The BOBs is the international awards for Weblogs, podcasts and video blogs. Since the beginning, the BOBs have grown with each edition and now are held in 11 languages. There are two ways to be awarded for BOBs. The winners of the judges are appointed by decision of an international jury of leading figures in the global blogosphere, while the audience award winners are selected through online voting.
After reviewing this interesting website I discovered Coluna Zero, a blog created in Brazil to discuss environmental issues in an informal manner. As the author says, it contains information and opinions on the environment, environmental preservation and conscious consumption. Moreover, when spare time and money, a publicist and some environmental engineers gather to discover and record videos of the most fascinating and hidden places of Brazil, exploring in a very informal and relaxed the natural beauties of each place, people and places where they have fun.
I consider this issue quite important and for us this blog could be a learning experience to start exploring our rich diversity and provide information about the most beautiful places in Colombia with an environmental responsible approach in order to promote ecotourism and change the international image we have but which now is every day moving away from reality.
Here is an issue not regularly commented and I would say less in the academic environment, basically because students, for instance, do not have to bear with this since a professional life is just beginning. But another reason could be the decreasing presence of unions in Western Europe and Latin America explained in the different sources used for this article. The idea of this text is to explore the current situation of trade unions and their challenges since European integration, then, expose an interesting research about the role of trade unions in Colombia in terms of wages distribution.
“Trade union membership has fallen in Europe over the last 30 years” (ETUC, 2008). This drop is explained due to the decline in the sectors where unionism was more popular, these are heavy industries like mining and steel making. But cultural reasons are present too; young people, migrants and private sector employees are less inclined to join a union.
An event that affected critically unionism in many eastern European states was the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, when that movement collapsed at an even more dramatic rate. In Poland, 14% level of unionization is in contrast to that of the Soviet-controlled era, when almost all workplaces were unionized. Most of those who remain trade union members in Poland work for former state-owned companies. In just 8 out of the 27 member states of the European Union employed population members of a trade union are more than half. In fact, the EU's four most populated states all have low levels of unionization, with Italy at 30%, the UK 29%, Germany 27% and France at 9% (FedEE, 2010). As a consequence, three out of every four people employed in the EU are not members of a trade union and FedEE estimates that, in the medium term, the average level of unionization across the EU will drop even further - from 26.3% today to fewer than 20% by 2010 ((FedEE, 2010).
Despite this situation many organizations exist and achieved an international level to continue working for improvement of work conditions. The process of integration in the region has changed the setting in which these organizations operate since activities and policies across Europe must be coordinated to defend and bargain for members at a national level. They have to speak with a single voice and collectively at European level to influence the economy and society at large and this challenge is taken up by the European Trade Union Confederation whose objective is “an EU with a strong social dimension that safeguards the wellbeing of all its citizens”(ETUC, 2008). ETUC has 82 National Trade Union Confederations in membership from 36 European countries, as well as 12 European industry federations, making a total of 60 million members, plus observer organizations in Macedonia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The organization is one of the European social partners and is recognized by the European Union, by the Council of Europe and by EFTA as the only representative cross-sectional trade union organization at European level.
Trade unions have as their main objective improving working conditions for most needed workers through processes of negotiations and bargaining but, are this objective always achieved over the world just because of the presence of unionism?
Laura Cuesta (2005) studied the impact of trade unions in Colombia questioning if there is a wage differential between unionized and non-unionized employees attributable to the unions, what is the magnitude of the differential and which part of the inequality in wages of employees is explained by the unions. This is a quite interesting approach and during this research is explained how in United States the wage differential for workers with lower pay is 30% and for workers with higher earnings is 10%, indicating a positive effect of unions on the distribution of wages. In Colombia also existed a slowdown in the unionization rate in recent decades and it was found that unions account for 4% of labor income inequality between unionized and non-unionized workers. Although the percentage is not very high, it is higher than other variables that have traditionally been associated with wage dispersion, such as gender and household dependency rate. From this research was concluded that in Colombia, as in other Latin American countries, North America and Europe, workers with same characteristics face wage differentials favoring unionized employees but that are professionals who receive higher wages and this means that in Colombia, unlike the findings for other regions, trade unions contribute to worsening income distribution. The explanation of this thesis is that the highest rate of unionization in Colombia is seen among professional workers and, paradoxically, the lowest among workers presents operators. This means that, against the evidence from other countries, unions in Colombia increased wage dispersion among employees, because those who benefit from collective agreements already have a differential in favor, by the fact of being qualified.
This conclusions show the difference in social organization of Europe and Colombia that implies different roles and contexts for labor unions in each region. Here it would be interesting to do further study in cultural factors that determined, for instance, the paradox in the social organization of Colombian trade unions.
References
European Trade Union Confederation. (2008). European trade unionism. Retrieved from: http://www.etuc.org/r/1138
This issue results quite interesting because we can realize how culture can influence a huge financial activity in the world that we would believe it is totally standardized in all the countries. But when we discover that in Islamic economies is prohibited the using of interest rates to obtain returns on capital (which for us, westerns, is just natural) it is worth understanding this situation. So, how can a bank operating in Islamic countries obtain its main source of income which is changing intermediation margins?
In Islam, interest is prohibited because the interest in a loan is considered rise of capital without any effort and a false creation of value, so the real increase of income should result from investment, labor and other activities. Some arguments supporting this prohibition in Islam is that interest rates have no moral foundation, that abstinence from consumption is not a justification of returns and that there is no risk to justify the increase of payment for capital lending if the loan is guaranteed.
The really foundation of this concept is the relation between creditor and debtor which is redefined in Islam with the provider of funds becoming a partner in the objective of the loan which generally would be a project, thus assuming the risk activity with the party receiving the loan which generally would be an entrepreneur and shares profit at a pre-agreed portion, not a fixed return as the banking system we know. In this case the creation of incremental wealth justifies the sharing of profit between the lender and borrower of money; this is the profit and loss sharing (PLS) principle. This principle is based on the Koran, which allow trade but not interests nor usury mainly because Islam looks for an equitable distribution of profits between investors and entrepreneurs so it sees unjust to guarantee a return on capital or loan in a situation in which the lender does not make any effort. Here is where the profit and loss sharing (PLS) principle appears as a ruling system not just in banks but in all Islamic economic institutions.
In business operations of Islamic banks there are commissions or fixed-charges depending on services and business operations so they raise funds by applying an interest-free current account by a profit sharing basis.
As Bellalah and Ellouz (2004) explain:
The special principle of Islamic banks is that investors share in bank’s profits and losses rather than obtain a fixed interest as in the western system. The holders participate in the outcomes of banks at a profit or loss sharing ratio which depends on the short or long term basis. (p.536)
In the case of long term deposits they have a higher profit and lose sharing ratio due to their greater risk and to obtain a profit share, depositors must keep their funds until the end of the contracted period. Finally funds can be used in profitable issues like real investments in trade or on loans on a profit sharing basis and in non-profitable issues like holdings of cash reserves and the provision of interest-free loans to customers and entrepreneurs.
This is a report that explains briefly what are the main concepts in islamic banking system, and at the same time it gives an insight of the financial development in the region.
References:
Mondher Bellalah, & Siwar Ellouz. (2004). Islamic Finance, Interest Rates and Islamic Banking : A Survey of the Literature. Finance India: SPECIAL ISSUE, 18, 533-546. Retrieved April 29, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 676725991).
This post is based on a debate proposed for the subject Intercultural Management in Universidad EAFIT. The question is which nation will be the top nation in 2025, China or India?
I decided to focus on education since it is not hard to identify a high correlation in different countries between wealth and levels of education. Thus, in this area, it is well-known how India has developed a growth system based on education bringing amazing levels of productivity, but what is not as noticeable is the more organized and planned education system China has been developing especially since the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976.
As a first comparison, India educates approximately 10% of its university-age population, while China about 22%. China is now number one in enrolments, with more than 27 million. India’s 13 million enrolment ranks third. For almost two decades China has been engaged in upgrading the quality of its top universities and expanding enrolments in all higher education sectors, while India has also recognized the importance of increasing education access and improving quality, but only recently have allocated significant resources with the Knowledge Commission’s recommendations of 2006 and more recent government commitments. China has implemented an international education policy since 2000 and India is debating its approach to international higher education. The multifaceted policy of China includes aggressive plans to attract international students to the country and that’s why many Chinese universities have expanded their campus facilities for international students. As an example, Confucius Institutes, now numbering more than 292 with plans for 1,000 by 2025, provide Chinese cultural programs on universities worldwide. India’s international efforts lag behind those of China. In 2008, approximately 20,000 international students studied in India, most of them from South Asia, Africa, and the Indian Diaspora and few Indian universities have either facilities or staff for international students. Although there is a potential for India because much of the higher education in English, without significant investment in infrastructure and a coherent policy, Indian initiatives are unlikely to succeed. In terms of access, the government has the objective of expanding access to 15% in 2012 and 21% in 2017. China is approaching mass access. In 2005, the minister of education indicated that the participation rate would be 40% by 2020.
In terms of equity, many of the top universities of China have regional quotas so applicants from all the country can access. From the beginning of the People’s Republic, China has dedicated considerable attention to inequalities by encouraging expansion of access in western China although major inequalities persist. The most controversial issues in Indian higher education include the selection of policies aimed at improving access and equity for tribal groups, lower castes, and dalits. This is a critical socio-cultural aspect becoming a limitation in this field; this is the “positive discrimination”
Much progress is needed in both limited systems, but what I expect from the existing trend is a more culturally and economically developed long time oriented China with time perspective and attitudes of persevering looking for international approaches than India without a coherent, differentiated academic scheme and identified strategy for moving toward a system approach.
To give another argument I decided to expose The World Bank’s report called “Doing Business measuring business regulations” which provides a quantitative measure of regulations for starting a business, dealing with construction permits, employing workers, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and closing a business as they apply to domestic small and medium-size enterprises. I decided to select the five aspects I considered as the most important for all what is related with doing a business in a country. Although India shows a better situation in terms of protecting investors, the index is not really far from China’s and we can notice that China have an advantage in terms of costs for almost all the aspects. In an effort to unify all the aspects being analyzed in this report, The World Bank exhibits the Economy Rankings where countries are ranked on their ease of doing business, from 1 to 183, with first place being the best. A high ranking on the ease of doing business index means the regulatory environment is conducive to the operation of business. Is in this ranking where we can find China in 89th place and India in 133rd place. I consider this research an important guide for understanding the situation in every country in terms of facilities for developing business and at the same time it helps to establish a framework to answer the initial question of the top nation by 2025 being China the state that offers nowadays more characteristics for future economic growth.
DOING BUSINESS IN CHINA AND INDIA
Click on the image to extend it.
References:
Altbach, P.. (2009). One-third of the globe: The future of higher education in China and India. Prospects,39(1), 11-31. Retrieved March 10, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1897715041).
The World Bank Group (2010). Doing Business Measuring business regulations. Doing Business. Retrieved March 21, 2010 from:
Click in the image for extending the comparative chart between Japanese, Korean and Colombian management styles according to some variables considered in the Lee, Roehl, and Choe study.
References:
Lee, Jangho, Thomas W. Roehl, & Soonkyoo Choe. (2000). What Makes Management Style Similar and Distinct Across Borders? Growth, Experience and Culture in Korean and Japanese Firms.Journal of International Business Studies, 31(4): 631-52
Llinás Toledo, Fernando. (1997). Competitividad internacional y estratégica de las empresas colombianas. Gestión. Universidad del Norte. 3. Retrieved March 24, 2010 from:
Lanzas Duque, Angela María, Zuluaga Ramírez, Carlos Mauricio, & Patiño Diaz, Ariel. (2008). Estilos gerenciales administrativos en las empresas comerciales de artículos de ferretería, cerrajería y vidrio. Scientia et Technica Año XIV, 40. Retrieved March 24, 2010 from:
Canada has experienced in summary three scenarios in its history of immigration. The first one before 1901, was characterized by low levels of immigration as this territory was considered a cold, remote, and backward country. In fact the net migration to and from Canada between 1861 and 1901 was negative. The second one consisting of increasing rates of immigration since the late 1890s when almost all sectors of the economy began to expand rapidly and the third one, a recent and visible trend apparently resembling the situation in nineteenth century where concerns that have to do with brain drain phenomenon and failing the desires of the government in terms of immigration of skilled people exist. This uncertainty is generating doubts about the future in immigration to Canada, and finally after this overview, one probably new phenomenon to occur is the future increasing of immigration from Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, being immigration from this last region the most noticeably over the last quarter century.
Three supporting ideas
The supporting ideas can be identified in the text when Verbeeten (2007) states:
The trends of migration to and from Canada were transformed by the economic boom that propelled the Dominion into the twentieth century. In the late 1890s, almost all sectors of the economy began to expand rapidly as cuts in transport costs stimulated the export of goods—and the import of people. Immigrant arrivals went from 17,000 in 1896 to a record 403,000 in 1913 (Buckley, 1965, series A254, p.23). Immigration accounted for 44% of population growth between 1901 and 1911, a level not again reached for 75 years. (p.4)
Immigration to Canada collapsed with the Depression in 1930 and remained suppressed for nearly 20 years thereafter. After 1930, Canada shut its doors to many potential immigrants, often Jewish refugees, more tightly than did the US. (p.5)
Thus even though, from 1990 to 1996, Canada was reported to have received four graduates for every one Canadian graduate who moved to the US, this ratio related to permanent migrants only: it is reversed once. Temporary migrants are taken into account. The fact that a foreign-born professional is not truly fungible with his or her (absent) Canadian-born counterpart has exacerbated the negative economic consequences of the ongoing loss of native skilled workers. (p.7)
My impression
It is quite interesting how a country has to join efforts to achieve the objective of attracting people overseas to its territory, of course when it is important and valued as a font of economic and social growth. Also it is impressive how the competition in the skilled labor market intensify between countries that can offer good conditions of life and how cautious they should be with specific economic variables that could affect the life condition perceived by a skilled person or group to control flows of this human capital in these countries.
One of the first questions I always raise in this topic is at which level could be the idea of increasing immigration in a country can be considered as a strategy of economic growth and social wealth. It can be a big opportunity for reaching a state of multicultural nations where different opinions, approaches and ways of achieving objectives will be enriching culture and encouraging positive values for the development of that culture. But we can’t forget that this situation may conduct to the appearing of conflict between local culture and coming cultures, being this situation exposed by the Canada’s Prime Minister W.L. Mackenzie King who warned that the socioeconomic assimilation of foreigners from cultures whose norms diverge markedly from those of Canada does entail greater sacrifice and expense, not only for the individual immigrant, but also for society as a whole.
Finally it is also interesting to see how globalization has an effect in migration since it eases mobility of people between countries which can be rapidly noticed due to any change in economic incentives, direct or indirect policies that provoke reduction of migrant’s income, or in general life conditions that help appearance of the phenomenon of flows of skilled, flexible people going out of a determined nation and leading to a brain drain situation.
Reference:
Verbeeten, David. (2007). Thepast and Future of immigration to Canada. Int. Migration & Integration. DOI: 10.1007/s12134-007-0005-0
First of all I want to clarify that this article is based on the publication “Defining the Expat: the case of high-skilled migrants in Brussels” by Brussels Studies, the e-journal for academic research on Brussels which provides a conceptualization of the expatriates (in abbreviated form expat) staying in Brussels, identifying their characterization and also the perception the citizens of this city have of this “high-skilled migrants”. At the same time it gives an understanding of the difference that exists between expats and migrants. This work was conducted by making 30 structured in-depth interviews with young professional expatriates from 25 different European countries and that’s why with a textual analysis of paper publications specially related with expatriated and the analysis of the interviewees’ point of view it goes beyond a theoretical understanding of the expat phenomenon, defining what an expat is and clarifying the expats’ sense of belonging to a community in an empirical way.
Before entering this topic I would like to say that this difference is commonly tricky and I think it is generated by the common use of both terms, in some cases used in an unclear way or even as if they were considered the same. The critical aspects to understand this difference are social status, education level and profession, reason why the definition of expatriate might require considerations that go beyond a person’s nationality or mobility schemes, and imply these critical aspects.
As stated by Gatti (2009):
Migration is characterized by low levels of qualification and socio-economic status, which evidently contrast with the expats’ situation. Expats are considered educated people who go to a country not because they are motivated by basic needs, but rather by professional reasons or because they seek an experience abroad. Migrants, on the other hand, are perceived as people who are obliged to leave their countries because of the tough life and work conditions in their homeland. (p.2)
The division between migrants and expatriates has also a spatial connotation, confirming that they do not locate themselves in a city randomly, but rather add their own territorialization mode to the existing social construction of urban space.
It results interesting how Gatti (2009) describes the following situation:
In the case of Brussels low-skilled migrants, especially but not only those from North-Africa, concentrate in specific neighborhoods. Often, long-established Expats and estate agencies recommend newcomers to avoid these areas (the classical advice one may receive when looking for an apartment in Brussels is on the order of: “do not go there, it is in a North Africa area”).
Consequently, migrants and expatriates do not seem to get in touch as they have different biographies, different links to their country of origin, and obviously a totally different perception of Belgium and their future there. (p.3)
On the basis of the interviewees’ descriptions gathered by the Gatti’s work, expatriates usually present the following characteristics:
• Job driven;
• In Brussels for a short period;
• Highly educated;
• Group in an international community and seem to be very sociable;
• Usually have minimum contacts with Belgians;
• Often do not speak French
The characteristics of minimum contact with Belgians and that they do not speak French is explained because they are conscious of their temporary staying in the city which generates low commitment for personal relations and learning of the spoken language. Although this is shown as common, there can be found expatriates who want to keep living in this city, becoming this temporary staying aspect a not necessarily differentiating aspect between migrants and expatriates.
Finally as a way of conclusion, we can say expatriates appear to be a special subgroup of migrants characterized by a high level of education and a relatively high professional status who move abroad for professional reasons or looking for a constructive experience but there is not necessarily a relation with improving quality of life, which for migrants is the main objective due to economic or political factors specially labor conditions in their home country.
As an example of Colombians expatriates we can list Mauricio Molina in South Korea, Angela Becerra in Spain, Clemencia Rodriguez, Orlando Luis Cabrera, Edgar Enrique Rentería in The United States, Robinson Orozco Castillo and Carolina Herrera in London and Ivan Córdoba and Juan Camilo Zúñiga Mosquera in Italy. Most of all expatriates are high-skilled soccer, baseball and basketball players, others are writers, musicians, and generally people with a considered level of studies.
The following videos are proposed since they show some situations experienced by migrants and expatriates from Mexico and the United States.
References:
Gatti, Emanuele. (2009). Defining the expat: the case of high-skilled migrants in brussels. Brussels Studies, (28). Retrieved March 6, 2010 from:
