Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Cross‐National Variations in the Extent and Nature of Informal Employment in the European Union

This article evaluates critically the contrasting explanations for the cross-national variations in the prevalence and nature of informal employment, which variously view such work as more prevalent in poorer, under-developed economies; driven by high taxes, corruption and state interference that lead workers to exit formal employment; or driven by inadequate state intervention leading to the exclusion of workers from formal employment and state welfare provision. By analysing cross-national variations across the European Union in the size of informal employment using indirect measurement methods and in its varying character using evidence from a 2007 Eurobarometer survey, it was found that wealthier, less corrupt and more equal economies with higher levels of labour market intervention, social protection and redistribution via social transfers have lower levels of informal employment, much of which is conducted to exit formal employment. The paper concludes by exploring the theoretical and policy implications.
Community Stakeholders and Marketplace Advocacy: A Model of Advocacy, Agenda Building, and Industry Approval

Often considered a controversial form of communication, issue advocacy moves beyond the traditional realm of promoting an organization’s image, product, or service, into efforts to influence a legislative outcome or a public policy debate (e.g., Cutler & Muehling, 1989; Nelson, 1984; Sinclair & Irani, 2005). Marketplace advocacy, a type of issue advocacy, seeks to protect a company’s market by influencing public policy, such as Getty Oil’s ‘‘Something to Think About’’ series to restrict government regulation on economic activities (Gandy, 1982). Although a variety of organizations use this form of communication, including government and nonprofit political groups, many of these campaigns are initiated by organizations promoting risk-related products such as coal, oil, gas, tobacco, and pharmaceuticals. Some researchers suggest that marketplace advocacy may be an effective means of both image building and influencing policy, because of its ability to persuade without seeming to do so. Its simplistic nature, often appealing to commonly shared values, belies its potential to distract attention from serious questions about public issues (Bostdorff & Vibbert, 1994). Moreover, the blurred line between editorial content, PSAs, and paid advocacy has
Perspectives on Getting the Region Involved in its Spatial Strategy: Or, ‘I have no idea what you're talking about. I have not met anyone who knows what an RSS is’

Abstract This article explores the experience of individuals, and public, private and community sector organizations in the formation of the Regional Spatial Strategy for the North West of England (RSSNW). Although the RSS and its successor, the Regional Strategy have now been revoked by the incoming coalition Government, the questions surrounding involvement in regional and sub-regional planning remain pertinent. The empirical research comprised a questionnaire survey, followed by interviews with stakeholders and regional government officers. Quantitative and qualitative data identify a number of frustrations and indicate that the quality of stakeholder experience is influenced by organizational status, location, sector, technological knowledge and relationships with the relevant planning authorities. The stakeholders who present the greatest challenge in terms of outreach and involvement appear to be individual members of the public and smaller organizations, dependent on volunteer time and energy, and this article focuses on their experiences. Whilst there is a range of lessons that can be learned from the RSSNW consultation process, and translated into improvements to consultation approaches, the discussion also suggests that there are systemic issues in consultation on issues of a regional nature with a relatively far-reaching time horizon.
Recycling of aged refuse from a closed landfill

In this study, refuse excavated from a typical refuse landfill in Shanghai after 8-10 years of placement was characterized in terms of particle size, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and biodegradable matter. The refuse contained a large and diverse population of micro-organisms with a high capacity for decomposing refractory organic matter present in some waste-waters, including leachate. It was found that the aged refuse was quite stable after about a decade of decomposition in the warm, humid climate of southern China. The fine fractions resembled and had the properties of black soil, a medium that is suitable for green construction, organic fertilizer, or as bio-reactor media for biological treatment of organic wastewaters. Excavation of the aged refuse would make about 50% of the space available for fresh refuse. The plastics, glass, textiles, and cans can be readily mechanically separated and recycled after cleaning. It is estimated that at least 200 millions tonnes of such aged refuse are available in China alone, and at least 10 times that much is buried worldwide. Hence, the evaluation of mined landfill waste and consideration of its potential uses is of great significance.
The decreasing returns to gender equality: evidence from the 2012 summer Olympics

This article uses data from the World Economic Forum to examine the role that closing the gender gap played in promoting national success at the 2012 summer Olympics. Tobit analysis reveals that economic equality increases weighted medal shares, while political equality is associated with lower success, ceteris paribus. The inverse relationship between political equality and Olympic success becomes manifest once nations reach the 58th percentile in political equality, a category associated with high degrees of overall gender equality. A nonlinear relationship between composite gender equality and Olympic success is found, with 71% of complete equality maximizing weighted medal shares and further increases in equality lowering success, all else equal.
Neighborhood Context and Binge Drinking by Race and Ethnicity in New York City.

BACKGROUND Neighborhood context is associated with binge drinking and has significant health, societal, and economic costs. Both binge drinking and neighborhood context vary by race and ethnicity. We examined the relations between neighborhood characteristics--neighborhood norms that are accepting of drunkenness, collective efficacy, and physical disorder--and binge drinking, with a focus on examining race and ethnic-specific relationships. METHODS Respondent data were collected through 2005 random digit-dial-telephone survey for a representative sample of New York City residents; neighborhood data were based on the 2005 New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey. Participants were 1,415 past-year drinkers; Whites (n = 877), Blacks (n = 292), and Hispanics (n = 246). Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate population average models. RESULTS For the overall sample, neighborhood norms that were more accepting of drunkenness were associated with greater binge drinking (odds ratio [OR] = 1.22; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09, 1.37); collective efficacy and physical disorder were not significant. However, when examining this by race/ethnicity, greater collective efficacy (OR = 0.75; 95% CI = 0.62, 0.91) and greater physical disorder (OR = 0.76; 95% CI = 0.62, 0.93) were associated with less binge drinking for Whites only. Neighborhood norms that were more accepting of drunkenness were associated with binge drinking among Whites (OR = 1.20; 95% CI = 1.05, 1.38) and, while not significant (perhaps due to power), the associations were similar for Hispanics (OR = 1.18; 95% CI = 0.83, 1.68) and slightly lower for Blacks (OR = 1.11; 95% CI = 0.67, 1.84). CONCLUSIONS Overall, results suggest that neighborhood characteristics and binge drinking are shaped, in part, by factors that vary across race/ethnicity. Thus, disaggregating data by race/ethnicity is important in understanding binge drinking behaviors.
The role of TQM in strategic product innovation: an empirical assessment

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of total quality management (TQM) resources on strategic product innovation. It addresses the apparent tension between quality management and innovation management and seeks empirical support for the proposition that quality management resources can be used to support strategic innovation. Based on resource-based view, it defines key resources that firms develop during implementation of TQM systems: TQM culture, product design capability, and process improvement capability – and assesses the role of these resources in the success of product innovation. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 112 manufacturing firms was conducted and the resulting data were analyzed using partial least squares (PLS) to determine how TQM constructs affect strategic product innovation. Findings – The main finding suggests that only product design capability contributes to strategic product innovation. TQM culture has a direct influence on process improvement and pr.
The demand for international tourism in the Mediterranean region

The paper studies the demand for international tourism, in the Mediterranean region. First a review of the most important attempts to model econometrically the demand for international tourism in the past is given, followed by a formal presentation of the proposed theoretical model. In particular, a version of the Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) is adopted and a description of the variables involved and their sources, together with the estimation procedure, are provided. The diagrammatic analysis performed contributes to a better understanding of the evolution of the dependent variable over time. The results with respect to the expenditure as well as to the own- and cross-price elasticities may be regarded as econometrically satisfactory and a reasonable economic explanation is given.
Modeling of drug release from collagen matrices.

Drug release from collagen matrices is in most cases governed by diffusion from swollen matrices but also enzymatic matrix degradation or hydrophobic drug/collagen interactions may contribute. To reduce water uptake and to prolong the release, insoluble collagen matrices have been chemically or dehydrothermally crosslinked. Assuming Fickian diffusion a one-dimensional model was developed and tested that allows description of water penetration, swelling and drug release and that may be expanded considering a subsequent erosion process or interactions. Swelling is described by a volume balance. For dry collagen matrices crosslinked by thermal treatment the existence of a moving front separating the polymer from a gel phase was considered, and a convective term induced by the volume expansion was incorporated. The resulting moving boundary problem was solved using a method based on biquadratic finite elements in both space and time that is stable, shows high accuracy, and is suitable for solving problems with a singularity at the initial time point. The model was verified for insoluble collagen matrices at different crosslinking degrees for both chemical and thermal treatment. For constant diffusion coefficients a close form of the solution was derived yielding equivalent results to the numerical approach.
Progressive Taxation, Public Capital, and Endogenous Growth

This paper presents and analyzes an endogenous growth model with public capital and progressive taxation. Two versions are considered: The first version assumes that the budget of the government is balanced at each point of time. The second allows for public debt but asserts that the ratio of the primary surplus to gross domestic income is a positive linear function of the debt/income ratio, which guarantees that public debt is sustainable. The paper then derives necessary conditions for the existence of a sustainable balanced growth path for the analytical model. Further, simulations are undertaken in order to gain insight into growth effects of varying the slope of the tax schedule and in order to find how the tax scheme affects the dynamics of the model.
Inducing political action by workers

A firm aiming to influence a governmental policy may benefit from political action by its stakeholders, such as workers. This article studies the behavior of such a firm, showing that workers will have a greater incentive to engage in costly political activity against the governmental policy the greater their number and the higher the wage. The firm may, therefore, profit from paying above-market wages and from hiring what might appear to be an inefficiently large number of workers. And because unions may overcome free-rider problems of uncoordinated political effort, a firm may favor unionization, or be less opposed to unionization than it would otherwise be. The results of this article can also explain why firms may little reduce wages in a recession, and why the higher wages paid by unionized firms do not reduce survival rates of these firms.
Development of additional autoimmune diseases in a population of patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome

Background: To investigate whether patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) have an increased tendency to develop other autoimmune diseases. Methods: A retrospective case note review was carried out on 114 patients in whom a diagnosis of pSS had been made in a department of rheumatology from 1979 onwards. The year of diagnosis of pSS was recorded, plus the diagnosis and year of diagnosis of any other identified autoimmune disease. Results: Of the 114 patients with pSS, seven (6%) were male and 107 (94%) female. Mean age at diagnosis of pSS was 53 years (range 21 to 83). Patients were followed up for an average of 10.5 years (range 0 to 23). Thirty eight patients (33.3%) were diagnosed as having another autoimmune disease, while nine (7.9%) had two or more. Thirteen additional autoimmune diseases were identified. Twenty five diagnoses (51.0%) were made before the diagnosis of pSS, three (6.1%) within the same year, and 21 (42.9%) after the diagnosis. Hypothyroidism was the most common autoimmune disease (n = 16). Conclusions: Although pSS is a relatively benign condition, affected individuals have an increased tendency to develop additional autoimmune diseases. Patients with pSS should be monitored on a regular basis for such diseases.
A multi-bit/cell PUF using analog breakdown positions in CMOS

A physically unclonable function (PUF) utilizing the analog positioning of breakdown spots in CMOS transistors is presented. In contrast to digital positioning based on a three-transistor cell [3], this new approach has the capability of generating multiple bits from a more compact two-transistor cell. The basic properties and reliability aspects of this PUF are studied based on the test chips fabricated in a commercial 40nm CMOS technology. The breakdown positions in high density arrays have been characterized, proving that indeed multiple bits can be generated from a single nFET. Through consecutive measurements, the long-term stability is found to be reduced, due to shrinking of readout window, especially when more bits are generated. Finally, high temperature also negatively impact the stability, indicating that the analog BD-PUF is a lesser promising candidate for PUF application than the previously presented binarized design.
Hong Kong's Growth Synchronisation with China and the U.S.: A Trend and Cycle Analysis

This paper investigates the synchronization of Hong Kong's economic growth with mainland China and the US. We identify trends of economic growth based on the permanent income hypothesis. Specifically, we first confirm whether real consumption in Hong Kong and mainland China satisfies the permanent income hypothesis, at least in a weak form. We then identify the permanent and transitory components of income of each economy using a simple state-space model. We use structural vector autoregression models to analyze how permanent and transitory shocks originating from mainland China and the US affect the Hong Kong economy, and how such influences evolve over time. Our main findings suggest that transitory shocks from the US remain a major driving force behind Hong Kong's business cycle fluctuations. On the other hand, permanent shocks from mainland China have a larger impact on Hong Kong's trend growth.
Social capital and rural development: literature review and current state of the art [Sozialkapital und ländliche Entwicklung: Literaturüberblick und gegenwärtiger Stand der Forschung]

Social capital has been recently held up as a conceptual framework to build a bridge between the diverse disciplines involved in rural development. However, despite its potential and the impressively rapid take-up of the concept by the community of development professionals, it remains an elusive construct. No definition is yet generally accepted and many definitions are in use. Recently, social capital in the form of social networks has gained much attention in rural development theory and empirical research. But social networks or structural components of social capital are a largely missing dimension in income and poverty analysis. Moreover, most research on social capital assumes that it is a uniform entity. Therefore, the effects of different forms of social capital on household outcome are rarely investigated. The objective of this discussion paper is to make the concept of social capital more tangible for empirical research in the area of rural development and to bring more structure into the conceptual framework of social capital. On the basis of an extensive literature review, this work proposes a lean and clear definition of social capital: Social capital is conceived as networks plus resources, (e.g. credit, information). Moreover, social capital is assumed to be not a homogeneous entity. Hence, it is necessary to distinguish different forms of social capital. For analytical purposes, the separation into so-called bonding and bridging capital seems to be most appealing. These two forms of social capital can be operationalized as function of an agent's so-called weak ties (e.g. acquaintances) and so-called strong ties (e.g. close relatives).
Blue City … Red City? A Comparison of Competing Theories of Core County Outcomes in U.S. Presidential Elections, 2000–2012

ABSTRACT: The Red/Blue dichotomy describing presidential elections, while criticized, is ubiquitous: Red states vote Republican, Blue states Democratic. Locally, suburban and rural counties are often Red, urban counties Blue. This overgeneralization misses the Republican share of urban centers. This study analyzes the 2000–2012 presidential elections in core counties of metropolitan areas with populations over 250,000. Possible explanations for urban election outcomes cover three theoretical groupings: sociodemographics, culture, and economics. Several prominent explanatory variables from each are compared. Changes from 2000–2004 to 2008–2012 are highlighted given the 2008 economic crash and President Obama’s race and urban identity, which permitted him to cut President Bush’s core county share in half. Regression analyses find that sociodemographic and cultural features account for most variation for all elections, while economic indicators add little explanatory power. In contrast to conventional thinking, economics mattered most in 2004, culture increased in importance in 2008–2012, and urban foreclosures positively influenced McCain in 2008.
Does Information-Processing Cost Affect Firm-Specific Information Acquisition? Evidence from XBRL Adoption

Abstract We examine how information-processing cost affects investors’ acquisition of firm-specific information using a natural experiment resulting from a recent mandate requiring U.S. firms to adopt eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) when submitting filings to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). XBRL filings make financial data standardized, tagged, and machine readable. We find that XBRL adoption reduces firms’ stock return synchronicity. The reduction in synchronicity mainly applies to filings under the mandatory program as opposed to the voluntary program. Furthermore, such an effect is more pronounced for opaque and complex firms. Finally, we find that XBRL adoption also reduces price delay.
It'S All About The Data: Challenges And Solutions In The Study Of Nascent Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurship research has been criticized for a lack of methodological rigor, although evidence suggests that from a methodological perspective, it is improving (Davidsson, 2006). In this paper, we systematically review the methods used in the study of nascent entrepreneurs to identify challenges associated with the data used in these studies. We also review the field's achievements — notably, the successful use of representative sampling of populations of nascent entrepreneurs — and we raise concerns about the predominant use of secondary data sets and the use of scales originally developed for large, established firms. Drawing on methodological advancements in other fields, we offer suggestions related to study design, data collection, sampling and measurement. Although some of the challenges we note are inherent to the nature of entrepreneurship, we hope our discussion can help researchers design better studies and better interpret their findings.
The FTO gene rs 9939609 obesity-risk allele and loss of control over eating 1 – 5

Background: Children with rs9939609 FTO variant alleles (homozygous = AA and heterozygous = AT) are predisposed to greater adiposity than are those with 2 wild-type alleles (TT). Objective: Because FTO is highly expressed in hypothalamic regions that are important for appetite, FTO genotype may affect energy balance by influencing eating behavior. Loss of control (LOC) eating, a behavior commonly reported by overweight youth, predicts excessive weight gain in children. However, the relation between FTO genotype and LOC eating has not been previously
Transnational families in Cuba and Germany: on the intersection between isolation, restrictions, and agency

This article will analyze the formation of transnational family networks between Cuba and Germany in the context of late socialist Cuba. Drawing on multi-sited field research with a biographical theoretical approach, I will discuss whether Cuban migration is an exceptional case and demonstrate how it challenges key assumptions of transnationalism theory; that is, growing simultaneity through the development of communication technologies and a supposed blurring of nation-state boundaries and migrants’ agency. Furthermore, the two case studies discussed in this article demonstrate the fundamental impact of the migration of one family member on the relatives back in Cuba and the Cuban society as a whole. In the face of economic crisis, growing social inequalities resulting from the dual economy and increasing economic liberalization, transnational households emerge as new sustainability projects for the families and the system in Cuba. At the same time, they pose a potential challenge to the status quo. Thus, emigrants’ transnational involvement provides economic and development aid for Cuba and fills the gaps of the reduced Cuban social welfare system. Yet, migrants’ remittances also produce a social division in the neighborhood between those who have access to hard currency and those who are excluded from this possibility. Socialism is thus sustained and undermined by these transnational family networks.