Geography, Institutions and Human Development: A Cross-Country Investigation Using Bayesian Model Averaging

This paper examines the role of long standing institutions – identified through geography, disease ecology, colonial legacy, and some direct measures of political and economic governance – on human development and its non income components across countries. The study employs a novel econometric technique called the Bayesian Model Averaging that allows us to select the relevant predictors by experimenting with a host of competing sets of variables. It constructs estimates as weighted average of OLS estimates for every possible combination of included variables. This is particularly useful in situations when there is model uncertainty and theory provides only a weak guidance on the selection of appropriate predictors. Of the 25 variables that we tried, three stand out in terms of their degree of importance and their robustness across various specifications. These include malaria ecology, KKZ index of good governance and fertility rate. Our finding on the dominant and robust role of malaria ecology in explaining differences in human development across countries, even in the presence of variables that directly and indirectly measure the quality of institutions, is extremely fascinating. It shows that malaria ecology has a direct negative impact on human development and this effect appears to be over and above its effect via institutions. Some of the other measures of climate and geography as well as those of colonial legacy are important as long as we do not control for some direct measures of the performance of political and economic institutions such as the KKZ index of good governance and democracy score. Once we control for these and other conditioning variables such as public spending on health and education; fertility rates; and measures of health infrastructure, the importance of geography and colonial legacy disappears.Human development; geography; institutions; Bayesian Model Averaging

Turbulence measurements in a swirling confined jet flowfield using a triple hot-wire probe

An axisymmetric swirling confined jet flowfield, similar to that encountered in gas turbine combustors was investigated using a triple hot-wire probe. The raw data from the three sensors were digitized using ADC's and stored on a Tektronix 4051 computer. The data were further reduced on the computer to obtain time-series for the three instantaneous velocity components in the flowfield. The time-mean velocities and the turbulence quantities were deduced. Qualification experiments were performed and where possible results compared with independent measurements. The major qualification experiments involved measurements performed in a non-swirling flow compared with conventional X-wire measurements. In the swirling flowfield, advantages of the triple wire technique over the previously used multi-position single hot-wire method are noted. The measurements obtained provide a data base with which the predictions of turbulence models in a recirculating swirling flowfield can be evaluated

Developing Information and Communication Technologies for Education in Haiti

Over the past few decades, much of the world has continued to experience economic development largely due to rapid growth in technology. Despite this progress, there are still areas that remain untouched by advanced technologies. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest nations in the world with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty (CIA, 2013). Many Haitians have no clean running water, about 21% have access to electricity, and almost 50% of the country is illiterate (Bank, 2012). The intense levels of poverty have resulted in lack of investment in human capital and lack of educational infrastructure. The Information and Communication Technologies for Education (ICTE) initiative in Haiti is a “Project of Hope.” ICTE can facilitate the acquisition of basic technological skills, while simultaneously contributing to poverty reduction and human development. In order for Haiti to succeed in the 21st century, students, young adults, and teachers need to develop technological knowledge and skills. Developing technological literacy and computer familiarity will help young Haitians participate in the digital economy and/or obtain jobs.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/uresposters/1206/thumbnail.jp

Causes of Decline of Yadgha Language

Abstract: Language is not an autocrat, its existence is dependent upon the community members who speak and own it. My study concerns questions and implications with regard to the sociolinguistic status of the Yadgha speakers inhabiting Lutkoh valley, on the north western side of Chitral. Theory adopted for the study is that language decline not only affects the indigenous communities but also decrease the knowledge pool in general. To develop a viable framework, I tested linguistic variations through observations and data collected from the community itself. The primary objective of the study was to investigate into the evidence of languistic vitality of Yadgha and the factors involved in the loss of Yadgha language in Lutkoh valley. All the residents of Lutkoh valley comprised the population of the study. Random sampling technique was used for data collection. Data was collected using Observations, Interviews, Questionnaires, Wordlists and texts. Data collected through these research tools was analyzed quantitatively by calculating the percent response. The study led to the findings that Yadgha language is one of the endangered languages of North Pakistan and the prominent factors involved in the process of its declination are: The economic status of the community, societal bilingualism and multilingualism, attitudinal changes among the speakers and national and global languages as pressure documents. Key words: Yadgha; Decline; Language Loss; Language Prestige; Linguistic Attitude; Linguistic Choices Résumé: La langue n'est pas un autocrate, son existence dépend de membre de la Communauté qui la parlent et possèdent. Mon étude concerne des questions et de simplifications en ce qui concerne le statut sociolinguistique des orateurs de Yadg hahabitant la vallée de Lutkoh, du côté occidental du nord de Chitral. La théorie adoptée pour l'étude est le déclin de langue affecte non seulement les communautés indigènes mais diminue également la piscine de la connaissance en général. Pour développer un cadre viable, j'ai examiné des variations linguistiques par des observations et des données rassemblées de la communauté elle-même. Le premier objectif de l'étude était d'étudier dans les preuves de la vitalité la nguisticde Yadgha et des facteurs impliqués dans la perte de langue de Yadgha en vallée de Lutkoh. Tous les résidents de vallée de Lutkoh ont comporté la population de l'étude. La technique d'échantillonage aléatoire a été employée pour la collecte de données. Des données ont été rassemblées utilisant des observations, des entrevues, des questionnaires, des listes de mots et des textes. Des données rassemblées par ces outils de recherches ont été analysées quantitativement en calculant la réponse de pour cent. L'étude menée aux résultats que la langue de Yadgha est l'une des langues mises en danger du Pakistan du nord et des facteurs importants impliqués en cours de sa déclinaisons ont : Le statut économique de la communauté,le bilinguisme et le multilinguisme social, les changements attitudinaux parmi les haut-parleurs et les langues nationales et globales comme documents de pression. Mots clés: Yadgha; Déclin; Disparition des langues; Prestige de la langue; Attitude linguistique; Choix linguistique