4,797 research outputs found
Explaining Differences in Growth across Developing Countries
This analysis attempts to explain the differences in per-capita GDP growth in developing countries over the period 2000-2010. Using OLS estimators on an initial cross-section data sample of 30 developing countries, we find that growth rates are positively affected by savings rates in the decade, natural resource endowment, and inflation volatility, while they are hindered by population growth over the decade, savings rates over the previous decade, initial per-capita income, and tropical location. An expansion of economic freedom is found to quadratically relate to growth, at first increasing it and then having a negative effect. Income inequality and landlocked variables are not shown to significantly affect growth rates over this period. However, testing the model on a second sample of developing countries showed markedly different and insignificant explanatory power of the identical variables, suggesting the original model is not robust
A microtonal wind controller building on Yamahaâs technology to facilitate the performance of music based on the â19-EDOâ scale
We describe a project in which several collaborators adapted an existing instrument to make
it capable of playing expressively in music based on the microtonal scale characterised by equal
divsion of the octave into 19 tones (â19-EDOâ). Our objective was not just to build this instrument,
however, but also to produce a well-formed piece of music which would exploit it
idiomatically, in a performance which would provide listeners with a pleasurable and satisfying
musical experience. Hence, consideration of the extent and limits of the playing-techniques of
the resulting instrument (a âWind-Controllerâ) and of appropriate approaches to the composition
of music for it were an integral part of the project from the start. Moreover, the intention
was also that the piece, though grounded in the musical characteristics of the 19-EDO scale,
would nevertheless have a recognisable relationship with what Dimitri Tymoczko (2010) has
called the âExtended Common Practiceâ of the last millennium. So the article goes on to consider
these matters, and to present a score of the resulting new piece, annotated with comments
documenting some of the performance issues which it raises. Thus, bringing the project to
fruition involved elements of composition, performance, engineering and computing, and the
article describes how such an inter-disciplinary, multi-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary collaboration
was co-ordinated in a unified manner to achieve the envisaged outcome. Finally, we
consider why the building of microtonal instruments is such a problematic issue in a contemporary
(âhigh-techâ) society like ours
Resource Scarcity, Wellbeing and Development
This paper begins by providing a brief overview of resource scarcity issues in the four areas of food, water, land and energy, in each case focusing primarily on the global level and setting out the basic supply and demand drivers involved. The paper then discusses why it may make sense to see these issues as an interconnected set rather than as discrete single issues. Finally, Part 1 discusses whether concerns over resource scarcity are misplaced, given that Malthusian concerns about resource depletion have often been misplaced in the past.
The second part of the paper then discusses some of the ways in which resource scarcity could affect development and human wellbeing. In doing so, the paper considers three different approaches to assessing wellbeing â the economic or resource-based approach, the subjective or âhappinessâ approach, and the capability or freedom approach â and discusses how resource scarcity could impact each of these forms of wellbeing.The Rockerfeller Foundatio
The Culture of Business Education and its Place in the Modern University
Many researchers believe that the modern university is in a state of crisis like never before. One of the main reasons cited for this decline is that the modern university has a closer resemblance to a transnational corporation than to a traditional scholarly institution (Lewis, 2005). This paper attempts to define the term âuniversityâ from a classical perspective and to describe the gradual incorporation of vocational pursuits into its scope. Focusing on modern North American university models, it asks whether business schools, in particular, should be operating within academia. An alternative is discussed, which focuses on the vocational attributes of business rather than theoretical knowledge. I draw on secondary sources as well as my own personal experience as a student and researcher to make suggestions on how interdepartmental tension developed and how it can be reduced. The paper finds that the business school does have a place in the modern university; however, the classical representation of the university must be abandoned for it to be fully embraced.
De nombreux chercheurs croient que lâuniversitĂ© moderne nâa jamais vĂ©cu une crise si grave. Une des principales raisons citĂ©es pour expliquer cette baisse est que lâuniversitĂ© moderne ressemble plus Ă une entreprise transnationale quâĂ un Ă©tablissement dâenseignement scientifique traditionnel (Lewis, 2005). Le prĂ©sent article tente de dĂ©finir le terme « universitĂ© » selon une perspective classique, et de dĂ©crire ce quâest lâintĂ©gration progressive dâune carriĂšre professionnelle dans son champ dâapplication. Se concentrant sur les modĂšles universitaires modernes en AmĂ©rique du Nord, on demande si les Ă©coles commerciales, en particulier, devraient fonctionner en milieu universitaire. On discute dâune alternative qui mise sur les attributs professionnels du commerce plutĂŽt que sur les connaissances thĂ©oriques. Nous tirerons parti des sources secondaires aussi bien que de ma propre expĂ©rience en tant quâĂ©tudiant et chercheur pour apporter des suggestions sur la façon dont la tension interdĂ©partementale sâest crĂ©Ă©e et les moyens de la rĂ©duire. Notre recherche constate que lâĂ©cole de commerce a bien une place dans lâuniversitĂ© moderne, cependant, afin que cette place soit pleinement assumĂ©e, il est nĂ©cessaire dâabandonner la reprĂ©sentation classique de lâuniversitĂ© en gĂ©nĂ©ral
Death is not a success: reflections on business exit
This article is a critical evaluation of claims that business exits should not be seen as failures, on the grounds that may constitute voluntary liquidation, or because they are learning opportunities. This can be seen as further evidence of bias affecting entrepreneurship research, where failures are repackaged as successes. This article reiterates that the majority of business exits are unsuccessful. Drawing on ideas from the organisational life course, it is suggested that business âdeathâ is a suitable term for describing business closure. Even cases of voluntary âharvest liquidationâ such as retirement can be meaningfully described as business deaths
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