Economic Reform and Economic Performance: Evidence from 20 Developing Countries

Do adjustment policies assist or retard growth? This paper presents data on economic performance (aggregate and sectoral growth, inflation, investment and external account) for 20 countries. The data are classified on an annual basis according to the country’s policy stance in that year: controlled economy, partially or fully liberalised. This approach allows both control-group and before-versus-after analyses which are combined with a review of growth regressions and an analysis of case study material on adjustment. The evidence suggests three hypotheses. First, countries with controlled economies have performed badly compared with those which have moved towards greater market orientation. Second, economic performance does not differ greatly between fully-fledged market economies and partially liberalised ones: partly because several countries have pursued liberalisation with no improvement in performance. Third, given that there is little difference in manufacturing and agricultural growth between full and partial liberalisers yet overall growth is more rapid for the former, the additional growth must be in the service sector. These hypotheses suggest that the balance between state and market should be tilted more toward the state than is currently supported by international development agencies.economic reform; economic peformance; structural adjustment; macroeconomic policy; inflation; growth; developing countries

Creating an e-Textbook Collection at an Online University Library

In response to the textbook affordability problem, multiple institutions have implemented or expanded on-campus textbook reserve programs, in order to provide no-cost access for students. For a library at an online university, an e-textbook collection can fulfill the same purpose. In 2018, our library discussed and implemented a program to purchase and make available e-textbooks for our students. Challenges included availability of titles, simultaneous user restrictions, integration with existing e-reserves, and advertising the service to ensure faculty and student awareness. Beginning Fall term 2018, we were able to provide at least one textbook for over 50% of courses. This presentation will include: reasons for adding e-textbooks to our collections workflow for selection why we advertised available e-textbooks to our students using an InfoGuide use of Springshare LibGuides API to build the InfoGuide student and faculty feedback plans for the futur

The Lesser Coverts of Game Birds

By the time the days got so short in Lakeland, Florida, that the Detroit Tigers could only practice in the sunshine from eleven till one, the birds were thoroughly confused. Instead of heading north for spring, they flew east and south-southwest. And then up. The arctic terns, accustomed to long treks from Greenland to Antarctica and back every year, were the first to reach the moon. The waxwings arrived next, landing atop micrometeoroids and other space debris to mate and send on new generations. The crested honey buzzards and loons followed. After not many years, there were no birds at all on earth

Digital learning objects: a local response to the California State University system initiative

The purpose of this paper is to present a virtual library plan created by library directors of the 23 California State University (CSU) system campuses. The information literacy portion of the project offers a repository of high quality interactive digital learning objects (DLOs) in the MERLOT repository. Therefore, DLOs created locally at the Dr Martin Luther King, Jr Library at San José State University (SJSU) focus on topics that supplement the “core” DLO collection

Reconceptualizing Support for Students with Low Language Proficiency in Transnational Higher Education

In a bid to remain competitive and respond to the forces of globalization, higher education institutions are increasingly focusing on internationalization, with English-medium instruction (EMI) as one of the key strategies for achieving this. While most institutions provide dedicated language support in the form of English for Academic Purposes programs, consideration is rarely given to the pedagogical requirements placed on disciplinary faculty for instructing non-native English-speaking students in degree programs. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) examines how the learning and teaching capacity of disciplinary faculty can be developed to support the language needs of students with low language proficiency at a transnational EMI university in China. Feedback from a recent focus group on professional development needs supports such a teaching culture change, indicating faculty desire for EMI training. The OIP is explored through social cognition and cultural lenses utilizing a distributed leadership (DL) approach, with the aim of co-constructing discipline-specific EMI support solutions with faculty. Cawsey et al.\u27s (2016) Change Path Model, Scharmer\u27s (2016a) Theory U, and Jones and Harvey\u27s (2017) Sustainable Enabling and Evaluating Reflective DL Change Process Model underpin a change framework facilitated by sensemaking and growth mindset strategies, to support and guide faculty towards adopting a change in teaching practice. Successive pilots will steer the implementation of this change, monitored and evaluated through a series of participative action research cycles and feedback loops, with the aim of incrementally building support for the change and leading to the institutionalization of a revised approach of EMI

Fatal Flaws: New Zealand\u27s Human Tissue Act Fails to Provide an Avenue for Individuals to Give Legally Binding Informed Consent

Improving the worldwide organ transplantation rate is an important goal for the world health community. Thousands of people die each year waiting for organs that would save their lives. New Zealand has one of the poorest rates of transplantation in the Western world. In 2008, New Zealand passed the Human Tissue Act in an attempt to improve the number of donors and ultimately increase the number of transplants performed. To promote the autonomy of individuals, the new law prioritized who can give informed consent for organ donation upon death, with individuals’ actions and intentions being paramount. The law allows individuals to provide informed consent to donate their organs upon death or to designate another individual to make the decision for them. The family’s permission is requested only if the donor or nominee failed to give informed consent. This framework is necessary to address one of the biggest obstacles to organ donation: the family’s refusal to donate. Because of ethical and publicity concerns, doctors and organ procurement specialists will not take an organ over an objection by the family, although trends suggest this might be changing. This comment argues that key parts of the law prevent it from increasing the number of donors. The law fails to establish a national registry where New Zealanders can register their informed consent. While the law allows for the database to be created in the future if the need arises, not instituting it immediately leaves those individuals who would otherwise donate few options: a will or advance directive. These options are costly, and very few people will take the initiative to execute them. Failure to create another option leaves the status quo in place; a donor designation on a driver’s license will not be considered by medical professionals, and the family will decide whether or not to donate their loved one’s organs. This comment argues further that New Zealand can strengthen its legislation and the autonomy of the individual by establishing a national registry and pairing it with a required response system. Required response would mandate that all New Zealanders choose during life what they would like to have done with their body upon death. When New Zealanders register their informed consent in the national registry, physicians and organ procurement specialists can have reliable, accurate information about the wishes of the deceased. Through these two systems, New Zealand can move toward implementing a system of first person consent. In conjunction with these recommendations, an advertising and education campaign should be instituted to positively influence the family and help promote a culture in New Zealand where donation is the norm