Subsidies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Subsidies - Research Paper Example In particular, subsidies are provided to those industries or sectors which are lagging behind the other sectors in the economy in terms of performance or are not being able to perform up the expected level. In this paper we shall focus on the subsidies provided by the governments of the less developed countries (LDCs) and developing countries. In these countries subsidies are provided by the government on the trading of different goods and services, and can be categorized as energy or fuel subsidies, agricultural subsidies and educational subsidies. However, the World Bank and the IMF has stated that subsidies act as barriers to investment in the developing country by foreign and international companies. This in turn proves unbeneficial for the country’s long term development. It is in the country’s own interest towards its development that the government should abolish subsidies and promote perfect competition. This paper aims at examining the relationship between subs idies and economic growth in the context of developing countries. The research question addressed by this research paper can be described well with the help of some small questions. They are; do subsidies result in increasing the overall economic development and growth in the developing countries? What is the importance of the subsidies for the developing countries? How do subsidies impact the government spending and federal budget? How do subsidies influence the operations of the international companies in these developing countries? In order to answer these questions the relationship between subsidies provided by governments and economic development of the developing countries will be examined. The subject about impact of subsidies on the developing countries is quite researched upon. Before going into the details of my research work I shall review some of the existing literature on this topic in this section. Peacock elaborates in his paper the role of subsidies is important

Relations between the USA and North Korea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Relations between the USA and North Korea - Essay Example Relations between the USA and North Korea It is reminiscent of the famous â€Å"ping-pong† diplomacy between the two countries of America and China, in the time of former Pres. Richard Nixon and of Mao Tse-tung of China, which utilized sports as a way to warm up their relations before formal diplomatic relations were established. Besides, the new third-generation leader of North Korea, Kim Jung-un of the Kim dynasty, is a very big or avid fan of basketball, and in particular, that of the Chicago Bulls team franchise of which Rodman was once a member of the triumvirate, together with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, who won their first three of a total six NBA championships together. News of this sort is certainly big news and makes for good copy that can help increase readership or circulation, as it is quite odd for a sports star to become an informal ambassador of goodwill although it is not unheard of. Famous sports stars in tennis or golf had also served as ambassadors in the past, but Rodman in a country like N orth Korea, which is sometimes called as the Hermit Kingdom due to its international isolation, strict censorship, harsh laws, and brutal, secretive, and one-man rule dictatorship, provides an excellent and rare diplomatic opening for a rapprochement, the tantalizing possibility of re-establishing cordial relations again, as these two countries have a strained relationship from a recently announced nuclear test. (Zinser, 2013, p. 1). The author's main point is that sports is one good way to promote world peace, if all the diplomatic overtures fail at one time or another. Basketball is a global sport although it has not yet attained the same worldwide popularity as soccer or football, but one thing to say about this sport of basketball is it is something distinctly American. Although majority of North Koreans are taught or brainwashed since birth to hate anything remotely American, it does not seem to apply to American basketball. So, using basketball as an opening to exploit a weakn ess in North Korea's supreme leader is like using back channels in diplomacy, to reduce tensions. The intended audience are the basketball fans worldwide, and Rodman fits the job of an ambassador of goodwill because of his weird antics on and off the court; his presence in the team has attracted an unusual degree of attention from international media as well. Moreover, another audience is probably the American citizenry, who will be given a rare glimpse inside the Hermit Kingdom once filming of the documentary is finished at the end of their trip. Diplomats all over the world will be fascinated how this seemingly minor trip will turn out in the end, how a politics of sports and a politics of diplomacy are mixed for good results (Levermore & Budd, 2004, p. 6). The main point of the author is that diplomacy can take many forms, even the bizarre or the weird, as long as it achieves the aims of foreign policy. In this particular instance, basketball serves as the vehicle by which the tw o countries attained some form of contact, although it is in a way done indirectly. Hopefully, this initial contacts will lead to further warming of their relations and help avert a possible war due to North Korea's belligerence and hard-line stance. As they say quite often, diplomacy is the art of ambiguity, saying a lot of