifically for the rights of Indians overseas to ideological support for the independence of oppressed peoples across the British colonial world, a mission with which it tasked its diplomatic representatives. But after India left its post in Salisbury in 1965, Indian public rhetorical support for African nationalist movements in Rhodesia was not matched by its private support for British settlement plans that were largely opposed by the leading African political parties in the country, colored by private patronizing attitudes by India's representatives toward African nationalists and the assumption that they were not yet ready to govern themselves.

Support of State and Private Institutions for Biomedical Start-ups in Russia

This paper describes the differences between biomedical start-ups with state support and start-ups with support provided by private market participants in Russia as a country with limited private investments. Based on the sample of Skolkovo biomedical start-ups, we analyse ownership and management characteristics of start-ups as well as the performance of companies supported by these two types of institutions. To compare start-ups supported from different sources, the sample of biomedical companies is divided into four clusters based on the presence of state and/or private support. The results of cluster characterization indicate that start-ups with different types of support vary significantly in ownership concentration, share of managerial ownership, gender diversity and CEO experience.Although tests for differences among the groups’ mean values showed the insignificance of performance variation among clusters, start-ups with private funding in the sample were mostly smaller-sized companies with fewer patentsand employees. At the same time, start-ups that were supported from both private and state sources performed better on average in the number of employees and patents and the presence of revenue. Although the causal relationship between the type of support and start-up performance is not investigated in this paper, our results suggest the importance of the synergy of state and private support for biomedical start-up performance in Russia. Besides contributing to the literature on start-up support in emerging markets, this paper is, as far as we know, one of the first academic studies to provide insights into the market of Russian biotech start-ups.

The sustainability level of rice seed breeding business: individual characteristics and external support aspects

The business sustainability of rice seed breeding in the breeder groups is very important to provide qualified rice seeds, improve the farmer's income and welfare, and become the indicator of the success of the program. The study aimed to analyze the level of sustainability of the rice seed breeding business and the influence of the level of support from the government, private sectors and community leaders on the level of sustainability of the business. Data were collected from 112 farmers in Majalengka from December 2020 to January 2021. The data were analyzed by Partial Least Square (PLS-Path Modeling) using SmartPLS3. The results showed that the sustainability level of the rice seed breeding business in the aspect of production and business profits was included in the high category. Production and profits of rice seed breeding business are higher than consumption rice farming. The level of private support and community leaders have a significant effect on the sustainability level of the rice seed breeding business. The government provides farmer protection programs, but the farmers have not used them optimally. The involvement of community leaders can increase the sustainability of the breeding business in terms of production, market guarantee and business profits.

Regenerative agriculture needs public-private support

Significance Its main objective is to keep the soil fertile through biological methods that return micronutrients to the land, while reducing water and air pollution. The resulting decarbonisation of land in turn contributes to the restoration of the ozone layer. Impacts Environmentally conscious food consumption is rising, but cost is the biggest single deterrent. Acquisition of smaller organic businesses by large firms risks degrading their links to the local economy and ecology. Funding for research and innovation in this sector is set to increase.

Public–Private Partnerships in the Preservation of Presidential Records

The National Archives and Records Administration, in partnership with private support foundations, administers 13 individual presidential libraries comprising the Presidential Library System. These privately constructed, publicly supported archives not only preserve official presidential records but through their museum displays offer visitors a glimpse into the life and times of specific presidents. Utilizing legislation, archival documents, and elite interviews to characterize governance and administration structures of these relationships, this study outlines the nature of current public–private partnerships within the Presidential Library System, as well as the potential departure from existing frameworks for future partnerships absent formalized guidance procedures.

Can poverty alleviation programs crowd-in private support? Short- and Middle-Run Effects of a Conditional Cash Transfer Program on Inter-Household Transfers

Conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs have become an important component of social assistance in developing countries. CCTs, as well as other cash subsidies, have been criticized for allegedly crowding out private transfers. Whether social programs crowd out private transfers is an important question with worrisome implications, as private support represents an important fraction of households’ income and works as a risk sharing mechanism in developing countries. Furthermore, empirical evidence on the effect of public transfers on private transfers is mixed. This paper contributes to the literature by using a unique dataset from the quasi-experimental evaluation of a CCT in Colombia and an empirical strategy that allows us to correct for pre-existing differences between treated and control groups. Our results suggest that the public transfer did not crowd out private transfers, neither in the short-run nor in the middle-run. Instead, it increased the probability of receiving support in cash, in kind, and in non-paid labor from different private sources by approximately 10 percentage points. Moreover, we find that the monetary value of private transfers increased by 32-38% for treated households.

La critica de arte y la construcción del patrimonio cultural. Buenos Aires 1931

Este trabajo se centra en una “constelación” de intelectuales argentinos de horizontes inevitablemente eurocentricos que, mediante la propia contribución ofrecida en la revista Sur (1931-1992) a través de ensayos sobre crítica de arte, intentan comprender las dificultades del momento artístico local. Con el inicio de una secuencia de eventos, se propone una reflexión que entiende el cine y la arquitectura como un “espacio pedagógico”. Por medio del análisis y la interpretación del papel cultural de Victoria Ocampo (Buenos Aires 1890-1979) y la “herramienta-revista” Sur, se presentan una serie de eventos y estrategias unidos por un fil rouge orientado a crear la unidad cultural argentina; desde el apoyo personal y privado, brindado a Le Corbusier durante su viaje por Argentina y el proyecto documental que inicia en el marco del cine sovietico de Sergej Ėjzenštejn hasta abarcar el neorrealismo italiano de Vittorio De Sica y Cesare Zavattini. El enfoque en Ocampo, escritora, mecenas y directora de Sur, lleva el análisis crítico al marco moderno de los estudios de género, abriendo -a la cultura y sociedad argentina de los años en cuestión- un panorama de ideas complejo y fructífero, respecto al horizonte de desarrollo del propio patrimonio cultural. This paper focuses on a “constellation” of argentinian scholars characterized by an inevitable and common eurocentric horizon that, through their own contribution in Sur (1931-1992) with several art critic essays, try to interpretate the tough local artistic moment. Starting from a sequence of events, a reflection on cinema and architecture as a 'pedagogical space’, is proposed. Through the analysis and interpretation of Victoria Ocampo’s cultural role and her tool-magazine named Sur, a series of events and strategies connected by a fil rouge oriented to create an Argentian cultural unity are presented: from the personal and private support provided to Le Corbusier during his journey to Argentina and the documentary project that starts in the framework of the Soviet cinema of Sergej Ėjzenštejn, to the Italian neorealism of Vittorio De Sica and Cesare Zavattini. The focus in Ocampo, writer, maecenas and director of Sur brings critical analysis to the modern framework of gender studies, opening - to the Argentine culture and society of those years - a complex and fruitful panorama of ideas, to the horizon of development of one's cultural heritage.