Explaining Knowledge-Based Economic Dynamism in a Global Scale

This paper uses the concept of knowledge-based economic dynamism to overcome the simplified perspective on economic performance implied by the economic growth variable. Knowledge-based economic dynamism refers to the potential an area has for generating and maintaining high rates of economic performance. Furthermore, this study develops econometric models to detect the determinants of knowledge-based economic dynamism at the international level. The analysis covers the period 1990-2002. Econometric models provide critical insight relative to the factors driving dynamism with important implications for theory and policy.DYNREG

On the acquisition and representation of procedural knowledge

Historically knowledge acquisition has proven to be one of the greatest barriers to the development of intelligent systems. Current practice generally requires lengthy interactions between the expert whose knowledge is to be captured and the knowledge engineer whose responsibility is to acquire and represent knowledge in a useful form. Although much research has been devoted to the development of methodologies and computer software to aid in the capture and representation of some of some types of knowledge, little attention has been devoted to procedural knowledge. NASA personnel frequently perform tasks that are primarily procedural in nature. Previous work is reviewed in the field of knowledge acquisition and then focus on knowledge acquisition for procedural tasks with special attention devoted to the Navy's VISTA tool. The design and development is described of a system for the acquisition and representation of procedural knowledge-TARGET (Task Analysis and Rule Generation Tool). TARGET is intended as a tool that permits experts to visually describe procedural tasks and as a common medium for knowledge refinement by the expert and knowledge engineer. The system is designed to represent the acquired knowledge in the form of production rules. Systems such as TARGET have the potential to profoundly reduce the time, difficulties, and costs of developing knowledge-based systems for the performance of procedural tasks

Formation of social capital in Central and Eastern Europe: Understanding the gap vis-à-vis developed countries

Recent Eurobarometer survey data are used to document and explain the stock of social capital in 27 European countries. Social capital in Central and Eastern Europe – measured by civic participation and access to social networks – lags behind that in Western European countries. Using regression analysis of determinants of individual stock of social capital, we find that this gap persists when we account for individual characteristics and endowments of respondents but disappears completely after we control for aggregate measures of economic development and quality of institutions. Informal institutions such as prevalence of corruption appear particularly important.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/40152/3/wp766.pd

Once Bitten, Twice Shy: Experiences of a Banking Crisis and Expectations of Future Crises

Survey data from Bulgaria show that people who had experienced a loss during a banking crisis are significantly more likely to expect a new crisis. This result holds despite 12 years between the earlier crisis and the survey, and the dramatically improved performance of the financial sector and the economy in the meantime. However, we find that earlier experiences affect expectations only for less informed individuals. Individuals who are more informed about the economy are unaffected by their prior experiences.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/64382/1/wp969.pd

Formation of social capital in Central and Eastern Europe: Understanding the gap vis-à-vis developed countries

Recent Eurobarometer survey data are used to document and explain the stock of social capital in 27 European countries. Social capital in Central and Eastern Europe – measured by civic participation and access to social networks – lags behind that in Western European countries. Using regression analysis of determinants of individual stock of social capital, we find that this gap persists when we account for individual characteristics and endowments of respondents but disappears completely after we control for aggregate measures of economic development and quality of institutions. Informal institutions such as prevalence of corruption appear particularly important.social capital, institutions, capitalism, transition