56 research outputs found
Latin America's experience with export subsidies
No full textTwenty years ago, it ws believed that export subsidies would produce more diversification and better export performance. This has not happened. In most cases, export subsidies were not supported by more open import policies - so subsidies reduced only marginally the anti-export bias of Latin American countries. Unstable real exchange rates have also hurt exports. Export subsidies appear to have improved exports in Brazil, which also liberalized imports, stabilized exchange rates, and promoted other policies conducive to export growth. Yet Mexico, after reducing import barriers, also enjoyed improved exports - with minimum export subsidies, and with apparently lower social costs than Brazil experienced. Export subsidies have failed in other Latin American countries - and particularly hurt development in Argentina, where fraud, corruption, and rent-seeking have been rampant. The author contends that the failure of export subsidies should remind us of the importance of distinguishing what is possible from what is likely. Finally, export subsidies compete with other government programs, and, considering their failure rate, the money might be better spent on infrastructure, health, and education projects.Tax Law,Economic Theory&Research,TF054105-DONOR FUNDED OPERATION ADMINISTRATION FEE INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT,Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Stabilization
The lack of design quality focus in construction: a case for examining suitable design processes
No full textA large number of projects in UK construction now involve contractor-led design and are thus very different from the traditional approach which formed the basis of the original Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Outline Plan of Work. Such integrated and contractor-led approaches support the reform agenda of the late 1990s that was introduced to tackle process inefficiency. However, within the design professions there has been concern that this resulted in buildings that were designed-down to a cost rather than designed-up to a value. An attempt to address this resulted in the formation of the Commission for Architecture and Built Environment (CABE) in 1999 and the launch, in 2003, of the Design Quality Indicator (DQI) which measures how well a building satisfies stakeholders. This paper presents the early phases of doctoral research which will examine the impact of integrated design management approaches upon Design Quality
HUBUNGAN DUKUNGAN SOSIAL DAN KEPATUHAN ARV DENGAN DEPRESI PADA ODHA DI KUPANG
No full textDepresi secara konsisten memiliki kecenderungan untuk diderita oleh orang dengan HIV/AIDS (ODHA), sebesar dua hingga empat kali lebih tinggi daripada populasi normal. Dua faktor di antaranya adalah dukungan sosial dan kepatuhan terapi yang buruk. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah menganalisis hubungan dukungan sosial dan kepatuhan terapi ARV dengan tingkat depresi pada ODHA di Kota Kupang. Penelitian ini menggunakan desain penelitian analitik observasional dengan pendekatan cross-sectional pada ODHA. Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan mengisi kuesioner Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS-3), dan The Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS-5). Sampel diperoleh melalui teknik non-probability snowball sampling, dengan total 98 responden. Penelitian ini dianalisis secara univariat dan bivariat dengan menggunakan uji somer’s D. Hasil analisis bivariat antara dukungan sosial dengan tingkat depresi memiliki nilai p = 0,006 (p<0,05). Hasil analisis bivariat antara tingkat kepatuhan terapi ARV dengan tingkat depresi memiliki nilai p = 0,097 (p>0,05).Ada hubungan signifikan antara dukungan sosial dengan tingkat depresi pada ODHA di Kota Kupang. Tidak ada hubungan signifikan antara tingkat kepatuhan terapi ARV dengan tingkat depresi pada ODHA di Kota Kupang
The growth of evangelicalism in the Church of Scotland, 1793-1843
No full textThis thesis examines Evangelicalism as a broadly-based intellectual
and social movement which sought to shape the overall thought and life of
the Church of Scotland during the first half of the nineteenth century. A
set of distinctive organisations --religious periodicals, voluntary
societies, education, and corporate prayer-- provided its institutional
structure. They represented the practical response to a general concern
for revitalising the Church, for evangelism, and for social morality.
'Evangelicals' are defined as those who combined participation in these
institutions with a fundamental commitment to the Church of Scotland as an
established, national church.
The development of each of these institutions is explored as a means
of tracing the growth of the movement as a whole. Religious periodicals
helped to unite scattered individuals within the Established Church who
shared a desire to spread experiential Christianity. By providing a forum
for discussing issues related to this concern, these publications communicated
Evangelical ideas throughout the Kirk, giving Evangelicals far
greater influence than their relative lack of power in the ecclesiastical
courts around the turn of the century suggested they would have.
Religious voluntary societies enabled Evangelicals to translate their
ideas into action on a wide range of issues. The seeming effectiveness of
groups such as missionary and Bible societies made Evangelicalism
increasingly attractive, and led to the incorporation of their activist
approach into existing Kirk structures after the mid-1820s. However,
Evangelicals struggled with the tensions between the gathered and territorial
views of the Church inherent in their commitments both to
societies and to the Establishment.
Because Evangelicals, following the Scottish Reformers, believed that
education encouraged biblically-based Christianity, they were actively
involved in all levels of education, from Sabbath schools to the universities,
helping to spread Evangelical ideas and practice among young
people. Evangelicals' emphasis upon corporate prayer not only reflected
their belief that they needed divine aid to achieve their aims, but built
up social bonds at a local level and reinforced commitment to the other
Evangelical institutions
Childhood and adolescent idiopathic urethritis: what does the current literature say?
No full textIntroduction: Idiopathic urethritis (IU) is a known entity in the childhood and adolescent age groups and is described as blood spotting of the underwear in these populations. Typically, IU presents clinically as terminal void haematuria or blood spotting, accompanied with dysuria, occasional suprapubic pain and rarely constitutional symptoms. Sometimes IU may progress to formation of urethral strictures. It carries a high morbidity because of its chronicity and recurrent course, which often persists to puberty. In spite of no single aetiology being confirmed, several treatment approaches have shown some efficacy. Although no consensus has yet been established, the consideration of previous authors' experience and expertise may contribute to the development of a possible unified algorithm. Aim: This article considers IU, collecting pertinent data and case series from the literature. The authors attempt to describe all presumptive aetiologies, endoscopic findings with established grading classifications and finally the various treatment modalities proposed. In addition, highlights from the senior's author experience regarding this entity including endoscopic, radiographic and histological images are mentioned. Methods: Retrospective review and analysis of all relevant articles present on PubMed, SCOPUS and Cochrane Library from the time of inception to the date of first submission. Results: A total of 19 series concerning IU have been reported since year 1971 to present time (Table 1). Many aetiologies have been postulated, but some have been refuted, including infectious pathogens. Children with dysfunctional voiding and meatal stenosis are more prone to exhibit IU. A variation in the urethral milieu during the prepubertal period, secondary to systematic hormonal alteration, may lead to squamous cell metaplasia resulting in IU and possible urethral strictures. Grading classifications for IU are described. Up to 20% of IU may develop urethral strictures. Various treatment approaches are discussed. Conclusion: A summary of current understanding of the pathogenesis and spectrum of IU has been achieved. Successful treatment can be achieved with steroids and dysfunctional voiding protocols. It may be possible to develop a consensus unified management algorithm. © 2020 Journal of Pediatric Urology Compan
East India Company and Bank of England Shareholders during the South Sea Bubble: Partitions, Components and Connectivity in a Dynamic Trading Network
No full textA new dataset, in the form of a network graph, is used to study inventory and trading behaviour amongst owners of East India Company (EIC) and Bank of England (BoE)stock around the South Sea Bubble. There was a decline in market intermediation in which the goldsmith bankers were dominant in 1720, but foreigners and Jews to some extent restored intermediation services after the Bubble. Company directors temporarily helped to sustain intermediation in 1720 itself. Whereas before and during the Bubble intermediation was largely in the form of brokerage, after the Bubble dealership noticeably began to displace brokerage.South Sea Company; Financial Revolution; social networks, financial intermediation, inventories.
Hundreds of variants clustered in genomic loci and biological pathways affect human height
No full textMost common human traits and diseases have a polygenic pattern of inheritance: DNA sequence variants at many genetic loci influence the phenotype. Genome-wide association (GWA) studies have identified more than 600 variants associated with human traits(1), but these typically explain small fractions of phenotypic variation, raising questions about the use of further studies. Here, using 183,727 individuals, we show that hundreds of genetic variants, in at least 180 loci, influence adult height, a highly heritable and classic polygenic trait(2,3). The large number of loci reveals patterns with important implications for genetic studies of common human diseases and traits. First, the 180 loci are not random, but instead are enriched for genes that are connected in biological pathways (P = 0.016) and that underlie skeletal growth defects (P<0.001). Second, the likely causal gene is often located near the most strongly associated variant: in 13 of 21 loci containing a known skeletal growth gene, that gene was closest to the associated variant. Third, at least 19 loci have multiple independently associated variants, suggesting that allelic heterogeneity is a frequent feature of polygenic traits, that comprehensive explorations of already-discovered loci should discover additional variants and that an appreciable fraction of associated loci may have been identified. Fourth, associated variants are enriched for likely functional effects on genes, being over-represented among variants that alter amino-acid structure of proteins and expression levels of nearby genes. Our data explain approximately 10% of the phenotypic variation in height, and we estimate that unidentified common variants of similar effect sizes would increase this figure to approximately 16% of phenotypic variation (approximately 20% of heritable variation). Although additional approaches are needed to dissect the genetic architecture of polygenic human traits fully, our findings indicate that GWA studies can identify large numbers of loci that implicate biologically relevant genes and pathways
The 'true use of reading' : Sarah Fielding and mid eighteenth-century literary strategies.
No full textPhDThe aim of this thesis is to explore, by examining her life and
works, how Sarah Fielding (1710-68) established her identity as an author.
The definition of her role involves her notions of the functions of
writing and reading.
Sarah Fielding attempts to invite readers to form a sense of ties
by tacit understanding of her messages. As she believes that a work
of literature is produced through collaboration between the writer and
the reader, it is an important task in her view to show her attentiveness
toward reading practice. In her consideration of reading, she has two
distinct, even opposite views of her audience: on the one hand a familiar
and limited circle of readers with shared moral and cultural values and
on the other potential readers among the unknown mass of people. The
dual targets direct her to devise various strategies. She tries to
appeal to those who can endorse and appreciate her moral values as well
as her learning. Her writings and letters testify that she is sensitive
to the demands of the literary market, trying to lead the taste of readers
by inventing new forms.
The thesis opens with an overview of Sarah Fielding's career,
followed by a consideration of her critical attention to the roles of
reading. I go on to examine the narrative structures and strategies
she deploys, with a particular emphasis on her use of the epistolary
method. The following chapter deals with her attention to the reading
of the moral message tangibly embodied in her educational writing. It
is followed by an analysis of the activity which earned her a reputation
as a learned woman. Various as the forms of her works are, they invariably
reflect her attempt to balance herself between the two demands of
inventiveness and familiarity
Identity and consumption practices of Northamptonshire Caribbeans c.1955-1989
No full textThe objective of this thesis is to delineate and analyse Northamptonshire Caribbeans' consumption c.1955-1989. Author-collected and other oral histories alongside complementary primary and secondary references dovetail to unearth and analyse aspects of Post-War Caribbean consumption in a British provincial location that have been significantly unexplored previously. Central to the argument is the contention that identity is fundamentally significant in comprehending and analysing Northamptonshire Caribbeans' consumption. Various conceptualisations of identity facilitated development of consumer materialisations and aspirations. This thesis explores how multiple forms of identity as Caribbean, Black and British people were significant in shaping local Caribbeans' consumption. The succeeding pages address and analyse how these multiple identities influenced consumption and how provincial consumer behaviour was shaped by Caribbeans' relative co-ethnic isolation in Northamptonshire. Chapter 3 delineates and analyses consumer practices and practicalities of Northamptonshire Caribbeans. Integral within these consumer practices and practicalities are changes in consumption over time, intergenerational differences in consumption, as well as aspects of consumption that could be considered 'typical' and/or 'atypical' Northamptonshire Caribbean consumption; all of which are incorporated within this chapter. Chapter 4 connects identity and consumption through enhancing understanding of Northamptonshire Caribbeans' consumer networks. These networks interacted with the combination of identities local Caribbeans psychologically felt part of within various Caribbean, Black and British permutations. Furthermore, such identities varied more widely amongst the younger generation than their co-ethnic elders, a concept which is also addressed. Education and cultural currency are two novel strands through which to analyse connections between consumption and identity. The final two chapters deploy these concepts in an innovative manner creating and developing greater understanding of Northamptonshire Caribbeans' consumption. Chapter 5 expounds on the concept that education can be used as consumption whilst shaping future consumer behaviour, both ideas significantly under-explored previously. Chapter 6 introduces the theory of cultural currency, the idea that aspects of culture have finite, but changing, values and must be shared to have value similar to monetary currencies having exchange values for other monetary currencies. This chapter demonstrates how Northamptonshire Caribbeans shared aspects of Caribbean culture as cultural currency, fostering co-ethnic strength whilst gaining inter-ethnic respect for Caribbeans. Through comprehending Caribbean identity, correlations between empirical and social history, local consumption, as well as educational and cultural circumstances that stimulated and inspired Northamptonshire Caribbeans, this thesis distinctively illuminates how local Caribbeans' consumption interacted with various permutations of Afro-Caribbean, Black and/or British identities whilst representing idiosyncratic local nodes within these larger amalgamations
Interest rate restrictions in a natural experiment: loan allocation and the change in the usury laws in 1714
No full textThis article studies the effects of interest rate restrictions on loan allocation. The British government tightened the usury laws in 1714, reducing the maximum permissible interest rate from 6% to 5%. A sample of individual loan transactions reveals that average loan size and minimum loan size increased strongly, while access to credit worsened for those with little social capital. Collateralised credits, which had accounted for a declining share of total lending, returned to their former role of prominence. Our results suggest that the usury laws distorted credit markets significantly; we find no evidence that they offered a form of Pareto-improving social insurance.Economic development, banking, financial repression, usury laws, credit rationing, natural experiments, lending decisions
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