Report on the Implementation of Work Package 4 “Selection and Testing New ICT Tools” in the Framework of the IRNet Project

This article, prepared by an international team of authors – researchers from different scientific areas, connected with ICT, e-learning, pedagogy, and other related disciplines – focuses on the objectives and some results of the IRNet international project. In particular, this article describes the research tools, methods, and some procedures of the Work Package 4 (WP4) “Selection and Testing New ICT tools”: Objectives, Tasks, Deliverables, and implementation of research trips. Researchers from partner universities have analysed the results of WP4 in the context of the next stages and Work Packages of the IRNet project – International Research Network

Students' perspective on on-line college education in the field of journalism

The advance in new technologies has changed the educational model considerably. On-line education has arrived with a bang at university and those degree courses linked to the field of communication have adopted this type of technologies. In just a few years, the number of courses available in the communication field that include on-line subjects has multiplied. It seems that this tendency of proliferation will continue due to a high demand for degrees in the communication field as well as the possibility of completing these degrees on-line. This paper shows the perspective that on-line journalism students at the Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid have on their studies. The results of a survey of students of the different courses that include the qualification allow us to gain a perspective of their experiences at the beginning and end of the studies. The questionnaire asks about socio-demographic traits from which we draw a sociological profile of on-line journalism student. It also delves into the motivations and expectations surrounding the decision to enrol in this mode and in its assessment both in terms of learning and the relationship between peers and teachers. Some of the conclusions point to the positive attitude of students and a satisfactory evaluation by the students

Access to the Internet and Regional Structures: The Case of Italy

I study the effects of Internet access on regional structures and provide some insights into the complex question of the role of technology in regional development. The paper analyzes the distribution of access to the Internet in Italy, highlighting the differences among regions and sub-regional areas and with respect to categories of users. This is an aspect of the so-called \u201cdigital divide\u201d. I concentrate on the stability and change of regional structures in Italy, pointing at conclusions of general relevance. My analysis confirms the dynamism of the regions of the so-called \u201cThird Italy\u201d and the fundamental distinction between the North-Center with respect to the South, the Italian Mezzogiorno. My preliminary conclusions on the effects of the Internet in promoting economic development suggest lines for further investigation. Key Words: Regional development, Italy, Internet, digital divide JEL Classifications: R11, R12, O3

From lifelong education to lifelong learning. Discussion of some effects of today\u27s neoliberal policies

When we think about current adult education in the context of the uneven and contradictory social and economic impact of globalization, it necessarily implies thinking about the transfer from the paradigm of lifelong education to the paradigm of lifelong learning. We shall examine the essential quality involved in the social significance and the political dimension of each of these paradigms, because, since the post-war period, both became innovative educational policy strategies capable of mobilizing and transforming society. We would like to stress the importance of rethinking the role of adult education today in the light of the responsibilities shifting from the state to individuals, arising from the implications of this transition of paradigms: we do this by framing it in the context of the socio-productive restructuring movement, which speeded up the move from the so-called model of qualification, associated to social emancipation, to what is known as the model of competence (later competences), which is associated with individual empowerment. Therefore in this article we intend to question this new policy direction, which is associated with a conceptual and methodological shift in adult education practices, by using the prism of a critical sociology of education. (DIPF/Orig.

Spurious Regression and Econometric Trends

This paper analyses the asymptotic and finite sample implications of different types of nonstationary behavior among the dependent and explanatory variables in a linear spurious regression model. We study cases when the nonstationarity in the dependent and explanatory variables is deterministic as well as stochastic. In particular, we derive the order in probability of the t-statistic in a linear regression equation under a variety of empirically relevant data generation processes, and show that the spurious regression phenomenon is present in all cases considered, when at least one of the variables behaves in a nonstationary way. Simulation experiments confirm our asymptotic results.Spurious regression, trends, unit roots, trend stationarity, structural breaks

Trade Liberalization and Industry Dynamics: A Difference in Difference Approach

Recent models of trade with firm heterogeneity predict that opening to trade reduces the number of firms, increases the average size of firms, and decreases firms’ markups. This paper uses a large dataset for 28 manufacturing industries and 46 countries to test these predictions. The econometric analysis based on the treatment effects literature shows that on average, trade liberalizations do not decrease the number of firms nor increase the average size of firms. Markups appear to decrease during the three years after the liberalization. We also find that the number of firms and the average size of firms increase in comparative advantage industries.

The delayed development of early brazilian financial historiography, 1890-1930

La Historia Económica en Latinoamérica. Edición a cargo de Pablo Martín Aceña, Adolfo Meisel, Carlos Newland.Editada en la Fundación Empresa PúblicaEste trabajo presenta un visión panorámica de la evolución de la historiografía económica de la Primera República, para determinar las causas de la demora del desarrollo de las investigaciones sobre la historia financiera interna. Se argumenta que la atención en los mercados internacionales, prevaleciente en el enfoque de la teoría de la dependencia, tuvo como consecuencia el descuido de la estructura de las finanzas internas. En tiempos recientes, los investigadores han dedicado mayor atención a los enfoques que subrayan el equilibrio entre los factores económicos internos e internacionales, incluyendo el análisis de las redes de distribución y las estructuras institucionales financieras. Esta perspectiva sugiere que, dentro del sector privado, una estabilidad financiera emergió durante la Primera República y que el campo de las finanzas contribuyó positivamente al crecimiento económico, a pesar de las vicisitudes de las finanzas públicas. Estas conclusiones tentativas ofirecen una perspectiva muy diferente sobre la naturaleza del desarrollo económico del Brasil y sugieren nuevas y desafiantes preguntas.This article ofiers an overview of the evolution of economic historiography of the First Republic in order to consider why it has taken so long for domestic financial history to gain importance on the research agendas of Brazilian economic historians. It contends that the focus of dependency theory on internatíonal tnarkets resulted in neglecting the structure of domestic fínance. Recently, scholars have turned their attention to approaches that emphasize a balance between domestic and International economic factors, includúig looking at the distribution networks and institutional frameworks of domestic fínance. Evidence from this perspective suggests that within prívate sectors, fínancial stability emerged during the First Republic and fínance made positive contributions to growth, despite the vicissitudes of public fínance. This tentative fínding offers a very different perspective on the nature of Brazilian economic development and raises challenging new questions.Publicad

The Effects of Business Cycles on Growth

This paper studies the link between business cycles and long-term growth rates. We present empirical evidence that uncovers interesting and significant interactions between cycles and growth. We show that business cycles cannot be considered as temporary deviations from a trend and that there is a strong positive correlation between the persistence of short-term fluctuations and long-term growth rates. A simple endogenous growth model where business cycles affect growth can easily replicate this correlation. We then study the link between volatility and growth. We show that countries with more volatile fluctuations display lower long-term growth rates. We also find evidence that there is a non-linearity in this relationship. The effect of business cycles on growth is much larger for poor countries or countries with a lower degree of financial development.

Studies on the Japanese long-line fishery for tuna and marlin in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean during 1963

ENGLISH: During 1963, the area of operation of the Japanese long-line fishery in the eastern Pacific further expanded, and total fishing effort increased. Charts are presented showing the distribution of effort and of catch-rates, by species, for major fishing areas; and showing catch-rates by species, by quarters of the year, by areas of one-degree of latitude and longitude. In the newly-exploited region north of 10°N, yellowfin and striped marlin are principal elements of the catch, while in the newly-fished region south of the former fishing areas, south of about 20°S, albacore dominate in the catch. Continued decline in catch rates of bigeye tuna, associated with increased fishing effort, indicates that there has been a real decrease in abundance of this species, and that it may have resulted from effects of the fishery on the stock. Changes in catch rates of yellowfin tuna seem to be associated with effects on the stock by both the long-line fishery and by the near-surface fishery by purse-seiners and bait-boats. Over the short series of years for which data are available, there are no discernible trends in apparent abundance of striped marlin or albacore. Information is presented concerning seasonal and geographical distributions of spawning yellowfin tuna, based on examination of gonads. Analysis of data on size composition of yellowfin tuna for 1958-1964 indicates that the long-line fishery is becoming increasingly dependent on the most recently recruited year class, further confirming the effect of the fishery on the stock. The long-line fishery now takes nearly all of its catch of yellowfin tuna from two year-classes each year, during their third and fourth years of life. SPANISH: Durante 1963 el área de operación de la pesca palangrera japonesa en el Pacífico oriental se extendió más y se incrementó el esfuerzo total de pesca. Se presentan cartas indicando la distribución del esfuerzo y las tasas de captura por especies, para las áreas principales de pesca; y se muestran las tasas de captura por especies y por trimestres del año en áreas de un grado de latitud y longitud. En la región recientemente explotada al norte de los 10°N, los principales elementos de la captura son el atún aleta amarilla y el marlín rayado, mientras aproximadamente al sur de los 20°S en la región recientemente pescada al sur de las primeras áreas de pesca la albacora predomina en la captura. La continua merma en las tasas de captura del patudo en asociación con el incremento en el esfuerzo de pesca, indica que ha habido una real reducción en la abundancia de esta especie y que puede ser el resultado de los efectos de la pesquería sobre el stock. Los cambios en las tasas de captura del atún aleta amarilla parecen estar asociados con los efectos sobre el stock tanto de la pesquería palangrera como de la pesca de superficie por barcos rederos y de carnada. No hay tendencias perceptibles en la abundancia aparente del marlín rayado o la albacora en el corto período de años de los que se disponen datos. Se presenta información referente a la distribución estacional y geográfica del desove del atún aleta amarilla basado en el examen de las gónadas. El análisis de los datos sobre la composición de tallas del atún aleta amarilla correspondiente a 1958-1964 indica que la pesca palangrera depende cada vez más de las clases anuales recientemente reclutadas, confirmando aún más el efecto que tiene la pesquería sobre el stock. La pesquería palangrera coge casi toda su pesca de atún aleta amarilla de dos clases anuales cada año, durante su tercer y cuarto año de vida. (PDF contains 70 pages.