1,016 research outputs found

    The Impact of Resource Revenue on Non-Resource Tax Revenue in Oil-Exporting Countries: Evidence from Nonlinear Analysis

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    The main objective of this study was to examine the asymmetric effect of resource tax revenues on non-resource ones in oil-rich countries, as most previous research on the subject has assumed a symmetric resource-non-resource tax revenue nexus. We employed linear ARDL model to analyze the short- and long-term effects and found a negative relationship between resource and non-resource tax revenues. Based on nonlinear ARDL model estimates, empirical results provide strong evidence for the asymmetric effect of resource tax revenues. In the long-run, positive shocks have negative impacts on non-resource tax revenues. Conversely, negative shocks were found to not lead to increased non-resource tax revenues. In addition, findings show that the short-term effects are stronger when resource tax revenues increase

    Is China's demand shock in the raw materials market exporting a natural resource curse?

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    This paper empirically investigates the macroeconomic impact that China’s soaring natural resource demand have in 100 developing countries under the proposition of the ‘resource curse’ with a shift-share design. By constructing a China shock variable that weights China’s multilateral imports of raw materials in six resource categories by each developing country’s exposure to the shock, I use a two-stage least-squares (2SLS) method in which multilateral natural resource exports is instrumented by the imputed China shock variable to estimate resource exports’ effect on growth. I also apply heterogeneity tests between periods of commodity price boom and collapse to avoid averaging out the overall effect of the resource-related variable. The results show that the resource boom brought about by the skyrocketing China demand derailed economic growth in developing countries between 1990 and 2013. I further test heterogeneity between sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries and non-SSA countries and find that the negative effect was more salient among SSA countries but non-significant among non-SSA countries

    Knowledge in George Eliot’s Middlemarch and Gustave Flaubert’s Bouvard et Pécuchet

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    This article considers late-nineteenth-century questioning of the progressive power of accumulated knowledge by examining two novels: Gustave Flaubert’s final, incomplete novel, Bouvard et Pécuchet (1881), and George Eliot’s Middlemarch (1871–72). Few scholars have analysed Eliot and Flaubert comparatively. Indeed, there is a habit in criticism of regarding them these exact contemporaries as almost antithetical authors. The comparative analysis provided by this study shows that the authors share similar and complex preoccupations regarding the nature of accumulated knowledge and its efficacy. The article examines Bouvard and Pécuchet’s attempts to master various domains of knowledge and their contented relapse into copying alongside the failed scholarly and scientific endeavours of Eliot’s characters Brooke, Casaubon, and Lydgate. Eliot’s character Will Ladislaw, with his superficial approach to knowledge, is seen as the emblem of a progressive future. This study underlines the common ground between Flaubert and Eliot in their focus on the topic of accumulated knowledge whilst also examining the divergence in their responses to this theme, a divergence marked perhaps most significantly at the level of narrative voice

    Equipped for Change: A Grounded Theory Study of White Antiracist School Leaders’ Attitudes and Perceptions of Racial Consciousness in Educational Leadership

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    There is substantial evidence that issues of race and racism and are common in U.S. public schools, especially those greatly impacted by poverty and racial segregation. Unfortunately, it is highly likely many of these occurrences either go unrecognized, unacknowledged, or are perpetrated unknowingly by White educators and administrators—many of whom are well-intentioned, but lack the critical lens necessary in challenging and dismantling them. For White people, the enculturating normativity of White racial dominance, maintained by the social conditioning of Whiteness, facilitates an environment of racial ignorance and insignificance, leaving most painfully oblivious to the damaging complexities of racism in contemporary American society. The purpose of this qualitative study is to illuminate the perceptions and experiences of selected White school leaders who have committed themselves to (a) antiracist school leadership identity development, and (b) the promotion of racially-just school cultures. Responses to semi-structured interview questions were coded, analyzed, and organized into themes to generate an educational leadership theory. Constructivist grounded theory (CGT) methodologies, critical race theory (CRT), critical whiteness studies (CWS), and critical pedagogy (CP) informed the data collection methods and theoretical foundations of this study. Findings revealed a need to reexamine and revise existing antiracist education psychology and pedagogy with an emphasis on cohesion and clarity of purpose. This study contributes new knowledge and insight into the struggle to successfully implement effective, sustainable antiracist school efforts capable of establishing and normalizing racial equity in public education

    Transition 2.0: Re-establishing Constitutional Democracy in EU Member States

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    The central question of Transition 2.0 is this: what (and how) may a new government do to re-establish constitutional democracy, as well as repair membership within the European Union, without breaching the European rule of law? This volume demonstrates that EU law and international commitments impose constraints but also offer tools and assistance for facilitating the way back after rule of law and democratic backsliding. The various contributions explore the constitutional, legal, and social framework of 'Transition 2.0'.Dieser Band zeigt, dass das EU-Recht und die internationalen Verpflichtungen zwar Zwänge auferlegen, aber auch Instrumente und Hilfestellungen bieten, um den Weg zurück in die Europäische Union nach Rechtsstaatlichkeitsdefiziten und demokratischen Rückschritten zu erleichtern. Die verschiedenen Beiträge untersuchen den verfassungsrechtlichen, rechtlichen und sozialen Rahmen des "Übergangs 2.0"

    Hirsute bodies: the reclamation of the feminine in contemporary South African art

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    This dissertation investigates the presence and the significance of hair in the work of contemporary South African artists Penny Siopis, Tracey Rose and Nandipha Mntambo. The use of this material, a substance embedded in the body and characterizing its appearance, is indicative of a desire to validate the material body and reclaim its connection with the feminine. The author argues for a return to the theories of the French Feminists, Helene Cixous, Luce lrigaray and Julia Kristeva, who were the initial proponents of the idea of l 'ecriture feminine (feminine writing). The feminine text, which enjoyed currency in the seventies, is again relevant for the analysis of these artists' work in light of their calculated use of hair to both explore and exploit the position of the feminine. The author contrasts the French Feminists' use of strategic essentialism with Judit

    Natural resources, quality of institutions and entrepreneurship activity

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    It is well-established that entrepreneurs are agents of change if natural resources are exploited and used judiciously. While entrepreneurial activities may foster the accumulation of resource rents, the quality of institutions matters in this matrix of relationships. Therefore, research on natural resource availability and entrepreneurship has been consolidated over the last decade. However, the evidence on the role of institutional quality in facilitating entrepreneurship across countries with different resource endowments remains limited. Thus, we investigate the natural resource-institutions-entrepreneurship nexus using The World Bank data portals—the Worldwide Governance Indicators, World Development Indicators, Doing Business Database and the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data from 2006 to 2015. We use a mix of estimation strategies, accounting for potential endogeneity and managing autocorrelation across panels. To a large extent, we find resource rent to increase the quality and growth of business formation in sub-Saharan Africa. More importantly, we observe a significant and positive synergy effect of the quality of institutions in the relationship between natural resource rent and business formation. Our contribution to resource policy is twofold. First, we examine the effect of a rise in natural resource rent on entrepreneurial activity using the context of sub-Saharan Africa– a region rich in natural resources. Second, we demonstrate that facilitating institutional quality in a country will also shape how the availability of natural resources affects entrepreneurial activity. Our findings provide policy and managerial implications

    Ecología y sociedad: gestión del conejo de monte en la Península Ibérica

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    The European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is considered a key species of Mediterranean ecosystems, to which it is native. In 2019, the IUCN reassessed the status of the species to that of threatened in the Iberian Peninsula due to the decline that had experienced its populations during the last decades. Paradoxically, the species has increased its presence in some Iberian areas, being considered a "plague" for damaging crops and infrastructures. Thus, there is debate among managers, farmers and hunters regarding the objectives of rabbit management (i.e., for population control or increase). A plausible hypothesis to explain this paradoxical situation is the existence of two independent evolutionary units recognized by the IUCN as two subspecies (O.c.cuniculus and O.c.algirus). They present well-defined geographical distributions as well as genetic and morphological differences that even led Darwin to consider them different species. In fact, increasing research indicates that both genetic groups are in an advanced process of speciation, suggesting the need to establish different management measures for each one. The general objective of this doctoral thesis is to develop scientific knowledge to understand the situation of the rabbit and its subspecies in the Peninsula and provide optimal management recommendations for this species in its various contexts. To do this, it pays simultaneous attention to two aspects that have barely been explored in the scientific literature to date: the rabbit subspecies and the study of the social dimension related to its management. In general, an interdisciplinary approach is used for this purpose, combining both ecological and sociological studies. The results highlight the existence of notable differences between the rabbit subspecies, which can support an independent management framework and may help to guarantee the conservation of the O.c.algirus. In addition, the results of this doctoral thesis also suggest an apparent disconnection between the social perception of rabbit problems and research-based knowledge, which emphasizes the need to involve all parties in charge of rabbit management in the construction and communication of knowledge. Such an approach can reduce existing conflict and polarization in the management of the species. Regardless of future decisions about where to draw the boundaries between rabbit subspecies, this study emphasizes the need to understand the social and ecological factors under which the species is managed. In addition, this research on subspecies and the social aspects associated with their management, as well as the practical recommendations offered, could be extended to any other species in similar circumstances.El conejo europeo (Oryctolagus cuniculus) es considerada una especie clave de los ecosistemas mediterráneos, de los que es autóctona. En 2019, la UICN reevaluó el estatus de la especie al de amenazada en la Península Ibérica como consecuencia del declive que han experimentado sus poblaciones en las últimas décadas. Paradójicamente, la especie ha aumentado su presencia en algunas zonas de cultivo ibéricas, siendo considerada una "plaga" por dañar cultivos e infraestructuras. Existe pues un debate cada vez mayor entre los gestores, agricultores y cazadores con respecto a los objetivos de gestion del conejo (es decir, para el control o aumento de la población). Una hipótesis plausible para explicar esta paradójica situación es la existencia de dos unidades evolutivas independientes reconocidas por la UICN como dos subespecies (O.c.cuniculus y O.c.algirus). Presentan distribuciones geográficas bien definidas así como diferencias genéticas y morfológicas que incluso llevaron a Darwin a considerarlas especies distintas. De hecho, cada vez más investigaciones señalan que ambos grupos genéticos se encuentran en un proceso avanzado de especiación, lo que sugiere la necesidad de establecer diferentes medidas de gestión para cada uno. El objetivo general de esta tesis doctoral es desarrollar conocimiento científico que ayude a comprender la situación del conejo y de sus subespecies en la Península con el fin de proporcionar recomendaciones de gestión óptimas para esta especie en sus diversos contextos. Para ello, presta atención simultánea a dos aspectos escasamente explorados en la literatura científica hasta la fecha: las subespecies des de conejo y el estudio de la dimensión social relativa a su gestión. En general, con este fin se emplea un enfoque interdisciplinar que combina estudios tanto ecológicos como sociológicos. Los resultados destacan la existencia de diferencias notables entre las subespecies de conejo, lo que puede apoyar la necesidad de un manejo independiente que garantice la conservación de O.c.algirus. Además, los resultados de esta tesis doctoral también sugieren una aparente desconexión entre la percepción social que se tiene sobre los problemas del conejo y el conocimiento basado en la investigación, lo que enfatiza la necesidad de involucrar a todas las partes encargadas de la gestión del conejo en la construcción y comunicación del conocimiento. Tal enfoque puede reducir el conflicto existente y la polarización en la gestión de la especie. Independientemente de las decisiones futuras sobre dónde trazar los límites entre las subespecies de conejo, este estudio enfatiza la necesidad de comprender los factores sociales y ecológicos en los que se gestiona la especie. En general, las investigaciones sobre las subespecies y los aspectos sociales asociados a su gestión, así como las recomendaciones prácticas que se ofrecen, podrían extenderse a cualquier otra especie en circunstancias similares

    Life-history traits, pace of life and dispersal among and within five species of Trichogramma wasps: a comparative analysis

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    Major traits defining the life history of organisms are often not independent from each other, with most of their variation aligning along key axes such as the pace-of-life axis. We can define a pace-of-life axis structuring reproduction and development time as a continuum from less-fecund, longer-developing ″slow″ types to more-fecund, shorter-developing ″fast″ types. Such axes, along with their potential associations or syndromes with other traits such as dispersal, are however not universal; in particular, support for their presence may be taxon and taxonomic scale-dependent. Knowing about such life-history strategies may be especially important for understanding eco-evolutionary dynamics, as these trait syndromes may constrain trait variation or be correlated with other traits. To understand how life-history traits and effective dispersal covary, we measured these traits in controlled conditions for 28 lines from five species of Trichogramma, which are small endoparasitoid wasps frequently used as a biological model in experimental evolution but also in biocontrol against Lepidoptera pests. We found partial evidence of a pace-of-life axis at the interspecific level: species with higher fecundity also had faster development time. However, faster-developing species also were more likely to delay egg-laying, a trait that is usually interpreted as ″slow″. There was no support for similar covariation patterns at the within-species line level. There was limited variation in effective dispersal between species and lines, and accordingly, we did not detect any correlation between effective dispersal probability and life-history traits. We discuss how expanding our experimental design by accounting for the density-dependence of both the pace of life and dispersal might improve our understanding of those traits and how they interact with each other. Overall, our results highlight the importance of exploring covariation at the ″right″ taxonomic scale, or multiple taxonomic scales, to understand the (co)evolution of life-history traits. They also suggest that optimizing both reproductive and development traits to maximize the efficiency of biocontrol may be difficult in programs using only one species

    Molecular characterization and functional analysis of cytochrome P450-mediated detoxification CYP302A1 gene involved in host plant adaptation in Spodoptera frugieprda

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    The fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda is a destructive and polyphagous pest of many essential food crops including maize and rice. The FAW is hard to manage, control, or eradicate, due to its polyphagous nature and voracity of feeding. Here, we report the characterization and functional analysis of the detoxification gene CYP302A1 and how S. frugieprda larvae use a detoxification mechanism to adapt host plants. Results demonstrated that CYP302A1 expression levels were much higher in midgut tissue and the older S. frugiperda larvae. Our current studies revealed the enhanced P450 activity in the midguts of S. frugiperda larvae after exposure to rice plants as compared to corn plants and an artificial diet. Furthermore, higher mortality was observed in PBO treated larvae followed by the exposure of rice plants as compared to the corn plant. The dsRNA-fed larvae showed downregulation of CYP302A1 gene in the midgut. At the same time, higher mortality, reduced larval weight and shorter developmental time was observed in the dsRNA-fed larvae followed by the exposure of rice plant as compared to the corn plant and DEPC-water treated plants as a control. These results concluded that the inducible P450 enzyme system and related genes could provide herbivores with an ecological opportunity to adapt to diverse host plants by utilizing secondary compounds present in their host plants
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