Peripheralization, Political Discontent, and Social and Solidarity Economy—Case Studies From Rural Hungary and Germany

The reintegration of Central and Eastern European (CEE) economies into globalized capitalism resulted in increasing regional polarization and the emergence of internal peripheries. The crisis of the globalized capitalist economy in 2008 resulted in the further peripheralization of rural areas, and the related crisis of representative democracies triggered rural resentment against the existing order. Inhabitants of peripheralized areas have a feeling of abandonment and political discontent. The rise of right-wing populism may be understood as a revolt of people living in precarious conditions in peripheralized areas both in Hungary and Germany. Left-wing populism, which builds on equality and social justice and is based on radical democracy, has not been able so far to reach the precaritized inhabitants of peripheralized rural areas. Solidarity economy, which is a contemporary social movement, refers to a comprehensive program aimed at transforming the entire economy, and may have the potential to address the political discontent of people living in peripheralized rural areas. In spite of the rising support for right-wing populism, social and solidarity economy (SSE) initiatives are being carried out in rural peripheries. These initiatives are based on the principles of participatory and economic democracy. Spaces provided by SSE initiatives can become forums for deliberation and co-management to develop economic democracy and become seeds of a solidarity economy movement in CEE. Therefore, based on a critical realist ethnographic approach, this paper aims to answer the question of how SSE initiatives may address the everyday material challenges and political discontent of people living in peripheralized villages by studying two SSE initiatives being carried out in two contrasting cases of peripheralization. Studying SSE initiatives in relation to 1) the locality they are embedded in, 2) “subaltern” groups within the locality, and 3) participatory, economic and 4) representative democracy helps to better understand in what ways SSE initiatives can mobilize political discontent to strengthen the solidarity economy movement in CEE.

COMPARISON OF WAGES IN ICT BY MAJOR CATEGORIES, THEIR RELATIONS TO GDP AND THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SALARIES OF MEN AND WOMEN

The article examines wages in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT). Based on the so-called ISPV data (adjusted for inflation), CZSO and Eurostat data, several analyses were performed. The main conclusions are: (1) The number of ICT workers grew faster, their share in total employment increased from 2.2% to 3.9%. (2) From 2008 to 2013, the overall trend in wages is declining and they have been growing significantly since 2014 (influenced by both economic growth and falling inflation). (3) Wages of ICT specialists (CZ ISCO 25) grew considerably faster than those of ICT technicians (CZ ISCO 35). 4) Wages for the entire ICT and for the CZ-ISCO 25 category grew faster than GDP. (5) The gender pay gap in the Czech Republic is among the highest among the countries surveyed, although in 2019 it decreased compared to 2008. (6) Within the Czech Republic, the differences between the salaries of men and women in ICT are smaller than for the entire economy.

What Did Central Banks Learn from Financial Crises?

During the global financial crisis (GFC) of 2007–2009 and the currentCovid-19 debacle, central banks acted quickly, boldly, and effectively. The paper argues that they did so thanks to the lessons learned from the past financial crises, which provided them with opportunities to reconsider their previous beliefs. A case in point is the banking crisis in the United States during the Great Depression of the 1930s that taught central banks to act rapidly and decisively in order to prevent an initial liquidity crisis from escalating into a solvency crisis leading to bankruptcies of banks with potentially disastrous consequences for the entire economy. The paper revisits the consequences of the currency crises of the 1990s, which transformed exchange rate regimes across the world: the EMS one of 1992–1993 that accelerated the launch of the euro, and the Asian one of 1997–1998 resulted in the proliferation of floating exchange rates in emerging economies.

Economic Competitiveness and Availability of Road Infrastructure

The level of road infrastructure development brings about several benefits, such as shorter travel times, reduced transport costs, or improved road safety. Undoubtedly, it is also a factor that has had a beneficial impact on the growth of certain regions. This is particularly important for the entire economy (in the macroeconomic context), for regions (on the meso-regional level) and for business enterprises (the macroeconomic aspect). The aim of this study has been to evaluate the effect of the availability of road infrastructure on the economic competitiveness of Polish voivodeships. To this end, the Regional Competitiveness Index (RCI) was compared with the ratio of the density of hard-surface roads per 100 km2. The analysis showed that the highest regional competitiveness and simultaneously the highest road density ratio were in the voivodeships: śląskie, małopolskie and mazowieckie. However, the majority of regions in Poland are composed of voivodeships with both of these indicators scoring below zero. These are regions in the eastern part of Poland; as well as the lubuskie and zachodniopomorskie voivodeships.

All Production Is Reproduction

The aim of this article is to probe the connections between two key fields of knowledge of the French Enlightenment: political economy and natural history. It does so by analyzing the uses of reproduction, a term that eighteenth-century political economists imported from natural history. While historians of knowledge have demonstrated the crucial role played by political and economic concerns in the practices of naturalists, intent on improving their nation, the significance of natural history for the development of political economy has not been sufficiently analyzed. Studying side-by-side the works of the period’s most famous school of political economy, the physiocrats, and one of its most influential naturalists, the Comte de Buffon, the paper demonstrates that the physiocrats adopted not only the term from natural historians, but also the conceptual baggage that accompanied it. Buffon radically reconceptualized the reproduction of living beings as a process governed by natural laws and not divine intervention. As the paper argues, the physiocrats’ political-economic system was based on precisely such a conception of the natural laws of reproduction, which they extended from the world of the living to the entire economy of the nation.

Adaptation to Climate Changes with Particular Focus on the Legal Environment of the Energy Sector

Within the legal regime of climate protection, there is a gap between the amount of space and resources devoted to mitigation on the one hand and adaptation to climate changes on the other, clearly to the detriment of the latter. Nevertheless, at least some climate changes seem inevitable and therefore it is certainly necessary to take some adaptation measures. That is especially true in the case of the energy sector, which plays a crucial role in the entire economy. The article deals with legal instruments aimed at adapting the energy sector to climate change. It analyses the general legislative approach to adaptation, the expected negative consequences of climate changes for the energy sector, as well as the current legal regulations in this matter – in order to conclude as to the legal instruments that could be useful for the adaptation of the energy sector to climate changes.

Kisan360 (Agro App-A perfect Marketplace for all Farmers)

Six decades ago, Mahatma Gandhi said that agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy. The situation remains the same today almost the entire economy is sustained by agriculture, which is the mainstay of the village. Now a days, farmer sells their product at wholesale price to wholesalers, wholesalers sell them to retailers and make more profit then farmers. This application can help to break the chain between farmers and retailers. Through the application, farmers sell their products directly to customers and make more profit. In this application farmers can sell their equipment and buy new one. Farmers can direct knowledge about how to do digital farming. Once the farmers application is made available, any farmer can find relevant information about specific seed, fertilizer, farming equipment, weather forecasting, market rate, etc. This application is easily accessible by the farmers and other users too. Farmers as well as other users can ask specific question and provide valuable feedback through a specially designed feedback module. Keywords: Farmers, marketplace, wholesalers, retailer, users, admin.

THE EMPLOYEES MOTIVATION WITHIN AN EVENT ORGANIZING COMPANY DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC : STUDY OF EVENTX

The entire economy in Indonesia experienced turmoil and decline due to the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Likewise, the event organizer industry also experienced a decline. All event organizer companies are having a hard time. Employee motivation at work is affected by internal and external factors, caused by dispositional factor or internal, such as personality trait, effort, mood, judgment, ability, motive, belief and situational factor or external, such as world’s phenomenon, other’s people attitude, time of day, task difficulty, and luck. This study analyzes employee motivation affected by dispositional and situational factors and influences employee performance while working in Event Organizer during Covid-19 Pandemic. This study uses a qualitative approach with attribution theory and phenomenological method. Researcher conducts semi-structured interviews with three employees of the EventX company. The result of this study is the understanding of the factors that significantly influence the employee motivation of EventX through two approaches, dispositional and situational. The researcher found that there are changes in motivation and affect performance during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study will become a reference to increase motivation levels, especially for event industry amid the Covid-19 situation and enhance employee performance.

PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES OF THE MODERN FISHING INDUSTRY

The agricultural complex is an integral part of the structure of the agro-industrial complex of the region and includes a set of enterprises that carry out homogeneous activities related to fishing, fish farming and fish processing. The development of the fisheries complex contributes not only to the economic development of a certain subject of the Federation, but also to the entire economy of the country. The article considers the main challenges and problems of the development of fisheries, taking into account the interacting role of sectoral factors and the system of relations in the food market.

The Influence of the CEO on Auditor Choice in Private Firms: An Interplay of Willingness and Ability

Reliable financial reporting is highly important when aiming for sustainable development and the long-term financial stability of the entire economy. An external audit is one of the main monitoring mechanisms to warrant this reliability. While auditing serves as an independent monitoring mechanism towards management, studies indicate that management is often the driving force behind auditor appointments and terminations, especially if it is willing to drive auditor choice. While this raises questions about an auditor’s independence and resulting audit quality, willingness will only have an impact when management is also able to exert its will. This study, therefore, examines to what extent ability strengthens the CEO’s willingness to appoint a non-Big Four auditor. Using a dataset of 316 private firms, regression results show that when the CEO is willing to appoint a non-Big Four auditor and also has sufficient power, it is less likely that a Big Four auditor is actually appointed, at least when the control effectiveness of the board is weak such that the CEO can exert his/her power. This emphasizes the need for both shareholders and legislators to ensure that the independence of the auditor is guaranteed and to implement complementary monitoring mechanisms like a strong board.