Theorizing the relationship between inequality and economic growth

This article explores a promising theoretical approach for reassessing the relationship between inequality and economic growth. The article draws some insights from the influential inverted U-curve hypothesis originally advanced by Simon Kuznets, but drastically recasts the original arguments by shifting two fundamental premises. First, retaining Kuznets’s emphasis on the importance of economic growth in generating demographic transitions between existing and new distributional arrays, we argue that a “constant drive toward inequality” results after replacing a Schumpeterian notion of “creative destruction” for the dualistic assumptions in Kuznets’s model. Second, while Kuznets devoted considerable attention to the impact of institutions on distributional outcomes, we argue that institutions should be understood as relational and global mechanisms of regulation, operating within countries while simultaneously shaping interactions and flows between nations. The article argues that economic growth, unfolding through institutions embedded in time and space, produces a constant drive towards inequality that results in a multiple and overlapping matrix of distributional arrays, an overall income distribution (e.g., within and between countries) that is both systemic and historical.     

Quality of life and sustainability issues as seen by the population of low-income housing in the region of Campinas, Brazil

This paper presents a study on quality of life and sustainability indicators relating to site-planning parameters for low-income public housing projects in the region of Campinas, Brazil. The study is based on a post-occupancy-evaluation (POE), conducted in five housing developments. Most of these housing projects are based on a repetitive model and are devoid of urban infrastructure. Users act on their own in providing for some elements considered necessary to create an identity and community spirit. Results show that the population relates quality of life to economic factors and sustainability is associated to reduce utility bills. Houses are preferred to apartments and satisfaction with the present housing conditions is high, despite low feelings of security in the neighbourhood. This work is part of a broader study, which aims to develop design evaluation tools. Most sensitive quality of life and sustainability indicators related to site-planning should permeate these tools and establish design guidelines. The inclusion of a large number of qualitative design issues into the decision-making process and the questioning of existing standardized solutions are seen as essential means to increase local housing quality.     

Festive traditions in modernity: the public sphere of the festival of the'Fallas'in Valencia (Spain)

Festive sociability is central for the transmission of tradition and is fundamental field of interaction between the festive tradition and modernity. This sociability has a reflexivity and a public sphere of its own. The dominant modernist opposition between tradition and modernity is questioned with the help of a recent study of the Fire Festival of the‘Fallas’(Valencia. Spain).     

入世后的中国工业设计教育

文章针对我国入世后工业设计将面临的挑战, 就教学观念上如何规范工业设计教学, 教学内容上如何进一步与国际接轨以及对产品设计课程的教学目的与方法提出了自己的看法。     

Monitoring Process Mean and Variability with One Non-central Chi-square Chart

Traditionally, an X-chart is used to control the process mean and an R-chart to control the process variance. However, these charts are not sensitive to small changes in process parameters. A good alternative to these charts is the exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) control chart for controlling the process mean and variability, which is very effective in detecting small process disturbances. In this paper, we propose a single chart that is based on the non-central chi-square statistic, which is more effective than the joint X and R charts in detecting assignable cause(s) that change the process mean and/or increase variability. It is also shown that the EWMA control chart based on a non-central chi-square statistic is more effective in detecting both increases and decreases in mean and/or variability.     

论我国蚕丝业的多中心起源

中国是世界蚕丝业的发源地,蚕丝业起源的时间下限在新石器时代晚期,距今至少在5500年以上.中国蚕丝业起源是多中心的,黄河中下游流域、长江中下游流域和四川盆地的三江流域都是蚕丝业的起源地之一.     

Darwinist connections between the systemness of social organizations and their evolution

Is the systemness of social organizations related to their evolution? This research question has not yet received appropriate attention by the literature on management and organization theory. The author believes that addressing it can constitute a substantive opportunity to understand key intertwined associated processes, such as organizational survival, competitive success/advantage, or failure. In this article, the author attempts to contribute to fill the aforesaid gap adopting a critical Darwinist approach.     

少数民族高校毕业生就业促进政策的作用与经验初探——以内蒙古自治区少数民族高校毕业生政策为例

少数民族语言授课大学生就业问题关系到少数民族基础教育的稳定发展,关系到我国改革发展稳定大局、民族团结和社会和谐发展。本论文通过分析我国大学生就业政策和内蒙古自治区少数民族高校毕业生就业政策及经验,论述了少数民族高校毕业生就业促进政策的作用与重要性。     

Health of Immigrants in European countries

The health of older immigrants can have important consequences for needed social support and demands placed on health systems. This paper examines health differences between immigrants and the native-born populations aged 50 years and older in 11 European countries. We examine differences in functional ability, disability, disease presence and behavioral risk factors, for immigrants and non-immigrants using data from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) database. Among the 11 European countries, migrants generally have worse health than the native population. In these countries, there is a little evidence of the "healthy migrant" at ages 50 years and over. In general, it appears that growing numbers of immigrants may portend more health problems in the population in subsequent years.