On the joint evaluation of absolute and relative deprivation

We lay out alternative ways of melding measures of absolute and relative deprivation in an index of overall deprivation, exploring the choices the analyst faces in this enterprise. The indices derived are used to answer two important empirical questions. First, did overall deprivation fall in the BRICS–Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa– between the early 1990s and late 2000s, alongside the fall in absolute deprivation? Second, what is the relationship between reductions in overall deprivation and economic growth? We show that the standard portrayal of the BRICS as economic success stories as well as the emphasis placed on economic growth in the reduction of deprivation must be qualified to some extent.     

Developing an Additive Risk Model for Predicting Academic Index: School Factors and Academic Achievement

The impact of school factors on academic achievement has become an important focus for identifying, preventing, and intervening with youth at-risk for academic failure. This study was designed to develop and test a more comprehensive school factor risk index. Specifically, the relationship between cumulative grade point average (GPA) and an additive risk index (ARI) were tested and an analysis of the index is presented. School factors that been shown in previous research to impact academic achievement were tested. Those factors were included in the final risk index if they met the criteria of (1) having a correlation with GPA, (2) containing a difference in outcomes between the risk and non-risk groups, and (3) making a unique contribution to the overall index. The risk and protective factors included in the creation of the ARI were attendance, academic self-efficacy, academic expectations, grade retention, music instruction, and school behaviors. The interplay between risk and protective factors was shown to have a significant relationship with GPA.     

Monetary Fundamentals and Exchange Rate Dynamics under Different Nominal Regimes

We investigate the dynamic relationship between the U.S. dollar exchange rate and its fundamentals across different exchange rate regimes using data from the late 1800s or early 1900s for six countries. For these countries there is evidence of a long-run relation between the exchange rate and monetary fundamentals consistent with conventional exchange rate theories. Employing a multivariate regime-switching framework, we find that the relative importance of exchange rates and fundamentals in restoring the long-run equilibrium implied by the exchange rate–monetary fundamentals model varies significantly over time and is affected by the exchange rate regime in operation. (JEL F31 )     

Linearization of inequality indices in the design-based framework

Linearization methods are customarily adopted in sampling surveys to obtain approximated variance formulae for estimators of statistical functionals under the design-based approach. In the present paper, following the Deville [Variance estimation for complex statistics and estimators: linearization and residual techniques. Surv Methodol. 1999;25:193–203] approach stemming from the concept of design-based influence function, we provide a general result for linearizing a large family of population functionals which includes many of the inequality measures considered in social, economic and statistical studies, such as the Gini, Amato, Zenga, Atkinson and Generalized Entropy indices. The feasibility of our theoretical results is assessed by some simulation studies involving real and artificial data.     

Assessing the Development of Cultural Proficiency Among Upper-Level Social Work Students

Graduate social work pedagogy is challenging to diverse faculty and students who work with diverse clients, often in international practice. We discuss the development, outcomes, and assessment of an assignment designed to stimulate students’ research on proverbs as cultural resources for practice and to promote attainment of six competencies related to diversity and social justice of the Council on Social Work Education’s Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. We used procedures from grounded theory and Atlas.ti to analyze 40 student papers. More than 70% of papers reflected students’ mastery of three competencies, suggesting the assignment was insufficient to ensure attainment of all six competencies and signaling errors in the structure of the assignment and in the rubric. Ensuring students’ achievement of the competencies requires careful design and assessment of assignments and deliberate, structured assessment of the assignment outcomes.     

Expectations About Future Economic Prospects and Satisfaction with Democracy: Evidence from European Countries during the COVID-19 Crisis

Social Indicators Research - Recent studies highlight that economic expectations are a crucial determinant of citizens’ satisfaction with democracy (SWD). This article relies on a...     

Growth,Trade and Factor Endowment: A Survey

This paper examines the relationship between factor endowment, human capital formation and trade in the theory of economic growth. The paper analyses the evolution of the idea that both trade and human capital play a leading role in explaining country performance and development. Economic growth, dynamic comparative advantage, international specialization and cumulative technological progress are identified as the key ingredients that explain why countries perform differently and, at the same time, why they may tend to converge towards a common benchmark.     

Postmen activity's analysis

This study examines the postmen activity and the bag used in their task, which should transport the weight without affecting the locomotor system and the attitude of the worker. Studies were conducted on the activity of the postmen and transportation of loads, analyzing functional and ergonomic aspects of load distribution, as well as surveys with users, which made it possible to verify and prove the problems presented. Thus, the following work was developed in order to demonstrate the importance of applying an ergonomic product design.