627 research outputs found
Knowledgeable bankers ? the demand for research in World Bank operations
No full textDevelopment impact calls for knowledgeable development practitioners. How then do the operational staff of the largest development agency value and use its research? Is there an incentive to learn and does it translate into useful knowledge? A new survey reveals that the bulk of the World Bank's senior staff value the Bank's research for their work, and most come to know it well, although a sizable minority have difficulty accessing research to serve their needs. Another group sees little value to research for their work and does not bother to find out about it. Higher perceived value is reflected in greater knowledge about research, though there are frictions in this process. Staff working on poverty, human development and economic policy tend to value and use research more than staff in the more traditional sectors of Bank lending -- agriculture and rural development, energy and mining, transport and urban development; the latter sectors account for 45 percent of lending but only 15 percent of staff highly familiar with Bank research. Without stronger incentives for learning and more relevant and accessible research products, it appears likely that this lag in demand for research by the traditional sectors will persist.Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Banks&Banking Reform,Information Security&Privacy,Rural Development Knowledge&Information Systems,Poverty Monitoring&Analysis
How perception of status differences affects our decision making
No full textAs human beings, we aspire higher to achieve greater security in our lives. We assess our standing in society in relative terms. Past studies have shown that our subjective social status relative to society can determine health consequences (Operario et al, 2004). Yet, we have a limited understanding of how to measure our subjective status and how that affects our decision making and behavior. Understanding these may reveal important information about how perception of status differences affects behavior. Therefore, the primary goal of this dissertation is to closely examine perception of status in order to evaluate its subsequent effect on decision making. Four studies were conducted to examine the relationship between status perceptions and decision making. In the first study, we established a laboratory manipulation of status, designed and validated appropriate questionnaires, and probed its effects on decision making via an economic game called the Ultimatum Game. In study 2, we examined how perception of status affected choice of an experimental status symbol. Both of these studies showed a negative relationship with decision making. In study 1, the low status subjects, who felt inferior to their partner, shared more with their high status partners. And in study 2, we observed that in certain contexts, the low status subjects, who felt inferior to their partner, chose the experimental status symbol more. However, in study 3, when we made the experimental situation riskier, subjects who perceived themselves to be inferior to their partner chose the status symbol less than their high status counterparts. In addition, low status subjects showed more affinity for risk at specific levels. In study 4, we examined if these effects were due to self-esteem and found no effect of self-esteem. Together, these studies showed that laboratory manipulations of status can capture psychological aspects of the status experience and may induce a compensatory tendency. These compensatory tendencies may vary depending on both status of the subject and riskiness of the situation. Studying status in a laboratory setting allows researchers to understand these behaviors more closely and speculate on how to best address status concerns for the betterment of society.Ph. D.Includes bibliographical referencesIncludes vitaby Swati Bhattachary
Analyzing Advancement in Crowdfunding Research and Envisioning its Future: A Bibliometric Approach
No full textPublished online 24 July 2023. Published in print 1 August 2023.Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings includes abstracts of all papers and symposia presented at the annual conference, plus 6-page abridged versions of the “Best Papers” accepted for inclusion in the program (approximately 10%). Papers published in the Proceedings are abridged because presenting papers at their full length could preclude subsequent journal publication. Please contact the author(s) directly for the full papers.Crowdfunding represents an emerging alternative means of marshaling resources which may prove to be a game-changer in the entrepreneurial finance landscape. Although the rapid growth in this field has yielded a multidisciplinary body of work, the scaffolding of this vast body of work is still largely unknown in the scholarly domain. We conduct a bibliometric analysis of 534 crowdfunding articles to uncover the intellectual landscape of crowdfunding research. Our comprehensive co-citation analysis reveals two generations of crowdfunding research, identifies the most researched themes in area, and highlights its theoretical and disciplinary anchors. In addition, our bibliographic cartography traces the shifts in areas of interest of scholars within the heterogeneous field. Overall, our critical analysis of the most influential conversations in crowdfunding research helps reveals gaps in the extant literature which act as fertile directions for its future inquiry
Biological and bio-inspired morphometry as a route to tunable and enhanced materials design
No full textThesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 2016.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references.Structural materials in nature integrate classical materials selection rules with morphometry (geometry or shape-based rules) to create high-performance, multi-functional structures that exhibit tunable properties through extraordinary complexity, hierarchy, and precise structural control. This thesis explores the use of morphometry as a materials design parameter through the development of bio-inspired, flexible composite armor based on the articulated exoskeleton of an armored fish, Polypterus senegalus, which achieves uniform coverage and protection from predatory threats without restricting flexibility. First, the functional implications of shape and shape variation are examined as materials design parameters within the biological exoskeleton using a new method that integrates continuum strain analysis with landmark-based geometric morphometric analysis in 2D and 3D. Bioinspired flexible composite prototypes are fabricated using multi-material 3D printing and tested under passive loading (self-weight) and active loading (bending) to examine how the shape of scales contributes to local, interscale mobility mechanisms that generate anisotropic, global mechanical behavior. With one prototype design scheme, a wide array of mechanical behavior is generated with stiffness ranging over several orders of magnitude, including 'mechanical invisibility' of the scales, showing how morphometry can tune flexibility without varying the constituent materials. Finally, finite element models simulating the bending experiments are created to establish a computational framework for analyzing the mechanical response of the prototypes. The finite element models are then extended to examine the effect of different loading conditions, scale morphometry, multi-material architecture, and constituent material properties. The results show how morphometric-enabled materials design, inspired by structural biological materials, can allow for tunable behavior in flexible composites made of segmented scale assemblies to achieve enhanced user mobility, custom fit, and flexibility around joints for a variety of protective applications.by Swati Varshney.Ph. D
‘Diminishing Inequalities Is The Key To Robust Human Development’
No full textIn highly unequal regions, redistribution of opportunities and resources are essential for human development advances, author Swati Narayan says in this intervie
The fiscal and monetary institutions of CESEE countries. Bruegel Working Paper 2011/02, February 2011
No full textThis working paper by Zsolt Darvas and Valentina Kostyleva examines the role of fiscal and monetary institutions in macroeconomic stability and budgetary control in CESEE (central, eastern and south eastern European) countries in comparison to other OECD countries. Budgetary discipline indexes suggest that fiscal institutions are weaker in most CESEE countries than in non-CESEE OECD countries. these factors call for improved monetary institutions, stronger fiscal rules, and better budgetary procedures
Pharmacological interventions for patients experiencing acute post-operative pain
No full textWhat is pain? It is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. What are goals for postoperative pain management?To increase a patients quality of life, to facilitate a full and healthy recovery, to decrease the risk for complications (Impaired mobility -
pneumonia, pressure ulcers, DVT), to allow for early discharge from the hospital. Conclusion: by using a combination of pharmacological interventions we can more accurately provide pain management to patients by addressing multiple types of pain at once. By performing a thorough pain assessment and using our clinical judgement to determine what pharmacological interventions are necessary, we can move closer to achieving our postoperative pain management goals.Not peer reviewedStudent Research Day Poster (2017
Technology & Basketball: The Impact of Information and Communication Technologies on Professional Basketball
No full textA New Arbitrage Portfolio Theory: Deviations from Predictions made by MPT, CAPM, and APT as Applied to Global Equity Indices
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