495 research outputs found

    Migration, sorting and regional inequality : evidence from Bangladesh

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    Using household level data from Bangladesh, this paper examines the differences in the rates of return to household attributes over the entire welfare distribution. The empirical evidence uncovers substantial differences in returns between an integrated region contiguous to the country's main growth centers, and a less integrated region cut-off from those centers by major rivers. The evidence suggests that households with better observed and unobserved attributes (such as education and ability) are concentrated in the integrated region where returns are higher. Within each region, mobility of workers seems to equalize returns at the lower half of the distribution. The natural border created by the rivers appears to hinder migration, causing returns differences between the regions to persist. To reduce regional inequality in welfare in Bangladesh, the results highlight the need for improving connectivity between the regions, and for investing in portable assets of the poor (such as human capital).Population Policies,Access to Finance,Rural Poverty Reduction,Poverty Lines,Debt Markets

    Determinants of choice of migration destination

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    Internal migration plays an important role in moderating regional differences in well-being. This paper analyzes migrants'choice of destination, using Census and Living Standard Surveys data from Nepal. The paper examines how the choice of a migration destination is influenced by income differentials, distance, population density, social proximity, and amenities. The study finds population density and social proximity to have a strong significant effect: migrants move primarily to high population density areas where many people share their language and ethnic background. Better access to amenities is significant as well. Differentials in expected income and consumption expenditures across districts are found to be relatively less important in determining migration destination choice as their effects are smaller in magnitude than those of other determinants. The results of the study suggest that an improvement in amenities (such as the availability of paved roads) at the origin could slow down out-migration substantially.Population Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Transport Economics Policy&Planning,,Inequality

    The Dynamics of Repatriation in Shilpi Somaya Gowda’s Secret Daughter

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    This paper seeks to explore the impact of adoption, repatriation and relief on the lives of three women in Shilpi Somaya Gowda’s novel Secret Daughter (2010). The author has set for herself the difficult task of writing about these issues for two audiences, namely, the Western and the Indian. She does not theorise but seeks out common humanitarian aspects and protective concerns. Her approach is gendered and the three women play out major decision-making roles despite the vast differences in their ages and backgrounds. The repatriation of all three is voluntary and they maintain creative connections which are mutually fulfilling. The challenges inherent in their context refine their sensibilities rather than demotivate them. The restructuring is commensurate with the sacrifices made by all three and does not cause disappointments or loss of self-esteem

    "The fruits of independence": Satyajit Ray, Indian nationhood and the spectre of empire

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    Challenging the longstanding consensus that Satyajit Ray's work is largely free of ideological concerns and notable only for its humanistic richness, this article shows with reference to representations of British colonialism and Indian nationhood that Ray's films and stories are marked deeply and consistently by a distinctively Bengali variety of liberalism. Drawn from an ongoing biographical project, it commences with an overview of the nationalist milieu in which Ray grew up and emphasizes the preoccupation with colonialism and nationalism that marked his earliest unfilmed scripts. It then shows with case studies of Kanchanjangha (1962), Charulata (1964), First Class Kamra (First-Class Compartment, 1981), Pratidwandi (The Adversary, 1970), Shatranj ke Khilari (The Chess Players, 1977), Agantuk (The Stranger, 1991) and Robertsoner Ruby (Robertson's Ruby, 1992) how Ray's mature work continued to combine a strongly anti-colonial viewpoint with a shifting perspective on Indian nationhood and an unequivocal commitment to cultural cosmopolitanism. Analysing how Ray articulated his ideological positions through the quintessentially liberal device of complexly staged debates that were apparently free, but in fact closed by the scenarist/director on ideologically specific notes, this article concludes that Ray's reputation as an all-forgiving, ‘everybody-has-his-reasons’ humanist is based on simplistic or even tendentious readings of his work

    Nail clippers: In the time of revolution: In the time of revolution

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    Ben, an eleven year old boy, living in a post-revolution America, suspects his uncle of being a sympathiser of the regime in-charge, referred to as "The Party.

    IDENTITY CRISIS IN ADOLESCENCE PERIOD EXPERIENCED BY ASHA IN SHILPI SOMAYA GOWDA’S SECRET DAUGHTER

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    This research aims to identify the identity statuses which mark the identity crisis of the main character in Gowda’s Secret Daughter, Asha, an Asian-Indian adolescent who lives in America with her adoptive mixed-race parents, to find out the impact of Asha’s identity crisis towards her sixth stage of psychosocial development, and to identify how the psychosocial issue is reflected in the novel. To answer the objectives, this research employed Erikson’s fifth and sixth psychosocial development stages theory, Marcia’s identity achievement status to strengthen the research, and theory of literary elements. The research is a qualitative research. To analyze the data, content analysis method was used. The main source of this research is a novel entitled Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda. The data are words, phrases, sentences, and expressions related to the identity statuses which mark identity crisis, the impact of identity crisis towards the sixth stage of psychosocial development, and how the psychosocial issue is reflected. The data were collected by reading and re-reading, noting, identifying, classifying and categorizing, analyzing and interpreting. The triangulation method was also used to obtain the validity and credibility of the findings. The findings of this research are as follows: (1) Asha experiences all four identity statuses which mark her identity crisis: identity diffusion status, identity foreclosure status, identity moratorium status, and identity achievement status; (2) Asha has a positive outcome of identity crisis as seen through her ability to establish intimacy and obtain the virtue of love at the sixth stage of her psychosocial development by forming relationship, establishing the sense of trust, understanding others, and acknowledging others; and (3) the author reflects psychosocial issues through characters and settings. Keywords: adolescent, Gowda’s Secret Daughter, identity crisis, identity statuses, psychosocia

    Transforming the old into a foundation for the new - lessons of the Moldova ARIA Project

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    This paper is a case study of what is recognized as one of the more successful projects in any country in the Europe and Central Asia region, not to mention in the poorest country of the region-Moldova. The ARIA project shows new ways to attack some of the most intractable problems of private sector development in Europe and Central Asia: how to facilitate reorganization and liquidation bankruptcies; how to promote small and medium enterprise spin-offs and new start-ups; and how to promote new learning at the enterprise level, both in the form of"Marshall Plan"programs with more advanced post-socialist countries, as well as continuous improvement programs (such as those adapted from Japanese programs). The prime mover for these programs is the quasi-public restructuring agency, ARIA, which was established as part of the Moldova Private Sector Development I loan. ARIA was structured to try to combine private sector entrepreneurship with a public function in the process of restructuring and bankruptcy. The study tries to account for the strategies and innovations that lead to results. And it tries to connect the ARIA strategy to past development literature by viewing the study through Albert Hirschman's work on social learning and change.Enterprise Development&Reform,Public Health Promotion,Banks&Banking Reform,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Small Scale Enterprise,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Banks&Banking Reform,Small Scale Enterprise,Microfinance,Private Participation in Infrastructure

    Does strict employment protection discourage job creation? Evidence from Croatia

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    Employment protection legislation in Croatia is among the most strict in Europe. Firing is difficult and costly, and flexible forms of employment are limited. Is this apparent rigidity reflected-as one would expect based on standard economic theory-in low labor market dynamics? Is job creation low and hiring limited? Is the job security of insiders achieved at the cost of outsiders not being able to enter thelabor market? The author attempts to answer these questions by examining job flows. If the employment protection legislation is binding, then job and worker turnover should be low. He shows that this is indeed the case. Hiring is limited and the average job tenure is very long in Croatia. Job destruction is low, however job creation is still lower. The result is accumulation of unemployment, in large part due to new labor market entrants not being able to find a job. The high degree of job protection also seems to strengthen the bargaining position of insiders and results in relatively high wages. So, wages in Croatia are higher than among its competitors, even after adjusting for productivity. These high labor costs are likely to contribute to limited job creation in existing firms, but also are likely to discourage the entry of-and thus job creation in-new firms. The author presents evidence that firm growth has been indeed limited in Croatia, contributing to the low employment level. The author examines other potential causes of high unemployment in Croatia (the unemployment benefit system, labor taxation, the wage structure, and skill and spatial mismatches). He argues that they do not play a substantial part in accounting for poor labor market outcomes in Croatia. The author concludes that the stringent employment protection legislation is the key labor market institution behind low job creation and high unemployment. Based on this he recommends specific measures aimed at liberalizing the labor market to foster job creation and employment.Labor Management and Relations,Labor Policies,Labor Markets,Environmental Economics&Policies,Trade Finance and Investment,Labor Markets,Labor Management and Relations,Labor Standards,Banks&Banking Reform,Environmental Economics&Policies

    Determining the transfer function of a reconstructive spectrometer using measurements at two wavelengths

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    The transfer function is the characteristic function of the dispersive element of a reconstructive spectrometer. It maps the transmitted spatial intensity profile to the incident spectral intensity profile of an input. Typically, a widely tunable and narrowband source is required to determine the transfer function across the entire operating wavelength range, which increases the developmental cost of these reconstructive spectrometers. In this Letter, we utilize the parabolic dispersion relation of a planar one-dimensional photonic crystal cavity, which acts as the dispersive element, to determine the entire transfer function of the spectrometer using measurements made at only two wavelengths. Using this approach, we demonstrate reliable reconstruction of input spectra in simulations, even in the presence of noise. The experimentally reconstructed spectra also follow the spectra measured using a commercial spectrometer.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.ImPhys/Esmaeil Zadeh grou
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