18,311 research outputs found

    Service cheques in Europe - a model for Germany? Employment effects and macro-economic costs: five scenarios

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    In the mid-nineties, near all european governments look almost desperately for a panacea against sluggish growth and high unemployment. Since this problem concerns mainly low-skilled workers, the creation of low-profile jobs in the personal service sector still seems to be one of the most promising solutions. After a long period of scepticism dominating economic thinking about the growth potential of this sector, a renaissance of the service-idea is taking place at the moment. The so called service cheque finds itself at the centre of this new policy approach. Its objective is twofold: to subsidize demand and to reduce the cost of labour. After France and Belgium, Germany is the third country introducing it at a large scale. The findings of this essay back up the opinion that direct welfare benefits, promoting the use of service-cheques, are preferable to those that rely on tax-relief incentives. On the other hand, the idea to provide households with a special welfare benefit in terms of service-cheques could prove risky once the system's high elasticity of output provokes uncontrollable budget deficits. Alternative models should therefore also be considered. -- Zu Beginn der neunziger Jahre suchen alle europĂ€ischen Regierungen beinahe hĂ€nderingend nach neuen PolitikansĂ€tzen zur Förderung eines beschĂ€ftigungsintensiven Wachstums. Da vor allem geringer qualifizierte Arbeitnehmer von konjunktureller und zunehmend struktureller Arbeitslosigkeit betroffen sind, erscheint die Schaffung neuer ArbeitsplĂ€tze im personennahen Dienstleistungssektor die erfolgversprechendste Lösung zu sein. Nachdem die traditionelle Wirtschaftstheorie fĂŒr lange Jahre dieser Idee eine Absage erteilt hat, erlebt der Dienstleistungsgedanke zur Zeit eine Renaissance. Im Mittelpunkt dieser Politik steht der sogenannte Dienstleistungsscheck. Nach Frankreich und Belgien ist Deutschland das dritte Land, welches dieses Instrument in großem Stil einsetzt. Die Ergebnisse dieser Studie unterstĂŒtzen die Ansicht, daß direkte Transferleistungen besser dazu geeignet sind, den personennahen Dienstleistungssektor zu fördern, als Systeme, die Steuererleichterungen verwenden. Andererseits zeigt die vorliegende Analyse, daß Transfermodellen eine hohe Output-ElastizitĂ€t innewohnt, welche das Risiko von unkontrollierbaren Einbussen öffentlicher Gelder bei gleichzeitig schwachen employmentseffekten beinhalten. Alternativmodelle sollten deshalb ebenso berĂŒcksichtigt werden.

    Stock price responses on the German suspension of genetically modified maize

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    This note investigates the effect of the German governments' decision to suspend the cultivation of genetically modified maize on the stock returns of involved companies. Moreover, the first announcement to investigate a ban as well as a court decision rejecting Monsanto's lawsuit against the suspension are considered. This study is motivated by the expectation that these decisions have consequences beyond the small German market for genetically modified maize. An event study is used to evaluate the economic impacts on stock returns of Monsanto, Bayer and BASF. We find slight evidence that stock prices of Monsanto and BASF responded negatively to the German suspension of genetically modified maize.Event study, Bt maize, Monsanto, Bayer, BASF, GM crops

    Nuclear systems in space? Does/will the public accept them?

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    Public attitudes toward the use of nuclear energy on earth and in space are discussed. Survey data are presented which show that the public believes nuclear energy should play an important role in our energy supply. However, based on broad attitude research, there should be no expectation that the public will accept or support the use of nuclear energy unless it meets special needs and offers special and significant benefits. It is proposed that a public information program be adopted that results in getting recognition and support for the space program broadly and for the missions that benefit substantially from or require nuclear energy for their accomplishment

    Poor people's knowledge : helping poor people to earn from their knowledge

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    How can we help poor people to earn more from their knowledge rather than from their sweat and muscle? This paper draws lessons from projects intended to promote and protect the innovation, knowledge, and creative skills of poor people in poor countries, particularly to improve the earnings of poor people from such knowledge and skills. The international community has paid considerable attention to problems associated with intellectual property that poor countries buy-such as the increased cost of pharmaceuticals brought on by the WTO's agreement on the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS). This paper is about the other half of the development-intellectual property link. It is about the knowledge poor people own, create, and sell rather than about what they buy. The paper calls attention to a broad range of poor people's knowledge that has commercial potential. It highlights the incentives for and concerns of poor people-which may be different from those of corporate research, northern nongovernmental organizations, or even entertainment stars from developing countries who already enjoy an international audience. The studies find that increased earnings is sometimes a matter of poor people acquiring commercial skills. Legal reform, though often necessary, is frequently not sufficient. Moreover, the paper concludes that the need for novel legal approaches to protect traditional knowledge has been overemphasized. Standard instruments such as patents and copyrights are often effective. Rather than legal innovation, there is a need for economic and political empowerment of poor people so that they have the skills to use such instruments and the influence to insist that institutional structures respond to their interests. Finally, the paper concludes that there is minimal conflict between culture and commerce. There are many income-earning expressions of culture, and it is incorrect to presume that expressions of culture must always be income-using.Cultural Heritage&Preservation,Environmental Economics&Policies,Arts&Music,Public Health Promotion,Cultural Policy,Environmental Economics&Policies,Cultural Heritage&Preservation,Arts&Music,Cultural Policy,Health Monitoring&Evaluation

    ACT to improve ICT use for learning: a synthesis of studies of teacher confidence in using ICT in two Queensland schooling systems

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    A review of the literature about student use of ICT and the impact of ICT use on learning reveals a complexity of rationales and terminology that underwrite ICT initiatives; various dimensions and stages of integration; inherent methodological difficulties; obstacles to integration such as teacher ICT confidence, expertise and beliefs about the potential for ICT to make a difference to student learning; teacher professional development; school technological infrastructure and support; and the need for ICT leadership (Jamieson-Proctor, Burnett, Finger, & Watson, 2006). This paper investigates the overarching research question - Are ICT initiatives having the desired impact on teaching and learning in schools? It provides a synthesis of the results of recent investigations by us in Queensland State and Catholic schools involving 2652 teachers from 168 schools across the two systems. Significant statistical findings that link teachers’ confidence in using ICT with students, to the quantity and quality of students’ use of ICT for learning are highlighted. The findings support the hypothesis that current ICT initiatives are having less than the desired result in both Queensland systems. The paper concludes with a call for Australia-wide research to unpack and address the factors, such as teacher confidence, that are currently constraining the use of ICT within Australian schooling systems

    Afferent connections of the valvula cerebelli in two teleosts, the common goldfish and the green sunfish

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    The afferent connections of the valvula cerebelli were examined in one cypriniform teleost (Carassius auratus) and one perciform teleost (Lepomis cyanellus) with the use of horseradish peroxidase as a retrograde tracer. Both species have ipsilateral input to the valvula from the central pretectal and dorsal accessory optic nuclei, the dorsal and ventral tegmental nuclei, the lateral nucleus of the valvula, the perilemniscal nucleus, and nucleus isthmi and contralateral input from the inferior olivary nucleus. In addition, Carassius has ipsilateral valvulopetal projections from the eminentia granularis, the praeeminential nucleus, and the isthmic primary sensory trigeminal nucleus, whereas Lepomis has bilateral (stronger ipsilaterally) valvulopetal projections from the nucleus of the locus coeruleus and the rostral corpus cerebelli. The topographical order of the cerebellopetal projections of the lateral nucleus of the valvula and inferior olive is also described, as are differential inputs to various subdivisions of the cerebellum in the two species. Information on valvulopetal projections in teleosts has thus far been limited to electroreceptive mormyrids. The present study shows that many valvular inputs related to electroreception in mormyrids have no homologue in Carassius and Lepomis. Finally, the present study indicates that the rostral part of the corpus cerebelli, but not the valvula cerebelli, in teleosts is the homologue of the anterior lobe of the corpus cerebelli in cartilaginous fishes. Thus, the valvula cerebelli is a shared derived feature (synapomorphy) of all ray-finned fishes
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