In Memory of Dr. Ali Al-Gritly (1913-1982): His Views on Egypt's experience with Socialism

This essay reexamines the great contributions made by Dr. Ali Al-Gritly to Egypt. He was the finance minister for a short period at the beginning of the 1950s and later was appointed as chairman of the Bank of Alexandria. In 1966, he completed a book (Al-Gritly [1966 (1974)]) on the economic history of Egypt. However, the book was banned from publication due to irresistible circumstances. At that time, with Arab Socialism on the ascendance, his views on certain policies were not welcomed by the top political hierarchy. In 1974, the book was finally allowed to be published, and he wrote and published another book in 1977 (Al-Gritly [1977]) on the development of the Open Door Policy and the new economic policies accompanying it.

How does contract design affect the uptake of microcredit among the ultra-poor? : experimental evidence from the river islands of Northern Bangladesh

Despite the professed claims of microcredit alleviating poverty, little is known about what kind of credit contract is suitable for extremely poor households, also called the ultra-poor. To fill this knowledge gap, we initiated a field experiment in the river islands of northern Bangladesh, where a substantial portion of dwellers could be categorized as ultra-poor due to cyclic floods. We randomly offered four types of loans to such dwellers: regular small cash loans with one-year maturity, large cash loans with three-year maturity both with and without a one-year grace period, and in-kind livestock loans with three-year maturity and a one-year grace period. We compared uptake rates as well as the determinants of uptake and found that the uptake rate is the lowest for the regular contract, followed by the in-kind contract. Contrary to prior belief, we also found that the microcredit demand by the ultra-poor is not necessarily small, and in particular the ultra-poor are significantly more likely to join a microcredit program than the moderately poor if a grace period with longer maturity is attached to a large amount of credit, irrespective of whether the credit is provided in cash or in kind. This paper provides evidence that a typical microcredit contract with one-year maturity and without a grace period is not attractive to the ultra-poor. Microfinance institutions may need to design better credit contracts to address the poor's needs.

Experimental tests in human-robot collision evaluation and characterization of a new safety index for robot operation

This paper describes an experimental procedure consisting of impact tests that simulate a collision of a human head with an industrial robot with the aim to validate a safety index named as New Index for Robots (NIR) and its outputs. The experiments in this paper are based on lab tests. It is an attempt to characterize the NIR index underlying the main parameters that are involved in crash interaction and to highlight limitations and weakness of suggested impact tests.

Engineer Leandro Badarán’s project to safeguard the fortresses of Alicante in 1794

After the construction of the San Carlos bastion in Alicante in the final decade of the seventeenth century, and the great trench which the English built around the district of San Francisco during their years of dominance in the War of Succession, the waters of the San Blas gully caused serious damage to these fortifications of the city and to the trade buildings of the port. In 1772, the diversion canal was built. It was designed to divert the riverbed of the gully and send the waters directly to the sea. The project had been initially designed by the Engineer General, Jorge Próspero de Verboom in 1721. This unique work of engineering had some defects, principally in the breakwater which prevented the waters from flowing down the former river course. On several occasions, the water returned to its original riverbed due to the weakness of the breakwater, the narrowness of the channel’s bed and its lack of regularisation, causing serious damage to the bastion, the Babel-facing façade, the traders’ warehouses and other buildings. This study describes the project that the military engineer Leandro Badarán carried out in 1794 in order to technically improve this canal and examines his report on the state of the fortifications. Similar works built in Spain are also explained. It also analyses the repeated disputes between the war department and the port throughout these years over finding a technical solution to the problem.

Avaliação do impacto do horizonte temporal nas estimativas de EAD de linhas de crédito com limites explícitos a PME

Tese de mestrado em Matemática Aplicada à Economia e Gestão, apresentada à Universidade de Lisboa, através da Faculdade de Ciências, 2016

The Party of Regions monopolises power in Ukraine. OSW Commentary No. 40, 2010-09-29

Since the Party of Regions took power in Ukraine, the process of strengthening the executive branch of government at the expense of the others, together with the instrumental use of the law, has been progressing steadily. By seeking to restrict criticism of the government, the ruling party is aiming at marginalisation of opposition groups and establishing informal control over the main media (largely by exerting pressure on their owners). The role of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) is growing, as it is used increasingly frequently to put pressure on Western-oriented NGOs. The government’s control over the judiciary is expanding. These trends had existed before the Party of Regions’ ascension to power, but they were much weaker, as the previous governments did not enjoy such a strong position or the ability to achieve their ends so efficiently. The Party of Regions is planning to take another step towards total power during the local elections scheduled for October 2010. The party is determined to establish control over the local self-governments; to this end, it has amended the legislation in a way which now undermines local civil initiatives. These changes not only illustrate the interests and political standpoint of the ruling elite; they also result from systemic reasons, and these are deeply rooted in the Soviet past. The present Ukrainian state has evolved through the evolutionary transformation of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. As a result, the main features of the previous system have been sustained, including the weakness of the representative bodies and the instrumental use of the law. Twenty years into its independent development, Ukraine has developed a merely formal democracy, which is distant from EU standards.

Where is the credit crunch in Greece? CEPS Commentary, 6 October 2015

Greek policy-makers like to make the point that their economy cannot recover because of a lack of credit and that this affects exports, in particular. Austerity is an easy explanation for the weakness of domestic demand, argues Daniel Gros in this CEPS Commentary, but it is more difficult to see why Greek exports have stagnated in recent years. The author considers the argument that the Greek economy could not recover via export-led growth because of a credit crunch. The overall availability of credit was higher than GDP, and interest rates remained relatively low. There is some indication of a misallocation of bank credit, but the responsibility for any mistakes in this direction must lie squarely with the government and the Troika, given that the Greek banking system has been under government control since 2012.

Stable oxygen isotope ratios of Globigerinoides sacculifer from sediment core RC09-150 from the southeastern Indian Ocean

Oxygen isotopic and microfaunal analyses and shell size variations of Orbulina universa in two Indian Ocean cores indicate that the position of the Subtropical Convergence has fluctuated between a northern limit north of 31°S during glacial stages and its present, maximum southern limit. The northward displacement of the Subtropical Convergence to a position off Durban, South Africa, reflects the general weakness of the Agulhas Current during glacial stages and parts of interglacial stages, representing about 65 percent of the past 540,000 years.

Determinants of residential construction : a review of present knowledge /

"October 1959."

Money trust investigation. Investigation of financial and monetary conditions in the United States under House resolutions nos. 429 and 504, before a subcommittee of the Committee on banking and currency. (In four volumes) ....

The hearings, paged continuously, as in this issue, were published also in current numbers. The "Report of the committee appointed pursuant to House resolutions 429 and 504 to investigate the concentration of control of money and credit", together with "Views of the minority" by Everis A. Hayes, Frank E. Guernsey and William H. Heald, and "Views of Mr. McMorran", was published as House rept. 1593, 62d Cong., 3d sess. The "Report" without minority views, and the "Minority report of Henry McMorran" were also published separately without document series notes.

Report of financial condition and operations as of ... /

Description based on: Jan. 31, 1946; title from cover.

People's banks: a record of social and economic success,

Introduction. -- The general idea. -- The two problems. -- The two aspects of the question. -- Credit to agriculture. -- The "credit associations" of Schulze-Delizsch. -- Raiffeisen village banks. -- Adaptations. -- "Assisted" co-operative credit. -- Co-operative credit in Austria and Hungary. -- The "Banche popolari" of Italy. -- The "Casse rurali" of Italy. -- Co-operative credit in Belgium. -- Co-operative credit in Switzerland. -- Co-operative credit in France. -- Offshoots and congerers. -- Co-operative credit in India. -- Conclusion. -- Index.

The Long and Winding Road: Heterogeneity in the Form and Timing of Postsecondary Education

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Partial completion of activity in business process specification

We examine the current workflow modelling capability from a new angle and demonstrate a weakness of current workflow specification languages in relation to execution of activities. This shortcoming is mainly due to serious limitations of the corresponding computational/execution model behind the business process modelling language constructs. The main purpose of this paper is the introduction of new specification/modelling constructs allowing for more precise representation of complex activity states during its execution. This new concept enables visibility of a new activity state–partial completion of activity, which in turn allows for a more flexible and precise enforcement/monitoring of automated business processes.

Assessing the capability to acquire and absorb technology within the public sector in developing countries : the case of Kuwait

The aim of this research is to assess the acquisition and absorption technology capabilities of the public sector in developing countries, with specific focus on the State of Kuwait. The assessment process of these two capabilities was conducted using a model originally designed for the private sector. In addition, the research aims to propose a framework to enhance the technological capability of developing countries, as well as the performance of the public sector. To achieve these aims, an investigation of the technology process to three public ministries in Kuwait was conducted. The prime interest of this investigation was to evaluate the role of the transferred technology in enhancing the indigenous technological capability of the public sector. The research is based on a case study approach, comprising a main case study (Ministry of Electricity and Water) and three minor case studies. Based on the outcomes from an extensive literature review and the preliminary sectoral visits, the research question and four hypotheses were formulated. These hypotheses were then tested using interview-based survey and documentation. The findings of the research revealed the weakness of the acquisition and absorption technological capabilities of the public sector. Consequently, the public sector relies extensively on foreign contractors and expatriates to compensate for this weakness. Also, it was found that Kuwait Government has not taken the necessary measures to develop its technological capability. This research has proposed a framework which could lead, if properly managed, to the enhancement of indigenous capability. It has also proposed how to improve performance and productivity in the public sector. Finally, the findings suggest that the assessment model, with minor adjustment, is applicable to the public sector.