838 research outputs found
Payments and finance problems in the Commonwealth of Independent States
No full textPayments problems constrained interstate trade among the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries in 1992-95, especially during the prolonged demise of the ruble zone. Two kinds of solutions should be sought: 1) more effective stabilization measures to improve the prospects of currency convertibility among CIS countries; and 2) strengthening of institutional arrangements to permit payments and settlements through correspondent bank accounts. Strengthening institutions will require not only strengthening commercial banks but liberalizing foreign exchange markets and promoting the use of letters of credit and other mechanisms to increase the security of trade transactions. A multilateral clearing arrangement operated among central banks would have been a useful alternative to the chaotic payments prevailing earlier, but such arrangements are no longer needed as considerable progress has been made toward convertibility. Nor is a payments union desirable. Trade deficits are likely to persist in such countries as Belarus and Ukraine. Surplus countries such as Russia and Turkmenistan must develop transparent means of trade financing that take into account the recipient countries'ability to pay. External financing will remain important for practically all CIS countries. The best way to mobilize private financing will be to establish macroeconomic stability and stable, transparent rules on private capital inflows. Improving the flow of public resources requires improving countries'capacity to quickly absorb the large amounts already committed. Donors need to expedite procurement and other procedures and recipient countries must address governance problems and institutional weaknesses that delay disbursements. Certain smaller CIS countries face significant debt servicing problems and often the creditors are other CIS countries that themselves need additional financing. The smaller countries need debt relief on concessional terms, which is possible only if external assistance allows local creditors to offer such relief.Environmental Economics&Policies,Payment Systems&Infrastructure,Economic Theory&Research,Trade Policy,Financial Intermediation,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,TF054105-DONOR FUNDED OPERATION ADMINISTRATION FEE INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT,Trade Policy,Financial Intermediation
Determiner phrase structure and concord in Mə̀dʉ́mbὰ
No full textThis article investigates the Mə̀dʉ́mbὰ determiner phrase (DP) and proposes an account of the DP-internal agreement phenomenon. In Mə̀dʉ́mbὰ , multiple modifiers agree with the head noun in the same DP. Following the logic of Pollock’s (1989) Split Inflexional Phrase (IP) hypothesis, many instances of agreement logically call for the projection of numerous agreement phrases (AgrPs). The article argues however, that despite the presence of so many instances of agreement in the Mə̀dʉ́mbὰ DP, we do not need to project an AgrP in the Determiner Phrase. Independently motivated projections provide the checking configurations for handling agreement in the Mə̀dʉ́mbὰ DP.South African Journal of African Languages 2013, 33(1): 59–6
Constantine and the Christian Empire
No full textUnder Constantine, Christianity was transformed from a persecuted cult into an established religion, and pagan Rome became the Christian empire of Byzantine times. This biography is a detailed, comprehensive, and compelling portrayal of the life and times of arguably the greatest of Roman emperors. In a seamless combination of vivid narrative and historical analysis, the crisis of the Roman Empire and the Great persecution, Constantine\u27s political maneuvers and military campaigns, his conversion to and patronage of Christianity, and his church-building programs in Rome, Jerusalem, and Constantinople are brought to life and made understandable for modern readers. The author\u27s comprehensive knowledge of the literary sources, and his extensive research into the material remains of Constantine\u27s reign, mean that this volume provides a more rounded and accurate portrait of the emperor than ever before. Extensively illustrated and fully documented, Constantine and the Christian Empire is a landmark publication in Roman imperial, early Christian, and Byzantine history.https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/fac_books/1489/thumbnail.jp
The why's the limit: curtailing self-enhancement with explanatory introspection
No full textSelf-enhancement is linked to psychological gains (e.g., subjective well-being, persistence in adversity) but also to intrapersonal and interpersonal costs (e.g., excessive risk taking, antisocial behavior). Thus, constraints on self-enhancement may sometimes afford intrapersonal and interpersonal advantages. We tested whether explanatory introspection (i.e., generating reasons for why one might or might not possess personality traits) constitutes one such constraint. Experiment 1 demonstrated that explanatory introspection curtails self-enhancement. Experiment 2 clarified that the underlying mechanism must (a) involve explanatory questioning rather than descriptive imagining, (b) invoke the self rather than another person, and (c) feature written expression rather than unaided contemplation. Finally, Experiment 3 obtained evidence that an increase in uncertainty about oneself mediates the effect
On the education of the sons of Constantine the Great
No full textThe present article is devoted to the problem of education of Constantine’s the Great (306–337 AD) sons. Constantine gained the im-perial title in 306 AD and kept it for thirty years — longer than any of roman emperors after Augustus. Constantine united the Roman Empire under his sole rule and built an imperial dynasty. Constan-tine’s sons (Crispus, Constantine the Younger, Constantius and Constans) considered as his natural heirs. Emperor raised all of them in the dignity of the Caesars. The reign of Constantine was preceded by the Tetrarchy of emperor Diocletian (284–305 AD); according to its constitution experienced commanders and administrators were brought to power. Quite the opposite, according to Constantine's dy-nastic plans his heirs should be prepared for the adoption of power. Consequently, it is important to concentrate on the question of their education. Author of the present article analyses three accounts of Constantine’s the Great sons education, left by Eusebius, Julian and Libanius. The author comes to the conclusion that the emperor gave his sons a comprehensive education that includes both general disci-plines and special knowledge that they need to govern the state in fu-ture. Special attention is paid to the reports, that Constantine took an active part in education of his sons. According to Libanius, he had formulated a special political and philosophical concept of imperial power based on the ruler’s desire for “genuine love” from his people. In the course of his research, the author touches upon the question of the tutors of young Caesars
Mars Pater – in the Strategy of Constantine the Great
No full textDuring his reign Constantine the Great sought protection of various gods, finally choosing the Christian God as his main protector. The iconographic material gathered from the mints remaining under his power in the early period of his rule shows that in the years 306–309 Constantine regarded Mars as his guardian deity. The author attempts to explain why the emperor sought Mars’s protection during that period and why he later began to look for a new divine guardian. This issue has not yet been properly explained in scholarly literature devoted to Constantine the Great
Encountering Heinrich von Kleist in the works of John Banville and David Constantine
No full textThis thesis examines the presence of German author Heinrich von Kleist (1777-1811) in the works of the anglophone authors John Banville (b. 1945) and David Constantine (b. 1944). Presenting analysis of translations, adaptations and works from the wider oeuvres of the English-speaking authors, the thesis identifies aspects of theme and style in their texts that have arguably been influenced by their engagement with Kleist. Additional insight is provided by an interview with each anglophone author. The analysis allows the thesis to explore the wide-ranging implications of Kleist’s presence in the oeuvres of Banville and Constantine. In this way the thesis aims to demonstrate that, with regard to Banville and Constantine, Kleist has a more significant presence in the anglophone literary scene than may have been widely acknowledged. Finally, the thesis discusses the disparate attitudes demonstrated by Banville and Constantine towards translation and intertextuality
Focus Fronting in a Language with In Situ Marking: The Case of Mǝ̀dʉ́mbà
No full textThis paper discusses the structural realisation of contrastive focus in the Grassfields Bantu language Bamileke Mǝ̀dʉ́mbà, yet another language with grammatically optional focus fronting. We show that the realisation of contrastive focus in Mǝ̀dʉ́mbà is by default marked in situ with the morphological focus marker á. We further show that á introduces an additional, not-at-issue exhaustivity inference as part of its lexical meaning. Taken together, this means that two often-discussed interpretive triggers of grammatically optional focus fronting, namely, contrastivity and exhaustivity, are not responsible for triggering Mǝ̀dʉ́mbà’s focus left-dislocation. Rather, the main semantic contribution of focus fronting consists in triggering an existence presupposition, a discourse-semantic effect well known from other focus–background bipartitions, possibly in combination with other, softer discourse-semantic effects, such as the special emphasis required in cases of discourse unexpectedness
The Coinage of Constantine XI
No full textSummary. — In the light of a hoard of 158 silver Palaeologan coins, from John V (1354- 1391) to 1453, the author discusses the complete coinage of the last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI (1448-1453). The existence of this coinage was known from literary sources but the first coin did not appear on the market until 1974. This hoard adds five half-sta vrata to the two previously known and reveals 35 stavrata and 50 1/8 stavrata which were previously unpublished. A die study indicates a considerably larger issue than is apparent from the present rarity of the coins which can be explained by the sudden end to their circulation.Bendall Simon. The Coinage of Constantine XI. In: Revue numismatique, 6e série - Tome 33, année 1991 pp. 134-142
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