Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Economic and Distributional Impacts of Free Trade Agreements: The Case of Indonesia

As preferential trade agreements are growing in number and depth, assessment of their economic impacts has become more important to inform policy-makers facing a multitude of potential preferential trade agreements. This paper provides novel ex ante estimates of the impacts of two key preferential trade agreements currently negotiated by Indonesia, the largest economy in Southeast Asia. The paper then compares these estimates with those of other preferential trade agreements that Indonesia may negotiate in the future. To that end it, combines a dynamic, multi-country computable general equilibrium model and a microsimulation tool linking the macroeconomic results to household-level welfare. The results suggest that, among the preferential trade agreements considered, the European Union–Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (EU-CEPA) is expected to yield the largest gains for Indonesia in income, output, and exports. This result is due to a combination of large expected reductions in trade barriers and a high share of international trade between the partners. These macro effects translate into the highest expected income growth relative to the other preferential trade agreements at every point of the income distribution. However, the gains for the EU-CEPA are proportionately larger for richer households, unlike the other agreements considered. The regressive gains are mainly due to the increase in skill wage premia spurred by the additional demand for skill-intensive sectors, especially services.
A bouncy house? UK select committee newsworthiness, 2005–18

ABSTRACT Traditionally, legislative committees have been regarded as quite unimportant in the UK. Some scholars contend that recent reforms have substantially increased the powers of select committees, rendering them genuinely important to policy and the scrutiny of government; others see little sign of change. We examine House of Commons select committees in regard to exactly one indicator of significance, their newspaper coverage. We detect significant gains in salience of some committees, as compared to the period just before the Wright reforms (2005–10). But committees vary dramatically in coverage levels and trends, and it is unclear if their newspaper profiles continue to grow.
Evaluating the Willingness to Pay for Using Recycled Water for Irrigation

The present study attempts to estimate individuals’ willingness to pay for recycled water irrigation, in order to enhance the water supply and ensure the continuation of irrigated agriculture in Nestos catchment. Contingent valuation method has been developed for the investigation of farmers’ preferences, in monetary terms, to adopt this alternative water source for irrigation purposes. The applied method is regularly followed in the framework of environmental valuation. The results of the survey are based on data collected from questionnaires, which were answered by respondents at a river basin scale. In a representative sample of 302 farmers, we find that 64.2% of them expressed a positive stance towards using recycled water, a fact that results in lower environmental impacts. However, findings indicate that participants are willing to pay a significantly less amount of money than they already pay, for freshwater. Additionally, the analysis demonstrates that the use of recycled water in agriculture is more acceptable to respondents who are aware of its environmental benefits. Therefore, the provision of complete information on the welfare of using recycled water for irrigation to farmers may lead to greater adoption intention and a greater environmental benefit.
Pengaruh Good Government Governance, Pengendalian Intern, dan Budaya Organisasi Terhadap Kinerja Organisasi Perangkat Daerah (OPD)

The Regional Devices Organization (OPD) of Karangasem Regency needs to pay attention to the application of the principles of Good Government Governance (GGG), internal control and organizational culture to improve regional organizational performance (OPD). This study aims to obtain empirical evidence of the effect of GGG, internal control and organizational culture on regional organizational performance (OPD) in Karangasem Regency. The method of data collection in this study is the survey method using questionnaire techniques. The sampling method uses a saturated sampling technique. The sample used amounted to 3 employees in each regional device organization (OPD) with a total number of 32 (OPD). The analysis technique used in this study is multiple linear regression analysis. The results of this study indicate that the effect of GGG, internal control and organizational culture has a positive effect on the performance of regional organizational organizations (OPD) in Karangasem Regency. Keywords: Good Government Governance, internal control, organizational culture, Regional Organizational Performance (OPD).
Capital Structure and Speed of Adjustment in U.S. Firms. Α Comparative Study in Microeconomic and Macroeconomic Conditions-A Quantile Regression Approach

The major perspective of this paper is to provide more evidence regarding how “quickly”, in different macroeconomic states, firms adjust their capital structure to their leverage targets. This study extends the empirical research on the topic of capital structure by focusing on a quantile regression model to investigate the behavior of firm-specific and macroeconomic factors across all quantiles of distribution of leverage (book leverage and market leverage). Therefore, depending on a partial adjustment model, we find that the adjustment speed fluctuated in different stages of book versus market leverage. Furthermore, while macroeconomic states change, we detect clear differentiations of the contribution and the effects of the firm-specific and the macroeconomic variables between market leverage and book leverage debt ratios. Consequently, we deduce that across different macroeconomic states the nature and maturity of borrowing influence the persistence and endurance of the relation between determinants and borrowing.
Imaginaries of Sexual Citizenship in Post-Maidan Ukraine: A Queer Feminist Discursive Investigation

This doctoral project is an investigation of the imaginaries of sexual citizenship in post-Maidan Ukraine. I used a queer feminist discourse analysis method to examine how LGBT+ communities seek to position themselves in relation to hegemonic discourses of state and nationhood. Collecting data from focus group discussions and online forums, I identified the Euromaidan (2013-2014) as a pivotal moment wherein sexual citizenship was intensified as a dynamic process of claims-making and negotiation between LGBT+ communities and the state. Analysing how LGBT+ communities imagine and make sense of sexual citizenship, I demonstrated how the dominant discourse of sexual citizenship – homopatriotism, as I call it – emerged as a specific form of homonormativity at the complex intersection of the post-Maidan nationalist mobilisation, war in the eastern part of Ukraine, global human rights discourse, post-socialism, neoliberalism and axes of colonial power. Through homopatriotism, the universal discourse of (neoliberal) human rights and the particular discourse of Ukrainian ‘civic nationalism’ have become intertwined. This enmeshment, I argue, positioned LGBT+ communities as patriots and ‘good citizens’ and enabled instrumentalisation of the LGBT+ claims for sexual citizenship by the state. Being oriented towards Western models of ‘LGBT+ progress’ and away from ‘Russian’ and ‘Soviet’ regimes of sexuality, homopatriotism in Ukraine reinvigorated the geotemporal position of Eastern Europe as undeveloped and, therefore, ‘catching up’. Following the methodological and ethical bases of queer feminist studies, I looked closely at the counter-discourses that are scattered across the communities, with particular emphasis on grassroots ‘queer activism’. Opposing both heteronormativity and homonormativity, critiquing capitalist/neoliberal, militarist, racist, ableist, misogynist and Western-centred tendencies within mainstream LGBT+ politics, the counter-discourses point to the analytic limits of the concept of sexual citizenship and enable alternative imaginaries of belonging, subjectivities and solidarities to emerge beyond the framework of sexual citizenship.
The Influence of Justice on Commitment of Pakistani Bankers: Job Satisfaction as Mediator

ABSTRACT Though the significant number of researches markedly work on organizational justice still there is no substantial body of work available in a non-Western perspective. Therefore, grounded in social exchange theory this paper aims to investigate the effect of justice on commitment and the mediating effect of job satisfaction in this relationship. Also, it investigates the impact of affective commitment on citizenship behavior. SEM is performed to analyze the data collected from 241 bank professionals. Results show that justice significantly affects employee commitment. Furthermore, commitment significantly relates to citizenship behavior. Additionally, the mediation of job satisfaction for the relationship between justice and commitment is evident.
Responsible for Responsibility? A Study of Digital E-health Startups

Responsible innovation (RI) has received increased attention from policymakers and academics as a solution to grand challenges and is viewed as the main driver for innovation. The United Nations has suggested 17 Sustainable Development Goals and responsible innovation can be seen as a tool that allows the movement of society towards reducing inequality, coping with environmental challenges and sustaining countries’ economic and societal development. Our knowledge of how businesses act responsibly in solving these challenges is scarce. An inductive analysis of 14 e-health startups in Norway, shows that responsibility is highly prevalent. Entrepreneurs have instant contact with users (patients or healthcare professionals), which increases inclusiveness, anticipation and reflection as the main elements of responsibility. However, firms’ contextual and strategic awareness of responsibility remains low, which means an absence of focused strategies to exercise responsibility. Consequently, entrepreneurial startups are prevented from reaching broader stakeholders and fully reflecting the knowledge obtained. Moreover, RI activities are often bundled with other activities on the “path” to successful commercialization. This paper contributes to and enriches the current RI understanding from a firm perspective and suggests some implications for practitioners as well as policymakers to enhance sustainable development in the healthcare sector.
Energy and economic growth in developing Asian economies

Abstract The pivotal role of energy in the progression of economic growth cannot be overlooked. Given its importance to policymakers, the influence of energy use on economic growth is undeniably crucial and thus should be explored meticulously. This study empirically examines the impact of energy on economic growth within the production function framework of a panel of 10 developing Asian economies from 1990Q1 to 2014Q4. The pooled mean group, fully modified ordinary least squares, and dynamic ordinary least squares methods are implemented. Empirical results reveal that energy has a significant positive impact on economic growth, thereby suggesting that energy is an important factor of production in addition to human and physical capital. The implication of the finding suggests that all 10 Asian economies are energy dependent and thus can propel economic growth by sustaining energy supply, which can largely improve social welfare.
Re-examining the ability to explain future South African banking share returns: A data envelopment analysis approach

The capital asset pricing model (CAPM) has played a significant role in modern portfolio theory for decades. The innovative work of Sharpe (1964), Lintner (1965), Mossin (1966) and Black (1972) brought together a model that ‘embodies a theory of what can be inferred about expected returns when markets are in equilibrium, homogeneous expectations prevail and when all investors pursue a mean-variance optimizing objective’ (Van Rensburg & Robertson 2003:7). However, literature has shown that there are several empirical contradictions of the so-called SharpeLintner-Black (SLB) model, brought about by the assumptions that expected returns are a positive linear function of market betas and that market betas are sufficient to describe the cross-section of expected returns (Fama & French 1992). The most prominent contradiction of the SLB model is reported by Banz (1981), who found that the size effect contributes to the ability of market betas to explain the cross-section of average returns. Another contradiction can be found in the work of Bhandari (1988), who reported a positive relationship between average returns and leverage. Although the SLB model assumes that leverage risk should already be captured by the market beta, Bhandari (1988) found that including leverage in a model (which already accounts for market size and beta) improves the explanation of average share returns. Further studies also found evidence to support the book-to-market ratio (B/M); the price-to-earnings ratio (P/E); the return-on-equity ratio (ROE); the DuPont model to overcome the shortcomings of the ROE ratio (Berzkalne & Zelgalve 2014; Traub 2001); the dividend yield (DY); the implied dividend growth rate; the cash-flow-to-price ratio; and the price-to-net asset value (NAV) ratio as additional ‘blanket’ proxies for unnamed risk factors that can enhance the explanation of average share returns (see, for example, Asness, Porter & Stevens 2000; Auret & Cline 2011; Auret & Sinclaire 2006; Basiewicz & Auret 2010; Basu 1983; Chan, Hamao & Lakonishok 1991; Fama & French 2017; Hoffman 2012; Hou, Karolyi & Kho 2011; Johannes, Korteweg & Polson 2014; Lakonishok, Shleifer Background: Using financial ratios is considered to be important when making informed judgments about investment portfolios. However, the ‘ideal’ set of ratios is an elusive notion on which the literature has failed to reach any consensus.
Determinants of oil palm smallholder farmers’ adaptation strategy to climate change in Bengkulu, Indonesia

Abstract Bengkulu is one of 10 provinces in Indonesia, which became a center of oil palm production. The aim of the study is to define how the determinant factors influence the oil palm smallholder farmer’s adaptation strategies on climate change in Bengkulu Province, Indonesia. Binary logistic regression method was employed to clarify the independent variables that influence farmers’ strategy adapted to climate change. Farmer experience and their household expenditure have the positive and significant effect on cropping diversification, while oil palm price has a positive influence in using land clearing without slash and burning. The factors that most influence the farmers' adaptation to climate change are farmer’s cooperation membership and membership of farmer group for agricultural extension. Because of their education and experience, they are not an important determinant on strategies adapted to climate change, but the farmer’s group for agricultural extension was very important in the adoption of comprehensive adaptation strategies to climate change, thus the understanding and skill of implementing strategies adapted to climate change among smallholder farmers needs improving by government extension agency. Therefore, ensuring access to information on climate change through extension agents is believed to create awareness and favorable conditions to adopt farming practices suited to climate change. It also means that improving the knowledge and skills of extension service personnel about climate change and adaptation strategies, and making the extension services more accessible to farmers is strongly recommended. For future work, new research involving more area with diversified ownership can be performed, not only smallholder farmer ownership but also private and state corporation ones. Moreover, the study about government action and policy for accelerating farmer's adaptation is important to be executed in the future.
Analysis of the Characteristics and Number of Bicycle–Passenger Conflicts at Bus Stops for Improving Safety

This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of bicycle–passenger conflicts at bus stops and develop a model to predict the number of conflicts accurately. This paper investigated the traffic flow operation at bus stops by video recording. Duration and distribution characteristics of bicycle–passenger conflicts were statistically analyzed. Then four types of conflicts defined based on evasive behavior (cyclist yielding as Type 1, cyclist bypassing as Type 2, passenger yielding as Type 3, and passenger bypassing as Type 4) were compared. A generalized event count (GEC) model was established for bicycle–passenger conflict estimation and analysis. The main results indicated that: (1) The average conflict duration was 1.716 s, whilst 60.9% of conflicts existed near the accesses of bus stops in longitudinal direction; (2) Type 1 conflict was significantly different from Type 2, 3, and 4 conflicts in duration, whilst the three had no significant difference; (3) the proposed GEC model showed good performance in predicting bicycle–passenger conflicts, with 15.71% of mean-absolute-percentage-error and 0.8772 of R2; and (4) bicycle volume, bus passenger volume, and passenger crossing time were critical factors impacting the number of bicycle–passenger conflicts. Finally, transport agencies may consider installing separations and crosswalks to improve the safety of the stop area.
An Investigation of the Effectiveness of Prefabrication Incentive Policies in China

Prefabrication is a technology that can reduce the material consumption during the construction process. Thus, it is regarded as a technology that be of assistance in the pursuit of sustainable development in the construction industry. In China, a series of policies has been formulated to promote the implementation of prefabrication; however, the effectiveness of these policies has not been investigated. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of the current prefabrication incentive policies in China. To achieve this research aim, a policy framework was first developed in order to understand the existing policies. Then, four indicators—namely, the number of prefabricated component production enterprises, the prefabricated floor area, the prefabricated building market size, and the expected prefabricated building area ratio—were selected to evaluate each policy’s effectiveness. It was found that the growth rates of these four indicators had increased slowly, and had even shown declining trends before 2015; however, with the incentive policies promulgated after 2015, the growth rates have increased. This study is of value not only in helping readers to understand the existing framework of incentive policies in China, but also in revealing the effectiveness of the identified prefabrication incentive policies. These research findings can also provide insights useful for policy formulation in other jurisdictions for the promotion of prefabrication.
Exploring the Unique Challenges and Opportunities of Female Leaders within the Agricultural Industry: A Panel Discussion.

Panel discussions as a pedagogical tool allow students to engage with topics of leadership and deliver conceptual understanding in leadership education. Although undergraduate leadership development students have reported a preference for the instructional method, the use of panel discussions as a teaching practice has not been prevalent among leadership educators. For this exploratory, non-experimental study, a retrospective prepost test evaluation questionnaire was utilized to capture changes in student perceptions related to key topics following a Women in Agricultural Leadership panel discussion. Perceptions and awareness toward women agricultural leaders were shown to increase significantly after participation in the panel discussion, thereby generating further opportunities for positive and insightful discussion.
Possible improvement of measures within the principle ‘appropriate behaviour’ of the Welfare Quality® boiler assessment protocol

The aim of the current study was two-fold. First, we tested whether or not a scan sampling technique can be used as a relatively quick, simple scoring of the behaviour in commercial-size broiler chicken flocks, and could thus be included as a measure of appropriate behaviour in the Welfare Quality® broiler assessment protocol. Four existing datasets were analysed, these were collected for different purposes but were based on the same sampling technique, i.e. counting the number of broilers engaged in different behaviours using direct observations, at different time intervals and at different locations in the house. Analysis showed that various factors affected the outcome. Whereas those such as observer, time of the day and location could be taken into account when designing an observation protocol (e.g. by training, by selection of different observation locations and times), it must first be determined how to take into account the effect of subsequent scans, the apparent difference between flocks and genetic strains, and the effects of different behaviours. This is important when e.g. thresholds need to be set or scores reliably assigned regarding the prevalence of birds showing certain behaviours during a farm visit. Second, it was tested whether alternative measures (rather than distance to observer or a novel object) could be used as indicators of fear in broiler chickens. Previous research suggested a possible relationship between walking ability and the number of birds within arm’s reach in the touch test, thus implying that the touch test may be confounded by impaired walking ability and might thus be a suboptimal method of assessing fear of humans in broilers. The present study was carried out at an experimental farm and reported in detail in a student thesis. An extended summary is included in this report. The results showed that both distance to observer or novel object and behaviour of the bird (alert body posture, neck posture, body position towards object or observer) seemed to be valid indicators of fear, however, when a relatively short time is available for testing, the birds’ behaviour should always be measured as older broilers need more time to move away.
Analyzing the Arbitrage Opportunities and their Determinants in Deliverable Future Contracts: Evidence from Pakistan

This study explores the arbitrage opportunities in Deliverable Future Contracts (DFC) due to mispricing and the factors affecting it. We use the cost of carry model to calculate the fair prices of futures. We use mispricing as a direct measure of arbitrage opportunities. With one-year daily data collected from the data portal of Pakistan Stock Exchange, we calculate mispricing for twenty-two stock futures. Summary statistics of mispricing confirm the presence of arbitrage opportunities in this market. We also examine the relationship of mispricing with the time to contract expiry, stock return volatility, the trading volume of ready and future market, and open interest. Tobit regression results indicate that apart from open interest, all other factors possess significant explanatory power for mispricing.