Technology Variation vs. R&D Uncertainty: What Matters Most for Energy Patent Success?

R&D is an uncertain activity with highly skewed outcomes. Nonetheless, most recent empirical studies and modeling estimates of the potential of technological change focus on the average returns to research and development (R&D) for a composite technology and contain little or no information about the distribution of returns to R&D—which could be important for capturing the range of costs associated with climate change mitigation policies—by individual technologies. Through an empirical study of patent citation data, this paper adds to the literature on returns to energy R&D by focusing on the behavior of the most successful innovations for six energy technologies, allowing us to determine whether uncertainty or differences in technologies matter most for success. We highlight two key results. First, we compare the results from an aggregate analysis of six energy technologies to technology-by-technology results. Our results show that existing work that assumes diminishing returns but assumes one generic technology is too simplistic and misses important differences between more successful and less successful technologies. Second, we use quantile regression techniques to learn more about patents that have a high positive error term in our regressions – that is, patents that receive many more citations than predicted based on observable characteristics. We find that differences across technologies, rather than differences across quantiles within technologies, are more important. The value of successful technologies persists longer than those of less successful technologies, providing evidence that success is the culmination of several advances building upon one another, rather than resulting from one single breakthrough. Diminishing returns to research efforts appear most problematic during rapid increases of research investment, such as experienced by solar energy in the 1970s.

Terms of Trade Shocks and Economic Performance Under Different Exchange Rate Regimes

The impact of terms of trade shocks on a country’s output and price level are, according to economic theory, expected to vary according to the de facto exchange rate regime. This paper tests this hypothesis how terms of trade shocks impact on 22 African countries, which operate different de facto exchange rate regimes, using a structural VAR with long-run restrictions, over the period from 1980 to 2007. The empirical findings support the view that the exchange rate regime matters as to how countries respond to exogenous external shocks like terms of trade shocks, in that output variation is greater for countries with fixed regimes, while for flexible regime countries real exchange rate variation reduces the need for output variability.Terms of Trade, Exchange Rate Regimes, Structural VARs

Age and habitat quality matters: isotopic variation of two sympatric species of rodents in Neotropical Forest

Dietary studies allow us to understand important ecological patterns such as intra- and interpopulation variation and interspecific differences regarding the use of food sources. Stable isotopes have been successfully employed to detect dietary differences between species and feeding shifts within a species, as a response to age, habitat use, and resource availability. Here we investigated the stable isotope compositions of carbon and nitrogen of young and adult specimens of Euryoryzomys russatus and Sooretamys angouya and their stomach contents, in a complex mosaic of vegetation in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Isotopes indicated a pronounced inter- and intraspecific plasticity in resource use for E. russatus and S. angouya. Plant sources were the prevalent feeding items for E. russatus, with low to intermediate consumption of arthropods. For S. angouya, plants were dominant in the stomach content, but arthropod arose as an important source. E. russatus showed more variation in isotopic signature between grids than S. angouya, suggesting that the former was more affected by habitat changes. These results allow us to better understand the ontogeny, diet and the behavioral responses to environmental variations of both species. Finally, our study contributes to reduce the lack of knowledge about sympatric species ecology and aggregates information for their conservation.Fil: Bovendorp, Ricardo Siqueira. Universidade Do Sao Paulo. Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz; Brasil. Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”; BrasilFil: Simoes Libardi, Gustavo. Universidade Do Sao Paulo. Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz; Brasil. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto de Diversidad y Evolución Austral; ArgentinaFil: Sarmento, Mariana Montagner de Moraes. Universidade Do Sao Paulo. Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz; BrasilFil: Camargo, Plínio Barbosa. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Reis Percequillo, Alexandre. Universidade Do Sao Paulo. Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz; Brasi

Citizenship Status and Pressure Group Action

This thesis investigates the intersection between citizenship status and pressure group action. It asks a two-pronged question. First, does variation in citizenship status (to be citizen or noncitizen) produce variation in pressure group action? Second, where there is variation, how is it that citizenship status matters; where there is no variation, how is it that citizenship status (a decidedly political status) does not matter? In response to this two-part question, a two-part theoretical framework has been developed. To answer the question of whether citizenship status matters, an interactive model of action has been developed. This provides a common measure through which similarities and differences in action-paths between citizen and non-citizen pressure groups can be uncovered. It is found that citizenship status does have an effect on pressure group action, notably in a pressure group’s interaction with a) their constituency; b) potential allies; c) other-state political institutions; and d) other-state media. To answer the question of how citizenship matters and does not matter, the idea of the capability mechanism has been developed. This asserts that variation in citizenship status - understood through either a rights or identity framework - produces, reduces, or removes capabilities. This, in turn, shapes action. This model is also used to explain similarities. Both the empirical findings and the theoretical frameworks developed within this thesis are useful for further analysis of the significance of citizen or non-citizen status on one’s relationship to political systems

Citizenship Status and Pressure Group Action

This thesis investigates the intersection between citizenship status and pressure group action. It asks a two-pronged question. First, does variation in citizenship status (to be citizen or noncitizen) produce variation in pressure group action? Second, where there is variation, how is it that citizenship status matters; where there is no variation, how is it that citizenship status (a decidedly political status) does not matter? In response to this two-part question, a two-part theoretical framework has been developed. To answer the question of whether citizenship status matters, an interactive model of action has been developed. This provides a common measure through which similarities and differences in action-paths between citizen and non-citizen pressure groups can be uncovered. It is found that citizenship status does have an effect on pressure group action, notably in a pressure group’s interaction with a) their constituency; b) potential allies; c) other-state political institutions; and d) other-state media. To answer the question of how citizenship matters and does not matter, the idea of the capability mechanism has been developed. This asserts that variation in citizenship status - understood through either a rights or identity framework - produces, reduces, or removes capabilities. This, in turn, shapes action. This model is also used to explain similarities. Both the empirical findings and the theoretical frameworks developed within this thesis are useful for further analysis of the significance of citizen or non-citizen status on one’s relationship to political systems

The Development of Metacognition in Musicians: Implication for Education

Recent research on musical practice has focused on metacognition and the strategies that musicians adopt in their preparations for performance. This study explored the development of metacognition and performance planning strategies in musicians from novice to professional level. 22 professional musicians and 55 novices were interviewed about their practising. The novices were also tape recorded learning and performing a short piece. The professional musicians demonstrated extensive metacognition in relation to their preparations for performance encompassing technical matters, interpretation, and issues relating to learning itself, e.g. concentration, planning, monitoring and evaluation. Although there were similarities in the strategies adopted there was considerable variation because of individual need. In the novice musicians, there was a complex relationship between the development of expertise and the use of planning strategies

Temporal variation in Plio- Pleistocene Antidorcas (Mammalia: Bovidae) horncores: the case from Bolt's Farm and why size matters

Morphological differences in samples of fossil (Antidorcas recki) and modern (A. marsupialis) springbok horncores suggest that the ancestral species shows less sexual dimorphism than is observed in the horn dimensions of modern springbok. This pattern may prove useful when evaluating fossil springbok specimens in South African Plio-Pleistocene faunal assemblages. Undated Antidorcas craniodental specimens from Pit 3, Bolt's Farm (Cradle of Humankind, Gauteng, South Africa) have previously been referred to A. recki by Cooke.l However, comparison with numerous other springbok samples suggests that these specimens are more likely to represent male and female fossils of the extant species, A. marsupialis. This re-evaluation adds weight to the fossil evidence implying that the modern form of springbok is a southern African endemic species which first appeared around 1.5-1.0 million years ago in Swartkrans Member 1. Bolt's Farm Pit 3 fossils are inferred to be of a similar age

Household income as a determinant of child labor and school enrollment in Brazil: Evidence from a social security reform

This paper studies the effects of household income on labor participation and school enrollment of children aged 10 to 14 in Brazil using a social security reform as a source of exogenous variation in household income. We find that increased benefits are associated with increases in school enrollment for girls, as well as a smaller reduction in their labor participation, but find no effects for boys. We also uncover evidence that the gender of the benefit receiver matters for girls’ labor variables: only benefits received by females reduce girls’ work.social security reform, child labor, family, school enrollment, old-age benefits, Brazil