Japan's Economic Mess

Japan has experienced very slow economic growth, a large bad problem, and an outbreak of economic scandals in the 1990s. This paper analyzes what has gone wrong with Japan, both in terms of macroeconomic performance and financial sector problems. The macroeconomic malaise is the direct result of the excesses of the bubble--especially the collapse of stock market and real estate prices in the 1990s. But the government exacerbated and prolonged the problem by raising taxes substantially in 1997 just as the economy was beginning to show signs of recovery. The financial sector bad debt problems are also an obvious outcome of the collapse in asset prices, but were also an inherent danger in Japan’s bank centered financial center. The paper argues that the financial system, which may have been useful or at least workable, in earlier postwar years, had atrophied, leaving bankers less attentive to evaluation of borrowers. In addition, the system may have always involved a certain amount of corruption which worsened in the 1980s and 1990s. This situation cries out for vigorous and thorough reform, principally through failure of insolvent institutions and imposition of extensive deregulation. However, much of government policy remains very disappointing. The Ministry of Finance continues to permit financial institutions to hide their problems, does not favor more bankruptcies, and is not pressing deregulation with any vigor. The “big bang” financial reforms are a useful move on the surface, but the reality once the entire process is completed will be far less helpful than commonly supposed. Overall, the present problems and the government’s response to them remain quite disappointing

Making a mess of academic work: experience, purpose and identity

Within the policy discourse of academic work, teaching, research and administration are seen as discrete elements of practice. We explore the assumptions evident in this 'official story' and contrast it with the messy experience of academic work, drawing upon empirical studies and conceptualisations from our own research and from recent literature. We propose that purposive disciplinary practice across time and space is inextricably entangled with and fundamental to academic experience and identity; the fabrications of managerialism, such as the workload allocation form, fragment this experience and attempt to reclassify purposes and conceptualisations of academic work. Using actor-network theory as an analytical tool, we explore the gap between official and unofficial stories, attempting to reframe the relationship between discipline and its various manifestations in academic practice and suggesting a research agenda for investigating academic work

PEMETAAN TINGKAT KEBISINGAN PADA BENGKEL PIPA DAN MESS KARYAWAN I DENGAN METODE PETA KONTUR

Penelitian dilakukan pada bengkel pipa pembuatan sistem perpipaan kapal laut. Pada bengkel terdapat mesin blower yang menyebabkan bising dan didapatkan hasil tingkat kebisingan tertinggi adalah 89,9 dB yaitu sudah melewati ambang batas kebisingan sesuai dengan PERMENKES No. 70 Tahun 2016  yaitu sebesar 85 dB. Aktivitas produksi pada bengkel ini menyebabkan bising yang terdengar hingga area mess karyawan, maka dari itu penelitian dilakukan untuk mengetahui tingkat kebisingan dan sebaran tingkat kebisingan yang dihasilkan dari aktivitas bengkel pipa kepada area mess menggunakan metode peta kontur yang diolah dari Surfer Software dan menentukan alat pelindung pendengaran yang tepat bagi karyawan bengkel pipa dan penghuni mess. Lokasi titik sampling terbagi menjadi tiga bagian, yaitu di area bengkel pipa, area warehouse dan area mess karyawan. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian didapatkan bahwa nilai tingkat kebisingan tertinggi pada area mess karyawan yaitu sebesar 70,8 dB, area warehouse sebesar 77,4 dB dan area bengkel pipa sebesar 86 dB. Area mess dan bengkel pipa telah melewati ambang batas kebisingan, maka upaya pengendalian kebisingan dapat dilakukan dengan digunakannya alat pelindung pendengaran atau dibuatnya peredam pada mess

Quasi Maximum Likelihood for MESS Varying Coefficient Panel Data Models with Fixed Effects

The study of spatial econometrics has developed rapidly and has found wide applications in many different scientific fields, such as demography, epidemiology, regional economics, and psychology. With the deepening of research, some scholars find that there are some model specifications in spatial econometrics, such as spatial autoregressive (SAR) model and matrix exponential spatial specification (MESS), which cannot be nested within each other. Compared with the common SAR models, the MESS models have computational advantages because it eliminates the need for logarithmic determinant calculation in maximum likelihood estimation and Bayesian estimation. Meanwhile, MESS models have theoretical advantages. However, the theoretical research and application of MESS models have not been promoted vigorously. Therefore, the study of MESS model theory has practical significance. This paper studies the quasi maximum likelihood estimation for matrix exponential spatial specification (MESS) varying coefficient panel data models with fixed effects. It is shown that the estimators of model parameters and function coefficients satisfy the consistency and asymptotic normality to make a further supplement for the theoretical study of MESS model

\u3ci\u3eAmerican Express\u3c/i\u3e, the Rule of Reason, and the Goals of Antitrust

I. Introduction II. The Debate over the Consumer Welfare Standard III. Applying the Rule of Reason ... A. The General Framework ... B. Step One ... C. Muddying the Waters ... D. The Bottom Line: An Analytical Mess IV. The Rule of Reason and Multi-Sided Platforms V. Missing in Action: The Consumer Welfare Standard VI. Conclusio

Interview with James Leary, October 18, 2008

James Leary was interviewed on October 18, 2008, by Sierra Green about his experiences during World War II. Course Information: Course Title: HIST 300: Historical Method Academic Term: Fall 2008 Course Instructor: Dr. Michael J. Birkner \u2772 Collection Note: This oral history was selected from the Oral History Collection maintained by Special Collections & College Archives. Transcripts are available for browsing in the Special Collections Reading Room, 4th floor, Musselman Library. GettDigital contains the complete listing of oral histories done from 1978 to the present. To view this list and to access selected digital versions please visit -- http://gettysburg.cdmhost.com/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16274coll