Remittances


Book Description

Migrants have long faced unwarranted constraints to sending money to family members and relatives in their home countries, among them costly fees and commissions, inconvenient formal banking hours, and inefficient domestic banking services that delay final payment to the beneficiaries. Yet such remittances are perhaps the largest source of external finance in developing countries. Officially recorded remittance flows to developing countries exceeded US$125 billion in 2004, making them the second largest source of development finance after foreign direct investment. This book demonstrates that governments in developing countries increasingly recognize the importance of remittance flows and are quickly addressing these constraints.




Spain


Book Description

This report summarizes the findings of the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) Update for Spain. Although there is a core of strong banks that are well managed and appear resilient to further shocks, vulnerabilities remain. Substantial progress has been made in reforming the former savings banks, and the most vulnerable institutions have either been resolved or are being restructured. Recent measures address the most problematic part of banks’ portfolios. Moving ahead, a further restructuring and recapitalization of some of the remaining weaker banks may be needed as a result of deteriorating economic conditions.




Globalization


Book Description

In this day and age, we need globalization to substantially increase the world's quality of life, particularly for those several billion human beings who need it most. Fortunately, there is monumental room for improvement. With his vast experience in the subject, author Martin Marmolejo shows how today's global mind-set can become an ideal opportunity to raise ambitions, improve local attitudes, and adapt to new realities as long as the attitude is a positive one. In this ambitious work, Marmolejo covers the principal aspects of globalization by tackling several topics from a multi disciplinary angle-historical, geopolitical, economic, financial, philosophical, strategic, and social. Strand by strand, Marmolejo unravels a series of myths and unfounded fears about globalization and covers the main variables that influence the success or failure of this global economic integration. He delves into countries around the world and analyzes each society's main characteristics with its inseparable economic implications. In addition, Marmolejo addresses fundamental reflections on economic topics, with particular emphasis on the business cycle. Comprehensive and meticulously researched, "Globalization: Opportunities and Implications" is a timely addition to the important, ongoing discussion of this controversial topic.




Franco Lives On


Book Description

Franco Lives On traces the birth of democracy in Spain in 1978 after forty years under Franco's dictatorship. It reveals the hidden side of what happened during the Spanish Transition. This study is the key to understanding the opaque workings of justice and the incapability of dialogue shown by the political powers in Madrid in recent years in response to challenges such as the referendum in Catalonia or the demise of ETA. What became of Franco's ministers after the arrival of the new Spanish Constitution? Were they driven out of the corridors of power or did they stay there and add to their wealth and political influence? The answers can be found in this book, which spotlights how the political elite in Spain have lacked the capacity for renewal seen in other European Union States. The author, Lluc Salellas i Vilar, has produced an extensive piece of investigative journalism on the families and individuals who wielded greatest influence during the dictatorship and the role which they and their relatives have continued to play ever since.




Artistic Citizenship


Book Description

Artistic Citizenship asks the question: how do people in the creative arts prepare for, and participate in, civic life? This volume, developed at NYU's Tisch School, identifies the question of artistic citizenship to explore civic identity - the role of the artist in social and cultural terms. With contributions from many connected to the Tisch School including: novelist E.L. Doctorow, performance artist Karen Finley, theatre guru Richard Schechner, and cultural theorist Ella Shohat, this book is indispensable to anyone involved in arts education or the creation of public policy for the arts.




Living Service ePub


Book Description

Quality service is crucial in today’s business world and Living Service shows you how to deliver your service efficiently and at a competitive price, by adapting and evolving to your customer needs. Living Service provides an insight into the success of Fujitsu, where this new approach is already delivering extraordinary benefits, including: 30% faster deployment of services; 30% greater reliability in service provision; 15% saving on costs. It provides the new competitive weapon, which is set to do for service industries what Toyota’s lean production did for manufacturing industries. Organised into three parts: Mind, Body and Soul, it offers an easy-to-read format and each section is a stepping stone on the way to achieving Living Service. This book tells the great untold story of how they did it, and how you can do the same.




Local Social Innovation to Combat Poverty and Exclusion


Book Description

Based on more than 30 case studies in eight different countries, this book explores the governance dynamics of local social innovations in the field of poverty reduction. The diverse team of contributors reflects on the trajectory of social innovation in European governance. They illustrate how different governance dynamics and welfare mixes enable or hinder poverty reduction strategies and analyse how such dynamics involve a diversity of actors, instruments and resources at different spatial scales. The contributions are based on research motivated by the standstill in the fight against poverty in Europe and the anxiety that conventional macro-social policies are insufficient to deal with the current challenges.




Social Innovation and Urban Governance


Book Description

Presenting social innovation initiatives that emerged from organized citizenry in Southern European cities, this book explores the response to austerity policies implemented after the 2008 economic crisis. Chapters look at the common aim of these initiatives in responding to social needs and challenging social exclusion.




Fodor's Spain 2011


Book Description

Provides a region-by-region guide to Spain including information on accommodations, shopping, and points of interest