Migrating professional knowledge: progressions, regressions, and dislocations

Drawing on practice-based learning theory, this chapter examines issues pertaining to the deskilling of immigrant professionals in Canada. It argues that adult educators need to have an awareness of transnational migration dynamics and work in meaningful ways to keep immigrant professionals connected to professional knowledge practices

Student perspectives on the use of their data: between intrusion, surveillance and care

The Open University (OU) is a large, open distance learning institution with more than 200,000 students. In common with many other higher education institutions (HEIs), the University is looking more closely at its use of learning analytics. Learning analytics has been defined as the collection and analysis of data generated during the learning process in order to improve the quality of learning and teaching (Siemens, Dawson, & Lynch, 2013). In the context of the Open University, learning analytics is the use of raw and analysed student data to, inter alia, proactively identify interventions which aim to support students in completing their study goals. Such interventions may be designed to support students as individuals as well as at a cohort level. The use of a learning analytics approach to inform and provide direction to student support within the Open University is relatively new and, as such, existing policies relating and referring to potential uses of student data have required fresh scrutiny to ensure their continued relevance and completeness (Prinsloo & Slade, 2013). In response, The Open University made the decision to address a range of ethical issues relating to the University’s approach to learning analytics via the implementation of new policy. In order to formulate a clear policy which reflected the University’s mission and key principles, it was considered essential to consult with a wide range of stakeholders, including students

Building the Learning Analytics Curriculum: Should we Teach (a Code of) Ethics?

This brief chapter explores the feasibility of teaching (a code of) ethics against a background which examines our views around data scientists, data analysis, data and, in particular, student data. It touches upon different approaches to ethics and asks whether teaching ethics would make any difference

Labor Supply under Disability Insurance

There has been a significant recent growth in the Social Security Administration's Disability Insurance (DI) program, both in the number of covered workers under the program and in the amount of monthly benefits, One possible factor causing this growth has been labor supply disincentives under the pro- gram. The labor supply decision by an individual involves the effect of the disability benefit structure (potential benefits) on labor force participation. Probit estimates from the 1969 original sample of the Longitudinal Retirement History Study (LRHS) indicated an elasticity of participation with respect to benefits of -0031 for married men aged 58-63, and -.023 for all men of the same age group. The magnitude of these estimates are much less than those found by authors such as Parsons, and suggest relatively insignificant efficiency losses in terns of reduced work effort.

Do markets underprice natural - resource commodities?

The author examines the efficiency and equity of a market allocation of exhaustible resources and assesses the behavior of scarcity measures, such as relative price and rental rates. She finds little evidence of scarcity or impending shortage. Indeed, the evidence points to falling prices and rents for many commodities. Do markets send the wrong signals? Are resource commodities systematically underpriced? Her conclusions are not completely optimistic. The authors analysis reveals many market failures, any of which would result in inappropriate resource commodity pricing. But,with one exception, she finds no systematic tendency to underprice. The exception concerns the environmental externalities associated with the production and use of natural-resource commodities. Similar externalities lead to underpricing and overuse of all commodities. Mineral commodities, however, are responsible for a large fraction of the pollution that is currently generated, so their underpricing is particularly significant. The market failures associated with common-property and environmental resources can cause market prices to be lower than shadow prices or marginal values. They cannot, however, cause relative resource prices to fall. Falling prices would be associated with a relaxation of environmental standards and a move away from full-social-cost pricing. The tendency, however, is towards increased awareness of environmental damage and increased willingness to pay for its associated costs. Nevertheless, the prices of many natural-resource commodities have fallen in real terms. Factors causing prices to decrease are not associated with market failure, and therefore do not support interference with the market mechanism. Innovations that lower mining and processing costs, discoveries that increase resource stocks, and the provision of lower-cost substitutes are all features of efficiently operating markets.Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Access to Markets,Markets and Market Access,Health Economics&Finance

Environmental costs of natural resource commodities : magnitude and incidence

The carrying capacity of our natural environment is an important unpriced input to production. A consensus is growing that users should pay for the environmental damage that they cause. Although most people can accept this policy in principle, many are concerned with magnitude and incidence of its associated costs and the disruptions that would be created during a transition period. Of particular concern is the burden that might be placed on the economics of developing countries. When the industrial world was developing, it was able to benefit from cheap natural-resource commodities. It is fair to expect countries that are trying to imitate this pattern to pay more? Unfortunately there are not reliable estimates of the effects of environmental protection costs on production, consumption, revenues, and foreign exchange. The author explores these issues for the energy and nonfuel-mineral markets, sectors responsible for much of the current industrial pollution. Using a model, the author, examines the consequences of the developing world adopting the environmental standards of the industrialized world. The author assumes: all producers incur clean-up costs; most adjustment is made through changes in prices and quantities, not through altered trade patterns; and the industrialized world increases its environmental expenditures by the same fraction as the developing world. The author finds that increased revenue resources will more than compensate the average developing country for the costs of pollution control, so no assistance or intervention would be required. This assumes, however, that capital markets are perfect, which is far from the case in many developing countries. These imperfections constitute the greatest obstacle to successful environmental regulation. Loans of subsidies from North to South should be considered. Developing country producers should be given access to credit dollars, prices of imported pollution-abatement equipment could be reduced, or aid could be tied to the installation and maintenance of environmental capital. The author finds that environmental protection costs are small. Compliance costs of roughly three percent of product prices lead to changes in export revenues of less than one percent. The principal reason for this result is that mineral commodity demand and supply are inelastic in the long run. As for the incidence of environmental costs, an environmental"tax"is on average progressive, because low-income countries are typically net exporters of mineral commodities, where as high-income countries are net importers.Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Energy and Environment,Health Economics&Finance,Consumption

Office Rent Determinants during Market Decline and Recovery

This article empirically examines office rent determinants in distinct periods of a market cycle. The study uses a dataset of office properties located in a large metropolitan area and spanning a six-year period. During this period, office rents experienced a significant decline and recovery. A time-varying parameter rent index identifies three distinct periods of the cycle: decline, trough and recovery. Tests of structural change conclude that market participants value the determinants of office rents differently during the periods. A microexamination of each rent determinant over the periods of the market cycle provides a greater understanding of how rents vary over time and the factors that influence them.