Black holes with constant topological Euler density

A class of four dimensional spherically symmetric and static geometries with constant topological Euler density is studied. These geometries are shown to solve the coupled Einstein-Maxwell system when non-linear Born-Infeld-like electrodynamics is employed.Comment: 7 pages, REVTeX 4, 1 figure, to appear in EP

Causes of the Decline of Economic Growth in Italy and the Responsibility of EURO. A Balance-of-Payments Approach.

Some countries of the Euro-zone have experienced a declining economic growth more pronounced in the last recent years, like Italy. The aim of this paper is to investigate the causes of the poor growth performance in Italy and the responsibility of the Euro for this crisis. The theoretical approach applied is based on the balance-of-payments constraint hypothesis (known as Thirlwall’s Law) adapted to include internal and external imbalances. Our empirical analysis shows that both the extended model and the original Thirlwall’s Law over-predict the actual growth in Italy suggesting that there are supply constraints that encumber the economy from growing faster. Another conclusion is that part of the decline in economic growth is explained by the loss of competiveness during the Euro period. A scenarios analysis shows that a budget deficit and public debt discipline aiming at achieving the goals of the Stability Pact are not significant stimulus for faster growth. On the other hand, reducing the import dependence of the components of demand, or reducing the import and increasing the export shares in the economy are the most effective policies for fostering growth in Italy.Internal and External Imbalances, Import Elasticities of the Components of Demand, Equilibrium Growth Rates, 3SLS System Regressions.

Growth rates constrained by internal and external imbalances: a demand orientated approach.

Thirlwall’s Law considers that growth can be constrained by the balance-of-payments when the current account is in permanent deficit. The Law focuses on external imbalances as impediments to growth and does not consider the case where internal imbalances (budget deficits or public debt) can also constrain growth. The recent European public debt crisis shows that when internal imbalances are out of control they can constrain growth and domestic demand in a severe way. The aim of this paper is to fill this gap by developing a growth model in line with Thirlwall’s Law that takes into account both internal and external imbalances. The model is tested for Portugal that recently fell into a public debt crisis with serious negative consequences on growth. The empirical analysis shows that the growth rate in Portugal is in fact balance-of-payments constrained and the main drawback is the high import elasticity of the components of demand and in particular that of exports.internal and external imbalances, import elasticities of the components of demand, equilibrium growth rates, 3SLS system regressions.

Sheaves as modules

We revisit sheaves on locales by placing them in the context of the theory of quantale modules. The local homeomorphisms p : X → B are identified with the Hilbert B-modules that are equipped with a natural notion of basis. The homomorphisms of these modules are necessarily adjointable, and the resulting self dual category yields a description of the equivalence between local homeomorphisms and sheaves whereby morphisms of sheaves arise as the “operator adjoints” of the inverse images of the maps of local homeomorphisms.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Making the breakthrough into Parliament boosts the electoral success of smaller political parties

Establishing the impact of legislative representation on parties’ subsequent electoral outcomes is very difficult due to how different parliamentary and non-parliamentary parties look. To address this problem, Elias Dinas, Pedro Riera and Nasos Roussias used an element that is quite common in multiparty systems – that is, legal thresholds of representation at the national level- and compared parties that are slightly above and barely below it. Looking at all post-WWII democracies with a national threshold of representation, they show that presence in parliament increases parties’ vote shares in the next election

The interconnections between Renewable Energy, Economic Development and Environmental Pollution. A simultaneous equation system approach

https://thekeep.eiu.edu/commencement_spring2015/1042/thumbnail.jp

Staying in the First League: Parliamentary Representation and the Electoral Success of Small Parties

Why are some small parties successful whereas others wither away? Despite the voluminous literature on parties and party families, we have a limited understanding of what explains small party success. Most studies tend to emphasize the role of social cleavages and electoral systems. Instead, we propose a new institutional explanation that treats entering parliament as a key resource for small parties. Parliamentary entrance signals organizational capacity and candidates’ appeal, and reduces uncertainty about parties’ ideological profile. Taking advantage of the discontinuities generated by thresholds of representation, we estimate the causal effect of entering parliament on the future vote shares of small parties. We use a new data set that covers all post-WWII democracies with a national threshold of representation. Results indicate that presence in parliament increases parties’ vote share in the next election. Importantly, entering parliament is more important for parties in new democracies, where party branding is weak and the need for signaling is high

O consumo de roupas usadas nos mercados informais moçambicanos: o caso da cidade de Maputo

Dissertação de mestrado em Sociologia do Desenvolvimento e Políticas SociaisA partir da reflexão teórica sobre os conceitos de classes sociais e estratificação social, suas fronteiras, intersecções e divergências, a nossa pesquisa interroga-se se os consumidores de roupas usadas podem ser considerados membros da mesma classe ou de classes sociais diferentes, do mesmo estrato social ou de estratos sociais diferentes. Recorrendo à metodologia qualitativa, que é complementada por dados quantitativos, e usando uma amostra de vinte e quatro elementos (nove vendedores e quinze consumidores de roupas usadas, intencionalmente escolhidos, cuja selecção é antecedida por uma exploração dos mercados informais, locais de comercialização de roupas usadas) constatámos que os recursos escolares e de propriedade traçam dissemelhanças entre os consumidores de roupas usadas. De facto, são agentes possuidores destes recursos que não só demonstram maior poder na aquisição bens materiais mas também investem mais no consumo que vai para além da utilidade prática dos mesmos bens. São agentes que possuem recursos escolares e de propriedade que têm uma relação ambígua com as roupas usadas. Portanto, nesta perspectiva, faz sentido falar-se da existência de estratos sociais entre os compradores de roupa usada. No entanto, a promoção destas diferenciações ao estatuto de classes sociais é problemática, pois parte do princípio de que as divisões entre os consumidores de roupa usada são extensivas a toda a sociedade, ou seja, parte do princípio que estudar os consumidores de roupa usada é mesmo que estudar toda a sociedade moçambicana. De forma mais simples: os consumidores de roupa usada não constituem uma amostra representativa da sociedade moçambicana. Deste modo, a determinação das classes sociais a que pertencem os consumidores de roupa deve ser ancorada num estudo sistematizado da estrutura social da sociedade moçambicana, à luz da qual será possível não só determinar as classes a que pertencem, em geral, os diferentes grupos localizados na sociedade moçambicana como também, em particular, os consumidores de roupas usadas.From the theoretical reflection on the concepts of social class and social stratification and its borders, intersections and differences, our research questions is whether consumers of used clothing can be considered members of the same social class or different social classes, members of the same social stratification or different social stratifications. Using the qualitative methodology which is complemented by quantitative data and using a sample of twenty-four elements (nine sellers used clothing and fifteen used clothing consumers, intentionally chosen, whose selection is preceded by an exploration of the informal markets, local sale of used clothes) we found that school resources and property plot dissimilarities among consumers of used clothing. In fact, possessors of these resources are agents that demonstrate greater power camber in material things and invest themselves more in consumption that goes beyond the practical use of the commoditized objects. The related agents have property and school resources that have an ambiguous relationship with the clothes. Therefore, in this perspective, it makes sense to speak of the existence of social stratifications among consumers of used clothes. However, the concept of social class or social classes is not adequate to categorize the dissimilarities among consumers of used clothing because its use assumes that the divisions among consumers of used clothing are extended to the whole society. That is, it assumes that studying consumers of used clothing is even studying the whole Mozambican society. More simple: consumers of used clothing are not a representative sample of Mozambican society. Thus, the determination of social class or social classes to whom belong the consumers of clothing must be preceded by a systematic study of the social structure of the Mozambican society in the light of which we will be able not only to determine the classes that start in general the different groups established in Mozambican society but also to determine, in particular, the social class or social classes of consumers of used clothing