Political economy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Political economy - Term Paper Example Not only do these nations face internal challenges but they also have to contend with massive amounts of debt that they owe to developed countries. This issue will be the focus of the rest of the essay, which will elaborate on the merits and demerits attached to the policy of totally writing-off the debt owed by the most impoverished of Third World nations. Firstly, there is a strong case to be made for total debt relief from a post-colonial reparation perspective. Most countries that presently fall under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) category are former colonies for European imperialism. The HIPC group is predominantly comprised of countries from Africa and Asia. A primary reason for their prevailing impoverished economy was the exploitation suffered by them during the colonial period. Similarly, the prevailing political chaos in most of these countries is partly due to the abrupt transition of power from the imperialists to the local elite – a transition that did not make provisions for the establishment of democratic institutions and processes. The HIPC Initiative conceived and proposed by the World Bank and its agencies is one of the methods through which Third World Debt could be reduced. In other words, the initiative is intended to â€Å"release resources for poverty reduction, increase incentives for reform s, and remove a deterrent for both domestic and foreign investors† (Cappelen, et. al, 2007, p.69)). According to the World Bank, as of June 2006 "nominal debt service relief of more than US$59 billion has been approved for 29 countries through the HIPC Initiative, reducing their Net Present Value of external debt by approximately two-thirds. Of these countries, 19 have reached the completion point and have been granted unconditional debt service relief of over US$37 billion." (Cappelen, et. al, 2007,

Q Assess the effectiveness of Nathanael West's use of Surreal elements Essay

Q Assess the effectiveness of Nathanael West's use of Surreal elements in 'The Day of the Locust' - Essay Example When the war finally ended, it was called the Great War, because it was thought that no such war would ever be fought again. The next decades did nothing to break the pessimism that many felt about the world's future. The crash in the world financial markets that happened in 1929, the worldwide drought in 1930, conspired to create the Great Depression, a worldwide economic downturn that basically lasted until industry began gearing up for what would be called the Second World War. As a result, the 1930's was a decade of extreme pessimism, which was manifested in a number of ways. The arts produced "case studies, reportage, documentary photography, proletarian literature, and 'social problem' films" with the goal of "reconstruct[ing] the 'hidden' logic of an elusive social reality" (Veitch, xvii). This is the time period in which Nathanael West made his literary mark. Jonathan Veitch makes note of the problems that critics have had in assigning West a particular place within the writing of that time, and American literature as a whole. Different critics described him, variously, as a "poet of darkness," "an apocalyptic writer," "a universal satirist," "a homegrown surrealist," and a "writer of the left." (Veitch xi, xvi). Some of these descriptions have definite contradictions with one another, but they all reflect different elements of the author's persona, and his work. His "style was never constant. At times his pictorial technique closely resembled collage [but also] cartoon strips, movies, and several schools of painting, as well as such non-graphic visual arts as the tableau and the dance." (Schug). While many of West's novels and other writings defy classification, though, The Day of the Locust does not. The surreal elements of this novel place it squarely in the camp of modernist fiction. His technique and methods bear considerable similarity to those of his contemporaries. When one considers some of the commonalities of modernist fiction: violence, decadence, irony, the grotesque, dreams, realism, allusion, distortion, and experimentation (Schug), all of these apply to The Day of the Locust, and many of them are a result of the surrealist techniques that West applies to his novel. The particular target of West's writing in The Day of the Locust is the dilemma that the artist faced when taking on the growing culture industry of the 1930's. The Hollywood industry is both the object of critique in the novel, as well as the subject of the story itself. The book executes a dark criticism of the so-called "dream factory" that Hollywood was in those times (and still is seen to be today) (Blyn). Ironically, those many of the aesthetic techniques at work in the novel owe a debt to that same Hollywood industry that the book itself is attacking. Consider, for example, the riot scene where a star appears at the premiere of a film. Protagonist Tod Hackett is taken away by the police in a squad car: He was carried through the exit to the back street and lifted into a police car. The siren began to scream and at first he thought he was making the noise himself. He felt his lips with his hands. They were clamped tight. He knew then it was the siren. For some reason this made him laugh, and he began to imitate the siren as loud as he could. (185) Clearly, the siren operates as a

Different Texts, Similar Themes :: essays research papers

Today and forever in the future we will look back and reflect on the past, the good experiences, the bad experiences. However, the bad experiences always seem to be the most remembered. This is because the bad experiences the world has suffered have been horrific in many cases and have ultimately changed the way we live today. Authors and composers continue to recap the happenings of the past through novels, reports, movies, articles and much more. But do they really grasp the ideas? Do they really know how the people of the world suffered in the recounts they produce, when they really happened? It appears today that some composers have more ideas than others, what life was really like in these times and the way they present their work shows this. Two of many examples convey the times of the past to do with dehumanisation include; â€Å"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich† by Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn and the film â€Å"Schindler’s List† directed by Steven Spielberg. Schindler’s List is the true story of Oskar Schindler, a very well respected man. A native German, he relocated to Corocon, Poland after it fell into German hands so he could capitilise on Jewish labour at slave wages. There he established an enamelware factory and made obscene amounts of money, while wining, dining and bribing nazi officials to get his way. But while Schindler was profiting from the Jews work, he became disgusted by the way they were being treated. He slowly became more sympathetic towards the Jews, his attitude changing while realizing that what was happening was wrong and that he could do something about it. He began to use his money and his influence to bring more Jews into his factory, a haven where they were not beaten or killed. Or as Mr Welsh placed it; â€Å"Schindler used his power to gain things for himself then used it for the Jews†. â€Å"By the end of World War II., Schindler’s List of Jews to be saved had grown to over 1,000, and he ended up spending his entire future to buy their lives from the Nazi’s.† Solzheitsyn’s novel; is based around the camp life of some political prisoners who were being prosecuted under Stalin’s rulings. These â€Å"prison camps† were initiated by Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union from 1953 until 1956, who constructed one of the tightest and toughest Communisim’s in history. In relation to this book; being a prisoner at a â€Å"special camp† meant that you had rebelled against Stalin’s system of government and you could face imprisonment unjustly with sentences for as long as 25 years.

Control pollution Essay

Whether cars should be banned in all town centres is a complicated issue, and one which many people have strong feelings about. There are some reasons why cars should be banned. Firstly, it would reduce pollution greatly, which is especially important since town centres always consist of tall buildings and narrow spaces which often hold the pollution in one spot. Secondly, with less traffic there would be fewer accidents, and hence society would save money because of reduced medical expenses. Finally, with no cars in town centres there would be no need for large, ugly car parks and parking spaces. This would allow more space for buildings, houses, parks and the movement of buses and people, which could enhance a city greatly. However, there are some reasons why cars should not be banned. Firstly, it would make it very difficult for many people to travel to work. Most people would have to use public transport (trains and buses) which may become overcrowded and unable to cope with the additional commuters*. Secondly, many people prefer cars because of the freedom it gives them, so banning cars would not be popular, and hence very difficult to implement* since few politicians would support the idea. Finally, cars are sometimes necessary to travel to parts of a city where public transport does not go. Cars are a more flexible transport, especially for the elderly or sick (or lazy). In my opinion, cars should be restricted from town centres but only during peak hours. It would be impractical and impossible to ban cars completely because they are such an essential part of modern city living, however the problems of pollution and traffic congestion must be reduced. This solution is not perfect but the best we can do, and infact is done already in some major cities like Melborn in Australia.

Miami Mega Jail And Behind Bars Essay - 2082 Words

Fear of jails and prisons is instilled in us from a young age. We are supposed to learn the common sense between right and wrong behaviours to avoid living our lives incarcerated. Throughout this paper, I will discuss several aspects of our criminal institutions. With the help of the documentaries Miami Mega Jail and Behind Bars in San Quentin both by Louis Theroux, I will go into details about the remove, punish and rehabilitate method, the details of the inmate society and if the public is safe from these criminals once they are released. As per, the Correctional Service Canada, their method of maintaining social order is to remove guilty individuals from the public, to punish offenders for their actions in order to discourage other crimes and to rehabilitate them so they do not commit another crime once they are released (Beckett, 2016, Module 5). This method can be useful if use properly but the evidence from the films show that they are flawed and need improvement. The first ste p is to remove the accused and place them with other criminals. During this time, they are completely withdrawn from their families and communities to avoid further crime (Beckett, 2016, Module 5). One convict that was counting the days until his release told Louis Theroux that he has not has any human contact or has seen sunlight in two years ([Lotte patat], 2014). This individual probably does not remember how to have a good relationship with someone or may have never had that in the firstShow MoreRelatedLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesJuanitas advice to pack up and leave now. So what do you decide to do? Lets say you decide not to search for more advice, and you recommend boiling the water and drinking it when it cools. You now owe it to Juanita and Emilio to give them the reasons behind your decision. Your first reason, let’s say, is that you discounted Emilios remark that if the stream were poisonous then everything in it would look dead. Deadly things can be alive and look healthy. You mention salmonella on delicious turkeyRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesIndian River Community College David Ritchey, University of Texas at Dallas Chris Roberts, University of Massachusetts Amherst Sherry Robinson, Pennsylvania State University Hazleton Christopher Ann Robinson-Easley, Governors State University Joe Rode, Miami University Bob Roller, LeTourneau University Andrea Roofe, Florida International University Craig Russell, University of Oklahoma at Norman Manjula Salimath, University of North Texas Mary Saunders, Georgia Gwinnett College Andy Schaffer, North Georgia

War I And World War II - 1154 Words

War. The word alone conveys images of destruction and death. First, it is important to define war. War is armed conflict between governments in which 1,000 people are killed yearly. In the last century there have been hundreds of wars, but only World War I and World War II were fought on a global scale between major powers. The Cold War almost pitted the Soviet Union against the United States, but a war by definition never occurred. In his essay â€Å"War Has Almost Ceased to Exist: An Assessment,† John Mueller considers several factors for why there have been no wars between major international powers. Mueller, argues that since 1945, the main reason for the lack of war between major powers is due to a change in attitude. Yes, a change in†¦show more content†¦charter states that â€Å"all members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against... any state†.2 Founded right after WWII the United Nations main goal was to pr event another World War. All of the aforementioned international organizations serve as a grand stage for dialogue between nations. Article 10 of the U.N. charter â€Å"authorizes the Assembly to discuss any questions or any matters of concern to the U.N.†.3 By allowing all members of the United Nations to voice concerns this helps to avoid conflict among major international actors. It is far more difficult to engage in a war between two superpowers when nations are divided between these powerful alliances. The most important body of the U.N., the security council has six permanent members. These six members are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States main goal is to maintain international peace. By having these six powerful countries on the security council a major conflict is unlikely to take place. With alliances more present such as NATO countries are not as likely to engage a member country. This is because if a country attacked a member country then they would also face military engagement with all members of the alliance. Lastly, the U.N. security council has the power to put economic sanctions against a country. These sanctions can hinder economic growth of a

The Immigration And Refugee Policies - 1191 Words

This paper will examine the immigration and refugee policies applied to Cubans and Salvadorans from the late-20th century, marking the initial surge of migrants from this region to the United States. The main reason that led to differences between Salvadoran and Cuban granted refugee status in the U.S. was the fact that Salvadorans were fleeing violence of regimes that the U.S. supported while Cubans were fleeing the U. S’s primary enemy, communism. This in turn led to different integration processes and acceptance into the state. The U. S’s Cold War policies of preventing the spread of communism depended on the U.S.’s Military interventions. However, the U.S. military occupations did not lead to democratic governments and more†¦show more content†¦President Ronald Reagan argued that this threatened the U.S. way of life and hemisphere as a whole and on May 9, 1984 addressed U.S. foreign policy allowing Cubans to come into the state as â€Å"political refugees† (Guerra,331). For the U.S. government, Cuban emigrants provided the rationale for continuing foreign policy aimed at containing communism and expanding the forces needed for battle (Guerra,340). Among the waves of Cubans who migrated to the United States, those who were benefited the most were the the elite and working class (Pedraza,265). Being made up of the upper class that had a good education and expertise resulted in a warm welcome and substantial economic opportunities. Cubans enjoyed near automatic entrance in the the U.S. through President Lyndon Johnson’s â€Å"open door† policy that allowed the entrance of refugees from communism. Under this joint policy the U.S. and Cuban government set up Freedom Flights that daily brought in Cubans for eight years which totaled more than 250,000 people (Pedraza,313). These social classes enjoyed automatic permanent residency status and additional benefits such as food, cash allotments, Cubans-only education programs, and other privileges never extended to other immigrants or minority groups. However, the third wave of migrants, the Marielitos, instead of being welcomed like they were in the past 20 years, the U.S. focused inordinately on the criminal element (Pedraza,270). This group