Economics History Essay Example for Free

Economics History Essay During the 1980s Mexico experienced what Latin American social scientists call a change in its development model. Gone is the import-substitution industrialization model that characterized Mexico since the 1930s. Instead, Mexico has become an open economy in which the states intervention is limited by a new legal and institutional framework. Under the new model, the tendency is for the market to replace regulation, private ownership to replace public ownership, and competition, including that from foreign goods and investors, to replace protection. Nothing illustrates the change in strategy more vividly than the pursuit of a free trade agreement with the United States, first mentioned by Salinas in June 1990, and the constitutional reform of land distribution and the ejido system adopted at the end of 1991 (Watling, 1992). What prompted this change in development strategy? Mexico had taken a risk in the 1970s by borrowing heavily in world capital markets and indulging in over-expansive policies, and then paid dearly when oil prices fell and world interest rates rose. Adjustment to the new circumstances required a policy that would increase net exports, generating foreign exchange to service the external debt. Because the government, not the private sector, owed most of the external debt, fiscal policy also had to change in order to increase revenues and cut noninterest expenditures. The restoration of growth required changes that would build confidence and encourage private capital inflows by means other than commercial bank loans, which were no longer available. Finally, to make the economy more flexible and competitive in a global context, the rules that governed the flow of goods and investment had to change. In mid- 1982Mexico was in a deep economic crisis. The international environment was adverse to a Mexico saddled with foreign debt. World interest rates were high, the price of oil, Mexicos main export, was falling, and commercial banks had stopped lending. This unfavorable international environment exacerbated the consequences of domestic imbalances and contributed to rampant inflation, capital flight, and chaos in the financial and foreign exchange markets. To confront the internal imbalances and accommodate the adverse external conditions, Mexico was compelled to adjust its expenditures, reorient its output, and find new ways to foster growth. In the early 1990s Mexico gained recognition as a country successfully managing economic adjustment and reform. Inflation slowed, flight capital was returning, domestic and foreign investment was rising, and per capita output began to grow. The path to recovery, however, had been far from smooth. Well into the late 1980s, analysts wondered why Mexicos recovery was so slow despite the sound macroeconomic policies and structural reforms it had instituted. The slow recovery imposed high social costs on the Mexican population, as per capita real disposable income fell on average by 5 percent a year between 1983 and 1988. For some six years the Mexican government focused economic policy on restoring stability, particularly on lowering the rate of inflation and keeping the loss of international reserves in check. It finally succeeded in 1988, when inflation decreased from monthly averages close to 10 percent at the beginning of the year to about 1 percent by years end. However, growth did not follow. Only a combination of more decisive external support and a shift in Mexicos development strategy managed to produce a turnaround. The changes regarding the role of the state in economic matters and the countrys economic interaction with the rest of the world are particularly striking. Reforms sought to reduce state intervention and regulation so as to open new investment opportunities, build business confidence, and create a more flexible and efficient incentive structure. These reforms have called for substantial modifications in the legal and institutional frameworks of the economy that will shape the country for decades to come. In the late 1970s, on the mistaken assumption that the rise in world oil prices and the availability of cheap external credit would continue, the Mexican government engaged in a spending spree. The resulting fiscal deficit increased inflation rates and the trade deficit. The fiscal and external gaps were filled with external borrowing. In 1981, when the price of oil began to fall and external credit became more expensive and of a shorter maturity, the Mexican government failed to implement fiscal and relative price adjustments to adapt to the new, less favorable conditions. Fear of an imminent devaluation of the peso fueled capital flight, and a large nominal devaluation followed in early 1982 (Banco de Mexico, 1983). As inconsistent policies were pursued, the macroeconomic environment became increasingly chaotic. Capital flight continued, and as reserves were depleted and no more credit was available to service debt payments, in August 1982 the Mexican government had to declare an involuntary moratorium on its debt, triggering a debt crisis that soon acquired global proportions. Tensions between the private sector and the government peaked in September 1982, when the government announced the nationalization of the banking system (Banco de Mexico, 1983). When Miguel de la Madrids government came to power in December 1982, it confronted the unenviable task of restoring economic stability in the face of a hostile domestic private sector and reluctant external creditors. In other Latin American countries the political resistance of different social groups expressed in massive strikes or threats of coups added to the climate of economic instability and made the necessary adjustment more difficult. However, Mexicos difficulties cannot be blamed on the political resistance of wage earners or other social groups to absorbing the costs of adjustment. In Mexico, policymakers enjoyed remarkable freedom to act during six years of economic hardship. There were no serious wage conflicts, threats from the military, peasant uprisings, or active guerrilla movements.

Descriptive Essay: Grandpas Place -- Descriptive Essays, Observation

Grandpa's Place I know to take one last breath of fresh, clean air before I open the front screen door and then the faded, chipped white wood door. I walk in, and the blend of the aroma of apples and old people suffocates me. As I walk in, the same two-year old cat food is right where it has been for the last six months: in front of the front door on the cold faded tile floor. The cat disappeared four months ago, but I guess there is still hope that he will come back one day. I approach the sliding wooden door to enter the front living room and see some bird feed on the floor that must have been spilled the previous week along with a stack of news papers. This single story brick house was purchased by my Grandma and Grandpa twenty years ago. Ever since, the house has been filled with nothing but love and laughter. Behind the house, there are five or six tall, skinny trees that have died from disease but haven't fallen to the grass covered ground. Near the loose clothes line in the back yard, there are four rose bushes that need water. Dead daises and pansies from the previous summer are the main attraction in the front yard along with a five foot high metal windmill stuck in the middle of a flower garden that needs grease. The two car garage houses a huge '78 black Buick. The ol' Buick hasn't been driven in a while, but my Grandpa claims that it is still in top shape. I guess my Grandpa just keeps it around to remind him of my Grandma. Next to it is a green John Deere tractor with a ripped black seat that has a flat left rear tire, but my Grandpa claims, "It still runs like a champ." Next to it is the push lawnmower. Before I open the door, I can hear the Bronco game being televised on my Grandpa's 36"... ...the same story about so and so and how their daughter's husband's brother did this and that. All this time, I just sit there and watch my Grandpa be happy telling me this story while he slops stuff out of his mouth and onto his already stained clothes. Eventually, we finish our dinner, and I clean up the kitchen. I get all of my stuff together, make a final check that everything is good to go, and sit on a kitchen chair. My Grandpa asks sadly if it is time to go, and I say, "Yeah," with a quivering voice. So, I get up, give my Grandpa a hug and head out the door. I hate leaving this place more than anything. I hate leaving my Grandpa in that house by himself. I push open the front door and breathe in the fresh night air. As I pull out of the narrow leaf covered driveway, I look back to see my Grandpa waving at me through the dirty storm glass windows.

Factors of courage Essay

In this essay I will consider the social, economic and political factors of courage. Many an afternoon has been enjoyed by a family, bonding over the discussion of courage. While much has been written on its influence on contemporary living, it is important to remember that ‘what goes up must come down.’ Often it is seen as both a help and a hinderence to those politicaly minded individuals living in the past, many of whom fail to comprehend the full scope of courage. At the heart of the subject are a number of key factors. I plan to examine each of these factors in detail and and asses their importance. Social Factors Society begins and ends with courage. The immortal and indispensable phrase ‘honesty is the best policy’ [1] shead new light on courage, allowing man to take it by the hand and understand its momentum. Much has been said about the influence of the media on courage. Observers claim it is crunchy on the outside but soft in the middle. Nothing represents every day life better than courage, and I mean nothing. Just as a dog will return to its own sick, society will return to courage, again and again. Economic Factors Economics has been defined as ‘I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine.’ To my learned ear that sounds like two people with itchy backs. Of course, courage fits perfectly into the Inter-Spam model of economics. The statistics make it clear that courage is a major market factor. In spite of the best efforts of The World Bank the cost of living world wide are driven entirely by courage. The financial press seems unable to make up its mind on these issues which unsettles investors. Political Factors No man is an island, but what of politics? Comparing the ideals of the young with the reality felt by their elders is like contrasting playing with a puppy and singing with a blackbird. In the words of one of the great political analysts Odysseus T. Time ‘Political idealists must ideally deal, for I daily list my ideals politically.’ [2] This clearly illustrates the primary concern of those involved with courage. It would be wise to approach the subject with the thought that ‘if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all’. However this can lead to missing out important facts. I wait anxiously. What will the next few years bring for courage? Conclusion What can we conclude? Well, courage is, to use the language of the streets ‘Super Cool.’ It inspires, brings glamour to an unglamorous time and is a joy to behold. I’ll leave you with this quote from Leonardo Beckham: ‘It’s been nice educating you.’ [3] [1] Traditional – possibly first said by King Arthor†¦ but probably not. [2] Time – Yes Indeed – 1987 Indegro Books [3] Smashing Hits – Issue 224 – Jazz Media

Should Transgenders Attend Womens Colleges - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1117 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/08/07 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Transgender Essay Did you like this example? Historically women were excluded from higher education, but in the mid-19th-century womens colleges were founded in order to give women access to higher education. For many years high school girls have not been interested in attending an all-female institution which has lead to a major decrease in admissions at many womens colleges, both public and elite causing many of them to close their doors. Originally there were over 300 womens colleges; today there are only forty-four active womens colleges left in the United States. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Should Transgenders Attend Womens Colleges" essay for you Create order Seven of those forty-four institutions are recognized as the seven sisters colleges. The elite womens colleges that make up the seven sisters are; Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Radcliffe (now merged with Harvard), Smith, Vassar, and Wellesley. Five out of the seven sisters colleges are still providing an all-female education, while the other two transitioned into coeducational institutions. These surviving womens colleges focus on creating positive environments for women, while the womens colleges that turned coed reverted to traditional gender roles despite their women heritage. Opponents of single-sex education suggest that womens colleges were established to provide options at a time when women were denied access to quality higher education, and question the need for womens colleges today now that women can enjoy access to higher education institutions. There should be no transgender women students admitted to womens colleges because it would take away from the single-sex edu cation, create extra accommodations, and men would be favored over women. Transgender women should not be admitted to womens colleges because it would take away from the single-sex education learning experience. According to recent studies (AAUW, 1992; LaFrance, 1991; Sadker Sadker, 1994), from elementary school on female students are ignored and treated very differently compared to the male students. Women college students experienced an uncomfortable environment in the classroom. Receiving less attention and less encouragement to exceed a professors expectations than male students. In addition, faculty members of both genders had made more eye contact with male students, as well as gave them longer response time to questions while women are more likely to be interrupted. Though transgender women do not identify as male they still are not female. Womens colleges provide a large focus on teaching that is accustomed to the female gender rather than those who just identify to be female. There are many differences between the male and female body beyond just the physical aspects. Professors at womens colleges are trained to teach females with the understanding that they see, hear and respond to different learning styles than males. A females sense of smell can be 100,000 times more sensitive than a male; females also have more sensitive hearing. This does not mean one sex is smarter than the other they both just need different accommodations in order to have the best educational experience possible. For example, a male may be labeled as a slow learner but really what they need is for their teacher to speak louder in the classroom. The differences between genders grow stronger as a person gets older. Admitting transgender students to womens colleges would not only be unbeneficial for all of the women at the institution but it also would be unbeneficial to the transgender students because the teaching is not being structured to their gender type which would result in a poor learning environment for them. Transgender women should not be admitted to womens colleges because it would create extra accommodations for the institution. Though some transgender women have had sex reassignment surgery, many transgender applicants to womens colleges will not have had the surgery done. Changing gender on government-issued documents can be a difficult and lengthy process. Some states require proof that sex reassignment surgery has been performed, but most doctors will not even perform that surgery on anyone under the age of 18. If womens colleges were to admit transgender women then they would have to make some larger changes in areas such as housing and bathrooms, and possibly in the curriculum for a small number of students. Other than the seven sisters colleges many other womens colleges are financially unstable, so building new housing and restrooms for a small population would not be helping their financial situation. Recently Spelman College, an all-female institution announced that they would be accepting transgender women in the 2018-2019 academic year. Spelman decided to do this in order to be more LQBTQ inclusive, but it will not be a simple transition and many accommodations will need to be made. Spelman says that they will be changing their class syllabi to include declarations of being an open environment, as well as offering classes that avoid the use of heteronormative language, including in assignments and tests. Faculty members will also be required to post a sign on their office doors to welcome LGBTQ students. In conclusion, a womens institution can not just simply accept transgender woman students without making these accommodations, and in the end, admitting them to the school is not g oing to make a big enough financial return for the college. Transgender women should not be admitted to womens colleges because then men would be favored over women. The original reason why womens colleges were created was to provide quality higher education to women at times when it was not accessible otherwise. Now that times have changed women have the opportunity to attend many different types of higher education, but for some young women being in the environment provided at a womens colleges is what is needed for her success. Allowing transgender women to attend womens colleges takes away an opportunity for a female to go there, and creates an untenable situation for schools. The vice president for enrollment at Smith College, Audrey Smith, told New York Times, I dont want to get to a point where we have a row of guys in the back of the class with baseball caps on. But this is what these schools would have in the form of transgender women. In conclusion, transgender women shouldnt be admitted to womens colleges because it would take away from single-sex education, create extra accommodations, and men would be favored over women. Womens colleges are unique and special institutions designed specifically for young women to excel. Admitting transgenders even if they do identify as a woman still takes away the sole purpose of these colleges. Maybe there should be a college created specifically for transgenders where they can have a place to express themselves. The teaching style at a womens college is not meant for the male gender, and although a transgender woman student may identify as a woman they still are they male gender even if they did undergo sex reassignment surgery because the male and female body develops differently.