Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Conditionality and the Impact of Programme Design on Household welfare: Comparing two diverse cash transfer programmes in rural Mexico

In this paper, we examine how the design of cash transfer schemes influences household welfare outcomes with particular reference to the influence of transfers on conditioned outcomes, such as schooling, health and investment. We do this by examining two innovative cash transfer schemes initiated by the Mexican government in the last decade: PROGRESA, which is a national antipoverty scheme directed at chronic rural poverty, and PROCAMPO, which is a scheme designed to compensate farmers for the negative price effects of NAFTA. The schemes differ in that PROGRESA is targeted at women and conditioned on schooling and health outcomes and PROCAMPO is generally targeted at men and conditioned on land use. The analysis of data collected for an evaluation of PROGRESA suggest that the overall effects of the programs, as measured by total and food consumption expenditure, are not different. However, PROGRESA leads to greater schooling expenditure and school attendance as well as increased health outcomes. On the other hand, PROCAMPO is found to lead to increased investment in agriculture. The results suggest that conditionality may have little effect in terms of short-term welfare outcomes, but do influence both longer-term (human capital) and medium term (productive) investment. Policy makers must consider both whether or not conditions should be placed on a program, and the type of condition, depending on what they perceive to be the desirables outcomes of the transfer scheme.
ARE ATM/POS DATA RELEVANT WHEN NOWCASTING PRIVATE CONSUMPTION?

November 2009 Policymakers need timely and reliable information on the current state of the economy as macroeconomic forecasts and policy decisions are strongly affected by the quality and completeness of this assessment. Therefore, forecasters are always in search of new indicators that are related with the macroeconomic variable of interest and available earlier. This paper proposes the use of the ATM/POS data as an indicator to estimate private consumption. An application for Portugal is presented as a case study, where the out of sample performance of this indicator is evaluated against some benchmark naive models and other alternative bridge models. The results clearly support the use of this information to nowcast non durables private consumption. Keywords: Macroeconomic nowcasts, private consumption, ATM, POS. JEL codes: E01, E27, C53
The Economic Content of Indicators of Developing Country Creditworthiness

This paper analyzes the economic determinants of developing country creditworthiness indicators for over 60 developing countries for the period from 1980 to 1993. Our results indicate that economic fundamentals--the ratio of nongold foreign exchange reserves to imports, the ratio of the current account balance to GDP, growth, and inflation--explain a large amount of the variation in the credit ratings. All developing country ratings were adversely affected by increases in international interest rates, independent of the domestic economic fundamentals. A country's regional location and the structure of its exports (such as whether it is primarily an exporter of fuel products or manufactured products) were also important.
Gross Appearance of the Ampullary Tumor Predicts Lymph Node Metastasis and Outcome

Background/Aims: Patterns of lymph node involvement in carcinoma of the papilla of Vater (CPV) have not been studied in detail to date, and factors associated with lymphatic metastases and surgical outcome of this disease remain to be determined. Methods: Lymph node involvement and surgical outcome of 51 CPV patients were evaluated by extended lymphadenectomy specimens. Results: Lymph nodes with high metastatic potential were posterosuperior pancreaticoduodenal nodes (group 13a, 18%), posterior-inferior pancreaticoduodenal nodes (group 13b, 22%), and nodes around the superior mesenteric artery (group 14, 18%). Gross appearance of the primary tumor and depth of tumor invasion correlated with lymph node involvement (p < 0.05, respectively). A correlation with positivity was also found in groups 13 and 14. Disease-specific survival correlated with the gross appearance of the primary tumor and nodal involvement. However, there was no relationship between survival and the level of nodal involvement. Multivariate analysis indicated that the gross appearance of the tumor was the only significant independent predictor of a poor outcome. Conclusions: Gross appearance of the tumor is the most important prognosticator of lymph node metastases in CPV. Nodal dissection around the superior mesenteric artery may improve survival except in patients without invasion of the sphincter of Oddi. Pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy is the treatment of choice.
Amount of introgression in flycatcher hybrid zones reflects regional differences in pre and post‐zygotic barriers to gene exchange

Introgression is the incorporation of alleles from one species or semispecies into the gene pool of another through hybridization and backcrossing. The rate at which this occurs depends on the frequency of hybridization and the fitness of hybrids and backcrosses compared to ‘pure’ individuals. The collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) and the pied flycatcher (F. hypoleuca) co‐exist and hybridize at low to moderate frequencies in a clinal hybrid zone in Central Europe and on the islands of Gotland and Öland off the Swedish east coast. Data on hatching success suggest that hybrids are less fertile in Central Europe compared to on the islands. Direct fitness estimates using molecular markers to infer paternity are consistent with the demographic data. Applying a tag‐array‐based minisequencing assay to genotype interspecific substitutions and single nucleotide polymorphisms we demonstrate that the amount of introgression from the pied to the collared flycatcher is higher in the two island populations (Gotland and Öland) than in two geographically distinct areas from the Central European hybrid zone (Czech Republic and Hungary). In all areas the amount of introgression from collared to pied flycatchers is very low or seemingly absent. The different patterns of introgression are consistent with regional differences in rates of hybridization and fitness of hybrids. We suggest that barriers to gene exchange may have been partly broken down on the islands due to asymmetric gene flow from allopatry. Alternatively, or in addition, more pronounced reinforcement of prezygotic isolation in Central Europe might have increased post‐zygotic isolation through hitchhiking, since genes affecting pre and post‐zygotic isolation are both sex‐linked in these birds. One of our genetic markers appears to introgress from pied to collared flycatchers at a much higher rate than the other markers. We discuss the possibility that the introgressed marker may be linked to a gene which is under positive selection in the novel genetic background.
A Broadband ±45° Dual-Polarized Multidipole Antenna Fed by Capacitive Coupling

A broadband ±45° dual-polarized multidipole antenna is proposed in this communication. A pair of big dipoles and a pair of small ones are printed on a square substrate. The large dipoles mainly dominate the low operating frequency of the antenna, while the small dipoles work at the high one. A pair of H-shaped coupler is introduced to feed the antenna through capacitive coupling with loop radiator dipoles, and a rectangular box-shaped reflector is used for keeping the radiation patterns over the operating frequency. The antenna achieved a wide impedance bandwidth of about 56.6% for < 1.5 at both ports, covering the frequency range from 1.66 to 2.97 GHz. Over the operating frequency, a gain >8.1 dBi is achieved for both ports. A stable radiation pattern with 3 dB beamwidth 62°±6° at E-plane and 75°±3° at H-plane for port 1 and 60° ±4° at E-plane and 71° ±5° at H-plane for port 2 is obtained. The antenna is manufactured and tested. The measured results of the antenna are in well agreement with the simulation ones. Design details of the proposed antenna are presented and discussed.
Policy Mixes, Policy Interplay and Low Carbon Transitions: The Case of Passenger Transport in Finland

The promotion of low-carbon transport systems is largely dependent on the interplay between technology, innovation, markets, people's behaviour and policy. Various policies jointly influence the development of transport systems, some policies implying different or even contradictory designs for future transport systems. Policy interplay has not been much addressed in previous research on sustainability transitions. This article combines the technological innovation system (TIS) functions, within the transitions framework, with policy analysis to empirically map multiple policies and their intended paths towards low-carbon transport systems. Empirically, the article provides a systematic review of Finnish national-level policies for transport and transport-related innovation. The discussion examines the contribution of the current policy mix to sustainability transitions based on its degree of attempt to re-design the transport system. The findings reveal that policy support is more comprehensive regarding more energy-efficient vehicles and low-carbon fuels than based on reduced transport demand or alternative transport modes. A holistic policy approach towards low-carbon transitions is only achieved to a degree and innovation policy gaps are identified
Privacy and Information Sharing on Social Networking Sites

Social networking sites are becoming more and more widely used, increasing their importance as vehicles for communication and collaboration. Due to this, a significant amount of information is shared on these sites, with considerable potential implications for the area of personal privacy. There have been reports that the users of these sites do not understand the potential harms of information-sharing. In our study, we examine individuals’ perceptions of privacy as they relate to these sites as well as how these perceptions differ between genders, age groups and geographical backgrounds. Using quantitative methods by surveying 240 individuals we find that they are, indeed, highly concerned about their privacy, both on the Internet and on SNS. Furthermore, even if they share a significant amount of information on these sites, they are both aware of and make use of the privacy settings available to them. However, we find that the terms and agreements and privacy policies pertaining to these sites are not important factors influencing the decision of whether or not to get involved in them. Our findings make us conclude that individuals are performing cost and benefit analyses related to their level of participation and information-sharing, in line with the social exchange theory. Our study also confirms that the phenomenon of information disclosure on SNS is to some extent associated with the user’s gender and age, as has been suggested in previous studies. However, we find differences concerning the specific characteristics of privacy awareness and privacy protection on SNS as compared to previous studies. Finally, we examine these areas with respect to geographical backgrounds, and discover differences not previously reported.
the political economy of changing property rights: dismantling a pastoral commons

Economic growth has led to the breakdown of systems of common grazing in many African pastoral societies. These systems continue to fail because economic differentiation and diversification prevent pastoralists from agreeing on a replacement system. We develop a new institutional model of this process. Our analysis focuses on changes in the economics and politics of pastoral property rights and on public attitudes about the distribution of the costs and benefits of those changes. We apply our model to the case of the Galole Orma of Kenya. [new institutional economics, political economy, commons, pastoralism, Africa, property rights]
Evaluation of the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT)

This paper reports findings from the first national Australian study of the predictive validity of the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT). Background on tertiary admissions procedures in Australia is presented, followed by information on STAT and the research methods. The results affirm that STAT, through the provision of baseline and objective data, offers a valid and efficient means for ensuring that people who are capable of success at university are able to gain admission. They affirm the importance of taking an evidence-based disciplinary perspective to university admissions. Implications for the development and use of the assessment are considered.
Electrocorticographic control of a prosthetic arm in paralyzed patients

Paralyzed patients may benefit from restoration of movement afforded by prosthetics controlled by electrocorticography (ECoG). Although ECoG shows promising results in human volunteers, it is unclear whether ECoG signals recorded from chronically paralyzed patients provide sufficient motor information, and if they do, whether they can be applied to control a prosthetic.
Stroke patients who regain urinary continence in the first week after acute first‐ever stroke have better prognosis than patients with persistent lower urinary tract dysfunction

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a predictor of greater mortality and poor functional recovery; however published studies failed to evaluate lower urinary tract (LUT) function immediately after stroke. The aim of our study was to evaluate the course of LUT function in the first week after stroke, and its impact on prognosis.
Regional differences in personal savings

Regional data on consumers' expenditure and disposable income are analysed using a conventional error-correction specification, in an attempt to explain regional disparities in the average propensity to save. Pooling time-series and cross-section data the model is quite successful, though some degree of remaining ignorance is reflected in a few significant regional dummy variables arising out of the covariance model. Among the important determinants of saving and consumption are regional unemployment and housing wealth; the latter gives limited support to the proposition that burgeoning house prices in the South East may be fuelling a consumption and import boom.
Double-Sided Energy Auction in Microgrid: Equilibrium Under Price Anticipation

This paper investigates the problem of proportionally fair double-sided energy auction involving buying and selling agents. The grid is assumed to be operating under islanded mode. A distributed auction algorithm that can be implemented by an aggregator, as well as a possible approach by which the agents may approximate price anticipation is considered. Equilibrium conditions arising due to price anticipation is analyzed. A modified auction to mitigate the resulting loss in efficiency due to such behavior is suggested. This modified auction allows the aggregate social welfare of the agents to be arbitrarily close to that attainable with price taking agents. Next, equilibrium conditions when the aggregator collects a surcharge price per unit of energy traded is examined. A bi-objective optimization problem is identified that takes into account both the agents' social welfare as well as the aggregator's revenue from the surcharge. The results of extensive simulations, which corroborate the theoretical analysis, are reported.
Labour Supply in the Informal Economy in Russia during Transition

This paper investigates the informal labour market in Russia in late 1995 and estimates a labour supply function in the informal sector using nationally representative micro-data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey, Round VI. The findings show that the informal economy constitutes a considerable source of additional income for many families, though it is associated with a large degree of wage and gender inequality. Informal job holding appears to be a safety valve for several individuals rationed in the regular labour market, either unemployed or experiencing compulsory periods of unpaid leave. At the same time, however, the data provides little support for the fact that wage arrears and low earnings from the regular economy increase the probability to join the informal sector. There are substantial gender differences in how demographic and market factors influence the attitudes towards informal activities. For men, the labour supply curve in the informal labour market is forward sloping, but the informal wage does not seem particularly significant for women.
Debt policy and performance of SMEs; Evidence from Ghanaian and South African Firms

Purpose - The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of debt policy (capital structure) on the financial performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana and South Africa. Previous studies, especially on large firms, have shown that capital structure affects firm performance. Though the issue has been widely studied, largely missing from this body of literature is the focus on SMEs. Design/methodology/approach - Panel data analysis is used to investigate the relations between measures of capital structure and financial performance. Findings - Using various measures of performance, the results of this study indicate that capital structure influences financial performance, although not exclusively. By and large, the results indicate that capital structure, especially long-term and total debt ratios, negatively affect performance of SMEs. This suggests that agency issues may lead to SMEs pursuing very high debt policy, thus resulting in lower performance. Originality/value - The main value of this paper is the analysis of the effect of debt policy on the performance of SMEs in Ghana and South Africa.
Human resource management, social connectedness and health and well-being of older and retired men: the role of Men’s Sheds

Abstract This study analyses human resource management (HRM) in Men’s Sheds in Australia. Men’s Sheds are volunteer-based, not-for-profit, grass-roots community organisations that provide health-related resources and an avenue for largely older and retired men to engage with each other and the community. The research is timely given the escalating numbers of retired men and rising national health care costs in Australia. We used a sample of over 200 Men’s Sheds throughout Australia and matched 419 member responses to 162 leaders. Based on mediation analysis, we found that perceived human resource practices support the retention of membership and enhance the social connectedness, and health and well-being of men members. The quality of relationships between leaders and members was also important for membership retention. The study demonstrates the importance of HRM in grass-roots community-based organisations and its role in supporting the health and well-being of the community.
An Analysis of Skill Mismatch Using Direct Measures of Skills

The focus of this study is on the potential causes of skill mismatch, the extent of skill mismatch, the sociodemographic make-up of skill mismatch, and the consequences of skill mismatch in terms of earnings as well as employer sponsored adult education/training. A distinction is made between skill mismatch and education mismatch. The analysis is based on the 2003-2007 Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey (ALLS) – a dataset similar to the one that is forthcoming from the Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) in 2013. These studies contain direct measures of key foundation skills as well as measures of the use of certain generic skills at work which allow for a direct measure of skill mismatch. The analysis points to the complex ways in which mismatch is generated and the need for an accurate and up to date measure of mismatch, one that reflects the possibilities for skill gain and skill loss over the lifespan, and reflects differences in the quality of qualifications. Two key findings stand out. First, including supply and demand characteristics in an earnings function reveals that labour demand characteristics are more important than labour supply characteristics in explaining earnings differentials. In other words, skills matter for earnings but only if they are required by the job. This has direct implications for understanding better the causes of mismatch on earnings. Second, the skill content of jobs seems to be an even stronger determinant of participation in employer supported adult education/training than educational attainment or literacy proficiency. The influence of demand characteristics thus tends to outweigh the influence of supply characteristics when employers make the decision to support adult education/training. Addressing mismatch thus requires a careful consideration of both the demand and supply sides of the labour market, so as to understand better the variety of factors which may have a negative impact on the effectiveness of skill formation, skill maintenance, and also skill use.
Anticipations of Monetary Policy in Financial Markets

In recent years, financial markets appear better able to anticipate Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) policy changes. Beginning in the late 1980s and early 1990s, longer-term interest rates and futures rates have tended to incorporate movements in the federal funds rate several months in advance, in contrast to the largely contemporaneous response typically observed before that time. After identifying these emerging trends, the paper parses the enhanced predictability into a component that can be attributed to the autoregressive behavior of the funds rate and a nonautoregressive component. The paper considers institutional developments in FOMC policy making that may have contributed to each of these components, including gradualism in adjusting the federal funds rate target and transparency regarding the setting of the target and future policy intentions.