Lessons of United States welfare reforms for Australian social policy

Recent developments in policies towards lone parents in Australia have emphasised the role of employment in increasing income and self- sufficiency. The emphasis on employment is also the case in other OECD countries with a general trend towards benefits for lone parents being made dependent on participation in the labour market. The United States of America has undertaken substantial reforms over the 1990s to the ways in which social assistance is provided to lone parents. Following the reforms there has been a dramatic fall in the number of lone-mother families receiving welfare payments and increases in employment rates. This paper reviews the evidence on the impact of the United States welfare reforms on a wide range of outcomes in America and considers the implications for welfare reform in Australia. The importance of differences in Australian institutions, particularly the labour market and income support systems, are highlighted.

The economic consequences of divorce in six OECD countries

This report presents a cross-national comparison of the short- and medium-term economic effects of divorce. Overview This paper uses longitudinal data to estimate the short- and medium-term economic effects of divorce in the USA, the UK, Switzerland, Korea, Germany and Australia during the first decade of the 21st century. While the data, collected during the 2000s, were generally consistent with the findings from the existing literature, they reveal that the effects of divorce differ between the six countries included in this study

Roaded catchments to improve reliability of farm dams

Maintaining reliable on-farm water supplies is an on-going challenge for landholders throughout Western Australia. Improving reliability of dams by constructing a roaded catchment is one of the most cost-effective methods of improving the performance and reliability of a farm water supply. A roaded catchment is a water-harvesting structure designed to increase the amount of run-off from the catchment above a dam. The \u27roads\u27 of a roaded catchment are parallel ridges of earth with batters (or side slopes) that cause run-off to be directed into troughs or channels. The surface is lined with clay and compacted to make it smooth and impervious to reduce infiltration and increase run-off.https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/bulletins/1113/thumbnail.jp

Ground Beetle Range Extensions: Six New Ohio Records (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

We newly report six ground beetles from Ohio, comprising Badister parviceps, Stenolophus dissimilis, Harpalus somnulentus, Pentagonica fiavipes, Agonum albicrus, and Lebia collaris

Revenue raising taxes : general equilibrium evaluation of alternative taxation in U.S. petroleum industries

Should the United States increase taxes and tariffs in the energy sector to reduce its federal deficit? This paper uses a twelve sector general equilibrium model to estimate the fiscal effects, and the effects on welfare and employment, of : (i) a 25 percent import tax on imported crude petroleum oil; (ii) a 15 percent excise tax on petroleum products; and (iii) a combination of the two. The excise tax would be the most efficient revenue raising instrument. The 25 percent import tariff would raise US$7.3 billion, while the 15 percent excise tax would raise US$35 billion. Moreover, each dollar raised through a tariff would come at a loss of 25 cents in welfare. Each dollar raised through an excise tax would come at a loss of only one cent in welfare. Acombination of excise taxes, subsidies, and import tariffs would be the least costly way (in terms of welfare) to raise US$20 billion. The optimal tax structure would involve a tariff and a small subsidy on petroleum products to counteract the distortion induced by a tax on oil - the most important input for petroleum products.Economic Theory&Research,Oil Refining&Gas Industry,Public Sector Economics&Finance,Energy and Environment,Environmental Economics&Policies

The NAD+-Dependent Histone Deacetylase Sirtuin-2 is Upregulated during Myogenesis and Promotes the Differentiation of C2C12 Myoblasts

The postnatal growth and regenerative capacity of skeletal muscle rely on the successful activation and differentiation of muscle stem cells known as satellite cells. Although the NAD+-dependent protein deacetylase sirtuin-2 (Sirt2) has been suggested to have a role as a redox sensor during myogenesis, and in the regulation of metabolism, microtubule dynamics, and exit from the cell cycle exit, it is not known if Sirt2 has a regulatory role in muscle stem cell differentiation. This study aimed to elucidate the regulation of Sirt2 during the myogenic program of muscle satellite cells. The C2C12 mouse myoblast cell line was used to examine the regulatory mechanisms of Sirt2 during the differentiation process. Several cell lines were used during experimentation including wild type (-) cells, cells supplemented with the Sirt2 inhibitor BML-266, and cells which were transfected with CRISPR/Cas9 plasmids to generate both Sirt2 knockdown (SKO) and control plasmid (CC) lines. Assays were conducted at time points from 0h-96h following the induction of differentiation to assess Sirt2 regulation and downstream interactions. Sirt2 mRNA and protein expression were elevated during the early stages of differentiation at the 12h time point in the (-) cells. A significant decrease in the myotube fusion index of both BML-266 and SKO cell lines was observed, indicating Sirt2 deacetylase activity is important in regulating the normal formation of myotubes. Immunoprecipitation experimentation was performed to evaluate Sirt2 protein interactions and possible downstream signaling targets. Sirt2 was observed to interact with the cell cycle inhibitor retinoblastoma (pRB), as well as p21 and E2F1 a regulator of cellular proliferation. The acetylation status of E2F1 was significantly decreased at the 12h time point coinciding with the increased Sirt2 protein expression observed at the same point. These results indicate that Sirt2 mediates its control of myogenesis through interaction and complex formation with proteins associated with the cell cycle, and that this interaction mediates exit from the cell cycle and the induction of terminal differentiation leading to the formation of myofibers. Elucidation of Sirt2 as a regulator of differentiation during myogenesis thus presents a possible therapeutic target in conditions such as aging, as expression of the sirtuins and their cofactor NAD+ both decrease in aged phenotypes

A Comparison Of The Career Assessment Inventory And The Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory In A Minority, High School Drop-Out Sample

Problem. The Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory (SCII), an inventory with some validity, was directed at the professionally oriented client. The Career Assessment Inventory (CAI) appeared in 1976 as an inventory normed on the non-professional, blue-collar worker, directed at the non-baccalaureate student. There had been little research on minority, non-college oriented youth. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to compare the predictive and concurrent validity of these two inventories for a drop-out, non-college oriented population. These inventories were compared for predictive validity to short-term occupational outcome, and for concurrent validity to Expressed Interest. Also, the distribution of interests across the six RIASEC themes was compared. Procedure. For the years 1977-1981, participants in the High School Equivalency Program, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, were interviewed to ascertain their Expressed Interests and were given either the SCII or the CAI during the first three weeks of program attendance. Following graduation, short-term occupational outcome data, or college major (if there was no occupation) were recorded. Chi-square was used to compare the inventories on hit-rates for short-term occupational outcome. Findings. No significant differences were found in the predictive validity of the CAI and the SCII to short-term occupational outcome, using inventory scale scores, expressed interest, consistency, differentiation, and cross-scale congruence, with this specific population. The distribution of interests across the six RIASEC themes of the inventories showed significant differences at the .05 level. The distributions of RIASEC categories were significantly different (.01 level) for men versus women. On the CAI, a greater proportion fell in the Conventional theme for males; the Social and Enterprising themes for females. For the SCII, a greater proportion fell in the Artistic theme for males; the Realistic and Conventional themes for females. Recommendations. This study should be replicated using long-term follow-up data with minority, non-professionally oriented populations

Laurel, Mississippi: A Historical Perspective.

Laurel, Mississippi, exemplifies the new southern development that occurred in the years following Reconstruction. Coinciding with continental rail building and the depletion of northern timber resources, Laurel emerged as one of Mississippi\u27s great industrial centers. Laurel\u27s survival after the early twentieth century timber boom predicated itself on the diversification of its industry coupled with the continued growth of its infrastructure. Although Laurel\u27s industrial ascension is not unique in the annals of southern history, its duality regarding northern capitalistic impulses and southern labor and material serves as a successful industrial model in the era of cut out and get out sawmill and timber operations. Along with primary resources this study employs secondary source material to place Laurel, Mississippi in the scope of southern historiography. In addition to contextualizing Laurel\u27s place in southern history, this essay also serves to highlight Laurel\u27s social and economic development after the arrival of its northern benefactors