Beyond Paris: 11 innovations in aid effectiveness

The current framework for improving aid effectiveness, the 'Paris' agenda of harmonisation and alignment, has been found lacking. Alternatives are needed. This paper highlights some examples of recent innovations in the management and delivery of development aid. Drawing upon Barder (2009) and Howes (2011), the paper structures 11 innovations into three categories: improving the quality of the aid donor; improving the quality of the aid recipient; and improving how donors interact and the way aid is given. By examining these 11 innovations, the paper shows that aid agencies have the potential to adapt and evolve. The challenge for donors is to start selecting good ideas for implementation now and to never stop searching for new innovations to improve aid effectiveness.aid

Artificial intelligence and UK national security: Policy considerations

RUSI was commissioned by GCHQ to conduct an independent research study into the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for national security purposes. The aim of this project is to establish an independent evidence base to inform future policy development regarding national security uses of AI. The findings are based on in-depth consultation with stakeholders from across the UK national security community, law enforcement agencies, private sector companies, academic and legal experts, and civil society representatives. This was complemented by a targeted review of existing literature on the topic of AI and national security. The research has found that AI offers numerous opportunities for the UK national security community to improve efficiency and effectiveness of existing processes. AI methods can rapidly derive insights from large, disparate datasets and identify connections that would otherwise go unnoticed by human operators. However, in the context of national security and the powers given to UK intelligence agencies, use of AI could give rise to additional privacy and human rights considerations which would need to be assessed within the existing legal and regulatory framework. For this reason, enhanced policy and guidance is needed to ensure the privacy and human rights implications of national security uses of AI are reviewed on an ongoing basis as new analysis methods are applied to data

A Foundation Goes to School

Traces and analyzes the results of Ford's Comprehensive School Improvement Program to improve public education, which was developed to legitimize the concept of innovation in public school programs and test various kinds of innovation

The Impact of Gender and Personality in Human-AI Teaming: The Case of Collaborative Question Answering

This paper discusses the results of an exploratory study aimed at investigating the impact of conversational agents (CAs) and specifically their agential characteristics on collaborative decision-making processes. The study involved 29 participants divided into 8 small teams engaged in a question-and-answer trivia-style game with the support of a text-based CA, characterized by two independent binary variables: personality (gentle and cooperative vs blunt and uncooperative) and gender (female vs male). A semi-structured group interview was conducted at the end of the experimental sessions to investigate the perceived utility and level of satisfaction with the CAs. Our results show that when users interact with a gentle and cooperative CA, their user satisfaction is higher. Furthermore, female CAs are perceived as more useful and satisfying to interact with than male CAs. We show that group performance improves through interaction with the CAs, confirming that a stereotype favoring the female with a gentle and cooperative personality combination exists in regard to perceived satisfaction, even though this does not lead to greater perceived utility. Our study extends the current debate about the possible correlation between CA characteristics and human acceptance and suggests future research to investigate the role of gender bias and related biases in human-AI teaming

Annual Report of the JRC-IPTS activities within the Danube-INCO.NET project

This annual report briefly reports on the activities of the JRC-IPTS project team in the Smart Specialisation Platform (S3P - as a part of the Knowledge for Growth Unit) in charge for the Danube-INCO.NET project. One of the main tasks of the Danube S3P team in charge of this FP7 project in the 2014-15 period was the identification of the most important Danube research and innovation (R&I) activities that could in future enhance the cooperation among the countries in the macro-region. R&I is a domain in which cooperation and knowledge-sharing across borders may crucially contribute to achieving the best possible results. Research and innovation strategies for smart specialisation (RIS3) developed by countries and regions open a new dimension for collaboration. Collaboration in RIS3 means combining complementary strengths, achieving critical mass, building-up necessary capacities to overcome bottlenecks and integrate better into the global value chains. The concerted and coordinated R&I activities of the Danube countries/regions could thus contribute significantly to the competitiveness and economic growth of the macro-region in the coming years. Due to an important gap in the knowledge on the complementarity of the Danube countries' R&I strengths, the S3P Danube team's 2014-15 activities were aimed primarily at identification of the national and regional smart specialisation (S3) or simply R&I (for the non-EU countries) priorities of the Danube countries/regions and identify the common fields of R&I activities that could benefit from coordination and potential matchmaking at the macro-regional level. The purpose of this report is to briefly report about the work done on the project during the 2014-15 period and increase the knowledge on the S3 tools introduced to advance collaboration in RIS3 process, increase cooperation opportunities in R&I areas along the Danube in order to enhance transnational and inter-regional initiatives and to explore possible alignment of the Danube countries'/regions' R&I agendas in the future. Based on original data for 13 countries and 2 regions (DE) in the Danube area, the report explores opportunities of transforming complementary assets into common specialisations. Our analysis revealed 4 main fields for future collaboration: advanced materials and manufacturing (KETs), ICT, sustainable innovations, and health. These very broad priorities provide a starting point for R&I collaboration initiatives and matchmaking in the Danube macro-region.JRC.J.2-Knowledge for Growt

AUTONOMOUS MANEUVERING: A DEFENSE ADVANTAGE FOR AFSOC AIRCRAFT

The U.S. military continues to operate in increasingly complex security environments and can no longer expect uncontested or dominant superiority in every domain. Aircraft operated by special operations forces (SOF) need improved defensive capabilities to support missions in non-permissive environments. Integrating automation and human-machine teaming into existing defensive capabilities may reduce threat reaction time and increase the effectiveness of defensive maneuvers in manned and unmanned aircraft configurations. This thesis examines the value of aircraft maneuvering as part of a threat reaction to identify situations where human intervention negatively affects timing and accuracy. It also considers opportunities to replicate Merlin Labs' approach to flight automation and incorporate a machine-trained system capable of performing defensive maneuvers into existing aircraft. The analysis indicates aircraft maneuvering is critical to an effective threat reaction, and automating select operator actions can increase survivability against certain surface-to-air threats. This thesis recommends a renewed focus on defensive capabilities for SOF aircraft and endorses integrating onboard autonomous systems into traditionally manned platforms to improve defensive threat reactions. It also advocates for continued research into the use of optionally manned aircraft in SOF missions to refine their operational utility and expand capabilities across a variety of mission platforms.Major, United States Air ForceMajor, United States Air ForceApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Organizational Synergy, Dissonance and Spinoffs

Spinoff firms are exceptional performers across industries. The causes for the emergence of spinoff firms are widely investigated in the literature. However, the role of teams for spinoffs has received little scholarly attention. On one hand, talented individuals may find it necessary to team up with others to utilize complementary knowledge and generate synergies. On the other hand, some types of team production environments may have dissonance and motivate individuals to leave the team. The present study demonstrates that organizational synergies and dissonance can be incorporated into appropriate specifications of team production functions. This framework explains the necessity to form a team, stability of teams, and the emergence of different types of spinoffs depending on specific organizational arrangements.Organizational synergy, Production functions, Spinoffs