New federalism : problems or opportunities for rural America?

2005 Annual report, Center for the Study of Rural AmericaRural areas ; Budget

THE INDIANA ENTERPRISE ZONE PROGRAM: FISCAL IMPACT OF A JOB CREATION TAX CREDIT

This paper estimated the fiscal impact of a job creation tax credit, a proposed incentive for establishments participating in the Indiana enterprise zone program. State unemployment insurance files were utilized with GIS to obtain enterprise zone data. Labor demand and labor supply were estimated. Job creation due to the credit was calculated from empirical results.Community/Rural/Urban Development, Public Economics,

The Red Queen visits Minkowski Space

When Alice went `Through the Looking Glass' [1], she found herself in a situation where she had to run as fast as she could in order to stay still. In accordance with the dictum that truth is stranger than fiction, we will see that it is possible to find a situation in special relativity where running towards one's target is actually counter-productive. Although the situation is easily analysed algebraically, the qualitative properties of the analysis are greatly illuminated by the use of space-time diagrams

ESTIMATING RELATIVE MAGNITUDES OF COMPONENTS OF FARM PRODUCTION IN SEMI-SUBSISTENCE FARMING: THE CASE OF KAVANGO

Output from the non-formal, traditional or semi-subsistence sector is usually estimated on the basis-marketed production only. It is therefore often underestimated in national statistics and information on the relative importance of different sources of farm-household production is either not attempted or is unreliable. This paper provides an estimation of the magnitude and relative contribution of different production and consumption components for different farm-household types in Kavango. Some of the practical and conceptual issues involved are discussed, as well as the implications of the results obtained for development planning.Farm Management,

THE EFFECTS OF FARM PRICE SUPPORT POLICIES: HOW LEVEL IS THE PLAYING FIELD FOR GRAIN PRODUCERS IN NAMIBIA?

In Namibia historically high levels of support to the commercial farm sector have been reduced in recent years in line with general market liberalisation trends. However some support remains. At the same time more attention has been paid to supporting the previously neglected communal sector. The avowed aim of politicians is to ensure that grain producers in Namibia operate “on a level playing fieldâ€. This paper examines to what extent the policy support playing field has been levelled for all major types of grain producer in Namibia. A methodology is introduced for developing a common measure of the effects of price support across grain producers with subsistence and commercial objectives and across scales of operation ranging from 1 hectare to 300 hectares under grain crops. The finding show that the bulk of grain producers in Namibia, who farm most of the grain area, remain seriously disadvantaged compared to the fewer, larger farms. Ongoing discussions on outsourcing government support services to small farmers is likely to result in the playing field becoming more uneven and other compensating measures will need to be taken if politicians and decision makers are serious about “evening the playing field for allâ€.Agricultural and Food Policy, Crop Production/Industries,

Digital computer control of a 30-cm mercury ion thruster

The major objective was to define the exact role of an onboard spacecraft computer in the control of ion thrusters. An initial computer control system with accurate high speed capability was designed, programmed, and tested with the computer as the sole control element for an operating ion thruster. The command functions and a code format for a spacecraft digital control system were established. A second computer control system was constructed to operate with these functions and format. A throttle program sequence was established and tested. A two thruster array was tested with these computer control systems and the results reported