34,187 research outputs found
Spectral triples for hyperbolic dynamical systems
Spectral triples are defined for C*-algebras associated with hyperbolic
dynamical systems known as Smale spaces. The spectral dimension of one of these
spectral triples is shown to recover the topological entropy of the Smale
space
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The Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Employer Shared Responsibility Determination and the Potential ACA Employer Penalty
[Excerpt] The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L. 111-148, as amended) expands insurance coverage in the United States through its “shared responsibility” provisions: Employers either provide health coverage or face potential employer tax penalties; likewise, individuals purchase health coverage or face potential individual tax penalties. The ACA does not require employers to provide health coverage, but it does impose employer penalties in the form of a monthly tax on employers that do not provide adequate and affordable health coverage to certain employees. This is known as the employer “shared responsibility” provision. This report describes the potential employer penalties as well as regulations to implement the ACA employer provisions. The regulations address insurance coverage requirements, methodologies for determining whether a worker is considered full time, provisions relating to seasonal workers and corporate franchises, and other reporting requirements.
Beginning in 2015, employers employing at least 50 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees are subject to the employer shared responsibility provisions under Section 4908H of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) as amended by the ACA. However, in 2015 there is transition relief for employers employing between 50 and 100 FTE employees if certain criteria are met. (Additional transition relief is available in certain circumstances as explained in “Implementation and Transition Relief” section of this report.
Book review: Dorothy L Hodgson: Being Maasai, becoming indigenous: Postcolonial politics in a neoliberal world
Copyright @ 2012 Cambridge University Press
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Pursuing pastoralists: The stigma of shifta during the 'shifta war' in Kenya, 1963-68
This article is available for free download on the publisher’s website.This paper will address the ways in which cultural, economic and political appellations of shifta (bandits or rebels) were used to force social change amongst Somali Kenyans in Kenya's Northern Frontier District (NFD) during the 1963-1968 'Shifta War'. Presenting a work-in-progress the paper reveals how the notion of shifta veiled various forms of violence in the NFD. Consequently, and in common with other investigations of banditry I argue that the Kenyan government 'discovered' a powerful political weapon in shifta that provided a pretext for forcing social and political change. In order to meet the challenges of independence, the shifta 'threat' enabled comprehensive government action against a group of people who were seen to defy the territorial and political constitution of the nation state. This resulted in the misrepresentation of violence in the region and the criminalisation of a community. When looking at state initiatives to contain the 'Shifta War', it is clear that counter-insurgency measures were directed not only at the secessionist fighters but also at the Somali pastoral community more broadly. Forced villagisation, movement restrictions and livestock confiscations criminalised a whole community, and shifta was the justification. In its broader significance this paper challenges the legitimacy of the post-colonial state as an agent of change amongst a group of people who have traditionally existed without regard to state authority
Shifting cultivation, livelihoods and change : a study of agricultural decisions in Xieng Ngeun District, Lao PDR : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University
Shifting cultivation has long provided a livelihood for upland farmers in the tropics. However, recent years have seen increasing political, environmental and economic pressure on these farming systems and those who practice them. In the Lao PDR, shifting cultivation is a priority development issue; government policy is to replace it with sedentary forms of agriculture by the year 2010. Alternatives to existing practices are being researched and extended to farmers through both the public and private sector, and farmers are faced with an increasing range of choices for their livelihoods, which remain largely agriculturally-based. Their responses to these new opportunities, and their ability to take advantage of them, will be important to the sustainability of their livelihoods into the future. Recognising that agricultural changes take place in the context of people's livelihoods, this thesis applies a livelihoods approach to the study of household agricultural decisions in the Lao PDR. It investigates farmer responses to introduced forage technologies for the intensification of livestock production in four upland villages of Xieng Ngeun District, in order to explore the relationship between livelihoods and change. Many aspects of people's livelihoods are found to shape their decisions. In particular, access to resources can be important in the ability to take advantage of opportunities. Activities such as livestock raising require an initial cash investment that may preclude poorer households from specialising in them; thus these households are less able to benefit from livestock-related technologies. Households' existing livelihood strategies and the resulting livelihood outcomes also influence their ability and desire to intensify livestock production through managed forages. The wider context within which livelihoods are constructed may both facilitate and constrain change in a particular direction. In addition to those issues commonly identified in livelihoods frameworks, other factors also need to be considered. The importance of farmer perceptions in particular is highlighted and it is suggested that this, along with the characteristics of the technology itself in relation to people's livelihood situation, be included in the framework for application to the study of agricultural change. Finally, the thesis finds the livelihoods approach to be a useful and practical way of focusing attention on issues at the local level and placing rural people at the centre of development-related analysis
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Compensatory Time vs. Cash Wages: Amending the Fair Labor Standards Act?
CRS_February_2005_Compensatory_Time_vs_Cash_Wages.pdf: 489 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020
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Unemployment Insurance: Available Unemployment Benefits and Legislative Activity
[From Summary] A variety of benefits may be available to unemployed workers to provide them with income support during a spell of unemployment. When eligible workers lose their jobs, the Unemployment Compensation (UC) program may provide income support through the payment of UC benefits. Certain groups of workers who lose their jobs on account of international competition may qualify for additional or supplemental income support through Trade Adjustment Act (TAA) programs. UC benefits may be extended at the state level by the Extended Benefit (EB) program if certain economic situations within the state exist. As of this writing, the EB program is not currently triggered on in any state. The EB program for Louisiana triggered off on February 25, 2006. Unemployed Louisiana workers who exhausted their regular UC benefits before February 25, 2006, were eligible for 13 weeks of EB; unemployed Louisiana workers who exhausted their regular UC benefits after February 25, 2006, were not eligible for the EB program. During some economic recessions, Congress has created a federal Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation (TEUC) program. These programs generally have extend UC benefits for an additional 13 weeks and have an expiration date. As of this writing, no TEUC program exists and these benefits are not available
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Unemployment Compensation (Insurance) and Military Service
[From Summary] The Unemployment Compensation (UC) program contains several provisions relevant to current and former military service personnel and their families. The UC program does not provide benefits for military servicemembers on active duty. However, former active duty military personnel (and certain reservists) separated from active duty may be eligible for Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers (UCX). Spouses of military service personnel who voluntarily quit a job to accompany their spouses on account of a military transfer may be eligible for UC benefits, based on the laws of the state where the civilian spouse was employed. Military service of business owners, employees, and employees\u27 spouses may impact the state unemployment tax rate that certain employers face. States may choose to create provisions that remove or limit these tax increases in certain situations. This report will be updated as events warrant
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