The formation and evolution of childhood skill acquisition: Evidence from India

Building on recent advances in the literature and using a rich data set for two cohorts of children aged between one and twelve for Andhra Pradesh, India, we investigate the determinants of children's cognitive as well as non-cognitive skills. We find evidence of self-productivity for cognitive skills and cross-productivity effects from cognitive on non-cognitive skills. Moreover, we demonstrate that parental investment has contemporaneously positive effects on skill levels for all age groups. Investigating other determinants of these skills, we find child health at age one to influence cognitive abilities at age five, whilst child health at age one is influenced by parental care already during pregnancy and earliest childhood. Understanding the determinants which account explicitly for the effect of a large number of child, caregiver and household characteristics provides insights with regard to possible policy interventions to improve the chances of children in poor environments of developing cognitive and non-cognitive skills crucial for success in many spheres of life.     

Why should Austrian economists be pluralists?

Peter Boettke (2007) argues that economists need not act pluralistically in order for pluralism to thrive in the marketplace of economic ideas. From a market process perspective, Boettke sees intellectual diversity and openness as catallactic outputs, not inputs—emergent by-products of academic specialization and trade. To expect individual scholars to behave in a pluralistic manner is unnecessary and “completely inappropriate” since it detracts from their central task: “to commit themselves to an approach and pursue it doggedly, even in the face of great doubt and resistance by one’s peers” (Boettke 2007). This paper proposes a Smithian revision of Boettke’s position. The author argues that scholarly pluralism is best understood as a constitutional rule of academic life—a virtue ethic that promotes learning and intellectual freedom by mitigating tyranny and autarky in the republic of science. Drawing from the writings of Adam Smith, Friedrich Hayek, Deirdre McCloskey, Bruce Caldwell, James Buchanan, Don Lavoie, and Boettke himself, the author argues that scholarly pluralism has been, and continues to be, a necessary condition for the flourishing of Austrian economists as free, responsible, efficacious thinkers.     

Frühreha nach Apoplex: Je früher desto besser

Herausforderung an ein multidisziplin?res Team – Um m?glichst gro?e Erfolge zu erzielen, muss die Frührehabilitation nach einem Schlaganfall bereits auf der Stroke Unit beginnen. Sabine Kemmler schildert die gro?e Herausforderung an die Versorgung von Schlaganfall-Patienten für Pflegekr?fte.     

PAALiativ: Technik als Chance?

Assistenztechnologie im Wohnumfeld — Die Terminalphase des Lebens in h?uslicher Umgebung verbringen zu k?nnen entspricht dem Wunsch der meisten Menschen. In Oldenburg startete mit PAALiativ ein Projekt, mit dem exemplarisch nach M?glichkeiten der technischen Unterstützung für ein selbstbestimmtes Leben Schwerstkranker gesucht wird.     

Süchtige Sammler

Wohnungsdesorganisation bei Sucht - Chaotische Wohnverh?ltnisse lassen sich oft auf eine Suchterkrankung zurückführen. Dabei kann man einen deutlichen Unterschied zwischen Wohnungen von Menschen mit einer Kaufsucht und denen von Menschen mit psychischen St?rungen und Verhaltensst?rungen durch psychotrope Substanzen beobachten.     

A Typology of International New Ventures: Empirical Evidence from High‐Technology Industries

We examine determinants of different types of International New Ventures (INVs), namely Export Start‐up, Geographically Focused Start‐up, Multinational Trader, and Global Start‐up. Whereas this typology of INVs has been widely accepted in the literature, empirical testing of the determinants of INV types is largely missing. Our arguments build on the International New Venture Theory (INVT). Hypotheses generated from our framework are tested on 195 German high‐tech enterprises. Results show that growth orientation, prior international experience, knowledge intensity, product differentiation, and learning orientation distinguish significantly between the different INV types.     

Mein Partner ist dement

LebensAufgabe für pflegende Angeh?rige — Die Betreuung und Pflege eines demenziell erkrankten Familienangeh?rigen stellt nahe Bezugspersonen vor gro?e Herausforderungen. Ohne Unterstützungsangebote brechen viele unter der Last des Alltags zusammen. Pflegekr?fte sollten daher die Belastungsgrenzen von Angeh?rigen erkennen und ihnen rechtzeitig professionelle Hilfe anbieten.     

The case of the ECB: Better to lean against the wind than to fight a hurricane

In the light of the recent financial crisis, the ECB has announced a slight shift in the reading of its monetary policy strategy and acknowledges that the case for a “leaning against the wind” strategy has strengthened. This implies that now, more than ever, the ECB is willing to dampen asset bubbles in the early stage of their formation. This article explains what the ECB can learn from historical asset bubbles in EU eurozone member countries. The empirical analysis indicates that asset bubbles in some member countries are mostly followed by asset bubbles in further member countries, which supports the ECB’s current reading of its monetary policy strategy.     

Toward a More Humanistic Governance Model: Network Governance Structures

This conceptual article suggests a reexamination of current governance structures, specifically those of unitary boards after the financial crisis of 2008. We suggest that the existing governance structures are based on an outdated paradigm of business, rooted in economics. We propose an alternative paradigm, a more humanistic paradigm, which allows conceiving alternative, network-oriented governance structures. As hierarchical firms grow larger and more complex, the risk of failure increases from biases, errors, and missing data in communication and control systems. These problems are exacerbated by information overload on senior managers, directors, and their respective regulators. In contrast to traditional corporate governance, network governance introduces a division of power via multiple boards, checks and balances, and active stakeholder engagement. We argue that those features could have prevented the stresses and failures of financial firms in 2008, since they were anticipated by both individuals within firms and external commentators. However, those exposed to risks possessed insufficient influence in either governing and/or regulating firms to take corrective action.