Travel philanthropy and sustainable development: the case of the Plymouth–Banjul Challenge

Travel philanthropy is an evolving phenomenon. It owes its origins to rising frustrations with conventional aid and traditional philanthropic giving and is seen as development assistance enabling resources to flow directly from the tourism industry into community development and conservation initiatives. Philanthropists have long sought to achieve social transformation, and travel philanthropy in all its forms has evolved through the democratization of charity, as a kind of “doing good” through “giving back” whilst travelling. This paper evaluates values, practices and impacts of traditional, modern and post-modern philanthropy. Drawing upon evidence emerging from a longitudinal study, which involved the retrospective evaluation of personal diary entries, participant observations and semi-structured interviews about the transcontinental Plymouth–Banjul (car) Challenge (PBC), it exemplifies how an initiative can evolve across all three philanthropic approaches. It further debates critical understandings of the problematic travel philanthropy concept and its role in stimulating sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa.     

Interpreting DNA Evidence: A Review

The paper provides a review of current issues relating to the use of DNA profiling in forensic science. A short historical section gives the main statistical milestones that occurred during a rapid development of DNA technology and operational uses. Greater detail is then provided for interpretation issues involving STR DNA profiles, including:

• – methods that take account of population substructure in DNA calculations;

• – parallel work carried out by the US National Research Council;

• – the move away from multiple independence testing in favour of experiments that demonstrate the robustness of casework procedures;

• – the questionable practice of source attribution 'with reasonable scientific certainty';

• – the effect on the interpretation of profiles obtained under increasingly sensitive techniques, the LCN technique in particular;

• – the use of DNA profiles as an intelligence tool;

• – the interpretation of DNA mixtures.

Experience of presenting DNA evidence within UK courts is also discussed. The paper then summarises a generic interpretation framework based on the concept of likelihood ratio within a hierarchy of propositions. Finally the use of Bayesian networks to interpret DNA evidence is reviewed.     

How much do farmers value their independence?

A farmer's decision to contract or produce independently depends on the distribution of income and the nonpecuniary attributes associated with both business arrangements. The benefits to growers from contracting (such as risk reduction) may be overestimated if the nonpecuniary benefits enjoyed by independent producers (such as the right to make management decisions and own the commodity produced) are not accounted for. This study uses data from a U.S. national survey of hog producers to estimate (1) the difference in expected net returns between contracting and independent production, (2) the premium a representative farmer would pay for the risk reduction provided by a contract, and (3) the premium a farmer would pay for the nonpecuniary benefits associated with independent production. Results indicate that growers have a strong preference for autonomy—with moderately risk‐averse growers being willing to pay more for the attributes of independent production than they would for the risk‐reducing benefits of a contract.     

Communication between R&D and its customers — a study of BT Laboratories

Aspects of communications between people working in R&D laboratories and their customers in the operating divisions of a company have been analysed, based on a series of in-depth interviews with people working in British Telecommunications plc (BT) Laboratories. Formal and informal communication channels interact to some extent, and their use is affected substantially by the type of customer for a particular project. Senior managers use informal networks to a greater extent than managers at lower levels, and are more likely to communicate about process rather than project matters.     

Stochastic specification of production functions and economic implications

The stochastic specification of input-output response is examined. Postulates are set forth which seem reasonable on the basis of a priori theorizing and observed behavior. It is found that commonly used formulations are restrictive and may lead to inefficient and biased results. A function which satisfies the postulates is suggested. Two- and four-stage procedures for estimation of the resulting function are then outlined. The estimators are shown to be consistent and, in the latter case, asymptotically efficient under normality.     

A general equilibrium model of production with a random marginal rate of substitution

This paper examines the qualitative effects of risk aversion in a two-sector general equilibrium model where uncertainty is due to random production in one of the sectors. Technology is more general than used previously and provides for a random marginal rate of substitution. Also, the possibility that risk is decreasing in factor usage is considered. Results show that earlier qualitative conclusions on the effects of changing risk may be reversed under these cases.     

Experimental Evidence for Attractions to Chance

Divide the decision-maker's future into: (i) a pre-outcome period (lasting from the decision until the outcome of that decision is known), and (ii) a sequel post-outcome period (beginning when the outcome becomes known). Anticipated emotions in both periods may influence the decision, in particular, with regard to an outcome that matters to the person, the enjoyable tension from not yet knowing what this outcome will be. In the experiments presented, lottery choice can be explained by this attraction to chance, and cannot be explained by either convex von Neumann–Morgenstern utility, or by rank-dependent risk-loving weights: attraction to chance is a separate motivator.