SOME IMPERATIVES OF THE GREEN REVOLUTION: TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY AND OWNERSHIP OF INPUTS IN INDIAN AGRICULTURE

This paper attempts to ascertain the requirements (in terms of ownership of factors of production) for successful adaptation to the Green Revolution in Indian agriculture. We estimate stochastic production frontiers for wheat in two Indian states: Haryana (which has been significantly affected by the Green Revolution) and Madhya Pradesh (where the Green Revolution has had much less effect). In Haryana, but not in Madhya Pradesh, larger farm size and ownership of land and machines positively influence technical efficiency. Thus, with the Green Revolution advancing, land consolidation and vesting of clear ownership rights of land and capital with farmers becomes important.Environmental Economics and Policy,

Rank Lower Bounds in Propositional Proof Systems Based on Integer Linear Programming Methods

The work of this thesis is in the area of proof complexity, an area which looks to uncover the limitations of proof systems. In this thesis we investigate the rank complexity of tautologies for several of the most important proof systems based on integer linear programming methods. The three main contributions of this thesis are as follows: Firstly we develop the first rank lower bounds for the proof system based on the Sherali-Adams operator and show that both the Pigeonhole and Least Number Principles require linear rank in this system. We also demonstrate a link between the complexity measures of Sherali-Adams rank and Resolution width. Secondly we present a novel method for deriving rank lower bounds in the well-studied Cutting Planes proof system. We use this technique to show that the Cutting Plane rank of the Pigeonhole Principle is logarithmic. Finally we separate the complexity measures of Resolution width and Sherali-Adams rank from the complexity measures of Lovasz and Schrijver rank and Cutting Planes rank

A study in grid simulation and scheduling

Grid computing is emerging as an essential tool for large scale analysis and problem solving in scientific and business domains. Whilst the idea of stealing unused processor cycles is as old as the Internet, we are still far from reaching a position where many distributed resources can be seamlessly utilised on demand. One major issue preventing this vision is deciding how to effectively manage the remote resources and how to schedule the tasks amongst these resources. This thesis describes an investigation into Grid computing, specifically the problem of Grid scheduling. This complex problem has many unique features making it particularly difficult to solve and as a result many current Grid systems employ simplistic, inefficient solutions. This work describes the development of a simulation tool, G-Sim, which can be used to test the effectiveness of potential Grid scheduling algorithms under realistic operating conditions. This tool is used to analyse the effectiveness of a simple, novel scheduling technique in numerous scenarios. The results are positive and show that it could be applied to current procedures to enhance performance and decrease the negative effect of resource failure. Finally a conversion between the Grid scheduling problem and the classic computing problem SAT is provided. Such a conversion allows for the possibility of applying sophisticated SAT solving procedures to Grid scheduling providing potentially effective solutions

Retaining leadership talent in schools

En este artículo nos centramos en la retención del talento de liderazgo como un componente de las soluciones locales para la sucesión del liderazgo y la gestión del talento en un contexto inglés y a partir de ahí, extraer conclusiones aplicables a diferentes contextos internacionales para aquellos que tratan de asegurar un suministro de líderes escolares de alta calidad. El artículo explora las percepciones de 70 directores, 191 líderes de nivel medio y 168 docentes provenientes de 70 escuelas primarias y secundarias en diferentes contextos en las Midlands y el noroeste de Inglaterra, mediante grupos focales y un cuestionario. Se pidió a los encuestados que informaran sobre los enfoques actuales de retención del talento de liderazgo en sus escuelas y la forma en que perciben si su administración local podría involucrarse más en la retención del talento de liderazgo. El artículo incluye también una entrevista en profundidad con un alto cargo responsable del desarrollo y retención del liderazgo de una gran administración ubicada en la región central de Inglaterra. Se sugiere que los propósitos nacionales y locales para aumentar las reservas de talento de liderazgo y retener a los líderes de alta calidad para el presente y para el futuro, deben tener en cuenta la inclusión y el flujo de individuos capaces de progresar a puestos clave de liderazgo que son difíciles de reemplazar, y que una estrategia enfocada a la creación de talento ligada a una visión del desarrollo, la mejora y el rendimiento de la escuela, puede representar una forma ideal de ir hacia adelanteIn this article we focus on leadership talent retention as a component of local solutions to leadership succession and talent management in an English context and then draw conclusions relevant to those seeking to ensure a supply of high-quality school leaders in a variety of international settings. Utilising focus groups and a questionnaire survey, the article explores the perceptions of 70 heads, 191 middle leaders and 168 classroom teachers drawn from 70 contextually different primary and secondary schools in the Midlands and north west of England. Respondents were asked to report on current approaches to retaining leadership talent in their schools and how they perceived that their local authority could become more helpfully involved in leadership talent retention. The article also includes an extended interview with a senior officer in charge of leadership development and retention from a large local authority located in the Midlands of England. It is suggested that national and local desires to grow leadership talent pools and retain high-quality leaders for now and for the future should take into account the inclusion and flow of individuals capable of progressing to key leadership positions that are difficult to replace and that a strategic approach to talent pool creation linked with a strategic view of the development, improvement and performance of the school could represent an ideal way forwar

The Flow of South Carolina Harvested Seafood Products through South Carolina Markets

Marketing,

Interpretive Approaches to British Government and Politics

This paper has two aims. First, in contrast to the modernist empiricism of mainstream political science, we provide brief introductions to several interpretive approaches to the study of political science and British government and politics: idealism, social humanism, post-structuralism, and ideational institutionalism. Second, we identify the distinctive research agendas that arise from this family of approaches: namely, critique, decentring governance, ethnographic studies of British politics, and policy analysis as storytelling