The eIFL.net Initiative: Access and Management of Electronic Resources by Library Consortia in Developing and Transition Countries

Abstract

eIFL.net is an umbrella organization of library consortia in fifty transition and developing countries. Its main purpose is to negotiate, encourage, and advocate for the wide availability of scholarly electronic information by library users from the education and research sectors, professional communities, governmental organizations, and civil society.

The paper presents the beginnings, goals, and development of eIFL.net in its five years of existence. The authors outline what it has achieved so far and provide an overview of the main challenges that developing countries face in accessing quality e-resources. Some success stories will demonstrate concrete accomplishments of the organization and its participating countries.     

An Empirical Analysis of Social Capital and Economic Growth in Europe (1980–2000)

It is of paramount concern for economists to uncover the factors that determine economic growth and social development. In recent years a new field of investigation has come to the fore in which social capital is analysed in order to determine its effect on economic growth. Along these lines the work presented here examines the relationships that exist between human and social capital and economic growth. The applied part of the analysis is performed using a panel data model for 14 economically developed countries (OEDC) and by using a series of chronological periods that fall within the 1980–2000 time-frame. A revision of the social capital literature was first carried out and the potential links between social and human capital discussed. The study begins by assessing the way in which the two types of capital interact, how they should be measured and the best way of quantifying their importance within applied models. The econometric model uses panel data, and this enables the analysis to obtain robust results with respect to the role of different types of capital i.e. human physical and social.     

Seasonalities in Eastern Foreign Exchange Markets: A Barrier to Euro Adoption?

Plans for an early adoption of the euro by some new EU members hang on political will and a set of nominal criteria. The focus, however, should be on the available adjustment mechanisms supporting a permanently fixed exchange rate. Efficient financial markets could provide stabilisation (following a shock), substituting the weakened array of traditional policy instruments. In order to assess the availability of such alternative, this paper presents a particular empirical analysis of efficiency in the foreign exchange markets of three recently acceded countries. The results suggest that some caution is needed in the transition towards full monetary integration, as the level of financial efficiency already attained may be insufficient to ensure an adequate source of stabilisation in economies affected by specific disturbances.      

Webster‐Stratton Incredible Years Basic Parent Programme (IY) in child care placements: residential staff carers' satisfaction results

The aim of the present study was to investigate residential child care staff satisfaction with their involvement in the Webster‐Stratton Incredible Years Basic Parent Programme (IY). In an exploratory, not randomized study, 27 professionals from two different short‐term Portuguese residential child care centres (IG1, n = 15; IG2; n = 12) completed weekly IY evaluations and an overall satisfaction questionnaire at the end of their participation in the IY intervention. The weekly level of satisfaction was assessed with regard to each of the programme's components (content, DVDs, group leaders, group discussion). At the last session, they filled out a questionnaire aimed to evaluate the levels of satisfaction regarding the programme overall, the teaching format, the group leader(s) and the usefulness of specific educational techniques they learned. Data indicated that residential staff carers were highly satisfied with the weekly sessions and with the overall usefulness of the intervention programme. Results are discussed in terms of implications and future research directions.     

Taux de résistance des tests de rang d'indépendance

The resistance of tests to acceptance and rejection of null hypotheses was denned and studied by Ylvisaker in the context of one-sample problems. This notion provides a measure of a test's resistance to outliers. In this paper, we propose an extension of this notion to rank-based tests of independence for bivariate random variables. We show, among other things, that Kendall's test of independence is more resistant than Spearman's test.     

Assessing physical, sexual, and psychological violence perpetrated by intimate male partners toward women: a Spanish cross-sectional study

There have been many studies on the impact of intimate partner violence (IPV) on women's health, there being agreement on its detrimental effect. Research has focused mainly on the impact of physical violence on health, with few studies assessing the effect of sexual and psychological violence. Furthermore, there are many differences in the way violence experienced by women is assessed. While some researchers use available instruments, others develop their own questionnaires. This article gives detailed information about physical, sexual, and psychological violence, lifetime history of women's victimization, and aspects of women's behavior and feelings obtained with the questionnaire used in a Spanish cross-sectional study. Our results corroborate that IPV is not homogeneous, it being necessary to ask women about each type of violence they have experienced. Furthermore, to accurately assess the impact of IPV on women's health, it is necessary to control for other variables that also have detrimental effects on health.     

Von der Kunst, sich für den richtigen Beruf zu entscheiden

Students often make their decision of a course of studies without being aware of the consequences for their future career and life, without having been informed about alternatives and — even more important — without having thought about their personal talents and interests. During their studies itself, they often run into difficulties when they realise that they took the wrong decision. High rates of changes in studies or cancelling all studies are the consequence (25 % in total, more than 40 % in special studies like social sciences). The author works as a students’ advisor and students’ coach and, among others, offers analyses of talents and a comprehensive advisory training for professional orientation. The present essay describes the theoretical basis of her work, the concrete procedure and a practical example of her daily work.     

Urban growth and heat islands: A case study in micro-territories for urban sustainability

Urban Ecosystems - Rapid urbanization contributes to the development of phenomena such as climate variability, especially in tropical countries, which negatively impact ecosystems and humans,...     

Free time,gender and the pandemic: An exploration of children's daily routines in the times of COVID-19 in Chile

This article discusses the differentiation by gender displayed by children between 8 and 12 years old on how they used their free time during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile. This study had a qualitative approach, where 43 in-depth interviews were conducted with children from three different regions of the country, using participatory photo-elicitation as the central tool. The main results of the study show a configuration of free time based on gender stereotypes, showing that boys are the ones who most adhere to such stereotypes, triggering a crisis in the identity construction of masculinities during childhood. The study also suggests that socioeconomic and territorial differences between children configures different experiences of the use of free time.