FORWARD GUIDANCE AND THE STATE OF THE ECONOMY

This paper analyzes forward guidance in a nonlinear model with a zero lower bound (ZLB) on the nominal interest rate. Forward guidance is modeled with news shocks to the monetary policy rule, which capture innovations in expectations from central bank communication about future policy rates. Whereas most studies use quasi‐linear models that disregard the expectational effects of hitting the ZLB, we show how the effectiveness of forward guidance nonlinearly depends on the state of the economy, the speed of the recovery, the degree of uncertainty, the policy shock size, and the forward guidance horizon when households account for the ZLB. (JEL E43, E58, E61)     

The situational logic of entrepreneurship: a realist approach to national policy

National policy initiatives to encourage entrepreneurial behaviour are often developed with limited knowledge of the contextual constraints and causal factors. In this paper, we adopt a social realist approach, generally associated with critical realism, as a framework for analysing levels of entrepreneurial behaviour. The trigger for our study is the apparent anomaly of low levels of German entrepreneurship. We apply the morphogenetic framework of the sociologist Margaret Archer to Germany and then compare this to the United States. We conclude that particular so-called situational logics at the intersection of structure and culture constitute mechanisms which provide strategic direction for the decisions of potential entrepreneurs. We argue that a social realist stance based upon Archer’s sociology provides a practical grounding for research and policy development.     

Families and their Social Relations in German Cities

This paper looks at the personal embeddedness of families in three German cities (Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart) and examines the community question with data collected at the end of 2003. The study is based on the theoretical views of Barry Wellman, who used a network analysis perspective to conceptualize ‘the Community Question’. The results of the German study have reconfirmed the results of Wellman's East York Study and show that networks are not a product of only one community model. As a consequence it is less helpful to talk about saved, lost and liberated communities but more helpful to regard communities as a mixture of strongly knitted nuclear clusters and broader sparsely knitted relations which have access to different groups and their resources. Most networks consist of kinship, friends, local and long distance ties, multistranded and specialised ties. The current analysis of the data of this study indicates that in German cities there is no correlation between the different distributions of the community.     

A Cultural Challenge for School Administrators

The job of a school administrator has changed over time from one of primarily administrative processes and functions to that of competencies and proficiencies. Incorporated within these competencies and proficiencies is the ability to understand the aspects of group dynamics, group and individual process skills, collaborative action, team building and, of course, cultural diversity. However, the understanding that cultural diversity exists at a school is not enough; the school administrator must understand the characteristics and expectations of the different cultural groups within the school community, including faculty, parents, and students. The Administrator must also develop a proactive strategy to address any potential "cultural" conflicts and misunderstanding that might arise. This paper reviews and introduces the reader to current research about individualism and collectivism as two important and diverse types of cultural characteristics through defining "culture", presenting the characteristics of individualistic and collectivist societies, addressing the importance of the school administrator understanding cultural differences, and presenting of effective tips for the school administrator to use in improving school-community understanding between cultures.     

Zwei Klarstellungen zu den „Bemerkungen über Kapitalkosten vor und nach Steuern“ von Lutz Kruschwitz und Andreas Löffler

Ohne Zusammenfassung Ver?ffentlicht in ZfB, 74. Jg. (2004), H. 12, S. 1175–1190. Siehe auch den inhaltlich ?hnlichen Beitrag der Autoren: „Unternehmensbewertung und Einkommensteuer aus Sicht von Theoretikern und Praktikern, (2005).     

STIRring the grid: engaging energy systems design and planning in the context of urban sociotechnical imaginaries

Since the first electrification systems were established in the United States between 1910 and 1930, energy systems governance at the municipal level has included competing visions for how engineering design and energy policy-making should foster particular social outcomes. Using Phoenix as a representative metropolitan area, and the cases of distributed generation and in-home power management devices as examples, this paper explores how the norms and values embedded in energy systems design and planning shape how residents experience change in the energy grid. Through these case studies, the authors argue that such “sociotechnical imaginaries” – collectively formed visions of social life related to science and technology development – are a crucial, yet overlooked, pathway for social science to engage in fostering socially reflexive mechanisms in energy development. To conclude, the authors outline a research program for applying the established methodology of socio-technical integration research (STIR) in order to develop socially reflexive capacities in municipal energy producing, regulating, and planning institutions. Such a program has the ability to produce a deeper intellectual understanding of how energy development occurs, and in doing so generate new pathways for fostering cultural and material changes in the structure of contemporary energy systems.     

Urban climate change-related effects on extreme heat events in Rostock,Germany

Urban Ecosystems - The urban heat island effect poses a challenge in several cities, and may affect human and ecosystem health. It was proven that relatively small urban conglomerations in...     

The internalising and externalising problems of adolescents in Croatia: Socio‐demographic and family victimisation factors

This study assessed Croatian adolescents' problems in relation to socio‐demographic characteristics and experienced family violence in early and late adolescence. A national representative sample of 1,780 Croatian students (45.3% males) in two age groups representing early (M = 13.20; SD = 0.42) and late adolescence (M = 18.14; SD = 0.38) participated. The questionnaire included the Youth Self‐Report, modified version of ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool – Children's Version, and socio‐demographic data. Results show that internalising problems were more present in female adolescents, in adolescents who perceived family financial hardship and in those whose biological parents did not live together. More externalising problems were reported in late adolescence by students who were living in large cities and whose families had either low, or above‐average, financial status. Adolescents who have experienced family violence were at higher risk of developing internalising and/or externalising problems.     

Skewed Sex Ratios at Birth in Italian Migrant Populations: Evidence from a Longitudinal Register 1999–2017

European Journal of Population - Many studies in different settings have suggested that migrants from countries with skewed sex ratios at birth tend to adjust the sex of their offspring to ensure...