The concept of Index for the Assessment of Regulations' Significance (IARS) in regulatory impact evaluation

This article aims to present the concept of the Index for the Assessment of Regulations’ Significance as a tool used in parliamentary regulatory impact assessment, with a special focus on expost assessment. The Index is an element of the broadly defined economic analysis of law, which can facilitate a more effective scrutiny of parliamentary lawmaking. The Index also enables theRIA (Regulatory Impact Assessment) to be verified by the act originator at the stage of the ex-ante regulatory impact assessment. Furthermore, the Index can also serve as a tool for conducting an analysis of the overall legislation process employed in parliament over a given period of time, on the basis of the adopted legal and substantive criteria.Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie koncepcji wskaźnika oceny istotności regulacji jako narzędzia do wykorzystania w parlamentarnej ocenie skutków regulacji, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem oceny ex-post. Wskaźnik jest elementem szeroko rozumianej ekonomicznej analizy prawa, która umożliwić może skuteczniejszą kontrolę stanowienia prawa przez parlamenty. Wskaźnik umożliwia także weryfikację RIA przeprowadzonego przez projektodawcę na etapie oceny skutków regulacji ex-ante. Ponadto wskaźnik służyć może do przeprowadzenia analizy całego procesu legislacyjnego w parlamencie w danym okresie na podstawie przyjętych kryteriów prawnych i merytorycznych

Dust-Radiation Universes: Stability Analysis

Flat and open universe models are considered, containing a mixture of cold matter (dust) and radiation interacting only through gravity, with the aim of studying their stability with respect to linear scalar perturbations. To this end the perturbed universe is considered as a dynamical system, described by coupled differential equations for a gauge\hs invariant perturbation variable and a relevant background variable. The phase\hs space analysis of this dynamical system shows that flat dust\hs radiation models are unstable, and open models structurally unstable, with respect to adiabatic perturbations. It is shown that there are perturbations which decay even if their wavelength at equidensity is larger than the corresponding Jeans scale. Metric and curvature perturbations are also briefly discussed. We believe that this analysis gives a clearer idea of the stability properties of realistic universe models than the standard one based on the Jeans scale, despite our simplifying assumptions.Comment: 21 pages + 4 figures (available as hard copies from K.P.), LaTeX, SISSA 126/93/

Counterexamples to the B-spline conjecture for Gabor frames

The frame set conjecture for B-splines $B_n$, $n \ge 2$, states that the frame set is the maximal set that avoids the known obstructions. We show that any hyperbola of the form $ab=r$, where $r$ is a rational number smaller than one and $a$ and $b$ denote the sampling and modulation rates, respectively, has infinitely many pieces, located around $b=2,3,\dots$, \emph{not} belonging to the frame set of the $n$th order B-spline. This, in turn, disproves the frame set conjecture for B-splines. On the other hand, we uncover a new region belonging to the frame set for B-splines $B_n$, $n \ge 2$.Comment: Version 2: Lem. 5, Prop. 6, and Thm. 7 added, Version 3: Thm. 8 change

Impact of contemporary pension reforms on households’ welfare

Purpose: Identification and assessment of the consequences of raising the retirement age and possible changes in the households’ welfare because a part of the pre-retirement age population will remain in the labor force five years longer. Design/Methodology/Approach: The initial data for the analysis and modeling are the data of a representative survey on the “Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey - HSE” project for 2017. The object of the analysis were women aged 55 and older and men of 60 years and older. Microsimulation was carried out, that is all men aged from 60 to 65 and women from 55 to 60 were conditionally transferred to the working population, and changes in their employment and incomes were estimated. Based on the econometric model, an assessment of factors that are incentives to continue working after retirement has been obtained. Results: The presented calculations indicated the fact that despite an increase in the labor supply due to an increase of the retirement age, no employment surplus in the labor market is foreseen. Currently, the poverty level among retired households is significantly lower than the average one, and this trend will continue in the future. Practical implications: The results are important for the adjustment of social policy for retirees. Originality/Value: The study revealed the following new trends: 1) with the growth of the educational level, the probability of employment after the retirement age increases; 2) all other things being equal, women after retirement have a greater chance of being employed than men do; 3) for the majority of retirees employment is not traumatic.The reported study was funded by RFBR according to the research project №19-010-00009.peer-reviewe

Do learning portfolios facilitate lifelong learning in students?

Background: The context of academic learning is changing, providing challenges to support student learning and to strengthen regulatory skills. Previous research on portfolios indicates promising findings for student learning. However, due to the rapid development in this field, with no systematic reviews performed since 2009, this review was considered important. The review is a starting point for a scholarly work aiming to improve student learning in a master’s program. The aim of this study was to explore the role of learning portfolios on students’ professional development and lifelong learning. Method: This literature review used a qualitative explorative approach using narrative overview and content analysis methodology. Results: The overall result showed that E-learning portfolios can be effective in supporting students learning and professional development. However, effectiveness relies on: careful implementation, that portfolios are embedded in the curriculum, ongoing support and training to students. Portfolios need to be well-motivated and easy to use; Perceived educational value, technological issues and problems related to portfolios inhibit motivation and use of portfolios. However, more research of higher quality addressing portfolios actual effect on learning outcomes is needed since the knowledge base is still inadequate e.g. so far focusing more on perceptions and experiences of using portfolios

The Relationship of Rehabilitation Therapy Clients and Grit: A Pilot Study

Client experience is an important consideration in physical and occupational therapy (known as rehabilitation therapy.) The personality trait of grit has been studied in many different settings and populations and could have an impact on rehabilitation therapy clients’ perceptions and experiences. The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between scores on Dr. Angela Duckworth’s Grit Scale (that identifies the presence and strength of grit) and perceptions of experiences by rehabilitation therapy clients. Seven males and twelve females (age: 56.78 ± 15.83) participated in this study. The Grit Scale was used to assess participants’ grit. Multiple-choice questions were used to collect data on participants’ experiences in rehabilitation therapy. This study found moderate positive correlations (r = .432, p = .065) between grit and positive perceptions of progress in therapy, as well as between grit and positive reasons behind completing assigned at-home exercises (r = .45, p \u3c .05), an important aspect of rehabilitation success. Studying grit is important to the fields of physical and occupational therapy because clients with different levels of grit may view their challenges in therapy differently accordingly and understanding grit in clients may help therapists improve client experience and progress in treatment. Findings from this study can be used to help improve rehabilitation therapy clients’ experiences