Moulding South African Public Opinion on Economic Cooperation with Russia

A study of over 300 articles and opinion pieces in popular and academic publications in South Africa, issued in 2016–2021, shows that South African journalists and political scientists are sceptical of large state-sponsored economic projects involving Russian state companies. Statements by the Russian partners that the current economic initiatives uphold the tradition of Soviet assistance to the anti-apartheid movement are interpreted by critics of the South African government as demagoguery and exploitation of history. Such authors assert that Russian-South African state cooperation in business led to “dodgy deals” which were concluded in the interests of South African high officials as well as entrepreneurs associated with them. South African journalists and political scientists focus on internal political and economic problems, presenting Russian initiatives as an aggravating factor. Many leading members of the ANC and the EFF have spoken in favour of cooperation with Russian state companies. Such initiatives are also often supported by the Independent Media & News publications. Collaboration between Russian private companies and their local partners does not tend to raise objections from observers in that country. South Africans welcome joint ventures with Russian participation which not only create jobs and provide advanced training to their local personnel but also contribute to import substitution by establishing manufacturing facilities in South Africa. The previous failures have not discredited trade and economic cooperation with Russia. South Africans do not seem to be opposed to Russian economic initiatives, apart from major state projects which are often scrutinised by the media. A considerable number of South Africans view Russia as an alternative to the Western influence and favour economic collaboration between our countries.

The Taste of War: the Danish Collaborationism under the German Occupation in 1940—1945

The article deals with the phenomenon of the Danish economic collaboration during the German occupation of Denmark in 1940—1945. The occupation of Denmark is a unique case among other occupied European countries such as France, Belgium and the Netherlands during the Second World War where Germany openly pursued the policy of economic exploitation and introduced strict rationing practices. The peculiar “soft” conduct of the Danish occupation is mainly attributed to the special role Denmark’s agricultural exports played in the German war economy. Under the occupation the efficient system of production and food consumption control was devised in Denmark which met the interests and needs of both the Danish population and Germany’s economy. The article highlights the specific mechanisms of economic coordination between Denmark and the German occupation authorities within industry and agriculture, and reveals Denmark’s role in the German military and economic plans.

Measuring value created by business models in the sharing economy

The sharing economy forms a modern sustainable trend, combining the economic and social-ethical benefits of using, rather than owning. The article studies such factors as social approval, economic choice and digital coordination influencing the effectiveness of business models of the sharing economy, but the full value of which has not yet been established. The methodological basis of the research includes neoclassical and neoinstitutional economic theories and the concept of economic collaboration. Among the research methods applied are a value-based approach to discussing the substance of collaborative consumption business models, a critical analysis of the peculiarities of the economic choice between saving and consumption, and a qualitative analysis of demand on the basis of a socially confirmed interest in collaborative consumption. The research develops five types of models for creating and redistributing income in the sharing economy and finds that the key advantage of the sharing economy is the confirmed demand of a new class of consumers, which reduces the probability of marketing mistakes. The authors state that any form of collaborative consumption for ensuring transparency of transactions and correctness of taxation should be regarded as a service. We design an alternative model for assessing the lower bound of the value created, which takes into account the frequency of consumers’ repeated requests to previously provided services, assuming that social approval shifts the line of choice and does not create a new value. The theoretical and practical significance of the research lies in the contribution to the value measurement of shared consumption based on consumer signals in the form of public approval (social initiative or testing) and profitability evaluation (lower bound) of the shared use by the consumer.

BRICS and Evolving Trends of Complex Interdependence: Implications for Pakistan

By far, the Realist notion of Power politics has remained the dominant paradigm in examining interstate relations; however, I want to argue that the evolving international landscape is moving fast towards complex interdependence. The peaceful rise of China, recurrence of Russia and rising Indian stature with a stable economic outlook and human capital of over 1 billion are hard facts, which is transforming the prevailing norms of international order by way of cooperative engagement, economic collaboration, common development and creating shared destiny by way of win-win cooperation. The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) has assumed greater significance, as it is a transregional organization based on economic integration. This research article explores the contours of a successful model, identify potential challenges and opportunities and suggests a way forward for optimizing the gains promised through this economic bloc.

Ethno Cultural Concept of Family Life in Malaysian Literature in English

A family involves two or more persons who live in the same household and are related through blood, marriage, or adoption . Family is “a social group branded by a common home, economic collaboration, and reproduction. It includes grown-ups of both genders, at least two of whom sustain a socially approved sexual relationship, and one or more children, own or adopted, of the adults living together(Alakavuklar, 2009).The study is going to examine the concept of family in term of father/mother, father /children, mother/children binary opposition between three main ethnic groups in Malaysia (Malay ,Chinese ,Indian ) through Malaysian novels in English: ‘The Rice Mother', ‘Evening Is the Whole Day’, ‘Green Is the Color’, and ‘The Garden of Evening Mist’.

The Black Sea Historical Statistics, 1812-1914: A Short Introduction

This paper is an introduction to the Black Sea Historical Statistics (BSHS), a database system which includes data on the commerce and shipping of the Black Sea from 1812 to 1914. BSHS is one of the main products of a larger interdisciplinary project that brought together researchers from several universities, research centres and institutes in order to examine the social and economic development of the Black Sea, the main grain exporting market in the nineteenth century. Methodologically, BSHS transcends the traditional narrow nation-centred approach by focusing on the Black Sea as the unit of historical analysis. In this way, it fosters cross-regional comparisons and the identification of regional patterns of economic collaboration and competition in the long run. The creation of BSHS involved dealing with several challenges, emerging from the honogenization of data extracted from archival sources of 10 different countries. The main issue was the coexistence of different systems of quantification (measures, weights and currencies) in an era when the process of transition from pre-modern regionalism to the first global economy in the 1870s and 1880s was slow and uneven. While developed countries were involved actively in this process, Eastern European countries were trapped between tradition and modernity. We, therefore, consider that the ways we have dealt with these complexities might provide useful feedback for similar projects in the future.