bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Downregulation of gelsolin and retinoic acid receptor β expression in gastric cancer tissues through histone deacetylase 1
Authors: KIM JIN‐HYUN , CHOI YANG‐KYU , KWON HO‐JEONG , YANG HAN‐KWANG , CHOI JAE‐HOON , KIM DAE‐YONG
Published: January 2004

Background and Aim:  Overexpression of histone deacetylase (HDAC)1, which controls the expression of genes related to cell cycle and apoptosis, has recently been reported in gastric cancer (GC) tissues. In the present study, the pattern of gelsolin and retinoic acid receptor (RAR)β expression in GC tissues showing HDAC1 overexpression was investigated.

Methods:  Expression profiles of HDAC1, gelsolin, and RARβ were evaluated and compared using reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction, immunoblotting, and immunohistochemical analyses with 22 paired primary human GC tissues and corresponding normal tissues.

Results:  Compared with normal gastric tissue, increased expression of HDAC1 mRNA and protein was detected in 17 (77.3%) of 22 GC tissues, while decreased expressions of gelsolin mRNA and protein were shown in 15 (68.1%) samples. Concomitantly, expressions of RARβ mRNA and protein were decreased in 16 (72.7%) and 17 (77.3%), respectively. Among 17 GC tissues with increased HDAC1 expression, the expressions of gelsolin and RARβ were simultaneously decreased in 14 (82.4%) and 15 (88.2%)  GC tissues, which indicates a strong inverse correlation between HDAC1 and gelsolin/RARβ expressions. Correlation between HDAC1 and gelsolin/RARβ was also confirmed by immunohistochemistry.

Conclusions:  Taken together, the results of the present study reveal that silencing of gelsolin and RARβ occurs in GC tissues probably through HDAC1 overexpression and might play some role in gastric carcinogenesis.
A Re‐examination of the Balassa–Samuelson Hypothesis Using Recent Panel Data Unit‐Root and Cointegration Tests: Evidence from MENA Countries
Authors: Drine Imed , Rault Christophe
Published: January 2004

Abstract:  The main goal of this paper is to reassess the Balassa–Samuelson hypothesis using annual data for 16 Middle East and North African (MENA) countries. We carry out recent panel data unit‐root tests proposed by Im et al. (1997) and recent panel data cointegration techniques developed by Pedroni (1999) and we compare the results with those obtained with conventional time series unit‐roots and cointegration tests. Our main finding is that whereas the standard time series approach rejects the Balassa–Samuelson hypothesis for 11 countries out of 16, new panel cointegration techniques rescue this hypothesis for MENA countries.

Résumé:  Cet article a pour objet de ré‐examiner l’hypothèse de Balassa–Samuelson en utilisant des données annuelles pour 16 pays du Proche Orient et de l’Afrique du Nord (pays du MENA). Nous mobilisons le test de racine unitaire sur données de panel proposé par Pesaran et Shin (1997) ainsi que les techniques de cointégration sur données de panel récemment développées par Pedroni (1999) et nous comparons ces résultats avec ceux fournis par les tests usuels de racines unitaires et de cointégration sur séries temporelles. Il ressort de nos investigations économétriques que les techniques usuelles sur séries temporelles rejettent fortement l’hypothèse de Balassa–Samuelson pour 11 pays sur 16, mais que les développements récents sur données panel conduisent à la réabilitation de cette hypothèse pour tous les pays du MENA.
Estimating the Macroeconomic Effects of Monetary Unions: The Case of Trade and Output
Authors: Anyanwu John C.
Published: January 2004

Abstract:  This paper examines the various theories and paradigms relating to trade and output in monetary unions. Both descriptive and empirical evidence have been used to analyse the case of African regional economic groupings, especially that of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and other countries in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). While the descriptive statistics point to greater room for improvement, especially in the areas of price stability, fiscal discipline and greater intra‐trade, the empirical evidence shows that monetary union is beneficial to bilateral trade and especially economic growth. The results support the hypothesis that important beneficial effects of monetary union also come through central bank credibility.

Résumé:  Le présent article examine divers paradigmes et théories concernant les transactions entre les unions monétaires et le rendement de ces groupes. Ses auteurs utilisent des éléments descriptifs et empiriques probants pour analyser le cas de groupes économiques régionaux africains, notamment celui de l’Union économique et monétaire ouest‐africaine (UEMOA) et d’autres groupes de pays tels que la Communautééconomique des ètats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (CEDEAO). Alors que les données descriptives indiquent que les unions monétaires ont encore beaucoup à faire pour stabiliser davantage les prix, renforcer la discipline financière et améliorer les transactions intragroupes. En revanche, les éléments de preuve empiriques montrent que les unions monétaires offrent certains avantages pour les échanges bilatéraux et, plus particulièrement, pour la croissance économique. Leurs conclusions viennent étayer l’hypothèse selon laquelle les banques centrales peuvent, lorsqu’elles sont crédibles, peuvent produire des effets tout aussi importants et bénéfiques que les unions monétaires.
Les Determinants de l’état de Santé au Togo
Authors: Koffi‐Tessio Egnonto M. , Tossou Yao H. , Homevor Kpotogbé A.
Published: January 2004

Résumé:  L’impact limité des politiques de santé et de nutrition sur l’état de santé des populations au Togo justifie la nécessité d’avoir une meilleure compréhension des déterminants de l’état de santé au Togo. Sur la base des données de l’enquête démographique de santé du Togo de 1998, la présente étude a pour objectif d’identifier et d’évaluer l’ampleur des déterminants de l’état de santé. Il ressort de l’analyse bivariée que l’âge de l’enfant, la diarrhée, l’accès à l’eau potable, à l’électricité, aux latrines et l’état de nutrition de la mère expliquent de manière significative la différence entre les indices de croissance de court et long termes utilisés comme proxy de l’état de santé. A partir d’une fonction de production de santé, excepté l’âge de la mère, toutes les caractéristiques du ménage déterminent l’état de santé au Togo. Toutefois, les caractéristiques individuelles (vaccination, maladie, âge et sexe) sont plus importantes dans l’explication de l’état de santé que celle des ménages. Il convient donc dans l’avenir d’orienter les politiques de santé et de nutrition d’une part au profit des enfants vers une intensification des programmes de vaccination et de lutte contre les maladies diarrhéiques et d’autre part au profit des parents à travers une éducation appropriée et une politique de promotion des activités génératrices de revenu, des conditions d’assainissement et d’hygiène.

Abstract:  The limited impact of the health and nutrition policies on the state of health of the populations of Togo makes it necessary to better understand the health status determinants in that country. Based on data gathered through the 1998 population health survey conducted in Togo, this study aims to identify and gauge the significance of these determinants. The bivariate analysis shows that the age of a child, diarrhea, access to potable water, electricity and latrines, and the mother's state of nutrition largely account for the differences between the indices of long and short‐term growth used as representing the health status. The results of this analysis show that, with the exception of the age of the mother, all the characteristics of the household determine the health status of the population in Togo. However, the study also reveals that individual attributes (vaccination, illness, age and gender) are more important than those of the household in explaining the status of health. From the viewpoint of policy, what this means is that in future health and nutrition policies should be directed towards children, on the one hand, and for intensification of inoculation and diarrheic disease control programmes. In the case of parents, on the other hand, appropriate measures in respect of education and promotion of income‐generating activities and sanitation and hygiene conditions need to be put in place.
Le Rôle des Exportations dans le Processus de Croissance Economique de la Côte d’Ivoire: Ses Implications pour des Stratégies de Création d’Emplois Durables
Authors: N’Zué Félix Fofana
Published: January 2004

Résumé:  La présente étude avait pour objectif d’analyser la relation de causalité au sens de Granger entre l’expansion des exportations et la croissance économique de la Côte d’Ivoire et de déterminer ses implications en matière de création d’emplois. Cette analyse s’est faite sur la base des tests de stationnarité, de cointégration et de causalitéà la Granger. Il ressort des résultats de l’étude que malgré l’absence de cointégration entre les exportations et la croissance économique, il existe une relation circulaire entre elles. En outre, il n’y a pas de cointégration entre le facteur travail, les exportations, les dépenses publiques et la croissance économique.

Abstract:  The objective of the present paper was to investigate Granger causality between export expansion and economic growth and draw implications for sustainable job creation strategies. Several statistical tests were undertaken (unit root, cointegration and Granger causality). The results suggest that despite the absence of cointegration between export and economic growth, there is a feedback relationship between export and economic growth. Moreover, the results also indicate no cointegration between the labour variable and export, public expenditures and economic growth variables.
Why Is Illegal Gold Mining Activity so Ubiquitous in Rural Ghana?
Authors: Hilson Gavin , Potter Clive
Published: January 2004

Abstract:  Notwithstanding its prolonged existence, little research has hitherto been undertaken to determine why illegal artisanal and small‐scale mining is a widespread phenomenon in the developing world. This paper profiles the case of Ghana, where clandestine gold mining activity is now ubiquitous throughout many rural areas. Despite having passed a series of industry‐specific laws and regulations, and implementing an array of support services under the guidance of Gesellschaft Technische Zusannebarbeit (GTZ) and the World Bank, the Ghanaian government is widely regarded as having failed in its attempts to regulate the sector and bring it into the public domain. Combining findings from the literature, indigenous reports and government documents, with feedback from interviews with key government personnel and miners, this paper attempts to explain why a disproportionate percentage of resident artisanal and small‐scale gold miners continue to operate illegally. Marked improvements can only be achieved in this area if the government prospects and demarcates land for small‐scale gold miners; improves the quality of industry support services; and re‐skills miners for work in other professions.

Résumé:  Malgré sa existence prolongée, peu de recherche a été jusqu’ici entreprise pour déterminer pourquoi l’artisanal illégal et l’exploitation de petite taille est un phénoméne répandu dans le monde en voie de développement. Cet article profile le cas du Ghana, où l’activiteè d’extraction d’or clandestin est maintenant omnipré sente dans tous beaucoup de secteurs ruraux. En dé pit de avoir passé une sé rie de lois et de ré glements industrie‐spé cifiques, et mettant en application un choix de services de support sous les conseils de GTZ et de la banque mondiale, le gouvernement ghané en est largement considéré comme apré s avoir étééchoué dans ses tentatives de ré gler le secteur et de l’introduire dans le public domain. Combinant des ré sultats de la litte érature, les rapports indigé nes, et le gouvernement documente, avec la ré troaction des entrevues avec le personnel de gouvernement et les mineurs principaux, tentatives de cet article d’expliquer pourquoi un pourcentage disproportionné de l’artisanal ré sident et des mineurs de petite taille d’or continuent á fonctionner illégalement. Des améliorations marquées peuvent seulement ètre reéalisées dans ce secteur si le gouvernement prospecte et délimite la terre pour les mineurs de petite taille d’or; améliore la qualitédes services de support d’industrie; et mineurs de re‐compétences pour le travail dans d’autres professions.
Revisiting the Classics of Development Economics: Lewis's Surplus Labour Theory and Current Debates on Development
Authors: Dike Michael Enwere
Published: January 2004

Abstract:  Following the resurgence of neo‐liberal economics in the 1980s onwards and, perhaps more importantly, because of the rapid industrialization of the East Asian newly industrializing countries (NICs) that was erroneously credited to laissez‐faire strategies, sections of the development literature began to question the continued relevance of several core ideas and hypotheses of early development economics. This article draws on Lewis's ‘unlimited supplies of labour’ theory to pursue the argument that several key ideas and hypotheses of the classics of development economics remain intellectually valid as well as offer relevant policy guidance. Drawing on the vast empirical literature on development, the essay demonstrates that both the ‘great success stories’ of the East Asian NICs and the ‘growth tragedies’ of sub‐Saharan African confirm several of the key ideas and hypotheses in Lewis's theory — correctly interpreted.

Résumé:  Suite à la résurgence d’une économie néolibérale au cours des années 80, mais — avant tout et par dessus tout — probablement à cause de l’industrialisation rapide des pays nouvellement industrialisés d’Asie de l’Est attribuée, à tort, à une politique de laissez faire, des ouvrages sur le développement ont commencéà remettre en question la pertinence de certaines idées et hypothèses de base afférentes à une économie du développement rapide. Le présent article se fonde sur la théorie de Lewis relative aux « ressources illimitées de l’emploi » pour continuer de défendre certaines idées et hypothèses de base énoncées dans cette théorie classique, qui non seulement restent valables sur le plan intellectuel, mais donnent également des directives pertinentes sur l’orientation à suivre. S’inspirant de nombreux ouvrages empiriques sur le développement, cet article démontre que la « réussite sans égal » des nouveaux pays industriels (NPI) d’Asie de l’Est et les « problèmes fondamentaux de croissance » des pays d’Afrique subsaharienne confirment plusieurs idées et hypothèses de base formulées dans la théorie de Lewis — pour peu que celles‐ci soient correctement interprétées.
Does Currency Devaluation Improve the Trade Balance in the Long Run? Evidence from Malawi
Authors: Musila Jacob Wanjala , Newark John
Published: January 2004

Abstract:  This paper explores the impact of nominal exchange rate devaluation on the trade balance for Malawi. A small‐open economy IS‐LM aggregate supply model of Malawi estimated using time series data covering the period 1967–96 is used in the simulation analysis. The results of the simulation experiment show that devaluation helps to improve export performance and to curtail the growth of imports in the long run, which lead to improvement in the trade balance position. The results provide evidence supporting the view that nominal devaluation can indeed be a quite powerful tool in minimizing the imbalances in Malawi's international trade.

Résumé:  Le présent article analyse l’incidence de la dévaluation du taux de change nominal sur la balance commerciale du Malawi. Ses auteurs se servent d’un modèle IS‐ML d’entreprise en économie ouverte spécialisée dans la fourniture d’agrégats, censé utiliser des données chronologiques concernant la période 1967 à 1996, a pour effectuer cette analyse. Les résultats de cet exercice de simulation montrent que la dévaluation contribue, à long terme, à améliorer la qualité des exportations — et, partant, la situation de la balance commerciale — et à freiner la croissance des importations. Ils viennent, en outre, appuyer la théorie selon laquelle la dévaluation peut, en réalité, contribuer sensiblement à réduire les déséquilibres du commerce international au Malawi.
Determinants of Technical and Allocative Efficiency of Micro‐enterprises: Firm‐level Evidence from Nigeria
Authors: Ajibefun Igbekele A. , Daramola Adebiyi G.
Published: January 2004

Abstract:  This paper examines the determinants of technical and allocative efficiency of micro‐enterprises in the Nigerian economy, using cross‐sectional data collected on 180 micro‐enterprises selected from block‐making, metal fabricating and sawmilling enterprises. The Nigerian government has put in efforts at promoting productivity and efficiency in both the public and private sector of the economy. As a developing country, Nigeria has immense potential for better economic growth, both in the short and long run. It then becomes important to know the current level of efficiency within the sector. Quantitative estimates obtained from the stochastic frontier production function indicated a wide variation in technical and allocative efficiencies within and across occupational groups and across operational scale. The wide variation in the level of efficiency is an indication that there is ample opportunity for these enterprises to raise their level of efficiency. While the level of education of enterprise owners was found to be highly significant in affecting the level of efficiency of the micro‐enterprises, the age of enterprise owners was found to be negatively related to their level of efficiency. These variables are important factors that government policy should address so as to improve the current level of efficiency in the sector.

Résumé:  La présente étude examine les facteurs déterminants de la capacité technique et de l’allocation efficiente des ressources des microentreprises dans l’économie nigériane, en utilisant des données transversales recueillies auprès de 180 microenterprises sélectionnées parmi des entreprises spécialisées dans le façonnage du parpaing, des fabriques de produits métalliques et des scieries. Le gouvernement nigérian a déployé des efforts considérables pour améliorer la productivité et l’efficacité des secteurs public et privé de l’économie. En tant que pays en développement, le Nigeria a d’énormes potentialités d’améliorer sa croissance économique à long et à court terme. Par conséquent, il est de plus en plus important d’évaluer le rendement actuel de son secteur économique. L’estimation quantitative de la fonction stochastique «production de pointe» montre qu’il existe un écart important entre la capacité technique et l’allocation efficiente des ressources tant au sein des groupes professionnels que d’un groupe à l’autre ou d’une échelle des capacités opérationnelles à l’autre. L’écart important entre le degré d’efficience de ces entreprises est une indication qu’elles ont d’énormes possibilités d’accroître leur efficacité. Si le niveau d’éducation des chefs d’entreprise est censé influer très fortement sur le degré d’efficience de leurs microenterprises, leur âge, par contre, est jugé incompatible avec leur degré d’efficacité. Ces variables sont des facteurs importants dont l’action gouvernementale doit tenir compte pour améliorer le degré actuel d’efficacité du secteur économique.
Demand for Healthcare Services in Nigeria: A Multivariate Nested Logit Model
Authors: Eme Ichoku H. , Leibbrandt Murray
Published: January 2004

Abstract: The object of this paper is to explain the healthcare decision process and the factors that influence medicare demand decisions of Nigerian households during a period of economic depression. It is based on a sample from a small‐area analysis focusing on a relatively homogenous group. The objective of the study involved the estimation of the parameters of the demand for healthcare services in order to understand the nature of healthcare choices and the pathways to those choices that Nigerian households make under dire economic circumstances. These demand parameter estimates are considered valuable inputs into healthcare policy. Yet, to date, there is no sufficient information on the vital factors that shape households’ utilization of medicare services nor is there sufficient information on the relative importance of healthcare alternatives available to them. This is the knowledge gap that this study hopes to fill. The nested logit model was found to be an appropriate functional form for the analysis.

Résumé: Le présent article a pour objet d’expliquer le processus de prise de décisions et les facteurs qui influent sur les décisions concernant les besoins en soins médicaux des ménages nigérians durant une période de dépression économique. Il repose sur l’analyse d’un échantillon de ménages provenant de secteurs restreints, notamment d’un groupe relativement homogène. L’étude a pour objectif d’analyser les paramètres de besoins en services de soins de santé pour comprendre les différentes possibilités qui s’offrent aux ménages nigérians et les choix qu’ils sont amenés à faire dans des conditions économiques très dures. L’estimation des paramètres afférents à ces besoins est censée être un élément important pour l’élaboration d’une politique de soins de santé. Or, les données sur les facteurs essentiels qui influencent le recours aux services de soins de santé par les ménages, sont actuellement insuffisantes, tout comme celles concernant l’importance des différents choix qui s’offrent à eux. La présente étude vise à combler ces lacunes et, pour ce faire, utilise un modèle de logit imbriqué considéré comme étant une formule fonctionnelle appropriée.
Price Incentives, Non‐price Factors and Agricultural Production in Sub‐Saharan Africa: A Cointegration Analysis
Authors: Thiele Rainer
Published: January 2004

Abstract:  This paper deals with the question of how responsive farmers in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) are to changes in incentives. Employing Johansen's multivariate cointegration approach and covering the period 1965–99, it investigates for ten selected SSA countries the long‐run effect of pricing policies, macroeconomic distortions, and certain non‐price factors on agricultural production. It turns out that — in those cases where cointegration relationships are found — estimated supply elasticities tend to lie between 0.20 and 0.50. Among the non‐price factors, drought episodes have significantly impaired agricultural growth in six out of ten sample countries. Technical progress as measured by a simple deterministic time trend has only had a minor impact on output.

Résumé:  Le présent article traite de la réactivité des agriculteurs d’Afrique subsaharienne, face à l’évolution des mesures d’incitation. Utilisant la méthode de co‐intégration à variables multiples de Johansen, il examine, sur une période de 25 ans allant de 1965 à 1999, les effets à long terme des politiques de tarification, des distorsions macroéconomiques et de certains facteurs hors prix sur la production agricole d’une dizaine de pays choisis d’Afrique subsaharienne. Il s’avère que — dans les pays où il existe des liens de co‐intégration — le coefficient d’élasticité de l’offre tend, selon les estimations, à varier de 0,20 à 0,50. Parmi les facteurs hors prix, des périodes de sécheresse ont sensiblement freiné la croissance agricole dans six des 10 pays retenus. Les progrès accomplis dans le domaine technique, tels que mesurés par une analyse déterministe et évolutive des tendances, n’ont qu’une faible incidence sur la production.
The Demand for Medical Care in Kenya
Authors: Mwabu Germano , Wang’ombe Joseph , Nganda Benjamin
Published: January 2004

Abstract:  We use a quantile regression method to analyse the demand effects of user fees over the entire distribution of visits in a sample of rural and urban populations controlling for other covariates of interest, notably income and demographics. We find that the negative effects of fees on attendance differ across the visit quantiles, with the smallest effects being felt at higher quantiles. The main contribution of the paper is to show the non‐uniform effects of fees at different points of the visits distribution, in contrast to the average effect computed using the OLS method. The policy implications of the findings are briefly discussed.

Résumé:  Les auteurs du présent article utilisent une méthode de régression quantile pour analyser l’incidence des frais imposés aux usagers des services de santé sur la demande de soins médicaux, en fonction de la répartition globale des visites effectuées par un échantillon de la population rurale et urbaine, et vérifier d’autres co‐variables importantes, telles que le revenu et la démographie. Ils estiment que les effets négatifs des frais imposés aux usagers sur leur fréquentation des centres de santé varient selon le nombre de fois où ceux‐ci se rendent dans ces centres, car plus leur taux de fréquentation est élevé, plus ces effets négatifs sont insignifiants. La présente étude a pour principal objet de montrer les effets non uniformes des frais imposés aux usagers, à différents points de répartition de leur fréquentation des centres de santé, par opposition aux effets moyens calculés selon la méthode OLS. Elle traite brièvement de l’incidence des résultats obtenus sur les politiques générales.
The Link Between Earnings Timeliness, Earnings Conservatism and Board Composition: evidence from the UK
Authors: Beekes Wendy , Pope Peter , Young Steven
Published: January 2004

This paper examines the links between accounting quality, proxied by earnings timeliness and conservatism, and the composition of the board of directors. Results indicate that firms with a higher proportion of outside board members are more likely to recognise bad news in earnings on a timely basis. However, firms whose boards comprise a relatively high proportion of outsiders do not display greater reporting conservatism with regard to the recognition of good news. These findings suggest that board composition is an important factor in determining the quality of UK firms’ reported earnings with respect to incorporating bad news on a timely basis.
Disagreement, Ambivalence, and Engagement: The Political Consequences of Heterogeneous Networks
Authors: Huckfeldt Robert , Mendez Jeanette Morehouse , Osborn Tracy
Published: January 2004

Individuals with similar political orientations may find themselves in dissimilar social and political surroundings, with important consequences for the flow of political information among citizens. Analyses of data from the post‐election survey of the 1900 National Election Study show that some individuals reside within extensive networks of political discussion and communication, whereas others are politically isolated. With respect to presidential candidate preference in 1900, some citizens in networks were surrounded by discussants who agreed with their preference, others by discussants who held ambiguous and undetermined preferences, and still others by discussants who held politically divergent preferences. These preference distributions have various implications for the formation of political opinion and for levels of political engagement and turnout.
Ethnic Diversity Policy: Perceptions within the NHS
Authors: Johns Nick
Published: January 2004

Ethnic diversity has become an important policy objective for the Labour government, particularly since the publication of theMacpherson Report (1999). It is projected as a potential means of improving service provision in various policy areas from policing to the business sector. The contention of this article, based on research conducted in the NHS, is that much more thought needs to be given to the shape of ethnic diversity and its operationalization if services are to improve for society as a whole. The current shape of the concept, as perceived by the majority of the interview respondents who participated in the research (all of whom had responsibility for employment decisions within their organizations), promises at best disappointment, and at worst a further peripheralization of minority ethnic issues, for which communities themselves may be held responsible.
Effect of restricting asset trade in dynamic equilibrium models
Authors: Letendre Marc‐André
Published: January 2004

Abstract.  This paper shows that differences between the predictions of an international real business cycle model with complete markets and the predictions of a model where agents can trade only risk‐free bonds depend heavily on three parameters: discount factor, and degrees of persistence and spillovers in productivity shocks. This sensitivity explains apparently paradoxical results previously obtained in the literature. Also, since empirical work finds that two of those parameters are not estimated precisely, the outcomes of quantitative studies comparing complete‐markets and bond economies using only the point estimates of those parameters inherit the substantial uncertainty in the parameter estimates.
Non‐tariff barriers to trade in the pacific rim
Authors: Ching Stephen , Wong Clement Yuk‐Pang , Zhang Anming
Published: January 2004

Abstract.  This paper reports the findings of a survey of non‐tariff trade barriers (NTBs) that firms in the Pacific Rim region frequently encounter. NTBs are categorized into restrictions on market access, restrictions on personnel movement and transparency of regulatory information. We find that NTBs seem particularly prominent for the region, given the diverse character of the economies there. Many NTBs are implicit in the sense that they restrict trade by cumbersome administrative procedures and by various problems arising from interpreting or implementing government regulations. We further find that NTBs have a significant impact on firms’ production costs, revenue and expansion plans.
Using Information on Variation in Rates of Supply to Question Professional Discretion in Public Services
Authors: Bevan Gwyn , Hollinghurst Sandra , Benton Peter , Spark Vicky , Sanderson Hugh , Franklin Donald
Published: January 2004

Abstract:  Governments face a formidable combination of principal/agent problems as third party payers for professional services. Health care is an exemplar of these difficulties. This paper develops the concept of discretionary services for acute hospitals from analysis of services with high variations in admission rates. It argues that this concept offers a way of challenging professional discretion and raising new kinds of questions over volumes and quality of services supplied. It illustrates the wider applicability of this concept with two examples: legal aid, and investigation of directors for fraud following bankruptcy.
The Gold in the Heads of Scientists: Metaphor and Public Sector Reform
Authors: Poletti E. J.
Published: January 2004

Abstract:  Metaphors of business were endemic in the reform of the New Zealand public sector. Such metaphors have considerable potential consequences for control in the reformed organisations. The study focused on the new organisations created for state‐funded science in New Zealand, the Crown Research Institutes. Analysis of the metaphors that emerged during debates on the establishing legislation and in the Chairmen's reports for the first three years of operations showed that the key metaphors that emerged, while from within the business context, paper over the conflicts and ambiguities of the CRIs' task, and in the most positive case shift to a relational and caring image. The fragmented picture that emerges from the CRI documents points to many intriguing research questions about accountability, control and effectiveness in organisations that lie at the juncture of many boundaries.
Performance Measurement Myths in the Public Sector: A Research Note
Authors: Modell Sven
Published: January 2004

Abstract:  Public sector organizations have recently come under increasing criticism for placing too much emphasis on financial control as well as suffering from excessive proliferation of performance indicators. A solution to both these problems has been presented in the form of various strategic, goal‐directed and multidimensional models for performance measurement (PM), such as the Balanced Scorecard. Whilst originally developed in the private sector, there are growing signs of such models diffusing to the public sector. In the present paper, we interpret changes such as those outlined above in terms of emerging and declining organizational myths and draw on institutional theory and the organizational learning literature to discuss how such myths may impinge on organizational action. It is concluded that PM myths based on goal‐directed, multidimensional models may gradually replace the myth that public service provision may be improved by heavy reliance on financial control and come to affect operating‐level action. However, such models may be ‘corrupted’ or prevail alongside seemingly incompatible PM myths depending on differences in implementation processes and the rhetoric invoked to legitimise a goaldirected, multidimensional PM approach.
‘Performance’ Without Pay? Managing School Budgets Under Performance Related Pay: Evidence from the First Year of PRP
Authors: Cutler Tony , Waine Barbara
Published: January 2004

Abstract:  This paper reports research in ten secondary schools in London and East Anglia on the first year of the performance related pay (PRP) scheme for teachers introduced by the (UK) Labour Government. It focuses on tensions between the resultant additional claims on school budgets created by PRP and the Government's refusal to guarantee that such additions to the pay bill will be centrally funded on a long‐term basis. The research involved semi‐structured interviews with heads and staff with specific responsibility for managing the school budget. It was designed to explore strategic responses to reconciling the operation of PRP in an uncertain funding environment with school performance management. Two types of strategy were contrasted: ‘forced distribution’ where PRP awards were effectively rationed to the available financial resources and ‘accommodation’ where a criterion based approach was taken to PRP and increases in the pay bill stemming from PRP would be absorbed by cutting non‐teaching pay components of the budget or increasing school income. It was found that the overwhelming majority of heads interviewed rejected forced distribution on the grounds that it undermined performance management in schools and created equity problems in the pay system. However, school managers were doubtful of scope for accommodation in the context of the limited scope for cutting expenditure without damaging standards and the difficulties of finding new income streams for schools.
The Control Gap: The Role of Budgets, Accounting Information and (Non‐) Decisions in Hospital Settings
Authors: Nyland Kari , Pettersen Inger Johanne
Published: January 2004

Abstract:  This paper investigates the link between budgets, accounting information and the decision‐making processes at both strategic and operational levels in a large Norwegian hospital, as this hospital now is facing the New Public Management reforms which have been introduced in Norway. The study has examined the use of budget and accounting information in the management control process. The empirical data are based on interviews with key actors in the decisionmaking process at all management levels in the hospital. The study found that budgets were not perceived by clinicians as important decision tools at the clinical levels in the hospital. The professionals felt a strong moral obligation to patients. This loose coupling between budget information and clinical action identified an inconsistency in the norms and values between the clinical and the managerial world of the hospital. In this two‐worlds of responsibilities the function of the clinical managers at the department levels was found to be of vital importance as mediators between top level managers and the individual clinicians in the department and specialities. Informal ‘coffee‐room talks’ indicated that dialogues were important means of control, which could compensate for the lack of more formal and cybernetic control systems. Such frequent and informal communication may also serve a buffering function because it offers meeting points for negotiation and adjustments to initial budgets during the year. These coordination mechanisms take the mode of network based organising which can be favourable in managing organisational interdependencies.
Race and Law in Fortress Europe
Authors: Hepple Bob
Published: January 2004

The universality of human rights is undermined by the principle of territorial supremacy. This allows member states of the EU to discriminate against those who are not citizens of the Union. Moreover, the European Convention on Human Rights and the EC Race Directive are incapable of redressing collective racial or ethnic disadvantage because they do not provide for the enforcement of positive social, economic and cultural obligations. These limitations are assessed in the light of current political and legal developments, using as the main illustration the case of the European Roma. An analysis is provided of obligations to respect, to protect and to fulfil social rights, which could be used when challenging the actions of public authorities and securing access for individuals to public facilities and services. An inclusionary approach would emphasise that equality is central to human rights, and that ‘outsiders’ such as migrant workers and asylum‐seekers have human rights.
Health and Efficiency: Community Law and National Health Systems in the Light of Müller‐Fauré
Authors: Davies Gareth
Published: January 2004

In Müller‐Fauré the Court of Justice has made clear that restricting patients to receiving medical services from their domestic health systems is often contrary to EC Treaty rules on the free movement of services, particularly where the treatment is not in‐patient. The patient should generally be able to go abroad for treatment at the expense of their national health authority. This has structural and financial repercussions for health care systems in several Member States, including the United Kingdom, whose systems are premised upon captive patients. It also has broader implications for welfare harmonisation and provision in the European Union. Exceptions are possible, where the implications for the national health system would be very serious, but Müller‐Fauré indicates that the Court will not allow national courts or authorities to rely on these too freely.
Education in OR/MS at a Glance: Results of the First IFORS Survey
Authors: Tavares L. Valadares
Published: January 2004

An IFORS survey was prepared during 1990/1991 to obtain an international picture of the main features of the educational programs in the field of OR/MS. Seventeen countries sent information concerning a total of 176 programs and major conclusions are presented in this paper.
A Probabilistic Analysis of Multiple‐drug Testing Procedures in Sports Doping Control
Authors: Gleason John M. , Barnum Darold T.
Published: January 2004

Athletes engaged in competition, particularly those involved in international competitions such as the Olympics, are increasingly being tested for a greater variety of banned substances; it is not unusual for tests to be conducted for 100 drugs and another 400 as metabolites. Previous studies related to the accuracy of drug testing processes have failed to properly consider the effects of testing for more than one drug. In order to identify appropriate indicators for the multiple‐drug case, probability theory and accuracy concepts applicable to testing for multiple drugs are developed and applied to illustrative data. The probability that a drug‐free individual will test positive for drug use is shown to be much higher than indicated by previous studies, and it is shown that an increase in the number of drugs tested for yields an approximately proportionate increase in the probability that a positive test result is erroneous. Therefore, while testing for one drug may result in a comfortably low rate of false accusations of drug use, testing for multiple drugs may well result in an unacceptably high rate. Finally, a set of empirical measures is suggested for use in cases of tests for multiple drugs; the measures will provide for comparability among laboratory proficiency studies.
Multiple Choice Programming: A State‐of‐the‐Art Review
Authors: Yu‐Hsien Lin Edward
Published: January 2004

Multiple choice programming, originated from Healy Jr, belongs to the non‐convex mathematical programming with special ordered sets of variables type 1 as identified by Beale and Tomlin. The high applicability of multiple choice programming in many decision‐making problems has made it a focus of many OR researchers and practitioners in the fields of integer programming and combinatories. We report a survey on the structures of multiple choice programming problems and their solution approaches. Applications of multiple choice programming and some prospective future researches are also discussed.
Computer‐based Environments for Operations Research: Classification and a Pioneer System
Authors: Sekiguchi Yasuki
Published: January 2004

A computer‐based environment for operations research (CEOR) is a work environment based on information technology (IT) that supports OR activities. Elements of CEOR are tabulated by the objects of support (i.e. staff members and steps of OR projects). Staff members are classified into decision makers, project managers, OR practitioners, OR researchers and IT specialists. As a result, CEOR for OR researchers is mentioned as one of the research targets to be promoted more positively than up to now. As a pioneer CEOR in this category, CAMP is outlined as an information system based on databases of knowledge concerning branch‐and‐bound algorithms and their construction. CAMP aims to efficiently manage and apply its knowledge databases in designing branch‐and‐bound algorithms for sequencing problems. Its application example suggests that a knowledge support system like CAMP is useful as a work environment for OR researchers.
Hierarchical Decomposition of Production and Capacity Investment Decisions in Stochastic Manufacturing Systems
Authors: Sethi S.P. , Taksar M. , Zhang Q.
Published: January 2004

This paper is concerned with hierarchical decisions regarding production and investment in capacity in manufacturing systems with production subject to breakdown and repair. The production capacity can be increased by investing continuously in new capacity which is available upon completion. The decision variables are the rates of production and investment in capacity. The investment rate is assumed to have an upper bound. If, as assumed, the rates of breakdown and repair of production equipment are much larger than the rate of discounting of costs, the given problem can be approximated by a simpler problem in which the stochastic production capacity is replaced by the average capacity. Asymptotically optimal controls for the given problem are constructed from nearly optimal controls of the limiting problem. In addition, we analyse the behaviour of the solution as the investment rate is allowed to become arbitrarily large.
Development Options for a Rural Community in Belize — Alternative Development and Operational Research
Authors: White Leroy A.
Published: January 2004

This paper describes a project undertaken in Belize, Central America, to look at development options for a rural community. This paper begins by providing a background to Alternative Development, and OR'S relation to it. It outlines the methodology adopted in the project (Rapid Rural Appraisal) and provides a discussion on the use of this method in conjunction with problem structuring methods in the under‐developed countries.
The Strategic Development of Human Resources: The Challenge of OR
Authors: Tavares L. Valadares
Published: January 2004

The relevance and utility of OR methodology and techniques to support the design and implementation of strategies to qualify and upgrade human resources are scrutinized in this paper identifying priority areas to receive support from OR.
Retail Store Performance Model the Impact of Own‐branch ‘Friendly Fire’
Authors: Dibb Sally , Simkin Lyndon
Published: January 2004

Store location modelling is still far from accepted practice in most national retailers. A growing number, however, are implementing regression‐based approaches. While as a statistical technique, regression is far from innovative, its gradual acceptance in retailing is bringing welcome benefits to many companies. Implementation, though, requires careful planning. Recent developments have concentrated on incorporating competitive forces of two types. The impact on sales of competitors' brands and store networks. The fears of cannibalisation of sales as dense branch networks place a retailer's own stores in close proximity to each other — the impact of ‘friendly fire’.
MACBETH — An Interactive Path Towards the Construction of Cardinal Value Functions
Authors: E Costa Carlos A Bana , Vansnick Jean‐Claude
Published: January 2004

The application of classical models and techniques for cardinal measurement of values usually requires a person (D) to answer very difficult questions. The MACBETH approach, presented in this paper, proposes a simple questioning procedure to ‘drive’ the interactive quantification of values through pairwise verbal judgements of difference of attractiveness between valuable elements of a set A. Technically, MACBETH uses a chain of four linear programs for assigning numbers to the elements of set A based upon the qualitative judgements expressed by D and to reveal possible sources of incoherence. In practice, this information is to be used as a basis for discussion and learning. MACBETH stands for Measuring Attractiveness by a Categorical Based Evaluation TecHnique.
A Priori Voting Power: What is it All about?
Authors: Felsenthal Dan S. , Machover Moshé
Published: January 2004

We explain the meaning of a priori voting power and outline how it is measured. We distinguish two intuitive notions as to what voting power means, leading to two approaches to measuring it. One conception, I-power, focuses on a voter's potential influence over the outcome of decisions by a voting body. The second conception, P-power, focuses on voters' payoff, their expected share of a fixed winning ‘prize’. We discuss and rebut some philosophical and pragmatic objections, according to which a priori (as distinct from actual) voting power is worthless or inapplicable.
Essential Concepts in Developing Community–University Partnerships  CareLink: The Partners in Caring Model*
Authors: Bernal Henrietta , Shellman Juliette , Reid Karen
Published: January 2004

Abstract  University and community partnerships are being created to increase community‐based educational experiences for nursing students and to assist agencies in facing ever‐decreasing resources to pay for health services for clients. Many challenges often burden these partnerships, leading to a less than satisfying experience for all those involved. The Partners in Caring Model described in this article is one approach to forming a successful partnership, proven effective in meeting the educational needs of the University of Connecticut, School of Nursing students, while providing additional resources to the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Connecticut, Inc. Using Anderson and McFarlane's Community as Partner Model as the framework, the essential principles behind the development of this successful partnership are discussed. The Partners in Caring Model demonstrates that community–university partnerships can sustain themselves when the partners have a commitment to care for the population being served, and it is a shared responsibility between education and practice.