Trust, membership in groups, and household welfare

This paper explores the relationship between group membership and trust. Specifically, the authors examine (1) the importance of trust in the decision to join groups, (2) the subsequent ability of groups to generate trust, and (3) the influence of group membership and trust on a measure of well-being, per capita household income. They use longitudinal data from KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, allowing them to control for potential simultaneity and measurement-error problems in the estimation. They disaggregate groups into financial and nonfinancial and “trust in people” by type of agent or actor. They can thus examine whether different types of trust are important for participating in different types of groups and whether different types of group participation are important for generating different types of trust. The research finds that (1) trust in local agents is an important determinant of membership in financial groups but not for membership in nonfinancial groups, (2) membership in both types of groups generates trust in nonlocal agents but not local agents, and (3) membership in financial and nonfinancial groups leads to higher well-being. The first two results suggest that financial groups serve a role in expanding the radius of trust, while the first and third results suggest a role for trust in improving well-being.Community participation South Africa. ,Financial institutions South Africa. ,Trust. ,Group membership. ,

Trust, membership in groups, and household welfare

This paper explores the relationship between group membership and trust. Specifically, the authors examine (1) the importance of trust in the decision to join groups, (2) the subsequent ability of groups to generate trust, and (3) the influence of group membership and trust on a measure of well-being, per capita household income. They use longitudinal data from KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, allowing them to control for potential simultaneity and measurement-error problems in the estimation. They disaggregate groups into financial and nonfinancial and “trust in people” by type of agent or actor. They can thus examine whether different types of trust are important for participating in different types of groups and whether different types of group participation are important for generating different types of trust. The research finds that (1) trust in local agents is an important determinant of membership in financial groups but not for membership in nonfinancial groups, (2) membership in both types of groups generates trust in nonlocal agents but not local agents, and (3) membership in financial and nonfinancial groups leads to higher well-being. The first two results suggest that financial groups serve a role in expanding the radius of trust, while the first and third results suggest a role for trust in improving well-being.Community participation South Africa. ,Financial institutions South Africa. ,Trust. ,Group membership. ,

Sorting Cattle with Accumulated Data: What is the Accuracy and Economics

Increasingly feedlots are managing cattle as individual animals rather than on a pen level basis. As such it is possible to predict an optimal marketing date for each animal. This analysis evaluates the keep-or-sell decision at reimplant time for feedlots cattle approximately 80 days prior to the expected marketing date for the entire group. A model predicting the least profitable cattle in the pen was developed using individual animal data representing over 14,000 cattle fed in 12 Iowa feedlots. It was tested out of sample on an additional 5,000 head to determine the optimal cull rate at reimplant time. The expected profit of sorting and reselling the least profitable cattle was calculated for two different levels of imperfect information and were contrasted against each other as well expost profit. The analysis concludes that there is a potential advantage of predicting the least profitable animals in a pen and re-sell them as heavyfeeder-cattle. It also shows that individual animal identification and management provides additional information and accuracy to apply this practice.Livestock Production/Industries,

Social capital and income generation in South Africa, 1993-98

The goal of this paper is to determine the nature of the causal relationship between "social capital," as measured by household membership in formal and informal groups and household welfare in South Africa. Using a recently collected panel data set in South Africa's largest province, we estimate per capita expenditure functions and find a positive and significant impact of household-level social capital. For example, after controlling for fixed effects, social capital has no impact on per capita expenditure in 1993 but positive and significant effects in 1998. We interpret this as reflecting structural changes in the South African economy as it removes the many restrictions that underlay apartheid.Gender ,Women ,Social networks ,Income South Africa ,

Economics of Increased Beef Grader Accuracy

Carcass data from more than 38,000 cattle was used to compare the called and measured yield grade in two different periods: before and after the slaughter plant incorporated another grader in the line to improve grading accuracy. The study shows that the graders accuracy significantly increased. The higher accuracy affected all yield grades, but most notably resulted in more called yield grade 4 and 5 carcasses. This analysis will develop insight of what will be the effect of instrument grading that will be more accurate than previously called grades.The results are expressed as the conditional distribution of the called yield grade for a given value of the measured yield grade. The pricing grid currently used by the industry was used to analyze the effect of the graders errors on the expected values of the premiums on both periods and by yield grade. The results show that the company has an incentive to improve accuracy of grading. Simulating the results of measured vs. called yield grade over prices at the time and a standard industry grid showed that the plant can benefit by $1.32 per head by increasing grading accuracy.cattle, carcass grading, accuracy, economics of grading,

Multiple nucleon knockout by Coulomb dissociation in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

The Coulomb dissociation contributions to fragmentation cross sections in relativistic heavy ion collisions, where more than one nucleon is removed, are estimated using the Weizsacker-Williams method of virtual quanta. Photonuclear cross sections taken from experimental results were used to fold into target photon number spectra calculated with the Weizsacker-Williams method. Calculations for several projectile target combinations over a wide range of charge numbers, and a wide range of incident projectile energies, are reported. These results suggest that multiple nucleon knockout by the Coulomb field may be of negligible importance in galactic heavy ion studies for projectiles lighter than Fe-56

On the potential impact of the newly proposed quality factors on space radiation protection

The recently proposed changes in the defined quality factor hold great potential for easing some of the protection requirements from electrons and protons in the near-Earth environment. At the same time, the high Linear Energy Transfer (LET) components play an even more important role which must be further evaluated. Several recommendations are made which need to be addressed before these new quality factors can be implemented into space radiation potection practice

Target correlation effects on neutron-nucleus total, absorption, and abrasion cross sections

Second order optical model solutions to the elastic scattering amplitude were used to evaluate total, absorption, and abrasion cross sections for neutron nucleus scattering. Improved agreement with experimental data for total and absorption cross sections is found when compared with first order (coherent approximation) solutions, especially below several hundred MeV. At higher energies, the first and second order solutions are similar. There are also large differences in abrasion cross section calculations; these differences indicate a crucial role for cluster knockout in the abrasion step

Quasi-elastic nuclear scattering at high energies

The quasi-elastic scattering of two nuclei is considered in the high-energy optical model. Energy loss and momentum transfer spectra for projectile ions are evaluated in terms of an inelastic multiple-scattering series corresponding to multiple knockout of target nucleons. The leading-order correction to the coherent projectile approximation is evaluated. Calculations are compared with experiments