Economics and Finance (R0)

This edited volume brings together international and national scholars and major activists leading or spearheading basic income guarantee political initiatives in their respective countries. Contributing authors address specific issues about major efforts to influence public policy regarding basic income guarantee, such as: who were the main advocates and thought leaders involved in support of such legislative initiatives; what were the main organizational and framing strategies and tactics used to influence public opinion and elected officials to support the idea of and policies related to basic income guarantee; what were the major obstacles they faced; and what practical and theoretical lessons might be learned from past and contemporary actions to affect social policy change regarding basic income guarantee and related measures to guide the efforts of activists and public intellectuals in the 2020 and 2024 election cycles.

This book provides a state-of-the-art overview of the popularity of basic income among the general public. Using data from a wide array of public opinion polls conducted in different countries and years, the book first charts popular support for the ideal-typical version of basic income, broadly defined as a "periodic cash payment unconditionally delivered to all on an individual basis, without means-test or work requirement”. On top of that, the book maps popular support for the many other, differently designed varieties of basic income that are part of real-world proposals, pilots, and experiments – including, for example, a participation income, a negative income tax, and a stakeholder grant. By investigating how and why support for different types of basic income varies across countries, evolves over time, and differs between individuals with different characteristics, this book offers crucial information about the political constituencies that can be mobilized in favor of (or against) the introduction of basic income, thereby contributing to our knowledge on the political feasibility of basic income.

This book presents an original interpretation of the building history of London in terms of its evolving political economy. Each of the seven ages of the city from the Roman to the modern, are portrayed through their monumental buildings, concentrating in particular on their symbolic purpose as expressions of the status and authority of those who built them. The concluding synthesis explores how these successive layers of building can be seen to be a product of the evolving class structure, the changing distribution of wealth, and the shifting struggle for political power within the city and the nation. Although the focus is on London, the analysis is applicable to any urbanized economy at any stage of development.

This book offers unique insight into London as a landscape of power and as a city that has assumed a succession of identities over the last two millennia. It will be relevant to students and researchers interested in urban economy, economic history, and thepolitical economy.

This book provides an insightful guide to the economic challenges currently defining Europe. With a particular focus on the Czech economy, it examines the impact of rampant inflation, the war in Ukraine, and the energy crisis and evaluates the social impacts of them. Through an empirical analysis, the asymmetric effects of these shocks are highlighted in relation to different social groups. Furthermore, it engages with related issues such as migration and integration policies, the evolution of the labour market, disparities in inflation’s impact, and household energy expenditure.

This book presents a practical policy framework for addressing inflation, the impact of the Ukraine conflict, and the energy crisis. It will be relevant to scholars, researchers, and policymakers interested in the political economy, labour economics, and economic policy in general.

This book explores multifaceted dimensions of economic crisis management including strategies and trends post-crisis. It examines the constraints and opportunities shaping the future of economics, social science and policy making, providing various economic models and paradigms. Featuring the best papers presented at the 2022 International Conference of Economic Scientific Research - Theoretical, Empirical and Practical Approaches (ESPERA), this book explores topics of highest interest such as energy crisis, inflation, fiscal and monetary policy, food security, safety and sustainability, the future of work, global financial systems, sovereign debt sustainability, digital currencies, supply chain disruptions, and cybersecurity, among others. Through the discussion of these topics, this book bridges the gap between theory and practice in economic crisis management and it is useful for scholars, researchers, academics, and policymakers.

This book provides a tour through a novel theoretical approach to understanding the political economy of authoritarianism and the international market for capital investment. As the author demonstrates through an extensive series of analysis, success in attracting investment (and ultimately fostering growth) lies with the ability of the state to reduce investors’ uncertainty. The author explores the market for FDI in nondemocratic states and finds that those states which feature reduced competition over policy between “economic elites” are more likely to attract investment inflows. However, these inflows are the result of incentives provided as private benefits for incumbent elites, and tend to result in concentrated inflows. In Part II, this is contrasted with the way democratic states attract investment through institutional protections and public benefits. In this way, the author uncovers that authoritarian and democratic states achieve investor confidence through “alternate paths to predictability”, one based on eliminating opposition through political consolidation and the other based on impartial rules and legal protections designed to constrain the excesses of political competition. The theory’s central premise, that the concentration of economic influence with fewer “economic elites” is corrosive to political competition and institutional quality, carries huge significance for the study of both authoritarian and democratic governance quality.

This book examines the impact of AI and the financial crisis on African nations and the issues that surround its reciprocal impact on global business, government, and society. The global financial crisis and artificial intelligence (AI) have an equal and synergistic impact on economic development in Africa. While the global financial crisis has presented significant challenges to African businesses, AI has presented significant opportunities to alleviate these challenges. Featuring selected papers presented at the 5th Annual Current Business Issues in African Countries (CBIAC) Conference held in Hoboken, NJ, USA, in May 2024, this book focuses on the synergies between climate change, supply chain, and sustainable development featuring content from business and NGO leaders, faculty, and students.

The impetus of the CBIAC conference was the discussions held at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) held in Nairobi, Keyna, in July 2016 and in Bridgetown, Barbados, and Geneva in 2021. The goal of the conference is to create long-term collaborative relationship between business leaders, faculty, researchers, students, and community members from different African nations.

The book aims to facilitate the development of circular bioeconomy education, research, policy, and engineering practices in global communities to benefit undergraduate and graduate students and professionals. The book is expected to guide future farming activities, reshape urban-rural relationships, promote economic regeneration, and improve science-based regulations and policies to ensure socio-demographic justice and resilience in climate-vulnerable communities. The book will stimulate the investment in new natural resource-based industries and contribute to addressing the challenges of climate change, nutrition security, biodiversity conservation, and realization of the net zero emission goal.

This book is open access.