Gender equality, growth, and how a technological trap destroyed female work

Development economists have long studied the relationship between gender equality and economic growth. More recently, economic historians have taken an overdue interest. We sketch the pathways within the development literature that have been hypothesized as linking equality for women to rising incomes, and the reverse channels–from higher incomes to equality. We describe how the European Marriage Pattern literature applies these mechanisms, and we highlight problems with the claimed link between equality and growth. We then explain how a crucial example of technological unemployment for women–the destruction of hand spinning during the British Industrial Revolution–contributed to the emergence of the male breadwinner family. We show how this family structure created household relationships that play into the development pathways, and outline its persistent effects into the twenty-first century

Does Technology Improve Education? A Distance Learning Perspective

Most universities today address technology challenges in some way or other in their curricula. This paper explores a project undertaken by a university business school incorporating a learning technology model. In particular, it reports on the pedagogical effectiveness of a simulation game employed for this method and carried out by students. Students were given the opportunity to develop their analytical, decision-making and group work skills. Based on feedback from participants, we conclude that the group project facilitated teaching and learning in a virtual environment was more engaged and interested in the material than the group following traditional face-to-face learning methods

Long term cognitive outcomes of early term (37-38 weeks) and late preterm (34-36 weeks) births: a systematic review

Background: There is a paucity of evidence regarding long-term outcomes of late preterm (34-36 weeks) and early term (37-38 weeks) delivery.  The objective of this systematic review was to assess long-term cognitive outcomes of children born at these gestations. Methods: Four electronic databases (Medline, Embase, clinicaltrials.gov and PsycINFO) were searched.  Last search was 5 th August 2016.  Studies were included if they reported gestational age, IQ measure and the ages assessed.  The protocol was registered with the International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO Record CRD42015015472).  Two independent reviewers assessed the studies.  Data were abstracted and critical appraisal performed of eligible papers. Results: Of 11,905 potential articles, seven studies reporting on 41,344 children were included.  For early term births, four studies (n = 35,711) consistently showed an increase in cognitive scores for infants born at full term (39-41 weeks) compared to those born at early term (37-38 weeks) with increases for each week of term (difference between 37 and 40 weeks of around 3 IQ points), despite differences in age of testing and method of IQ/cognitive testing.  Four studies (n = 5644) reporting childhood cognitive outcomes of late preterm births (34 - 36 weeks) also differed in study design (cohort and case control); age of testing; and method of IQ testing, and found no differences in outcomes between late preterm and term births, although risk of bias was high in included studies. Conclusion:  Children born at 39-41 weeks have higher cognitive outcome scores compared to those born at early term (37-38 weeks).  This should be considered when discussing timing of delivery.  For children born late preterm, the data is scarce and when compared to full term (37-42 weeks) did not show any difference in IQ scores

Community Voices—A Leadership Program Making a Difference in Rural Underserved Counties in North Carolina

Leadership is critically important to rural communities. The study reported here compared the leadership practices of leaders who are graduates of Community Voices Leadership Development for Community Decision Making (CV), a leadership program, to leaders who did not participate in the program. A telephone survey, which included questions from a modified version of the Leadership Practices Inventory (Kouzes & Posner, 1993), was used to collect the data. The study provides evidence that the CV program implemented in rural underserved counties in North Carolina is making a difference in the practices of rural leaders who have undergone the training

Exploring a Hybrid Model to Develop the IR: Liaisons and Functional Specialists Collaborate to Engage and Support Scholarship

Smaller institutions may not have full-time dedicated positions to provide technical support and campus engagement for their IR, therefore alternative strategies to grow a program supporting institutional scholarship may be necessary. For example, at Trinity University we do not have a Scholarly Communication Librarian or a dedicated IR Manager, but instead, depend on the collaboration of liaisons and technical services staff to engage and support institutional scholarship. At Trinity, our low librarian-to-faculty ratio means that we have strong liaison relationships with our academic departments. While librarians at Trinity locate and create opportunities to communicate with students and teachers about digital scholarship, we also make referrals to colleagues with more specialized technical expertise in IR management or copyright in order to use our time and our resources in creative and effective ways. Rather than make the advancement of digital scholarship programs in our library and institution a province of one department or a specified group of individuals, technical and public services focus on what we each “do best” to support the work of students and faculty but we also work together to achieve our goals. This model has proved beneficial for engaging and supporting scholars on campus. However, this model can also surface tensions between liaisons and their specialist colleagues. This hybrid model of liaisons and functional specialists requires effective collaboration as well as a strong referral system. In this case-study presentation, the Head of Discovery Services and the Head of Instruction Services will offer specific examples and evidence of the ways that technical services and liaisons work together to drive the library’s and the university’s digital scholarship initiatives. Essential factors in facilitating this work will also be considered

Actor–Networks, Farmer Decisions, and Identity

Climate change and industrial agricultural practices pose threats to the future of Kansas agriculture. To inform the debate about sustainable agriculture that must soon occur, we seek to illuminate the factors involved in the decision making of farmers in Kansas. Drawing from Actor–Network Theory, we consider how farmers’ participation in the industrial agricultural network shapes their decisions, defines the types of knowledge and skills that are valued by farmers and others in the network, transforms what it means to be a Kansas grain farmer, and entrenches unsustainable production practices