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Book part
Publication date: 8 April 2015

Michele Alacevich, Pier Francesco Asso and Sebastiano Nerozzi

This paper discusses the American debate over price controls and economic stabilization after World War II, when the transition from a war economy to a peace economy was…

Abstract

This paper discusses the American debate over price controls and economic stabilization after World War II, when the transition from a war economy to a peace economy was characterized by bottlenecks in the productive system and shortages of food and other basic consumer goods, directly affecting the living standard of the population, the public opinion, and political discourse. Specifically, we will focus on the economist Franco Modigliani and his proposal for a “Plan to meet the problem of rising meat and other food prices without bureaucratic controls.” The plan prepared by Modigliani in October 1947 was based on a system of taxes and subsidies to foster a proper distribution of disposable income and warrant a minimum meat consumption for each individual without encroaching market mechanisms and consumers’ freedom. We will discuss the contents of the plan and its further refinements, and the reactions it prompted from fellow economists, the public opinion, and the political world. Although the Plan was not eventually implemented, it was an important initiative for several reasons: first, it showed the increasing importance of fiscal policy among postwar government tools of intervention in the economic sphere; second, it showed a third way between direct government intervention and full-fledged laissez faire, in tune with the postwar political climate; third, it proposed a Keynesian macroeconomic approach to price and income stabilization, strongly based on econometric and microeconomic foundations. The Meat Plan was thus a fundamental step in Modigliani’s effort to build the “neoclassical synthesis” between Keynesian and Neoclassical economics, which would deeply influence his own career and the evolution of academic studies and government practices in the United States.

Article
Publication date: 1 September 2021

Mostafa Alani and Akel Ismail Kahera

This paper aims out to analyze the confluence of spatial analysis and computational design strategies to support the reestablishment of Mosul's city housing fabric. According to a…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims out to analyze the confluence of spatial analysis and computational design strategies to support the reestablishment of Mosul's city housing fabric. According to a UN-Habitat report, Mosul suffered from catastrophic losses on an urban scale, resulting in a housing crisis that requires a large-scale response. However, the need for immediate shelters might lead to a rapid, uninformed reconstruction process, causing the loss of the architectural identity that the city accumulated over the years.

Design/methodology/approach

The study utilizes a two-phase sequential research method. In Phase 1, the study applies space syntax techniques to transform the floor plans of the collected traditional and contemporary houses into “quantifiable data.” This phase aims to identify design criteria that capture the “spatial configuration” of both types of houses. In the subsequent phase, the study utilizes the identified design criteria to develop a genetic algorithm inspired by traditional and contemporary practice that facilitates an informed design process.

Findings

The outcome of the study indicates that informed computational synthesis can assist in generating multiplicities floor plan layouts that mimic the inner spatial configuration of existing traditional courtyard houses and contemporary noncourtyard houses. In addition, the developed genetic algorithm was able to generate hybridized design solutions that have been spatially validated.

Originality/value

The study concludes with observations linking informed computational synthesis to the postwar construction process as a remedial methodology to analyze and redesign Mosul's city fabric in an informed, affordable and accessible fashion.

Details

Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. 16 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2631-6862

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 December 2022

Osama Hazzi and Issa Maldaon

This paper aims to review bright sides of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and touches on its dark sides, providing researchers and CSR-driven lay readers with a starting…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to review bright sides of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and touches on its dark sides, providing researchers and CSR-driven lay readers with a starting point for further contributions and discussions. The paper also outlines a conceptual perspective about CSR scale development relevant to the uncertain times Syrian Arab Republic is still facing.

Design/methodology/approach

With a top ten-journal set indexed in social science citation index (SSCI), the current paper reviewed dozens CSR-references. In different search settings, the paper also included other authoritative references relevant.

Findings

CSR, whose bright side is still in the lead, is a significant working philosophy that can keep stakeholders posted on the extent to which organizations can sustain businesses and protect society's welfare at interconnected levels (economic, social, ethical and environmental, among others).

Research limitations/implications

The review at hand has only covered the tip of the CSR iceberg.

Practical implications

Investing in CSR transparently could lead to a promising sustainability.

Social implications

With transparent CSR information, stakeholders (including the public and policymakers) could make an informed decision regarding the extent to which organizations with CSR could protect their well-being.

Originality/value

The current review makes an authoritative reference point new in the CSR literature. In addition, it bridges a research gap not yet studied – by bringing a roadmap outlining a potential CSR-scale development that could cope with the postwar reconstruction phase (an example of which being Syrian Arab Republic).

Details

Management & Sustainability: An Arab Review, vol. 2 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2752-9819

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 27 September 2012

Mahabat Baimyrzaeva

During this wave of reforms, the United States emerged as the leading nation shaping reforms in developing countries. All other economically advanced nations were preoccupied with…

Abstract

During this wave of reforms, the United States emerged as the leading nation shaping reforms in developing countries. All other economically advanced nations were preoccupied with their postwar reconstruction, while the United States was bound to fulfill its promises to free the colonies of both its enemies at that time (Germany, Japan, and Italy) and its allies (Great Britain, France, Holland, and Belgium). The United States sent technical and professional advisers to countries that requested its help to replace their colonial administrations with locally designed arrangements. The United States was also particularly well placed to advise less-developed countries, considering the successful institutional reforms and recovery it had led in postwar Germany and Japan. While conditions in underdeveloped countries – as discussed below – were very different from those in Germany and Japan, the United States saw their postwar successes as evidence that such reforms might also help less-developed nations. Finally, the advent of the Cold War that launched a global competition for spheres of influence also contributed to the fact that the United States became the leading promoter of reforms in developing countries. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ford Foundation were the key donors funding and designing development programs abroad in this period.

Details

Institutional Reforms in the Public Sector: What Did We Learn?
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78052-869-4

Article
Publication date: 27 November 2023

Antonio-Martín Porras-Gómez

Informal housing stands out as a major challenge surrounding the massive reconstruction of Syrian cities, devastated by a bloody war and a terrible earthquake. The purpose of this…

Abstract

Purpose

Informal housing stands out as a major challenge surrounding the massive reconstruction of Syrian cities, devastated by a bloody war and a terrible earthquake. The purpose of this article is to assess the adequacy of the Syrian Law to adequate provide a solution to this problem.

Design/methodology/approach

With the purpose of informing the question, this paper offers a legal-institutional analysis of the informal housing phenomenon and the corresponding regulatory responses in Syria. A literature review is conducted, and functional analysis of the legal texts and their effective implementation is provided.

Findings

First, informal housing in Syria has been fostered by the existence of an erratic regulation, particularly burdened by the incoherence of passing repressive provisions against informal housing while master plans were conspicuously absent or incomplete. Second, the regulatory policy seems to be leaning toward the urban renewal option, indicating a supply-oriented housing approach that may face serious challenges due to the scarcity of capital. In this context, regulation should not underestimate any policy tools at hand (renewal and upgrading; with the contribution of public, private and cooperative sectors).

Originality/value

Although there have been several studies on informal housing in Syria, none has taken a legal institutionalist approach. Furthermore, this study offers an up-to-date account of the problem, taking into account the problematic after the 2023 earthquake and the content of Law 2/2023.

Details

Journal of Property, Planning and Environmental Law, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9407

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1990

Elizabeth Tamedly Lenches

Wilhelm Roepke wrote his book Civitas Humana in the early1940s in order to elaborate economic and social policy guidelines forpostwar reconstruction in Europe. Rejecting both…

Abstract

Wilhelm Roepke wrote his book Civitas Humana in the early 1940s in order to elaborate economic and social policy guidelines for postwar reconstruction in Europe. Rejecting both central economic planning (collectivism) and laissez‐faire, he looks for a third alternative. He finds it in a socially‐oriented market economy based on decentralisation, designed to provide citizens with roots in their communities and families. Roepke calls for a genuine competitive order with the government setting the general framework and also interfering in the market process itself to prevent monopolies and facilitate economic adjustments. He advocates a policy of encouraging the private ownership of homes and small plots. With such an “anchor of property”, people would be able to withstand the inevitable hardships resulting from economic change.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 17 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 August 2020

Lana Kudumovic

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the challenges and justification of the reconstruction of built heritage in Bosnia. This paper also debates the effect of setting up a…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the challenges and justification of the reconstruction of built heritage in Bosnia. This paper also debates the effect of setting up a close relationship between reconstruction and reconciliation, suggesting that the reconstruction of the built environment in the period of post-war recovery provided a foundation for reconciliation.

Design/methodology/approach

Throughout history, in the face of various disasters, world encountered the challenge of reconstruction. In the past decade of the 20th century, just such a challenge was the war in Bosnia. After the war, reconstruction and reconciliation took place, with a focus on reestablishing a normal way of life, the return of displaced people, and the reconnection of broken bonds, as well as the rehabilitation of heritage assets.

Findings

This paper elaborates on how reconstructions were guided by the aims of reconciliation and its justifications. Regarding the technical aspects of these reconstruction projects, an overview comprising several case studies is presented to help elucidate two levels of physical intervention. The first of these levels concerns the reconstruction of single structures and the second concerns the reconstruction of historic centers. War memorials are considered to be a third level of intervention.

Originality/value

The selected cases presented here confirm the existence of the relationship between post-war reconstruction and reconciliation. This paper also assesses the efficiency of the reconstruction of Bosnia’s built heritage in terms of authenticity and overall post-war recovery.

Details

Open House International, vol. 45 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0168-2601

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2003

W.A.C Adie MA

Roots of global Terrorism are in ‘failed’ states carved out of multiracial empires after World Wars I and II in name of ‘national self‐determination’. Both sides in the Cold War…

Abstract

Roots of global Terrorism are in ‘failed’ states carved out of multiracial empires after World Wars I and II in name of ‘national self‐determination’. Both sides in the Cold War competed to exploit the process of disintegration with armed and covert interventions. In effect, they were colluding at the expense of the ‘liberated’ peoples. The ‘Vietnam Trauma’ prevented effective action against the resulting terrorist buildup and blowback until 9/11. As those vultures come home to roost, the war broadens to en vision overdue but coercive reforms to the postwar system of nation states, first in the Middle East. Mirages of Vietnam blur the vision; can the sole Superpower finish the job before fiscal and/or imperial overstretch implode it?

Details

International Journal of Commerce and Management, vol. 13 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1056-9219

Article
Publication date: 10 August 2023

Alaa Alsherfawi Aljazaerly, Seth Asare Okyere, Md. Nawrose Fatemi, Louis Kusi Frimpong and Michihiro Kita

This paper analyses changes in the activity pattern of Damascus city from late modern era (late Ottoman rule) to the contemporary era. The research objective is to explore the…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper analyses changes in the activity pattern of Damascus city from late modern era (late Ottoman rule) to the contemporary era. The research objective is to explore the impact of the socio-historical process on the evolving morphological structure of the urban core and to draw implications for post-war reconstruction.

Design/methodology/approach

Space Syntax methodology was employed to trace the historical and morphological changes in the urban core of Damascus. The timeframe was divided into five periods covering the city's socio-political transformation and five maps depicting these periods. Local and global integration measures were used to analyse the changes in the urban core across each period. Normalised angular choice (NACH) measure was used to identify the changes in the city planning system.

Findings

The results revealed that the urban core corresponded to the main streets, which had socio-economic importance across history. However, introducing a new planning system influenced by Western planning ideals led to the creation of multi-morphological patterns. At the city level, the study found that the urban core was more accessible in the preplanned areas, while the organic expansion of the informal settlements was exclusive of the core area. At the local level, some informal settlements showed an intense core. Intelligibility analysis revealed that earlier periods showed considerably higher values, implying declines in the ease of navigation of the city over time.

Research limitations

This study did not account for the political, economic and cultural factors that could shape morphological changes in Damascus. In addition, the study adopted historical reference points to understand the morphological changes, as high-quality geospatial data was not available to monitor the recent post-war situation.

Practical implications

The research findings give a foundation for a more contextualised historical understanding of spatial structure and changes, which can contribute to the post-war reconstruction and redevelopment of Damascus city.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to trace historical spatial changes in Damascus from a space syntax approach, weaving together socio-historical and configurational studies. In doing so, it shows how historically informed and spatially aware urban planning and design policies can support policymakers and built environment professionals in planning and redevelopment.

Details

Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2631-6862

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1995

R. Green

In Britain in 1945, the politics of peace steered reconstructiontowards a static socio‐economic base from which stemmed many laterplanning and social problems. Britain had emerged…

524

Abstract

In Britain in 1945, the politics of peace steered reconstruction towards a static socio‐economic base from which stemmed many later planning and social problems. Britain had emerged from six years of war economically weakened but with a clear social vision, an effective administration and fully evolved plans for the transition from war to peace. The social vision including the ideal of full employment and the right to a local job and a local home. This placed the economy in a spatial stranglehold and denied it the flexibility needed to adapt to changing global conditions. Draws on the British experience to suggest that the understandable desire to replace in situ what has been destroyed is doomed to fail and can prejudice the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Details

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, vol. 4 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-3562

Keywords

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