Molecular solids of actinide hexacyanoferrate: Structure and bonding

The hexacyanometallate family is well known in transition metal chemistry because the remarkable electronic delocalization along the metal-cyano-metal bond can be tuned in order to design systems that undergo a reversible and controlled change of their physical properties. We have been working for few years on the description of the molecular and electronic structure of materials formed with [Fe(CN)6]n- building blocks and actinide ions (An = Th, U, Np, Pu, Am) and have compared these new materials to those obtained with lanthanide cations at oxidation state +III. In order to evaluate the influence of the actinide coordination polyhedron on the three- dimensional molecular structure, both atomic number and formal oxidation state have been varied : oxidation states +III, +IV. EXAFS at both iron K edge and actinide LIII edge is the dedicated structural probe to obtain structural information on these systems. Data at both edges have been combined to obtain a three-dimensional model. In addition, qualitative electronic information has been gathered with two spectroscopic tools : UV-Near IR spectrophotometry and low energy XANES data that can probe each atom of the structural unit : Fe, C, N and An. Coupling these spectroscopic tools to theoretical calculations will lead in the future to a better description of bonding in these molecular solids. Of primary interest is the actinide cation ability to form ionic – covalent bonding as 5f orbitals are being filled by modification of oxidation state and/or atomic number

The impact of foreign direct investment, foreign aid and trade on poverty reduction : evidence from Sub-Saharan African countries

Abstract:Despite postulations on the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI), foreign aid, and trade on growth, empirical evidence from extant research has been mixed. The focus of recent research has shifted from the growth effects of these international flows to their poverty reduction effects. However, results have also been mixed. Most studies have examined the empirical evidence of these flows separately and have mostly conducted single country studies. In this study, we use data from twenty-nine countries in Sub-Saharan Africa between the period 1990–2017 to analyze the effects of FDI, trade, and foreign aid on poverty reduction in a single model using the Feasible Generalized Least Square (FGLS) technique. Our results show that FDI and foreign aid have a negative effect on poverty reduction in the countries studied. These results suggest that the level of FDI required to alleviate poverty has not been reached, and foreign aid have not been properly channeled. However, the results show that trade has a positive and significant impact on poverty reduction, especially in low-income countries. We conclude with policy recommendations

Donors, Aid and Taxation in Developing Countries: An Overview

Recent years have witnessed rapidly growing donor interest in tax issues in the developing world. This reflects a concern with revenue collection to finance public spending, but also recognition of the centrality of taxation to growth, redistribution and broader state-building and governance goals. Against this backdrop, this paper identifies a series of key issues that demand attention if donors are to improve the quality of their support for tax reform. The focus is not, primarily, on the technical design of tax interventions, but, instead, on seven ‘big picture’ considerations for the design of donor programmes: (a) supporting local leadership of reform efforts; (b) incorporating more systematic political economy analysis into the design and implementation of reform programmes; (c) designing tax reform programmes that seek to foster broader linkages between taxation, state-building and governance; (d) paying careful attention to the complexity of the relationship between aid and tax effort; (e) better designing tax-related conditionality, particularly by developing a more nuanced set of performance indicators; (f) ensuring the effective coordination of donor interventions; and (g) paying greater attention to the international policy context, and particularly the role of tax exemptions for donor projects, tax havens and tax evasion by multinational corporations (MNCs) in undermining developing country tax systems.DfI