Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Analysis Of Different Approaches To Women Empowerment: A Case Study Of Pakistan, Amatul R. Chaudhary, Muhammad Irfan Chani, Zahid Pervaiz

Muhammad Irfan Chani

A Great Recession In Economics?, Sergio Da Silva

Sergio Da Silva

The number of downloads of economics articles through the repository RePEc showed a sharp drop on the eve of the Great Recession in the economy. This unambiguously occurred with the Blue Ribbon journals, but can possibly be extended to other important journals. If we can perhaps talk of a great recession in economics, in the sense of a general lack of interest in reading economics papers, this may have been part of the overall bearish mood of the time.

Os Erros De Bernoulli, Sergio Da Silva

Sergio Da Silva

No abstract provided.

An Empirical Case Against The Use Of Genetic-Based Learning Classifier Systems As Forecasting Devices, Jaqueson Galimberti, Sergio Da Silva

Sergio Da Silva

We adapt a genetic-based learning classifier system to a forecast evaluation exercise by making its key parameters endogenous and taking into account the need of convergence of the learning algorithm, an issue usually neglected in the literature. Doing so, we find it hard for the algorithm to beat simpler ones based on recursive regressions and on the random walk in forecasting stock returns. We then argue that our results cast doubts on the plausibility of using learning classifier systems to represent agents process of expectations formation, an approach commonly found into the agent-based computational finance literature.

Complexities Of Collapse: The Evidence Of Maya Obsidian As Revealed By Social Network Graphical Analysis, Gary M. Feinman, Mark Golitko, James Meierhoff, Patrick Ryan Williams

Gary M. Feinman

The authors use a social network analysis to map the changing patterns of obsidian supply among the Maya during the period of Classic to Postclassic transition. The quantity of obsidian received from different sources was calculated for 121 sites and the network analysis showed how the relative abundance of material from different sources shifted over time. A shift from inland to coastal supply routes appears to have contributed to the collapse of inland Maya urban centres. The methods employed clearly have a high potential to reveal changing economic networks in cases of major societal transitions elsewhere in the world.

Fighting Poverty One Experiment At A Time: A Review Essay On Abhijit Banerjee And Esther Duflo, Poor Economics, Martin Ravallion

Martin Ravallion

Banerjee and Duflo offer a coherent vision for an economics of poverty and anti-poverty policy. Their economics is grounded in an effort to understand the economic and psychological complexities in the lives of poor people, informed by social experiments and field observations. Their preferred policies entail small reforms at the margin, also informed by experiments—specifically randomized control trials. While the book provides some interesting insights, I question how far its approach will get us in fighting global poverty.

Nine Out Of Ten. The "Losers" In Italy's Long Crisis. Changes In Income Distribution, Effects Of Policies, Rise In Inequality, Mario Pianta

Mario Pianta

The Effects Of Internet Access On Labor-Supply Decisions, Katrina Kosec, Sara Champion, Christopher Stanton

Katrina Kosec

The prevalence of Internet access in the home has increased markedly over the last decade. In many respects, it has changed the way people live and work. This paper examines the relationship between Internet in the home (and whether it is broadband) and various measures of labor supply using data from the Current Population Survey and the American Time Use Survey for the period 1998–2010. After including extensive controls, we document that home Internet access is highly positively cor¬related with employment, with total hours worked, and with the amount and share of work done from home. We also document that …