Month: June 2013

Cristina LINKARU
National Institute for Science Research in The Field of Labour and Social Protection- INCSMPS, Romania, e-mail: cristina.lincaru@yahoo.de

Vasilica CIUCĂ
National Institute for Science Research in The Field of Labour and Social Protection- INCSMPS, Romania, e-mail: silviaciuca@incsmps.ro

Speranţa PÎRCIOG
National Institute for Science Research in The Field of Labour and Social Protection- INCSMPS, Romania, email: pirciog@incsmps.ro

Draga ATANASIU
National Institute for Science Research in The Field of Labour and Social Protection- INCSMPS, Romania, email: incsmps1@incsmps.ro

Abstract
Independent Component Analysis ICA is “a method for finding underlying factors or components from multivariate (multidimensional) statistical data”. Considering that the specific of this method is “that it looks for components that are both statistically independent and Non-Gaussian, we try to apply ICA method on labour market data. Following the methodology presented by Hyvärinen, Karhunen, Oja (2001) on the problem” cashflow of several stores belonging to the same retail chain, trying to find fundamental factors common to all stores that affect the cash flow” we apply on analysing the unemployment rates, seasonally adjusted, in monthly variation at EU27 level between January 2000-September 2011. The data source is EUROSTAT, indicator [une_rt_m]: „Unemployment rate, monthly average, seasonally adjusted data, total (%), resulting 141 months/cases. Orginal mixture data are pre-processing in the stage of Pre-whitened using Principal Component Analysis PCA, with NIPALS algorithm and for ICA the FastICA Algorithm from STATISTICA 8.0 Software.
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Ioannis Th. Mazis

National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Faculty of Turkish Studies and Modern Asian studies,

e-mail: mazis@her.forthnet.gr

Abstract

This paper presents a systemic analysis of the Greater Middle East Geo-complex, in the light of the geopolitical factor of the Islamist movement –both Shiite and Sunnite. We consider that the geostrategy practised by the Anglo-Saxon actors of the Super-system of this specific geo-complex aims at the containment strategy of the Russian and Chinese actors from the Mediterranean Sub-system, along with their ally states of Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and some of the UAE (e.g. Abu Dhabi). Furthermore, with the rise to power of the Sunnite Islamist governments in the region, a “remote” threat is tried to be exerted against both of the aforementioned actors in order to increase the negotiating benefits of the dipole of the London-Washington Special Relationship, in view of the provoked redrawing of the borders of the former nation-state regime.

Moreover, the US appear willing to create strong and permanent territorial strategic bases in the Middle East, in order to guarantee, both for Israel and the US, the strategic depth that is desirable for their security. We are making reference to the gradually developing strategic plan for the creation of an Independent Kurdistan, that would be able to serve western security interests, as well as the energy-related interests of the Anglo-Saxon, and European oil consortia, but also Washington’s power projection to the Russian Near Abroad and the Chinese Northwest region of Xinyiang, increasing the power gap once again, in favour of the US, at the centre of the Rimland.

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Argentino Pessoa

CEF.UP^*, Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Porto

Rua Dr. Roberto Frias

4200-464 Porto, Portugal

Email: apessoa@fep.up.pt

Abstract

This paper reviews the most important theoretical foundations of the concept of spatial competitiveness. To that effect it deals with three levels of competitiveness: the country, the region and the tourism destination. It draws attention to the main aspects that such concepts of competitiveness must include, and it links the regional competitiveness with the related concept of cluster. Therefore, section 2 reviews the key aspects of competitiveness at the first level, highlighting the role of the main forces that act at the national level. Section 3 extends the concept to the regional level, highlighting the critical aspects that must be considered when policy tries to increase the competitiveness of a particular region. Section 4 analyses the possibilities of extending the competitiveness concept to tourism destinations. Next, the paper analyses the literature on policy advice and discusses the inconsistency between the theory and the policy designed to promote regional competitiveness. Finally, the paper presents some concluding remarks on regional policy applied to depressed regions.

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* CEF.UP – Centre for Economics and Finance at the University of Porto – is funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal.