Digital Commons Network^™

Genetic Options For The Control Of Invasive Vertebrate Pests: Prospects And Constraints, Ronald E. Thresher

Managing Vertebrate Invasive Species

Conventional methods for the control of invasive pests are generally effective only on small-space scales or short-time frames. For most well established pest populations, longer-term efforts to manage the problem have been largely abandoned. I examine the potential of using “autocidal” genetic techniques to control terrestrial vertebrate pests, based on the inheritance through males of transgenes that either sterilize females or convert them into functional males (“daughterless”). Simulation analysis of two high profile pest species, the cane toad (Bufo marinus) in Australia and brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) in an urban environment, using realistic parameters, suggests that …

Farmers’ Preferences For Development Intervention Programs: A Case Study Of Subsistence Farmers From East Ethiopian Highlands, Wagayehu Bekele

International Conference on African Development Archives

The aim of this paper is to better understand farmers' perception of the relevance of different development intervention programs. Farmers’ subjective ranking of agricultural problems and their preference for development intervention are elicited using a stated preference method. The factors influencing these preferences are determined using a random utility model. The study is based on a survey conducted in the Hunde-Lafto area of the East Ethiopian Highlands. Individual interviews were conducted with 145 randomly selected farm households using semi-structured questionnaires. The study suggests that drought, soil erosion and shortage of cultivable land are high priority agricultural production problems for farmers. …

"To Strengthen The Colonies": French Labor Policy, Indentured Servants, And African Slaves In The Seventeenth Century Caribbean, Robert Taber

Library Research Grants

No abstract provided.

Looking Back And Looking Ahead: Policy Visions From The New Deal And Great Society, Françoise Carré

Center for Social Policy Publications

On April 10 and 11, 2007, the Center for Social Policy convened a conference exploring policy visions from the New Deal and Great Society and their implications for today’s policy thinking. Titled, "Looking Back and Looking Ahead", this conference took place at the University of Massachusetts Boston Campus Center and the John F. Kennedy Library.

The conference was designed as an opportunity for speakers and participants to reflect on the lessons learned from these two watershed eras of policy innovation and their implications for looking forward. Policy actors and experts participated in three panel discussions on the historical context of …

Strategic Communications And The Decline Of The Us Soft Power, Gene E. Bigler

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Piercing The Fog: National Security, Media, And The Govenrment, Harvey Rishikof

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Or Best Offer: A Privacy Policy Negotiation Protocol, Daniel David Walker

Theses and Dissertations

Users today are concerned about how their information is collected, stored and used by Internet sites. Privacy policy languages, such as the Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P), allow websites to publish their privacy practices and policies in machine readable form. Currently, software agents designed to protect users' privacy follow a "take it or leave it" approach when evaluating these privacy policies. This approach is inflexible and gives the server ultimate control over the privacy of web transactions. Privacy policy negotiation is one approach to leveling the playing field by allowing a client to negotiate with a server to determine how …

Decree No. 2629 - Biofuels, El Ministro De Minas Y Energía, Colombia

Latin American Energy Policies

This decree contains provisions to promote the use of biofuels in the country and creates measures for vehicles and other devices that use fuel motor for their operation.

Executive Decree No. 475 - Creation Of The Ministry Of Electricity And Renewable Energy, Presidente Constitucional De La República, Ecuador

Latin American Energy Policies

This decree establishes the creation of two ministries, the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum and the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, out of the former Ministry of Energy and Mining. This decree outlines the roles and responsibilities for each of these ministries.

Review: A New Understanding Of Tax, Charles E. Mcwilliams

Charles E. McWilliams Jr.

This article is a review of Edward McCaffery's "A New Understanding of Tax." I originally wrote this paper as a final exam for Tax Policy with Professor Chorvat at the George Mason University School of Law, and while I cannot claim to have a particularly novel or enlightening view of this subject matter I do hope that this can serve as an acceptable primer for anyone interested in studying a progressive post-paid consumption tax system.

中国农村资产社会政策: 社会养老保险制度的变革 [Asset-Based Policy In Rural China: An Innovation In The Retirement Social Insurance Program], Baorong Guo, Jin Huang, Li Zou, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

In response to the growing rural-urban inequality, China is undertaking a series of policy initiatives to promote rural development. In addition to redistributive policies aiming at social protection, asset-based policy, which integrates social protection and social investment, is another viable option for progressive rural development. In 1998, the Hutubi local government in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China implemented an innovative retirement program which allows account holders to use accounts as legal collateral to borrow small loans and invest in productive assets such as farming supplies and equipment, education, and small businesses. Using the data gathered by the program …

中国呼图壁养老保险质押贷款项目双重激: 励和双重资产积累 [Dual Incentives And Dual Asset Building: The Hutubi Rural Social Security Loan Program In China], Baorong Guo, Jin Huang, Michael Sherraden, Li Zou

Center for Social Development Research

The Hutubi Rural Social Security Loan program is a policy innovation in a rural area of China by loaning savings in social security accounts back to peasants for them to purchase assets for agricultural and other development. In contrast to the nationwide recession in rural social security, this program has shown its success in proliferating rural social security funds and retaining social security participants. With a focus on the administrative data of the loan program, this study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the loan program and examine how asset building is possible for the poor when institutional incentives …

Vita Sites: Linking Tax Returns And Asset Building Strategies In Indian Country, Kristen Wagner, Karen Edwards, Amy Locklear Hertel, Miriam Jorgensen, Dana Klar

Center for Social Development Research

On an individual and family basis, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has important poverty alleviation characteristics. Few populations or places in the United States are as needful of the dollars provided by EITC receipt as Indian Country. The receipt of EITC will not alleviate poverty in Indian Country alone, but can be a viable start by providing thousands of dollars to families in Native communities. During the two years this project has been underway, more than 9,000 tax returns have been filed at 14 Voluntary Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites serving Indian Country. The study examined the number of …

Dual Incentives And Dual Asset Building: The Hutubi Rural Social Security Loan Program In China, Baorong Guo, Jin Huang, Michael Sherraden, Li Zou

Center for Social Development Research

The Hutubi Rural Social Security Loan program is a policy innovation in a rural area of China by loaning savings in social security accounts back to peasants for them to purchase assets for agricultural and other development. In contrast to the nationwide recession in rural social security, this program has shown its success in proliferating rural social security funds and retaining social security participants. With a focus on the administrative data of the loan program, this study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the loan program and examine how asset building is possible for the poor when institutional incentives …

Seed For Oklahoma Kids: Summary Of Project, Research, And Policy Implications, Michael Sherraden, Margaret M. Clancy

Center for Social Development Research

SEED for Oklahoma Kids: Summary of Project, Research, and Policy Implications

The Balance Sheets Of Low-Income Households: What We Know About Their Assets And Liabilities., Adam Carasso, Signe-Mary Mckernan

Center for Social Development Research

The Balance Sheets of Low-Income Households: What We Know About Their Assets and Liabilities.

Water. The Geopolitics Of Water, Paul Michael Wihbey, Ilan Berman

New England Journal of Public Policy

In the great geo-strategic game known as the Middle East, peace politics get much of the press and the attention of policy leaders. On occasion, oil takes center stage but often for the wrong reason (see, e.g., "The End of the Oil Era and the Price of Oil"). What is important to understand is that water is in fact the key strategic resource in the region and if you follow the flow of water, you'll follow the politics and policy machinations that lie at the heart of the Israeli-Syrian dialogue. IASPS Fellow in Strategy Paul Michael Wihbey co-authored an analysis …

Oil. The Geopolitics Of Oil And Natural Gas, Alan Larson

New England Journal of Public Policy

Ensuring the reliability of global energy supplies will call for policies that both encourage the use of newer, cleaner energy technologies and address the political challenges posed by the world’s growing demand for oil and natural gas. U.S. policy seeks to encourage expansion and diversification of world energy supplies and to promote the transparency and democratic institutions that help energy-producing countries make the most productive use of their resources.

Welfare Reform And Asset Accumulation: Asset Limit Changes, Financial Assets, And Vehicle Ownership, Yunju Nam

Center for Social Development Research

Objective. Over the past decade, federal and state governments have substantially liberalized asset limits in welfare. This paper examines whether this policy change promotes asset accumulation among the target population of actual and potential welfare recipients. Methods. Utilizing household data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and state data, this study employs a difference-in-difference approach in order to determine whether state asset limits affect the target population’s financial and vehicle asset accumulation. This study develops a new policy measure that considers the time period following the adoption of liberalized asset limits. Results. Analysis results suggest that increased asset limits …

Asset-Based Policy In Rural China: An Innovation In The Retirement Social Insurance Program, Baorong Guo, Jin Huang, Li Zou, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

In response to the growing rural-urban inequality, China is undertaking a series of policy initiatives to promote rural development. In addition to redistributive policies aiming at social protection, asset-based policy, which integrates social protection and social investment, is another viable option for progressive rural development. In 1998, the Hutubi local government in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China implemented an innovative retirement program which allows account holders to use accounts as legal collateral to borrow small loans and invest in productive assets such as farming supplies and equipment, education, and small businesses. Using the data gathered by the program …

Law No. 627 - Law Of Reforms And Additions To Law No. 554, "Energy Stability Law", La Asamblea Nacional De La República De Nicaragua

Latin American Energy Policies

This law provides modifications to Law 554, which declared an energy crisis in the country due to high oil prices.

Decree 2331 Of 2007 - Rational And Efficient Energy Use, El Ministerio De Minas Y Energía, Colombia

Latin American Energy Policies

This decree states that all government buildings, or entities thereof, should use energy saving incandescent bulbs, specifically Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) with high efficiency.

Cep V Bell Aliant Regional Communications Llp, Innis Christie

Innis Christie Collection

This is a policy grievance brought by the Union because the Employer refused to allow employees, who were accepting an early retirement package, to include outstanding vacation time as time served. The Union wanted the remedy to include a recalculation of entitlement for the relevant employees, a declaration that the Employer had violated the Agreement and an order that eligible employees be allow to reconsider their choices based on this decision. The Employer's interpretation hinged on the fact that the departure date was subject to the Employer's approval.

Pharmacy & Therapeutics Update: Drug Information For Health Care Professionals, Medical University Of South Carolina, Paul W. Bush, Kelli L. Garrison, Jason Cooper

Pharmacy & Therapeutics Update: Drug Information for Health Care Professionals

No abstract provided.

Rural Families More Likely To Be Uninsured And Have Different Sources Of Coverage, Erika C. Ziller Phd, Andrew F. Coburn Phd, Nathaniel J. Anderson Ms, Mph, Stephanie L. Loux Ms

Access / Insurance

This study used the 2001/2002 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), to examine the patterns of insurance coverage within rural families and to assess differences in family-level insurance status for rural and urban families (including comparisons between rural families living adjacent to and not adjacent to an urban area). Among partially uninsured families, we examined rural-urban differences in the sources of family coverage for insured family members (Medicare, Medicaid/ SCHIP, private, or a combination).

Third Grade Retention And Florida's Pupil Progression Plan: Individual And School Characteristics Associated With Long-Term Outcomes In Reading Performance, Heather A. Powell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Literacy is a growing national concern that has resulted in federal legislation (e.g., the No Child Left Behind Act) instituting higher accountability for states and schools with regard to reading instruction and remediation. As a result, Florida's statewide measure of achievement, the reading portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT-Reading) is now tied to retention decisions for students in the third grade as part of the pupil progression plan for the state. In its first year of implementation (2003), 23% of third-grade students failed the FCAT and over 28,000 were retained. Though failure rates are decreasing, (i.e., 6% of …

Pharmacy & Therapeutics Update: Drug Information For Health Care Professionals, June 2007, Medical University Of South Carolina, Paul W. Bush, Kelli L. Garrison, Jason Cooper

Pharmacy & Therapeutics Update: Drug Information for Health Care Professionals

No abstract provided.

Decree No. 264-07- Promotion Of Natural Gas, Presidente De La República Dominicana

Latin American Energy Policies

This decree declares a national interest in the use of natural gas. It promotes the use of natural gas as an alternative to liquid fuels.

Plenty Of Bark, But Not Much Bite: Putting Teeth Back Into Historic Preservation Enforcement In D.C., Winston Sale

Georgetown Law Historic Preservation Papers Series

Washington, D.C. has one of the largest inventories of protected historic buildings of any city in the United States. Over 25,000 structures stand within the city's borders that are either individually landmarked or contributing buildings within a historic district. These buildings are covered by statutory protection designed to prevent alteration or demolition without consultation with the Office of Historic Preservation (HPO) and/or the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB). Enforcement of these protections relies on HPO's inspectors.

While the District currently employs two historic preservation inspectors, recent changes in the structure of HPO and other D.C. bureaucracies brought about a …

El Salvador A Microcosm Of The Biofuels Macrocosm, Noticen Writers

NotiEn: An Analytical Digest About Energy Issues in Latin America

Having proved itself a worthy ally in the Iraq war by steadfastly continuing to send its troops into that inferno, El Salvador has earned a place on a new front in US global policy, the ethanol wars. US President George W. Bush has chosen El Salvador as the site of a feasibility study for producing the fuel. The plan calls for a biofuels plant to be built in the country, even though El Salvador is already producing and exporting ethanol to the US under the provisions of the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). The recently ignited conflagrations pit biofuel …