Measuring Investment Efficiency in Public Education - Some Cross-Country Comparative Results

This paper presents some cross-country comparative measures of efficiency in public education, using existing data for European countries. It also presents an overview of different approaches to the question of efficiency of investment in public education and the measurement thereof. Although non-parametric methods have been used in some studies on investment efficiency in the education sector, the approach adopted here extends previous research by conducting the analysis combining the data from different sources. The variables used in the empirical analysis are constructed from different databases (the joint Unesco-OECD-Eurostat data collection, IEA or OECD’s databases) which are all designed so that data is comparable across countries for the same reference year.JRC.G.9-Econometrics and statistical support to antifrau

Improving the Scope of Indicators for Monitoring Developments in Vocational Education and Training in Europe

With reference to the explicit objective of the Copenhagen process of improving the scope, comparability and reliability of statistics on vocational education and training, this publication presents composite indicators on participation in VET. The indicators are constructed based on data provided by Eurostat from joint data collection on education (UOE), Continuing Vocational Training Survey (CVTS) and EU Labour Force Survey (LFS). They will be further used to monitoring the developments in vocational education and training across European countries. Indicators on participation in vocational education and training (both initial and continuing) are presented and analysed. The publication describes as well the European political context in the field of vocational education and training and looks at the main monitoring issues. The links between vocational training and participation in lifelong learning across European countries are also investigated.JRC.G.9-Econometrics and statistical support to antifrau

Participation in training of adult workers in European countries. Evidences from recent surveys

The importance of a highly skilled workforce has become increasingly relevant in the context of the European Union new strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth - ¿Europe 2020¿. At the individual level, a good education is increasingly decisive for employment prospects and earnings levels. The skills and competences of the workforce are the product of a large variety of learning activities that take place in diverse institutional contexts. While good initial education provides an essential foundation, learning continues through the working years. Policies encouraging wide participation in continuing training are therefore an important component of lifelong learning strategies. Very little is known concerning differences in continuing training or their causes and consequences. Such information would be useful for assessing policy choices related to training, such as whether to encourage an overall increase in training levels or to attempt to redirect training investments toward groups currently receiving little training. This publication deal with some of these issues. First, some aggregate measures using harmonised data from European surveys on training are constructed and analysed. Next, a set of stylised facts concerning differences in the level of training across European countries are discussed. A more formal analysis of the robustness of cross-country differences in the level of training is included; cross-country rank correlations are calculated between the various measures of training. A concluding section considers some policy implications for this area.JRC.DG.G.9-Econometrics and applied statistic

Participation in Lifelong Learning in Europe: What Can Be Measured and Compared?

This publication analyses participation patterns in lifelong learning in the European countries. It describes the European political context in the field of lifelong learning and discusses the main monitoring issues at the EU level by looking at the EU benchmark set up in this area. Indicators on participation in education and training at various life-time stages are as well presented and analysed in the publication. A composite measure of the overall participation in lifelong learning for European countries is constructed and analysed in the publication. The lifelong learning index shows some progress in the European Union as a whole, mainly due to progress in pre-school and school/higher education participation. But it is too slow to reach the benchmark by 2010 unless major progress is achieved in participation in adult learning, where equity needs to be more fully addressed. In particular, some new Member states will have to increase their participation rates substantially, in order to catch up with the European average.JRC.G.9-Econometrics and statistical support to antifrau

The Use of Indicators and Benchmarks in Monitoring the Progress in Education and Training at the European Level

In its monitoring of the progress made towards the Lisbon objectives in education and training, the European Commission proposed a set of 29 indicators divided into three strategic objectives. Among these indicators five benchmarks (‘reference levels of European average performance’) were selected by the Council to help focus the efforts of Member States towards the Lisbon objectives. The following analysis is based on the list of 29 indicators. We attempt to answer two questions: 1. Is the set of five benchmarks a “good” shortlist (in the statistical sense), capable of summarising the information contained in the longer list of 29 indicators? 2. Is it possible to derive from the five benchmarks a composite indicator, and what are the properties of this indicator? In this analysis different statistical techniques were employed to analyse a data set of 24 education indicators. A composite indicator of the five benchmarks is constructed and analysed. Key words: indicators and benchmarks, composite indicatorsJRC.G.9-Econometrics and statistical support to antifrau

Returns to education in European countries. Evidence from the European Community Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC)

Within human capital literature, an important line of empirical research is concerned with estimating the returns to human capital investments; above all, the returns to education have received considerable attention lately. Typically, empirical work is focused on establishing relations between human capital indicators such as education and training, on the one hand, and outcomes as wages, employment opportunities or job quality on the other hand. The private rate of return to education is by far the most analysed of the returns. Despite the existence of many comparative studies, there is still a great demand for research evidence on the private returns to education. In this paper, we contribute to the debate on returns to education by estimating the wage differentials associated with educational attainment for 24 European countries, using the results of the European Community Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC).JRC.DG.G.3-Econometrics and applied statistic

Acquisition and Retaining Granular Samples via a Rotating Coring Bit

This device takes advantage of the centrifugal forces that are generated when a coring bit is rotated, and a granular sample is entered into the bit while it is spinning, making it adhere to the internal wall of the bit, where it compacts itself into the wall of the bit. The bit can be specially designed to increase the effectiveness of regolith capturing while turning and penetrating the subsurface. The bit teeth can be oriented such that they direct the regolith toward the bit axis during the rotation of the bit. The bit can be designed with an internal flute that directs the regolith upward inside the bit. The use of both the teeth and flute can be implemented in the same bit. The bit can also be designed with an internal spiral into which the various particles wedge. In another implementation, the bit can be designed to collect regolith primarily from a specific depth. For that implementation, the bit can be designed such that when turning one way, the teeth guide the regolith outward of the bit and when turning in the opposite direction, the teeth will guide the regolith inward into the bit internal section. This mechanism can be implemented with or without an internal flute. The device is based on the use of a spinning coring bit (hollow interior) as a means of retaining granular sample, and the acquisition is done by inserting the bit into the subsurface of a regolith, soil, or powder. To demonstrate the concept, a commercial drill and a coring bit were used. The bit was turned and inserted into the soil that was contained in a bucket. While spinning the bit (at speeds of 600 to 700 RPM), the drill was lifted and the soil was retained inside the bit. To prove this point, the drill was turned horizontally, and the acquired soil was still inside the bit. The basic theory behind the process of retaining unconsolidated mass that can be acquired by the centrifugal forces of the bit is determined by noting that in order to stay inside the interior of the bit, the frictional force must be greater than the weight of the sample. The bit can be designed with an internal sleeve to serve as a container for granular samples. This tube-shaped component can be extracted upon completion of the sampling, and the bottom can be capped by placing the bit onto a corklike component. Then, upon removal of the internal tube, the top section can be sealed. The novel features of this device are: center dot A mechanism of acquiring and retaining granular samples using a coring bit without a closed door. center dot An acquisition bit that has internal structure such as a waffle pattern for compartmentalizing or helical internal flute to propel the sample inside the bit and help in acquiring and retaining granular samples. center dot A bit with an internal spiral into which the various particles wedge. center dot A design that provides a method of testing frictional properties of the granular samples and potentially segregating particles based on size and density. A controlled acceleration or deceleration may be used to drop the least-frictional particles or to eventually shear the unconsolidated material near the bit center

Participation in training of adult workers in European countries. Evidences from recent surveys

The importance of a highly skilled workforce has become increasingly relevant in the context of the European Union new strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth - ‘Europe 2020’. At the individual level, a good education is increasingly decisive for employment prospects and earnings levels. Hence, education and training systems must generate new skills, to respond to the nature of the new jobs which are expected to be created, as well as to improve the adaptability and employability of adults already in the labor force. The skills and competences of the workforce are the product of a large variety of learning activities that take place in diverse institutional contexts. While good initial education provides an essential foundation, learning continues through the working years. Policies encouraging wide participation in continuing training are therefore an important component of lifelong learning strategies. Very little is known concerning differences in continuing training or their causes and consequences. Such information would be useful for assessing policy choices related to training, such as whether to encourage an overall increase in training levels or to attempt to redirect training investments toward groups currently receiving little training. This publication deal with some of these issues. Chapter 1 surveys prior research on continuing training of adults. In Chapter 2, some aggregate measures using harmonized data from the European surveys of training are constructed and analyzed; a set of stylized facts concerning differences in the level of training across European countries are discussed based on these aggregate measures. Chapter 3 presents a more formal analysis of the robustness of cross-country differences in the level of training; cross-country rank correlations are calculated between the various measures of training. A concluding section considers some policy implications for in this area

On-Command Force and Torque Impeding Devices (OC-FTID) Using ERF

Various machines have been developed to address the need for countermeasures of bone and muscle deterioration when humans operate over extended time in space. Even though these machines are in use, each of them has many limitations that need to be addressed in an effort to prepare for human missions to distant bodies in the solar system. An exercise exoskeleton was conceived that performs on-demand resistivity by inducing force and torque impedance via ElectroRheological Fluid (ERF). The resistive elements consist of pistons that are moving inside ERF-filled cylinders or a donut-shaped cavity, and the fluid flows through the piston when the piston is moved. Tests of the operation of ERF against load showed the feasibility of this approach. ERF properties of high yield stress, low current density, and fast response (less than one millisecond) offer essential characteristics for the construction of the exoskeleton. ERFs can apply very high electrically controlled resistive forces or torque while their size (weight and geometric parameters) can be very small. Their long life and ability to function in a wide temperature range (from -40 to 200 C) allows for their use in extreme environments. ERFs are also nonabrasive, non-toxic, and nonpolluting (meet health and safety regulations). The technology is applicable as a compact exercise machine for astronauts' countermeasure of microgravity, an exercise machine for sport, or as a device for rehabilitation of patients with limb issues

Miniature Low-Mass Drill Actuated by Flextensional Piezo Stack

Recent experiments with a flextensional piezoelectric actuator have led to the development of a sampler with a bit that is designed to produce and capture a full set of sample forms including volatiles, powdered cuttings, and core fragments. The flextensional piezoelectric actuator is a part of a series of devices used to amplify the generated strain from piezoelectric actuators. Other examples include stacks, bimorphs, benders, and cantilevers. These devices combine geometric and resonance amplifications to produce large stroke at high power density. The operation of this sampler/drill was demonstrated using a 3x2x1-cm actuator weighing 12 g using power of about 10-W and a preload of about 10 N. A limestone block was drilled to a depth of about 1 cm in five minutes to produce powdered cuttings. It is generally hard to collect volatiles from random surface profiles found in rocks and sediment, powdered cuttings, and core fragments. Toward the end of collecting volatiles, the actuator and the bit are covered with bellows-shaped shrouds to prevent fines and other debris from reaching the analyzer. A tube with a miniature bellows (to provide flexibility) is connected to the bit and directs the flow of the volatiles to the analyzer. Another modality was conceived where the hose is connected to the bellows wall directly to allow the capture of volatiles generated both inside and outside the bit. A wide variety of commercial bellows used in the vacuum and microwave industries can be used to design the volatiles capture mechanism. The piezoelectric drilling mechanism can potentially be operated in a broad temperature range from about-200 to less than 450 C. The actuators used here are similar to the actuators that are currently baselined to fly as part of the inlet funnel shaking mechanism design of MSL (Mars Science Laboratory). The space qualification of these parts gives this drill a higher potential for inclusion in a future mission, especially when considering its characteristics of low mass, small size, low power, and low axial loads for sampling