An Impact Evaluation of Education, Health, and Water Supply Investments by the Bolivian Social Investment Fund

This article reviews the results of an impact evaluation ofsmall-scale rural infrastructure projects in health, water,and education financed by the Bolivian Social Investment Fund.The impact evaluation used panel data on project beneficiariesand control or comparison groups and applied several evaluationmethodologies. An experimental design based on randomizationof the offer to participate in a social fund project was successfulin estimating impact when combined with bounds estimates toaddress noncompliance issues. Propensity score matching wasapplied to baseline data to reduce observable preprogram differencesbetween treatment and comparison groups. Results for educationprojects suggest that although they improved school infrastructure,they had little impact on education outcomes. In contrast, interventionsin health clinics, perhaps because they went beyond simply improvinginfrastructure, raised utilization rates and were associatedwith substantial declines in under-age-five mortality. Investmentsin small community water systems had no major impact on waterquality until combined with community-level training, thoughthey did increase the access to and the quantity of water. Thisincrease in quantity appears to have been sufficient to generatedeclines in under-age-five mortality similar in size to thoseassociated with the health interventions.     

Stratified partial likelihood estimation

When multiple durations are generated by a single unit, they may be related in a way that is not fully captured by the regressors. The omitted unit-specific variables might vary over the durations. They might also be correlated with the variables in the regression component. The authors propose an estimator that responds to these concerns and develop a specification test for detecting unobserved unit-specific effects. Data from Malaysia reveal that concentration of child mortality in some families is imperfectly explained by observed explanatory variables, and that failure to control for unobserved heterogeneity seriously biases the parameter estimates.     

Een eenvoudig macro-economisch model voor Nederland

Summary On the basis of the neo-classical theory of the cycle, developed by D. B. J. Schouten, an effort has been made to introduce some of its elements in an empirical model for the Dutch economy. As far as possible this theory has been used to explain production, investment, employment and wages. The sampling period covered 1953–1965; estimates of the parameters were ordinary least squares estimates. A simulation of the Dutch economy for the period 1953–1968, with only the exogenous variables predetermined, gave satisfying results. System stability tests showed dampened oscillations, each cycle taking about 8 1/2 years.D Symbolenlijst c consumptieve bestedingen van gezinshuishoudingen (p _c ) - ç _a ,c _a bruto produktiecapaciteit van bedrijven (p _ij ) - e uitvoer goederen en diensten (p _e ) - h arbeidsproduktiviteit bij bedrijven (p _ij ) - ,i bruto investeringen van bedrijven, excl. woningbouw en voorraadvorming (p _i ) - l werkgelegenheid bij bedrijven, incl. zelfstandigen - m invoer goederen en diensten (p _m ) - p _i loonsom per man bij bedrijven (P _c ) - q over- of ondercapaciteit bij bedrijven als percentage van de bruto produktiecapaciteit in periodet-1 - v bruto afzet van goederen en diensten, excl. voorraadvorming, primaire inkomens van en naar het buitenland en lonen en salarissen betaald door de overheid (p _v ) - w werkloosheid als percentage van de afhankelijke beroepsbevolking, incl. zelfstandigen - ij bruto produktie van bedrijven (p _ij ) - z bruto beschikbaar overig inkomen (p _i ) Exogene variabelen h _w herwogen wereldhandel - x materiële overheidsuitgaven en woningbouw (p _x )     

Corporate dealings with the network economy

Many companies seek increasing returns and survive only by continually restructuring their organizations. Technological developments, changes in consumer behavior and economic drivers accelerate this process. Companies that want to deal with these phenomena, have to take into account the characteristics of the network economy. This article shows how, depending on the type of network, a corporate strategy with regard to research & development activities, production, sales and finance can be built. The conclusion is that the expected continued rise of the network economy will change the corporate landscape dramatically. Customers, searching for self-actualization, will succeed in their endeavor more often, and so will the companies that are most connected with the stakeholders in the networks in question.     

Investor Relations-Performance Monitor

Unternehmen sehen sich unter anderem aufgrund der Globalisierung der Kapitalm?rkte mit steigenden Anforderungen der Kapitalgeber konfrontiert. Diesen werden sie jedoch, wie verschiedene Studien zeigen, bei weitem nicht immer gerecht. Ziel des vorliegenden Beitrags ist zum einen die konzeptionelle Erarbeitung eines Anforderungskatalogs an eine effiziente Kapitalmarktkommunikation und zum anderen die Gestaltung eines Instruments zur überwachung der Leistungsf?higkeit der Investor Relations (IR)-Arbeit. Ein solches Instrument zur Leistungsmessung kann dann als Grundlage für eine leistungsorientierte Entlohnung oder auch für Budgetierungsentscheidungen im IR-Bereich dienen.