bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
As If Religion Matters: Teaching the Introductory Course as if it Does
Authors: Thompson Deanna A.
Published: January 2004

This essay chronicles the academic odyssey of a young professor who sets out to revise the department's Introduction to Religion course only to realize that she must first clarify her vocational commitments before she can create a teachable course. She is convinced through working with many students who express disdain or even hostility toward the subject matter that she wants to model a relationship to the subject matter that says religion matters, but is uncertain how to do this. After an autobiographical foray into her academic upbringing in active learning, the author articulates four values to model in her teaching: personal relevance, academic responsibility, ethics, and community. The author then engages current scholarship in active learning, and narrates the process of translating those four values into concrete course goals and particular assignments. The essay concludes with an assessment of teaching the revised course.
Making the Most of a Good Story: Effective Use of Film as a Teaching Resource for Ethics
Authors: Marshall Ellen Ott
Published: January 2004

Many faculty members reach for powerful clips or entire films to give background information to a topic or to provoke discussion. We do this because we have a sense that such materials engage students in a way that more theoretical texts, speculative discussions, or even case studies do not. In the field of ethics, however, one meets resistance to employing narratives that are too engaging. The wary ethicist doubts that a medium that manipulates the viewer, engages the emotions, and elicits a personal connection to the characters is the best resource for ethical reflection. This paper argues that film, like other narrative forms, is indeed an appropriate medium for teaching ethics and suggests methods for doing so effectively.
Stacking the Deck to Teach Methodological Parallels in Science and Religion
Authors: Gathman Allen , Pratt Andrew
Published: January 2004

This essay describes an introductory class exercise to help prepare students to critically examine both religious beliefs and scientific findings. Using a published pedagogical exercise originally designed to teach Popperian falsificationism and modified to encompass a variety of schools of thought about hypothesis testing, the paper explores how groups of students utilized assigned philosophical approaches such as neojustificationism, falsificationism, or conventionalism. A description of the exercise and some of the learning outcomes are included.
The Role of Moral Exemplars in the Teaching and Learning of Practical Reason in a Catholic University
Authors: Ingrando Carla
Published: January 2004

The content of Catholic social teaching suggests that an appropriate pedagogy for the teaching and learning of Catholic social thought is the teaching and learning of practical reason. This article explores the role of moral exemplars in the teaching and learning of practical reason in a Catholic university. Specifically, the article details the use of moral exemplars in the “Profiles in the Catholic Social Tradition” course taught at the University of Notre Dame in the Fall semester of 2000. After a brief explanation of the appeal to practical reason as an appropriate pedagogy for teaching and learning the content of Catholic social teaching, the article turns to a discussion of our particular experience of using moral exemplars in the classroom.
“I Wasn’t Prepared for the Emotion”: Archival Research in Religious and Theological Studies
Authors: Hicks Jane E.
Published: January 2004

One might think that primary research in library and church archives would be a dry, lifeless endeavor, far removed from the present–day spiritual urgency that quickens the religious studies classroom. After all, archives raise the specter of musty tomes housed in dark, dank, and isolated basements. To the contrary, based on interviews with several students and teachers doing such research, this article maintains that primary archival research in religious and theological studies is often experienced as empowering, connecting researchers to their subjects with an immediacy that secondary sources simply cannot provide. Diaries, letters, hymns, administrative reports, and church–school teaching notes are the sorts of documentary evidence and personal effects at issue, and these offer unexpected insights to researchers who brave the archives.
The Certainty of Uncertainty: GIS and the Limits of Geographic Knowledge
Authors: Couclelis Helen
Published: January 2004

Considerable effort has been devoted over the years to fighting uncertainty in geographic information in its different manifestations. Thus far, research on handling inaccuracy, fuzziness, error and related issues has focused for the most part on problems with spatial data and their direct products, typically representations of spatial objects or fields. This paper seeks to broaden the discussion of uncertainty in the geospatial domain by shifting the focus from information to knowledge. It turns out that there is a surprising number of things that we cannot know (or questions we cannot answer) that are not the result of imperfect information. Forms of not knowing are pervasive in domains as diverse as mathematics, logic, physics, and linguistics, and are apparently irreducible. This being the case it may help to explore how these realms of ignorance may affect our efforts. The paper distinguishes three different modes or forms of geospatial knowledge production, and argues that each of them has built–in imperfections, for reasons of logical principle and not just empirical fact. While much can and needs to be done to manage and resolve uncertainties where possible, I argue for accepting that uncertainty is an intrinsic property of complex knowledge and not just a flaw that needs to be excised.
Network Density and the Delimitation of Urban Areas
Authors: Borruso Giuseppe
Published: January 2004

This paper examines network analysis for urban areas. The research is focused on the problem of definition and visualisation of network geography and network spaces at different scales. The urban scale of analysis is examined and different spatial indices are considered. The built environment of the city is considered as a reference environment for a road network density index. The latter is implemented in order to study the spatial interactions between network phenomena and spaces and to provide further elements for the analysis of urban shape. The study is focused in particular on understanding spatial patterns drawn by networks and in helping with the delimitation of city centres. Different approaches are used to obtain the two indices: a grid–based analysis and a spatial density estimator based on Kernel Density Estimation. The two methodologies are analysed and compared using point data for the urban road network junctions and street numbers as house location identifiers in the Trieste (Italy) Municipality area. The density analysis is also used on road network junctions’ data for the city of Swindon (UK) in order to test the methodology on a different urban area.
Simulating Temporal Fluctuations of Real Estate Development in a Cellular Automata City
Authors: Wu Fulong
Published: January 2004

This research aims to understand the source of temporal fluctuations in real estate development through simulating a cellular automata model. In this cellular automata city, investment decisions are made according to the profitability measured in a local neighbourhood. If developers think there is enough of a profit margin in a particular site, i.e. a ‘niche’ of investment, they will increase investment at that site. However, by increasing investment at the site, new ‘niches’ might be created. Therefore, the action of converging towards an equilibrium state itself paves the way towards new fluctuations. This model demonstrates the potential of using simulation to increase our understanding of real estate dynamics. The experiments suggest that locally made ‘rational’ decisions can lead to temporal fluctuations because of non–linearity (discrete changes/densification and local bounded information). Interestingly, the fluctuations may show the property of a temporal fractal. This requires a sufficiently sensitive process of ‘niche’ formation compared with a relatively large impact of additional investment. The simulation suggests that the impact should be 4 to 20 times higher than the threshold over which a niche will be formed. This condition is satisfied in most cases of real estate investment, thus suggesting a self–organised criticality in complex real estate development.
Accounting for Spatial Uncertainty in Optimization with Spatial Decision Support Systems
Authors: Aerts Jeroen C. J. H. , Goodchild Michael F. , Heuvelink Gerard B. M.
Published: January 2004

Spatial decision support systems (SDSS) are designed to make complex resource allocation problems more transparent and to support the design and evaluation of allocation plans. Recent developments in this field focus on the design of allocation plans using optimization techniques. In this paper we analyze how uncertainty in spatial (input) data propagates through, and affects the results of, an optimization model. The optimization model calculates the optimal location for a ski run based on a slope map, which is derived from a digital elevation model (DEM). The uncertainty propagation is a generic method following a Monte Carlo approach, whereby realizations of the spatially correlated DEM error are generated using ‘sequential Gaussian simulation’. We successfully applied the methodology to a case study in the Austrian Alps, showing the influence of spatial uncertainty on the optimal location of a ski run and the associated development costs. We also discuss the feasibility of routine incorporation of uncertainty propagation methodologies in an SDSS.
3D Geographic Reconstruction and Visualization Techniques Applied to Land Resource Management
Authors: Grunwald Sabine , Barak Phillip
Published: January 2004

Optimized land resource management depends on reliable and detailed information describing the spatial distribution of soils, geology, topography, and land use. Soil–landscapes are three–dimensional (3D) systems commonly represented using 2D maps utilizing geographic information systems. Addressing 3D soil–landscape reality is crucial for land resource management in terms of crop growth and transport processes (e.g. nitrate leaching) that are driving soil and water quality. Our objective was to investigate the usefulness of 3D geographic information technology (GIT) applied to land resource management. Our approach is based on 2D and 3D ordinary kriging interpolating surface and subsurface attributes to reconstruct soil–landscapes. We used Virtual Reality Modeling Language, which is a web–based 3D graphics language, to visualize objects (e.g. voxels, polyhedrons) representing soil and landscape attributes. We produced a 3D block model showing the spatial distribution of bulk densities and relief for a site in southern Wisconsin and a 3D stratigraphic model showing the spatial distribution of soil horizons and relief for a site in northern Florida. Emerging GIT was used to develop 3D soil–landscape models describing continuous changes of soil and landscape attributes. Combining multimedia elements (e.g. WWW, 3D visualization, and interactivity) can produce insight that would not arise from use of the elements alone. Three–dimensional scientific visualization is a powerful tool to help us see what is invisible from above the ground.
Revisiting the Concept of Geospatial Data Interoperability within the Scope of Human Communication Processes
Authors: Brodeur Jean , Bédard Yvan , Edwards Geoffrey , Moulin Bernard
Published: January 2004

Geospatial data interoperability has been the target of major efforts by standardization bodies (e.g. OGC, ISO/TC 211) and the research community since the beginning of the 1990s. It is seen as a solution for sharing and integrating geospatial data, more specifically to solve the syntactic, schematic, and semantic as well as the spatial and temporal heterogeneities between various representations of real–world phenomena. A few models have been proposed to automatically overcome heterogeneity of geospatial data and, as a result, increase the interoperability of geospatial data. However, the addition of a conceptual framework of geospatial data interoperability would contribute to understanding geospatial data interoperability, the appreciation of where existing contributions specifically apply, and would foster new contributions. In this paper, we revisit the concept of geospatial data interoperability within the broader scope of human communication and cognition. Human communication appears to be a rich framework since humans interoperate more easily than computers do. Accordingly, we present a conceptual framework of geospatial data interoperability that is broader in scope than existing frameworks and supported by several practical examples. An ontology of geospatial data interoperability is also introduced in order to refine the description of the conceptual framework. In such a communication–based framework, the notions of concept, context, proximity, and ontology appear to be fundamental elements. These elements constitute a new approach to geosemantic proximity.
Simulation Modelling Applied to Runoff Modelling Using MapScript
Authors: Pullar David
Published: January 2004

Dynamic spatial analysis addresses computational aspects of space–time processing. This paper describes the development of a spatial analysis tool and modelling framework that together offer a solution for simulating landscape processes. A better approach to integrating landscape spatial analysis with Geographical Information Systems is advocated in this paper. Enhancements include special spatial operators and map algebra language constructs to handle dispersal and advective flows over landscape surfaces. These functional components to landscape modelling are developed in a modular way and are linked together in a modelling framework that performs dynamic simulation. The concepts and modelling framework are demonstrated using a hydrological modelling example. The approach provides a modelling environment for scientists and land resource managers to write and to visualize spatial process models with ease.
Multimedia Reporting of the Results of Natural Resource Surveys
Authors: Fisher Peter F
Published: January 2004

For most of the twentieth century Natural Resource Surveys were executed for particular geographical regions and for each region a paper map was produced together with a written report. Those conducting the survey and preparing the report have used that report to convey much information to the user, which would otherwise be lost. To the authors the report is the real product, and the map a view onto it. To most users, however, it has always been the map that was important because many lack the knowledge to comprehend the report in any detail: the report, therefore, being an adjunct to the map. Increasing production costs combined with the advances in computer systems and especially the widespread use of this information within GIS have resulted in a shift from paper to digital as the publication medium for the map and the report (when it is produced at all). Currently, many different models of presentation of natural resource survey results are apparent, ranging from those which only contain the map (spatial information) to those combining the report and the map on CD‐ROM to those presenting a more integrated view of the map and the equivalent of the report. None has yet reached the full spatial multimedia solution which is now possible with computer technology. Such an approach will make it possible to interrogate the map for the report information, and vice versa, and to access and visualize tabular information. The current diversity of approaches means the potential loss of the valuable knowledge of the surveyors and report‐writers other than as it is expressed in the map, but the integration of the report with the map in a multimedia presentation may save the report, and make that information available to more people than ever before.
Spatial Simulation and Fuzzy Threshold Analyses for Allocating Restoration Areas
Authors: Güneralp Burak , Gertner George , Mendoza Gil , Anderson Alan
Published: January 2004

This paper presents a methodology for the evaluation of land condition and for the allocation of areas requiring restoration. It is based on spatial simulation analysis and fuzzy logic. The method is demonstrated in a restoration allocation problem within a military training area in Texas. Fuzzy logic is integrated with spatial analysis through Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to make land condition assessment geographically specific. Two sources of uncertainty in Land Condition Analysis are considered in this paper. First is the uncertainty due to incomplete information on land condition. Second is the uncertainty emanating from identifying the condition of a particular parcel of land. The first is addressed by using sequential Gaussian simulation, a geostatistical tool. Erosion status is selected as the land condition factor, and uncertainty associated with it is considered in this study. Land allocation is based on fuzzy logic to reflect the continuous transition between different land conditions and the minimization of loss that is expected to occur in the case of misallocation. Various forms of loss functions are used for allocating areas in need of restoration. An important result of the study is a map showing the areas allocated for restoration. The proposed method is compared to two alternative methods with varying degrees of determinism and uncertainty. The incorporation of uncertainty led to better allocation strategies and results that are more realistic.
A Location‐centred, GIS‐based Methodology for Estimating the Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Nature Reserves
Authors: Dockerty Trudie , Lovett Andrew
Published: January 2004

Climate‐space models were constructed for 241 plant species from a sample of 86 nature reserve communities in Great Britain. Convex Hull climate envelopes were used to compile Mutual Climatic Range diagrams for selected species at each site. Present‐day and potential future climatic values over the next 100 years were compared against the climatic ranges of the species. A new Combined Envelope (a quadratic logistic regression probability surface constrained by a Convex Hull envelope) was used in a Climate Change Trend Analysis to determine future climatic suitability for species at each site (defined as a change in probability of species’ presence). Results indicate that the warming climate could favour a large proportion of plants on Scottish reserves (excepting montane species) and be less favourable for many plants on reserves in the south of England. The situation appears to be one of ‘no change’ for the majority of species on Welsh reserves and those further north in England.
The Role of Knowledge Representation in Geographic Knowledge Discovery: A Case Study
Authors: Mennis Jeremy , Peuquet Donna J
Published: January 2004

With the advent of massive, heterogeneous geographic datasets, data mining and knowledge discovery in databases (KDD) have become important tools in deriving meaningful information from these data. In this paper, we discuss how knowledge representation can be employed to significantly enhance the power of the knowledge discovery process to uncover patterns and relationships. We suggest that geographic data models that support knowledge discovery must represent both observational data and derived knowledge. In addition, knowledge representation in the context of KDD must support the iterative and interactive nature of the knowledge discovery process to enable the analyst to iteratively apply, and revise the parameters of, specific analytical techniques. Our approach to knowledge representation and discovery is demonstrated through a case study that focuses on the identification and analysis of storms and other related climate phenomena embedded within a spatio‐temporal data set of meteorological observations.
GIS in Participatory Research: Assessing the Impact of Landmines on Communities in North‐west Cambodia
Authors: Williams Craig , Dunn Christine E
Published: January 2004

The view of GIS, adopted by many, as an undemocratic and divisive technology is perhaps most poignant in settings where financial and skills‐based resources are limited, notably in lower‐income countries. Where those countries are also recovering from a period of military conflict there would at first sight seem to be little opportunity for employing GIS as part of a socially‐sensitive approach to ‘development’. This paper explores the potential for using GIS in participatory approaches to gathering and analysing geographical information on human‐environment interactions in post‐conflict settings. We discuss empirical work from northwest Cambodia where GIS and participatory methods have been integrated to assess risk to local communities from landmines and to develop priorities for landmine clearance. In juxtaposing ‘official’, spatially‐referenced data with indigenous geographical knowledge in this study we seek to privilege meaningful geographical understandings over conventional notions of spatial ‘accuracy’. In so doing we carry out a Participatory Mine Impact Assessment (PMIA) to explore spatial activities among local populations in mine‐contaminated communities and to help identify improved strategies for returning refugees in re‐establishing livelihoods.
Multivariate Analysis of Incomplete Mapped Data
Authors: Dray Stéphane , Pettorelli Nathalie , Chessel Daniel
Published: January 2004

Classical multivariate analyses are based on matrix algebra and enable the analysis of a table containing measurements of a set of variables for a set of sites. Incomplete mapped data consist of measurements of a set of variables recorded for the same geographical region but for different zonal systems and with only a partial sampling of this zone. This kind of data cannot be analysed with usual multivariate methods because there is no common system of sites for all variables. We propose a new approach using GIS technology and NIPALS, an iterative multivariate method, to analyse the spatial patterns of this kind of data. Moreover, an extension of our method is that it can be used for areal interpolation purposes. We illustrate the method in analysing data concerning the distribution of roe deer weights over several years in a reserve.
The WTO, the Environment and Health and Safety Standards
Authors: Kelly Trish
Published: January 2004

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is a product of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The WTO was created in the last round of negotiations (Uruguay Round, 1986‐94) to provide a stronger set of institutions to administer the various agreements negotiated under the GATT framework. Because the WTO is more powerful than its predecessors, critics claim that it poses a threat to national sovereignty. Concerns about the ability of nations to set their own environmental and health and safety agendas have figured prominently in these critiques. In addition, critics suggest that the WTO prioritises trade objectives at the expense of environmental and health and safety objectives.

The article explores the extent to which the WTO has been able to reconcile trade, environmental and health and safety objectives by analysing its rulings on these matters. Overall, this analysis suggests that the WTO dispute resolution process has balanced all three sets of objectives. However, it is important to note the small number of disputes to date; only 21of the 175 disputes before the WTO involve environmental and health and safety matters. Further, the WTO has issued decisions in only six of these cases.
The Politics of Self–Restraint: FDI Subsidies and Japanese Mercantilism
Authors: Solis Mireya
Published: January 2004

Home governments seek to enhance the international competitiveness of private enterprises not only through export credit, but also through preferential loans for foreign direct investment (FDI). Indeed, contrary to the common image of nation‐states resenting their loss of jurisdiction over the mobile transnational corporation, some governments have become active financiers of multinational investment to serve their industrial policy goals. The uneven use by industrialized states of preferential credit to further MNC expansion challenges the current characterization of home government policy as both homogenous and ineffective for the task of industrial promotion. The world's most active state in FDI finance, Japan, has enjoyed an inordinate degree of freedom to engage in subsidization of MNC investment since no international regime on FDI credit, similar to the OECD arrangement on government export finance, exists. Moreover, Japanese labor has not challenged the legitimacy of state FDI finance. In the absence of international or societal constraints on soft FDI credit, Japanese self‐restraint in FDI subsidization is better explained by the internal budgetary makeup of government financial institutions with a mandate to finance FDI. Treasury bureaucrats concerned with healthy public finances and politicians eager to reward core support groups, have repeatedly competed for control over the budgetary strings on soft FDI finance. This political contest is far from over. This paper, therefore, highlights the political agency behind rules of financial discipline that have so far inhibited Japanese rent‐seeking international economic behavior.
The Implications of WTO and GATS for the Banking Sector in Africa
Authors: Murinde Victor , Ryan Cillian
Published: January 2004

In this paper we assess the implications of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) for the banking sector in African signatory countries. With emphasis on the free trade element, we first review the relevant provisions of the GATS for banking services and the main exemptions held by African countries. We then analyse the main efficiency indicators for a sample of the top banks in 18 African economies for the period 1997‐1998. We also use univariate statistics to analyse the dispersion of the key bank pricing and liquidity indicators in these economies for the period 1994‐1998. The main findings imply that although full liberalization, implicit in the WTO and GATS protocols, will lead to a substantial shake‐up of the African banking industry. However, provided they have an appropriate regulatory framework and allow sufficient lead time, most African countries have little to fear from liberalization at least in terms of the continuing existence of a locally owned banking industry; and indeed, these countries could reasonably expect to be able to restructure and compete, at the very least in African‐wide or regional markets.
Currency Boards and Debt Traps: Evidence from Argentina and Relevance for Estonia
Authors: Gurtner François J.
Published: January 2004

This paper analyses the November 2000 liquidity crisis that brought Argentina near default on its foreign debt. The main purpose of this paper is to assess whether this crisis may be taken as a warning signal for Estonia, given the similar exchange‐rate system shared by the two countries. It seems that with a low level of public debt and a balanced budget, Estonia will not face a similar liquidity crisis as its Latin American counterpart, which remained heavily reliant on foreign borrowings. But the substantial real exchange‐rate appreciation of the kroon under the Currency‐Board Arrangement has resulted in serious external imbalances, which will need to be corrected to avoid balance of payments pressure and reduce Estonia's high dependency on the level of foreign direct investments.
Restructuring the IMF's Lending Facilities
Authors: Bird Graham
Published: January 2004

The IMF has recently completed a review of its lending facilities as a consequence of which it has implemented a number of reforms. By examining the Fund's basic functions, this paper offers a critical appraisal of these reforms. It is argued that more radical change is needed building on the liquidity and adjustment roles of the IMF. The reforms advocated here would reverse the proliferation of IMF lending facilities that is to be observed since the early 1960s.
Revealed Comparative Advantage and Competitiveness in Hungarian Agri–Food Sectors
Authors: Fertö Imre , Hubbard L. J.
Published: January 2004

We examine the competitiveness of Hungarian agriculture and food processing, in relation to that of the EU, based on four indices of revealed comparative advantage, using highly disaggregate data for the period 1992 to 1998. Consistency tests suggest that the indices are less satisfactory as cardinal measures, but are useful in identifying the demarcation between comparative advantage and comparative disadvantage. Hungary is shown to have a comparative advantage in a range of agri‐food products, including animals and meat. This complements the findings of those studies that have used price and cost based approaches in identifying competitiveness in cereals and crops. Results indicate that the RCA indices, when interpreted as a binary measure, have remained surprisingly stable during the period of transition, although there is evidence of a weakening in the level of comparative advantage as revealed in the Balassa index.
The Bubble and the Lost Decade
Authors: Saxonhouse Gary R. , Stern Robert M.
Published: January 2004

In this overview of the Symposium papers, we note that the bubble that occurred in Japan's asset markets in the late 1980s came at a time when the conventional indicators of Japan's economic performance were relatively stable. Following the collapse of the bubble, neither the Bank of Japan (BOJ) nor the Ministry of Finance (MOF) took timely and effective measures to deal with the recession that followed. While the evidence suggests that looser fiscal policy would have been ineffective, monetary policy measures might have worked. However, the BOJ followed a relatively tight monetary policy in 1991–93. In the face of the liquidity trap that ensued in the last of the 1990s, the conventional tools of stabilisation policy appeared to be of limited use. To help the Japanese economy to recover from the ‘lost decade,’ we thus discuss a number of unconventional and bold measures that the BOJ and MOF could pursue. It appears, however, that the political will is absent to undertake such measures. So long as this is the case, the effects of the lost decade will continue to act as a drag on the economy.
Retrospective on the Bubble Period and its Relationship to Developments in the 1990s
Authors: Ito Takatoshi
Published: January 2004

In reviewing what happened in the 1980s in Japan and how the bursting of the bubble created problems in the early 1990s, the following conclusions are obtained. (1) In order to limit damage to the economy from a bubble and its bursting, it is important to build a resilient financial system through strict supervision policy, so that asset‐price fluctuations would not weaken financial institutions. Supervision policy would include regulatory measures limiting lending concentration and exposure to real‐estate‐related sectors. (2) Monetary policy should pay attention to asset‐price movements. But it may be difficult and inappropriate to raise the interest rate sharply when inflation is low (below one per cent like in Japan), even though asset prices are increasing at 30–40 per cent. (3) The official discount rate could have been raised in the summer of 1988 in Japan, when the Federal Reserve and Bundesbank raised interest rates. This would have slowed down the rise of stock and land prices, but the bubble was already large by then. (4) The bubble in the second half of the 1980s was only partially responsible for the lost decade of the 1990s in Japan. A series of policy errors made a small problem of the burst bubble much bigger than necessary.
Why Does the Problem Persist? ‘Rational Rigidity’ and the Plight of Japanese Banks
Authors: Nishimura Kiyohiko G. , Kawamoto Yuko
Published: January 2004

One of the most perplexing factors in the Japanese financial crisis is the apparently non‐optimal and non‐rational behaviour of Japanese banks. We provide a “rational” explanation for bank behaviour based on a theory of community banking that incorporates Japanese institutional characteristics. We find three implications of community banking – a low lending rate, a low bankruptcy rate, and in particular, institutionalisation of ‘rational rigidity’ (an institutional pledge of no profit maximisation) – in Japanese banks. We argue that this type of banking is viable as long as the economy expands and asset prices go up, which was the case before the asset‐market crash in 1990. The stagnation and free‐fall of asset prices in the 1990s exerted tremendous pressure on Japanese banks but did not paralyse them completely in the 1990s, although there are indications that they failed to restructure distressed large corporations in some sectors, notably real estate. Thus, the problem is not that paralysed banks are blocking recovery, but that their current institutionalised rigidity in banking practices is no longer viable because private enterprises in the market economy are suffering from asset‐price deflation and economic stagnation.
Japan's Fiscal Policies in the 1990s
Authors: Ihori Toshihiro , Nakazato Toru , Kawade Masumi
Published: January 2004

This paper first summarises Japan's fiscal policies in the 1990s. Then, we investigate the macroeconomic impact of government debt and the sustainability problem. We find that the Keynesian fiscal policy in the 1990s was not effective and fiscal sustainability may therefore become a serious issue. We also estimate the optimal level of deficits and evaluate fiscal reconstruction movements. It is shown that the actual deficit exceeded the optimal level in the late 1990s. We then inspect fiscal reconstruction movements in the Hashimoto Administration in 1997 and find that the major factor of recession in 1997 was not fiscal consolidation. An important lesson from Japan's fiscal policies in the 1990s is that long‐run structural reform is more important than short‐run Keynesian policy.
Japan's Negative Risk Premium in Interest Rates: The Liquidity Trap and the Fall in Bank Lending
Authors: Goyal Rishi , McKinnon Ronald
Published: January 2004

Japan's interest rates have been compressed toward zero because of pressure coming through the foreign exchanges. Twenty years of current‐account surpluses have led to a huge buildup of claims – mainly dollars – on foreigners. Because of ongoing fluctuations in the yen/dollar exchange rate, Japanese financial institutions will only willingly hold these dollar claims if the nominal yield on them is substantially higher than on yen assets. In the 1990s to 2002 as US interest rates have come down, portfolio equilibrium has been sustained only when nominal interest rates on yen assets have been forced toward zero. One consequence is the now infamous liquidity trap for Japanese monetary policy. A second consequence is the erosion of the normal profit margins of Japan's commercial banks, leading to a slump in new bank credit and an inability to grow out of the overhang of old bad loans.
Japan's Lost Decade and its Financial System
Authors: Fukao Mitsuhiro
Published: January 2004

After briefly explaining the causes of the Japanese asset‐price bubble in the 1980s, this paper analyses why the bursting of the bubble developed into a full‐fledged financial crisis in the late 1990s. In order to cope with this crisis, the Government has injected capital directly into the banking sector and banks have written off enormous amounts of bad loans. However, the Japanese financial sector remains very weak and Japan still faces a number of problems in its financial system. Firstly, the profit margin of banks is too small to cover the increased default risk following the bursting of the bubble, and there are market distortions created by the government‐backed financial institutions and the requirements on new lending to small and medium sized companies. Secondly, banks still have excessive stock investment and crossholding of shares between banks and other companies has weakened the market discipline on entrenched management. Thirdly, the government guarantee of all banking‐sector liabilities should be removed. Once the financial system is stabilised, a risk‐adjusted deposit insurance premium should be introduced so as to strengthen market discipline on banks, and the huge postal saving system should be privatised to create a level‐playing field among deposit taking financial institutions. Besides the foregoing, the weak corporate governance structure of Japanese financial institutions has to be remodelled. The management of banks has shielded themselves by extensive cross‐shareholdings, especially with life insurance companies. There has been extensive mutual provision of capital, most large life insurance companies have weak corporate governance, and many of the large shareholders of banks are life insurance companies. This double gearing between banks and life insurance companies has therefore weakened the market control of Japanese financial institutions.
A Comparison of Student Persistence and Performance in Online and Classroom Business Statistics Experiences
Authors: McLaren Constance H.
Published: January 2004

As universities extend their distance education offerings to reach more time‐ and place‐bound students, the degree to which online students are successful, as compared to their classroom counterparts, is of interest to accreditation review boards and others charged with assessment. Teaching faculty use information about the effectiveness of their instruction to evaluate and improve the learning experience. By comparing persistence and performance measures from the author's five semesters of online and traditional sections of a required undergraduate business statistics course, this paper provides evidence that while there are significant differences in persistence between the two cases, accomplishment of the learning objectives, as measured by the final grade in the course for those students who persist, is independent of the mode of instruction.
Social protection in the Republic of Korea: Social insurance and moral hazard
Authors: Bidet Eric
Published: January 2004

Abstract As reported in numerous studies, the system of social protection in the Republic of Korea long remained underdeveloped because of the priority given instead to economic growth. The past few years have seen major changes, however. The government decided to apply the theory of “productive welfare”, thereby committing itself to introducing a system of universal statutory social insurance which is intended to set the seal on a new social compact and which may, ultimately, impact on the model of socioeconomic development itself. This article outlines the recent changes in insurance against sickness, unemployment and old age and goes on to describe the moral hazard facing the new system of social insurance and the need for a form of joint management in order to minimize this hazard.
Assessing the pension reform potential of a notional defined contribution pillar
Authors: Williamson John B.
Published: January 2004

Abstract As some of the limitations of the traditional pay‐as‐you‐go defined benefit public pension model have become more evident in recent years, pension experts have begun searching for alternative models. The notional defined contribution model, also financed on a pay‐as‐you‐go basis, has emerged as one of the major new approaches. Drawing on evidence from schemes in six countries (Sweden, Italy, Poland, Latvia, Kyrgystan and Mongolia), this article aims to describe the notional defined contribution model and to review its strengths and limitations relative to the major alternatives, the pay‐as‐you‐go defined benefit model and the funded defined contribution model. A four‐pillar pension model is proposed.
Individual accounts: Lessons from Sweden
Authors: Turner John
Published: January 2004

Abstract Increasing numbers of countries are using mandatory funded individual accounts to provide retirement. Sweden in 2000 instituted a mandatory funded individual account system that differs in a number of ways from earlier such systems. It incorporates features that reflect lessons learned from other countries; in particular, ways to reduce the system's administrative costs.
Rethinking social security in the European Union: Extending fundamental universal rights
Authors: EuzéAby Chantal
Published: January 2004

Abstract Beyond the threat of systems of social protection in the European Union contracting, the issue arises of their restructuring and alignment. Given the common challenges they all face (ageing populations, family instability, unemployment, social exclusion and job insecurity), the priority for the reform debate is the redefinition of fundamental rights and the need to draw a distinction between conditional and universal rights. This article emphasizes the need to combine social security's redistributive and integration functions on the basis of three principles: the activation of benefits; the individualization and universality of certain rights; and the promotion of equality of opportunity across the life cycle. If applied to all member States, this approach would in addition facilitate convergence among their social security systems.
Trends in the development of a European social union
Authors: Terwey Franz
Published: January 2004

Abstract The European Union's policy of economic concentration and de regulation en tails a creeping loss of sovereignty over social policy for the member States, which are also subject to the common monetary policy: the budgetary discipline they are expected to maintain calls for a constant reduction in social expenditure and the radical privatization of public areas of the economy. The question is whether, by harmonizing its various national fiscal, social and economic policies to a greater or lesser extent, the European Un ion can regain the freedom of action which individual States have lost. Given increasing in terregional competition, member States find them selves also competing in respect of their social systems. The idea of a European social union, dismissed in the past as a pipe dream, is increasingly be coming a necessity for the success of the integration process in the future. The European Union will remain an alien concept for its citizens until it succeeds in developing a specific base for emancipatory democracy. This will only be possible when social justice and a high level of social security benefits are guaranteed for all citizens. The European constitution is an other step in this direction but is not enough by it self; it can only set democratic processes in motion. The creation of a genuine social un ion calls for further initiatives from social security actors, among others.
106 Nitrogen Fixation Behavior of a Terrestrial Heterocystous Cyanobacterium, Nostoc Flagelliforme, as Affected by Available Nutrients in Liquid Suspension Culture
Authors: Liu X.‐J. , Chen F.
Published: January 2004

Nostoc flagelliforme is an edible terrestrial cyanobacterium of great economic value which is often distributed in arid or semi‐arid steppes in many parts of the world. The relationship between N2‐fixing capacity and nutrient availability of N. flagelliforme under various growth conditions was investigated. Phosphorus had a profound effect on nitrogenase activity (NA) of the alga over the concentration range of 2.3 μM–0.46 mM inorganic phosphorus (Pi) in the cultures, with a maximal NA at 23 μM Pi. The optimal temperature for NA was determined by the Arrhenius equation to be approximately 25°C. However, the response of NA to different phosphorus concentrations was not affected by temperature variation. Micro‐nutrients in the media also affected NA of the alga. A 2‐fold strength of both B and Ca (relative to the standard BG110 medium) significantly enhanced NA. In addition, simultaneous enrichments with B, Ca, Fe and Mo exerted marked beneficial effects on NA, and such effects were presumably in an interactive and synergistic manner. In contrast, removal of Mo gave rise to a drastic decrease in growth rate, while the NA was only moderately decreased. NA in the Mo‐, Co‐, and Fe‐free cultures was respectively inhibited, as compared to cultures devoid of Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, Zn and Cu, respectively. Results of the present study suggested that N. flagelliforme could be an important contributor of nitrogen to the terrestrial ecosystem because of its strong nitrogen‐fixing ability even in an infertile environment.
1  Taxon sampling and inferences about diatom phylogeny
Authors: Alverson A. J. , Theriot E. C.
Published: January 2004

Proper taxon sampling is one of the greatest challenges to understanding phylogenetic relationships, perhaps as important as choice of optimality criterion or data type. This has been demonstrated in diatoms where centric diatoms may either be strongly supported as monophyletic or paraphyletic when analyzing SSU rDNA sequences using the same optimality criterion. The effect of ingroup and outgroup taxon sampling on relationships of diatoms is explored for diatoms as a whole and for the order Thalassiosirales. In the latter case, SSU rDNA and rbcL sequence data result in phylogenetic relationships that appear to be strongly incongruent with morphology and broadly incongruent with the fossil record. For example, Cyclotella stelligera Cleve & Grunow behaves like a rogue taxon, jumping from place to place throughout the tree. Morphological data place C. stelligera near the base of the freshwater group as sister to the extinct genus Mesodictyon Theriot and Bradbury, suggesting that it is an old, long branch that might be expected to “misbehave” in poorly sampled trees. Cyclotella stelligera and C. bodanica Grunow delimit the diameter of morphological diversity in Cyclotella, so increased sampling of intermediate taxa will be critical to resolving this part of the tree. Morphology is sampled for a much greater number of taxa and many transitional states of putative synapomorphies seem to suggest a robust morphological hypothesis. The Thalassiosirales are unstable with regards to taxon sampling in the genetic data, suggesting that perhaps the morphological hypothesis is (for now) preferable.
10  Chlamydomonas acidophila from the berkeley pit lake – a strain adapted to an extreme environment
Authors: Bocioaga D. , Mitman G. G.
Published: January 2004

This research was directed to gather a better understanding about the unicellular alga Chlamydomonas acidophila, one of the 6 algal species found in the Berkeley Pit Lake. Berkeley Pit Lake is a flodded, abandoned pit mine with a pH of 2.7 and high metal concentrations. It has been found that the effective concentrations of metals that limit the growth of C. acidophila by 50% were 9.024 mg/L for Cu2+ and 75.4 mg/L for Zn 2+. We have been able to grow C. acidophila from Berkeley Pit samples at high densities in medium containing 15.36 mg/L Cu2+ and 83.65 mg/L Zn2+. Moreover, this species is able to grow in nutrified Berkeley Pit water, which contains approximately 110 mg/L Cu2+ and 323 mg/L of Zn2+. The hypothesis is that the species found in Berkeley Pit Lake represents a genetic strain adapted to high metal concentrations environments. A comparison between the American Type Culture Collection strain of C. acidophila and the strain collected from Berkeley Pit was made. Growth rate of the two strains in Bold Basil Medium, Modified Acid Medium and Berkeley Pit nutrified water were calculated and compared. Moreover, preliminary investigations of the genome of C.acidophila from the Berkeley Pit Lake were initiated.