Critical discourse analysis and political economy of communication : understanding the new corporate order

This article uses critical discourse analysis to analyse material shifts in the political economy of communications. It examines texts of major corporations to describe four key changes in political economy: (1) the separation of ownership from control; (2) the separation of business from industry; (3) the separation of accountability from responsibility; and (4) the subjugation of ���going concerns��� by overriding concerns. The authors argue that this amounts to a political economic shift from traditional concepts of ���capitalism��� to a new ���corporatism��� in which the relationships between public and private, state and individual interests have become redefined and obscured through new discourse strategies. They conclude that the present financial and regulatory ���crisis��� cannot be adequately resolved without a new analytic framework for examining the relationships between corporation, discourse and political economy.

Australian copyright regimes and political economy of music

In this chapter I review the history of copyright in Australia through a singular and exemplary ruling of the Australian High Court made in 2012 and then relate that to the declining fortunes of Australian recorded music professionals. The case in point is Phonographic Performance Company [PPCA] of Australia Limited v Commonwealth of Australia [2012] HCA 8 (hereafter, HCA 8 2012). The case encapsulates the history of copyright law in Australia, with the judicial decision drawing substantive parts of its rationale from the Statute of Anne (8 Anne, c. 19, 1710), as well as copyright acts that regulated the Australian markets prior to 1968. More importantly the High Court decision serves to delineate some important political economic aspects of the recorded music professional in Australia and demonstrates Attali���s (1985) assertion that copyright is the mechanism through which composers are, by statute, literally excluded from capitalistic engagement as ���productive labour���.

Copyrights and copyfights : copyright law and the digital economy

This paper will consider questions around the reform of copyright law, and how they are increasingly being framed by the challenges of the digital economy. It discusses the review of copyright and the digital economy being undertaken by the Australian Law Reform Commission, with particular reference to the costs and benefits of copyright law to consumers and creative producers. We argue that there is a pressing need to develop fair copyright rules that encourage investment in the digital economy, allow widespread dissemination of knowledge through society, and support the innovative reuse of copyright works. To better align copyright law with these goals, we recommend that Australia introduce an open ended ���fair use��� style copyright exception, and encourage the development of a digital copyright exchange of the sort discussed in the UK by the Hargreaves and Hooper Reports.

Redistribution and technology adoption under uncertainty : a political economy perspective

We examine the role of politico-economic influences on macroeconomic performance within the framework of an endogenous growth model with costly technology adoption and uncertainty. The model is aimed at understanding the diversity in growth and inequality experiences across countries. Agents adopt either of two risky technologies, one of which is only available through financial intermediaries, who are able to alleviate some of this risk. The entry cost of financial intermediation depends on the proportion of government revenue that is allocated towards cost-reducing financial development expenditure, and agents vote on this proportion. The results show that agents at the top and bottom ends of the distribution prefer alternative means of re-distribution, thereby effectively blocking the allocation of resources towards cost-reducing financial development expenditure. Thus political factors have a role in delaying financial and capital deepening and economic development. Furthermore, the model provides a political-economy perspective on the Kuznets curve; uncertainty interacts with the political economy mechanism to produce transitional inequality patterns that, depending on initial conditions, can unearth the Kuznets-curve experience. Finally, the political outcomes are inefficient relative to policies aimed at maximizing the collective welfare of agents in the economy.

Essays in the political economy of voting and reforms

This thesis presents four essays in the political economy of elections and reforms. The first study exploits discontinuities around school entry cut-off dates to show that early childhood conditions can impact the probability to become a top-flight politician. The second study provides empirical estimates of the effect of sequential voting on turnout and bandwagon voting outside the laboratory. The third work describes a novel nonparametric strategy to identify tactical voting patterns directly from balloting results using British election data. Finally, a study is put forward that examines the political feasibility of reforms.

Local exchange in the southern levant during the early bronze age: a political economy viewpoint

Trade and relations between the southern Levant and other regions of the Near East (mainly Egypt) during the Early Bronze Age (ca. 3,600���2,300 BC) have been the subject of many studies. Research concerning the exchange of local commodities was almost ignored or was discussed in parochial studies, focusing on specific archaeological finds. It is the intention of this paper to present the results of recent research of the exchange of commodities provided by archaeological data from excavations in the Southern Levant with regard to economic theories on the exchange-value of goods and exchange networks. Conclusions regarding the type of society and the forms of government in the Southern Levant during the Early Bronze Age are also presented.

Terrorism and the World Economy

Published as an article in: European Economic Review, 2008, vol. 52, issue 1, pages 1-27.

O sistema internacional p��s-crise de 2008 e as rela����es China- Estados Unidos: uma an��lise em tr��s frentes

As rela����es sino-americanas passaram a desempenhar um papel ordenador fundamental na condu����o dos assuntos internacionais neste s��culo XXI, ao ponto de alguns analistas criarem o termo G-2. A crise financeira de 2008, por representar um golpe profundo nos pa��ses desenvolvidos e nos direcionamentos de valores do est��gio atual de desenvolvimento do sistema, levou a rela����o China-Estados Unidos a um outro patamar. Ao passo que os norte-americanos tiveram de se preocupar em resolver as turbul��ncias causadas na economia dom��stica, o pa��s asi��tico passou a desempenhar um papel crucial no processo de recupera����o da economia global. O presente trabalho tem o objetivo, ent��o, de analisar de que forma a crise de 2008, tamb��m chamada de crise do subprime, impactou os ordenamentos centrais do Sistema Internacional neste per��odo de recupera����o e como as rela����es sino-americanas podem ser usadas para uma melhor compreens��o deste fen��meno. Na busca por tra��ar respostas mais s��lidas, a pesquisa delineia-se em tr��s frentes principais de an��lise: as rela����es diretas entre China e Estados Unidos; as rela����es dos dois pa��ses com um terceiro ator, a saber, a ��frica; e os posicionamentos adotados por ambas as partes nas institui����es multilaterais. Para tal, primeiro buscou-se aliar an��lises qualitativas e quantitativas, baseadas em instrumentais matem��ticos e tamb��m na Ci��ncia Pol��tica, Hist��ria e Economia Pol��tica Internacional, para alcan��ar os resultados definidos nos objetivos da pesquisa. A disserta����o �� dividida em cinco cap��tulos, onde os tr��s primeiros tratam de introduzir o assunto estudado e as principais vertentes te��ricas utilizadas ao longo do trabalho. Os ��ltimos envolvem a aplica����o pr��tica dos conceitos interdisciplinares escolhidos como aliados do trabalho emp��rico e a apresenta����o dos resultados finais. Em linhas gerais, concluiu-se que a crise acentuou os aspectos de interdepend��ncia entre China e Estados Unidos em todas as frentes estudadas. Avaliando as rela����es sino-americanas e os rumos do sistema internacional p��s-crise em tr��s facetas, conclu��mos tamb��m que tal exerc��cio anal��tico ofereceu recursos mais palp��veis no fornecimento das respostas procuradas pela disserta����o.