Quality of Life in Cities: Setting up Criteria for Amman-Jordan

In recent years, the interest grew in research on measuring the “quality of life” (QOL) in cities. This interest comes from the success QOL measurement achieved in understanding communities’ needs, tracking changes in different aspects of life and assessing the most desired types of future development among citizens. This research highlights the importance of measuring QOL in Jordan. It examines the opportunity and applicability of carrying out QOL measurement studies in Amman, the capital city. It outlines different scopes, visions and approaches that can be used to study and measure QOL and the most suitable mechanism that can work firmly. A professional top–bottom approach was used for that. Thirty-three experts with different backgrounds were interviewed in order to determine the appropriate scopes and visions for studying QOL, define the most significant aspects affecting QOL in Amman, and define the appropriate domains to be studied. Results were analyzed, limitations were defined and the final set of representative domains was stated. Domains were ranked according to their relevance and the important -underneath- aspects were defined in the form of models, each representing a certain domain. The paper attempts by the end to set the stage for setting up criteria for measuring QOL in Amman and to open the way for future QOL research to take place in Jordan.     

A fractional version of the Cox–Ingersoll–Ross interest rate model and pricing double barrier option with Hurst index H∈(23,1)

In this work, we study the existence and uniqueness of the solution to a fractional version of the Cox–Ingersoll–Ross (fCIR) stochastic differential equation. The strong convergence of this equation is analyzed and according to it’s framework, we obtain the price of the double barrier option under transaction cost. Finally, we verify the effect of the parameters of the model on the value of the option.     

The two-sided power-binomial distribution for modeling binary count data

The two-sided power (TSP) distribution is a flexible two-parameter distribution having uniform, power function and triangular as sub-distributions, and it is a reasonable alternative to beta distribution in some cases. In this work, we introduce the TSP-binomial model which is defined as a mixture of binomial distributions, with the binomial parameter p having a TSP distribution. We study its distributional properties and demonstrate its use on some data. It is shown that the newly defined model is a useful candidate for overdispersed binomial data.     

Informal Giving in Turkey

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations - Scholarly research about philanthropy has de-emphasized informal giving to friends, neighbors and others in need. Yet,...     

Theorizing equal opportunity in Muslim majority countries

This article offers an interdisciplinary and transnational review of feminist, management and Islamic literatures to develop an understanding of philosophical theorization and institutional framing of equal opportunity in employment in Muslim majority countries (MMCs). The review suggests that ‘the mainstream’ western literature on gender and equal opportunity, along with its secular orientation, may not capture the complexity of gender and equal opportunity in MMCs. Through integrating Islamic writings and gender scholarship, the article examines how equal opportunity theorizing may be advanced by Islamic philosophies and interpretations. In particular, it presents two concurrent principles of gender relations in Islam, for instance, equality and difference of women and men. While Islamic scholars generally agree that women and men are equal because both are created by one God, there are two competing interpretations with respect to the principle of difference between women and men. The first is an egalitarian interpretation which advocates affirmative action in women's favour, and the second is a patriarchal interpretation which supports women's subordination to men. We present this discussion and use it to develop our understanding of equal opportunity or lack thereof in MMCs.     

A multilevel perspective of the identity transition to motherhood

This study examines the identity transition of women when they become mothers and return to work. Twenty‐two first‐time mothers were interviewed at two points in time: just after giving birth and on re‐entry into employment after maternity leave. The findings suggest that this transition is influenced by multiple factors on different levels which include individual factors, such as partner support and career aspirations, organizational factors such as family‐friendly work practices and role models, and societal factors such as social norms and attitudes towards the maternal body. The findings highlight the importance of context by stressing the interrelated nature of factors on the micro‐, meso‐ and macro‐level in order to better understand the identity transition to motherhood.     

Does Demographic Transition with Human Capital Dynamics Matter for Economic Growth? A Dynamic Panel Data Approach to GMM

Social Indicators Research - This study seeks to empirically investigate whether demographic transition with dynamics of human capital matters for economic growth for a representative sample of...