Productivity of Nations: a stochastic frontier approach to TFP decomposition

This paper tackles the problem of aggregate TFP measurement using stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). Data from Penn World Table 6.1 are used to estimate a world production frontier for a sample of 75 countries over a long period (1950-2000) taking advantage of the model offered by Battese & Coelli (1992). We also apply the decomposition of TFP suggested by Bauer (1990) and Kumbhakar (2000) to a smaller sample of 36 countries over the period 1970-2000 in order to evaluate the effects of changes in efficiency (technical and allocative), scale effects and technical change. This allows us to analyze the role of productivity and its components in economic growth of developed and developing nations in addition to the importance of factor accumulation. Although not much explored in the study of economic growth, frontier techniques seem to be of particular interest for that purpose since the separation of efficiency effects and technical change has a direct interpretation in terms of the catch-up debate. The estimated technical efficiency scores reveal the efficiency of nations in the production of non tradable goods since the GDP series used is PPP-adjusted. We also provide a second set of efficiency scores corrected in order to reveal efficiency in the production of tradable goods and rank them. When compared to the rankings of productivity indexes offered by non-frontier studies of Hall & Jones (1996) and Islam (1995) our ranking shows a somewhat more intuitive order of countries. Rankings of the technical change and scale effects components of TFP change are also very intuitive. We also show that productivity is responsible for virtually all the differences of performance between developed and developing countries in terms of rates of growth of income per worker. More important, we find that changes in allocative efficiency play an important role in explaining differences in the productivity of developed and developing nations, even larger than the one played by the technology gap.Total factor productivity, stochastic frontiers, technical change, technical efficiency, allocative efficiency, scale efficiency, convergence

Was the brazilian Truth and Reconciliation Commission an effective tool in dealing with the past?

Nas ultimas três décadas, comissões da verdade vem atraindo um grande interesse a volta dos académicos, já que muitos deles tem focado em produzir pesquisas, analisar, criticar e publicar estudos sobre as comissões da verdade pelo mundo. Mas, a comissão da verdade Brasileira é ainda um território com poucos estudos e publicações sobre o seu trabalho. Por vez que a comissão da verdade Brasileira foi formada em 2011 e seu relatório final foi publicado em 2014. Este estudo tem o objetivo de investigar os procedimentos da comissão da verdade Brasileira, seus componentes, métodos de pesquisa e investigação, seus objetivos e quanta reconciliação foi alcançada, junto de suas consequências, resultados e como eles foram aceitos pelo sistema judiciário Brasileiro. Utilizando os métodos qualitativos e pesquisas bibliográficas, analisando os relatórios e toda a bibliografia que foi lançada com base nos seus processos. Esta dissertação de mestrado tem como principal objetivo, dar uma visão internacional na analise da comissão da verdade Brasileira, assim como o impacto do seu trabalho na Justiça de Transição.For the past three decades, truth commissions have attracted wide interest among scholars, as many of them have focused on researching, analysing, criticising and publishing studies about truth commissions around the world. But, the Brazilian truth and reconciliation commission, however, is yet an unknown ground with very few publications on its work. And as Brazilian’s truth commission was stablished in 2011 and Its final reports released in 2014. This research has the objective to investigate the proceedings of the Brazilian truth and reconciliation commission, its components, research methods, its purpose and how much reconciliation was achieved, together with the consequences of its results, and how they were handled by Brazil’s legal System. Using qualitative data and bibliography research, analysing the reports and all the bibliography that was released using them as a basis. This thesis has as its main goal, to give an international approach on analysing Brazil’s Truth Commission and the impact of its work on Transitional Justice

Quantitative trait loci mapping for resistance to maize streak virus in F2: 3 population of tropical maize

Open Access Article; Published online: 01 Feb 2020Maize streak virus (MSV) continues to be a major biotic constraint for maize production throughout Africa. Concerning the quantitative nature of inheritance of resistance to MSV disease (MSVD), we sought to identify new loci for MSV resistance in maize using F2:3 population. The mapping population was artificially inoculated with viruliferous leafhoppers under screenhouse and evaluated for MSVD resistance. Using 948 DArT markers, we identified 18 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with different components of MSVD resistance accounting for 3.1–21.4% of the phenotypic variance, suggesting that a total of eleven genomic regions covering chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 are probably required for MSVD resistance. Two new genomic regions on chromosome 4 revealed the occurrence of co-localized QTLs for different parameters associated with MSVD resistance. Moreover, the consistent appearance of QTL on chromosome 7 for MSVD resistance is illustrating the need for fine-mapping of this locus. In conclusion, these QTLs could provide additional source for breeders to develop MSV resistance

O SERVIÇO SOCIAL NAS MOBILIZAÇÕES POPULARES: CONTRIBUIÇÕES PARA O RESGATE DA CIDADANIA

RESUMO: Levando em consideração a atual conjuntura brasileira e o crescimento exponencial das desigualdades sociais, com ênfase no enorme déficit habitacional no país, os/as assistentes sociais necessitam no exercício cotidiano, proporcionar aos usuários dos serviços o fortalecimento da participação e mobilização popular em prol da permanecia e acesso ao espaço urbano. Compreendida enquanto, estratégia de enfrentamento e resistência às expressões da questão social, permite fomentar o controle social e viabilizar de maneira concreta e palpável aos sujeitos, a participação nos referentes processos emancipatórios com vistas à autonomia e protagonismo. Dessa forma, abordaremos no presente texto, a intervenção dos/das assistentes sociais nas organizações comunitárias e mobilizações populares por direito a permanência e moradia nos grandes centros urbanos, relativas às experiências vivenciadas na comunidade do Cristal na cidade de Porto Alegre/RS

Quantitative evaluation of a portuguese word predictor

Comunicação apresentada na 11ª Biennial Conference of ISAAC (International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication) ISAAC’2004, Natal (Brasil)This paper reports the results of a first evaluation of a Portuguese statistical word predictor. For a quantitative evaluation we developed a simulator that acts as an ideal user of the system. Simulations using texts from three distinct sources presented similar values of efficacy (e.g. 46%, 47% and 50% keystroke saving rate). We also studied the effect of changing the weight of each statistical factor. In general the introduction of each factor improved the system efficacy, however the variation of each factor’s coefficient did not produced significant changes to that efficacy

Relativistic quantum dynamics of scalar bosons under a full vector Coulomb interaction

The relativistic quantum dynamics of scalar bosons in the background of a full vector coupling (minimal plus nonminimal vector couplings) is explored in the context of the Duffin-Kemmer-Petiau formalism. The Coulomb phase shift is determined for a general mixing of couplings and it is shown that the space component of the nonminimal coupling is a {\it sine qua non} condition for the exact closed-form scattering amplitude. It follows that the Rutherford cross section vanishes in the absence of the time component of the minimal coupling. Bound-state solutions obtained from the poles of the partial scattering amplitude show that the time component of the minimal coupling plays an essential role. The bound-state solutions depend on the nonminimal coupling and the spectrum consists of particles or antiparticles depending on the sign of the time component of the minimal coupling without chance for pair production even in the presence of strong couplings. It is also shown that an accidental degeneracy appears for a particular mixing of couplings.Comment: 8 pages, 1 table. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1403.603