How to Compare Apples And Oranges: Poverty Measurement Based on Different Definitions of Consumption

Poverty rates calculated on the basis of household consumption expenditures are routinely compared across countries and time. The surveys which underlie these comparisons typically differ in the types of food and non-food expenditures included, often in ways which are easily overlooked by analysts. With several examples we demonstrate that these commonly occurring variations in expenditure definitions can give rise to marked differences in poverty rates where there are no real differences in well-being. We show that one approach to calculating poverty lines, used with the headcount measure of poverty, can allow comparisons based on data with different definitions of consumption. In addition to allowing comparative poverty analysis using existing survey data, the results suggest that poverty monitoring could be done effectively at lower cost by alternating detailed expenditure surveys with far more abbreviated surveys.     

Implementing multiple perspective feedback: An integrated framework

Despite the recent popularity of multiple perspective feedback systems, there is little theory to guide research in this area and to promote the successful implementation of multiple perspective feedback in organizations. By integrating organizational development and individual performance perspectives, a theoretical framework is developed that illustrates the mechanisms by which feedback can lead to improved individual, work group, and organizational performance. According to this framework, when the structure and systems of the organization are congruent with the goals of the feedback program, feedback positively influences individual performance determinants (e.g., declarative knowledge, motivation). This leads to improved individual performance, which contributes to desired organizational outcomes. Based on this framework, practical questions that should be addressed before a feedback process is implemented are presented.     

Analysing the Agricultural Costs and Non‐market Benefits of Implementing the Water Framework Directive

Implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) represents a fundamental change in the management of water in Europe with a requirement that member states ensure ‘good ecological status’ for all water bodies by 2015. Agriculture is expected to bear a major share of WFD implementation costs as it is compelled to reduce the emission of diffuse water pollutants. The research outlined here comprises interdisciplinary modelling of agricultural land use, hydrology and consequent water quality effects to consider both agricultural costs and the non‐market recreational use (and potentially non‐use) values that implementation of the Directive may generate. A theme throughout the research is the spatial distribution of the costs and benefits of WFD implementation, which is addressed through the use of GIS techniques in the modelling of agricultural land use, the integration of land use and hydrological models, and the estimation, aggregation and transfer of the economic value of the benefits.     

Tax multipliers and monetary policy: Evidence from a threshold model

Romer and Romer (2010) use the narrative record to generate a time series of exogenous shocks to fiscal policy. They report a tax multiplier of 3.0. We extend their analysis and allow for nonlinearities between their shocks and the effects on output by estimating a threshold regression model. Using Hansen’s (1997) procedure, we find the best fitting threshold is changes in the federal fund rate with a delay of two quarters. Moreover, we find that the tax multiplier is approximately 4.3 if accompanied by an accommodative monetary policy and approximately 1.2 under tight monetary policy.     

Expanding leadership diversity through formal mentoring programs

To attract and retain people, it is essential that organizations design and successfully implement programs and processes that develop people and nurture their talents. For those who aspire to a leadership role, the opportunity to engage in mentoring relationships with senior‐level leaders is a powerful way to accelerate growth. In the majority of informal mentoring relationships, mentors and protégés share similar racial, gender, and cultural backgrounds. Senior leaders in most large organizations are still primarily white males. As a result, it can be difficult for people from diverse backgrounds who aspire to higher level leadership roles to find senior executives with whom they can develop a mentoring relationship. To address this challenge, some organizations have implemented formal mentoring programs that are specifically designed to facilitate development of people from diverse backgrounds. Unfortunately, previous research studies conducted on the impact of formal mentoring relationships have shown that these programs do not consistently achieve the desired outcomes. The change intervention described in this article suggests that formal mentoring programs can significantly influence the movement of protégés from diverse backgrounds into higher level leadership positions.     

The economics of a stock pollutant: Aldicarb on Long Island

This paper develops a dynamic model of groundwater contamination by the pesticide aldicarb on eastern Long Island. We estimate what the likely concentration would have been under static profit maximization and the marginal damage coefficient implied by the New York State health standard of 7 ppb. Based on our model, it appears that the concentration of aldicarb will not decline below 7 ppb until 1996 and that the shadow price of the current health standard is about $475,000 per year.     

Integrated assessment of water framework directive nitrate reduction measures

This article illustrates a statistical approach for deriving farm economic impacts of policy options aiming to reduce nitrate diffuse pollution. Building upon Fezzi et al. (2008) , who assess the costs of Water Framework Directive‐related measures on farm accounts data, we estimate regression models allowing such costs to be predicted for any region for which land use patterns and livestock numbers are known. We derive economic impacts in terms of changes in farm gross margin for (a) reducing inorganic fertilizer application, (b) reducing livestock stocking rates, and (c) converting arable land to ungrazed grassland. A case study of the agriculturally diverse Yorkshire Derwent catchment, in the North of England, demonstrates the overall approach. In addition, for this illustration, we combine these cost estimates with prediction of the water quality changes arising from each measure, derived via an integrated hydrological model of the Derwent. This allows a comparison of cost‐effectiveness. Finally, we implement our spatially explicit approach to target the measures to specific subcatchments identified as being of particular environmental policy interest.