The analysis of policy implementation models in higher education: the case study of Indonesia

This paper aims to analyse and understand the models of policy implementation in Indonesian state universities during the ongoing process of market-driven reforms and how academics respond to these models. The research undertaken was in the form of qualitative study using semi-structured interviews as instruments to collect data. Interviews were conducted with 30 academics in three state universities in Indonesia. The research demonstrated that policy implementation in Indonesian state universities takes largely a dialectical form which takes place both at macro and micro levels, suggesting a blended application of top-down and bottom-up approaches. The results of this study also confirmed that the interaction between policy and local systems plays an important role for the successful implementation of the policy. Indonesian academics perceived that each of these models has its strength and weaknesses particularly in relation to the aspect of collegiality. It is anticipated that the study will both contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics between governments as policy makers and academics as street level bureaucrats in the implementation of a policy, and offer guidance for policy makers in the formulation and enactment of relevant policies in higher education sectors both in Indonesia and other contexts implementing policy implementation.     

Bayesian approach to errors-in-variables in count data regression models with departures from normality and overdispersion

In most practical applications, the quality of count data is often compromised due to errors-in-variables (EIVs). In this paper, we apply Bayesian approach to reduce bias in estimating the parameters of count data regression models that have mismeasured independent variables. Furthermore, the exposure model is misspecified with a flexible distribution, hence our approach remains robust against any departures from normality in its true underlying exposure distribution. The proposed method is also useful in realistic situations as the variance of EIVs is estimated instead of assumed as known, in contrast with other methods of correcting bias especially in count data EIVs regression models. We conduct simulation studies on synthetic data sets using Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation techniques to investigate the performance of our approach. Our findings show that the flexible Bayesian approach is able to estimate the values of the true regression parameters consistently and accurately.     

SMALL‐ AND MEDIUM‐SIZED ENTERPRISE FINANCING AND SECURITIZATION: FIRM‐LEVEL EVIDENCE FROM THE EURO AREA

This paper analyzes the impact of securitization on access to finance for small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the euro area. Using firm‐level survey data on SME financing conditions, we show that an increase in securitization issuance reduces the probability of SMEs facing credit constraints and decreases the costs of bank financing for nonconstrained firms. Our results reveal that in addition to the volume of securitization, its type and quality matter for credit extension to SMEs. The paper thus provides empirical support for recent initiatives to revive securitization in Europe and for effective monetary policy transmission in the euro area. (JEL D22, E44, E51, E58, G21)     

Smoothing spline growth curves with covariates

We adapt the interactive spline model of Wahba. to growth curves o with covariates. The smoothing spline formulation permits a nonpara-metric representation of the growth curves. In the limit when the discretization error is small relative to the estimation error, the resulting growth curve estimates often depend only weakly on the number and locations of the knots. The smoothness parameter is determined from the data by minimizing an empirical estimate of the expected error. We show that the risk estimate of Craven and Wahba is a weighted goodness of fit estimate, A modified loss estimate is given, where a2 is replaced by its unbiased estimate.     

Proletarianization with polarization: Industrialization, globalization, and social class in Turkey, 1980–2005

This paper analyzes the social class structure of Turkey during the latest wave of economic globalization in four dimensions: by sector of employment, with the Erikson–Goldthorpe–Portocarero (EGP) class schema, by occupational group, and in terms of informal employment. Since 1980, when Turkey opened to the global economy, the Turkish social class structure changed significantly. During this period, Turkey became a significant exporter of mostly low-technology, but also increasingly medium- and high-technology, manufactured goods. I contend that this economic globalization and industrialization contributed to a dual process of proletarianization and polarization. Proletarianization occurred through a transition from Turkey's agrarian tradition, a relative decline of the public sector, and an expansion of classes who sell their labor without workplace authority. Polarization entailed the growth of private-sector entrepreneurial, professional and managerial classes, and a simultaneous expansion of the informal sector. There were also differences between sexes. The share of manufacturing employment and the low-skilled labor classes expanded at rates much higher among women than among men, contributing to more rapid proletarianization.     

Islamophobia in Western Europe: A Comparative,Multilevel Study

Abstract

This study examines the prejudice against the Muslim immigrants in Western countries. The literature explains anti-Muslim prejudice almost exclusively by individual-level factors. Alternately, this study conducts a comparative, multilevel analysis to include cross-level processes as well. The analysis covers 16 Western European countries, and the data come primarily from the fourth wave of the European Values Study in 2008. Results offer strong support for the relevance of the country-level factors to individual prejudice, while confirming the findings of the major individual-level perspectives. More specifically, the findings suggest that the individuals who live in countries with (1) an official religion or (2) a liberal citizenship regime are more likely to be tolerant toward Muslims. The study also offers some support for the contact hypothesis.     

Estimation for the Parameters of the Pareto Distribution Under Progressive Censoring

In this article, progressive Type-II right censored sample from Pareto distribution is considered. Exact confidence region is derived for the parameters of the corresponding distribution under progressive censoring. Simulation study is performed to investigate the coverage probabilities of the proposed confidence region. Illustrative example is also given.     

和田地区中小学双语师资培训教育调研报告

和田地区的双语师资培训教育,对于疆内其他地区正在发展的双语师资培训教育有一定的借鉴意义.文章在回顾和田地区双语师资培训教育历史的基础上,介绍了该地区在培训工作中所积累的校本培训、县级集中培训和地区级集中培训等经验,指出了在培训教育中存在的培训课程品种单一、学科和年级分布不均衡、双语教师数量结构性短缺等问题,提出了培养受训学员的自学能力、严把参训学员选送关和制定双语教师资格标准等一些建议.