bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Inequality, inflation, and central bank independence
Authors: Dolmas Jim , Huffman Gregory W. , Wynne Mark A. 
Published: March 2003

What can account for the different contemporaneous inflation experiences of various countries, and of the same country over time? We present an analysis of the determination of inflation from a political economy perspective. We document a positive correlation between income inequality and inflation and then present a theory of the determination of inflation outcomes in democratic societies that illustrates how greater inequality leads to greater inflation, owing to a desire by voters for wealth redistribution. We conclude by showing that democracies with more independent central banks tend to have better inflation outcomes for a given degree of inequality. JEL Classification E5, H0 Inégalité, inflation et l'indépendance de la banque centrale. Quels sont les facteurs qui pourraient expliquer les expériences inflationnistes tellement différentes des divers pays dans le passé récent, et l'expérience tellement différente d'un pays donné dans le temps? Les auteurs analysent ce problème de la détermination du taux d'inflation dans une perspective d'économie politique. Ils déterminent qu'il y a une corrélation positive entre l'inégalité et l'inflation, et présentent une théorie de la détermination de l'inflation dans les sociétés démocratiques qui montre comment une inégalité plus grande entraîne une inflation plus grande à cause du désir des électeurs de demander une redistribution de la richesse. Le mémoire montre en terminant que les démocraties e´quipées de banques centrales plus indépendantes tendent à avoir de meilleurs résultats en terme d'inflation pour un degré d'inégalité donné.
Credit market imperfections and exchange rate variability
Authors: Ho Wai‐Ming 
Published: March 2003

In this paper a two‐country overlapping generations model is presented in which the roles of financial factors in the international monetary transmission mechanism are studied and whether and how the two types of credit market imperfections, limited participation, and costly state verification may contribute to the high variability of exchange rates are examined. Liquidity effects generated by monetary disturbances are shown to have qualitatively similar effects on the world economy in the perfect information case and in the costly information case. However, quantitative differences provide dfferent predictions about the variability of economic variables in the world economy. JEL Classification: F31, F41Ce mémoire présente un modèle de deux pays où les générations se chevauchent pour étudier le rôle des facteurs financiers dans le mécanisme de transmission monétaire international, et pour examiner si les deux types d'imperfection (participation limitée et contrôle étatique coûteux) peuvent contribuer à une grande variabilité des taux de change et de quelle manière. On montre que les effets de liquidité engendrés par les perturbations monétaires ont les mêmes effets qualitatifs sur l'économie mondiale que l'information soit parfaite ou coûteuse. Cependant, il y a des différences quantitatives. Ces différences suggèrent des écarts dans les prévisions quant à la variabilité des variables économiques dans l'économie mondiale.
Union bargaining power, relative wages, and efficiency in Canada
Authors: Fisher Timothy C.G. , Waschik Robert G. 
Published: March 2003

We use a computable general equilibrium model incorporating trade unions, efficient Nash contracts, existing distortions, and international trade to measure the deadweight loss in Canada arising from the ability of unions to raise wages above competitive levels. The model incorporates two features new to CGE analysis: parameterization of union bargaining power and variations in union preferences. Estimates indicate the deadweight loss to be no more than 0.04 per cent of GNP. However, the small aggregate effect masks considerable adjustments at the industry level, in imports and exports, and in the distribution of income. Adjustments are also larger with employment‐oriented unions. Pouvoir de négociation des syndicats, salaires relatifs et efficacité au Canada. Les auteurs utilisent un modèle d'équilibre général calculable qui prend en compte les syndicats ouvriers, des contrats efficients à la Nash, les distorsions existantes, et le commerce international pour mesurer les pertes de bien‐être au Canada attribuables au fait que les syndicats engendrent des niveaux de salaires au dessus des niveaux concurrentiels. Le modèle incorpore deux éléments inédits: la paramétrisation du pouvoir de négociation des syndicats et les variations dans les préférences des syndicats. Les résultats indiquent que les pertes de bien‐être ne dépassent pas 0,04 pourcent du PIB. Cependant, ce petit effet agrégé masque des ajustements substantiels au niveau de l'industrie, dans les importations et exportations, et dans la répartition des revenus. Les ajustements sont aussi plus importants quand les syndicats mettent l'accent sur l'emploi.
Needs‐based health care funding: implications for resource distribution in Ontario
Authors: Bedard Kelly , Dorland John , Gregory Allan W. , Roberts Joanne 
Published: March 2003

Capitation models have been suggested as an alternative to funding methods based on historical utilization patterns. Capitation funding distributes esources to regions or programs according to their population, adjusted for the age and gender composition and relative need. The most commonly used relative needs measure is the Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR). This paper compares the distribution of resources in Ontario implied by a variety of capitation formula. Another aspect of this research is to design a mechanism that translates the SMR into a funding allocation index. We specify a non‐linear model to capture the relationship between current expenditures and the SMR while controlling for historical utilization factors. In contrast to previous work, in which a linear relationship between expenditures and need was assumed, our estimates suggest that the relationship may actually be highly non‐linear. This non‐linearity ncreases transfers to regions of relative need relative to a linear capitation program. JEL Classification: I0, H51On a suggéré des modèles de financement per capita des soins de santé pour remplacer les méthodes de financement fondées sur les patterns historiques d'utilisation. Cette solution de rechange distribuerait les ressources aux régions et programmes selon la population (avec des ajustements pour tenir compte de la structure 'âges, de sexes, et de besoins relatifs). La mesure la plus commune des besoins relatifs est le taux de mortalité standardisé (TMS). Ce mémoire compare la répartition des ressources en Ontario qui découlerait de l'emploi d'une variété de formules. On tente aussi de construire un mécanisme qui traduise le TMS en un indice d'allocation des fonds. Les auteurs construisent un odèle non‐linéaire qui saisit la relation entre TMS et épenses courantes tout en normalisant pour tenir compte des facteurs historiques d'utilisation. Contrairement aux résultats des travaux antérieurs qui postulaient une relation linéaire entre épenses et besoins, les résultats de cette étude uggèrent que cette relation peut être fortement non‐linéaire, et que cette non‐linéarité tend à ccroître les transferts aux régions qui ont les besoins les plus grands.
Switching costs and screening efficiency of incomplete contracts
Authors: Bac Mehmet 
Published: March 2003

We study the role of switching costs in a dynamic buyer‐seller relationship where quality is not contractible and the sellers retain private information about their quality‐relevant abilities. In this environment buyer switching costs increase the seller's bargaining power in negotiations for the second contract, but they also induce the seller to improve quality during the first ontract, in signalling his type. The overall effect is to enhance efficiency and ncrease the buyer's welfare. This beneficial effect stems from the link between quality, the buyer's posterior beliefs, and ex post distribution of bargaining power as a function of the switching cost. JEL Classification: L14L'auteur étudie le rôle des coûts de commutation dans une relation dynamique acheteur‐vendeur où la qualité de la prestation ne peut être partie du contrat, et où les vendeurs peuvent rationner l'information quant à leurs compétences à livrer un produit de qualité. Dans ce contexte, les coûts de commutation de l'acheteur accroissent le pouvoir de marchandage du vendeur dans la négociation du second contrat, mais ils peuvent aussi inciter le vendeur à améliorer la qualité au cours du premier contrat pour signaler ses compétences à l'acheteur. L'effet global est d'améliorer l'efficacité et d'accroître le bien‐être de l'acheteur. Cet effet bénéfique émerge du lien entre la qualité, les croyances de l'acheteur a posteriori, et la répartition du pouvoir de négociation ex post en tant que fonction des coûts de commutation.
Part‐time Nurses: The Effect of Work Status Congruency on Job Attitudes
Authors: Mantler Keil Janet , Armstrong‐Stassen Marjorie , Cameron Sheila , Horsburgh Martha 
Published: March 2003

Nous avons mene´ 2 e´tudes (N=204 et N=251) pour examiner comment la congruence de statut au travail (pre´fe´rence pour le travail a` temps partiel par opposition au travail a` temps plein) influence les attitudes vis a` vis de l’emploi et les re´actions aux changements organisationnels des infirmie`res a` temps partiel employe´es dans le cadre d’un hôpital. Les re´sultats de l’analyse discriminante ont indique´ un effet important de la congruence de statut au travail pour les deux e´chantillons. Compare´es aux infirmie`res qui ont un statut non congruent (c’est a` dire une pre´fe´rence pour le travail a` temps plein), les infirmie`res qui ont un statut au travail congruent (pre´fe´rence pour le travail a` temps partiel) e´taient plus age´es et plus satisfaites des re´compenses financie`res de leurs emplois. Inversement, les infirmie`res dont le statut au travail e´tait non congruent signalaient une plus grande satisfaction relative au travail qu’elles accomplissaient. Il n’y avait pas de diffe´rence notable quant a` la satisfaction globale de leur emploi, quant a` la recherche d’un coping de fuite et l’intention de changer d’emploi. Enfin, il y avait des diffe´rences entre les deux e´chantillons concernant l’inse´curite´ de l’emploi et l’utilisation de strate´gies visant a` controler la situation, ce qui e´tait probablement due aux changements du syste`me de sante´ relatifs au moment de ces e´tudes.We conducted two studies (N=204 and N=251) to examine how work status congruency (preference to work part‐time versus full‐time) influences the job attitudes and reactions to organisational restructuring of part‐time nurses employed in a hospital setting. The discriminant function analysis results indicated a significant effect for work status congruency for both samples. Compared with nurses with an incongruent work status (i.e. who would have preferred to work full‐time), nurses with a congruent work status (i.e. preferred to work part‐time) were older and more satisfied with the financial rewards of their jobs. Conversely, nurses with an incongruent work status reported greater satisfaction with the kind of work they were performing. There were no significant differences for overall job satisfaction, escape coping, and turnover intention. Finally, there were differences between the samples for job insecurity and use of control‐oriented coping strategies, most likely related to changes in the health‐care system at the time of the second study.
Lessons from Research on the Consequences of German Uniﬁcation: Continuity and Discontinuity of Self‐Efﬁcacy and the Timing of Psychosocial Transitions
Authors: Silbereisen Rainer K. , Wiesner Margit 
Published: March 2003

La réuniﬁcation de l’Allemagne a offert une opportunité unique d’étudier les effets de changements sociaux radicaux sur le développement individuel. Dans cet article, nous présentons les principaux résultats de nos études sur les conséquences de la réuniﬁcation de l’Allemagne, ces recherches ayant utilisé des données provenant de larges échantillons à quota. Les résultats portent sur des aspects spéciﬁques du développement social et de la personnalité chez l’adolescent et le jeune adulte, soit l’efﬁcacité personnelle scolaire et l’âge à laquelle diverses transitions psychosociales ont lieu. Les résultats de nos études indiquent que les changements sociaux radicaux en Allemagne ont affecté plusieurs dimensions du développement social et de la personnalité, spécialement celles sujettes à l’inﬂuence de changement institutionnel. Cependant, les effets ont émergé plus tard qu’anticipé, ce qui est consistent avec la notion de “loose coupling” entre les contextes et les individus changeants (Elder, 1998a, 1998b). Des recherches plus détaillées sur les mécanismes de médiation et les facteurs modérateurs sont nécessaires dans le futur.German uniﬁcation offered a unique opportunity to study the effects of radical societal change on individual development. In this article, we provide an overview of the central ﬁndings from our studies on the consequences of German uniﬁcation, which used data from large quota samples. Findings are reported for speciﬁc aspects of social and personality development in adolescence and young adulthood, namely, academic self‐efﬁcacy and the age at which various psychosocial transitions were accomplished. Our studies showed that the transformations in Germany affected several dimensions of social and personality development, especially those subject to the inﬂuence of institutional change. The effects, however, emerged later than anticipated, consistent with the notion of “loose coupling” between changing contexts and individuals (Elder, 1998a, 1998b). More in‐depth investigations of the mediating mechanisms and the moderating factors are needed in the future.
Hope Suspended: Morality, Politics and War in Central Africa
Authors: Fennell James 
Published: March 2003

The Great Lakes tragedy from 1994—8 has demonstrated the impact of a new consensus in favour of conditional relief for the protection and assistance of disaster victims. This paper attempts to catalogue the failures of the international humanitarian community, African leaders and donor governments to act effectively in defence of humanitarian principles throughout the crisis. The paper places special emphasis on the events in eastern Zaire during 1996—7 that have, so far, received limited treatment, and, it contends, led to the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives.The paper argues that the new orthodoxy of developmental relief, as adopted by UN and NGO humanitarian agencies in the Great Lakes, has acted more in support of the geopolitical and economic agendas of Northern governments and African leaders than in defence of disaster victims. The paper points out that the evidence of the Great Lakes tragedy suggests that the adoption of these approaches has sanctioned the abandonment of ideas about universal rights of protection for non‐combatants at the moment when they are most at risk, with catastrophic results for those most vulnerable to abuse.
The Management of Severe Malnutrition in Burundi: An NGO’s Perspective of the Practical Constraints to Effective Emergency and Medium‐term Programmes
Authors: Fournier Anne‐Sophie , Mason Frances , Peacocke Barnaby , Prudhon Claudine 
Published: March 2003

The NGO, Action contre la Faim (ACF), has been operating in Burundi since 1994, where the situation has dramatically hampered humanitarian programmes. These include poor security resulting in an inability to maintain 24‐hour care for the severely malnourished and poor access to the beneficiaries, all within a politically and economically unstable context. However, ACF has been able to capitalise on lessons learnt and reflect on ways to move forward, which have included the improvement of their capacities in the treatment of severe malnutrition and the integration within broader disciplines and national structures.The protocols for the treatment of severe malnutrition currently used in Burundi have been developed as a result of the research of ACF over the past five years. Other aspects of the nutrition programme remain to be further developed. These include, for example, an improved capacity to care for severely malnourished adolescents and adults; and also a better knowledge of the beneficiaries to allow for stronger links between the provision of treatment and support for their longer‐term food security.
Neoliberal Urbanization in Europe: Large–Scale Urban Development Projects and the New Urban Policy
Authors: Swyngedouw Erik , Moulaert Frank , Rodriguez Arantxa 
Published: March 2003

This paper summarizes the theoretical insights drawn from a study of thirteen large–scale urban development projects (UDPs) in twelve European Union countries. The project focused on the way in which globalization and liberalization articulate with the emergence of new forms of governance, on the formation of a new scalar gestalt of governing and on the relationship between large–scale urban development and political, social and economic power relations in the city. Among the most important conclusions, we found that:•Large–scale UDPs have increasingly been used as a vehicle to establish exceptionality measures in planning and policy procedures. This is part of a neoliberal “New Urban Policy” approach and its selective “middle — and upper–class” democracy. It is associated with new forms of “governing” urban interventions, characterized by less democratic and more elite–driven priorities.•Local democratic participation mechanisms are not respected or are applied in a very “formalist” way, resulting in a new choreography of elite power. However, grassroots movements occasionally manage to turn the course of events in favor of local participation and of modest social returns for deprived social groups.•The UDPs are poorly integrated at best into the wider urban process and planning system. As a consequence, their impact on a city as a whole and on the areas where the projects are located remains ambiguous.•Most UDPs accentuate socioeconomic polarization through the working of real–estate markets (price rises and displacement of social or low–income housing), changes in the priorities of public budgets that are increasingly redirected from social objectives to investments in the built environment and the restructuring of the labor market.•The UDPs reflect and embody a series of processes that are associated with changing spatial scales of governance; these changes, in turn, reflect a shifting geometry of power in the governing of urbanization.
Theory & Methods: Choosing Sampling Effort for Recapture Experiments with Behavioural Response
Authors: Lloyd Christopher J. , Chaiyapong Yongyuth 
Published: March 2003

One of the main aims of a recapture experiment is to estimate the unknown size, N of a closed population. Under the so‐called behavioural model, individual capture probabilities change after the first capture. Unfortunately, the maximum likelihood estimator given by Zippin (1956) may give an infinite result and often has poor precision. Chaiyapong & Lloyd (1997) have given formulae for the asymptotic bias and variance as well as for the probability that the estimate is infinite.The purpose of this article is to tabulate the inversions of the above cited formulae so that practitioners can plan the required capture effort. This paper develops simple approximations for the minimum capture effort required to achieve (i) no more than a certain probability of breakdown, (ii) a given relative standard error.
Recent Historical Writing on Darwinism: A Review Article
Authors: Crook Paul 
Published: March 2003

Books reviewed in this article:Frederick Burkhardt, (ed.), Charles Darwin’s Letters: A Selection 1825–1859Mike Hawkins, Social Darwinism in European and American Thought, 1860–1945Stephen J. Gould, Life’s Grandeur: The Spread of Excellence from Plato to Darwin
Continuing the Debate over Risk‐related Standards of Competence
Authors: Cale Gita S. 
Published: March 2003

This discussion paper addresses Ian Wilks’ defence of the risk‐related standard of competence that appears in Bioethics 11. Wilks there argues that the puzzle posed by Mark Wicclair in Bioethics 5 against Dan Brock's argument in favour of a risk‐related standard of competence — namely that Brock’s argument allows for situations of asymmetrical competence — is not a genuine problem for a risk‐related standard of competence. To show this, Wilks presents what he believes to be two examples of real situations in which asymmetrical competence arises.I argue that insofar as Wilks equivocates two senses of competence in his examples — namely, competence to perform a task and competence in performing a task — Wilks is unable to illustrate the existence of real situations of asymmetrical competence. By examining the way in which Wilks equivocates two senses of competence in his examples, and by applying the results of this examination to the problem of patient competency within the medical field, I argue that not only does Wilks fail to show that situations of asymmetrical competence exist, but he is also unable to provide a foundation for understating how the risk‐related standard of competence can strike a balance between an individual’s autonomy and benevolent intervention.I thus conclude that insofar as Wilks fails to answer the objections raised by Wicclair and others against the risk‐related standard of competence, the risk‐related standard of competence continues to be undermined by the problem of asymmetrical competence.
Research Section: Educating children with Down’s syndrome in the United Arab Emirates
Authors: El. Naggar Gaad Eman 
Published: March 2003

It is always instructive to hear about the experiences of those seeking to promote inclusion in a range of cultures and countries around the world. In this article Dr Gaad, Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of the United Arab Emirates, reports on her Government‐funded research into the education of children with Down’s syndrome in her country. As an Arabic speaker, Dr Gaad was able to gather the views of parents, professionals and policy makers in some depth. As an educator, she brought a critical level of analysis to the lessons she observed.In the following pages, Dr Gaad reflects on the attitudes, values and beliefs that impact upon the education of children with Down’s syndrome in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). She discusses the educational services that are currently provided for these children and gives focused consideration to the issue of inclusion. The article closes with Dr Gaad’s recommendations for future practice.