Case Study of Applied LIP Approach/Activities in the Philippines The Training Services Enhancement Project for Rural Life Improvement (TSEP-RLI) Experience

TSEP-RLI was a technical cooperation project jointly conducted by GOP thru DA-Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) and GOJ thru JICA aimed at institutionalizing the training program for Rural Life Improvement (RLI) at the (ATI). As expected, farmers, fisherfolk, women, youth and extension agents were provided with efficient and effective training services from ATI leading to the improvement of quality of life in the rural areas through efforts of human resource development. The ATI- Bohol was chosen as the model center where participatory trials and various activities of the project were undertaken for five years. These activities were participatory surveys and data collection of on-farm and off-farm productive activities; planning workshop for RLI; feedbacking of survey results and action plans to the community and the Local Government Units (LGUs), and signing of Memorandum of Agreement between the Project and participating LGUs. The above activities were done to facilitate the planning and development of most effective and necessary rural life improvement activities, to confirm the willingness of the people to support and participate and to formalize the partnership between the Project and the LGUs. Since the concept of rural life covers a vast range of activities, a consensus had been reached that the total aspects of rural life be grasped in three spheres, namely, Production & Livelihood (P/L), Rural Living Condition (RLC) and Community Environment (C/E). The RLI for Ubi (Yam) Growers was one of the pilot activities undertaken in two pilot barangays and the target beneficiaries were members of the Rural Improvement Club (RIC- a group of organized women) with the LGU of the Municipality of Corella as the implementing partner. During the planning workshop, the barangay residents articulated their desire to promote production and processing of ubi (sphere on P/L - as the entry point), lack of nutritious food was one of the identified problem (sphere on RLC- expansion point) and environmental degradation such as deforestation, and soil erosion was another problem articulated by the community people (sphere on C/E- expansion point). Major activities that were undertaken namely, Ubi cooking contest, cooking/processing seminar, training courses on entrepreneurial development, ubi production and storage technology, packaging and product design, human resource development and simplified bookkeeping motivated the beneficiaries as well as developed and enhanced their skills & capabilities while strengthening their associations. Their participation to the 5 ubi festivals and other related activities had brought some impacts on their economic and rural life improvement activities. The seven principles of TSEP-RLI include the participatory process, holistic approach, dialogical approach, bottom -up training needs assessment, demand-driven approach, cost sharing approach and collaborative implementation with other agencies including LGUs and the community.

Behavioral characteristics of applied general equilibrium models with an Armington-Krugman-Melitz encompassing module

This paper explore how simulation results change with different choice of trade specification, and the strength of preference for traded variety by economic agent differs, utilizing two types of three-region, three-sector AGE model that includes the Armington-Krugman-Melitz Encompassing module based on Dixon and Rimmer (2012). Simulation experiments reveal that: (1) the Melitz-type specification does not always enhance effectiveness of a certain policy change more than the one obtained with the Krugman-type, especially when economic agents' preference for traded variety is not so strong; (2) there are likely to be points where the volumes of effects obtained with the Melitz-type exceed the ones with the Krugman-type; and (3) the preference of the producers, those who are in the sectors that exhibit increasing returns to scale, for traded variety might be the engine of explosive effects as suggested by Fujita, et al. (2000).

Monetary Effervescence: A Sociological Theory of Religion Applied to Money

This project attempts to answer the question "What holds the construction of money together?" by asserting that it is money's religious nature which provides the moral compulsion for people to use, and continue to uphold, money as a socially constructed concept. This project is primarily descriptive and focuses on the religious nature of money by employing a sociological theory of religion in viewing money as a technical concept. This is an interdisciplinary work between religious studies, economics, and sociology and draws heavily from Emile Durkheim's 'The Elementary Forms of Religious Life' as well as work related to heterodox theories of money developed by Geoffrey Ingham, A. Mitchell Innes, and David Graeber. Two new concepts are developed: the idea of monetary sacrality and monetary effervescence, both of which serve to recharge the religious saliency of money. By developing the concept of monetary sacrality, this project shows how money acts to interpret our economic relations while also obfuscating complex power dynamics in society, making them seem naturally occurring and unchangeable. The project also shows how our contemporary fractional reserve banking system contributes to money's collective effervescence and serves to animate economic acting within a monetary network. The project concludes by outlining multiple implications for religious studies, economics, sociology, and central banking.

The principles of political economy : applied to the condition, the resources, and the institutions of the American people /

Mode of access: Internet.

Policies for saving a rare Australian glider: economics and ecology

This paper considers the economics of conserving a species with mainly non-use value, the endangered mahogany glider. Three serial surveys of Brisbane residents provide data on the knowledge of respondents about the mahogany glider. The results supply information about the attitudes of respondents to the mahogany glider, to its conservation and relevant public policies, and about variations in these factors as the knowledge of participants of the mahogany glider alters. Similarly, data are provided and analysed about the willingness to pay of respondents to conserve the mahogany glider and how it changes. Population viability analysis is applied to estimate the required habitat area for a minimum viable population of the mahogany glider to ensure at least a 95% probability of its survival for 100 years. Places are identified in Queensland where the requisite minimum area of critical habitat can be conserved. Using the survey results as a basis, the likely willingness of groups of Australians to pay for the conservation of the mahogany glider is estimated and consequently their willingness to pay for the minimum required area of its habitat. Methods for estimating the cost of protecting this habitat are outlined. Australia-wide benefits are estimated to exceed the costs. Establishing a national park containing the minimum viable population of the mahogany glider is an appealing management option. This would also be beneficial in conserving other endangered wildlife species and ecosystems. Therefore, additional economic benefits to those estimated on account of the mahogany glider itself can be obtained. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The economics of inclusion body processing

Many recombinant proteins are often over-expressed in host cells, such as Escherichia coli, and are found as insoluble and inactive protein aggregates known as inclusion bodies (IBs). Recently, a novel process for IB extraction and solubilisation, based on chemical extraction, has been reported. While this method has the potential to radically intensify traditional IB processing, the process economics of the new technique have yet to be reported. This study focuses on the evaluation of process economics for several IB processing schemes based on chemical extraction and/or traditional techniques. Simulations and economic analysis were conducted at various processing conditions using granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor, expressed as IBs in E. coli, as a model protein. In most cases, IB processing schemes based on chemical extraction having a shorter downstream cascade demonstrated a competitive economic edge over the conventional route, validating the new process as an economically more viable alternative for IB processing.

A comparison of sales response predictions from demand models applied to store-level versus panel data

In order to generate sales promotion response predictions, marketing analysts estimate demand models using either disaggregated (consumer-level) or aggregated (store-level) scanner data. Comparison of predictions from these demand models is complicated by the fact that models may accommodate different forms of consumer heterogeneity depending on the level of data aggregation. This study shows via simulation that demand models with various heterogeneity specifications do not produce more accurate sales response predictions than a homogeneous demand model applied to store-level data, with one major exception: a random coefficients model designed to capture within-store heterogeneity using store-level data produced significantly more accurate sales response predictions (as well as better fit) compared to other model specifications. An empirical application to the paper towel product category adds additional insights. This article has supplementary material online.

A fizikai matematika legújabb eredményei mint a közgazdaság-tudomány lehetséges vizsgálati eszközei (The newest results of physical mathematics as the possible investigation tools of economics)

A közgazdaság-tudomány számos problémája a fizika analóg modelljeinek segítségével nyert megoldást. A közgazdászok körében erőteljesen megoszlanak a vélemények, hogy a közgazdasági modellek mennyire redukálhatók a fizika, vagy más természettudományok eredményeire. Vannak,akik pontosan ezzel magyarázzák,hogy a mai mainstream közgazdasági elmélet átalakult alkalmazott matematikává,ami a gazdasági kérdéseket csak a társadalom-tudományi vonatkozásaitól eltekintve képes vizsgálni. Mások, e tanulmányszerzője is, viszont úgy vélekednek, hogy a közgazdasági problémák egy része, ahol lehetőség van a mérésre, jól modellezhetők a természettudományok technikai arzenáljával. A másik része, amelyekben nem lehet mérni,s tipikusan ilyenek a társadalomtudományi kérdések, ott sokkal komplexebb technikákra lesz szükség. Etanulmány célkitűzése, hogy felvázolja a fizika legújabb, az irreverzibilis dinamika, a relativitáselmélet és a kvantummechanika sztochasztikus matematikai összefüggéseit, amelyekből a közgazdászok választhatnak egy-egy probléma megfogalmazásában és megoldásában. Például az időoperátorok pontos értelmezése jelentős fordulatot hozhat a makroökonómiai elméletekben; vagy az eddigi statikus egyensúlyi referencia pontokat felválthatják a dinamikus,időben változó sztochasztikus egyensúlyi referenciafüggvények, ami forradalmian új megvilágításba helyezhet számos társadalomtudományi, s főleg nemegyensúlyi közgazdasági kérdést.A termodinamika és a biológiai evolúció fogalmait és definícióit Paul A. Samuelson (1947) már adaptálta a közgazdaságtanban, viszont a kvantummechanika legújabb eredményeit, az időoperátorokat stb. nem érintette. E cikk azokat a legújabb fizikai, kémiai és biológiai matematikai összefüggéseket foglalja össze,amelyek hasznosak lehetnek a közgazdasági modellek komplexebb megfogalmazásához. ___________________ The aim of this paper is to out line the newest results of physics,i.e.,the stochastic mathematical relations of relativity theory and quantum mechanics as well as irreversible dynamics which can be applied for some economic problems.For example,the correct interpretation of time operators using for the macroeconomic theories may provide a serious improvement in approach to the reality.The stochastic dynamic equilibrium reference functions will take over the role of recent static equilibrium reference points,which may also reveal some nonequilibrium questions of macroeconomics.The concepts and definitions of thermodynamics and biological evolution have been adopted in economics by Paul A. Samuelson, but he did not concern the newest results of quantum mechanics, e.g., the time operators. Now we do it.In addition, following Samuelson,we show that von Neumann growth model cannot be explained as a peculiar extension of thermodynamic irreversibility.

A kivonulás-tiltakozás-hűség fogalomhármas közgazdaságtani relevanciája a 21. században = The relevance of "exit, voice and loyalty" theory in 21st-century economics

A dolgozat a politikatudomány és közgazdaság-tudomány határán álló kivonulás-tiltakozás-hűség modell lényegét járja körbe. Az Albert O. Hirschman által felépített gondolati keret szemléleti frissessége és sajátos megközelítési módja rendkívül termékenyítően hatott az elmúlt évtizedekben a társadalomtudományok fejlődésére. Mégis viszonylag periferikus helyet foglal el a közgazdaság-tudományon belül, miközben például a rendszerváltás és az azt követő társadalmi feszültségek megjelenése szempontjából is sokoldalúan használható fogalmi keretről van szó. A válság indukálta turbulens környezet még inkább rávilágít arra, hogy ma is időszerű perspektívát kínál a hanyatlás politikai gazdaságtana, azaz hasznos elemzési kapaszkodó nyújt az úgynevezett Hirschman-trilemma a társadalmi és gazdasági folyamatok értelmezéséhez. ________ The article concerns the "exit, voice, and loyalty" concept, which straddles the border of political science and economics. This theoretical framework, invented by Albert O. Hirschman, has exercised a fruitful influence in the social sciences in the last few decades, through its fresh features and original approach. However, it holds a peripheral position in economics and plays an undervalued role in eco-nomic education in Hungary, even though it can be flexibly applied in analyses of such phenomena as the economic transition and the ensuing social tensions. Moreover the very turbulence of the conditions brought about by the crisis show that the political economy of decline offers a relevant perspective, so that the Hirschman trilemma is a practical analytical tool for understanding social and economic processes.

Global crises: Is the Keynesian recipe relevant if applied under a global governance?

Keynesian policy was quite successful in the post-war decades in Western Europe, but by the late 1960s lost its efficiency due to changes in conditions rather than its mistaken logic. The lesson from the first global crisis erupting in early 1970s and also from the subsequent several crises since then is that the increasing crisis propensity of the world economy is rooted in its inherent disequilibria stemming from deep inequalities, asymmetrical interdependencies and disintegrated socio-economic structures. In view of the failure of the prevailing methods of crisis management, particularly those undifferentiated, antisocial austerity measures corresponding to a neo-liberal monetarist concept which neglects this lesson, many economists prefer the Keynesian recipe. However, since global crises need global solution, and the spread of conspicuous consumption modify the demand constraint, its application must be adjusted to reality, and requires some global governance which may pave the way for a global oeco-social market economy.

A közgazdaságtan és a szociológia határán - az identitás-gazdaságtan által felvetett elméleti kérdések (On the borders of economics and sociology. Theoretical questions raised by identity economics)

A tanulmány az identitás-gazdaságtan megközelítését és az általa felvetett elméleti kérdéseket kívánja bemutatni. E tan kiinduló tétele George A. Akerlof és Rachel E. Kranton szerint az, hogy a közgazdaságtanban használt hasznosságfüggvénybe be kell emelni az emberek énképének és az ezzel kapcsolatos egyéni mérlegelésnek a szempontjait. Ezt az indokolja, hogy az emberek társadalmi csoportokhoz/kategóriákhoz tartoznak, amelyekhez normarendszer társul, azaz ha viselkedésükkel megsértik a normákat, akkor önképük sérül, és ezáltal csökken a hasznosságuk is. A tanulmányban bemutatjuk, hogy ez a szemlélet az embereket "túlszocializált" társadalmi szereplőkként mutatja be, akik kevéssé reflektálnak a helyzetükre. További kérdéseket vetnek fel az elmúlt években végzett szociálpszichológiai és viselkedés- gazdaságtani kísérletek, amelyek rámutatnak, hogy az identitás- gazdaságtani elmélet egyik alapját jelentő normák erősen függnek szituációs tényezőktől. _____ The paper introduces the approach of identity economics and the theoretical questions raised by its arguments. According to Akerlof and Kranton, individual identity and personal calculations in relation to this identity should be incorporated into the utility function applied in economics, so that people are placed in social categories that involve normative systems. In line with this, if their actions breach the social norms, this affects negatively their self-image, so in turn decreasing their utility. The paper argues that this approach presents humans as "overly socialized" social actors who do not reflect on their situation. Further questions could be raised by experiments in social psychology and behavioral economics conducted in recent years. The results highlight the fact that the norms which serve as the basis for the theory of identity economics depend strongly on the context and given situation.

The applied computer science of economic analyses: Internet prioritization and Internet pricing, and software engineering and software pricing for the mass market

This research examines evolving issues in applied computer science and applies economic and business analyses as well. There are two main areas. The first is internetwork communications as embodied by the Internet. The goal of the research is to devise an efficient pricing, prioritization, and incentivization plan that could be realistically implemented on the existing infrastructure. Criteria include practical and economic efficiency, and proper incentives for both users and providers. Background information on the evolution and functional operation of the Internet is given, and relevant literature is surveyed and analyzed. Economic analysis is performed on the incentive implications of the current pricing structure and organization. The problems are identified, and minimally disruptive solutions are proposed for all levels of implementation to the lowest level protocol. Practical issues are considered and performance analyses are done. The second area of research is mass market software engineering, and how this differs from classical software engineering. Software life-cycle revenues are analyzed and software pricing and timing implications are derived. A profit maximizing methodology is developed to select or defer the development of software features for inclusion in a given release. An iterative model of the stages of the software development process is developed, taking into account new communications capabilities as well as profitability. ^

Three Essays on the Economics of Defense Contracting, Output and Income Inequality

This dissertation analyzes both the economics of the defense contracting process and the impact of total dollar obligations on the economies of U.S. states. Using various econometric techniques, I will estimate relationships across individual contracts, state level output, and income inequality. I will achieve this primarily through the use of a dataset on individual contract obligations. The first essay will catalog the distribution of contracts and isolate aspects of the process that contribute to contract dollar obligations. Accordingly, this study describes several characteristics about individual defense contracts, from 1966-2006: (i) the distribution of contract dollar obligations is extremely rightward skewed, (ii) contracts are unevenly distributed in a geographic sense across the United States, (iii) increased duration of a contract by 10 percent is associated with an increase in costs by 4 percent, (iv) competition does not seem to affect dollar obligations in a substantial way, (v) contract pre-payment financing increases the obligation of contracts from anywhere from 62 to 380 percent over non-financed contracts. The second essay will turn to an aggregate focus, and look the impact of defense spending on state economic output. The analysis in chapter two attempts to estimate the state level fiscal multiplier, deploying Difference-in-Differences estimation as an attempt to filter out potential endogeneity bias. Interstate variation in procurement spending facilitates utilization of a natural experiment scenario, focusing on the spike in relative spending in 1982. The state level relative multiplier estimate here is 1.19, and captures the short run, impact effect of the 1982 spending spike. Finally I will look at the relationship between defense contracting and income inequality. Military spending has typically been observed to have a negative relationship with income inequality. The third chapter examines the existence of this relationship, combining data on defense procurement with data on income inequality at the state level, in a longitudinal analysis across the United States. While the estimates do not suggest a significant relationship exists for the income share of the top ten percent of households, there is a significant positive relationship for the income share of top one percent households for an increase in defense procurement.

A NAIRU assessment: an applied case to Colombia’s labor markets

Given the discrepancy over the optimum levels of employment for Colombia, this research targets both, the national and urban, Non-Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment (NAIRU) for the Colombian markets -- In doing so, there is a strong pertinence in estimating the constant NAIRU through raw and minimally altered data and providing the reader with a complete brief of the theory in which the model is founded -- The introduction of supply shocks is considered to attain improved estimations and a more reliable assessment of the NAIRU to those that have previously been attempted -- The backbone of the analysis is conducted through the relationship established by the Phillips curve from 2001 until 2015