Improving the Effectiveness of Skills Training Programs

Politische Entscheidungsträger sind zunehmend besorgt über die hohe und steigende Einkommens- und Vermögensungleichheit weltweit (Kanbur, 2019; Wood, 2018). Ein wesentlicher Faktor ist die ungleiche Verteilung von Bildung und produktiven Fähigkeiten innerhalb von Gesellschaften sowie zwischen Ländern (Martin, 2018; Stijn et al., 2019). Die Förderung von benachteiligten Bevölkerungsgruppen neue Kompetenzen zu erwerben ist daher ein wichtiger politischer Hebel zur Bekämpfung von Ungleichheiten (OECD, 2019). Diese Dissertation liefert neue Erkenntnisse darüber, wie Trainingsmaßnahmen gestaltet werden können, um das wirtschaftliche Wohlergehen von Teilnehmer effektiv zu verbessern. Auf der Grundlage kontrafaktischer Wirkungsevaluierungen wird in den vier Kapiteln die Effektivität von Trainingsmaßnahmen in drei zentralen Politikbereichen analysiert: berufliche Fähigkeiten, Unternehmertum und finanzielle Bildung. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, wie wichtig es ist, zielgerichtete und maßgeschneiderte Maßnahmen zu entwickeln, welche gleichzeitig auf verschiedene Bedürfnisse, Einschränkungen und Chancen von geringer-qualifizierten, benachteiligten Personen eingehen.Policymakers are increasingly concerned about high and rising inequality of earnings and wealth globally (Kanbur, 2019; Wood, 2018). One key driver is the unequal distribution of productive skills within societies and across countries (Martin, 2018; Stijn et al., 2019). Improving opportunities for disadvantaged population groups to acquire new skills, therefore, presents an important policy lever to tackle inequalities (OECD, 2019). This thesis provides new evidence on how to design skills trainings that effectively improve participants’ economic well-being. Based on counterfactual impact evaluations, the four chapters assess the effectiveness of training pro-grams in three core policy areas: vocational skills, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. The findings demonstrate the importance of designing well-targeted and tailored interventions that simultaneously address the multi-faceted needs, constraints, and opportunities faced by lower-skilled, disadvantaged individuals

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationTreatment adherence remains a major challenge in tuberculosis (TB) control. Mobile phone text messaging is a promising tool to support TB treatment adherence. The purpose of this study was to develop a text messaging intervention to promote TB treatment adherence, assess feasibility and acceptability, and to explore initial efficacy. A collaborative team of clinicians, administrators and patients in treatment developed the intervention. Content analysis, based on the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) model, guided educational message selection. To identify considerations for a larger trial a socio-technical evaluation model adapted from Conford, and Barber and associates was applied. The intervention was implemented as a mixed-method, randomized controlled pilot-study at a public pulmonary-specialized hospital in Argentina. Patients newly diagnosed with TB who were18 or older, without drug resistance or HIV, and had access to a mobile phone were recruited. Participants were randomized to usual care plus either medication calendar (n=19) or text messaging intervention (n=18) for the first 2 months of treatment. Data were obtained through interviews, field notes, self-reported adherence, sputum microscopy, and treatment outcomes. Most potential participants had access to mobile phones and knew how to send a text, supporting feasibility of the intervention. The majority of the participants (60%) indicated not being adequately informed about disease or treatment. Participants identified themes of feeling cared for, responsible for their treatment and valued the option to ask questions and receive quick answers. Texting group participants reported adherence 77% of the days (SD 23.5, range 22-100), whereas only 53% in the control group returned calendars. Sputum conversion and treatment outcomes were similar in both groups. Considerations for conducting a larger trial included reducing cost, improving the automated features, and strengthening capacity to return patients to treatment. A collaborative approach and application of the IMB model to guide development was supported. Overall the texting intervention was well accepted and feasible, daily reporting was superior, and adherence was monitored in real time. Although there was not clear evidence that the texting intervention was more efficacious, feasibility and acceptability results suggest that there is value in assessing this interactive intervention in a larger-scale study

Clojure on Android: Challenges and Solutions

Mobile operating systems are rapidly expanding into new areas and the importance of mobile apps is rising with them. As the most popular mobile operating system, Android is at the forefront of this development. However, while other mobile operating systems have introduced newer, officially-supported languages for app development, the only supported language for Android app development is an older dialect of Java. Android developers are unable to take advantage of the features and styles available in alternative and more modern languages. The Clojure language compiles to Android-compatible bytecode and is a promising language to fill this gap. However, the development of Android apps with Clojure is hindered by performance concerns. One recognized problem is the slow startup time of Clojure on Android apps. Alternative ``lean'' Clojure compiler projects promise to improve Clojure performance including startup time. However, the performance of Clojure on Android and the lean compiler projects has not been systematically analyzed and evaluated. We benchmarked and analyzed the startup and run time performance of Android apps written in Clojure and compiled using both the standard Clojure compiler and experimental lean Clojure implementations. In our experiments the run time performance of Clojure on Android is similar to that of Clojure on the desktop. However, Clojure on Android apps take a significant amount of time to start, even on relatively new hardware and the latest Android versions. Long startup times scale upwards quickly with larger apps and the problem is closely tied to the Clojure compiler implementation. We also found that while the Skummet lean Clojure compiler project significantly reduces Clojure on Android startup times, more changes are necessary to make Clojure practical for general Android app development

A Comparative Analysis of Surface Erosion and Water Runoff from Existing and Recontoured Forest Roads: O\u27Brien Creek Watershed, Lolo National Forest, Montana

In recent years more efforts have been made to return unneeded roads to natural states through obliteration or total recontouring methods. Yet, few data exist to support the road obliteration process. The purpose of this study was to assess some of the relative physical impacts of road obliteration for the O\u27Brien Creek (Montana) watershed. Three road treatments were chosen: recontoured road at 0 months, recontoured road at 12 months, and existing roads broken down into four segments ( cutslope, fillslope, road center and road tread). Two types of geologic formations were sampled (Bonner and Mount Shields) along with two slope categories (\u3c45% (low) and \u3e45% (high)). Each combination of factors was sampled 5 times for a total of 100 samples. Simulated rainfall was applied to each plot in order to assess erosion potential as sediment yield and runoff. Site characterization measurements, such as bulk density, sieve analysis, and organic matter content, were also taken. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare treatment means for the Bonner geologic formation while two-sampled T -tests were used to compare treatment means for Mount Shield samples. Recontoured roads (0 months) consistently had higher runoff and made more sediment available for erosion than any other treatment for both geologic formations. Statistics also showed that in the Bonner there was no significant difference in the recontoured road (12 months) and the natural slopes in the \u3c 45% category for both runoff and erosion. The high slopes for Bonner were split, with no significant difference in the runoff, but significant difference in the erosion. For the Mount Shields there was no significant difference in the recontoured road ( 12 months) and the natural slopes in the \u3e 45% category for both runoff and erosion. The low slopes were split, with no significant difference in the sediment, but significant differences in the runoff. In all cases it was found that recontoured roads (0 months) produced sediment and runoff comparable or higher than the road segments. But, after allowing for 1-year of revegetation, the volume of runoff and erosion greatly decreased to near natural slope conditions

The Concept of Social Ecology as a Means to Integrate Humanities and Science in Landscape Archaeological Research

The relationship between humans, their landscapes, and the natural environment is complex and underlies mutual non-material and material fluxes. Especially challenging is the attempt to reconstruct this relationship in order to understand the role and relevance of Space and Knowledge of Ancient Civilizations, the core theme of the cluster of excellence Exc 264 Topoi, funded from 2007–2019. In this book we present the results of an attempt to use a system-oriented concept of social ecology as tool for interdisciplinary collaboration and integrative research on aspects of human-environmental relationship. In six different interdisciplinary projects the developed social ecological model is applied and critically discussed

The Economics of Desertification, Land Degradation, and Drought; Toward an Integrated Global Assessment

Land degradation has not been comprehensively addressed at the global level or in developing countries. A suitable economic framework that could guide investments and institutional action is lacking. This study aims to overcome this deficiency and to provide a framework for a global assessment based on a consideration of the costs of action versus inaction regarding desertification, land degradation, and drought (DLDD). Most of the studies on the costs of land degradation (mainly limited to soil erosion) give cost estimates of less than 1 percent up to about 10 percent of the agricultural gross domestic product (GDP) for various countries worldwide. But the indirect costs of DLDD on the economy (national income), as well as their socioeconomic consequences (particularly poverty impacts), must be accounted for, too. Despite the numerous challenges, a global assessment of the costs of action and inaction against DLDD is possible, urgent, and necessary. This study provides a framework for such a global assessment and provides insights from some related country studies.Agricultural Finance, Crop Production/Industries, Environmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,