World Bank Independence: A Model and Statistical Analysis of U.S. Influence

This paper develops a model to test whether World Bank lending caters to U.S. interests. We use country-level panel data to examine the geographic distribution of World Bank lending to 110 countries from 1968 to 2002. After controlling for country characteristics expected to influence the distribution of lending in a manner consistent with the World Bank’s charter and stated allocation mechanisms, we introduce variables reflecting U.S. interests. The empirical results are consistent with a significant U.S. influence, but one which varies across presidential administrations. These findings have important implications because donor influence may reduce the credibility, and hence the development effectiveness, of multilateral aid organizations.

How Do Political Changes Influence U.S. Bilateral Aid Allocations? Evidence from Panel Data

This paper examines the role of U.S. domestic politics in the allocation of foreign aid using panel data on aid to 119 countries from 1960 to 1997. Employing proxies for four aid allocation criteria (development concerns, strategic importance, commercial importance, and the degree of democratization), we find evidence that each influences aid allocation, although the evidence is stronger for some criteria (development concerns, commercial importance) than for others (strategic importance, degree of democratization). Furthermore, the allocation pattern depends on the composition of the U.S. government. When the president and Congress are liberal, development concerns receive more weight in the allocation process than when the president and/or Congress are more conservative. When the Congress is more conservative, commercial concerns have more weight than when the Congress is liberal. These findings have practical importance in light of current attempts to overhaul the allocation of both bilateral and multilateral aid.

Gas accretion onto galaxies and Kelvin-Helmholtz turbulence

Continued star formation over the lifetime of a galaxy suggests that low metalicity gas is steadily flowing in from the circumgalactic medium. Also, cosmological simulations of large-scale structure formation imply that gas is accreted onto galaxies from the halo inside which they formed. Direct observations are difficult, but in recent years observational indications of gas inflows from a circumgalactic medium were obtained. Here we suggest an indirect observational probe: looking for large-scale (exceeding few kpc) turbulence caused by the accretion. As a specific example we consider an accretion flow coplanar with the galaxy disk, and argue that Kelvin-Helmholtz turbulence will be generated. We employ a semi-analytic model of turbulence and derive the expected turbulence power spectrum. The latter turns out to be of a distinctive shape that can be compared with observational power spectra. As an illustrative example we use parameters of the Milky Way galaxy.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to MNRAS. Comments are welcom

How do political changes influence U.S. bilateral aid allocations? Evidence from panel data

This paper examines the role of U.S. domestic politics in the allocation of foreign aid using panel data on aid to 119 countries from 1960 to 1997. Employing proxies for four aid allocation criteria (development concerns, strategic importance, commercial importance, and the degree of democratization), we find evidence that each influences aid allocation, although the evidence is stronger for some criteria (development concerns, commercial importance) than for others (strategic importance, degree of democratization). Furthermore, the allocation pattern depends on the composition of the U.S. government. When the president and Congress are liberal, development concerns receive more weight in the allocation process than when the president and/or Congress are more conservative. When the Congress is more conservative, commercial concerns have more weight than when the Congress is liberal. These findings have practical importance in light of current attempts to overhaul the allocation of both bilateral and multilateral aid

World Bank independence: A model and statistical analysis of U.S. influence

This paper develops a model to test whether World Bank lending caters to U.S. interests. We use country-level panel data to examine the geographic distribution of World Bank lending to 110 countries from 1968 to 2002. After controlling for country characteristics expected to influence the distribution of lending in a manner consistent with the World Bank’s charter and stated allocation mechanisms, we introduce variables reflecting U.S. interests. The empirical results are consistent with a significant U.S. influence, but one which varies across presidential administrations. These findings have important implications because donor influence may reduce the credibility, and hence the development effectiveness, of multilateral aid organizations

Confluências da América e da Europa na hibridez de "Rede des toten Kolumbus am Tag des jüngsten Gerichts" (1992) de Hans Christoph Buch

The present article seeks to analyze the influence that contemporary methods of literary writing and modes of thought used on the American continent have had on other literary niches, having as a specific example, Germany. For that, the focus will fall on the German historical novel "Rede des toten Kolumbus am Tag des jüngsten Gerichts" (1992), from the author Hans Christoph Buch. In the novel, it is observed how the rhetorical and aesthetical processes of narrative come close to what was considered as "new metafictional historical novel", according to studies by Aínsa (1988-1991), Menton (1993) and Fleck (2007). This model of artistic production is a result of the literary boom suffered in Latin America, amidst the 20th century, thus showing how, after a long time, the Americas start to influence the writings of other continents and, specially, Europe. Studies by Lukács, regarding historical novels, and Uslar Pietri (1990), regarding "Magic Realism", also make themselves useful, once that the delimitations of the literary genre, as well as its main characteristics, are possible of being observed in Buch's novel.O presente artigo procura analisar a influência que a escrita literária peculiar e os modos de pensamento contemporâneo em voga no continente americano alcançaram em outros nichos literários tendo, como exemplo específico a Alemanha. Para isso, o foco recairá sobre o romance histórico alemão "Rede des toten Kolumbus am Tag des jüngsten Gerichts" (1992), do autor Hans Christoph Buch. Nele, observa-se como os processos retóricos e estéticos da narrativa se assemelham àquilo que foi considerado como "novo romance histórico latinoamericano", segundo estudos de Aínsa (1988-1991), Menton (1993), Fleck (2007) de outros. Este modelo de produção artística é uma das formas originais do boom literário ocorrido na América Latina, em meados do século XX, demonstrando, assim, como, após muito tempo, as Américas começam a influenciar a escrita de outros continentes e, principalmente, a Europa. Estudos de Lukács, sobre romances históricos, e de Alejo Carpentier e Uslar Pietri (1990), sobre o "Realismo Mágico", também se fazem relevantes, uma vez que as delimitações do gênero literário, além de suas características principais, são passíveis de ser observadas no romance de Buch

Tertiary Meteoric Hydrothermal Systems and their Relation to Ore Deposition, Northwestern United States and Southern British Columbia

Tertiary meteoric hydrothermal systems have altered the rocks exposed over more than 5 % of the land surface of the northwestern United States and southern British Columbia, including at least 25,000 km^2 in Idaho. The systems typically involved convective circulation of fluid derived from ordinary meteoric groundwaters around crystallizing, calc-alkaline, epizonal plutons emplaced into coeval volcanic cover rocks. These individual systems had widely ranging “lifetimes” of 10^3 to 10^6 years and operated locally throughout the Cenozoic, although the most profound development of such activity occurred during Eocene time. Individual systems varied in size from a few tens of square kilometers (Yankee Fork, Idaho) or less to several thousand square kilometers (Sawtooth and Castro ring zones, Idaho) Typically, regional propylitization aacompanied the fluid circulation, although the higher-temperature alteration assemblages were developed locally, as were intense alteration effects (e.g., silicification, sericitization, etc.) near some veins and in mining districts. A significant amount, probably 25–50%, of the mineral production and potential in the region is closely related to Tertiary meteoric hydrothermal systems. Oxygen and hydrogen isotopic data clearly demonstrate the close geologic association of meteoric hydrothermal systems and mineralization in (1) the Paleocene, Cu-Zn-Pb-Mn Main Stage mineralization at Butte, Montana; (2) numerous Eocene epithermal deposits principally valued for Au and Ag but also including significant deposits of Cu, Pb, Zn, F, Sb, etc., as at Republic, Washington, and in several mining districts in the Idaho batholith and the Challis volcanic field; (3) several Eocene skarn deposits valued for W (Ima, Idaho) and Cu (Mackay, Idaho); (4) important lead-silver vein and replacement deposits of Tertiary (Bluebell, British Columbia) and of probable Cretaceous and early Tertiary age (Wood River, Idaho); (5) several potentially economic Mo-, Be-, and U-bearing Eocene “porphyry” plutons; and (6) Miocene epithermal deposits, most prominently the Au and Ag bearing veins at Silver City and DeLamar, Idaho, the Hg deposits at the McDermitt caldera, Nevada and Oregon, and at Weiser, Idaho, and Au deposits in the Western Cascade Range and Lake County, Oregon. A close spatial association has been demonstrated between ore deposits and rocks having anomalous δ^(18)O values and low δD values. The most important deposits are associated with relatively small (generally 5–300 km^2) zones of low δ^(18)O values, and they are particularly closely linked with zones of very steep ^(18)O/^(16)O gradients in the altered rocks. These associations hold much promise for the use of δ^(18)O and δD contour maps in future exploration efforts

Marc Couturier

Marc Couturier est l’artiste français le plus engagé, depuis une vingtaine d’années, pour un symbolisme contemporain. Cette monographie est la première grande étude sur l’artiste et son œuvre. Elle comporte trois parties : une véritable rétrospective de l’artiste, sur une centaine de pages de photographies d’œuvres in situ, non commentées ; une étude d’Anne Dagbert sur le déroulement et l’œuvre de l’artiste ; ainsi qu’une analyse par Jean-Michel Phéline (également auteur de photographies dans..

Hsia-Fei Chang: Goodbye

Avec ce livre et de manière inédite, Hsia-Fei Chang présente une rétrospective de milieu de carrière. Née en 1973 à Taiwan, vivant et travaillant en France depuis une vingtaine d’années, diplômée de l’école d’enseignement supérieur d’art de Bordeaux et ayant acquis un Post-Diplôme international à Nantes, l’artiste a construit un lien singulier entre la performance, des œuvres photographiques et vidéos qui reprennent la forme de performances, des sculptures et des dessins conceptuels. Son trav..