Is the Environmental Kuznets Curve Driven by Structural Change? What Extended Time Series May Imply for Developing Countries

Until recently, it was thought that the relationship between economic growth and environmental degradation was a monotonic one, even though there was little agreement as to whether economic growth led to environmental degradation or to increasing environmental quality. At the one extreme there are those who argue that economic growth results in ever increasing use of energy and materials and expanding worker productivity and hence more environmental degeneration. At the other extreme are those who claim that the fastest road to environmental improvement is along the path of economic growth; with higher income comes increased demand for improved environmental protection measures. From this perspective, as Beckerman (1992) put it: "the surest way to improve your environment is to get rich" (quoted by Rothman 1998, pp. 178). A number of empirical studies in the early 1990s (Grossman and Krueger 1991, 1994; Shafik and Bandyopadhyay 1992; and Panayotou 1992, 1993, and 1995) found a nonmonotonic, inverted U-relationship between a number of local pollutants such as particulates and sulfur dioxide and income suggesting a changing relationship between environment and growth along the course of economic development (see Figure 1). At an early stage of development the environment deteriorates with economic growth until a certain level of per capita income is reached beyond which further increases in income result in environmental improvements. The changing income-environment relationship in the course of economic development, known as the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) was attributed largely to behavioral factors: as income rises the effective demand for environmental quality (an income-elastic amenity) rises and eventually overwhelms any scale effects of economic growth on pollution. The behavioral explanation of the EKC presumes a perceived impact of pollution on health, quality of life, or welfare more generally; it is the changing valuation of these impacts as income increases that brings about the reversal of the growth-environment relationship. It is, therefore, surprising that empirical studies in the late 1990s (e.g. Schmalensee, Stoker, and Judson 1998 and Panayotou, Sachs, and Peterson 1999) found the same inverted U-relationship between a global pollutant, CO2, and economic growth. CO2 is greenhouse gas, which is not visible or in anyway perceptible, and any impact (global warming) it may have is distant, dispersed, and highly uncertain. It is, therefore, unlikely that behavioral changes (due to perceptible climate change) can explain falling CO2 emissions per capita once a certain level of per capita income is reached. A different explanation is called for

Occupational Therapy’s Role in the Treatment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Occupational therapists (OT) offer a wide range of therapies for individuals with ASD on the basis of specific deficits and difficulties. This chapter explores the role that OT plays, and the expertise, in relation to the interdisciplinary team. In addition, it discusses and presents empirical support for several therapeutic approaches commonly used by OTs working with individuals with ASD

A study of some British crime broadsides, 1557-1900

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1948 P4Master of Scienc

Facing an Uncertain Future: An Investigation of the Preparation and Readiness of First-Time Superintendents to Lead in a Democratic Society

The preparation of superintendents is a critical component, an essential element, of systemic education reform, although as (Cooper, Fusarelli, Jackson, & Poster, 2002) observed, “the process is rife with difficulties,” including synchronization of preparation and actual practice, the theory-practice disconnect, the need for life-long learning, and development of an adequate knowledge base (Cooper et al., 2002, p. 242). The vast majority of research on the efficacy of administrator preparation programs focuses on principals. Most doctoral programs in educational administration serve as de facto preparation programs for superintendents, even though some contain little coursework specifically tailored for the position (Andrews & Grogan, 2002). A number of scathing reports critical of university-based preparation programs for school administrators, coupled with increasingly conservative state legislatures, have produced some significant changes in licensure for school administrators. Licensing requirements for superintendents have been eliminated or lowered in a growing number of states. For example, 9 states no longer require a license; among the remaining 41 states, 54% grant waivers or emergency licenses and 37% allow or sanction alternative routes to licensure (Feistritzer, 2003). In addition, recommendations to make administrative licensing voluntary across all states (Broad Foundation and Thomas B. Fordham Institute, 2003; Hess, 2003) and to discontinue doctoral programs for practitioners (Levine, 2005) have received an inordinate amount of national media attention. Recognizing that efforts to lower the qualifications and stature of school superintendents are gaining momentum, Kowalski (2004) has recommended a concerted effort to improve the professional knowledge base on practice in this position. One purpose of this endeavor is to ensure that policymakers will at least have an opportunity to examine empirical evidence as they evaluate anti-professionist contentions and intentions. This study focuses on arguably the most relevant consideration in relation to preparation and licensure—the experiences of first-time superintendents. Subjects included novice public school superintendents employed at the beginning of the 2004-05 school year in four states: California, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio. The overarching objectives 3 were to (a) produce profiles of the novice superintendents, (b) produce profiles of the employing school districts, (c) identify the dispositions of novices toward their academic preparation, and (d) compare outcomes across the four states