THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL EFFECTS OF RELIGION ON SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: A REVIEW OF THE EMPIRICAL LITERATURE

Religion plays a fundamental role in most people's lives with profound implications for socioeconomic development. This survey provides a comprehensive and systematic overview of the causal mechanisms between religion and development discussed and tested in the economics literature, and reviews quantitative empirical evidence on the actual effects of religion on economic and social dimensions of development. We start by disaggregating the concept of religion into four religious dimensions and propose a framework to conceptualize causal mechanisms. Numerous mechanisms are possible but only a few uncontested findings exist. Religion is ambivalent vis‐à‐vis development: although religious ideas can foster certain forms of human capital acquisition and labor market participation, scholars have found a negative relationship between religious dimensions and both income and gender equality as well as innovation activities. Religious identity is also a source of labor market discrimination and has ambivalent effects on economic growth and social cohesion. Methodological challenges refer to the availability of fine‐grained data, especially for developing countries, the use of concepts and definitions, and the lack of causal inference.     

Spatial equilibrium with local public goods: Urban land rent,optimal city size and the Tiebout hypothesis

This paper extends the standard model of urban land rent to consider the spatial equilibrium conditions in a local public goods market as hypothesized by Charles M. Tiebout. An analysis is made of the spatial dimensions of public goods, their degree of ‘localness’ and their impact on land values. It is shown that the optimal population size of the community (Tiebout's sixth assumption) is simultaneously derived with the optimal supply of local public goods and local taxes. It is also shown that land rent is a poor output indicator of Tiebout's equilibrium conditions and that the capitalization assumption is not the appropriate test for his hypothesis.     

医院管理信息系统内部审计监督和质量控制

HMIS在医院现代信息化经营管理过程中,已经逐渐被医院所采用。本文分析了内部审计应用于医院管理信息系统的作用,了解到内部审计是管理信息系统有效发挥作用的关键环节。分析了HMIS内部审计的主要方法和应用情况,指出,在应用HMIS以后,应该找到其与医院管理的切合点,从而加强医院管理信息系统内部审计监督和质量控制。     

How supervisors set the tone for long hours: Vicarious learning,subordinates' self-motives and the contagion of working hours

This paper develops a theoretical model that highlights the mechanisms underlying the contagion of long working hours from supervisors to subordinates at different stages of their relationship. Drawing upon social learning theory, we suggest that subordinates mimic the supervisor's working hours through vicarious learning. Focusing first on the role-taking stage of the supervisor-subordinate relationship, we identify four factors, namely supervisor's perceived status, subordinate's work centrality, congruence between organizational norms and supervisor's working hours, and subordinate's identification with the supervisor, that may influence the perceived desirability of adopting the supervisor's working hours. We then examine the relative influence of each of these factors through the lens of subordinates' self-motives. Turning, next, to the routinized supervisor-subordinate relationship, we elaborate on how social contagion may evolve over time. Lastly, the implications of our model as well as future research avenues are presented.     

我国民间组织的发展现状、存在问题及对策建议

目前,我国民间组织的社会关注度进一步提高,政府向民间组织购买公共服务逐年增加,但是总体来说,民间组织仍然发展缓慢,增速递减。民间组织存在着建立门槛高,程序繁琐,经费不足,力量较弱,相关法律法规体系不健全等问题。针对这些问题,政府要加强对民间组织的扶持和培育,建立政府购买服务的制度化保障机制,对民间组织的登记管理制度进行改革和创新,并为民间组织的发展创造良好的法律环境。同时,民间组织要增强自身能力,拓宽资金来源。     

Goodness of fit for seemingly unrelated regressions: Glahn's R2y.x and Hooper's r̄2

This paper presents a measure of goodness of fit for Zellner's seemingly unrelated regressions. The measure is a monotonic transform of the appropriate (asymptotic) F-statistic, is bounded on [0, 1] and is maximized by Zellner's estimation technique. Glahn's composite correlation coefficient is shown to be a special case of this measure. It is also compared to Hooper's squared trace correlation coefficient. All three measures as well as some additional asymptotic summary test statistics are calculated for the two-equation example of Zellner. The applicability of the latter test statistics seems not to be recognized in applied work.     

Utilization and productivity of the Duke physician's associate

The objectives of this study were as follows: (1) Formulate a theoretical model of the typical medical practice as a system for producing medical care, with particular attention to the role of middle-level health workers such as graduates of Duke University's Physician's Associate Program. (2) Develop a methodology for collecting data necessary to estimate the relevant parameters in the model, and to describe current patterns of utilization of Duke PA's. (3) Draw substantive conclusions, insofar as the model and data collection methodology permit, about the actual and potential productivity of Duke PA's.As of October 1971 Duke University had graduated 68 PA's from its Physician's Associate Program. Of these, 34 are employed as assistants in family practice or general medicine in a variety of private and institutional settings. Data were collected on eleven of these 34 PA's. No attempt was made to study the other 34 graduates engaged in clinical specialties, administration, or other functions. Neither was any attempt made to collect data on or draw inferences about the utilization and productivity of graduates of any other program such as the MEDEX Program.⁴     

Producing solidarity in social media activism: The case of My Stealthy Freedom

Solidarity, i.e., an individual's feelings of devotion and commitment to others in a collective, is one of the defining features of social movements. It is regarded as a key motivator of collective action in that it collectivizes what would otherwise remain individual experiences and emotions. However, as social movements are increasingly relying on Internet technology, particularly social media, for instrumental and expressive communication, some question whether solidarity plays any role in e-movements at all. Others propose that new forms of solidarity are developing in these mediated environments. Since most prior research fails to account for the role of physical bodies in online social movements, the objective of this paper is to explore the roles and forms of solidarity in contemporary social movements that hybridize online and physically-embodied action. To this end, we develop a multi-faceted and practice-based definition of solidarity through which we read two configurations of a social movement called My Stealthy Freedom (MySF), which opposes the compulsory veiling laws (i.e., hijab) in Iran. In both enactments of MySF, the activists' physical bodies played a significant role in the social movement's online presence but the forms of solidarity they produced differed. We therefore theorize the role of materiality – particularly social media and activists' physical bodies –in social media activism.     

Recombination in digital innovation: Challenges,opportunities, and the importance of a theoretical framework

In this article I argue that the quest to establish digital innovation as a research domain is hindered by three challenges. As digital innovation research we are too often: a) reifying the agency of digital innovation actors; b) developing explanations of digital innovation detached from the specifics of digital technology, and c) developing overly specific explanations of digital innovation. I begin by providing a brief overview of the recombination perspective and considering why this perspective holds great appeal in the digital age. I then engage with Henfridsson et al.'s (2018) value spaces framework as a platform for framing value creation and value capture in relation to recombination in digital innovation. Next, I push Henfridsson et al.'s arguments one step further to discuss them in relation to what I consider to be the key challenges for digital innovation research. Illustrating with some of my own recent projects, I suggest that in order to fully address these challenges we need to (1) develop explanations of digital innovation acknowledging the complexity of sociomaterial interaction in digital innovation; (2) develop explanations of digital innovation building on the specifics of digital technology, and (3) develop explanations of digital innovation based on an oscillation between the specific and the general. The article concludes by pointing to future challenges and developments for digital innovation research.     

The social cost of through traffic: Contribution to the suburban-central city exploitation thesis

This paper deals with the conflict between local and through traffic when allocating land for transportation at the expense of residential consumption. The model developed in this paper gives the optimal allocation of land between both uses, via Pontryagin's Maximum Principle, and shows the impact of through traffic on the urban structure, on local transportation costs and on the cost of housing supply. The cost functionals are used to measure the total burden to the inner city and a connection is made to the ongoing discussion of the ‘exploitation’ thesis.     

Bayesian analysis of dichotomous quantal response models

Qualitative response models (QRM's) are analyzed from the Bayesian point of view, using diffuse and informative prior distributions. Exact finite-sample Bayesian and large-sample Bayesian and non-Bayesian estimation results are compared. In addition, the paper provides: (1) plots and discussion of the properties of likelihood functions for QRM's, (2) posterior distributions for logit models' derivatives and elasticities, (3) Bayesian prediction procedures for QRM's, (4) new estimates for the median and other fractiles of the logistic distribution, (5) posterior odds ratios for model selection problems, and (6) comparisons of two alternative Monte Carlo numerical integration procedures. It is concluded that asymptotic approximations are not accurate for small-to moderate-sized samples even when only a single input variable is used, and that operational Bayesian methods are available for providing both exact small-sample and large-sample approximate inferences for DRM's.     

Environmental Business–NGO Partnerships in Nigeria: Issues and Prospects

A number of insightful efforts have explored the nature of business–NGO partnerships and their associated outcomes for sustainable development. While some of these works have helped to clarify the benefits of such partnerships, and the different strategies NGOs can adopt in their interaction with business, others have identified the conditions necessary for a successful partnership. However, the question of how the different strategies adopted by NGOs in their engagement with business interact has remained relatively unexamined. Drawing on an environmental business–NGO partnership for sustainable development in Nigeria, this paper confirms the existence of a creative tension between the different NGOs’ strategies. This creative tension affects the nature of the environmental partnership and performs three main functions. These are an enabling function, a discipline function and a critical distance function. The article concludes by considering the theoretical and practical implications for business–NGO partnerships as a vehicle for sustainable development in developing countries. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

Entrepreneurship and economic development: the EMPRETEC showcase

The hypothesis that entrepreneurship is linked to economic growth finds it’s most immediate foundation in simple intuition, common sense and pure economic observation: activities to convert ideas into economic opportunities lie at the very heart of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is a source of innovation and change, and as such spurs improvements in productivity and economic competitiveness. The entrepreneur has been a fundamental agent in most production, distribution and growth theories. The role of entrepreneurship as the driving force of economic growth found its most explicit foundation. Empretec was established in 1988 to promote entrepreneurship in developing countries. Empretec’s programs have been initiated in 27 countries plus additional centers in Brazil, assisting more than 80, entrepreneurs through local driven business support centers. The information collected for this paper was secondary data rather than conducting survey. Therefore, one objectives of this paper is to examine the exact nature of entrepreneurship and its role in economic theory.     

Sovereignty Beyond the State: Exception and Informality in a Western European City

Bridging debates on urban sovereignty and urban informality, this paper argues that relationships between sovereignty and informality may not reside exclusively in the way the sovereign state decides to allow or forbid informality, but also in the way sovereignty is distributed among a range of state and non‐state actors. Drawing upon fieldwork on the early‐2010s management of displaced Romanian Romani families in two emergency camps in the city of Montreuil (France), the paper shows how the NGO responsible for managing one camp acted as sovereign power, allowing a number of informal activities to thrive within its confines. By contrast, inside the other camp, managed by another NGO that resolutely implemented state directives, only formal activities took place. Building on Dean's (2010) concept of ‘disaggregated sovereignty’, the paper mobilizes this disjuncture as a case for critically examining how the ‘state of exception’ takes shape beyond the state's grip. A subtext running throughout is the parallel between the very first camps for civilians in nineteenth‐century colonized territories and these twenty‐first‐century camps for Roma in Europe—both elicited a state of exception partially predicated on camp dwellers’ perceived ethnic/racial homogeneity.     

User needs in sustainability reporting: Perspectives of stakeholders in Ireland

Abstract

By means of a questionnaire survey, this paper ascertains and analyses the views of a number of Irish stakeholders regarding the adequacy and potential of corporate sustainability reporting to meet their information needs and help them hold corporations to account. The study focuses on ascertaining the views of a sample of Irish social and environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs), who we argue constitute an important group of non-financial stakeholders. This emphasis on examining NGO perceptions represents an attempt to fill a gap in the academic sustainability reporting research literature whereby the views of non-managerial stakeholders are largely absent. The paper represents the second phase of a determined effort to examine the adequacy of sustainability reporting from the perspective of less economically powerful stakeholders in Ireland and responds specifically to O'Dwyer's (2002) call for research to examine the nature of stakeholder demand for sustainability reporting in Ireland in order to inform the future development of Irish sustainability reporting practices. The results present evidence of a widespread demand for mandated, externally verified sustainability reporting in either the annual report or a separate stand-alone report. This demand is primarily driven by a desire to gain knowledge of companies' commitment to responsible business practices but is also, albeit to a lesser extent, influenced by the perceived ability of sustainability reporting to facilitate increased NGO pressure on companies. Current sustainability reporting practice is viewed negatively with regard to its credibility and sufficiency, as well as the opportunities it provides for engagement with companies, particularly among environmental NGO respondents. While respondents tended to be suspicious of corporate motives for sustainability reporting, many were optimistic about the potential for NGO engagement with companies aimed at tackling social and environmental issues and improving current sustainability reporting practice. Drawing on the survey results, the paper makes some recommendations for future research aimed at improving sustainability reporting practices in Ireland and more broadly.     

Democracy and adaptation to economic and technological change: Is the British political system capable of adjusting?

Political systems provide the framework for organizational and technological change. Democratic systems are in some respects more open to economic and social adjustment than non-democratic systems; but the conflicting demands of entrenched interests and competition among parties for votes themselves create obstacles to adaptation.Britain's political system is the most stable in Western Europe, but it is also (after Italy) the one which is showing most signs of strain. How far is political stability a source of strength or of weakness under conditions of rapid economic and technological change? What aspects of Britain's current political difficulties are common to all democracies (as Sam Brittan argued in a classic study), or to all European social welfare economies, and what aspects are peculiar to our system alone? After five years of the most self-consciously radical government which Britain has had since 1945, how successful has our current government been in promoting economic and social change, while resisting any changes in our political system?It is argued that there has been a negative interaction between repeated efforts to transform Britain's industrial structure, and industrial relations, for example, and the obstacles to change posed by a restricted and centralised political system. Other illustrations of the interaction between political structure and policy output are taken from the evolution of Britain's relations with the European Community, from the management of industrial collaboration with other governments, and from attempts to reform the finances of local government. Britain's experience is compared and contrasted with those of the United States, France, Germany and Japan.     

Regional income inequality and economic development

It is the purpose of this paper to critically re-examine Williamson's original axiom of regional inequality as it relates to the process of national development under a new dimension: income distribution disparities within the population of the regions. The dynamic association between inequality and development in general and the convergence hypothesis in particular will be retested. Instead of Williamson's coefficient of variation we introduce a set of Regional Dissimilarity Indices that measures the dissimilarity of the spatial distribution of population by income at the national level.     

A linear programming model of housing market equilibrium

This paper reviews Wheaton's assertion that the Herbert-Stevens Linear Programming Model produces solutions which do not meet Alonso's criteria for market equilibrium. It demonstrates that, although Wheaton's criticism is valid in general, under certain conditions an alternative specification of the objective function coefficients and the dual variables in the linear program produces a model whose solutions satisfy Alonso's criteria. Finally, this paper shows that the NBER model is an application in which a linear programming problem computes market equilibria.     

University planning,decentralization and resource allocation

This paper proposes a system of resource allocation in universities which addresses both the problem of useful simulation of alternatives and efficient substitution of resources. It is the authors' view that the reasons why various university planning models proposed in the last few years have not been found useful in practice is that they take inadequate account of the decentralized nature of decisionmaking within universities. In this regard the three main points of the paper are: (1) university planning models should have flexible aggregation categories which can be determined and re-adjusted by the decisionmaker as he uses it; (2) resource constraints in university planning models should be flexible and negotiable, and negotiation over resources should be part of the analyst's domain of inquiry; (3) planning in universities must take into account the problem of introducing incentives which cause the behavior of individuals within the university to be directed to the needs of the institution's clienteles.     

Sofa: A simulation program for predicting and evaluating the policy effects of grants-in-aid

This paper motivates and describes a computer simulation program to predict the general equilibrium effects of grants-in-aid to local governments on the tax and spending decisions of these governments. The SOFA (Simulation of Fiscal Assistance) program explicitly incorporates the effects of family relocation (the “Tiebout” adjustment process) and the availability of competitive private market providers (e.g. private schools, hospitals, recreation facilities) on the levels and distribution of local public services. SOFA can simulate the effects of the four main forms of grants-in-aid: (1) lump-sum transfers, (2) matching aid, (3) base equalizing aid, and (4) tax relief aid. In addition to the individual city predictions on taxes and spending SOFA provides the following summary statistics: (1) mean level of spending, (2) coefficient of variation of spending, (3) values for a utilitarian, Rawlsian, and egalitarian objective functions, (4) the central government tax rate needed to finance aid, and (5) the percent of families in the region who prefer the private provision of the “public” service. A copy of the program and a program users manual containing a detailed derivation of the model as well as user's instructions are available from the authors upon request.