The State of the Region: Hampton Roads 2019

[From the introductory material] This is Old Dominion University’s 20th annual State of the Region Report. While it represents the work of many people connected in various ways to the university, the report does not constitute an official viewpoint of Old Dominion, its president, John R. Broderick, the Board of Visitors, the Strome College of Business or the generous donors who support the activities of the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy. While the enthusiasm we have for our work remains high, it has been dampened by the recent passing of George Dragas, the individual most responsible for perceiving the region\u27s need for the report and procuring the financial support to sustain it. George was a very successful businessman, who simultaneously exhibited marvelous foresight and a keen sense of civic duty. Without George and his family, there would be no State of the Region Report and no Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy. We and the Hampton Roads community are indebted to him

Climate Change and Development

A collaborative publication of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

A Comment on the Practice of the Arellano-Bond/Blundell-Bond Generalized Method of Moments Estimator in IS Research

As a quick econometric solution to handle potential endogeneity issues in panel data models, the Arellano-Bond/Blundell-Bond generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator continues to gain popularity in IS research. Despite this estimator’s sensitivity to model specifications and estimation strategies, a noticeable number of IS studies that have employed this method have failed to report the detailed model specifications, robustness check results with different model specifications and estimation strategies, or test statistics, which render their empirical results less credible. Using simulated data and real data, we empirically demonstrate that passing the commonly required tests, such as the m2 test and the Sargan/Hansen test, does not guarantee the estimate’s validity because its size and statistical significance can largely depend on the estimation procedure and moment restrictions that researchers choose. We urge researchers to not only report the results of significant focal variables but also explicitly discuss model specifications and estimation strategies and provide robustness checks with different model specifications along with their complete test results

NASA Strategic Roadmap Summary Report

In response to the Vision, NASA commissioned strategic and capability roadmap teams to develop the pathways for turning the Vision into a reality. The strategic roadmaps were derived from the Vision for Space Exploration and the Aldrich Commission Report dated June 2004. NASA identified 12 strategic areas for roadmapping. The Agency added a thirteenth area on nuclear systems because the topic affects the entire program portfolio. To ensure long-term public visibility and engagement, NASA established a committee for each of the 13 areas. These committees - made up of prominent members of the scientific and aerospace industry communities and senior government personnel - worked under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. A committee was formed for each of the following program areas: 1) Robotic and Human Lunar Exploration; 2) Robotic and Human Exploration of Mars; 3) Solar System Exploration; 4) Search for Earth-Like Planets; 5) Exploration Transportation System; 6) International Space Station; 7) Space Shuttle; 8) Universe Exploration; 9) Earth Science and Applications from Space; 10) Sun-Solar System Connection; 11) Aeronautical Technologies; 12) Education; 13) Nuclear Systems. This document contains roadmap summaries for 10 of these 13 program areas; The International Space Station, Space Shuttle, and Education are excluded. The completed roadmaps for the following committees: Robotic and Human Exploration of Mars; Solar System Exploration; Search for Earth-Like Planets; Universe Exploration; Earth Science and Applications from Space; Sun-Solar System Connection are collected in a separate Strategic Roadmaps volume. This document contains memebership rosters and charters for all 13 committees

Foresight Africa: Top Priorities for the Continent 2020-2030

The new year 2020 marks the beginning of a promising decade for Africa. Through at least the first half of the decade, economic growth across Africa will continue to outperform that of other regions, with the continent continuing to be home to seven of the world's 10 fastest-growing economies. Collective action among African and global policymakers to improve the livelihoods of all under the blueprint of the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union's Agenda 2063 is representative of the shared energy and excitement around Africa's potential. With business environments improving, regional integration centered around the African Continental Free Trade Agreement progressing, and the transformational technologies of Fourth Industrial Revolution spreading, never before has the region been better primed for trade, investment, and mutually beneficial partnerships. The recent, unprecedented interest of an increasingly diversified group of external partners for engagement with Africa highlights this potential. Despite the continent's promise, though, obstacles to success linger, as job creation still has not caught up with the growing youth labor force, gaps in good and inclusive governance remain, and climate change as well as state fragility threaten to reverse the hard-fought-for gains of recent decades.This special edition of Foresight Africa highlights the triumphs of past years as well as strategies from our experts to tackle forthcoming, but surmountable, obstacles to a prosperous continent by 2030

The ecomics of ecosystems and biodiversity: scoping the scale

The G8 decided in March 2007 to initiate a “Review on the economics of biodiversity loss”, in the so called Potsdam Initiative: 'In a global study we will initiate the process of analysing the global economic benefit of biological diversity, the costs of the loss of biodiversity and the failure to take protective measures versus the costs of effective conservation. The study is being supported by the European Commission (together with the European Environmental Agency and in cooperation with the German Government. “The objective of the current study is to provide a coherent overview of existing scientific knowledge upon which to base the economics of the Review, and to propose a coherent global programme of scientific work, both for Phase 2 (consolidation) and to enable more robust future iterations of the Review beyond 2010.

Tilting at the Windmills: Policy Battles Won, Lost, or Long Since Forgotten

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/114394/1/2015 Tilting at Windmills.pd

Tilting at Windmills: Policy Battles Won, Lost or Long Since Forgotten, 2015

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/117519/1/2015 Tilting at Windmills.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/117519/2/2015 Tilting at Windmills_bhl-c8a06335.pdfDescription of 2015 Tilting at Windmills.pdf : OriginalDescription of 2015 Tilting at Windmills_bhl-c8a06335.pdf : Preservation versio

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President: Fiscal Year 2007 Activities

The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 directed the annual Aeronautics and Space Report to include a "comprehensive description of the programmed activities and the accomplishments of all agencies of the United States in the field of aeronautics and space activities during the preceding calendar year." In recent years, the reports have been prepared on a fiscal-year basis, consistent with the budgetary period now used in programs of the Federal Government. This year's report covers activities that took place from October 1, 2006, through September 30, 2007