The Dynamic Deprivation Index: measuring relative socio-economic deprivation in NZ on a monthly basis

The standard measures of relative socio-economic deprivation within New Zealand are the NZDEP studies and the NZ IMD. Although both sets of studies are extremely rigorous, high quality research outputs they are only able to provide a snapshot of the national distribution of relative socio-economic deprivation at fixed points in time. The inability to express deprivation levels as an extended and current time series means that not only are policy analysts and researchers working with outdated information, but also that it is often unfeasible to associate changes in deprivation levels to specific events or policy implementations. The Dynamic Deprivation Index (DDI) assigns a deprivation score and deprivation index to each area unit in New Zealand on a monthly basis. In this paper we look to describe the methodology behind the construction of the DDI and to validate the results therein. We argue that if public bodies were to make the data they hold more easily accessible, then there is no reason why New Zealand should not be able to benefit from a measure of socio-economic deprivation that combines the sophistication of the NZDEP studies or IMD with the contemporaneousness of the DDI.     

Moral judgments,gender, and antisocial preferences: an experimental study

We study questionnaire responses to situations in which sacrificing one life may save many other lives. We demonstrate gender differences in moral judgments: males are more supportive of the sacrifice than females. We investigate a source of the endorsement of the sacrifice: antisocial preferences. First, we measure individual proneness to spiteful behavior, using an experimental game with monetary stakes. We demonstrate that spitefulness can be sizable—a fifth of our participants behave spitefully—but it is not associated with gender. Second, we find that gender is consistently associated with responses even when we account for individual differences in the propensity to spitefulness.     

Civil society organizations and participatory local governance in Pakistan: An exploratory study

This paper analyses the extent to which the civil society organizations (CSOs) have influenced the decision‐making of the local government toward the needs and priorities of citizens. In development discourse, civil society organizations hold a significant importance as they are deemed to provide holistic and new ways to ensure participatory local governance. Therefore, their role against the backdrop of their involvement in mobilizing citizens’ involvement and influencing decision‐making in Pakistan calls for further research. This paper aims to fill this gap. Using qualitative research methods, the current paper appraises the role of CSOs in mobilizing public involvement in the decision‐making process of local government institutions of Punjab, Pakistan. The paper finds that the effectiveness of CSOs is very low due to various institutional and political constraints. Motivations for CSOs seeking citizen involvement have been instrumental in nature rather than motivated by participatory principles.     

Assessing the Benefits and Costs of Homeland Security Research: A Risk-Informed Methodology with Applications for the U.S. Coast Guard

This article describes a methodology for risk-informed benefit–cost analyses of homeland security research products. The methodology is field-tested with 10 research products developed for the U.S. Coast Guard. Risk-informed benefit–cost analysis is a tool for risk management that integrates elements of risk analysis, decision analysis, and benefit–cost analysis. The cost analysis methodology includes a full-cost accounting of research projects, starting with initial fundamental research costs and extending to the costs of implementation of the research products and, where applicable, training, maintenance, and upgrade costs. The benefits analysis methodology is driven by changes in costs and risks leading to five alternative models: cost savings at the same level of security, increased security at the same cost, signal detection improvements, risk reduction by deterrence, and value of information. The U.S. Coast Guard staff selected 10 research projects to test and generalize the methodology. Examples include tools to improve the detection of explosives, reduce the costs of harbor patrols, and provide better predictions of hurricane wind speeds and floods. Benefits models and estimates varied by research project and many input parameters of the benefit estimates were highly uncertain, so risk analysis for sensitivity testing and simulation was important. Aggregating across the 10 research products, we found an overall median net present value of about $385 million, with a range from $54 million (5th percentile) to $877 million (95th percentile). Lessons learned are provided for future applications.