Large corporations largely control food production and distribution in the global food system and have generated a desire for locally produced food. Although small independent producers still contribute to regional food systems, there is little understanding about how they distribute and market their products. This thesis uses both semistructured interviews to investigate the distribution practices of urban, family, and regional producers in the New Orleans region and discourse analysis to disclose how localist discourse shapes producers marketing practices. The discourse analysis discovered that the web presence of local New Orleans restaurants, farmers, and Crescent City Farmers Market targeted concepts that reflect localist beliefs and values. It was also established that small producers respond to consumer demands, but still have the power to shape the regional food system through negotiating informal contracts and striving to enter into the niche market.

This MA Report explains the impact coffee cooperatives are having on the Ethiopian coffee industry. It analyses how the current multi-billion dollar global coffee industry began in what remains one of the world’s poorest countries, where arabica coffee was discovered sometime before the sixth century. It explains the emergence of coffee cooperatives historically, as well as their present role offering an alternative to the country’s previous reliance on the assistance of Western nongovernmental organizations with their possible negative impact, including arguments they enforced a dependency on Ethiopia that impeded the country’s development. In discussing coffee buyers and coffee consumption, the report focuses on America, although the same points made apply to the vast majority of Western countries. The report investigates whether cooperatives offer a business model sufficient to achieve self-sustainability for Ethiopian coffee farmers, and discusses how the interaction between and among cooperatives, unions, the Ethiopian government, and specialty coffee buyers in America is enabling Ethiopian coffee to increase its leverage on the international coffee market, generating essential income for the struggling Ethiopian economy. The report focuses on the following areas: the connection between poverty and linkage to markets; how coffee travels from smallholding farmers in Ethiopia to be sold in American cities like Austin, Texas; the emergence of certification systems like Fair Trade to protect farmers and ensure they receive a fair price for their produce, as well as the chain of commerce that Fair Trade is part of; the quality and characteristics of Ethiopian coffee; and whether cooperatives and unions can remain true to the original goals of serving their farmer members—not turning into purely profit-orientated businesses. While this report focuses on Ethiopia, it dissects and debates economic trends that usually affect developing nations producing coffee. It explores the logistics and ethics of prices paid in the West for coffee from developing countries like Ethiopia. The report ultimately aims to enlighten readers so they’re able to make an ethical purchase of a good quality coffee, while aware of the myriad factors and trends affecting the international coffee market. / text

This M.A. thesis makes use of the concept and methodology of vulnerability, ‘state capacity’ theory, and Robert Wade’s ‘Wheels Within Wheels’ argument to assess the role of China within the modern global economy. The thesis draws upon the repeated identification of China as a possible global systemic risk by the World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Network as a starting point, with the goal of determining why and how China would be identified in such a way, what elements support such an identification, and to what extent China’s economy might indeed represent a source of vulnerability in the global economic system. The thesis analyzes two key Chinese economic sectors: currency and reserve policy, and the domestic banking sector. Six broad vulnerability vectors are ultimately identified. The thesis concludes that, while China may represent a source of vulnerability in the global economy, it also represents a potentially strong source of resilience due to its unique economic system that emphasizes the role of the state.

La littérature offre une occasion singulière pour transformer les postulats qui forgent notre compréhension des groupes marginalisés. Cependant, en raison de sa capacité à exposer des discours politiques, la littérature court aussi le risque d’exprimer des formes de représentations stéréotypées. Mon mémoire a pour objectif d’explorer l’industrie du sexe sous différents points de vue et à travers l’analyse de deux œuvres littéraires : « Becoming Abigail » écrit par Chris Abani et « On Black Sisters’ Street » de Chika Unigwe. Ma recherche consiste à comprendre l’impact de l’économie globale sur la prolifération des industries criminelles telle l’industrie du sexe. En établissant un lien entre la sphère corporative et le trafic du sexe, on peut dessiner un portrait de la structure du capitalisme global et de son influence sur les comportements individuels. A cet égard, les romans étudiés dans ce mémoire présentent diverses représentations de l’industrie du sexe, des travailleuses du sexe jusqu’aux femmes victime de trafic. Le roman de Chris Abani se concentre sur les expériences traumatiques que subit Abigail et qui, par conséquent, la rendent invisible. En contrepartie, celui de Chika Unigwe offre une perspective nuancée de l’industrie, en se penchant sur les ambiguïtés du monde du travail du sexe. Mon mémoir met l’accent sur le fait que l’industrie du sexe est composée de sa partie visible, soit celle qui est décriminalisée, et de sa face cachée, soit celle portant sur le trafic du sexe. Entre ces espaces, nous y trouvons les femmes et les jeunes filles qui sont marginalisées et invisibles parce qu’elles ne possèdent pas les caractéristiques de la victime parfaite. Je cherche à démontrer que la littérature a un rôle important à jouer quand vient le temps de changer notre façon de percevoir ces femmes et jeunes filles, en les présentant comme des personnes qui ont de l’agentivité plutôt que des êtres nécessairement impuissants. / Literature can present us with many opportunities to transform our perspectives of a marginalized group. Nevertheless, with its capacity for political expression, there comes the risk of falling within stereotypical modes of representation. In my thesis I not only explore aspects of the sex trafficking industry, but also how literary works such as Becoming Abigail and On Black Sisters’ Street examine its underbelly. I will also examine the ways in which the global economy has helped criminal industries like this one to proliferate. In understanding the structure of global capitalism, we can trace similar patterns of exploitation between its behaviours in the corporate sphere and within the sex trafficking industry. The novels studied hereafter present different forms of representations of the trafficking industry. Where Becoming Abigail is focused primarily of the traumatic experiences the protagonist has endured, On Black Sisters’ Street offers a nuanced perspective on this industry, by tackling the ambiguities of the sex trade. This thesis emphasises the fact that the sex industry is composed of its visible—and at the very least decriminalized—side of the industry known as sex work, and its shadow that we know as sex trafficking. In the spaces in between we find those who are marginalized, the women and girls left unseen because they do not fit within the criteria of a perfect victim. I seek to demonstrate that literature has an important role to play in shaping our understanding of who the marginalized people are, by contextualizing them within a frame of agency, rather than helplessness.

International water law has been unable to translate its principles into effective institutions for the management of shared water resources. National interest has often override any real commitment to the principles of international water law as reflected by the draft Articles of the ILC. Based on the theory of sovereignty, it emphasises a discretionary power to co-operate. However, the community of interest's theory is rather recommended as basis for co-operation. The draft Articles does not take sufficient account of the role domestic water policies, international relations and economics play in the co-operation of states. An integrated approach that considers social and economic effects within an environmental context is proposetL The political economy of water includes the potential of 'virtual water' through the importation of staple grains. A holistic approach, taking global trade in agriculture into account, is recommended. The SADC countries should also consider the potential of regional trade in 'virtual water'. / Law / LL. M. (Law)

International water law has been unable to translate its principles into effective institutions for the management of shared water resources. National interest has often override any real commitment to the principles of international water law as reflected by the draft Articles of the ILC. Based on the theory of sovereignty, it emphasises a discretionary power to co-operate. However, the community of interest's theory is rather recommended as basis for co-operation. The draft Articles does not take sufficient account of the role domestic water policies, international relations and economics play in the co-operation of states. An integrated approach that considers social and economic effects within an environmental context is proposetL The political economy of water includes the potential of 'virtual water' through the importation of staple grains. A holistic approach, taking global trade in agriculture into account, is recommended. The SADC countries should also consider the potential of regional trade in 'virtual water'. / Law / LL. M. (Law)

Existe um sem número de obras que tratam da Economia Global (ou Globalização), analisando-a quanto aos aspectos econômicos, sociais, culturais, etc. Neste trabalho, utilizando-se as teorias de Gramsci, Althusser e outros sobre os Aparelhos Coercitivos de Estado, os Aparelhos de Hegemonia (Gramsci), os Aparelhos Ideológicos de Estado (Althusser) e a Indústria Cultural, partiu-se para uma perspectiva de Estado Transnacional Ampliado, liderado pelos Estados Unidos da América com as inevitáveis conseqüências para os países Latino-Americanos, no que tange aos aspectos econômicos e culturais. A necessária resistência a esse processo é enfatizada como a única saída possível para a América Latina, se quiser manter sua identidade perante a chamada \"Americanização\" econômico-cultural. / There are innumerable works on the issue of the Global Economy (or Globalization), analyzing the theme from economic, social and cultural aspects, etc. This work uses the theories of Gramsci, Althusser and others of the Coercive Apparatus of the State, the Hegemonic Apparatus (Gramsci), the Ideological Apparatus of the State (Althusser) and the Cultural Industry to move towards the perspective of an Enlarged Transnational State led by the United States of America and its inevitable consequences for Latin American nations on both the economic and cultural levels. Necessary resistance to this process is stressed as the only possible way out for Latin America, if it is to maintain its identity before this so-called economic/cultural \"Americanization\".

Existe um sem número de obras que tratam da Economia Global (ou Globalização), analisando-a quanto aos aspectos econômicos, sociais, culturais, etc. Neste trabalho, utilizando-se as teorias de Gramsci, Althusser e outros sobre os Aparelhos Coercitivos de Estado, os Aparelhos de Hegemonia (Gramsci), os Aparelhos Ideológicos de Estado (Althusser) e a Indústria Cultural, partiu-se para uma perspectiva de Estado Transnacional Ampliado, liderado pelos Estados Unidos da América com as inevitáveis conseqüências para os países Latino-Americanos, no que tange aos aspectos econômicos e culturais. A necessária resistência a esse processo é enfatizada como a única saída possível para a América Latina, se quiser manter sua identidade perante a chamada \"Americanização\" econômico-cultural. / There are innumerable works on the issue of the Global Economy (or Globalization), analyzing the theme from economic, social and cultural aspects, etc. This work uses the theories of Gramsci, Althusser and others of the Coercive Apparatus of the State, the Hegemonic Apparatus (Gramsci), the Ideological Apparatus of the State (Althusser) and the Cultural Industry to move towards the perspective of an Enlarged Transnational State led by the United States of America and its inevitable consequences for Latin American nations on both the economic and cultural levels. Necessary resistance to this process is stressed as the only possible way out for Latin America, if it is to maintain its identity before this so-called economic/cultural \"Americanization\".

El Big Data es un fenómeno que ha experimentado un incremento en el interés público desde el 2012 (Cao, 2017). La aparición de grandes cantidades de datos, frecuentemente no estructurados, es una característica de la economía global (Amankwah-Amoah, 2016), además según Suoniemi et al. (2020), las empresas emplean Big Data porque les sirve para mejorar sus capacidades en el mercado. Para utilizar el Big Data es necesario resolver una serie de desafíos desde el ámbito de la tecnología, personas, y organizaciones (Alharthi et al., 2017), ante ello, el presente trabajo comienza con la revisión del panorama del Big Data, muestra los desafíos identificados en las diversas investigaciones examinadas, para luego explicar el impacto del Big Data en las empresas, y el impacto del Big Data en la economía global. Las investigaciones de los diversos autores, presentadas en este trabajo, permitirán resolver la principal controversia identificada: · ¿El uso del Big Data puede contribuir con el desarrollo económico, o podría agravar las brechas actualmente existentes en la economía? En relación a esta controversia, Blazquez y Domenech (2018), Monleon-Getino (2015), y Fuchs (2003) comparten una postura a favor de que el uso del Big Data contribuye al desarrollo económico, mientras que Nuccio y Guerzoni (2018), y Cuquet y Fensel (2018), comparten una postura en contra. Las posturas de estos autores nos permiten describir la forma en la que el Big Data logra contribuir en el desarrollo económico, y los riesgos que están apareciendo, los cuales pueden agravar las brechas existentes en la economía. / Big Data is a phenomenon that has experienced an increase in public interest since 2012 (Cao, 2017). The appearance of large amounts of data, often unstructured, is a characteristic of the global economy (Amankwah-Amoah, 2016), also according to Suoniemi et al. (2020), companies use Big Data because it helps them improve their capabilities in the market. To use Big Data, it is necessary to solve a series of challenges from the field of technology, people, and organizations (Alharthi et al., 2017), given this, this work begins with a review of the Big Data panorama, shows the challenges identified in the various researches examined, and then explains the impact of Big Data on companies, and the impact of Big Data on the global economy. The investigations of the various authors presented in this work will allow to resolve the main controversy identified: • The use of Big Data can contribute to economic development, or could aggravate the currently existing gaps in the economy? In relation to this controversy, Blazquez and Domenech (2018), Monleon-Getino (2015), and Fuchs (2003) share a position in favor that the use of Big Data contributes to economic development, while Nuccio and Guerzoni (2018), y Cuquet and Fensel (2018) share a stance against. The positions of these authors allow us to describe the way in which Big Data contributes to economic development, and the risks that are appearing, which can aggravate the existing gaps in the economy. / Trabajo de Suficiencia Profesional

No description available.