Self-Enforcing Labour Contracts and the Dynamics Puzzle

To properly account for the dynamics of key macroeconomic variables, researchers incorporate various internal-propagation mechanisms in their models. In general, these mechanisms implicitly rely on the assumption of a perfect equality between the real wage and the marginal product of labour. The author proposes a theoretical validation of a micro-founded internal-propagation mechanism: he builds a model that features a limited-commitment economy, and derives endogenous self-enforcing labour contracts that produce a different linkage between the real wage and the marginal product of labour. The risk-sharing between the entrepreneur and the worker, both faced with enforcement problems, provides an admissible explanation of the prolonged comovements observed between consumption and labour. Since these co-movements are at the core of the persistence of the impulse response of output to exogenous technology shocks, this persistence can, in turn, be rationalized with the endogenous real rigidity emerging from the economy. The author shows that, in this framework, the persistence ultimately depends on the initial bargaining power and the magnitude of the risk-sharing.Business fluctuations and cycles; Economic models; Labour markets

Solving Mathematical Puzzles: a Deep Reasoning Challenge Position Paper

Abstract. This is the era of big-data: high-volume, high-velocity and high-variety information assets are being collected, demanding cost-effective information processing. Analytic techniques primarily based on statistical methods are showing astonishing results, but exhibit also limited reasoning capabilities. On the other end of the spectrum the era of bigreasoning is emerging with next-generation cognitive and autonomous end-to-end solvers. A problem description in terms of text and diagrams is given: problem solvers should automatically understand the problem, identify its components, devise a model, identify a solving technique and find a solution with no human intervention. We propose a challenge: to design and implement an end-to-end solver for mathematical puzzles able to compete with primary school students. Mathematical puzzles require mathematics to solve them, but also logic, intuition and imagination are essential ingredients, thus calling for an unprecedented integration of many different AI techniques

Countering student 'instrumentalism' through creative mediation

One of the most significant features of the educational reforms introduced since 1989 has been the emphasis on raising achievement levels. One of the dangers of this emphasis is that teachers and learners become instrumental in their approach to teaching and learning. Research on the creative mediation of policy shows that primary teachers appropriate reforms and adapt them to ensure a high level of learner involvement in learning. This pilot study of three Year 5 and 6 classes focuses on the creative teaching strategies used to maintain learner involvement in the wake of all the reforms of the 1990s. In particular, the study uses learner perspectives as a major part of the data set. The tentative conclusions are that the clarification of learning objectives with the learners and the reconstruction of appropriate creative learning contexts has had an effect in countering learner instrumentalism. These approaches were effective in developing learners' awareness of the learning process and enabled them to articulate perspectives concerning those processes. However, the study did not find much evidence of teachers incorporating these learner perspectives into their curriculum and pedagogic programmes

TLAD 2010 Proceedings:8th international workshop on teaching, learning and assesment of databases (TLAD)

This is the eighth in the series of highly successful international workshops on the Teaching, Learning and Assessment of Databases (TLAD 2010), which once again is held as a workshop of BNCOD 2010 - the 27th International Information Systems Conference. TLAD 2010 is held on the 28th June at the beautiful Dudhope Castle at the Abertay University, just before BNCOD, and hopes to be just as successful as its predecessors.The teaching of databases is central to all Computing Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems and Information Technology courses, and this year, the workshop aims to continue the tradition of bringing together both database teachers and researchers, in order to share good learning, teaching and assessment practice and experience, and further the growing community amongst database academics. As well as attracting academics from the UK community, the workshop has also been successful in attracting academics from the wider international community, through serving on the programme committee, and attending and presenting papers.This year, the workshop includes an invited talk given by Richard Cooper (of the University of Glasgow) who will present a discussion and some results from the Database Disciplinary Commons which was held in the UK over the academic year. Due to the healthy number of high quality submissions this year, the workshop will also present seven peer reviewed papers, and six refereed poster papers. Of the seven presented papers, three will be presented as full papers and four as short papers. These papers and posters cover a number of themes, including: approaches to teaching databases, e.g. group centered and problem based learning; use of novel case studies, e.g. forensics and XML data; techniques and approaches for improving teaching and student learning processes; assessment techniques, e.g. peer review; methods for improving students abilities to develop database queries and develop E-R diagrams; and e-learning platforms for supporting teaching and learning

Proceedings of the 2022 XCSP3 Competition

This document represents the proceedings of the 2022 XCSP3 Competition. The results of this competition of constraint solvers were presented at FLOC (Federated Logic Conference) 2022 Olympic Games, held in Haifa, Israel from 31th July 2022 to 7th August, 2022.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1901.0183

TLAD 2010 Proceedings:8th international workshop on teaching, learning and assesment of databases (TLAD)

This is the eighth in the series of highly successful international workshops on the Teaching, Learning and Assessment of Databases (TLAD 2010), which once again is held as a workshop of BNCOD 2010 - the 27th International Information Systems Conference. TLAD 2010 is held on the 28th June at the beautiful Dudhope Castle at the Abertay University, just before BNCOD, and hopes to be just as successful as its predecessors.The teaching of databases is central to all Computing Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems and Information Technology courses, and this year, the workshop aims to continue the tradition of bringing together both database teachers and researchers, in order to share good learning, teaching and assessment practice and experience, and further the growing community amongst database academics. As well as attracting academics from the UK community, the workshop has also been successful in attracting academics from the wider international community, through serving on the programme committee, and attending and presenting papers.This year, the workshop includes an invited talk given by Richard Cooper (of the University of Glasgow) who will present a discussion and some results from the Database Disciplinary Commons which was held in the UK over the academic year. Due to the healthy number of high quality submissions this year, the workshop will also present seven peer reviewed papers, and six refereed poster papers. Of the seven presented papers, three will be presented as full papers and four as short papers. These papers and posters cover a number of themes, including: approaches to teaching databases, e.g. group centered and problem based learning; use of novel case studies, e.g. forensics and XML data; techniques and approaches for improving teaching and student learning processes; assessment techniques, e.g. peer review; methods for improving students abilities to develop database queries and develop E-R diagrams; and e-learning platforms for supporting teaching and learning

Smart Maintenance - maintenance in digitalised manufacturing

What does digitalised manufacturing entail for maintenance organizations? This is a pressing question for practitioners and scholars within industrial maintenance management who are trying to figure out the best ways for responding to the rapid advancement of digital technologies. As technology moves faster than ever before, this is an urgent matter of uttermost importance. Specifically, in order to secure the success of highly automated, intelligent, connected and responsive production systems, industrial maintenance organizations need to transform to become leading enablers of high performance manufacturing in digitalised environments. In this thesis, this transformation is referred to as “Smart Maintenance”. The purpose of this thesis is to ensure high performance manufacturing in digitalised environments by enabling the adoption of Smart Maintenance. In order to stimulate adoption, a holistic understanding of Smart Maintenance is needed. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to describe future scenarios for maintenance in digitalised manufacturing as well as to conceptualize and operationalize Smart Maintenance. The holistic understanding has been achieved through a phenomenon-driven research approach consisting of three empirical studies using multiple methods. Potential changes for maintenance organizations in digitalised manufacturing are described in 34 projections for the year 2030. From these projections, eight probable scenarios are developed that describe the most probable future for maintenance organizations. In addition, three wildcard scenarios describe eventualities that are less probable, but which could have large impacts. These scenarios serve as input to the long-term strategic development of maintenance organizations.Smart Maintenance is defined as “an organizational design for managing maintenance of manufacturing plants in environments with pervasive digital technologies” and has four core dimensions: data-driven decision-making, human capital resource, internal integration and external integration. Manufacturing plants adopting Smart Maintenance are likely to face implementation issues related to change, investments and interfaces, but the rewards are improved performance along multiple dimensions when internal and external fit have been achieved. Smart Maintenance is operationalized by means of an empirical measurement instrument. The instrument consists of a set of questionnaire items that measure the four dimensions of Smart Maintenance. It can be used by practitioners to assess, benchmark and longitudinally evaluate Smart Maintenance in their organization, and it can be used by researchers to study how Smart Maintenance impacts performance. This thesis has the potential to have a profound impact on the practice of industrial maintenance management. The scenarios described allow managers to see the bigger picture of digitalisation and consider changes that they might otherwise ignore. The rich, understandable, and action-inspiring conceptualization of Smart Maintenance brings clarity to practitioners and policy-makers, supporting them in developing implementation strategies and initiatives to elevate the use of Smart Maintenance. The measurement instrument makes it possible to measure the adoption of Smart Maintenance in manufacturing plants, which serves to develop evidence-based strategies for successful implementation. Taken together, the holistic understanding achieved in this thesis enables the adoption of Smart Maintenance, thereby ensuring high performance manufacturing in digitalised environments

Innovation Systems, Radical Transformation, Step-by-Step: India in Light of China

The paper introduces a reform trajectory we call ?revolutionary incrementalism? in which partial and incremental measures add up to profound transformation. Recent advances in economic theory demonstrate that growth is not hard to start: it almost starts itself, somewhere, sometimes. But keeping it going is not easy: doing so requires attention to the context of growth binding constraints and situation-specific ways to resolve them. The same goes for institutions: it is almost always possible to find some that are working. The issue is using the ones that work to improve those that don?t. The thrust of the proposal is to rely on variation within existing institutions as the ?Archimedean lever? with which to leverage reform and change. India?s public sector record for implementing and coordinating innovation efforts can be notoriously fragmented and inefficient but there are some parts that perform better than others, and there are recognized pockets of excellence virtually within every ministry or public sector organization. The same internal diversity is even more visible in the private sector. Importantly from a policy perspective, better performing segments of public sector and better performing segments of productive sector are beginning to join forces in a variety of search ...innovation systems, heterogeneity of institutions, radical incrementalism, search networks, open economy industrial policy