Crise alimentaire: stop aux sanctions?
Le « tchernoziom » est un sol extrêmement fertile comportant un taux élevé de matière organique (5%) jusqu’à un mètre de profondeur, voire plus. Historiquement, ces « terres noires » ont donné à l’Ukraine sa réputation de « grenier à blé » de l’empire russe et de l’Europe. Dans le cadre de la mondialisation néolibérale, le grenier à blé est devenu […]
Who stands with Ukraine in the long term? On the invisible labour of Ukrainian migrant communities
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine since February 2022, as well as both national and international policies to deal with the impact of the war, have surely influenced the spaces and networks of social reproduction, both in Ukraine and in refuge. The destruction and resulting displacement, neoliberal austerity, unprecedented border regulations, and refugee policies, have all […]
Replacing the corrupt elite is not enough. Review of a book on the political economy of Ukraine
A global perspective A very positive feature of Marco Bojcun’s new book, ‘Towards a Political Economy of Ukraine’, is that it attempts to situate the development of capitalism in Ukraine in the global perspective. The author cites some authors from the tradition of world-system analysis, such as Chase-Dunn, and repeatedly underlines Ukraine’s particular function in […]
Ukraine’s recovery must benefit the people. The West has other ideas
High-ranking Ukrainian and western officials are meeting in Switzerland this week to discuss the country’s reconstruction. The Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano aims to bring together government and business to discuss investment and the necessary reforms to support it. Russia’s war against Ukraine has not only left thousands dead and displaced – it’s also presented […]
Russian Capitalism Today: A Case of ‘Primacy of Politics’?
The economic regime that has emerged in Russia has received a wide variety of characterizations and label forms. There are different terms from ‘state capitalism’ or various versions of ‘state capitalism’ such as Catherine Belton’s ‘hybrid KGB form of state capitalism’ to describe the regime under Putin, to Karen Dawisha’s ‘authoritarian kleptocracy’, Richard Sakwa’s ‘managed […]
Ukraine’s ecosystems: the price for global food security
Ukraine is an important player in the global market of agricultural production. It is one of the world’s top-10 grain exporters, and it is the global leader in growing and export of sunflower seeds and oil. In 2021, Ukraine harvested 85 million tons of grain and intended to export 67 million tons during the 2021-2022 […]
Social Protection in Postwar Ukraine: Time to Change Approaches
In April 2022, a new consultative body was established under the President of Ukraine: the National Council for the Restoration of Ukraine from the Consequences of War. The Council works on 23 fields of social life. Selected experts are supposed to draft plans for postwar restoration in each of these fields. The fields include social […]
What we can learn from Georgia’s social workers’ struggle
Although Georgia differs significantly from Ukraine in size and population, we have much in common. In particular, we are united by the past, as well as the common, albeit different in scale, the experience of invasion by the Russian Federation, respectively — war, destruction, displacement of large numbers of people and the resulting poverty. However, […]
The war on workers? What is wrong with labor regulations under martial law
After February 24, as Ukraine was showered by deadly Russian missiles, employees faced an unprecedented crisis. Continuing to work became risky in every sense of the word[1]. It was not difficult to predict the reaction of employers to the new challenges. According to business and human rights expert Olena Uvarova, companies put financial survival first. […]
Credit won’t work: Why Ukraine’s state debt must be cancelled
On April 10 the World Bank updated its GDP prognosis for Ukraine to state that the Russian invasion was to shrink Ukraine’s economy by 45% in 2022 alone.[1] But that is a very optimistic prognosis. As by March 29th, the country’s direct one-time losses due to the invasion already exceed $1 trillion. Even prior to […]
