Evaluating the impact of land tenure and titling on access to credit in Uganda:

"The theorized impact of land tenure and titling on access to credit has produced mixed results in the empirical literature. Land tenure and titling is hypothesized to increase access to credit because of the enhanced land security provided and the newfound ability to use land as collateral. Using land as collateral and obtaining access to credit are paramount concerns in Uganda and in all of Africa, as greater emphasis is placed on the need to modernize the agricultural system. This paper uses a new approach in evaluating whether land tenure and titling have an impact on access to credit for rural households in Uganda. The new approach includes comparisons across four categories: (1) households who have customary land with versus without a customary certificate, (2) households who have freehold land with versus without a title, (3) households with a title or certificate having freehold versus customary tenure, and (4) households without a title or certificate having freehold versus customary tenure. Each comparison is then evaluated for the impact on access to any form of credit, formal credit, and informal credit. This analysis allows for an in-depth look into which element, tenure or title, is impacting access to credit and to which type of credit, formal or informal. To conduct this analysis, matching techniques are used, including propensity score matching and the Abadie and Imbens matching method. These two methods contain both strengths and weaknesses that allow the results to support to one another. The only significant finding of the matching was a positive impact on access to credit of freehold without title over customary without certificate. Results imply that tenure, not title, impacts credit access for rural households in Uganda." from authors' abstractLand tenure, Land titling, Rural credit, Land management,

The wealth and gender distribution of rural services in Ethiopia: A public expenditure benefit incidence analysis

agricultural extension, benefit incidence analysis, Development strategies, Food Security Program, water facilities,

Revising the roads investment strategy in rural areas : an application for Uganda

Based on extensive data collection in Uganda, this paper demonstrates that the rural access index, as defined today, should not be a government objective because the benefit of such investment is minimal, whereas achieving rural accessibility at less than 2 kilometers would require massive investments that are not sustainable. Taking into account the fact that plot size is limited on average to less than 1 hectare, a farmer’s transport requirement is usually minimal and does not necessarily involve massive investments in infrastructure. This is because most farmers cannot fully load a truck or pay for this service and, even if productivity were to increase significantly, the production threshold would not be reached by most individual farmers. Therefore, in terms of public policy, maintenance of the existing rural roads rather than opening new roads should be given priority; the district feeder road allocation maintenance formula should be revised to take into account economic potential and, finally, policy makers should devote their attention to innovative marketing models from other countries where smallholder loads are consolidated through private-based consolidators.Transport Economics Policy&Planning,Rural Roads&Transport,Roads&Highways,Rural Transport,Markets and Market Access

SYMBOL MODEL DATABASE and ANALYSES for PUBLIC FINANCE SUSTAINABILITY

In the present report, we describe the main steps we have taken in order to create a sound database for the European Union Member States banking system. The final goal is to use this database as source for input variables of SYMBOL (SYstemic Model of Banking Originated Losses) model, developed by the Join Research Centre of Ispra in cooperation with the European Commission Direcotrate General for Internal Market and Services and experts from academia, for monitoring financial crises. SYMBOL simulates potential crises in the banking sector under various assumptions, and it allows assessing the cumulative effects of different regulatory measures (e.g. higher capital requirements, strengthened deposit insurance and introduction of resolution funds) and their most effective combinations. It uses items in bank's balance sheet to estimate the potential losses for a given banking system via a Monte Carlo analysis. The model is flexible and can be deployed either on a single country or on a set of financial institutions sharing common features. The report also shows an application of SYMBOL for assessing the impact on public finance of a crisis in the baning sector and compares the current regulatory framework with a future scenario where the new capital requirements set in Basel III and an effective framework for bank resolution are in place.JRC.G.1-Scientific Support to Financial Analysi

Change in the DGS Level of Coverage Due to the 2008 Financial Crisis: First Basic Impact Evaluation

Scope of this report is the assessment of the impact of increasing the DGS level of coverage for banks¿ deposits (from current levels up to 50K¿ or possibly 100K¿) as a consequnce of the 2008 financial crisis.JRC.G.9-Econometrics and statistical support to antifrau

Produção secundária das espécies mais abundantes da macrofauna bentônica da zona entre-marés da Prainha, estado do Rio de Janeiro

With the aim of estimating the secondary production of Emerita brasiliensis and Exciro lanabrailiensis, at Prainha Beach(R), monthly samplings were performed in the period fom June 1 993 to May 1 995. Three transects were established in the intertidal zone, perpendicular to the waterline, each divided into fve strata parallel to the waterline. From each levei, fur replicates were taken using a 0.04 m2 metal sampler. The life span of Emeritabrasiliensis fmales was calculated in 1 0.3 and 8.0 months for the first(93/94) and second(94/95) years, respectively. For the males this parameter was estimated around 9 months for the two years of study. The production was calculated by the methods of Hynes and Crisp 3A, and was estimated between 1 5.589 and 1 2.378g(AFDW)m·-2a·-1 for the first sample year, and between 53.326 and 47.534g(AFDW)m·-2a·-1 for the second year, which was signifcantly higher than the first year. For Emeritabrasiliensis, high rates of tumover were observed in the two years of study, varying between 9.35 and 7.43a· 1 in the first year, and 6.80 and 6.05a· 1 in the second year. The production in spring was signifcantly higher than in winter. The lif span of Exciloranabr aziliensis was estimated in 20 months in both the first and the second years. The secondar production in winter was signifcantly higher than the ones obtained in spring and summer. We have estimated the production of E br ailiensis in 0.260 and 0.257g(AFDW)m·-2a·-1 for the first year, and in 0.264 and 0.254 g(AFDW)m·-2a·-1 for the second year. No signifcant difference between the productions ofthe two years was fund. The production ofthose two species, added to the production ofPseu dorchestoi deabrasiliensis supplies a total production of 14.556 and 50.999g(AFDW)m·-2a·-1, for the first and second years, respectively. We have fund that the Brachyra, Ocypoe quadrata, Arenaeus cribarius and many species of fsh, such as, Micropogonias furnieri, Menticrrhus americanus, and Paralonchurus brasiliensis had Emeritabrasiliensis as a source offod.CAPESCom o intuito de estimar a produção secundária de Emerita brasiliensis e Ecirolana braziliensis, na Prainha(R), foram realizadas coletas mensais durante o período de junho de 1993 a maio de 1995. Foram estabelecidos três transectos na zona entre-marés, perpendiculares à linha d'água, cada qual dividido em cinco estratos, paralelos a linha d'água. De cada estrato foram retiradas quatro réplicas com um amestrador metálico de 0,04m2. A expectativa de vida das fêmeas de Emerita brasiliensis foi calculada em 10,3 e 8,0 meses, respectivamente, para o primeiro(93/94) e segundo anos (94/95). Para os machos este parâmetro fi estimado em tomo de 9 meses para os dois anos de estudo. A produção fi calculada utilizando-se os métodos de Hynes e de Crisp 3A sendo estimada entre 15,589 e 12,378g(PSLC)m-2a-1, para o primeiro ano amostral, e entre 53,326 e 47,534g(PSLC)m-2a-1, para o segundo ano, sendo a produção do segundo ano, significativamente superior a do primeiro ano. Emerita brasiliensis apresentou altas taxas de renovação nos dois anos de estudo, variando entre 9,35 e 7,43 a-1 para o primeiro ano, e entre 6,80 e 6,05a-1 para o segundo ano. A produção da primavera fi significativamente superior a do inverno. A expectativa de vida de Excirolana braziliensis foi estimada em 20 meses, tanto no primeiro, quanto no segundo anos. A produção secundária do inverno foi significativamente superior às obtidas na primavera e no verão. Estimamos a produção de E. brazilensis em 0,260 e 0,257g(PSLC)m-2a-1 , para o primeiro ano, e em 0,264 e 0,254g(PSLC)m-2a-1, para o segundo ano. Não foi verificada diferença significativa entre as produções dos dois anos. A produção destas duas espécies somadas a de Pseudorchestoidea brasiliensis fornece uma produção total de 14,556 e 50,999g(PSLC)m-2a-1, respectivamente, para o primeiro e segundo anos. Verificamos que os braquiúros, Ocypod quadrata, Arenaeus cribarius e várias espécies da ictiofuna, entre elas, Micropogonias furnieri, Menticrrhus americanus, e Parlonchurus brasiliensis, utilizaram Emerita brasiliensis como alimento

A casa caiu : reflexões acerca das configurações familiares de adolescentes em conflito com a lei

Trata-se de uma pesquisa que, ao articular o referencial psicanalítico e o enfoque sócio-histórico, objetiva traçar reflexões sobre as configurações familiares e a situação de conflito com a lei apresentada por adolescentes em cumpri-mento de medida sócio-educativa. O trabalho empírico contemplou o atendi-mento aos adolescentes em cumprimento de medidas sócio-educativas e seus responsáveis, como também a experiência oportunizada pelo grupo de familiares do Programa de Prestação de Serviços à Comunidade da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. O texto está organizado de forma a contemplar concepções sobre a adolescência e suas principais características, estudo que contou com a colaboração de autores como Freud, Calligaris e Rassial, incluindo a questão da violência, trabalhada a partir de autores como Arendt, Oliveira e Conte. Ao abordar a temática da família e das novas configurações dessa instituição na contemporaneidade, partiu-se de autores como Singly, Sarti e Fonseca, incluindo na questão da família elementos referentes às funções paterna e materna, tais como as concebidas por Lacan. Foi necessário incluir nessa reflexão as formas como se estabelecem os laços sociais na contemporaneidade, conforme a posição de autores como Kehl, Lebrun e Jerusalinsky. Ficou evidente que a família, assim como a adolescência, tem as marcas do contexto histórico-social onde se encontra e que, na contemporaneidade, ambas vêm sofrendo transformações intensas. Essas transformações, aliadas aos discursos correntes e ao imaginário social sobre a questão da violência na ado-lescência e sobre a família, acabam gerando certa confusão sobre as funções que cada sujeito desempenha. Daí a relevância de o atendimento sócio-educativo destinado a adolescentes em conflito com a lei oportunizar espaços de escuta e reflexão, tanto para os próprios adolescentes, como para seus familiares.This research aims to trace reflections on the family structure of adolescents in conflict with the law who are undergoing socio-educational measures by articu-lating the psychoanalytical and socio-historical approach. The empirical work has included assistance to adolescents undergoing socio-educational measures and their guardians, as well as the experience nurtured by the group of relatives of Programa de Prestação de Serviços à Comunidade da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. The text is organized so as to include ideas about ado-lescence and its main characteristics; study which was performed with the con-tribution of authors such as Freud, Rassial, and Calligaris. This study also con-templates the issue of violence, drawn from authors such as Arendt, Oliveira, and Conte. Authors such as Singly, Sarti and Fonseca contributed to approach the theme of family and the new configurations of this institution in the contem-poraniety, considering, in the family matters, elements related to paternal and maternal functions, such as the ones conceived by Lacan. It was necessary to include in this reflection the ways of establishing social ties in the contempora-niety, according to authors such as Kehl, Lebrun and Jerusalinsky. It was evi-dent that the family, as well as adolescence, has the marks of historical and social context in which they belong and that, nowadays, both are undergoing intense transformations. These changes, allied to current discourses and to the social imaginary about the issue of violence in adolescence and about the fami-ly, have been generating some confusion on the roles that each individual plays. That is why it is important for the socio-educational care for teenagers in conflict with the law to provide spaces for listening and reflection, for both ado-lescents and their families

A polymorphism in a let-7 microRNA binding site of KRAS in women with endometriosis.

Endometriosis is found in 5-15% of women of reproductive age and is more frequent in relatives of women with the disease. Activation of KRAS results in de novo endometriosis in mice, however, activating KRAS mutations have not been identified in women. We screened 150 women with endometriosis for a polymorphism in a let-7 microRNA (miRNA) binding site in the 3'-UTR of KRAS and detected a KRAS variant allele in 31% of women with endometriosis as opposed to 5% of a large diverse control population. KRAS mRNA and protein expression were increased in cultured endometrial stromal cells of women with the KRAS variant. Increased KRAS protein was due to altered miRNA binding as demonstrated in reporter assays. Endometrial stromal cells from women with the KRAS variant showed increased proliferation and invasion. In a murine model, endometrial xenografts containing the KRAS variant demonstrated increased proliferation and decreased progesterone receptor levels. These findings suggest that an inherited polymorphism of a let-7 miRNA binding site in KRAS leads to abnormal endometrial growth and endometriosis. The LCS6 polymorphism is the first described genetic marker of endometriosis risk

JRC technical work supporting Commission second level legislation on risk based contributions to the (single) resolution fund

JRC supported the DG MARKT by developing quantitative analyses for the preparation of the second level legislation on bank contributions to be paid to the EU national Resolution Funds and to the Single Resolution Fund SRF for countries participating to the Banking Union. The present report summarizes all the extensive analyses on the calculation of banks contributions supporting the whole policy process. All analyses were based on a dataset that JRC built assembling individual bank unconsolidated balance sheet data, provided directly by the MS. JRC developed the technical details to measure the risk profile of each bank. Starting from a selection of balance sheet indicators, which account for the different aspects of each bank activity, the methodology aggregates them into a single composite risk indicator. The risk indicator is then combined with the bank size measure to compute the share of aggregated contribution each bank joining the fund would pay. JRC also investigated the decrease in contributions of applying a special treatment for the computation of the small banks’ contributions: these banks will not pay contributions based on their risk profile but will be instead lump-sum contributions, depending on their size only. JRC assessed the sensitivity of the distribution of contributions when changing some elements of the overall mechanism used to measure risk and compute contributions. Finally, following the discussion at the political level, JRC also assessed some technical issues related to the calculation of the contribution base and it tested the impact on banks contributions of different options for the phasing in of the single resolution fund.JRC.G.1-Financial and Economic Analysi