Thanh V. Tran
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195325089
- eISBN:
- 9780199864515
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195325089.003.0002
- Subject:
- Social Work, Research and Evaluation
A research instrument is defined as a systematic and standardized tool for data collection. It includes all types of research questionnaires and standardized scales. There are three ways in ...
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A research instrument is defined as a systematic and standardized tool for data collection. It includes all types of research questionnaires and standardized scales. There are three ways in cross-cultural research instrument development: adopting an existing instrument, adapting or modifying an existing instrument, and developing a new instrument. To develop a cross-culturally valid questionnaire or instrument, the concepts or constructs selected for the investigation must be clearly defined and bear the same meanings across the selected cultural groups. No good questionnaire can be developed without clear definitions. This is a matter of utmost importance for all levels of cultural comparative research and evaluation, whether it is a gender or racial/ethnic comparison within one society or across nations. Chapter 2 describes the process of cross-cultural instrument development, from formulating the research aims to the assessments of cross-cultural measurement properties.Less
A research instrument is defined as a systematic and standardized tool for data collection. It includes all types of research questionnaires and standardized scales. There are three ways in cross-cultural research instrument development: adopting an existing instrument, adapting or modifying an existing instrument, and developing a new instrument. To develop a cross-culturally valid questionnaire or instrument, the concepts or constructs selected for the investigation must be clearly defined and bear the same meanings across the selected cultural groups. No good questionnaire can be developed without clear definitions. This is a matter of utmost importance for all levels of cultural comparative research and evaluation, whether it is a gender or racial/ethnic comparison within one society or across nations. Chapter 2 describes the process of cross-cultural instrument development, from formulating the research aims to the assessments of cross-cultural measurement properties.
T.A. Bhavani and N.R. Bhanumurthy
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198076650
- eISBN:
- 9780199081868
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198076650.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Macro- and Monetary Economics
This study focuses on the state of financial access in post-reform India. It is analysed from the macroeconomic growth perspective keeping in view the importance of rapid growth for the Indian ...
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This study focuses on the state of financial access in post-reform India. It is analysed from the macroeconomic growth perspective keeping in view the importance of rapid growth for the Indian economy and the fact that majority of production organizations especially in the unorganized segment are yet to have access to the formal financial system. Financial access is considered in terms of actual use of one of the financial services, that is, supply of financial resources for productive investment purpose. The study measures financial access in terms of availability of finances from the formal financial institutions and their adequacy in taking care of productive investment needs. Adequacy of finances is assessed through financial resource gap, that is, proportion of productive investment that is not funded by the formal financial institutions. Availability and adequacy of resources from the formal financial system is analysed at different levels of aggregation: household, sector (agriculture, industry and services), segment (unorganized and organized), and economy. Industry and services sectors are divided into organized and unorganized segments given their differential access to the formal financial system and financial access is computed separately for the two segments. In addition, the study compares India with selected countries (Brazil, China, and United Kingdom) and within India it compares private sector banks with public sector banks. Finally, it provides policy recommendations.Less
This study focuses on the state of financial access in post-reform India. It is analysed from the macroeconomic growth perspective keeping in view the importance of rapid growth for the Indian economy and the fact that majority of production organizations especially in the unorganized segment are yet to have access to the formal financial system. Financial access is considered in terms of actual use of one of the financial services, that is, supply of financial resources for productive investment purpose. The study measures financial access in terms of availability of finances from the formal financial institutions and their adequacy in taking care of productive investment needs. Adequacy of finances is assessed through financial resource gap, that is, proportion of productive investment that is not funded by the formal financial institutions. Availability and adequacy of resources from the formal financial system is analysed at different levels of aggregation: household, sector (agriculture, industry and services), segment (unorganized and organized), and economy. Industry and services sectors are divided into organized and unorganized segments given their differential access to the formal financial system and financial access is computed separately for the two segments. In addition, the study compares India with selected countries (Brazil, China, and United Kingdom) and within India it compares private sector banks with public sector banks. Finally, it provides policy recommendations.
Kalypso Nicolaidis and Robert Howse (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199245000
- eISBN:
- 9780191599996
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199245002.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
This book is about the complex and changing relationship between levels of governance in the US and the European Union. On the basis of a transatlantic dialogue between scholars concerned about modes ...
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This book is about the complex and changing relationship between levels of governance in the US and the European Union. On the basis of a transatlantic dialogue between scholars concerned about modes of governance on both sides, it is a collective attempt at analysing the ramifications of the legitimacy crisis in these multi‐layered democracies, and possible remedies to this. Starting from a focus on the current policy debates over ‘devolution’ and ‘subsidiarity’, the book engages the reader into the broader tension of comparative federalism. Its authors believe that in spite of the fundamental differences between them, both the EU and the USA are in the process of re‐defining a federal vision for the twenty‐first century. The book is a contribution to the study of federalism and European integration, and seeks to bridge the divide between the two. It also bridges the traditional divide between technical, legal or regulatory discussions of federal governance and philosophical debates over questions of belonging and multiple identities. It is a multi‐disciplinary project, bringing together historians, political scientists and theorists, legal scholars, sociologists and political economists (more than 20 authors are involved), and includes both innovative analysis and prescriptions on how to reshape the federal contract in the USA and the EU. Included are introductions to the history of federalism in the USA and the EU, the current debates over devolution and subsidiarity, the legal framework of federalism and theories of regulatory federalism, as well as innovative approaches to the application of network analysis, principal‐agent models, institutionalist analysis, and political theories of citizenship to the federal context. The introduction and conclusion by the editors draws out cross‐cutting themes and lessons from the thinking together of the EU and USA experiences, and suggest how a ‘federal vision’ could be freed from the hierarchical paradigm of the ‘federal state’ and articulated around concepts of mutual tolerance and empowerment. The seventeen chapters are arranged in five sections: I. Articulating the Federal Vision (two chapters)—views of federalism in its USA and EU versions; II. Levels of Governance in the USA and the European Union: Facts and Diagnosis (four chapters)—an overview of the history and current state of federalism in the USA and EU; III. Legal and Regulatory Instruments of Federal Governance (three chapters); IV. Federalism, Legitimacy, and Governance: Models for Understanding (four chapters); V. Federalism, Legitimacy, and Identity (four chapters)—a discussion of the deeper roots of legitimacy in federal systems; there is also an appendix, which discusses the basic principles for the allocation of competence in the USA and EU.Less
This book is about the complex and changing relationship between levels of governance in the US and the European Union. On the basis of a transatlantic dialogue between scholars concerned about modes of governance on both sides, it is a collective attempt at analysing the ramifications of the legitimacy crisis in these multi‐layered democracies, and possible remedies to this. Starting from a focus on the current policy debates over ‘devolution’ and ‘subsidiarity’, the book engages the reader into the broader tension of comparative federalism. Its authors believe that in spite of the fundamental differences between them, both the EU and the USA are in the process of re‐defining a federal vision for the twenty‐first century. The book is a contribution to the study of federalism and European integration, and seeks to bridge the divide between the two. It also bridges the traditional divide between technical, legal or regulatory discussions of federal governance and philosophical debates over questions of belonging and multiple identities. It is a multi‐disciplinary project, bringing together historians, political scientists and theorists, legal scholars, sociologists and political economists (more than 20 authors are involved), and includes both innovative analysis and prescriptions on how to reshape the federal contract in the USA and the EU. Included are introductions to the history of federalism in the USA and the EU, the current debates over devolution and subsidiarity, the legal framework of federalism and theories of regulatory federalism, as well as innovative approaches to the application of network analysis, principal‐agent models, institutionalist analysis, and political theories of citizenship to the federal context. The introduction and conclusion by the editors draws out cross‐cutting themes and lessons from the thinking together of the EU and USA experiences, and suggest how a ‘federal vision’ could be freed from the hierarchical paradigm of the ‘federal state’ and articulated around concepts of mutual tolerance and empowerment. The seventeen chapters are arranged in five sections: I. Articulating the Federal Vision (two chapters)—views of federalism in its USA and EU versions; II. Levels of Governance in the USA and the European Union: Facts and Diagnosis (four chapters)—an overview of the history and current state of federalism in the USA and EU; III. Legal and Regulatory Instruments of Federal Governance (three chapters); IV. Federalism, Legitimacy, and Governance: Models for Understanding (four chapters); V. Federalism, Legitimacy, and Identity (four chapters)—a discussion of the deeper roots of legitimacy in federal systems; there is also an appendix, which discusses the basic principles for the allocation of competence in the USA and EU.
Arlene Rubin Stiffman
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- April 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195325522
- eISBN:
- 9780199893850
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195325522.001.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Research and Evaluation
This collection of field research narratives from veteran social and behavioral science researchers acknowledges the unpredictability of managing a project, and candidly illustrates real-world ...
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This collection of field research narratives from veteran social and behavioral science researchers acknowledges the unpredictability of managing a project, and candidly illustrates real-world problems and solutions. Unlike standard research tests, each chapter has practical import for the researcher, ties together extant literature, and illustrates the issues with concrete examples from the authors' own experience. The chapters each address one or more of the research stress points that many researchers have found concerning during their careers, and are loosely organized by the naturally unfolding series of choice points and problems confronted during research projects and careers. The text is designed to supplement traditional textbooks on research methods for doctoral students, junior faculty, and research assistants in the fields of psychology, social work, psychiatry, and public health. The text covers scenarios such as: implementing a research project; creating an interdisciplinary research team; using consultants; hiring, training, and monitoring research staff and interviewers; developing the instrument; preparing data for analysis; budgeting; maintaining data standards; data archiving; navigating human subjects, IRB and ethical dilemmas; maintaining cultural sensitivity; efficacy and effectiveness trials for evaluating an intervention; influencing policy and practice; as well as disseminating results, sharing data, maximizing publications, and co-authoring publications.Less
This collection of field research narratives from veteran social and behavioral science researchers acknowledges the unpredictability of managing a project, and candidly illustrates real-world problems and solutions. Unlike standard research tests, each chapter has practical import for the researcher, ties together extant literature, and illustrates the issues with concrete examples from the authors' own experience. The chapters each address one or more of the research stress points that many researchers have found concerning during their careers, and are loosely organized by the naturally unfolding series of choice points and problems confronted during research projects and careers. The text is designed to supplement traditional textbooks on research methods for doctoral students, junior faculty, and research assistants in the fields of psychology, social work, psychiatry, and public health. The text covers scenarios such as: implementing a research project; creating an interdisciplinary research team; using consultants; hiring, training, and monitoring research staff and interviewers; developing the instrument; preparing data for analysis; budgeting; maintaining data standards; data archiving; navigating human subjects, IRB and ethical dilemmas; maintaining cultural sensitivity; efficacy and effectiveness trials for evaluating an intervention; influencing policy and practice; as well as disseminating results, sharing data, maximizing publications, and co-authoring publications.
López Ramón and Michael A. Toman
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199298006
- eISBN:
- 9780191603877
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199298009.003.0008
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The failure of public good provision in developing countries implies that many environmental and natural resource allocation problems that have been solved in developed countries, such as water ...
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The failure of public good provision in developing countries implies that many environmental and natural resource allocation problems that have been solved in developed countries, such as water pollution from sewage and indoor air pollution from cooking fires, continue to loom large. Decentralization and transparency in decision making, due process, and stakeholder participation in reform are needed to address these shortfalls. Because of poverty, efficiency is crucial to minimize overall costs. This, together with the wide dispersion in the distribution of pollution between polluters, speaks in favor of the use of flexible instruments such as information and market based mechanisms. At the same time, risk aversion, poverty, and unequal distribution imply that considerable attention must be paid to the distribution of costs and to a participatory approach in policy design.Less
The failure of public good provision in developing countries implies that many environmental and natural resource allocation problems that have been solved in developed countries, such as water pollution from sewage and indoor air pollution from cooking fires, continue to loom large. Decentralization and transparency in decision making, due process, and stakeholder participation in reform are needed to address these shortfalls. Because of poverty, efficiency is crucial to minimize overall costs. This, together with the wide dispersion in the distribution of pollution between polluters, speaks in favor of the use of flexible instruments such as information and market based mechanisms. At the same time, risk aversion, poverty, and unequal distribution imply that considerable attention must be paid to the distribution of costs and to a participatory approach in policy design.
Robert Stavins
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195189650
- eISBN:
- 9780199783694
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195189650.003.0002
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This essay traces the history of market mechanisms and describes their theoretical advantages over prescriptive regulation. It gives an overview of the lessons learned about market instruments thus ...
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This essay traces the history of market mechanisms and describes their theoretical advantages over prescriptive regulation. It gives an overview of the lessons learned about market instruments thus far, among them that there is an ongoing need for both flexibility and simplicity and for more effective monitoring and enforcement. It argues that there remain important limitations to the success of market instruments, including that firms are not yet well equipped to fully utilize them. The chapter concludes with predictions about the conditions under which such instruments are most likely to succeed.Less
This essay traces the history of market mechanisms and describes their theoretical advantages over prescriptive regulation. It gives an overview of the lessons learned about market instruments thus far, among them that there is an ongoing need for both flexibility and simplicity and for more effective monitoring and enforcement. It argues that there remain important limitations to the success of market instruments, including that firms are not yet well equipped to fully utilize them. The chapter concludes with predictions about the conditions under which such instruments are most likely to succeed.
Ellerman A. Denny
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195189650
- eISBN:
- 9780199783694
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195189650.003.0003
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This essay explains why cap-and-trade programs (in which government establishes an overall cap on pollution but allows firms to trade allocations beneath the cap) can be both more economically ...
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This essay explains why cap-and-trade programs (in which government establishes an overall cap on pollution but allows firms to trade allocations beneath the cap) can be both more economically efficient and more environmentally effective than prescriptive regulation. It underscores the importance of measuring effectiveness in ex post evaluations, which are defined as achieving the proximate goal (i.e., of emissions reduction), rather than the larger goal of solving the underlying problem (i.e., unhealthy air). The argument in favor of market instruments is supported with data from three emissions trading programs: the SO2 trading regime in Title IV of the Clean Air Act, the NOx budget program created by the EPA to address interstate ozone migration, and the RECLAIM program created by the South Coast Air Quality Management District in Southern California. It is proposed that market instruments represent a new pragmatism in environmental regulation and that they are part of the maturation of the regulatory process.Less
This essay explains why cap-and-trade programs (in which government establishes an overall cap on pollution but allows firms to trade allocations beneath the cap) can be both more economically efficient and more environmentally effective than prescriptive regulation. It underscores the importance of measuring effectiveness in ex post evaluations, which are defined as achieving the proximate goal (i.e., of emissions reduction), rather than the larger goal of solving the underlying problem (i.e., unhealthy air). The argument in favor of market instruments is supported with data from three emissions trading programs: the SO2 trading regime in Title IV of the Clean Air Act, the NOx budget program created by the EPA to address interstate ozone migration, and the RECLAIM program created by the South Coast Air Quality Management District in Southern California. It is proposed that market instruments represent a new pragmatism in environmental regulation and that they are part of the maturation of the regulatory process.
Richard G. Newell and Kristian Rogers
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195189650
- eISBN:
- 9780199783694
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195189650.003.0007
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This essay uses the case study of the phasedown of lead gasoline in the United States to argue that market-based instruments can be effective in meeting environmental objectives at a lower cost than ...
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This essay uses the case study of the phasedown of lead gasoline in the United States to argue that market-based instruments can be effective in meeting environmental objectives at a lower cost than uniform standards, and can do so more quickly where permit banking is allowed. The performance of the lead phasedown program is assessed along several dimensions, including its overall effectiveness, static and dynamic efficiency, revelation of costs, and distributional effects. It is argued that the program likely saved hundreds of millions of dollars over policies that would not have allowed trading and banking, and also provided incentives for the development of new technology.Less
This essay uses the case study of the phasedown of lead gasoline in the United States to argue that market-based instruments can be effective in meeting environmental objectives at a lower cost than uniform standards, and can do so more quickly where permit banking is allowed. The performance of the lead phasedown program is assessed along several dimensions, including its overall effectiveness, static and dynamic efficiency, revelation of costs, and distributional effects. It is argued that the program likely saved hundreds of millions of dollars over policies that would not have allowed trading and banking, and also provided incentives for the development of new technology.
Michael B. Gerrard
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195189650
- eISBN:
- 9780199783694
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195189650.003.0015
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This essay proposes an information disclosure mechanism as a means of encouraging firms to comply with a variety of environmental laws. It argues that requiring environmental studies at the moment of ...
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This essay proposes an information disclosure mechanism as a means of encouraging firms to comply with a variety of environmental laws. It argues that requiring environmental studies at the moment of property transfer could encourage compliance more than the traditional prescriptive approach. Such disclosure requirements are treated as market-based instruments because they take the characteristics of the property market into account when adjusting incentives, inducing buyers and sellers to move toward compliance when it is in their economic interest to do so, rather than in response to a legal mandate. The essay provides an overview of CERCLA's liability scheme, noting that it has led to improved practices for the generation, handling, and cleanup of hazardous waste, and has also established a precedent for imposing requirements on buyers and sellers at the moment of property transfer.Less
This essay proposes an information disclosure mechanism as a means of encouraging firms to comply with a variety of environmental laws. It argues that requiring environmental studies at the moment of property transfer could encourage compliance more than the traditional prescriptive approach. Such disclosure requirements are treated as market-based instruments because they take the characteristics of the property market into account when adjusting incentives, inducing buyers and sellers to move toward compliance when it is in their economic interest to do so, rather than in response to a legal mandate. The essay provides an overview of CERCLA's liability scheme, noting that it has led to improved practices for the generation, handling, and cleanup of hazardous waste, and has also established a precedent for imposing requirements on buyers and sellers at the moment of property transfer.
JONATHAN PERRATON and PETER WELLS
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199259250
- eISBN:
- 9780191600968
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199259259.003.0011
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Jonathon Perraton and Peter Wells explore the relevance of multi‐level governance for understanding economic policy‐making. They note that three general trends can be seen in this policy area in the ...
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Jonathon Perraton and Peter Wells explore the relevance of multi‐level governance for understanding economic policy‐making. They note that three general trends can be seen in this policy area in the last 50 years. First, the ceding of power to supranational institutions in the field of economic policy‐making. Second, the creation of subnational regional infrastructures that can often have economic policy‐making capacities. And, third, the adoption of new policy instruments by national governments that commonly involve partnership arrangements with the private sector. Perraton and Wells explore the relevance of multi‐level governance in relation to these trends and its relationship to approaches that are grounded in economics, notably fiscal federalism.Less
Jonathon Perraton and Peter Wells explore the relevance of multi‐level governance for understanding economic policy‐making. They note that three general trends can be seen in this policy area in the last 50 years. First, the ceding of power to supranational institutions in the field of economic policy‐making. Second, the creation of subnational regional infrastructures that can often have economic policy‐making capacities. And, third, the adoption of new policy instruments by national governments that commonly involve partnership arrangements with the private sector. Perraton and Wells explore the relevance of multi‐level governance in relation to these trends and its relationship to approaches that are grounded in economics, notably fiscal federalism.
