Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Road to Perdition: Rainfall Shocks, Poverty Traps and Destitution in Semi-Arid India

Do serious climatic shocks lead to processes of persistent poverty and poverty traps? We have access to a panel data set spread across 30 years, building on the ICRISAT data on six villages in the semi arid tropics to investigate this question. We identify the dynamic income process showing the transition dynamics in response to rainfall shocks, using a fixed effects dynamic model allowing for multiple equilibria. We show that there is serious persistence and evidence of multiple equilibria in the data: in the data period analysed, many households were initially in a precarious (unstable) equilibrium that could lead to a downward cycle into destitution, but also take-off if appropriate circumstances presented themselves. Many managed to escape in the period 1984-2004 towards higher and stable equilibria, leading to considerably better living conditions. For the median income houseold, the higher equilibrium is at roughly 210 US dollars per year per adult at 1975 prices, and the unstable equilibrium below which a downward spiral would emerge is about 55 US dollars. By investigating the fixed effects, we find that those with higher assets, especially in the form of initial levels of education in the family in the 1970s, higher land holdings and/or high physical capital were faced with a much lower level of income at which a downward spiral could have followed. Those with few assets in these different forms could experience the downward spiral at much higher levels of income: their livelihood was far more precarious. For them, climatic shocks, even at reasonable levels of incomes in preceding years could lead to destitution. (Methodologically, we use Lokshin and Ravallion’s estimation method but using rainfall as instruments rather than black box dynamic identification methods as in Arrellano-Bond estimators. The instruments are reasonably strong, and the link between climate shocks and destitution appears to be very strong. We find that rainfall-induced lower income does not only have a simple contemporaneous effect, as would be the case if rainfall caused the error in an income process that would be described as independently distributed errors. Instead, we find that rainfall-induced income levels have a persistent impact, possibly causing destitution.)
Performance measurement and management: A tool for strategy execution

In many organizations performance measurement and management (PMM) systems are little more than human resource bureaucracies with forms, rules, and review layers. These paper-driven systems are burdens to managers and hence are completed marginally, if at all. They are typically seen by raters as extra work and by ratees as at best irrelevant, at worst demotivating. Most PMM improvement efforts center on the most visible aspect of PMM—the form. But these quick fixes attempt to treat symptoms (e.g., leniency), while diseases (e.g., lack of managerial accountability for performance improvement or development) go unchecked. Rather than periodic revisions to the rating scales, PMM can be made relevant by linking it to strategy execution. PMM can be a vital tool for strategy execution by signaling what is really important, providing ways to measure what is important, fixing accountability for behavior and results, and helping to improve performance. In this article a PMM process is described which begins with identification of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) derived directly from business strategy. These are the basis for a PMM process that is a welcome managerial tool. The successful use of PMM as a device for strategy execution is illustrated via a case study.
Open economy forces and late nineteenth century Swedish catch-up. A quantitative accounting

Abstract Sweden recorded very high growth rates between 1870 and 1913. In 1870 Swedish real wages were only 52 percent as high as in British, and 30 percent as high as in the USA. By 1910. Swedish real wages were 5 percent higher than British real wages. and 59 percent as high as US real wages. This paper estimates that over 60 percent of this impressive Swedish catch-up on Britain was due to open economy forces: international labour and capital mobility, and international trade. Almost 90 percent of Swedens's catch-up on America was due to these same open economy forces. Swedish history thus suggests that the economic convergence literature should pay more attention to Wicksell, Heckscher and Ohlin.
An early-warning indicator for sovereign debt sustainability

We propose an early-warning indicator to assess government debt sustainability. This indicator combines the effect of economic uncertainty –represented by stochastic simulations of interest and growth rates– with the expected fiscal response that provides information on the long-term country specific attitude towards fiscal sustainability. We apply our framework on post-war data for nine OECD countries and find that our indicator –the width of the band that contains 95% of the simulated debt paths in 10 years– distinguishes countries that have sustainability concerns: Italy, Spain, Portugal and Iceland, from those that do not: US, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Moreover, our indicator performs well as an early-warning instrument: its 2007 value predicts quite well the market assessment of fiscal sustainability in the ensuing sovereign debt crisis.
The Mincer Human Capital Model in Pakistan

This article estimates and interprets returns to education for three sub–sectors of the labour market, by gender, in Pakistan, using the most recent data set of the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) Survey, 2004–05. The results show two distinctive features of Pakistani education: the high apparent returns to female education outside agriculture and the remarkable increase of returns with successive levels of education, which are to be explained primarily by two departures from the basic Mincer model—generally poor quality primary schooling and family unwillingness to invest in female education because of a lack of earning opportunities. There is some signalling in Pakistani education investment, but the education is mainly a productivity–enhancing investment in human capital, according to a comparison of self–employed and paid employed earnings equations. Returns to the public spending of education are extremely high, suggesting considerable state underinvestment. The policy challenge is in the low wages and high education in the female paid employment sector, and the low participation rate.
Capital Deepening and Wage Differentials: Germany versus US

Capital deepening may affect the evolution of the wage differential between skilled and unskilled workers differently in countries with different labor market institutions. If labor market institutions raise the relative wage of unskilled workers in Germany, firms have incentives to invest relatively more into capital equipment complementary to unskilled workers. Instead in the US, where wage-compressing institutions are weaker, firms invest more in high-skilled workers. We provide evidence consistent with this view based on an industry panel for West Germany and the US between the 1970s and 1990s. We show that capital equipment per worker is less positively associated with the wage differential in West Germany than in the US. This descriptive evidence is robust to many alternative measures for capital and skills. Our estimates imply that capital deepening in Germany in the 1980s is associated with a reduction in the wage differential of about 10-20% in most industries. In the US instead, capital deepening is associated with an increase of the wage differential between 5 and 15% in most industries.
Is Foreign Aid Working? The Impact of Foreign Aid on Savings, Investment, and Economic Growth in Haiti

Despite increases in foreign aid inflow to Haiti, the country remains one of the poorest in the world. Findings regarding the benefits of foreign aid have been inconsistent. The purpose of this quantitative, archival study was to examine the extent to which total foreign aid explained gross domestic savings, gross domestic investment, and GDP growth rates in Haiti from 1975 to 2010 after 3-year, 4-year, and 5-year time lags. Foreign aid was disaggregated into grants and concessional loans. Data were drawn from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development from 1970 to 2010. To analyze the extent to which total foreign aid predicted gross domestic savings and gross domestic investment, weighted least squares regression analyses were conducted, with per capita income, interest rates, and inflation rates as covariates. To examine the degree to which total foreign aid predicted GDP growth rates, multiple linear regression analyses were conducted, with consumption, government spending, gross domestic investment, and net trade balance as covariates. Foreign aid did not predict gross domestic savings for 3-year time lag, F (5, 30) = 1.32, p =. 28; 4-year time lag, F (5, 30) = 1.24, p =. 32, or 5-year time lag, F(5,30) = 1.30, p =. 15. Foreign aid did not predict gross domestic investment for 3-year time lag, F(5, 30) = 1.49, p =. 22; 4-year time lag, F(5,30)= 1.73, p =. 16, or 5-year time lag, F(5, 30) = 2.29, p =. 07. Foreign aid did not predict GDP growth rates for 3-year time lag, F(6, 29), p =. 44; 4-year time lag, F(6, 29) = 1.11, p =. 38, or 5-year time lag F(6, 29) = 0.83, p =. 56. Findings showed that foreign aid inflows to Haiti have not predicted improved economic development. Future research should focus on determining the relationship between foreign aid and government investment in infrastructure, education, health, and social projects. The discussion should shift from whether foreign aid flows to developing countries are effective to how to make the allocation of foreign aid inflows more effective. The result would be improved use of the inflow of foreign aid and improved economic and social progress in developing nations.
The Ocular Anomalies in a Cystinosis Animal Model Mimic Disease Pathogenesis

Cystinosis is a lysosomal storage disorder characterized by abnormal accumulation of cystine, which forms crystals at high concentrations. The causative gene CTNS encodes cystinosin, the lysosomal cystine transporter. The eye is one of the first organs affected (corneal lesions and photophobia in the first and visual impairment in the second decade of life). We characterized the ocular anomalies of Ctns−/− mice to determine whether they mimic those of patients. The most dramatic cystine accumulation was seen in the iris, ciliary body, and cornea of Ctns−/− mice. Consistently, Ctns−/− mice had a low intraocular pressure (IOP) and seemed mildly photophobic. Retinal cystine levels were elevated but increased less dramatically with age. Consistently, the retina was intact and electroretinogram (ERG) profiles were normal in mice younger than 19 mo; beyond this age, retinal crystals and lesions appeared. Finally, the lens contained the lowest cystine levels and crystals were not seen. The temporospatial pattern of cystine accumulation in Ctns−/− mice parallels that of patients and validates the mice as a model for the ocular anomalies of cystinosis. This work is a prerequisite step to the testing of novel ocular cystine-depleting therapies.
The Family Gap for Young Women in the United States and Britain: Can Maternity Leave Make a Difference?

In the United States and Britain, there is a “family gap” between the wages of mothers and other women. Differential returns to marital and parental status explain 40%–50% of the gender gap. Another 30%–40% is explained by women's lower levels of work experience and lower returns to experience. Taking advantage of “quasi experiments” in job‐protected maternity leave in the United States and Britain, this article finds that women who had leave coverage and returned to work after childbirth received a wage premium that offset the negative wage effects of children.
Implementation of REDD+ in sub-Saharan Africa: state of knowledge, challenges and opportunities

ABSTRACT Deforestation and forest degradation represent an important part of global CO2 emissions. The identification of the multiple drivers of land-use change, past and present forest cover change and associated carbon budget, and the presence of locally adapted systems to allow for proper monitoring are particularly lacking in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Any incentive system to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) will have to overcome those limits. This paper reviews the main challenges to implementing effective REDD+ mitigation activities in SSA. We estimate that SSA is currently a net carbon sink of approximately 319 TgCO2 yr−1. Forest degradation and deforestation put the forest carbon stock at risk (mean forest carbon stock is 57,679 TgC). Our results highlight the importance of looking beyond the forest sector to ensure that REDD+ efforts are aligned with agricultural and land-use policies.
Predicting disrupted network behaviour incorporating user equilibrium with recourse

Disruptions to a network create uncertainty which affects the rationality of a user as well their familiarity of the road network. Accordingly traditional equilibrium concepts are not applicable when disruptions are present on a network, especially when developing models for the purposes of incident mitigation or disaster planning. To address this need, this work presents the disrupted equilibrium assignment with recourse (DEAR) model that incorporates a decision-making process in which users gain information about the uncertainty created by a disruption as they travel though the network. The core of the work builds on an existing static, Disrupted Network Assignment Model (DNAM) by incorporating and adaptation of the user equilibrium with recourse (UER) model. Demonstration of the model methodology is presented on a simple network with results indicating the necessity to account for the adaptive behaviour of users in light of a disruption.
Comparative analyses of hotel REITs: examining risk‐return and performance characteristics

Purpose – This study aims to compare the risk‐return characteristics and performance of real estate investment trust (REIT) hotel companies (hotel REITs hereafter) with those of C‐corporation hotel companies (hotel C‐corps hereafter). Design/methodology/approach – The risk‐return characteristics and performance of hotel REITs and C‐corps were examined by estimating single‐factor and Fama‐French three‐factor asset pricing models for each portfolio. Differences between the hotel REIT and C‐corp estimations were tested using Wald test statistics.Findings – Little evidence was found that hotel REITs have significantly different risk‐return characteristics and performance than hotel C‐corps, which suggests that hotel REITs and C‐corps are not significantly different in terms of market risk‐return characteristics and performance. The market portfolio had a significantly positive effect on the returns of both hotel REITs and C‐corps. The size and book‐to‐market factors of common stock also had a significant expla.
Depressive symptoms in healthy apolipoprotein E ε4 carriers and noncarriers: a longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE To determine if symptoms of depression accelerate in cognitively normal apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 carriers as compared to noncarriers. METHOD Six hundred thirty-three cognitively and functionally normal members of the Arizona APOE Cohort aged 21-86 years underwent neuropsychological testing every 1 to 2 years that included the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Geriatric Depression Scale, and the Personality Assessment Inventory. We estimated the longitudinal change on these measures using mixed models that simultaneously modeled cross-sectional and longitudinal effects of age on depression scores by APOE status and the interaction between the two. We also estimated incident depression on the basis of accepted clinical cut-scores on depression measures and use of depression medications. RESULTS The mean length of follow-up was 7.7 years. Comparing APOE ε4 carriers with noncarriers revealed no significant longitudinal difference in the rate of change or slope of change on any depression scale or subscale. There was also no difference in incident depression or antidepressant drug use between the carrier and noncarrier groups. CONCLUSIONS These data fail to support a relationship between APOE genotype and longitudinal change in depression symptoms, suggesting that depression symptoms may not be intrinsic to the early preclinical phase of Alzheimer's disease.
Patenting by Manufacturing Firms in India: Its Production and Impact

This paper attempts to simultaneously study the production and impact of patenting in a less-developed country, using panel firm-level data for the period 1975-79 for India. The authors' results suggest that, despite the limited protection of intellectual property rights in India, patenting is associated with a significant increase in total factor productivity growth at the firm level. After controlling for unobserved fixed firm effects, R&D manpower appears to be the only input that significantly influences the probability of patenting. Copyright 1989 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Strategic flexibility, entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance: Evidence from small and medium-sized business (SMB) in China

This study aims to examine the interactive effect between strategic flexibility and entrepreneurial orientation on firm performance under fierce competition environment. Data from Chinese small and medium-sized business (SMB) in high-technology industries demonstrate that entrepreneurial orientation and strategic flexibility interact to influence firm performance in such a way that strategic flexibility enhances the positive relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance. We also observed the difference between Chinese and Western SMBs which showed on the relationship between strategic flexibility and firm performance. Theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are discussed. Key words: Strategic flexibility, entrepreneurial orientation, firm performance, competition intensity.
A Neural Approach to Source Dependence Based Context Model for Statistical Machine Translation

In statistical machine translation, translation prediction considers not only the aligned source word itself but also its source contextual information. Learning context representation is a promising method for improving translation results, particularly through neural networks. Most of the existing methods process context words sequentially and neglect source long-distance dependencies. In this paper, we propose a novel neural approach to source dependence-based context representation for translation prediction. The proposed model is capable of not only encoding source long-distance dependencies but also capturing functional similarities to better predict translations (i.e., word form translations and ambiguous word translations). To verify our method, the proposed mode is incorporated into phrase-based and hierarchical phrase-based translation models, respectively. Experiments on large-scale Chinese-to-English and English-to-German translation tasks show that the proposed approach achieves significant improvement over the baseline systems and outperforms several existing context-enhanced methods.
Landscapes and watersheds? China and the current economic context

Purpose – This paper aims to review the international economic and political context within which China is developing its technology management strategy and its economy. The context represents a time of fundamentally significant change in and between the countries of East and West.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a conceptual one, which considers the changes in the prevailing politico‐economic consensus including changes in the West, between East and West and within China.Findings – In the context of the current political and economic landscape, the paper suggests there are perhaps three watersheds emerging which will define the present era and the foreseeable future and within which China's technology management strategy and economic development needs to be considered.Originality/value – Given all the recent developments in international markets and the historic scale of the intervention of governments in the West, the paper is a timely and original analysis of the ending of the neo‐liberal con.
Compact urban form, question or solution? Examining the compact city in the Middle Eastern context: challenges and opportunities

The idea of ‘compact urban form’ has been examined mainly in the context of developed countries, but rarely has it been studied in the case of Middle Eastern cities. Due to the distinctive sociocultural background of the cities in this region, special consideration is urgent and necessary. This article investigates the main challenges presented by this idea, with a focus on Middle Eastern cities. It argues that because claims about the sustainability of the compact urban form in Middle Eastern cities have not been scientifically proven, its social acceptability remains questionable, the extent of its compactness is ambiguous, the tools to ensure the successful implementation of the compact pattern have not been defined and the size of the city has not been convincingly addressed.
Female Education As A Determinant Of Economic Growth: The Case Study Of Pakistan

The contribution of female education has been very important in the GDP growth of the country, but this very sector has been ignored by the Government. This paper focuses on the importance of female education and highlights its significance for national development. It also brings out some impediments, obstacles and barriers confronting female education, especially the low level of the investment on the sector in the rural areas of Pakistan. The study further identifies the effects of female contribution in labor force participation. The study explores the opportunities to encourage the role of female in the developmental activities.
Organizational Identification During a Merger: Determinants of Employees' Expected Identification with the New Organization

In order to investigate the development of organizational identification during a merger, a quasi-experimental case study was conducted on a pending merger of police organizations. The research was conducted among employees who would be directly involved in the merger and among indirectly involved employees. In contrast to earlier studies, organizational identification was measured as the expected identification prior to the merger. Five determinants were used to explain the employees' expected identification: (a) identification with the pre-merger organization, (b) sense of continuity, (c) expected utility of the merger, (d) communication climate before the merger and (e) communication about the merger. The five determinants appeared to explain a considerable proportion of the variance of expected organizational identification. Results suggest that in order to obtain a strong identification with the soon-to-be-merged organization, managers should pay extra attention to current departments with weaker social bonds as these are expected to identify the least with the new organization. The role of the communication variables differed between the two employee groups: communication about the merger only contributed to the organizational identification of directly involved employees; and communication climate only affected the identification of indirectly involved employees.