Şarkiyat Çalışmalarında İslam Ahlâk Metafiziği, editör İbrahim Aslan (İstanbul: Endülüs Yayınları, 2020), 462 sayfa, ISBN: 9786052105931

In the present work, ‘Islamic Ethic Metaphysics in Oriental Studies, ’ Aslan successfully managed to groom the project with the translation, edition, and compilation of the most notable names in Islamic ethical theories. The work endowed by TUBITAK investigated the Islamic metaphysical frame of ethical theories. From the orientalists' standpoint, it urges the reader to thoroughly understand miscellaneous metaphysical issues and problematics of Kalām value systems by bringing classical discourses between Mu‘tazilites, Ashʿarite, and Maturidite. Such initiatives certainly will help the Turkish scholarship notice, grasp, and criticize the enormous literature in western languages. İncelenen ‘Şarkiyat Çalışmalarında İslam Ahlâk Metafiziği’ başlıklı çalışma, İslamî etik teoriler alanında tanınan Batı’lı araştırmacılarca kaleme alınmış olan eserlerden seçilmiş derleme bir metindir. TÜBİTAK’ın yurtdışı desteğiyle hazırlanmış olan bu eser, İslamî etik teorilerin metafizik çerçevesini incelemektedir. Müsteşriklerin ‘bakış açısından’ yola çıkarak okuyucuyu Mu‘tezile, Eş‘arî ve Mâtürîdî çevreler arasındaki klasik tartışmalara yönlendirerek, teolojik değer sistemlerine ihatalı şekilde yaklaşmayı teşvik etmektedir. Bu tür çalışmalar, kuşkusuz, İngilizce, Almanca ve Fransızca gibi batı dillerinde kaleme alınmış olan literatürü fark etme, anlama ve eleştirme gibi hususlarda Türk İlahiyat akademisindeki araştırmacılara katkı sağlayacaktır

The influence of Socioeconomic Status and Ethnicity on Speech and Language Development

A number of factors influence the speech and language development of young children, and delay in the development of speech and language can have repercussions for school attainment and life chances. This paper is based on a survey of 3-4 year old children in the city of Stoke-on-Trent in the UK. It analyses the data collected from 255 children in 26 schools, and discusses the effects of socioeconomic status and ethnicity on delayed or advanced language development in young children. Language development in the project was measured using the New Reynell Developmental Language Scales (NRDLS) (Edwards, Letts and Sinka, 2011). The study shows mean standard scores for language Production and Comprehension within the low average range, thus demonstrating a challenge confronting nurseries/preschools in the area in preparing children for compulsory schooling. The research has implications for Early Years education policy and practice

University Choice: The Role of Expected Earnings, Non-pecuniary Outcomes and Financial Constraints

We investigate the determinants of students’ university choice in Pakistan, with a focus on monetary returns, non-pecuniary factors enjoyed at school, and financial constraints. To mitigate the identification problem concerning the separation of preferences, expectations and market constraints, we use rich data on subjective expectations, with direct measures of financial constraints, to estimate a life-cycle model of school choice jointly with school-specific expectations of dropping out. We find that labor market prospects play a small role. Instead, non-pecuniary outcomes, such as the school’s ideology, are the major determinants. Policy simulations suggest that relaxing financial constraints would have large welfare gains

Information and anti-American attitudes

This paper investigates how attitudes towards the United States are affected by provision of information. We generate a “panel” of attitudes in urban Pakistan, in which respondents are randomly exposed to fact-based statements describing the US in either a positive or negative light. Anti-American sentiment is high and heterogenous in our sample at the baseline, and systematically correlated with intended behavior (such as intended migration to the US). We find that revised attitudes are significantly different from baseline attitudes: attitudes are, on average, revised upward (downward) upon receipt of positive (negative) information, indicating that providing information had a meaningful effect on US favorability. The within-subject design and data on respondents’ priors allows us to investigate the underlying mechanisms. We find that revisions are largely a result of salience-based updating. We reject unbiased information-based updating as the only source of revisions. In addition, a substantial proportion of individuals do not respond to the information. This heterogeneity in revision processes means that there is no convergence in attitudes following the provision of information

Vaccine hesitancy in Pakistan is growing: here’s how it can be tackled

Since the start of the pandemic, Pakistanis have become less likely to say they will accept a COVID vaccine. Saher Asad (Lahore University of Management Sciences), Javaeria Qureshi (University of Illinois at Chicago), Mariam Raheem (Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan – CERP), Taimur Shah (CERP), and Basit Zafar (University of Michigan) looks at the findings of a new survey into vaccine hesitancy and suggests how the government could overcome it

Household Debt and Saving During the 2007 Recession

Using administrative credit report records and data collected through several special household surveys we analyze changes in household debt and savings during the 2007 recession. We find that while different segments of the population were affected in distinct ways, depending on whether they owned a home, whether they owned stocks and whether they had secure jobs, the crisis’ impact appears to have been widespread, affecting large shares of households across all age, income and education groups. In response to their deteriorated financial situation, households reduced their average spending and increased saving. The latter increase – at least in 2009 – did not materialize itself through an increase in contributions to retirement and savings accounts. If anything, such contributions actually declined on average during that year. Instead, the higher saving rate appears to reflect a considerable decline in household debt, with households paying down mortgage debt in particular. At the end of 2009 individuals expected to continue to increase saving and pay down debt, which is consistent with what we have observed so far in 2010. In contrast, consumers were pessimistic about the availability of credit, with credit expected to become harder to obtain during 2010.

The Price Is Right: Updating Inflation Expectations in a Randomized Price Information Experiment

Using a unique, randomized information experiment embedded in a survey, this paper investigates how consumers’ inflation expectations respond to new information. We find that respondents, on average, update their expectations in response to (certain types of) information, and do so sensibly, in a manner consistent with Bayesian updating. As a result of information provision, the distribution of inflation expectations converges toward its center and cross-sectional disagreement declines. We document heterogeneous information processing by gender and present suggestive evidence of respondents forecasting under asymmetric loss. Our results provide support for expectation-formation models in which agents form expectations rationally but face information constraints

Treatment of intracranial aneurysms using detachable coils; initial results at a university hospital in Pakistan

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the technical success, safety and outcome of endovascular coiling procedure in intracranial aneurysms. METHODS: From April 2003 to April 2009, 43 patients (23 males and 20 females), age range 11 to 70 years, mean age 46.67 +/- 11.57 years were treated for intracranial aneurysms by detachable coil deployment at Radiology Department of Aga Khan University Hospital. Aneurysm rupture with subarachnoid haemorrhage was the cause of presentation in 39 patients while 4 patients were diagnosed with un-ruptured aneurysms. At time of presentation, grading of subarachnoid haemorrhage was done according to Hunt and Hess grading system. Eleven patients presented with Grade I haemorrhage, other 11 presented with grade II haemorrhage, 8 patients had grade III haemorrhage and 9 patients had grade IV haemorrhage. Preliminary diagnostic workup was performed by cross sectional imaging, CT angiography or digital substraction angiography. Coiling procedures were performed under general anaesthesia through femoral artery approach. Detachable platinum coils were densely packed in all aneurysms by endovascular technique. Patient files and radiology reports were retrospectively reviewed. Technical success and safety of the procedure were analyzed. Modified Rankin Score was used to determine clinical outcome. Score 0-2 represented good outcome, score 3-5: dependency (Can not attend own bodily needs and carry out daily activities without assistance) and score 6: death. RESULTS: Aneurysm size ranged from 3mm - 22mm (mean size 8 mm +/- 4). 74.4% aneurysms had narrow necks while 25.6% aneurysms were wide necked. Most common aneurysm site was anterior communicating artery. Technical success rate for endovascular intracranial aneurysm coiling was 95.3% (n = 41). Major complication rate was 11.6 % (n = 5). Mortality rate was 2.3% (n = 1). 78% patients showed good clinical outcome after coiling including 4 patients with un ruptured aneurysms (n = 32). CONCLUSION: Results of endovascular aneurysm coiling at our center showed high technical success rate (95.3%) and good short term clinical outcome in 78% patients