Department for International Trade

Abstract Policy interventions by governments to alter the structure of economic activity have either been dismissed or ignored by operations management (OM) scholars. However, in recent years, such ‘industrial policy’ measures have gained increasing support in developed economies, particularly in relation to manufacturing. This paper argues that contemporary manufacturing in high‐cost economies is rooted in technological innovation. As such, it can be enhanced by industrial policy interventions that prevent systems failures in the process of turning technological innovation into commercially viable products. In particular, we argue that this can be achieved by establishing non‐firm, intermediate research organizations and by other measures to change the institutional architecture of an economy. We disagree with claims in earlier OM literature that industrial policy is all but irrelevant to manufacturing firms and to OM. Instead, we argue that OM must broaden its conceptual scope so as to encompass active engagement with non‐firm network participants such as government‐supported intermediate research organizations, and that, as well as learning to be effective users of industrial policy, OM practitioners and academics should engage actively in the development of industrial policy. In this way, high‐value, high‐productivity manufacturing can be viable in high‐cost economic environments.

Abstract In the race towards economic growth, increased pollutant emissions have spurred the rise in global surface temperatures, intensifying the process of climate change. While the existing literature on the economic impact of climate-related variables has looked at outcomes such as growth, income, fiscal response, and poverty, the effect of temperature shocks on inflation has largely been neglected. This paper is an attempt to fill this lacuna. Indeed, we analyze the dynamic impact of temperature shocks on inflation, a key policy variable of most central banks. We use a panel-VAR method with fixed-effects and a sample of developed and developing countries over the period 1961–2014. Our results suggest that temperature shocks lead to inflationary pressures. Worryingly, and for developing countries in particular, we find that these effects persist several years after the initial shock. Our finding remained unaltered by various robustness checks. We show that these effects pose a threat to monetary policy making. We argue that central banks should pay more attention to temperature shocks.

Abstract We evaluate the unintended effects of Universal Credit (UC), a monumental welfare reform that has increased the stringency of the UK social security payment system. We exploit the rollout of UC across constituencies, targeting first-time claimants, predominantly young males. Using monthly data from 2010 to 2019 for England and Wales, we first document the negative economic impacts of UC, showing it has led to an increase of around 6000 repossession orders from the social housing sector. We then focus on UC’s criminogenic effects, finding the reform has caused around 35,000 burglaries and 25,000 vehicle crimes. Collectively, our findings highlight the danger of welfare policies affecting the economic incentives of individuals at the bottom of the income distribution. They also have timely policy relevance considering 6.5 million benefit recipients will soon transition onto UC. (JEL K14, K42).

Blockchain technology has attracted significant interest and investment over the past decade across multiple industries. While the research and development has been robust and there has been no shortage of attempts at implementation, successful implementations at scale have been somewhat limited. Evaluations of this limited success have often focused solely on the technology or isolated economic assessment of the business use cases. Individual users and the networks they create are another critical component of a successful blockchain implementation at scale. Change management is the approach of preparing, supporting, and guiding a group of people towards an organisational or network goal. This paper looks at change management as a critical component of successfully building a network for scaled adoption and implementation of blockchain use across industries. We explore what makes individuals resistant to change, offer solutions from the established fields of change strategy and change management, and consider how these can be applied to increase success in blockchain adoption and implementation. Crucial elements include identifying principal stakeholder groups and users, asking key questions and gathering input and feedback from these stakeholders, incorporating this information into the governance structure and consensus mechanisms of the blockchain use, demonstrating and describing value of use to the stakeholders, and aligning these components for successful adoption. We end with impactful recommendations for developers, business leaders, administrators, subject matter experts, advisors, and end users to consider to better incorporate successful change management principles into their blockchain projects.

- The UK is less exposed to the direct effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine than its European neighbours. However, the indirect and longer-term effects of the war on UK trade could still be significant. - Inflationary pressure worldwide will contribute to price rises in the UK, particularly for food and energy. The ongoing effects of both Brexit – which has caused cross-border supply frictions and worker shortages – and the COVID-19 pandemic – which led to pent-up domestic demand and further reduced the labour force – will only increase this upward pressure. - The war has prompted increased scrutiny of London’s role as a centre for kleptocratic wealth from Russia and elsewhere, and has lead the UK government to impose sanctions against Russian-linked individuals and companies. This could impact inward investment directly, through legal restrictions on business activities, or indirectly, by indicating that the UK is no longer open to trade with certain countries. - In the longer term, post-war Ukraine’s future status and trading relationship with the EU could affect the UK, as the process of defining Ukraine’s position with regard to the EU may encourage Brussels to revisit its relations with the UK or even to explore alternative models for other non-member countries on the EU’s periphery. - A renewed focus on European security could also encourage the UK and EU to improve trade, security and political ties. The need to enhance security closer to home may also cause the UK to rethink the ‘Indo-Pacific tilt’ outlined in the 2021 Integrated Review.

UKM merupakan salah satu motor penggerak perekonomian rakyat, terutama rakyat menengah ke bawah. Meskipun secara agregat kontribusi terhadap pendapatan daerah adalah kecil dibandingkan dengan pengusaha besar, namun UKM banyak menolong masyarakat banyak pada waktu perekonomian Indonesia terpuruk. Masalah utama dari sulit berkembangnya UKM adalah karena daya kreatif dan inovatif yang relatif rendah. Hal ini terutama didukung dengan latar belakang pendidikan mereka yang rendah, selain itu para pengusaha ini tidak mudah mendapatkan modal untuk mengembangkan usahanya karena kelemahan dalam bidang administrasi dan pembukuan keuangan mereka. Kelemahan lain adalah pada konsep produk, terutama kemasan (packing), yang sering kali melupakan faktor kebersihan dan kesehatan. Untuk itu, pelatihan ini diadakan untuk memberi ketrampilan bagi para UKM di Kecamatan Tandes khususnya agar mereka terbiasa dan mahir dalam mengelolah keuangan secara modern. Setidaknya mereka tidak kesulitan jika mengajukan pinjaman ke bank untuk mengembangkan usahanya. Pelatihan ini juga untuk membekali pengetahuan para UKM tentang teknik dan model kemasan yang menarik dan sesuai dengan produk-produk mereka.

We describe the preliminary findings of an interview study investigating experiences of using the UK Department of International Trade’s open datasets. In particular, we identified that users who consume a regularly changing open dataset need to understand what has changed between versions of the data. We discuss three potential approaches to addressing this need in a way that makes this information easily accessible to users within the resource constraints found in an open data publishing process.

This is an introduction to a special issue on the experiences of Republican exiles who fled Spain during Spanish Civil War. The aim of the issue is to focus on elements of the experiences of Spaniards in exile that have received little attention in English-language scholarship. The articles within cover the experiences of women in exile in France; Spaniards who fought in the Free French Forces during the Second World War; the plight of Republican refugees in Soviet gulags; and Spanish intellectuals in exile who clashed with the Spanish Communist Party on issues relating to pro-amnesty campaigns for political prisoners in Spain.