Ranking schools: a step toward increased accountability or a mere discriminatory practice?

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the discussion of the effects of published school rankings based on average scores obtained by students on national exams. We study the effectiveness of this (low-stakes) accountability mechanism; we analyze whether students react to these rankings, by moving in or out of high-schools according to their scores and examine the movements of closing of schools. Our results suggest that families react strongly to published rankings. We also look at the changes in the socio-economic background of students of poorly performing schools in order to evaluate whether the publication of rankings has increased inequality, as feared by many observers. According to our results, published rankings do in fact reinforce stratification by income.

The social stock exchange: A quantitative exploration

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Economics from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Voting and Peer Effects: Experimental Evidence from Mozambique*

Voter education campaigns often aim to increase voter particpation and political accountability. We follow randomized interventions implemented nationwide during the 2009 Mozambican elections using a free newspaper, leaflets, and text messaging. We investigate whether treatment effects were transmitted through social networks (kinship and chatting) and geographical proximity. For individuals personally targeted by the campaign, we estimate the reinforcement effect of proximity to other targeted individuals. For untargeted individuals, we estimate the diffusion of the campaign depending on a proximity to targeted individuals. We find evidence for both effects, similar across the different treatments and across the different connectedness measures. We observe that the treatments worked through the networks by raising the levels of information and interest about the election, in line with the average treatment effects of voter education on voter participation. We interpret this result as a free riding effect, likely to occur for costly actions

Is Information Power? Using Mobile Phones and Free Newspapers during an Election in Mozambique*

African elections often reveal low levels of political accountability. We assess different forms of voter education during an election in Mozambique. Three interventions providing information to voters and calling for their electoral participation were randomized; an SMS-based information campaign, an SMS hotline for electoral misconduct, and the distribution of a free newspaper. To measure impact, we look at official electoral results, reports by electoral observers, behavioral and survey data. We find positive effects of all treatments on voter turnout. We observe that the distribution of the newspaper led to more accountability-based participation and to a decrease in electoral problems.

Determinants of export diversification and sophistication in sub-saharan Africa

This paper studies the political and economic factors that determine successful export diversification (ED) and export sophistication (ES) strategies in the Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries and also the way in which successful ED and sophistication strategies contribute to explain the improving in some of the millennium development goals (MDG). We run separate regressions for the determinants of ES and ED, using disaggregated data of the 48 SSA countries, from 1960 to 2005. The results suggest that better governance is an important determinant for the success of diversification and sophistication strategies in SSA. In particular the level of corruption, transparency and accountability are important factors in limiting or promoting the scope of diversification and the level of sophistication of the exports. The results also suggest that increases in human capital in SSA countries promote both ED and ES, showing that the level of education of the workforce is positively related with ES and ED, with higher levels of education (tertiary) playing a more important role in explaining ES, while lower levels of education (primary) being more important as determinants of ED. In the second part we explore the links between ED and ES and growth presenting evidence that ED and ES are linked to growth stability in SSA. This study also suggests that the Sub-Saharan countries that were more successful in achieving ED and ES tend to be more successful in improving the living conditions of their population. Using different variables of Infant Mortality (one of the MDG) and life expectancy as dependent variables, we present evidence that suggests that in SSA higher ED and ES are associated with lower infant mortality and higher life expectancy. We show that this result is robust, presenting positive and significant results even when a large number of different control variables are introduced, or when fixed effects and instrumental variables are considered. The evidence suggests that ED and ES are part of the solution for a successful development of SSA.

Optimal job design in the presence of implicit contracts

We characterize the optimal job design in a multitasking environment when the firms rely on implicit incentive contracts (i.e., bonus payments). Two natural forms of job design are compared: (i) individual accountability, where each agent is assigned to a particular job and assumes full responsibility for its outcome; and (ii) team accountability, where a group of agents share responsibility for a job and are jointly accountable for its outcome. The key trade-off is that team accountability mitigates the multitasking problem but may weaken the implicit contracts. The optimal job design follows a cut-off rule: firms with high reputation concerns opt for team accountability, whereas firms with low reputation concerns opt for individual accountability. Team accountability is more likely the more acute the multitasking problem is. However, the cut-off rule need not hold if the firm combines implicit incentives with explicit pay-per-performance contracts.

Migrant networks and political participation in Mozambique

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Economics from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Drivers of China's foreign direct investment into Africa

We assess the determinants of Chinese direct investment in Africa compared with those of global FDI. We find that economic size and macroeconomic stability are positively correlated with Chinese and global FDI in Africa. Institutional variables, such as accountability and rule of law, are not significant in either case and the same can be said about FDI-aid complementarities. The presence of oil is a determinant of Chinese FDI but not of global FDI into Africa. Conversely, the openness of the economy is a determinant for global FDI but not of Chinese FDI, which appears to favour closed economies possibly due to industrial organizational concerns. While these differences accord with intuition, we find no evidence for the claim that Chinese FDI in Africa is related to non-economic governance in a specific way that differs from global practice. More refined governance indicators should be used to verify whether Chinese and global FDI into Africa remain indistinguishable on this score: we plan to do this in future research.

Corporate social responsibility levels and firm performance: Evidence from countries in crisis

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Finance from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Smart-RBAC

Generally, smart campus applications do not consider the role of the user with his/her position in a university environment, consequently irrelevant information is delivered to the users. This dissertation proposes a location-based access control model, named Smart-RBAC, extending the functionality of Role-based Access Control Model (RBAC) by including user’s location as the contextual attribute, to solve the aforementioned problem. Smart-RBAC model is designed with a focus on content delivery to the user in order to offer a feasible level of flexibility, which was missing in the existing location-based access control models. An instance of the model, derived from Liferay’s RBAC, is implemented by creating a portal application to test and validate the Smart-RBAC model. Additionally, portlet-based applications are developed to assess the suitability of the model in a smart campus environment. The evaluation of the model, based on a popular theoretical framework, demonstrates the model’s capability to achieve some security goals like “Dynamic Separation of Duty” and “Accountability”. We believe that the Smart-RBAC model will improve the existing smart campus applications since it utilizes both, role and location of the user, to deliver content.

Co-criação de valor do consumidor : impacto na fidelização do paciente ao médico

RESUMO - Confrontados por uma procura mais ativa e exigente e pressionados por uma maior restrição orçamental, os prestadores de saúde têm vindo a reconhecer o Marketing de Fidelização como uma solução sustentável para o seu sucesso financeiro. Assim, a autora explora como se desenvolve a cocriação de valor do consumidor no setor de saúde, nomeadamente, as interações, os atores e as atividades envolvidas na gestão e tratamento da doença. O projeto de investigação foca-se particularmente na cocriação de valor entre o médico regular e o paciente. Foi realizada uma pesquisa exploratória de natureza qualitativa. Os dados recolhidos na APDP, a uma amostra de 16 pacientes diabéticos através da técnica de entrevistas aprofundadas, revelaram que os estilos práticos de criação de valor do consumidor (CVCPS) desenvolvido por McColl-Kennedy et al. (2012) adequam-se às características desta doença. Os resultados do estudo sustentam que os pacientes com estilos práticos de cocriação de valor do consumidor “Parceria” e “Gestor de equipa” tendem a estar associados a um nível de fidelização elevado, pelo que se sugere que estes estilos sejam encorajados pelos prestadores. Em contraste, o Estilo de cocriação “Colaboração Passiva” está potencialmente associado a níveis de fidelização reduzidos, o que também sugere que a participação do paciente no seu relacionamento com o médico possa ser um fator potenciador da sua fidelização. O presente projeto de Investigação pretende ser um contributo teórico para investigação futura na área da cocriação e fidelização, com uma aplicação empírica que contribui para uma maior extensividade dos benefícios da cocriação de valor do consumidor para a Gestão em Saúde.

How to improve Sonae's processes of suppliers of services' management?

Sonae is one of the greatest retailers in Portugal. As the business got bigger, it centralized operations. Direcção de Serviços Administrativos processes all invoices sent by suppliers. However, there are many which deliver errors and are not processed automatically. As a result, there are lost invoices and suppliers who are not paid, while the company’s accountability becomes less transparent. Such is due to a lack of proactive attitude towards suppliers as well as to a lack of incentives for employees to perform well. Great savings may be achieved with little effort, if the right things are measured so that the right tools may be applied.

Shiva's dance: Crisis, local institutions and private firms

The uneven spatial distribution of start-ups and their respective survival may reflect comparative advantages resulting from the local institutional background. For the first time, we explore this idea using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to assess the relative efficiency of Portuguese municipalities in this specific context. We depart from the related literature where expenditure is perceived as a desirable input by choosing a measure of fiscal responsibility and infrastructural variables in the first stage. Comparing results for 2006 and 2010, we find that mean performance decreased substantially 1) with the effects of the Global Financial Crisis, 2) as municipal population increases and 3) as financial independence decreases. A second stage is then performed employing a double-bootstrap procedure to evaluate how the regional context outside the control of local authorities (e.g. demographic characteristics and political preferences) impacts on efficiency.

UK Mental health professionals volunteering in LMIC-benefits to UK and host countries

RESUMO: O Royal College of Psychiatrists tem um programa de voluntariado internacional desde 2005. O interesse no Reino Unido tem crescido nos últimos 15 anos com muitos projetos novos. Os benefícios para vários países têm sido reconhecidos. O que está menos claro são os benefícios da experiência para o Reino Unido e do programa de voluntariado do Royal College of Psychiatrists. O objectivo desta dissertação é explorar os benefícios do voluntariado para o Sistema Nacional de Saúde focando principalmente, mas não exclusivamente, o programa de voluntariado do Royal College of Psychiatrists. Nesta dissertação abordamos primeiro o contexto antes de discutirmos dois grandes estudos de psiquiatras e hospitais do Sistema Nacional de Saúde no Reino Unido. Incluimos no estudo todos os psiquiatras registados como Voluntários no Royal College of Psychiatrists e o Grupo de Interesse Especial associado. Foi ainda possível incluir os Diretores Médicos de todos os hospitais do Reino Unido. Os estudos foram desenhados para analisar as opiniões dos Voluntários do Reino Unido sobre os benefícios para os países recetores de baixo e médio rendimento e para o Reino Unido. Todos os 60 hospitais do Sistema Nacional de Saúde foram incluí dos para analisar a opinião sobre Voluntariado. As limitações dos estudos foram a baixa taxa de resposta, mas esta foi comparável a outros estudos do College. É provável haver um enviezamento de resposta e favorecimento dos que estão envolvidos no Voluntariado. Os resultados mostraram um interesse forte no voluntariado e benefícios no Sistema Nacional de Saúde, nas. áreas de liderança, transculturalismo, gestão e recursos e capacidades pessoais. Os hospitais do Sistema Nacional de Saúde valorizaram o voluntariado e, em contrapartida, o valor acrescido para competências profissionais. Os obstáculos contra o Voluntariado a nível individual e dos hospitais foram maioritariamente de natureza prática, tais como obter dispensa do trabalho, substituição no trabalho e custos. As implicações destes estudos são que o programa de voluntariado do College precisa de ser fortalecido. Para assegurar que este trabalho continua é necessário existir uma sensibilização nacional e maior responsabilização sobre os benefícios para o Reino Unido e a nível global. -------------------------- ABSTRACT: The Royal College of Psychiatrists has had an international volunteering programme since 2005. The interest in UK has grown over the past 15 years with many new projects. The benefits in various countries has been acknowledged. What has been less clear are the benefits of the experience back in the UK and of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Volunteer Scheme. The aim of this dissertation is to explore the benefit of volunteering to the NHS focusing mainly, but not exclusively on the Royal College of Psychiatrists Volunteering scheme. In this dissertation we first look at background information before discussing two large surveys of Psychiatrists and NHS Trusts in UK. We surveyed all those registered as Volunteers at the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the associated Special Interest Group. We also were able to survey the Medical Directors of all UK Trusts. The Surveys were designed to assess views of UK Volunteers of benefits to hosts in LMIC and back in UK. All 60 NHS Trusts were surveyed to assess the view of Volunteering. Limitation of the surveys were the low response rate but this was comparable to other College surveys. There is likely to be a bias in response and favour those who are engaged in the Volunteering agenda. Results showed a strong interest in volunteering and perceived benefits in NHS. These areas included leadership, transcultural, resource management and personal skills. NHS trusts valued volunteering and added value to professional competencies on return. Obstacles to Volunteering at individual and Trust level were mainly practical issues such as getting time off, cover and costs. Implications of these surveys are that the College volunteering scheme needs strengthening. There needs to be a National advocacy to ensure that this work continues and greater accountability as to benefits in UK and globally.

Comuns: An Open-Data Provider, Explorer and Analytic Toolbox Based on FOSS

Contém resumo