The impact of market forces on the provision of childcare: Insights from the 2005 Childcare Act in the Netherlands

In January 2005, the Dutch government introduced the Childcare Act which replaced the former financing system which had elements of both supply- and demand-financing with a fully demand-financing system. Whereas previously public funds partly flowed to suppliers in the form of subsidies granted by local municipalities, they now flow exclusively to parents who are free to choose their childcare provider. This reform was intended to stimulate market forces in the market for childcare. This paper examines the impact of the introduction of market forces on the provision of childcare in the Netherlands.

Levels of learning: hither and whither

Contains fulltext : 196670pos.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)6 p

N-dimensional static and evolving Lorentzian wormholes with cosmological constant

We present a family of static and evolving spherically symmetric Lorentzian wormhole solutions in N+1 dimensional Einstein gravity. In general, for static wormholes, we require that at least the radial pressure has a barotropic equation of state of the form $p_r=\omega_r \rho$, where the state parameter $\omega_r$ is constant. On the other hand, it is shown that in any dimension $N \geq 3$, with $\phi(r)=\Lambda=0$ and anisotropic barotropic pressure with constant state parameters, static wormhole configurations are always asymptotically flat spacetimes, while in 2+1 gravity there are not only asymptotically flat static wormholes and also more general ones. In this case, the matter sustaining the three-dimensional wormhole may be only a pressureless fluid. In the case of evolving wormholes with $N \geq 3$, the presence of a cosmological constant leads to an expansion or contraction of the wormhole configurations: for positive cosmological constant we have wormholes which expand forever and, for negative cosmological constant we have wormholes which expand to a maximum value and then recollapse. In the absence of a cosmological constant the wormhole expands with constant velocity, i.e without acceleration or deceleration. In 2+1 dimensions the expanding wormholes always have an isotropic and homogeneous pressure, depending only on the time coordinate.Comment: 10 pages, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

The prehistoric people from Sigatoka : an analysis of skeletal and dental traits as evidence of adaptation

The biological relationships of Pacific people has long been the subject of conjecture and research. Yet very few skeletons older than 1000 years have been recovered and studied. The excavation of 63 skeletons from the Sigatoka Dune Site, (VL16/1) Fiji has provided a unique opportunity to examine a discrete skeletal population dated to circa 180 AD. The study of the Sigatoka population focuses on four areas. One focus compares sex differences in the Sigatoka population using data provided by analyses of census, health, and pathology. Secondly, the distribution of burials is analysed using biological data. A third focus compares the Sigatoka with skeletal and anthropometric data obtained from Pacific populations. The fourth focus examines selective forces which may have influenced the Sigatoka body form. The people from Sigatoka appear to have experienced few episodes of growth disruption, nor is there bony evidence of infectious diseases. In the absence of deleterious health factors, the Sigatoka people were able to obtain comparatively tall statures and heavy body mass. Mean age at death is around 30 years of age. However, evidence of good health suggests that the average length of life of the entire population may have been around 40 years of age. Some of the bony pathologies present are argued to be effected by cultural activities determined by sex and social status. The consequences of these pathologies compromised health and may have contributed to an earlier age of death in some individuals. Social hierarchy is also implied by the location and distribution of burials. Heavier, taller, and older males were buried at the highest point of the burial ground. These differences indicate a society which was stratified and complex. The ability to draw firm conclusions of affinity from comparisons between Sigatoka and Pacific populations are limited by the vagaries genetics, environment, and limited sample sizes. However, there are indications that the Sigatoka people have close skeletal affinity with Lapita associated skeletons. Strong similarities in body form and skeletal traits also seem to exist with most Polynesians groups but not with non-Polynesian populations. Furthermore, significant skeletal differences occur between Sigatoka and recent Fijians. The extent of these differences and the time frame in which change took place are argued to be a consequence of frequent and perhaps widespread contact from the west, probably Vanuatu. The skeletal characteristics and body form of the Sigatoka people are suggested to reflect an adaptation to a cooler environment than contemporary tropical Fiji. Their body form fits in with models which suggest an adaptation to a cool marine environment. However, cultural mechanisms may have also contributed to the evolution of the Sigatoka body form

The elephant in the room: The problem of quantifying productivity in evaluative scientometrics

In a critical and provocative paper, Abramo and D'Angelo claim that commonly used scientometric indicators such as the mean normalized citation score (MNCS) are completely inappropriate as indicators of scientific performance. Abramo and D'Angelo argue that scientific performance should be quantified using indicators that take into account the productivity of a research unit. We provide a response to Abramo and D'Angelo, indicating where we believe they raise important issues, but also pointing out where we believe their claims to be too extreme

Domain-specific languages

Domain-Specific Languages are used in software engineering in order to enhance quality, flexibility, and timely delivery of software systems, by taking advantage of specific properties of a particular application domain. This survey covers terminology, risks and benefits, examples, design methodologies, and implementation techniques of domain-specific languages as used for the construction and maintenance of software systems. Moreover, it covers an annotated selection of 75 key publications in the area of domain-specific languages

Dark open innovation in a criminal organizational context: the case of Madoff’s Ponzi fraud

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the processes of open innovation in the context of a fraudulent organization and, using the infamous Bernie L. Madoff Investment Securities fraud case, introduces and elaborates upon the concept of dark open innovation. The paper’s conceptual framework is drawn from social capital theory, which is grounded on the socio-economics of Bourdieu, Coleman and Putnam and is employed in order to make sense of the processes that occur within dark open innovation. Design/methodology/approach Given the self-evident access issues, this paper is necessarily based on archival and secondary sources taken from the court records of Madoff v. New York – including victim impact statements, the defendant’s Plea Allocution, and academic and journalistic commentaries – which enable the identification of the processes involved in dark open innovation. Significantly, this paper also represents an important inter-disciplinary collaboration between academic scholars variously informed by business and history subject domains. Findings Although almost invariably cast as a positive process, innovation can also be evidenced as a negative or dark force. This is particularly relevant in open innovation contexts, which often call for the creation of extended trust and close relationships. This paper outlines a case of dark open innovation. Research limitations/implications A key implication of this study is that organizational innovation is not automatically synonymous with human flourishing or progress. This paper challenges the automatic assumption of innovation being positive and introduces the notion of dark open innovation. Although this is accomplished by means of an in-depth single case, the findings have the potential to resonate in a wide spectrum of situations. Practical implications Innovation is a concept that applies across a range of organization and management domains. Criminals also innovate; thus, the paper provides valuable insights into the organizational innovation processes especially involved in relation to dark open innovation contexts. Social implications It is important to develop and fully understand the possible wider meanings of innovation and also to recognize that innovation – particularly dark open innovation – does not always create progress. The Caveat Emptor warning is still relevant. Originality/value The paper introduces the novel notion of dark open innovation