bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms of naturally evolved ethanol resistance inDrosophila melanogaster
Authors: Fry James D.
Published: November 2014

The decaying fruit in which Drosophila melanogaster feed and breed can contain ethanol in concentrations as high as 6–7%. In this cosmopolitan species, populations from temperate regions are consistently more resistant to ethanol poisoning than populations from the tropics, but little is known about the physiological basis of this difference. I show that when exposed to low levels of ethanol vapor, flies from a tropical African population accumulated 2–3 times more internal ethanol than flies from a European population, giving evidence that faster ethanol catabolism by European flies contributes to the resistance difference. Using lines differing only in the origin of their third chromosome, however, I show that faster ethanol elimination cannot fully explain the resistance difference, because relative to African third chromosomes, European third chromosomes confer substantially higher ethanol resistance, while having little effect on internal ethanol concentrations. European third chromosomes also confer higher resistance to acetic acid, a metabolic product of ethanol, than African third chromosomes, suggesting that the higher ethanol resistance conferred by the former might be due to increased resistance to deleterious effects of ethanol-derived acetic acid. In support of this hypothesis, when ethanol catabolism was blocked with an Alcohol dehydrogenase mutant, there was no difference in ethanol resistance between flies with European and African third chromosomes.
Syntheses and Redox Properties of Complexes with Mo3S4 Cores and Tridentate Schiff Base Ligands
Authors: Kawamoto Keisuke , Ichimura Akio , Hashimoto Hideki , Kinoshita Isamu , Nishioka Takanori
Published: November 2014

A series of potentially tridentate Schiff base ligands, {HOPhC=N-(CH2)3-XMe: X = S (HLSMe), Se (HLSeMe)}, was prepared by condensation reactions of salicylaldehyde and the corresponding functionalized propylamines. These ligands were used to form the monocationic complexes, [Mo3S4(LXMe)3]+ (X = S (1+), Se (2+)), through treatment of [Mo3S4(H2O)9]4+ with the appropriate Schiff base ligand in methanol. Single-crystal X-ray structural analysis of 1-PF6 revealed that one Schiff base ligand coordinates to each Mo via the O, N, and SMe donor atoms, and then the mono cationic cluster [Mo3S4(LSMe)3]+ has a pseudo C3 symmetry if the chirality around the coordinated sulfur atoms is not taken into account. Because of the arrangements of the asymmetric Schiff base ligand, this monocationic cluster possibly adopts one of two axial chiralities. Furthermore, each sulfur atom of the three coordinated SMe groups in the complex cation is also chiral affording the two enantiomers observed in the unit cell. Dynamic behaviors of complexes 1-PF6 and 2-PF6 in solution were examined using line shape analyses of variable temperature NMR spectra revealing that the rate constant of the chiral inversion at the S atoms in 1-PF6 is greater than that at the Se atoms in 2-PF6 and the difference in the ΔH‡ values of 1-PF6 (47.1 kJ mol−1) and 2-PF6 (56.7 kJ mol−1) and the negative ΔS‡ values (−39.9 and −57.5 J mol−1 K−1 for 1-PF6 and 2-PF6, respectively) suggest that the inversion processes involve bond cleavage between the metal centers and S or Se atoms followed by coordination of solvent molecules. The electrochemical properties of 1-PF6 and 2-PF6 were evaluated using cyclic voltammetry and this revealed that both 1+ and 2+ exhibit two consecutive, reversible one-electron reduction waves that are assigned to formal Mo(IV IV IV)/Mo(III IV IV) and Mo(III IV IV)/Mo(III III IV) couples, respectively. The ability of 1-PF6 and 2-PF6 to catalyze the electroreduction of H+ was also examined using CH3CO2H or CF3CO2H as a proton source. Noteworthy, the redox potentials for the catalytic wave depend on the acidity of the added acids. Thus, the catalytic current around the first reduction wave is observed in the presence of the stronger trifluoroacetic acid as a proton source, while the current around the second reduction wave appears when the weaker acetic acid is used.
Enantioselective Helicene Synthesis by Rhodium-Catalyzed [2+2+2] Cycloadditions
Authors: Tanaka Ken , Kimura Yuki , Murayama Koichi
Published: November 2014

The highly enantioselective synthesis of functionalized helicenes and helicene-like molecules have been achieved via rhodium-catalyzed [2+2+2] cycloaddition reactions. The rhodium-catalyzed enantioselective intramolecular [2+2+2] cycloaddition of 2-naphthol-linked triynes afforded [7]helicene-like molecules in good yields and ee values. The more sterically encumbered reaction, the rhodium-catalyzed enantioselective double intramolecular [2+2+2] cycloaddition of a 2-naphthol-linked hexayne, also proceeded to give a [11]helicene-like molecule with high ee value, although the product yield was low. Not only intramolecular cycloaddition reactions but also intermolecular ones were accomplished by combinations of electron-rich tetraynes and electron-poor diynes to give [7]- and [9]helicene-like molecules and [7]helicenes in varying yields and ee values.
Imperium in Imperio : Robert Hart, the Chinese Maritime Customs Service, and Its (Self-)Representations
Authors: Vynckier Henk , Chang Chihyun
Published: November 2014

Under the leadership of the Irishman Robert Hart (Inspector General from 1863 to 1911), the Chinese Maritime Customs Service functioned as a semiindependent monopolistic organization, and continually expanded its involvement in various sectors of the Chinese government and society. This paper aims to discuss the manner in which the CMCS told its story through life writing and other publications, and promoted its interests on the basis of Hart’s personal history and his successors’ determination to ground their authority in his stewardship.
Rewriting the Death and Afterlife of a Corporation: Bethlehem Steel
Authors: Kennedy Michael D.
Published: November 2014

Various genres and media and their accounts of Bethlehem Steel’s history illustrate the relationality of its corporate personhood, and the consequent importance of labor and class conflict to critical corporate studies. The Steel’s death and afterlife also extend the field’s ability to see how the survivors of businesses gone bankrupt monumentalize an industrial past to imagine alternative futures in an age of casino capitalism.
The Autobiographical IOU: Elizabeth Warren’s Debtor-Citizen and the Reliably Liable Life Narrative
Authors: Itagaki Lynn Mie
Published: November 2014

In light of the cultural politics following the 2008 global financial crisis, this essay analyzes the autobiographical acts of US Senator Elizabeth Warren, and her advocacy for the “debtor-citizen,” in order to outline a new hybrid narrative that draws from scholarship, memoirs, and self-help literature. The controversy over Warren’s unverified Native American ancestry constructs the political candidate as an autobiographical debtor to her constituents, exposing the autobiographical “I” as an autobiographical “IOU.”
“Refugees from This Native Dreamland”: Life Narratives of Occupy Wall Street
Authors: Cherniavsky Eva
Published: November 2014

This essay argues that Occupy Wall Street rethinks the concept of “the people” as no longer an abstract body politic, but a proliferating set of concrete, participatory collectives. This reconceptualization of modern mass politics proceeds, rhetorically, by recourse to the testimonial and the life narrative. In the turn to movement autobiography, we can decipher key aspects of the present political situation to which OWS strives to respond.
In Good Company: Corporate Personhood, Labor, and the Management of Affect in Undercover Boss
Authors: McGlothlin John
Published: November 2014

By drawing upon corporate personhood’s elision of executive and institution, as well as minimalistic life writing, the reality program Undercover Boss presents contemporary US businesses as sympathetic to the plight of their employees. Even as it highlights an affective intimacy between bosses and workers, however, the show strives to perpetuate corporate-friendly labor conditions.
Against Stenography for the Powerful: An Interview with P. Sainath
Authors: Franklin Cynthia G. , Shankar S. , Sainath P.
Published: November 2014

Award-winning journalist P. Sainath discusses the degree to which journalism has become “stenography of the powerful,” which not only forwards corporate interests but also standardizes the writing of news in ways that kill the very elements of style and commitment that marked the best journalism of earlier generations. His recent responses to such corporatization include the creation of “The People’s Archive of India,” which enlists the citizens of rural India to document their own stories as well as the incredible array of artistic, artisanal, and craft traditions in the rural areas of the country.
Overseas Singaporeans, Coming-of-Career Narratives, and the Corporate Nation
Authors: Naruse Cheryl Narumi
Published: November 2014

What do corporate subjectivities look like when the corporation is seen as the nation-state? This essay explores the notion of corporate personhood through an examination of the conjunction of neoliberal, corporate, and national ideologies, whose typically distinct genealogies converge in the Singaporean context. Through a reading of Conversations on Coming Home: 20 Singaporeans Share Their Stories , a booklet specifically designed to recruit Singaporeans living abroad to return home, I propose the notion of “coming-of-career” stories as a critical term for understanding the ways lives are constructed and valued according to neoliberal ideals.
Blake Mycoskie, TOMS, and Life Narratives of Conspicuous Giving
Authors: Talpalaru Margrit
Published: November 2014

This article investigates the rise of social enterprises as the post-recessionary growth avenue for corporate capitalism through the example of TOMS. Through readings of the TOMS website and Blake Mycoskie’s memoir of starting the company, I highlight the endurance of corporatist mechanisms, in spite of TOMS’s rhetorical insistence on the novelty of its business model. Social enterprises are inscribed in the larger phenomenon of conspicuous giving, which makes visible acts of donating, fundraising, and volunteering for a specific cause. Conspicuous giving, in other words, refers to any charitable act performed in the public sphere to which a certain amount of public recognition is attached. Arguably at stake in the rise of social entrepreneurship is the naturalization of free labor as a condition of global citizenship.
The Free Impersonality of Bourgeois Spirit
Authors: Brennan Timothy
Published: November 2014

To challenge the bourgeoisie today, even to say its name, seems impossible given that its identity seems to many indistinct today. The capitalist is not really seen nor theorized; its figure is said to blend into the social carpet. But the bourgeoisie is as tangible as ever, only more “spiritual.” It has managed to conceal itself by making individuals im persons. One version of this move exists, paradoxically, among those who hate capitalism: posthumanists. The only way to be outside bourgeois value, though, is to revive the human person.
Morality and Martyrdom: Dams, Dharma , and the Cultural Politics of Work in Indian-Occupied Kashmir
Authors: Bhan Mona
Published: November 2014

In this essay, I explore how corporations such as India’s National Hydroelectric Power Corporation and the Hindustan Construction Company use corporate humanitarianism to justify their illegitimate control over critical rivers in the Kashmir valley and to quell Kashmiri “subversion” through new labor and employment regimes. Kashmiri workers use death and martyrdom to contest narratives of corporate morality.
New and Improved: The Zero-Sum Game of Corporate Personhood
Authors: Hardack Richard
Published: November 2014

Corporate personhood is part of a zero-sum game in which human traits and privileges are transferred to corporations; conversely, actual persons become, largely without their realization, more impersonal and generic, and increasingly defined by their relations to things. Advertising is the life writing of the non-existent corporate person, which is retroactively created by a form of commercial speech whose “author” claims the privileges of political and religious personhood.
My Name is Caterpillar: Corrie et al. v. Caterpillar, Inc.
Authors: Harlow Barbara
Published: November 2014

According to Israeli Judge Oded Gershon’s opinion in Estate of Rachel Corrie v. The State of Israel in August 2012, Corrie’s death by Caterpillar bulldozer was an “unfortunate accident,” Rachel’s own fault: “Even when she saw the mound of earth moving towards her,” Gershon opined, “she did not move away. The accident was caused by the deceased.” This essay argues for a different verdict, and examines the several biographical narratives that complicate the judiciousness of Judge Gershon’s opinion—those of Corrie herself, of other Palestinians who have died in the course of Israeli house demolitions, and Caterpillar’s own relationship with the state of Israel and the US government—in the larger context of the Alien Tort Statute and its “political question doctrine” in US courts, which also found the Corries’ claims against the multinational corporation to be dismissable.
Configuring Affect: Complex World Making in Fatih Akın’s Auf der anderen Seite (The Edge of Heaven)
Authors: Breger Claudia
Published: November 2014

Through a close reading of Fatih Akın’s Auf der anderen Seite ( The Edge of Heaven , 2007), this article undertakes a theoretical intervention into the cinematic study of affect. The proposed model of narrative as a world-making assemblage of affects, associations, images, words, and sounds integrates signification-critical, affirmation-oriented approaches to affect with a continued critique of ideology. In developing how the film’s complex narrative intertwines distanciation and affect, I probe how we can turn to “good feelings” without disregarding the legacies of inequality that block them in the contemporary world.
Cold War Carmen in US Racial Modernity
Authors: Atanasoski Neda
Published: November 2014

This article addresses Otto Preminger’s Carmen Jones (1954), the all-black-cast musical adaptation of Prosper Mérimée’s nineteenth-century French novella Carmen . The racial discourses through which the novella portrayed the infamous Gypsy seductress were refigured in the musical, which exemplifies the early Cold War renegotiations of race and citizenship taking place in the United States. By eliminating the narrative of racial conflict present in Mérimée’s Carmen , the racially homogeneous universe of Preminger’s musical affirmed the United States as a racially exceptional nation, erasing the domestic context of racial struggle and the historical entanglement between European imperialism and US twentieth-century geopolitical supremacy.
Modernization and Ambivalence in Octavio Cortázar’s Por primera vez
Authors: Balaisis Nicholas
Published: November 2014

This article examines the Cuban documentary film Por primera vez by film-maker Octavio Cortázar (1967). This film has been an important symbol of film culture in Cuba following the revolution in 1959 for both Cuban and international film critics. By framing the film within its broad critical reception, I argue that the documentary remains a complicated postrevolutionary text that indexes Cuba’s ambivalent relationship to modernization in the late 1960s. I draw particular attention to the role of Charlie Chaplin in the documentary, arguing that he serves as a symbol of an ambivalent relationship to modernity and modernization.
Statistical Analysis of Television Style: What Can Numbers Tell Us about TV Editing?
Authors: Butler Jeremy
Published: November 2014

This article assays the value of splicing together humanities-based analysis of television style with digitally generated statistical data. The editing style of the situation comedy Happy Days (1974–1984) provides an intriguing test case for the utility of such analyses, as the show made a radical shift in its mode of production after its second season—switching from single camera to multiple camera (with a studio audience). Using data collected on Shot Logger ( http://www.shotlogger.org ), this article measures the cutting rates correlated with each mode of production and finds a statistically significant difference between the two. Additionally, the article examines the general acceleration of cutting rates on American television since 1951 and comes to a perhaps surprising conclusion about the impact of individual editors on television style.
“Past Not-So-Perfect”: Ararat and Its Reception in Turkey
Authors: Köksal Özlem
Published: November 2014

When Atom Egoyan released his ninth feature film, Ararat (2002), it caused heated debates in Turkey and elsewhere as a result of its subject matter: the massacres of Ottoman Armenians between 1915 and 1918. This article looks at the problematic reception of Ararat in Turkey, examining not only the film itself but also the literature produced on the subject by journalists, opinion leaders, and academics. It argues that the official discourse on the Armenian genocide in Turkey also shaped discussions about the film in that country.
Academic Dishonesty: Behaviors, Sanctions, and Retention of Adjudicated College Students
Authors: Olafson Lori , Schraw Gregory , Kehrwald Nicholas
Published: November 2014

Academic dishonesty, also known as academic misconduct, includes a variety of actions such as plagiarism, cheating on tests using text messaging or concealed notes, exchanging work with other students, buying essays from students or on the Internet, and having other students write examinations (Diekhoff, LaBeff, Shinohara, & Yasukawa, 1999; Ellery, 2008; Underwood & Szabo, 2003). Although academic dishonesty is believed to be widespread among college students, very few are caught and fewer still are sanctioned. This study examined students who were accused of academic misconduct at a large institution. We used an unobtrusive behavioral indicator of misconduct, collecting and analyzing 421 Description of Alleged Academic Misconduct forms over two academic years (2007–2009). Plagiarism accounted for 49% of the violations, while receiving external assistance accounted for (35%). Approximately 91.5% of reported cases occurred among undergraduate level classes (freshman=43.5%, sophomore=15%, junior=9%, senior=24%). Approximately 98% of individuals were found responsible with 80% or more receiving three or more sanctions.
The Impact of Career Exploration on Career Development Among Hong Kong Chinese University Students
Authors: Cheung Raysen , Arnold John
Published: November 2014

Career exploration is widely believed to produce positive career development outcomes among college and university students. Some research has supported this belief, but there is little information about exactly which outcomes it affects and whether any benefits of career exploration can be observed beyond individualistic western cultures. We report findings from cross-sectional ( N =271) and longitudinal ( N =101) data provided by university students in Hong Kong. The amount of career exploration was associated with career decision self-efficacy and amount of information, but not with self-clarity or career decidedness. All the outcome variables except decidedness increased significantly over time. Career support, especially from teachers, was also associated with the outcome variables. The results and their practical implications are discussed in light of Hong Kong culture and the characteristics of its student population, as well as career development theory.
Dynamics of Race and Prosocial Involvement Experiences in Developing an Ecumenical Worldview
Authors: Gehrke Sean
Published: November 2014

In this study the differences in ecumenical worldview development are examined by race for 3,300 college students from 135 institutions. Results indicate that all students exhibited significant growth through college in ecumenical worldview, and students of color (Black, Asian, and Latino students) exhibited significantly higher levels of ecumenical worldview than White students. Prosocial involvement experiences that significantly predicted ecumenical worldview for at least 2 groups in the study were leadership training, activism, and political campaigning. These findings point to the importance of prosocial cocurricular experiences in contributing to ecumenical worldview development.
Adjusting to New Places: International Student Adjustment and Place Attachment
Authors: Terrazas-Carrillo Elizabeth C. , Hong Ji Y. , Pace Terry M.
Published: November 2014

Using data obtained from in-depth semistructured interviews, we examined international students’ attachments to place in the local American Midwestern community where they have attended college for at least 2 years. The results of this study suggest that participants engage in a process of renegotiation of meanings attached to new places in ways that fulfill specific needs, such as a desire for social interaction, an opportunity for self-expression, and the expression of their emotional experience. The implications of the study results contribute to understanding the role of place attachments in the process of adjustment to another culture, as places seem to be evaluated and redefined so that they are experienced in congruence with the self.
Student Development in an Experiential Learning Program
Authors: Gilbert Brandi L. , Banks Julianna , Houser John H. W. , Rhodes Simon J. , Lees N. Douglas
Published: November 2014

This study is an outcomes assessment of an experiential learning program for undergraduate students interested in life and health sciences careers enrolled at a public urban research institution. The year-long research and professional experience internships were projected to improve learning outcomes in undergraduates. The study included an intensive learning outcomes assessment of one cohort. Results suggest high levels of active learning.
Student Loan Debt Literacy: A Comparison of First-Generation and Continuing-Generation College Students
Authors: Lee Jason , Mueller John A.
Published: November 2014

While much has been written about the increasing debt burden that college students incur, little research examines student’s perceptions of debt. This study sought to determine if student loan debt literacy differs by generation status (first-generation and continuing-generation). The data for this study was collected from a sample of 156 first-year college students at mid-sized, public institution in the mid-Atlantic region. The results showed statistically significant differences between first-generation and continuing-generation college students with respect to the decision to use loans. Implications for practice, debt literacy measurement, and future research are discussed.
Clubs and the Campus Racial Climate: Student Organizations and Interracial Friendship in College
Authors: Park Julie J.
Published: November 2014

This study uses data from the National Longitudinal Study of Freshmen to examine the racial/ethnic composition of student organizations as well as the relationship between student organization participation and close interracial friendship. White students were the most likely to be in majority White environments in fraternities and sororities, while religious groups were the environments where Black and Asian American students were most likely to gather with same-race peers. Participating in Greek life, religious groups, and ethnic student organizations were negative predictors of having at least one close friend of another race/ethnicity. Students of color had higher rates of close interracial friendship than White students, and students attending racially diverse campuses were more likely to have close interracial friendship. Implications for student organizations and their impact on the campus racial climate are discussed.
Community-based Service-learning as a Context for Youth Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness
Authors: Kackar-Cam Hayal , Schmidt Jennifer A.
Published: November 2014

Framed by self-determination and identity development theories, this study examined the process through which participating in a community-based service-learning project supported high school students’ feelings of autonomy, competence and relatedness, and how these feelings were related to students’ intentions for doing more service in the future. The goals were to understand 1) the task and time related variations in students’ reports of autonomy, competence and relatedness, and 2) whether these task and time related variations differed for youth who did service voluntarily compared to those who did service to fulfill a requirement. Results showed increases in autonomy, competence and relatedness over the course of the project, as well as task-related variations in these feelings. Competence and relatedness positively predicted internalized reasons for future service. Internalized reasons positively predicted strong intentions for future service. Required and voluntary service participants reported similar levels of autonomy, competence and relatedness, as well as similar reasons and intentions for future service. Implications provide insights into designing service programs for adolescents’ optimal psychosocial development during out-of-school time.
On the High School Education of a Pithecanthropus Erectus
Authors: Steel Sean
Published: November 2014

This article examines our modern ways of schooling youth in light of philosophic and personal narrative accounts of “the Dionysian” aspect – a term the author uses to understand his own experiences and aspirations as a high school English teacher. Having articulated the meaning of this term, he goes on to point out how schools today are largely “anti-Dionysian” in character. Next, drawing upon the work of Plato alongside pop-cultural references, he offers readers some ideas about what value a truly “Dionysian education” might have, what it might look like at the high school level, and he discusses some of the problems with instituting such an education in schools today.
How Many Teachers Does It Take to Support a Student?: Examining the Relationship between Teacher Support and Adverse Health Outcomes in High-Performing, Pressure-Cooker High Schools
Authors: Conner Jerusha O. , Miles Sarah B. , Pope Denise C.
Published: November 2014

Although considerable research has demonstrated the importance of supportive teacher-student relationships to students’ academic and nonacademic outcomes, few studies have explored these relationships in the context of high-performing high schools. Hierarchical linear modeling with a sample of 5,557 students from 14 different high-performing high schools reveals that students who believe more of their teachers care for them and students who have an adult confidant within the school fare significantly better in terms of academic anxiety, internalizing symptoms, and physical problems related to school stress than their less supported counterparts. Results also show that having support from more teachers may be a stronger protective factor for students in these schools than having a close relationship with a single adult in the school. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Hungarian Youth in Transylvania Discuss Hybrid Notions of Civic Identity: Making the Case for Cultural Preservation and Multilingualism
Authors: Obenchain Kathryn M , Alarcón Jeannette , Ives Bob , Bellows Elizabeth , Alamă Mădălina
Published: November 2014

This study aims to understand ways in which Hungarian high school students describe and articulate their civic identity, as members of varied civic communities. We conducted our study in Romania, an emerging democracy with an Hungarian national minority, as it provides a unique opportunity to examine the development of a democratic civic identity in increasingly transnational spaces. We situated our site school as a figured world where students and teachers constructed a place to cultivate and preserve Hungarian identity within an interdependent world. Findings suggest that the figured world of the school provided a space for students in which their Hungarian heritage is preserved and cultivated through language and tradition. Further, students expressed a sense of agency when describing their educational and professional opportunities, allowing them to envision a future built on their own terms. The implications for civic education in Romania, other emerging democracies, as well as the United States and other diverse nations, speak mainly to the notions of hybridity of ethnicity and heritage as youth begin to explore these identities in their own individual terms as well as in the official spaces of schooling.
“Falling through the Cracks”: Challenges for High School Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Hedges Susan H. , Kirby Anne V. , Sreckovic Melissa A. , Kucharczyk Suzanne , Hume Kara , Pace Stephanie
Published: November 2014

High school students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often struggle in the complex social and academic secondary environment. Current literature suggests postsecondary success is limited for adults with ASD, but little is known about the high school experiences of individuals with ASD that may be impacting their postsecondary outcomes. Focus groups with multiple stakeholders were used to examine challenges facing high school students with ASD and their service providers. Through qualitative analysis, three themes emerged that illuminate challenges posed in the high school setting for students with ASD: (1) inconsistencies, many of which are intrinsic to the secondary environment, (2) difficulties with interpersonal connections, and (3) knowledge/process breakdowns. The findings demonstrate the misalignment or “crack” that exists between the nature of high schools and the needs of students with ASD as they prepare for success in postsecondary environments.
Locational Determinants of US Outward FDI into Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Okafor Godwin
Published: November 2014

This paper uses panel data techniques to investigate the locational determinants of US outward foreign direct investment (FDI) into 23 countries of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for 1996–2010. The findings revealed that US outward FDI into SSA is influenced by the availability of crude oil and natural gas, infrastructure development, market size and completion rates in primary education. Conversely, labor force (of those aged 15+) and inflation deter US FDI, while political instability, corruption, and the exchange rate have an insignificant negative relationship with US FDI. These findings suggest that US investors investing in SSA are significantly influenced by resource and market seeking factors but not by efficiency seeking factors. The study therefore suggests that credible policies for attracting US investors into SSA countries should be relentlessly pursued through education, training and skills acquisition, inflation targets, trade openness (especially in the natural resource sector), corruption control and political stability.
Why Do Poor Households Not Apply For Welfare Benefits?: Evidence from Jamaica’s Path Program
Authors: Blake Garfield O. , Gibbison Godfrey
Published: November 2014

Estimates show only 56 percent of poor households who are eligible for benefits under the Program of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) in Jamaica actually applied to the program. Also, application rate among urban households is approximately half the rate that exists among poor rural households. This study investigates potential reasons for the relatively low application rate. Using data compiled by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN), we conclude that single male household heads are two to four times less likely to apply for benefits compared to households headed by females and married couples. Problems regarding information about PATH and the complexity of the application process have the greatest impact on the decision not to apply.
The Role of Telecommunications Infrastructure In The Regional Economic Growth of Africa
Authors: Batuo Michael Enowbi
Published: November 2014

This paper presents empirical evidence on how telecommunications infrastructure is related to economic growth in a panel dataset covering 44 African countries for the period from 1990 to 2010. A dynamic panel data approach model is employed, which suggests that telecommunications contribute in a major way to the economic development of the continent, after controlling for a number of other factors. Furthermore, the findings also show that investment in telecommunications is subject to increasing returns, demonstrating that an increase in telecommunications investment produces further growth. Therefore, telecommunications investment and services should be encouraged in the region.
The Relationship between Economic Growth and Remittances In The Presence of Cross-Sectional Dependence
Authors: Salahuddin Mohammad , Gow Jeff
Published: November 2014

This paper reexamines the relationship between migrant remittances and economic growth using the most recent panel data (1977–2012) for some of the largest recipient countries of foreign remittances in the world namely, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and the Philippines. A cross-sectional dependence test (CD) was employed which confirms the presence of cross sectional dependence in the panel. We employ CIPS panel unit root test that accounts for cross sectional dependence to test the stationarity of data. The long run relationship between economic growth and remittance was confirmed by the Panel Pedroni and Westerlund cointegration tests. Then, the Pooled Mean Group (PMG) regression technique was applied to estimate the short- and the long-run relationship between the two variables while controlling for country size and heterogeneity. The results indicate a highly significant long-run positive relationship between remittance and economic growth in these countries. However, there is an insignificant positive association between them in the short run. The error correction term in the short run is −0.037 suggesting that approximately 3% of the deviations in the short run from the long-run equilibrium are corrected each year. The overall results support the argument that remittances are playing increasingly important role for these countries' economies and as such, they should continue with their pro-remittance policies looking combined with diversifying their manpower exports. Although, the findings are consistent with most of the existing literature that support the positive role of migrants' remittances in spurring economic growth, scope exists for future research to identify various channels through which remittances impact not only growth but also other macro variables.
Capital Flows and the Openness-Growth Nexus: Toda-Yamamoto Causality Modeling
Authors: Elian Mohammad I. , Suliman Adil H.
Published: November 2014

This article tests for the causal direct and interactive association between capital inflow, aid and domestic savings, and the trade-led growth nexus within the context of a market-oriented economy. We applied the Toda-Yamamoto (1995) causality test which eludes the shortfalls associated with the standard Granger (1969) causality test. The MWALD results revealed bi-directional causality between aid and growth and between trade openness and growth. One way causality is concluded between aid and openness, where the former Granger causes the latter. The reverse is not correct. As practical implications, the results reinforce that aid and trade openness are predominant conditions for economic growth. Given the shortfall in domestic savings, capital inflow can be motivated by investing in export oriented sectors to have improved competiveness. More innovative mechanisms are needed to increase the contribution of aids towards education and infrastructure. For trade, technical support programs are needed, i.e., building public awareness on trade strategies, assessing periodically the legislations of trade, and upgrading the capacities of local businesses.
Implications of Out-Migration in Rural Agriculture: A Case Study of Manapang Village, Tanahun, Nepal
Authors: Khanal Uttam , Alam Khorshed , Khanal Ramesh C. , Regmi Punya P.
Published: November 2014

This study was undertaken to assess the relationship between agriculture and migration in Manapang Village Development Committee (VDC) of Tanahun District, Nepal. A total of 120 randomly sampled households were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Results showed that the average land holding size, irrigated land holding size, livestock holding, income from agriculture, and investment of household income in agriculture to be higher in non-migrating households than in migrating households, whereas total household income was higher in migrating households than in non-migrating ones. The marginal value productivity of labor was lower for major crops than the average wage rate for non-farm work. The size of abandoned land was higher in migrating than non-migrating households. The average share of remittances in household income was 62.50% in migrating households. Out-migration affected the total annual gross agricultural production significantly contributing 16.80 percent to the total variation negatively. A large proportion of the remittances were used for consumption purposes, but only 5% was used in agriculture. Findings of this study reveal that although migration has a positive effect on the overall economy in the rural households, agricultural productivity suffers as a result.
Trade Performance of the Less Developed African Countries
Authors: Fontoura Maria Paula , Crespo Nuno
Published: November 2014

Adopting a long term perspective covering four decades, we evaluate the trade performance of less developed African countries. Besides some general trade indicators, we apply a constant market share analysis in order to decompose export performance into several components with specific economic interpretation. Our main conclusions are: (i) the sectoral specialization structure of exports has remained heavy in commodities but the composition of the basket of goods exported has changed considerably with a very strong concentration in crude oil (mainly in the last two decades), (ii) the geographical structure of exports has also changed, with an important increase of the relative importance of China and USA, (iii) the countries under analysis not only show a negative competitiveness effect, but are also penalized by their sectoral and geographical specialization, and (iv) the most favorable evolution is observed in the most recent sub-period (2000–2007), but it is insufficient to reverse the previous negative trend.
Non-Monetary Assessment of Pro-Poor Growth In Nigeria: Evidence From Demographic and Health Surveys
Authors: Oyekale Abayomi Samuel
Published: November 2014

Poverty analytical approaches have recently considered households’ deprivation in several welfare attributes in what has been tagged multidimensional poverty. This approach has been well embraced due to acceptability of human development indices as a parameter for comparing welfare across different segments of the population. In this study, non-monetary indicators of welfare were aggregated into composite welfare indicator for pro-poor growth assessment. The 1999, 2003 and 2008 Demographic and Health Survey data were analyzed using the poverty equivalent growth rate (PEGR) and growth incidence curves (GICs). Results show that although sometimes pro-poor, non-income growth rates in many of the zones and states were negative between 1999 and 2003. In the 2003–2008 period, some more positive values were obtained. Specifically, between 1999 and 2003, there was pro-poor growth in non-income poverty in the north-western zone with urban areas benefiting more than rural areas. In the North East zone, there was pro-poor growth between 1999 and 2003, while none was pro-poor between 2003 and 2008. In the North Central zone, all the sectoral results for between 1999 and 2003 had negative growth rates. In South West zone, the growth rates for all the analyses are with negative growth rates between 1999 and 2003. In the South South zone, all the sectoral results had negative growth rates and pro-poor. In South East zone, between 1999 and 2003, all the sectoral results are with positive growth rates and pro-poor. In the combined households (Nigeria) analysis, that all the results had negative growth rates. There is therefore the need for ensuring proper monitoring of non-income poverty across different zones and states in order to ensure adequacy of different mechanisms for tackling it.
Sustainability of The Current Account In Bangladesh: An Intertemporal and Cointegration Analysis
Authors: Wadud Md Abdul , Atiar Rahman S. M. , Chowdhury Mohd. Mozammel Hossain
Published: November 2014

This paper aims to assess the sustainability of the current account of Bangladesh over the period of 1982–2012 using the intertemporal solvency model of Hakkio and Rush (1991) and Husted (1992). This approach examines the relationship between exports and imports plus unilateral transfer payments. We apply Johansen cointegration test and Dynamic Ordinary Least Square (DOLS) to evaluate the sustainability. Cointegration between inflows and outflows of current account implies that the intertemporal budget constraint is satisfied. Results of the Johansen cointegration test imply that there is a cointegrating relationship between exports and imports plus unilateral transfer payments. This indicates that Bangladesh’s current account is sustainable but result of DOLS estimation reveals that it is weakly sustainable.
Re-designing Equalization Transfers: An Application to South Africa’s Provincial Equitable Share
Authors: Alm James , Martinez-Vazquez Jorge
Published: November 2014

In this paper we examine the design of transfer systems, focusing on the Provincial Equitable Share (PES) in the Republic of South Africa. Provinces in South Africa have been assigned a wide range of responsibilities. Because provinces are almost completely reliant on transfers from the central government, the design of the PES is of critical importance, especially in its ability to achieve the goal of “equalization” across provinces. Our

specific

conclusion is that the PES largely fails in its efforts to equalize across provinces. Our more

general

conclusion that follows from this is that the PES attempts to achieve too many conflicting goals, and so it necessarily fails to achieve all goals equally or well, especially its ability to equalize. We conclude with suggestions for ways to reform the PES to better achieve the goal of equalization, lesson that also apply to other countries.
Market Efficiency in Developing African Stock Markets: What Do We Know?
Authors: Afego Pyemo N.
Published: November 2014

In the late 1980s, many countries in Africa established national stock exchanges with a view to foster financial development and economic growth. This paper provides a survey and synthesis of the extant literature on the efficiency of African equity markets (AEMs). It explores the path of development of stock markets in Africa with an emphasis on their efficiency, trends in performance, and developmental challenges. We find that much of the research into the efficiency of AEMs has focused on weak-form efficiency and the results, though mixed, lean towards rejection of the weak-form efficiency. We also find that the empirical literature has ignored the role of behavioral biases in the analyses of market efficiency, and has treated efficiency as static over different stages of market development. Finally, considering the traditionally small size of most AEMs, increased harmonization and integration of the various national exchanges may improve the informational efficiency and depth of AEMs.
Macroeconomic Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment: Evidence from India
Authors: Dua Pami , Garg Reetika
Published: November 2014

This study examines the macroeconomic factors underlying FDI flows to India using cointegrating VAR with I(1) exogenous variables. The results indicate that conventional determinants such as a depreciating exchange rate, higher domestic returns, higher domestic output and better infrastructure are conducive to FDI flows to India. The results also indicate that macroeconomic instability has adverse effects while credit worthiness is conducive to FDI flows. A negative relation between trade openness and FDI is observed suggesting that FDI flows to India may be tariff jumping in nature. Empirical estimates also indicate that an increase in global FDI flows to other emerging economies reduces FDI flows to India indicating that India competes with other emerging economies in receiving FDI. Further, the results show that higher foreign output is conducive to FDI flows indicating procyclicality of FDI with economic performance of foreign countries.
Fiscal Deficits in Egypt: Is It A Macroeconomic or Politico-Institutional Problem?
Authors: Torayeh Neveen M.
Published: November 2014

This paper aims at finding and analyzing the key determinants of Egypt’s fiscal deficits for the period of 1985–2013. It hypothesizes that the political and institutional factors are more important than macroeconomic variables to explain the fiscal deficits of the country in question. In carrying out the research, the paper employs ARDL technique. Findings of the study include that the growth in interest payments, public wage, and subsidy bills are the key sources of fiscal deficits in Egypt. They separately outweigh most of the gains with tax revenues. The reason for this kind of results is found to be largely due to adverse political and institutional factors prevailing in the country. In order to estimate the individual influences of the factors, we use Variance Decomposition Method. Policy implications of the research suggest that to control the future risks of fiscal deficits in Egypt, it is necessary to restrict the growth of subsidy bill and interest payments. However, more efforts are needed to reform the entire tax revenue system and its collection procedures. In addition, policy makers should adopt massive and appropriate political and institutional reform measures.
The Impact of an Integrated Microcredit Program on The Empowerment of Women and Gender Equality in Rural Vietnam
Authors: Dineen Katherine , Le Quan V.
Published: November 2014

In this paper we attempt to analyze the impact of an integrated microcredit program on the empowerment of women in rural Vietnam. We conduct a longitudinal study in 2008 and 2012 on a sample of 50 microcredit recipients. The finding indicates the importance of the empowerment components in the Peace Trees microcredit program, which serves as leverage for higher income generation and greater gender equality. The study emphasizes the role of the Women’s Union in designing and implementing the microcredit program with the objective of empowering women. This study supports the importance of the feminist empowerment paradigm in which empowerment is a best practice when a gender equality approach is embedded in program design, rather than an add-on benefit. The microcredit program has also integrated the poverty alleviation paradigm and the financial self-sustainability paradigm.