Do-It-Yourself: Constructing, Repairing and Maintaining Domestic Masculinity

In the 1860s when Harriet Robinson annually set aside a full month for the spring cleaning of her Malden, Massachusetts home, she had the occasional assistance of hired help, but none from her husband William. Over the years, as the Robinsons improved their house by installing weather stripping, repapering rooms, refinishing furniture, and putting in a new mantle, Harriet\u27s biographer Claudia Bushman notes that neither she nor William lifted a finger toward household maintenance. 1 Some eighty years later, immediately after World War II, when Eve and Sam Goldenberg moved into a somewhat decrepit apartment in the Bronx, Sam patched the holes in the wall himself and they both worked to scrub away the residual odor of people who don\u27t care. 2 After a few years in the Bronx, the Goldenbergs (now the Gordons) moved out to a new subdivision on Long Island where Sam built a brick patio and the surrounding fence, installed a new front door, and drew up plans to build a dormer window on the front facade. Real estate agents for the development would drive prospective buyers to the Gordons\u27 house so they could admire Sam\u27s handiwork and, in the words of the family chronicler Donald Katz, see what a homeowner could do with old-fashioned, all American know-how ... through the agency of his own hands.

Business Cycles, Political Incentives and the Macroeconomy: Comparison of Models

Politicians and political parties are faced with the problem of being elected into power, and later, of being re-elected. These political ambitions are often fuelled by policies that affect the entire economy and business cycles. The purpose of this paper is to compare the various models used to describe how political decision-making may affect business cycles. Both opportunistic and partisan models, and exchange rate manipulation are examined, and empirical evidence is used to view the validity of the models.business cycles; partisan models; opportunistic models; politics

Organising for Effective Academic Entrepreneurship

The contribution has three parts. In the first part the concept of academic entrepreneurship is explained, defined and put into the context of the entrepreneurial university. In the second part four cases are described: - (1) The Nikos case at the University of Twente: In Nikos teaching, research and spin-off activities are combined into one research institute. - (2) The NICENT case at the University of Ulster: NICENT is set up under the Science and Enterprise Centre activities in the UK. It focuses on education and training of students (undergraduates, graduates and post-graduates) and the stimulation of academic entrepreneurship in the academic constituency. - (3) The S-CIO case at Saxion Universities for Applied Sciences: In 2004 Saxion set up this Centre to have a one-stop shop for all entrepreneurial activities at the University. - (4) The Chair in Technological Entrepreneurship at Tshwane University: The focus of the Chair is on education of (under)graduate students in (technological) entrepreneurship and on the stimulation of entrepreneurship in the wider community. Each case has its own specific angle on academic entrepreneurship and in the thrid part the four cases are compared and analysed according to the model presented in the first part. Finally, some conclusions are formulated regarding the organisation of effective academic entrepreneurship

The Second Banking Directive: Conflicts, Choices, and Long-Term Goals

Täby kommun har sommaren 2013 infört en för Sverige ny dagvattenreningsteknik i form av en flytande våtmark, som har anlagts i Rönningesjön. Tekniken kan förklaras som en hybrid, där de biologiska reningsprocesserna liknar en naturlig våtmark, medan anläggningen hydrologiskt fungerar mer som en sedimentationsdamm. Att våtmarken är den första i Sverige gör det extra intressant att utvärdera. I och med denna rapport har dels en specifik undersökning av anläggningen gjorts, med särskild vikt vid det begränsande näringsämnet fosfor. Vidare ges en bredare överblick av tekniken som sådan och dess framtidsutsikter i Sverige. För att bedöma anläggningens reningseffekt har flödesmätningar och provtagningar vid in- och utlopp gjorts under en period mellan vecka 15-24 2014. Analysen har sedan gjorts med avseende på fosfor, pH, konduktivitet och turbiditet. Utifrån undersökningen har beräknats att det vid utloppet till anläggningen skett en minskning av medelkoncentrationen totalfosfor med 9,4 %. Denna relativt låga reningseffekt förklaras utifrån en förhållandevis låg fosforhalt överlag vilket skulle kunna göra att våtmarken inte når sin maximala effektivitet, samt att anläggningens unga ålder gör att den ännu inte är fullt utvecklad. En ytterligare förklaring kan vara att det i denna begränsade studie har behövt göras ett antal förenklingar och antaganden, vilket innebär osäkerheter i resultatet. Reningseffekten bör därmed snarare ses som en riktlinje än ett absolut värde. För en mer komplett bild av våtmarkens reningskapacitet bör ytterligare analyser göras, och även på parametrar som denna undersökning ej tar hänsyn till, som exempelvis rening av kväve och tungmetaller. Vad gäller teknikens framtidsutsikter i Sverige finns det flera fördelar som talar för en fortsatt etablering. Tekniken är billig och i princip underhållsfri. Dessutom lämpar den sig väl att använda som komplement till redan befintliga anläggningar. Å andra sidan är det Svenska klimatet inte optimalt i och med långa vintrar med låg biologisk aktivitet vilket skulle kunna göra att effektiviteten i Sverige blir lägre än i varmare länder där tekniken använts tidigare. The municipality of Täby has in the summer of 2013 introduced a storm water treatment technology, new to Sweden, in the lake Rönningesjön. The technology, which is called floating treatment wetlands (FTWs), can be explained as a hybrid system, where the biological treatment mechanisms are similar to the ones of a natural wetland, while the facility hydrologically behaves like a retention pond. This report is the result of a first examination of the water purification capacity, where the removal capacity of phosphorus has been of particular importance. Furthermore, the techology and its future prospects is being discussed in a wider perspective. To evaluate the removal capacity, a series of flow measurements and collection of water samples has been executed in a period between week 15-24 in the year of 2014. The analysis has subsequently been done in regard to the parameters total phosphorus, pH, conductivity and turbidity. The results show a reduction of mean total phosphorus betwen inflow and outflow by 9,4 %. This relatively low efficency may depend on the overall low concentrations of phosphorus, while the wetland reaches its maximum capacity at higher concentrations. Furthermore, the wetland may not be fully developed due to the youth of the facility why an improvement of efficiency could be expected over time. A further explanation could be that in this limited study, some simplifications and assumptions has been neccesary to do, and these provides some incertainty in the results. The removal efficiency should thereby rather be seen as a guideline. To provide a complementary view of the FTW removal capacity, further analysis should be executed, and also in parameters such as nitrogen and metal removal, which this study has not taken into account. Regarding the future prospects of the technology in Sweden there a several advantages proposing a continued establishment. The technology is inexpensive and requires a low maintenance. It is also suitable to use as a complement to existing facilities. On the other hand long winters in Sweden with low bioactivity may reduce the efficency compared to other countries where the technology previously has been used.

China's Economic Policy in the Context of the Asian Finanacial Crisis

This paper is based closely on the author's Y. C. Jao lecture presented to the Hong Kong Economic Association in November 1998.Macroeconomics

The Rise of the Natural-Rate of Unemployment Model

With respect to political mythology, the Northern spring of 1968 is chiefly remembered (like its forerunner of 1848) as a \u27springtime\u27 of youthful and hirsute left-revolutionary fervour. This revolutionary wave could plausibly include a US President amongst its victims, broken by the weight of office. In contrast to all this tragedy and melodrama, with respect to influence over economic policy and all that flows from that, the most revolutionary call to arms of that time, was Milton Friedman\u27s American Economic Association (AEA) Presidential Address. Neither youthful nor hirsute, he was an advocate of floating exchange rates, monetary targeting, low if not zero inflation, the abandonment of fine tuning, lower taxes and less regulated markets. ISBN: 033373045

The Theory of the Firm and the Markets for Strategic Acquisitions

Five problems are addressed: (1) the role of competent actors in the venture capital and exit markets supporting the industrialization of winning technologies in small innovative firms, (2) the competence of the large firm to integrate large-scale operational efficiency with small-scale innovative capability through distributed development work and integrated production and (3) the importance of viable markets for strategic acquisitions, both in making this possible and in allowing a flexible choice for the small firm between growing aggressively on its own through own acquisitions, or being acquired strategically itself. We (4) find that the less developed markets in continental Europe may be a disadvantage compared to the US in ushering in a future New Economy. We finally (5) discuss what becomes of the Coasian theory of the firm when production is constantly outsourced in, or insourced from the market as the relative efficiency of coordination through management and over the market changes.competence bloc; experimentally organized economy; heterogeneity; Marshallian industrial district receiver competence; strategic acquisitions

Macroeconomic policy and elections: Theories and challenges

This paper reviews recent developments in the literature of economic policy-making. It focuses in particular on the relation between elections and macroeconomic policy. It should also be noted that in spite of tremendous advances in the area, there are still many important unresolved issues. In particular, both the normative and empirical areas are the ones in most urgent need study.

How do digital information good characteristics influence pace and modalities of international market entry?

The paper develops theory to propose how considering digital information good characteristics modify and extends existing explanations with regard to entry mode choices (in single markets) and internationalization paths (across countries). Explanations offered relate to network and lock-in effects, complementary infrastructure investments, branding, and customer learning – factors that are particular important for understanding international market entry of digital information good providers.MNCs; entry mode; learning; digital information goods