Announcing Relaunch of Open Access Journal: No Foundations

I am a big fan of open access scholarship and wary of the commodificaiton of knowledge and its use as object--either of status and career advancement, of allegiance to the ideology of a scholarly field, or as a disciplinary technique for the control of speech and the management of mass culture.

So I am always happy to pass along information about new open access efforts at knowledge production. With that in mind I have received word of the relaunch of the open access journal No Foundations: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Law and Justice, edited by two members of the University of Helsinki, Julen Etxabe and Monica Lopez Lerma.  Check it out and decide for yourselves.

Sovereign Wealth Funds Get More Aggressive

Andrew Peale for the Wall Street Journal reminds us: "Sovereign-wealth funds have largely been welcomed by companies as reliable passive investors and strategic allies." Andrew Peaple, Qatar Unleashes Passive Aggression on Xstrata, Heard on the Street, The Wall Street Journal, June 28, 2012. 

 (Pix from Xstrata and Glencore scramble to save deal, The Wall Street Journal, June 27, 2012)

But he notes: 

But when SWF's interests in companies grow larger and their stakes more important, they  But Qatar Holding's demand for better terms for Glencore's proposed merger with Xstrata has stunned both the companies' managements and markets, raising fears such funds may be entering a new phase of activism." (Ibid).

The saga of the Xstrata merger serves as a reminder that  SWFs may not ordinarily be aggressive, but when conditions are right, they can be, and to great effect. 

The Changing Face of Markets in Education: Competition for Online Education and Education Hubs

Online Universities.com is in the business of providing resources in online education to help interested persons maximize their distance learning experience. Their staff writers have recently posted to their blog a post entitled:  8 Nations Leading the Way in Online Education, June 26, 2012)

(Pix from OnlineUniversities.com, 8 Nations Leading the Way in Online Education, June 26, 2012)

 

 The post focuses on the spread of online education by country.  The writers note:

Online education is quickly becoming a major phenomenon around the world. The ease and convenience it offers learners appeal to people just about everywhere, especially those who are trying to balance work, family, and other obligations with completing a degree or certification program. Yet certain nations have embraced online education more than others, leading the way both in terms of the number and variety of programs and new innovations to online learning itself. Here, we’ve highlighted some of the nations that are really stepping up the game when it comes to online education, though with the proliferation of high-speed Internet connections and a growing need for highly educated candidates in technical positions around the world, other nations likely aren’t far behind. (Ibid.).

The Blog post considers each of these efforts in turn, basing their view on the unique number of IP addresses and suggesting that there may be a correlation between the potential for market penetration of online education and the growth of IP addresses. It then addresses the creation of an alternative to online education--educational hubs. Jason Lane and Kevin Kinser, Me Too, Me, Too!, Worldwise, Chronicle of Higher Education, June 26, 2012.

Michael Komesaroff on Inefficiencies in Chinese Outbound Investment

Michael Komesaroff, principal of Urandaline Investments, a consultancy specializing in China’s capital intensive industries, and a former executive in residence at the School of International Affairs, Pennsylvania State University, has written an  excellent analysis of the operational difficulties of China's outbound investment.  Michael Komesaroff, "Screwing up in foreign climes," China Economic Quarterly 9-12 (Dec. 2010).  

 (Pix from Citi Pacific Mining)

Komesaroff starts by suggesting misdirection and waste: "When China launched its “Go Out” policy in 1999, leaders hoped state-owned enterprises (SOEs) would snap up valuable foreign assets and transform themselves into successful multinationals. In the mining sector, China’s national champions have become powerful international investors—yet they have also wasted billions of dollars on ill-conceived projects, often exacerbated by poor management. . . . Far from being exceptions, these examples of mismanagement are the rule."   (Komesaroff, "Screwing up in foreign climes," supra, 1).

This post considers insights from that essay.

From the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy (ASCE): Luis Luis on Cuban Bank International Assets and Relief for Cuba on Food Import Prices

The Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy is preparing for its 22nd Annual Conference, to be held in Miami, Florida, August 2-4, 2012.

This post includes material from the ASCE's Spring 2012 Newsletter: (1) two short analyzes from Luis Luis, and (2) the Preliminary conference program.

New Book: Nichola Gutgold, "The Rhetoric of Supreme Court Women: From Obstacles to Options"

My colleague, Nichola Gutgold has just published her excellent book: The Rhetoric of Supreme Court Women: From Obstacles to Options, by Lexington Books – a division of Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc. (2012) ISBN-10: 0739172506; ISBN-13: 978-0739172506

(Pix of Professor Gutgold, from PSU Press Release, Professor publishes book focused on women in the U.S. Supreme Court, Penn State Live, June 20, 2012)

What follows are the Penn State Press Release announcing publication, the publisher's summary and my forward to the book.  The book is well worth the read! 

Norway SWF and Jewish Building Activity in East Jerusalem: Excluding Shikun & Binui Ltd. from the Investment Universe of the Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG)

Acting on the earlier recommendation of the Council of Ethics, the Norwegian Ministry of Finance has just announced that the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund, the Government Pension Fund (Global), will exclude Shikun & Binui Ltd. from its investment universe. Norway, Ministry of Finance, Press Release:  Exclusion of a company from the Government Pension Fund, June 15, 2012.

 (From Shikun & Binui Company Profile)

The role of the Council on Ethics for the Government Pension Fund Global is to provide evaluation on whether or not investment in specified companies is inconsistent with the established ethical guidelines. The Ministry of Finance makes decisions on the exclusion of companies from the Fund's investment universe based on the Council's recommendations. Both the Ministry's decisions and the Council's recommendations will be made publicly available on this website. The Council has it's own secretariat which provides research for the Council.  (From Council on Ethics Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global)

The Finance Ministry Press Release and the Ethics Council Recommendation: Recommendation of December 21st, 2011, on the exclusion of the company Shikun & Binui Ltd. at set out below.

Outcome of the second session of the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises

I have written about the UN Working Group on the issue of business and Human Rights before.  The Working Group provides an institutional framework for carrying on the work of John Ruggie, who as Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Business and Human Rights was instrumental in developing and the U.N. Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Following the second session of the UN Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises held in May 2012, the Working Group issued a report: Human Rights Council, Working Group on the issue of human rights and Transnational corporations and other business enterprises Second session, Outcome of the second session of the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, A/HRC/WG.12/21 (June 7, 2012). The text of that statement follows:

Philip Peters on Cuba's Economic Reforms

For those interested in an analysis of the changes and restructurings of Cuban economic life, Philip Peters has published a very readable and interesting work:  Philip Peters, A Viewer's Guide to Cuba's Economic Reform, Lexington Institute, May 2012. 

(Picture of Mr. Peters from Art Ritter's excellent blog, The Cuban Economy/La Economís Cubana, May 31, 2012)

The Lexington Institute website describes Mr. Peters: "Philip Peters joined the Lexington Institute in April 1999. He has responsibility for international economic programs with a focus on Latin America. . . . Peters is an adviser to the Cuba Working Group that formed in January 2002 in the House of Representatives. He has testified before Congress and the U.S. International Trade Commission and has given talks on Cuba and U.S. policy to diverse audiences."   He also authors posts for the blog: The Cuban Triangle: Havana-Miami-Washington events and arguments and their impact on Cuba.  Included in those posts is a useful chronology of Cuba’s economic reforms that Mr. Peters will update and that also appears as an appendix to A Viewer's Guide to Cuba's Economic Reform.

Jan Broekman: On the Origins of Legal Semiotics

My distinguished colleague at Penn State, Jan M. Broekman, presides over The Roberta Kevelson Seminar on Law and Semiotics.  He is Professor Emeritus Universities of Leuven, Belgium, and Amsterdam, Netherlands, Honorary Professor National University of Argentina in Mar del Plata, Argentina, Visiting Professor University of Illinois College of Law (some of whose works are listed here).

He has recently prepared an essay "On the Origins of Legal Semiotics" that is posted below. The essay forms part of a larger work, Lawyers Making Meaning: The Semiotics of Law in Education.