Ethiopia's developmental state: A building stability framework assessment

Ethiopia has been lauded for its economic growth and progress in human development indicators. For some, that success is rooted in the developmental state approach advocated by the government. For others, the theory of the developmental state and the practice in Ethiopia were often at odds. Up until 2018, ideas that challenged the state and its approaches were not welcome, and politicians, academics and journalists were jailed for expressing alternative views. However, this appears to have changed, and in June 2018 the Deputy Prime Minister called for debate on the developmental state model. This article explores Ethiopia's developmental state model using the building stability framework, analysing its ability to establish fair power structures, foster inclusive economic growth, develop conflict‐resolution mechanisms, create effective and legitimate institutions, and enable a supportive regional environment. We find the developmental state was effective in a number of ways, but that this modality of governance appears to have passed its peak of securing advantage in Ethiopia. A shift from the developmental state to developmental democracy appears to be underway. Decision‐making and economic policies need to align with this change.     

Validity of work-related assessments

Insufficient evidence of the validity of work-related assessments is frequently reported as a major concern in occupational rehabilitation. Despite this concern, and the continuing development of new and old assessments, no comprehensive evaluation of the evidence has been conducted. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to first determine the extent and quality of available evidence for the validity of work-related assessments, and then where sufficient evidence was available, determine the level of validity. STUDY DESIGN: This study examined available literature and sources in order to review the extent to which validity has been established for 28 work-related assessments. RESULTS: The levels of evidence and validity are presented for each assessment. Most work-related assessments have limited evidence of validity. Of those that had adequate evidence, validity ranged from poor to good. There was no instrument that demonstrated moderate to good validity in all areas. Very few work-related assessments were able to demonstrate adequate validity in more than one area, or with more than one study, even when contributory evidence was included. CONCLUSION: With this study clinicians will be able to examine their options with regard to the validity of the assessments they choose to use.     

Examining the effectiveness of health and safety committees and representatives: a review

The establishment of a health and safety committee in the workplace and/or the appointment of an elected health and safety representative is believed to foster employee participation and consultation in the workplace. Despite an emphasis within the Australian occupational health and safety legislation towards employee participation in relation to health and safety issues, there is little known about the effectiveness of the strategies used to involve workers in health and safety matters in the workplace. There is anecdotal evidence published in relation to the implementation of health and safety committees and their effectiveness in the Australian workplace. Few opinions however are substantiated by empirical evidence. Significantly more research has been conducted on the role of health and safety representatives in Australia. This paper presents the findings of a review of the literature and identifies the factors that are considered to impact on the effectiveness of workplace health and safety committees and representatives. Several factors are described as being fundamental to the effective performance of committees and representatives. These factors include management commitment, communication, training and information, union involvement, the infrastructure of an organisation, committee processes and the involvement of professional experts. It is concluded that the effectiveness of health and safety committees in Australia is unexplored and it is unknown if these committees achieve the purpose for which they were established. Recommendations are made for future research to be conducted to test the current anecdotal evidence and assumptions associated with the operation and effectiveness of health and safety committees.     

Long‐Term Debt and Optimal Policy in the Fiscal Theory of the Price Level

The fiscal theory says that the price level is determined by the ratio of nominal debt to the present value of real primary surpluses. I analyze long‐term debt and optimal policy in the fiscal theory. I find that the maturity structure of the debt matters. For example, it determines whether news of future deficits implies current inflation or future inflation. When long‐term debt is present, the government can trade current inflation for future inflation by debt operations; this tradeoff is not present if the government rolls over short‐term debt. The maturity structure of outstanding debt acts as a “budget constraint” determining which periods' price levels the government can affect by debt variation alone. In addition, debt policy—the expected pattern of future state‐contingent debt sales, repurchases and redemptions—matters crucially for the effects of a debt operation. I solve for optimal debt policies to minimize the variance of inflation. I find cases in which long‐term debt helps to stabilize inflation. I also find that the optimal policy produces time series that are similar to U.S. surplus and debt time series. To understand the data, I must assume that debt policy offsets the inflationary impact of cyclical surplus shocks, rather than causing price level disturbances by policy‐induced shocks. Shifting the objective from price level variance to inflation variance, the optimal policy produces much less volatile inflation at the cost of a unit root in the price level; this is consistent with the stabilization of U.S. inflation after the gold standard was abandoned.     

Expression and ambivalence over expression of negative emotion:psychometric analysis in the Women's Health Initiative

Inhibition of emotional expression has been associated with the incidence and progression of breast cancer and other chronic illnesses. Others have theorized that it may not be repression itself, but rather ambivalence over the expression of emotions that is the important health-related factor. The Women's Health Initiative (WHI), a long-term, national study focusing on disease prevention among postmenopausal women, is unique in its assessment of expression and ambivalence of negative emotion in a large study sample of multiethnic, older women. Psychological factors such as expression of negative emotion and ambivalence about expression of emotion are also determined by social patterning. The current study examined the psychometric properties of the instruments used to measure each construct and variation across race/ethnicity and age. The analysis suggests that the scales can be used with confidence in diverse ethnic and age groups. Examining ambivalence about expression of negative emotion in future longitudinal research will further elucidate its role in predicting disease incidence and recovery, both important in reducing the public health burden of chronic disease.     

Reliability of work-related assessments

Insufficient evidence of the reliability of work-related assessments is a major concern in this area of practice. Despite this concern there has been ongoing development of new assessments, while existing assessments have been revised, modified and updated and others are no longer used or available. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the extent and quality of evidence for the reliability of work-related assessments. STUDY DESIGN: This study examined available literature and sources in order to review the extent which reliability has been established for 28 work-related assessments. RESULTS: The levels of evidence and reliability are presented for each assessment. This indicates that a number of commercially available work-related assessments have insufficient evidence of reliability. For the limited number of work-related assessments with an adequate level of evidence on which to judge their reliability, most demonstrate a moderate to good level. Few assessments, however, have demonstrated levels of reliability sufficient for clinical (and legal) purposes. CONCLUSION: With this study clinicians will be able to examine their options with regard to the reliability of the assessments they choose to use. Interpretation of changes in test results can be considered in the light of the evidence for the reliability of the instrument used.     

Corporate planning and project evaluation in urban transport

The paper describes the development of corporate objectives by Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, the largest urban transport operator in the U.K. outside London. Four corporate objectives, each covering a different dimension of performance, have been adopted. The objectives pose problems for project evaluation because a project can contribute positively to one or more, and negatively to another or others. A technique for overcoming these problems, using the ‘trade-off’ concept, is being developed, and the practical application of this technique to two major investments is discussed in detail.