Application of a news quality monitoring methodology

This set of case studies has two main purposes Case studies illustrating the usefulness of the quality monitoring framework set out in chapter one of The Future of Quality News Journalism: a cross-continental analysis The material that is produced below is still under development and may be modified when the final draft is produced shortly. a) Introduction This set of case studies has two main purposes. First, to provide examples of how the quality monitoring framework outlined in chapter one might be applied to online news stories of quality mainstream news providers. Second, to provide some representative sample evidence of the quality of the hard news provision of some of the best of the mainstream news providers. This is intended to back up the case for their continuing importance that is made within the bonus chapter (available only online at: HTTP://CLOK.UCLAN.AC.UK/7824) There are several things that it is important to emphasise. First, as chapter one makes clear, the preferred means of quality assessment would be via the kind of expert/professional panels outlined and suggested there. This should enhance the rigour of the evaluative process in so far as several pairs of expert eyes are likely to pick up inconsistencies in the application of that process in a way that would not be possible for one. Given that such panels do not yet exist to apply it and that the purpose here is mainly illustrative, the evaluations have been made by the author alone. That means that they should be treated with greater caution than had they been panel produced, but providing that is remembered it does not detract from their illustrative value. For the purposes of transparency and the need to provide readers with enough information to help them cross-check the judgments for themselves if they so wish, concise sample reasons are provided at the end of each piece as to why the individual quality ratings have been arrive

Welfare vs. Market Access: The Implications of Tariff Structure for Tariff Reform

We show that the effects of tariff changes on welfare and import volume can be fully characterized by their effects on the generalized mean and variance of the tariff distribution. Using these tools, we derive new results for welfare- and market-access-improving tariff changes, which imply two 'cones of liberalization' in price space. Because welfare is negatively but import volume positively related to the generalized variance, the cones do not intersect, which poses a dilemma for trade policy reform. Finally, we show that generalized and trade-weighted moments are mutually proportional when the trade expenditure function is CES.

Welfare versus Market Access - The Implications of Tariff Structure for Tariff Reform

We show that the effects of tariff changes on welfare and import volume can be fully characterised by their effects on the generalised mean and variance of the tariff distribution. Using these tools, we derive new results for welfare- and market-access-improving tariff changes, which imply two "cones of liberalisation" in price space. Because welfare is negatively but import volume positively related to the generalised variance, the cones do not intersect, which poses a dilemma for trade policy reform. Finally, we show that generalised and trade-weighted moments are mutually proportional when the trade expenditure function is CES.Concertina rule; Market access; Piecemeal policy reform; Tariff moments; Uniform tariff reductions

Domestic distortions and international trade

Trade is affected not only by taxes and subsidies that affect producers and consumers of goods, but also, indirectly, by taxes and subsidies that affect nontraded goods or factors of production. The authors show how the Trade Restrictiveness Index (TRI) may be extended to incorporate these types of distortions. Again, the value of the TRI gives the equiproportionate change in the prices of traded goods, which would compensate for a given change in all distortions, both in traded and nontraded goods and in factor markets. The authors, who developed the theory of the TRI, show how to apply it in practice, drawing on a larger study by Anderson and Bannister of changes in Mexican agricultural policy between 1985 and 1989. Adapting the TRI to a partial equilibrium context allows existing estimates of key demand and supply elasticities to be incorporated into the Index; and the basic formula is adapted to take account of some special features of Mexican agricultural markets. The TRI shows a great increase in restrictiveness in 1986 and especially 1987, followed by major reductions in restrictiveness in 1988 and 1989. The cumulative effect: a 49.9 percent fall in trade restrictiveness over the four years. The major, although not the only, source of changes in trade restrictiveness were changes in producer subsidies, especially for maize. These trends are not captured by changes in indices for consumer and producer subsidy equivalents, which the authors also present. Indeed, in a number of years at least one of the ad hoc indices changed in the opposite direction to the change in the corresponding welfare-based index.Access to Markets,TF054105-DONOR FUNDED OPERATION ADMINISTRATION FEE INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT,Markets and Market Access,Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research

A new approach to evaluating trade policy

The authors introduce a new measure, the Trade Restrictiveness Index, to measure the restrictiveness of a system of trade protection. They propose an alternative to the commonly used ad hoc indexes of trade restrictiveness, such as the trade-weighted average tariff. That measure has no welfare-theoretic basis and can be highly misleading, in practice. For example, the complete exclusion of trade in a commodity would usually lower the index, because its trade weight would fall to zero. The authors show that their proposed index is soundly based in standard welfare economics. When trade is restricted by tariffs only, the Trade Restrictiveness Index equals the uniform tariff, which would be equivalent to the existing system of tariffs in the sense of yielding the same level of aggregate welfare. But tariffs have declined in importance in recent years as a means of restricting trade, so the measure must also be able to take account of quantitative restrictions on trade. Where quotas are the only form of restriction, this is easy: the Index equals the equiproportionate reduction in permitted import volumes that is welfare-equivalent to the initial structure of quotas. When both quotas and tariffs are present, the Index can be defined as the uniform tariff factor (one plus the uniform tariff) and uniform import reduction factor which would yield the same level of welfare as the initial system of trade restrictions. The authors show how this can be formulated, noting that if a single good is subject to both a binding quota and a tariff, it should be viewed as quota-constrained - the tariff serves merely to ensure that some of the rents accrue to the importing country. These theoretical derivations permit a major synthesis of the theory of protection and suggest how the results of computable general equilibrium models might be presented to make them internationally and intertemporally comparable. But in most cases such a model is not available and, even if it were, it would not be sufficiently disaggregated to deal with a complicated system of trade protection. So the authors present some empirical short-cuts that can be adopted for estimating changes in the Index. Chief among these is the assumption that the goods under consideration are separable from others in an appropriate general-equilibrium sense. This can provide a rigorous foundation for a form of partial-equilibrium analysis (the consideration of a subset of markets in an economy). They also show how the Trade Restrictiveness Index can be adapted to allow for different forms of rent sharing and for a country's ability to influence its terms of trade. Applying these empirical methods to exports of textiles and apparel from Hong Kong to the United States, the authors find that the protective system becomes more restrictive for both countries over the seven years considered (1982-88). Increased trade restrictiveness does not necessarily mean that quotas have been tightened. When there is economic growth, constant or even rising import quotas might still amount to a tightening of protection. Results based on the trade-weighted average of"tariff equivalents"(the gaps between Hong Kong and U.S. prices) diverge significantly from those of the Trade Restrictiveness Index. The two measures have opposite implications for the change in trade restrictiveness for two-thirds of the observations.Environmental Economics&Policies,Trade Policy,Transport and Trade Logistics,Economic Theory&Research,TF054105-DONOR FUNDED OPERATION ADMINISTRATION FEE INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT

The Mercantilist Index of Trade Policy

We introduce an index of trade policy restrictiveness defined as the uniform tariff which maintains the same trade volume as a given tariff/quota structure. Our index overcomes the problems of the trade-weighted average tariff - it avoids substitution bias, correctly accounts for general equilibrium transfers, and takes import volume rather than welfare as benchmark. Empirical applications to international cross-section and time-series comparisons of trade policy confirm our theoretical results - trade-weighted average tariffs generally underestimate the true height of tariffs as measured by the trade-volume-equivalent index; this in turn always underestimates the welfare-equivalent index.International trade policy; tariffs; quotas; Trade Restrictiveness Index; trade liberalisation

Concept Mapping to Develop a Framework for Characterizing Electronic Data Capture (EDC) Systems

CTSAs have brought about a push to find better EDC systems, which facilitate translational research. Based on the data management needs of a specific clinical/translational research lab, concept mapping was used to create a framework to evaluate EDCs. After refinement based on a spiral model, including consultations with the UW CTSA and a survey of other CTSAs, the tool was used to characterize EDCs used at CTSA sites across the country

Compositional variations of sea-salt-mode aerosol particles from the North Atlantic

Individual sea-salt-mode aerosol particles collected during the Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment/Marine Aerosol and Gas Exchange (ASTEX/MAGE) experiment in June 1992 were studied using transmission electron microscopy in both imaging and analysis modes. The set of eight samples provided an opportunity to compare ''clean,'' ''intermediate,'' and ''dirty'' oceanic aerosols. In the clean samples, major species include NaCl, mixed-cation (Na, Mg, K, and Ca) sulfates, and in some particles, NaNO3. The same compounds also occur in intermediate samples, but compositional groups can be distinguished that are characterized by low- and high-Cl losses from sea salt. In these samples, most Cl loss is compensated by NaNO3 formation. Several compositional groups occur in the dirty samples; these include, in addition to the particle types in clean and intermediate samples, Na2SO4 (with minor Mg, K, and Ca), (NH4)(2)SO4, and silicates. The uniform compositions of sea-salt-mode particles in the clean samples suggest that the same process was acting on all particles. Their excess sulfate and nitrate probably formed through the oxidation of SO2 in the sea-salt aerosol water and by reactions between NOx and NaCl. On the other hand, distinct compositional groups in the dirty samples reveal that long-range transport of continental air masses resulted in the mixing of aerosols that were exposed to different conditions. In addition to O-3 oxidation, cloud processing may have contributed to the formation of excess sulfate in these samples

Soot and sulfate aerosol particles in the remote marine troposphere

Sulfate aerosol particles containing soot aggregates were observed in the marine troposphere in both hemispheres under conditions that ranged from extremely clean to heavily polluted. Even in clean air above the remote Southern Ocean during the First Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE 1), depending on the sample, between 10 and 45% of sulfate particles contained soot inclusions. We identified aircraft emissions and biomass burning as the most likely major sources of soot. Internally mixed soot and sulfate appear to comprise a globally significant fraction of aerosols in the troposphere. Anthropogenic combustion aerosols can thus potentially change the radiative climate effects of sulfate aerosols and may have an impact on cloud properties even in the remote troposphere

Representative Farms Economic Outlook for the January 2006 FAPRI/AFPC Baseline

The farm level economic impacts of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (2002 Farm Bill) on representative crop and livestock operations are projected in this report. The analysis was conducted over the 2006-2010 planning horizon using FLIPSIM, AFPC’s whole farm simulation model. Data to simulate farming and ranching operations in the nation’s major production regions came from two sources: - Producer panel cooperation to develop economic information to describe and simulate representative crop, livestock, and dairy farms. - Projected prices, policy variables, and input inflation rates from the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) January 2006 Baseline. The primary objective of the analysis is to determine the farms’ economic viability by region and commodity through the life of the 2002 Farm Bill. The FLIPSIM policy simulation model incorporates the historical risk faced by farmers and ranchers for prices and production. This report presents the results of the January 2006 Baseline in a risk context using selected simulated probabilities and ranges for annual net cash farm income values. The probability of a farm experiencing a negative ending cash balance and the probability of a farm losing real net worth are included as indicators of the cash flow and equity risks facing farms through the year 2010. This report is organized into ten sections. The first section summarizes the process used to develop the representative farms and the key assumptions utilized for the farm level analysis. The second section summarizes the FAPRI January 2006 Baseline and the policy and price assumptions used for the representative farm analyses. The third through sixth sections present the results of the simulation analyses for feed grain, wheat, cotton, and rice farms. The seventh and eighth sections summarize simulation results for dairy and cattle. Two appendices constitute the final section of the report. Appendix A provides tables to summarize the physical and financial characteristics for each of the representative farms. Appendix B provides the names of producers, land grant faculty, and industry leaders who cooperated in the panel interview process to develop the representative farms.Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Crop Production/Industries, Livestock Production/Industries,