Bargains Rejected? Developing Country Trade Policy on Used Equipment

Many developing countries restrict imports of second-hand goods. These policies appear contrary to the optimal choice of technique in developing countries, where low wages, small markets, and scarce technical skills would appear to call for use of more labor intensive smaller scale, and lower-tech machines. This paper examines data on US exports of new and used metalworking machine tools by type and by country of destination to investigate the determinants of used versus new machinery trade. The results indicate that technological factors, skill constraints, and market size may be more important than factor prices in determining the choice of machine. Trade restrictions on used machinery distort firms' investment decisions.     

From ‘not a big deal’ to ‘hellish’: Experiences of older people with dementia

Research on subjective experiences of dementia has paid scant attention to social location, due to fairly homogeneous samples and an inattention to socio-cultural diversity in data analysis. This article addresses this gap by presenting findings from a grounded theory study of the relationships between the experiences of older people with dementia and the intersections of ‘race’, ethnicity, class, and gender. Data generation occurred through a series of interviews, participant observation sessions, and focus groups with eight older people with dementia whose social locations varied from multiply marginalized to multiply privileged plus over 50 members of their social worlds. Their experiences of dementia were found to be varied, ranging from ‘not a big deal’ to ‘a nuisance’ to ‘hellish’, and to be related to their social locations. Negative views of life with dementia were not nearly as universal as past literature suggests and social location was found to mediate experiences of dementia.     

An F-type test for detecting departure from monotonicity in a functional linear model

When studying associations between a functional covariate and scalar response using a functional linear model (FLM), scientific knowledge may indicate possible monotonicity of the unknown parameter curve. In this context, we propose an F-type test of monotonicity, based on a full versus reduced nested model structure, where the reduced model with monotonically constrained parameter curve is nested within an unconstrained FLM. For estimation under the unconstrained FLM, we consider two approaches: penalised least-squares and linear mixed model effects estimation. We use a smooth then monotonise approach to estimate the reduced model, within the null space of monotone parameter curves. A bootstrap procedure is used to simulate the null distribution of the test statistic. We present a simulation study of the power of the proposed test, and illustrate the test using data from a head and neck cancer study.     

The changing practice of eating: evidence from UK time diaries, 1975 and 2000

This paper examines some central themes about change in consumption behaviour through an empirical investigation of the practice of eating. It analyses patterns of food consumption in the UK using time diary data from 1975 and 2000. The practice of eating is decomposed into four component activities which are used to explore systematically the inter-relationships between social processes - such as commodification and temporal fragmentation - and ways of providing and consuming food. It charts the expansion of eating out, the degree to which it substitutes for other eating activities, and the implications of its development for social relations and the temporal organization of daily life. Analysis reveals that food consumption continues to be differentiated along established lines of social division, although the content of those divisions has changed and varies across components of the practice. Increasing commodification of the food chain is documented, but without appearing to have a corrosive impact on household organization or social relationships. While tendencies indicative of temporal fragmentation are revealed, counter-tendencies exist which suggest that the practice of eating is resilient to many forms of external pressure. Finally, the application of a practice-based analytical approach permits critical evaluation of theories of social transformation.     

Loss of urban forest canopy and the effects on neighborhood soundscapes

Urban Ecosystems - The urban landscape constitutes a key aspect of human - nature interactions, as more than 60% of the world’s population resides in cities and their suburbs. This study...     

Use of Experiential Learning,Reflective Writing,and Metacognition to Develop Cultural Humility Among Undergraduate Students

This study discusses the use of experiential learning, reflective writing, and metacognition to develop cultural humility among undergraduate students enrolled in a social and economic justice course. Students participated in an activity that challenged them to learn about people who may have different social identities and experiences from their own such as attending a service in a religion different from their own. Then students wrote a reflective essay in which they used the margin of the paper as a safe space to write anything that came to mind during the writing process. A thematic analysis of students’ comments suggests that students used the space to examine their emotions, seek understanding of self and others, and recognize their privilege.