Framing the Issues: Economic Research on Employment Policy for People with Disabilities

This paper is designed to serve as a vehicle to engage the broad policy community in a discussion about proposed research to be conducted at Cornell’s Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) for Economic Research on Employment Policy for Persons with Disabilities. The paper provides a brief introduction of the purpose of RRTCs followed by a description of the research projects to be conducted over the next five years. Because the projects are in the formative stage, suggestions about information that is most useful to the policy community will aid in targeting the research

The Economics of Policies and Programs Affecting the Employment of People with Disabilities

Over the last several decades, there has been a movement toward the inclusion of people with disabilities in mainstream social institutions. The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which supports the full participation of people with disabilities in society and mainstream institutions, illustrates the shift in attitudes toward people with disabilities. Rather than being perceived as having a social or medical problem, individuals with disabilities are increasingly viewed as people with challenges that can be solved if appropriate policies and supports are available for addressing them

Using the Asian Knowledge Model “APO” as a Determinant for Performance Excellence in Universities- Empirical Study at Al -Azhar University- Gaza

This study aims to use the Asian knowledge model “APO” as a determinant for performance excellence in universities and identifying the most effecting factors on it. This study was applied on Al-Azhar University in Gaza strip. The result of the study showed that (APO) model is valid as a measure and there are four dimensions in the model affecting significantly more than the others (university processes, KM leadership, personnel, KM outputs). Furthermore, performance excellence produced though modernizing the means of education, curriculum development, technology and flexibility in the organizational structure. The study recommends expanding the usage of (APO) model, enhancing the role of knowledge leadership, technology, organizational flexibility, sharing culture and incentive systems that encouraging innovation

Quality of Service, Efficiency and Scale in Network Industries: An analysis of European electricity distribution

Quality of service is of major economic significance in natural monopoly infrastructure industries but is generally not reflected in efficiency analysis. In this paper we present an efficiency analysis of electricity distribution networks using a sample of about 500 electricity distribution utilities from seven European countries. We apply the stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) method on multi-output translog input distance function models to estimate cost and scale efficiency with and without incorporating quality of service. We show that introducing the quality dimension into the analysis affects estimated efficiency significantly. In contrast to previous research, smaller utilities seem to indicate lower technical efficiency when incorporating quality. We also show that incorporating quality of service does not alter scale economy measures. Quality of service should be an integrated part of efficiency analysis and incentive regulation regimes, as well as in the economic review of market concentration in regulated natural monopolies

Market regulation, labor policies and the wage-productivity gap

This paper proposes an empirical analysis about the influence of some institutional factors (taxation, active and passive labor market policies, labor and goods market regulation and unions’ participation) on the component of the wage growth not explained by the productivity growth (WP gap, thereafter). We consider a 14 OECD countries Panel Data over the period 1983-2003, using four different estimations: fixed effects vector decomposition (FEVD), fixed effects (FE), random effects (RE) and feasible general least square (FGLS). Results for all estimations show that the WP gap is affected by tax wedge, active labor market policies, employment protection for temporary workers and union density, while product market regulation and passive labor market policies do not play a significant role

ECONOMIC FORECASTS AND ANALYSIS FOR STATE FISCAL MANAGEMENT

Public Economics,

Motivation Factors On Knowledge Sharing Among Public Sector Organizations In Malaysia

Tujuan utama kajian dijalankan adalah bagi mengenalpasti faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi perkongsian pengetahuan di kalangan organisasi sektor kerajaan di Malaysia. A study has been conducted to explore the motivation factors on knowledge sharing among public sector organizations in Malaysia

Absorptive Capacity and Achieving the MDGs

aid, absorptive capacity, Millennium Development Goals