The Enlightenment Idea of History as a Legitimation Tool of Kemalism in Turkey

The study analyzes the effort to build political legitimacy in the Republic of Turkey by ex-ploring a group of influential texts produced by Kemalist writers. The study explores how the Kemalist regime reproduced certain long-lasting enlightenment meta-narrative in its effort to build political legitimacy. Central in this process was a hegemonic representation of history, namely the interpretation of the Anatolian Resistance Struggle of 1919 1922 as a Turkish Revolution executing the enlightenment in the Turkish nation-state. The method employed in the study is contextualizing narratological analysis. The Kemalist texts are analyzed with a repertoire of concepts originally developed in the theory of narra-tive. By bringing these concepts together with epistemological foundations of historical sciences, the study creates a theoretical frame inside of which it is possible to highlight how initially very controversial historical representations in the end manage to construct long-lasting, emotionally and intellectually convincing bases of national identity for the secular middle classes in Turkey. The two most important explanatory concepts in this sense are di-egesis and implied reader. The diegesis refers to the ability of narrative representation to create an inherently credible story-world that works as the basis of national community. The implied reader refers to the process where a certain hegemonic narrative creates a formula of identification and a position through which any individual real-world reader of a story can step inside the narrative story-world and identify oneself as one of us of the national narra-tive. The study demonstrates that the Kemalist enlightenment meta-narrative created a group of narrative accruals which enabled generations of secular middle classes to internalize Kemalist ideology. In this sense, the narrative in question has not only worked as a tool utilized by the so-called Kemalist state-elite to justify its leadership, but has been internalized by various groups in Turkey, working as their genuine world-view. It is shown in the study that secular-ism must be seen as the core ingredient of these groups national identity. The study proposes that the enlightenment narrative reproduced in the Kemalist ideology had its origin in a simi-lar totalizing cultural narrative created in and for Europe. Currently this enlightenment project is challenged in Turkey by those who are in an attempt to give religion a greater role in Turkish society. The study argues that the enduring practice of legitimizing political power through the enlightenment meta-narrative has not only become a major factor contributing to social polarization in Turkey, but has also, in contradiction to the very real potentials for crit-ical approaches inherent in the Enlightenment tradition, crucially restricted the development of critical and rational modes of thinking in the Republic of Turkey.

Microfinance, Efficiency and Agricultural Production in Bangladesh

The objectives of this study were to make a detailed and systematic empirical analysis of microfinance borrowers and non-borrowers in Bangladesh and also examine how efficiency measures are influenced by the access to agricultural microfinance. In the empirical analysis, this study used both parametric and non-parametric frontier approaches to investigate differences in efficiency estimates between microfinance borrowers and non-borrowers. This thesis, based on five articles, applied data obtained from a survey of 360 farm households from north-central and north-western regions in Bangladesh. The methods used in this investigation involve stochastic frontier (SFA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) in addition to sample selectivity and limited dependent variable models. In article I, technical efficiency (TE) estimation and identification of its determinants were performed by applying an extended Cobb-Douglas stochastic frontier production function. The results show that farm households had a mean TE of 83% with lower TE scores for the non-borrowers of agricultural microfinance. Addressing institutional policies regarding the consolidation of individual plots into farm units, ensuring access to microfinance, extension education for the farmers with longer farming experience are suggested to improve the TE of the farmers. In article II, the objective was to assess the effects of access to microfinance on household production and cost efficiency (CE) and to determine the efficiency differences between the microfinance participating and non-participating farms. In addition, a non-discretionary DEA model was applied to capture directly the influence of microfinance on farm households production and CE. The results suggested that under both pooled DEA models and non-discretionary DEA models, farmers with access to microfinance were significantly more efficient than their non-borrowing counterparts. Results also revealed that land fragmentation, family size, household wealth, on farm-training and off farm income share are the main determinants of inefficiency after effectively correcting for sample selection bias. In article III, the TE of traditional variety (TV) and high-yielding-variety (HYV) rice producers were estimated in addition to investigating the determinants of adoption rate of HYV rice. Furthermore, the role of TE as a potential determinant to explain the differences of adoption rate of HYV rice among the farmers was assessed. The results indicated that in spite of its much higher yield potential, HYV rice production was associated with lower TE and had a greater variability in yield. It was also found that TE had a significant positive influence on the adoption rates of HYV rice. In article IV, we estimated profit efficiency (PE) and profit-loss between microfinance borrowers and non-borrowers by a sample selection framework, which provided a general framework for testing and taking into account the sample selection in the stochastic (profit) frontier function analysis. After effectively correcting for selectivity bias, the mean PE of the microfinance borrowers and non-borrowers were estimated at 68% and 52% respectively. This suggested that a considerable share of profits were lost due to profit inefficiencies in rice production. The results also demonstrated that access to microfinance contributes significantly to increasing PE and reducing profit-loss per hectare land. In article V, the effects of credit constraints on TE, allocative efficiency (AE) and CE were assessed while adequately controlling for sample selection bias. The confidence intervals were determined by the bootstrap method for both samples. The results indicated that differences in average efficiency scores of credit constrained and unconstrained farms were not statistically significant although the average efficiencies tended to be higher in the group of unconstrained farms. After effectively correcting for selectivity bias, household experience, number of dependents, off-farm income, farm size, access to on farm training and yearly savings were found to be the main determinants of inefficiencies. In general, the results of the study revealed the existence substantial technical, allocative, economic inefficiencies and also considerable profit inefficiencies. The results of the study suggested the need to streamline agricultural microfinance by the microfinance institutions (MFIs), donor agencies and government at all tiers. Moreover, formulating policies that ensure greater access to agricultural microfinance to the smallholder farmers on a sustainable basis in the study areas to enhance productivity and efficiency has been recommended. Key Words: Technical, allocative, economic efficiency, DEA, Non-discretionary DEA, selection bias, bootstrapping, microfinance, Bangladesh.

Presidencialismo y relaciones ejecutivo-legislativo en la Argentina : (1983-2007)

Resumen: Este trabajo muestra que la dinámica Ejecutivo-Legislativo en la Argentina, para el período 1983-2007, ha sido una de las causas de la inestabilidad institucional en ese país (y, por ende, de los malos resultados económicos). Sin embargo, teniendo en cuenta que tanto el parlamentarismo como el semipresidencialismo, a priori, no serían opciones viables (según las creencias y valores de la sociedad argentina), la solución no sería cambiar de sistema de gobierno, sino reformarlo. La Argentina debería acotar la discrecionalidad presidencial, así como la influencia de los liderazgos partidarios provinciales sobre sus legisladores nacionales. La hipótesis subyacente es que este tipo de propuesta ayudaría a consolidar el clásico rol del Congreso bajo regímenes presidencialistas, con la consiguiente ganancia en estabilidad institucional (y en desempeño económico). Concretamente, las futuras investigaciones deberían estudiar la posible eliminación de la prerrogativa presidencial de legislar mediante decretos de necesidad y urgencia, y la reducción de la magnitud de los distritos electorales más grandes para la elección de diputados nacionales.

Um estudo empírico sobre o Conservadorismo Contábil no período 1995 / 2010

O aumento da complexidade das operações, assim como do tamanho das organizações, face ao fortalecimento da economia e do mercado acionário, tem motivado uma considerável expansão na importância das informações geradas pela Contabilidade. Porém, muito se discute sobre o verdadeiro valor da informação contábil para seus diversos usuários. Essa discussão, em muitos casos, está baseada na fidedignidade das demonstrações financeiras em relação à realidade econômica das empresas. Uma das grandes críticas feitas a Contabilidade é a de ser conservadora em relação aos critérios utilizados na apuração do resultado econômico. Como conseqüência, suas informações não refletiriam a realidade econômica das empresas. Some-se a isso o fato de que, ao longo dos anos, a Contabilidade vem incorporando novos critérios que a estariam tornando ainda mais conservadora. Este problema é de suma importância, pois levanta a questão da comparabilidade das demonstrações contábeis ao longo dos anos. Este trabalho, usando uma amostra de 106 empresas de capital aberto negociadas na BM&FBOVESPA, a partir da utilização dos modelos de Acumulação de Accruals, proposto por Givoly e Hayn (2000), e de Oportunidade Assimétrica nos Lucros, proposto por Basu (1997), para mensuração do conservadorismo, conclui pela aceitação da hipótese de que há um aumento do Conservadorismo reportado nas demonstrações financeiras ao longo do período analisado, compreendido entre 1995 e 2010.

Administração pública e poder discricionário no Brasil: contribuição para uma nova teoria do poder discricionário sob uma perspectiva responsiva

O presente trabalho busca examinar, em perspectiva histórica, aspectos sociopolíticos e jurídicos relacionados à formação da Administração Pública no Brasil e às suas características, notadamente no que concerne ao processo de legitimação do exercício do poder pelo aparelho burocrático e ao seu potencial controle pelos cidadãos. Argumenta-se que, se por um lado tais características revelam a resistência de um modelo associado ao legado ibérico, de outro evidenciam uma peculiar e progressiva abertura ao controle democrático, especialmente após a redemocratização e a promulgação da Constituição Federal de 1988. Adotando o exercício do poder administrativo discricionário como categoria de análise, os aspectos inerentes ao processo de transformação daquele modelo são examinadas a partir de quatro eixos, a saber: a singular tensão entre Iberismo e Americanismo no Brasil; a renovação teórica acerca da democracia representativa e das perspectivas sobre o controle democrático; o pós-positivismo e sua potencial conexão com uma concepção responsiva do direito e, finalmente, a queda de velhos paradigmas de legitimação do exercício do poder discricionário estatal, em âmbito mundial, a partir dos anos 1980, o que teria dado ensejo ao crescimento e fortalecimento de um escrutínio pragmático e consequencialista das decisões discricionárias da administração pública também no Brasil.

Incentivos tributários: conceituação, limites e controle

A presente pesquisa destina-se a estudar os incentivos tributários. Espécie de norma tributária indutora, os incentivos tributários ainda não receberam a atenção devida por parte dos estudiosos do direito tributário. Atento ao volume cada vez maior de recursos envolvendo incentivos tributários, assim como a necessidade de se conferir maior transparência e responsabilidade na gestão do gasto público, esse trabalho dedica-se a estudar essa ainda pouco explorada figura, extremando-a de figuras parecidas, com as quais não raras vezes é confundida. Embora não haja uma conceituação constitucional ou legal expressa, é possível afirmar que os incentivos tributários são hipóteses de desoneração tributária, que importam em derrogações às regras gerais de tributação, com o não ingresso de recursos nos cofres públicos, de forma a estimular condutas dos contribuintes, com a finalidade de se atingir fins e objetivos constitucionais. Em virtude de sua natureza híbrida, os incentivos tributários se sujeitam a limitações constitucionais tributárias e econômicas, assim como às limitações orçamentário-financeiras. O principal instrumento de compatibilização entre os incentivos tributários, capacidade contributiva, isonomia e cânones da ordem econômica é o princípio da proporcionalidade. Poder Legislativo, Tribunal de Contas e Poder Judiciário devem fiscalizar e controlar essa espécie de desoneração tributária. O Controle a cargo Poder Legislativo (no âmbito do Poder Legislativo federal) tem deixado muito a desejar, tanto no que concerne ao controle dos limites orçamentário-financeiros, quanto no que diz respeito ao controle dos limites constitucionais tributários e econômicos. O Controle que cabe ao Tribunal de Contas (foi analisado o Tribunal de Contas da União) tem mostrado alguma evolução. Contudo, a análise de alguns julgados do TCU demonstra que há muito a melhorar, especialmente no que concerne à investigação da legitimidade e economicidade. A LRF ostenta caráter de norma geral no que tange aos requisitos para a concessão de incentivos tributários. Eventual descumprimento desses preceitos por leis locais revela verdadeira inconstitucionalidade, passível de controle pelo Poder Judiciário. A atuação do Poder Judiciário, em especial do STF, no controle dos incentivos tributários tem sido bastante tímida e pouco transparente. Na maior parte dos casos, o STF tem se limitado a reafirmar o caráter discricionário dos atos oriundos do Poder Legislativo e Executivo, negando-se a examiná-los. Os pedidos de extensão de incentivos tributários também não tem obtido sucesso, pois o STF faz aplicação irrestrita da cláusula do legislador negativo. Uma solução conciliadora seria o judiciário se valer da declaração de inconstitucionalidade sem a pronúncia de nulidade, permitindo a extensão dos incentivos tributários àqueles casos em que a ilegalidade não reside no incentivo em si mesmo, mas na sua não aplicação aos contribuintes em mesma situação. Muito embora existam limites bem definidos, é possível afirmar que o controle dos incentivos tributários precisa evoluir muito.

Rola systemu podatkowego przed, w trakcie i po kryzysie finansowym

Celem niniejszego artykułu jest podsumowanie najnowszych wyników badań analizujących rolę systemu podatkowego w kolejnych fazach kryzysu zapoczątkowanego w 2008 r. Przeprowadzona w opracowaniu analiza wskazuje, że jego rola ulegała istotnym zmianom: 1) przed wybuchem kryzysu stwarzał bodźce do takich zachowań podmiotów gospodarczych, które przyczyniały się do narastania nierównowagi leżącej u podstaw kryzysu; 2) po jego wybuchu wzrosło znaczenie stabilizacyjne systemu podatkowego: zarówno w obszarze oddziaływania tak zwanych automatycznych stabilizatorów, jak i dyskrecjonalnych zmian obciążeń podatkowych; 3) obecnie zmiany systemu podatkowego zmierzają w kierunku wsparcia procesu konsolidacji fiskalnej oczekiwanej w najbliższych latach w wielu gospodarkach rozwiniętych i w części krajów rozwijających się.

Initial losses, corporate governance and earnings management

This thesis examines the relationship between initial loss events and the corporate governance and earnings management behaviour of these firms. This is done using four years of corporate governance information spanning the report of an initial loss for companies listed on the UK Stock Exchange. An industry- and sizematched control sample is used in a difference-in-difference analysis to isolate the impact of the initial loss event during the period. It is reported that, in general, an initial loss motivates an improvement in corporate governance in those loss firms where a relative weakness existed prior to the loss and that these changes mainly occur before the initial loss is announced. Firms with stronger (i.e. better quality) corporate governance have less need to alter it in response to the loss. It is also reported that initial loss firms use positive abnormal accruals in the year before the loss in an attempt to defer/avoid the loss — the weaker corporate governance the more likely is it that loss firms manage earnings in this manner. Abnormal accruals are also found to be predictive of an initial loss and when used as a conditioning variable, the quality of corporate governance is an important mitigating factor in this regard. Once the loss is reported, loss firms unwind these abnormal accruals although no evidence of big-bath behaviour is found. The extent to which these abnormal accruals are subsequently unwound are also found to be a function of both the quality of corporate governance as well as the severity of the initial loss.

Reversal of impairment losses, firm performance and reporting incentives: Evidence from Malaysia

Malaysian Financial Reporting Standard (FRS) No. 136, Impairment of Assets, was issued in 2005. The standard requires public listed companies to report their non-current assets at no more than their recoverable amount. When the value of impaired assets is recovered, or partly recovered, FRS 136 requires the impairment charges to be reversed to its new recoverable amount. This study tests whether the reversal of impairment losses by Malaysian firms is more closely associated with economic reasons or reporting incentives. The sample of this study consists of 182 public companies listed on Bursa Malaysia (formerly known as the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange) that reported reversals of their impairment charges during the period 2006-2009. These firms are matched with firms which do not reverse impairment on the basis of industrial classification and size. In the year of reversal, this study finds that the reversal firms are more profitable (before reversals) than their matched firms. On average, the Malaysian stock market values the reversals of impairment losses positively. These results suggest that the reversals generally reflect increases in the value of the previously impaired assets. After partitioning firms that are likely to manage earnings and those that are not, this study finds that there are some Malaysian firms which reverse the impairment charges to manage earnings. Their reversals are not value-relevant, and are negatively associated with future firm performance. On the other hand, the reversals of firms which are deemed not to be earnings managers are positively associated with both future firm performance and current stock price performance, and this is the dominant motivation for the reversal of impairment charges in Malaysia. In further analysis, this study provides evidence that the opportunistic reversals are also associated with other earnings management manifestations, namely abnormal working capital accruals and the motivation to avoid earnings declines. In general, the findings suggest that the fair value measurement in impairment standard provides useful information to the users of financial statements.

Confidentiality or disclosure?

Considers the discretion of the trustees to disclose the settlor's wishes to the beneficiaries of a family discretionary trust. Discusses the confidentiality principle relating to family discretionary trusts and whether a settlor's wish letter falls within the scope of that principle. Sets out the guidance of the court in Breakspear v Ackland for trustees faced with a request for disclosure from a beneficiary.

New Technology and Researchers’ Access to Court and Tribunal Information: the need for European analysis

We discuss the limitations and rights which may affect the researcher’s access to and use of digital, court and administrative tribunal based information. We suggest that there is a need for a European-wide investigation of the legal framework which affects the researcher who might wish to utilise this form of information. A European-wide context is required because much of the relevant law is European rather than national, but much of the constraints are cultural. It is our thesis that research improves understanding and then improves practice as that understanding becomes part of public debate. If it is difficult to undertake research, then public debate about the court system – its effectiveness, its biases, its strengths – becomes constrained. Access to court records is currently determined on a discretionary basis or on the basis of interpretation of rules of the court where these are challenged in legal proceedings. Anecdotal evidence would suggest that there are significant variations in the extent to which court documents such as pleadings, transcripts, affidavits etc are made generally accessible under court rules or as a result of litigation in different jurisdictions or, indeed, in different courts in the same jurisdiction. Such a lack of clarity can only encourage a chilling of what might otherwise be valuable research. Courts are not, of course, democratic bodies. However, they are part of a democratic system and should, we suggest – both for the public benefit and for their proper operation – be accessible and criticisable by the independent researcher. The extent to which the independent researcher is enabled access is the subject of this article. The rights of access for researchers and the public have been examined in other common law countries but not, to date, in the UK or Europe.

Religiosity, Political Orientation, and Consequentialist Moral Thinking

Three studies demonstrated that the moral judgments of religious individuals and political conservatives are highly insensitive to consequentialist (i.e., outcome-based) considerations. In Study 1, both religiosity and political conservatism predicted a resistance toward consequentialist thinking concerning a range of transgressive acts, independent of other relevant dispositional factors (e.g., disgust sensitivity). Study 2 ruled out differences in welfare sensitivity as an explanation for these findings. In Study 3, religiosity and political conservatism predicted a commitment to judging “harmless” taboo violations morally impermissible, rather than discretionary, despite the lack of negative consequences rising from the act. Furthermore, non-consequentialist thinking style was shown to mediate the relationship religiosity/conservatism had with impermissibility judgments, while intuitive thinking style did not. These data provide further evidence for the influence of religious and political commitments in motivating divergent moral judgments, while highlighting a new dispositional factor, non-consequentialist thinking style, as a mediator of these effects.

The effect of altering a single component of a rehabilitation programme on the functional recovery of stroke patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of altering a single component of a rehabilitation programme (e.g. adding bilateral practice alone) on functional recovery after stroke, defined using a measure of activity.

DATA SOURCES: A search was conducted of Medline/Pubmed, CINAHL and Web of Science.

REVIEW METHODS: Two reviewers independently assessed eligibility. Randomized controlled trials were included if all participants received the same base intervention, and the experimental group experienced alteration of a single component of the training programme. This could be manipulation of an intrinsic component of training (e.g. intensity) or the addition of a discretionary component (e.g. augmented feedback). One reviewer extracted the data and another independently checked a subsample (20%). Quality was appraised according to the PEDro scale.

RESULTS: Thirty-six studies (n = 1724 participants) were included. These evaluated nine training components: mechanical degrees of freedom, intensity of practice, load, practice schedule, augmented feedback, bilateral movements, constraint of the unimpaired limb, mental practice and mirrored-visual feedback. Manipulation of the mechanical degrees of freedom of the trunk during reaching and the addition of mental practice during upper limb training were the only single components found to independently enhance recovery of function after stroke.

CONCLUSION: This review provides limited evidence to support the supposition that altering a single component of a rehabilitation programme realises greater functional recovery for stroke survivors. Further investigations are required to determine the most effective single components of rehabilitation programmes, and the combinations that may enhance functional recovery.

Custo do financiamento bancário e qualidade da informação financeira: estudos para empresas sem valores cotados em Bolsa

A Tese é constituída por três estudos distintos mas ligados pela temática do custo do financiamento bancário e da qualidade da informação financeira, em empresas sem valores cotados em bolsa. No primeiro estudo analisa-se a relação entre o custo do financiamento bancário e a qualidade da informação financeira nas empresas portuguesas. A qualidade da informação financeira é entendida como sinónimo de qualidade dos resultados e é medida através do valor absoluto dos accruals anormais. Os resultados obtidos demonstram a existência de uma relação negativa entre o custo do financiamento bancário e a qualidade da informação financeira nas empresas portuguesas sem valores cotados em bolsa. No segundo estudo alarga-se a análise anterior a empresas sem valores cotados em bolsa do Reino Unido, Alemanha, França e Espanha, realizandose também uma comparação entre esses países e Portugal. A evidência empírica deste estudo permite concluir que existe uma relação negativa entre o custo do financiamento bancário e a qualidade da informação financeira em todos os países, com exceção do Reino Unido. Este país apresenta-se como um caso particular entre os países analisados, onde a qualidade da informação financeira parece apenas influenciar o custo de determinados tipos de empréstimos. No terceiro estudo analisa-se o efeito que a deterioração da qualidade da informação financeira, consubstanciada na apresentação de resultados negativos, tem no custo do financiamento bancário das empresas portuguesas. A evidência obtida demonstra que as empresas que verificam tal deterioração suportam um aumento do custo do financiamento bancário.

Manipulação de resultados

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentado ao Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Auditoria, sob orientação de Doutora Alcina de Sena Portugal Dias Esta versão contém as críticas e sugestões de elementos do júri