Peer review and in-depth interviews with publishers as a means of assessing quality of research monographs

It has often been observed that evaluating scientific activity in the Humanities and in some of the Social Sciences needs to involve a study of monographs, as they are often the preferred mean of publication by scientists in these fields. As well as being the most frequently cited publication type, monographs are also the mean most often used to publish research findings. Thus, if they are not included in the evaluation process, a significant part of the scientific output is excluded, and the scientific activity undervalued. The purpose of this work in progress is to push forward the study of monographs to provide evaluators of research activities with a number of consistent scholar books quality indicators, through two different approaches: a survey of more than 200 researchers working in various fields and in-depth interviews with the editors responsible for selecting manuscripts at each of the best-regarded publishers

Public sector pricing policies : a review of Bank policy and practice

Nearly a decade has passed since the Bank codified its position on cost recovery policies (OMS 2.25) for public sector projects. In a review of 13 sectors, the authors find that the Bank guidelines are followed fairly closely in seven sectors: coal, irrigation, oil/gas, power, roads, telecommunications, and water/sewerage. In the other six sectors the focus is heavily on either distributional (health, education, housing) or financial (fertilizer, ports, railways) concerns - with little attempt to incorporate economic pricing principles. Efficiency pricing is not irrelevant or impossible in these sectors, and - even if used only as a benchmark - could improve sector management and project selection and design.Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Public Sector Economics&Finance,Banks&Banking Reform

The testing of surface fire retardants

The article deals with the importance of testing and using of application of fi re retardants for the needs of fi re protection in practice. The experiment present the testing of test specimens by means of experimental scientifi c method of test of limited fl ame spread in the test bench under laboratory conditions. Based on the measured data are exactly and precisely evaluated different types of surface fi re retardants. On test specimens made by wood were applied the tested fi re retardants, which were directly exposed to open fl ame. The results of the experiment represents and expressed fi re-technical characteristics that describe the behavior of wood specimens during the process of combustion: weight loss, time of ignition, time of spontaneous combustion and time of smolder. The acquired information refl ects the effectiveness of fi re retardants in protection against the fi re

CONSTITUTIONAL LAW—DAMNED IF YOU DO, DAMNED IF YOU DON’T: A PUBLIC EMPLOYEE’S TRILEMMA REGARDING TRUTHFUL TESTIMONY

In the interest of protecting the judicial truth-seeking process, this Note argues that truthful testimony in general, and particularly compelled truthful testimony, should receive First Amendment safeguards, and its protection should not be predicated on “matters of public concern” or “official duties” tests. Instead, truthful testimony should be immunized from job retaliation similar to the way testimony has been immunized from damage claims. Part I of this Note reviews the Supreme Court’s stance regarding public employees’ speech. Part II discusses the protection that witness testimony enjoys from civil damage claims and will argue that a public employee’s truthful testimony should receive the same immunization. Next, Part III identifies the lower courts’ divergent decisions on the issue of truthful testimony pre-Garcetti and discusses the retaliation that public employees face at work as a result of their truthful testimonies. Part IV discusses the lower courts’ split decisions post-Garcetti. Part V demonstrates the ramifications that legal uncertainty has on this issue—not only on public employees, but on the integrity of our judicial system and the functioning of our government as a whole. Lastly, Part V concludes that truthful testimony should be protected and afforded immunity from job retaliation

Dreaming : Waltz

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