Evolution of Music by Public Choice

Music evolves as composers, performers, and consumers favor some musical variants over others. To investigate the role of consumer selection, we constructed a Darwinian music engine consisting of a population of short audio loops that sexually reproduce and mutate. This population evolved for 2,513 generations under the selective influence of 6,931 consumers who rated the loops’ aesthetic qualities. We found that the loops quickly evolved into music attributable, in part, to the evolution of aesthetically pleasing chords and rhythms. Later, however, evolution slowed. Applying the Price equation, a general description of evolutionary processes, we found that this stasis was mostly attributable to a decrease in the fidelity of transmission. Our experiment shows how cultural dynamics can be explained in terms of competing evolutionary forces

"Without racism there would be no geriatrics": South Asian overseas-trained doctors and the development of Geriatric Medicine in the United Kingdom', 1950-2000

The long history of medical migration to the united Kingdom is relatively well known. however, until recently the story of the contribu-tion of South Asian doctors to specific fields has been less discussed. in this chapter we address this gap by focusing on the contributions of migrant doctors to the geriatric specialty. We begin with a history of geriatrics in the united Kingdom and go on to outline our methodology before describing the process by which South asian doctors came to be working in geriatric medicine, what barriers they encountered, and how networks worked both for and against them, before conclud- ing with a consideration of how certain regional centres of excellence played a part in their professional development and careers as consult- ants in the specialty

The ‘Skills Drain’ of Health Professionals from the developing World:a Framework for Policy Formulation

This paper examines policy towards health professionals’ migration from economic and governance perspectives

Real Effective Exchange Rates Comovements and the South African Currency

Abstract. The study analyses comovement between the real effective exchange rate of South Africa and those of a sample of countries that include the world’s major economies as well as emerging and developing economies. The comovement is examined over the short and long term as well as pre and post the recent global financial crisis. The results show that, although the real effective exchange rate of South Africa shows some comovement with those of the selected countries, such comovement is mixed and inconsistent. Currencies that belong to a similar grouping in terms of economic development and geographical location display both positive and negative comovement with the real effective exchange rate of South Africa. There is also no consistency in the comovement between the real effective exchange rate of South Africa and those of the selected countries pre and post the recent financial crisis. The results further show that the comovement between the real effective exchange rate of South Africa and those of some of the selected sample of countries is stronger between the trend component than it is between the cyclical component.Keywords. Comovements, Real effective exchange rate, Financial crisis.JEL. C11, C22, F31, F42

Alternative Measures of Credit Extension for Countercyclical Buffer Decisions in South Africa

Abstract. This paper analyses the behaviour of alternative measures of credit extension for countercyclical buffer decisions in South Africa. These measures include the deviation of the ratio of private sector credit extension to gross domestic product from its long term trend, the deviation of the logarithm of private sector credit extension from its long term trend as well as the annual percentage change in private sector credit extension. The cyclical properties of these measures are examined over the economic and the financial cycles. The results show that the deviation of the ratio of private sector credit extension to gross domestic product from its long term trend is countercyclical with the economic cycle. The results further show that the deviation of the logarithm of private sector credit extension from its long term trend is procyclical with both the economic and the financial cycle. The results finally show that the annual percentage change in private sector credit extension generally performs poorly in cyclical terms with both the economic and the financial cycle. Consequently, of the three alternative measures of private sector credit extension considered, the deviation of the logarithm of private sector credit extension from its long term trend could be used as a common reference guide for implementing the countercyclical capital buffers for financial institutions in South Africa.Keywords. Credit extension, Countercyclical capital buffers.JEL. C32, E44, E51, G21

The lean versus clean debate and monetary policy in South Africa

Abstract. This paper contributes to the lean versus clean debate by examining whether or not monetary policy in South Africa leans against the wind or cleans up after the bubble has bust. This is achieved by analysing the behaviour of asset prices during the different phases of monetary policy stance. The models that allow the behaviour of the asset prices to differ during periods of tight and easy monetary conditions as well as during periods of contractionary and expansionary monetary conditions are specified. The results provide evidence of an asymmetric behaviour between monetary policy interest rate and asset prices during the periods of easy and tight monetary conditions. The empirical results further provide evidence of symmetric behaviour between themonetary policy interest rate and asset prices during the periods of contractionary and expansionary monetary conditions. Thus monetary policy in South Africa supports the proposition of leaning against the wind as opposed to the proposition of cleaning up after the bubble has burst.Keywords. Lean versus clean debate, Monetary policy regimes, Financial distress.JEL. C51, E52, E61, G01

Dehydroxlation of amino sugars and related substances

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit

Doing development and being Gurage : the embeddedness of development in Sebat Bet Gurage identities

This thesis aims to contribute towards an understanding of the relationship between ethnicity and development in Africa. I examine the complex relationship between ethnicity and communal action in the Gurage People's Self-help and Development and Organisation (GPSDO), a federation of ethnically based Development Associations in Ethiopia. I investigate the extent to which concepts such as participation and accountability, used by dominant development discourses to analyse the relationship between development agencies and their beneficiaries, are applicable to ethnically based indigenous development associations. These discourses are juxtaposed with the ways that the development associations, their stakeholders and beneficiaries conceptualise their relationships and the processes and purposes of development. In this thesis, I argue the trusteeship constructed between indigenous ethnically based development associations and their beneficiary communities is underpinned by indigenous perceptions of civic virtue, the rights and obligations inherent in notions of ethnic citizenship. Although concepts such as, participation and accountability are used in Gurage development discourses, their meanings are related to the values and practices embedded in Gurage notions of citizenship. I argue that to understand the relationship between indigenous ethnically based development associations and their beneficiaries, one must first analyse the complex web of rights and obligations that are embedded in their perceptions of what it means to be a good citizen. I argue that ethnicity can act as a resource to be harnessed for development purposes and that the contested values embedded in Gurage ethnic identities act as a point of reference in the construction of trusteeship between GPSDO and its beneficiaries. Furthermore, for Gurages, the processes of development are part of the formation of civic virtue and thus, central to the construction of their ethnic identities