The next section (23) of the Cooperative Thought Library is once more dedicated to the work of German economist with Polish origins, Willy Wygodzinski, author of a very interesting book 'Cooperatives in Germany'. This book presents the genesis and development of various types of cooperatives in Germany in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Wygodzinski's work seems to be important due to the fact that it helps to understand the influence and significance of the German cooperatives for development of cooperatives in Poland. The second part presents the issue of savings and credit associations. Extensive excerpts come from: W. Wygodzinski, Das Genossenschaftswesen in Deutschland, Leipzig und Berlin 1911.
Financial imbalance, budget deficit and mounting indebtedness are nothing new in the history of the Hungarian economy. The study probes into the emergence, management and consequences of such a crisis and describes it through the budget debates in the lower house of Parliament. Rather than focusing on the economic history or the theoretical bases of a 'correct economic policy' independent of place and time, the author concentrates on the revealed processes of the political thinking. How did politicians of the period detect and interpret the financial processes that led to a jump in state debt? What were the knowledge and assumptions from which they derived various responses? Finally, how did they gain the ability to act and make effective political decisions? Although a specific case is described, it may lend itself also to some general conclusions.
The next part (21) of the Cooperative Thought Library reminds for the second time personage of Francis Stefczyk, the author of unfinished publication devoted to the genesis and development of the Polish cooperatives from the earliest times to the present. Excerpts come from brochure published after Author's death: Francis Stefczyk, Origins and general development of cooperatives in Poland, Cooperative Institute for Research in Krakow, Krakow 1925.
The next part of Co-Operative Thought Library (18) is dedicated to Father Stanislaw Adamski (1875-1967), a prominent social, political and co-operative activist, working in the period of the annexations and the Second Republic. In his opinion cooperative movement is a major factor for the social and economic development within a capitalist economy: it stimulates self-awareness of poorer social strata, awakens the spirit of enterprise, which ultimately should lead to the construction of middle-class in Poland and be an effective tool in combating forms of social and financial exclusion. The journal editor publishes excerpts of Stanislaw Adamski's brochure 'Cooperative movement in Poland and the significance and tasks of the Union of Cooperative Unions', Poznan, 1930.
In the submitted study the author has tried to present the results of mining and historical research in Slovakia for the last 20 years. However, such task is very difficult because the theme of the history of mining and metallurgy has been analysed in lot of text-books, particularly from numerous seminars, conferences or other specialized actions. Professional Slovak historiography could obtain the access to the themes of mining history only after World War II and after its institutionalization as independent science. After 1948 the published results of economic history research were limited by ideological instrumentalization and by the fact that their authors came out of Slovak Marxist national history concept. Some economic history works from these times are still timeless. After 1989 interest in economic history in Slovak historiography expressly decreased, but still has kept its continuity, in which the new generation of researchers can continue.
This study brings to attention the active endeavour of Bata concern to expand to Soviet markets in the interwar period. It also analyzes mutual study contacts between Bata concern representatives and their Soviet counterparts. Moreover, the study examines the extent of awareness of the Soviet Union in Bata company and the way the USSR and its economic system were presented by Bata company press. Last but not least, the study focuses on the business strategy employed by Bata management and the degree of its compactness, i.e. the short-term modifications of business tactics. By combining chronological and thematic approaches, the study reveals the intentions of Bata management and also differences in the way they communicated and presented facts when addressing their Soviet counterparts, Bata company employees and domestic competitors.
The next section (22) of the Cooperative Thought Library is dedicated to the work of German economist with Polish origins, Willy Wygodzinski, author of a very interesting book “Cooperatives in Germany”. This book presents the genesis and development of various types of cooperatives in Germany in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Wygodzinski's work seems to be important due to the fact that it helps to understand the influence and significance of the German cooperatives for development of cooperatives in Poland. Extensive excerpts from: W. Wygodzinski, Das Genossenschaftswesen in Deutschland, Leipzig und Berlin 1911.
The next part of the Co-Operative Thought Library (19) is devoted to the personage and attainments of Franciszek Stefczyk, a pioneer of Polish agricultural cooperatives, the creator of the savings and loans associations, modeled on the German Raiffeisen's associations. Stefczyk's views on the tasks and activities' field of financial cooperatives are illustrated basing on reprinted excerpts from the book (which appeared after the author's death): 'Traits and tasks of Stefczyk's associations', Warsaw 1927.
This paper describes the currently available archival funds of economic nature in the Slovak National Archive in Bratislava which primarily focus on the economic history of Slovakia between 1900 and 1950. We provide a brief description of the materials, their condition, contents and the avenues of research they provide, as well as planned work on extending their availability to researches while also highlighting issues with those archival funds that have already been made available.
Transaction cost economics (TCE) is a multidimensional research program which takes its origin from contributions made by Hicks (1935), Coase (1937), Alchian and Demsetz (1972). Therefore, TCE can be divided into three complementary domains: exchange branch, governance branch and measurement branch. The first one deals with the costs of making transactions (e.g., broker's fee). The second one focuses on the impact of transactions' characteristics on the mode of governing them. The last one is twofold. First, it is concerned with measuring inputs productivity and assuring a close correspondence between inputs and rewards in team production. Second, it deals with the costs of measuring attributes of the good and their impact on the choice of contractual form. It is argued that the development of TCE can be understood as the continuous process of the operationalization of the ideas developed by the above-mentioned authors. Furthermore, it is shown that TCE is an externally driven research program, namely that is driven by observed facts. The reflection on the research perspectives of TCE finishes the article.
The paper discusses the role of economic history in economic analysis. Since nowadays the subject has been relegated to the margins of university education, the author argues that economic researchers would be well advised to include the historical perspective in their studies. A historical view allows for a deeper understanding of current and future economic processes because it helps analysts form correct opinions on the socio-economic situation. The complementarity of economic history and economics justifies the belief that analysis of the past can provide useful insights into the present situation.
Micro-credit institutions were not invented in XX or XXI century. The idea of microfinance, particularly with regard to micro-credit and mikro-savings, is very old. It expressed itself - across Europe, including Poland - initially in the typically religious and benevolent organizational forms, but it gradually achieved character of modern self-help financial institutions. The article shows some of the organizations operating in Poland (from XV century to the first half of XX century), which provided micro-credit services for poor people and small businesses: funds for indigent within guilds, pious banks, monetary rural funds, cooperative institutions and savings associations. The author indicated the similarities between those kinds of financial and credit organizations with modern types of microfinance institutions.
The contribution deals with process of forming so called mensal domains of Olomouc bishopric in the pre-Bila Hora era (1553-1619).That process did not restrict to the extension of land holding only, by means of adding of new domains as consolidation of individual domains may be observed as well. It was realized by means of swallowing of tiny domains in the immediate vicinity or directly inside large mensal domains. This process was most distinct in the North-east dominium of Hukvaldy which served as an example of consolidation process.
During the interwar period in Czechoslovakia, the chemical industry ranked among the relatively smaller industries in terms of the number of workers. Its importance lay in the production of strategic products and semi-finished products, which were necessary for the functioning and defence of the state. The main aim of the presented study is to analyse developments in the industry of dry distillation of wood (part of the chemical industry) during the post-crisis depression (1934 to 1935) and during the period of economic recovery (1936 to 1938). The effect of the Munich Agreement on the investigated production is not the subject of this study. The dry distillation of wood in Slovakia was mainly comprised of two industrial entities in the subject period: the Jozef Pálffy Chemical Factory in Smolenice (a plant in Dobrá Voda was part of it) and a modern plant in Likier belonging to the Dr. Blasberg Company. In conclusion, it can be stated that the crisis and economic depression that followed had a fundamental impact on their employment, supply, production and sales opportunities. Both entities, however, survived the examined period, albeit with relatively great difficulties, which were manifested until 1938.
This article offers a case-specific examination of the effects of colonialism on a local culture and economy - Aso-oke of South-Western Nigeria. In so doing, it provides more evidence to further the assertion that the economic dependency that resulted from colonialism was not an accident, but rather an intentional outcome. This article serves as an excellent example of how current economic and social circumstances cannot be fully understood without substantial knowledge of the past. Through examination of Aso-oke this article used primary data generated through qualitative techniques, archival records and other secondary data to engage research issues. The article concluded that the development and economic history of Aso-oke, hold the prospect for understanding the complications, complexities, contestations and contextualities of the contemporary development of Africa and beyond.
One of the most important questions for early modern cities was how to respond to increasing financial pressures with different financial resources. In the perspective of the radically changed situation of the Kingdom of Hungary after the Ottoman expansion, the budget balance of the city of Bratislava (in Hungarian Pozsony) is of particular importance. Bratislava’s situation during this period was complex in many respects. The city was already a regional centre in the western borderlands of the Kingdom of Hungary in the late Middle Ages. The defeat at Mohács changed the fate of Hungary for centuries. Bratislava’s economic power increased temporarily after 1526. After the conquest of Buda (1541), the economic functions of the former capital were taken over mainly by the cities of western Hungary especially Bratislava and Trnava (in Hungarian Nagyszombat). Within a short time after the battle of Mohács, Bratislava became the administrative and political centre of the Kingdom of Hungary under Habsburg rule. For the study of the city budget, we have first of all the source group of the chamber books of the city of Bratislava at our disposal. The chamber books show that the town had several means to compensate for the increased expenditure (military expenditure, fortification costs, funds allocated to the central administration). In particular, taxes were increased, which undoubtedly shows that the town‘s citizenry was engaged in considerable economic activity during the period. Another important source of income was the “Weingeld”. This was the revenue from the sale of wine.
The contemporary economic history finds itself at the crossing point of two academic disciplines: history and economy. The historians care first about the contextuality and reality of facts, they are aloof from the economic abstraction and the related desire for generality, experts in the field of economy promote the application of the model of so-called rigorous sciences. As a result of this, historians and economist do not always pursue the same objectives. However, the economic history, despite different methodical approaches, eventuate in the same objectives – understanding of historical reality. Therefore the authors of the reflection, being economic historians, regard taking economy seriously of great importance.
The following study focuses on the development of urban rail transport in the Czech Lands before 1914, specifically regarding electrification and municipalization. The second part of the study looks at the issue of nostrification of a transport company in the aftermath of World War I. Based on a case of a specific company, the study analyses its causes, course and consequences, while placing it in the historical context of the making of so-called greater cities. It examines the economic and political motives that lead to the decision to move the transportation company’s headquarters to Czechoslovakia even before being prompted to do so by the state authorities. It follows the impacts of the war on the running of the company, and the gradual permeating of members of the local authorities into the company’s board of directors. Taking into account the transformation of the Ostrava city agglomeration into a modern metropolis, it analyses the factors that culminated in the local authority of Moravská Ostrava joining the transport company as the majority shareholder, as well as the consequences for the subsequent development of the company.
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