Poverty and poverty alleviation programmes in the urban areas of Mozambique

The first part of this paper provides an analysis of poverty and destitution in the cities of Mozambique. The second part summarises the existing programmes for poverty alleviation and the social safety net. The last part describes in some detail the only organisation and programme which has had significant impact in terms of alleviating poverty and destitution: the Gabinete de Apoio a População Vulnerável (GAPVU) Cash Transfer Scheme.A poverty profile of Mozambique's urban centres shows that over half of all households are living in poverty. It distinguishes between absolutely poor and destitute households. The latter have expenditures less than two thirds of the poverty line, are at risk of malnutrition, high child mortality and low life expectancy and comprise nearly a third of the population. A distinction is made between structural and conjunctural causes of poverty and used as a basis for classifying households in different situations, in order to identify appropriate types of intervention. Existing policies and programmes to reduce poverty and alleviate destitution are reviewed and their strengths and weaknesses identified. The cash transfer scheme designed and operated by the GAPVU is described in more detail, and its effectiveness in reaching destitute households assessed. Finally, its administrative efficiency and financial and institutional sustainability are evaluated. It is shown to be a well designed programme which succeeds in reaching increasing numbers of vulnerable households because of its use of decentralised health and community administrative structures, and strong political and institutional backing.     

Modeling Lung Carcinogenesis in Radon‐Exposed Miner Cohorts: Accounting for Missing Information on Smoking

Epidemiological miner cohort data used to estimate lung cancer risks related to occupational radon exposure often lack cohort‐wide information on exposure to tobacco smoke, a potential confounder and important effect modifier. We have developed a method to project data on smoking habits from a case‐control study onto an entire cohort by means of a Monte Carlo resampling technique. As a proof of principle, this method is tested on a subcohort of 35,084 former uranium miners employed at the WISMUT company (Germany), with 461 lung cancer deaths in the follow‐up period 1955–1998. After applying the proposed imputation technique, a biologically‐based carcinogenesis model is employed to analyze the cohort's lung cancer mortality data. A sensitivity analysis based on a set of 200 independent projections with subsequent model analyses yields narrow distributions of the free model parameters, indicating that parameter values are relatively stable and independent of individual projections. This technique thus offers a possibility to account for unknown smoking habits, enabling us to unravel risks related to radon, to smoking, and to the combination of both.     

Challenges in Managing Nonprofit Organizations: A Research Overview

The topic of management and nonprofit organizations (NPOs) continues to fascinate scholars. This paper draws on varying theoretical perspectives to explore their respective contributions to our knowledge of NPOs. The two longstanding and contrasting disciplines of economics and sociology have contributed most, traditionally, to the study of NPOs. However, neither of these disciplines has resolved all the dilemmas associated with NPOs. The standard economic model does not apply well to the distinctive nonmarket situation of NPOs. The sociological perspectives offer interesting insight, but fail to develop plans of action for NPOs. However, both of these traditional perspectives are starting to be eclipsed by the focus on marketing research.     

Kontraktgestaltung im Coaching

The importance of precise coaching-agreements in organisationsThis article brings attention to the importance in maintaining a regulatory framework within coaching and, in particular, in contracting and clarifying the relationships. These frameworks are necessary to achieve the positive effects of coaching persons within an organisation. Typical pitfalls for managers are described where the responsibilities of the client and executive are neglected or ignored. These perspectives are illustrated by a case study.     

New trends in urban social science

The paper looks critically at the lines of development of international urban social science research, and specifically at the role and significance of international networks and defines a research agenda for the present through a closer look at the UNESCO MOST programme on the ‘Management of Social Transformation’ which places an emphasis on urban research.     

The returns to continuous training in Germany: new evidence from propensity score matching estimators

The present paper examines the wage effects of continuous training programs using individual-level data from the German Socio Economic Panel (GSOEP). In order to account for selectivity in training participation we estimate average treatment effects (ATE and ATT) of general and firm-specific continuous training programs using several state-of-the-art propensity score matching (PSM) estimators. Additionally, we also apply a combined matching difference-in-differences (MDiD) estimator to account for unobserved individual characteristics (e.g. motivation, ability). While the estimated ATE and ATT for general training are significant ranging between about 4 and 7.5%, the corresponding wage effects of firm-specific training are mostly insignificant. Using the more appropriate MDiD estimator, however, we find a more precise and highly significant wage effect of about 5–6%, though only for general training and not for firm-specific training. These results are consistent with standard human capital theory insofar as general training is associated with larger wage increases than firm-specific training. Furthermore, we conclude that firms may intend to use specific training to adjust to new job requirements, while career-relevant changes may be conditioned to general training.