The “Necessary Evil”: State and Non-State Sector Interactions in Cuba and Effects on Public Services

Five years after Lineamientos reforms were approved by the 2011 Communist Party Congress, the effects are beginning to emerge. The development of the private or non-State sector in particular has begun to cause shifts in the economic, social, and political landscape as Cuba continues to adapt to and implement these changes. This paper explores the effects of the expansion of the non-State sector on the delivery of State-run public services, especially education, health care, and other social services. Four possible orientations between the State and non-State sector are explored in general and in the context of existing literature on Cuba, and are discussed in light of observations and interviews from a two-week academic field study in Cuba. Implications for public policy and leadership are discussed in the conclusion

Success in the Time of NCLB

This phenomenological study presents a description of the experience of students and teachers in a charter high school in an urban school district during the time of the implementation of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The school is defined as successful in NCLB's accountability terms because it has made AYP in reading and math for eight years. This study describes the factors that contribute to that success. Using qualitative research methods to acquire descriptions from students and teachers about their experiences that led to and relate to their feelings of success, this study allowed an understanding of the relationships among students and teachers as those relationships promote engagement, motivation, and growth that lead to the success of both students and teachers

Of Pandemics and Financial Emergencies: Will We Restructure or Transform the University?

The global COVID-19 pandemic has not only changed the mode of instruction for many at the University of Hawaiʻi but has also precipitated an unprecedented budget crisis. As the Board of Regents calls on the administration to address the unknown but massive financial shortfall while contributing to the economy and developing workforce needs, how will the University’s role in broadly educating students to respond creatively and resiliently not just to this crisis but also others they will face be addressed in any proposed restructuring? And how might creating more opportunities for students in Hawaiʻi to pursue higher education here transform the University for the betterment of the people of this place

Advertising to boost energy efficiency: The power of one campaign and natural gas consumption

In this paper we study the recent awareness and persuasion campaign launched by the Irish government to increase energy efficiency and we assess its effect on residential natural gas consumption. We first analyse changes in the daily consumption of natural gas and find that advertising leaflets had a significant effect on natural gas consumption. We then study three surveys administered to 1000 consumers prior to and during the campaign. This repeated cross-section allows us to determine that the efficiency campaign has increased self-reported interest in energy efficiency and awareness of behaviours that curb natural gas consumption. However we do not find any positive effect of the campaign on self-reported energy-saving behaviours

Advertising to boost energy efficiency: the Power of One campaign and natural gas consumption. ESRI WP280. February 2009

In this paper we study the recent awareness and persuasion campaign launched by the Irish government to increase energy efficiency and we assess its effect on residential natural gas consumption. We first analyse changes in the daily consumption of natural gas and find that advertising leaflets had a significant effect on natural gas consumption. We then study three surveys administered to 1000 consumers prior to and during the campaign. This repeated cross-section allows us to determine that the efficiency campaign has increased self-reported interest in energy efficiency and awareness of behaviours that curb natural gas consumption. However we do not find any positive effect of the campaign on self-reported energy-saving behaviours

INVESTING IN ELECTRICITY INFRASTRUCTURE AND RENEWABLES IN IRELAND†. ESRI Research Bulletin 2009/4/2

Like other countries, Ireland is trying to decrease greenhouse gas emissions while keeping electricity prices low. One of the main ways to reduce greenhouse gases is to switch electricity generation from fossil fuels to renewable sources, but this tends to increase electricity prices. Two features combine to make the Irish situation different: • As a small island market, Ireland’s electricity system is relatively isolated. All things equal, this tends to lead to higher costs of generation for a given security of supply standard. • Ireland’s main source of renewable energy is wind. Electricity can only be generated from wind when the wind is blowing at appropriate speeds, which in Ireland happens on average about a third of the time. Because wind power is intermittent, other sources of generation must be ready to step in and meet demand