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This paper develops - a sequential dynamic general equilibrium model of the U.S. economy - DAGEM. Economic behavior of every agent in this economy is derived from an intertemporal specification of the agent's objectives and constraints. Firms maximize the present value of the net cash flow in a technology with adjustment costs to determine endogenously optimal supplies and optimal demands for the different production inputs. In particular, investment decisions are forward looking. Real investment is financed by retained earnings and issuance of new debt and equity according to exogenously defined rules. Government intertemporal behavior is obtained from the maximization of a social welfare function defined over the domain of a public good and subject to an intertemporal budget constraint. The government is allowed to run deficits which are financed by issuing bonds. Optimal household behavior follows a life-cycle type of model generating endogenous savings and labor-leisure decisions. Household asset portfolio decisions merely accommodate the composition of demand for funds. Equilibrium in this economy is conceived as a temporary Walrasian equilibrium. All the markets clear, hence the Walrasian nature of equilibrium. Also, equilibrium in the short run is such that market clearing prices are parametric on the expectation formation rules, hence the temporary nature of equilibrium. The second part of this paper addresses problems of implementation and policy analysis with the DAGEM. In the context of applied general equilibrium analysis, policy evaluations are typically carried out by contrasting a base case reflecting the status quo and several counterfactual equilibria reflecting different scenarios generated by the policy change under consideration. First, it is necessary to specify the base case equilibrium. In particular, the data requirements are reviewed and sources provided. Secondly, the different equilibria are made comparable by the use of the concept of equal yield. The concept of equal yield is generalized to accommodate the existence of government deficits. Thirdly, the information contained in the different equiljbria is synthesized by using a scalar indicator. This indicator is the dynamic generalization of the Hicksian compensation tests to a context in Which expectations are not self-fulfilling, and no future markets exist. This chapter contains also a discussion of the computation strategy and, in particular, the computation algorithm. This paper concludes with a critical assessment of the DAGEM in terms of modeling and implementation as well as suggestions for future research. The potential of the methodology developed in this paper is emphasized. In particular, the merits of DAGEM to address several public finance issues, like the possible re-introduction of investment tax credits or the effects of political measures tending to balance the government budget, are discussed. ; N/A

Democracies are based on political parties and election systems allowing voters to put the confidence in representers of these political parties to defend their interests. There are many studies analyzing the results of elections with the goal of (1) explaining the results, and (2) trying to predict what will happens in future elections. However no many attention has received the abstention, why voters do not use their right to elect representers? Commonly, abstention has not been too significant, however in last years it has been increased in many countries and it could be of great interest to analyze the causes. Studies about elections, both voting and abstention, are commonly based on statistical methods. The current paper is focused on analyzing the abstention based on symbolic learning methods (decision trees). Particularly, we are interested on identifying the groups of potential voters that have decided to abstain. We worked on data of the elections to Catalan Parliament held in 2015. ; This research is funded by the project RPREF (CSIC Intramural 201650E044); and the grant 2014-SGR-118 from the Generalitat de Catalunya.

Intro -- Contents -- Preface -- Chapter 1 -- One Picture Book, Two Languages: Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Chinese Preschools -- Abstract -- Introduction -- Early EFL Curricula and the Chinese Context -- High-Quality EFL Curriculum for Young Children: Four Elements -- Curriculum Development -- PACE-SEED Overview -- Picture Book-Oriented: One Book, Two Languages -- An Example Module: 'What are the Differences between Shapes?' -- Tandem Teaching -- Meaningful Interactions -- Pilot Study -- Research Questions -- Method -- Analysis -- Findings -- Teachers' Use of Questions -- Teachers' Feedback to Children's Responses -- Teachers' Code Switching -- Teachers' Perception on the Curriculum -- Discussion -- References -- Chapter 2 -- Early Identification of At-Risk Foreign Language Readers -- Abstract -- Introduction -- Reading Components -- From Oracy to Literacy -- Word Recognition and Language Consistency -- The Importance of Sociocultural Factors -- The Case of Spanish-Speaker Learners of English as a Foreign Language -- Method -- Participants -- Instruments and Procedure -- Results -- Discussion -- Conclusion and Implications -- References -- Chapter 3 -- Promoting Global Citizenship by Raising Intercultural Awareness of Young Language Learners: Perspectives and Practices of -- English Language Teachers in Serbia -- Abstract -- Introduction -- Global Citizenship Education -- Intercultural Awareness in Teaching Young Learners English -- The Background of the Study -- The Study -- Aims and Research Questions -- Method -- Participants -- Instrument -- Procedure -- Results -- Participants' Perspectives on ICA and GC -- Participants' Pedagogical Practices Related to ICA and GC -- Discussion -- Research Question 1: The Participants' Perspectives Related to ICA and GC.

TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS OF BADUNG REGENCY GOVERNMENT CENTRE "MANGUPRAJA MANDALA" ON THE PERFORMANCE OF SURROUNDING ROADSABSTRACTTraffic congestion around Hanoman intersection especially during the rush hours when the employees of the Badung Regency Government Office Centre are coming to or going home from their offices has created long lines of traffic jammed cars along Sempidi Road and the Dalung-Sempidi Road. Therefore, an analysis on the performance of the road and intersections around the Badung Regency Government Office Centre is needed to be done. The aim of this study is to identify the values of Trip Generation by Badung Regency Government Office Centre, the performance of Jalan Raya Sempidi, Jalan Raya Sempidi-Dalung, and the Hanoman Intersection. The method used was based on the Indonesian Road Capacity Manual (MKJI), 1997. The result of the analysis showed that the impact of Trip Generation by Badung Regency Government Office Centre during peak hours is 1,414 pcu/hour. Degree of Saturation on Sempidi Road increased from 0.93 to 0.97, and the Level of Service in E. Degree of Saturation on Sempidi-Dalung Road increased from 0.67 to 0.93 and the Level of service decreased from C to E. Degree of Saturation on Hanoman Intersection increased from 1.59 to 1.83 and the Intersection Delay increased from 160-109 to 229-150, and Level of Service in F. The traffic congestion in Raya Sempidi and Raya Sempidi-Dalung road are caused by the delay in Hanoman Intersection, therefore the problem in Hanoman Intersection must be solved. With the availability of land in the Northern and Southern gate of Badung Regency Government Office Centre, the solution can be in the form of establishment a U-Turn.

BACKGROUND: Nutrition policies to improve the food environment frequently rely on voluntary business action for implementation, many have had mixed success. The aims of this study were to identify key food system drivers influencing the Australian packaged food sector and analyse how these might impact the willingness of food companies to voluntarily reduce salt in packaged foods. METHODS: Business methods formed the basis of this retrospective applied policy analysis of voluntary salt reduction for the period 2013-2016 where the focal policy was the Australian Food and Health Dialogue (2009-2015). The analytical framework included political-legal, economic, social, technological (PEST) external drivers of the food system, and Porter's Five Forces for the competitive drivers of the food system. Documentary data identifying food system drivers affecting the Australian packaged food sector (comprised of the food processing and supermarket industries) were identified through a comprehensive search of the grey and academic literatures. RESULTS: The interplay between external and competitive food system drivers created an environment in which voluntary salt reduction was found to be an uneasy fit. A high cost of doing business, soft growth, intense competition, asymmetry of power in favour of supermarkets, and marginal consumer interest in less salty food were found likely to create commercial disincentives to invest in voluntary salt reduction above more pressing commercial imperatives. Analysis of food manufacturing industries highlighted the highly contextual nature of food system drivers. Opportunities for nutrition policy included: support for 'shared value' in economic discourse; and, leveraging investor, supermarket, and the largely unrealised bargaining power of consumers. CONCLUSION: Business frameworks can provide meaningful insights for nutrition policy on how food system drivers can thwart policy goals. Our analysis highlighted areas to incentivise voluntary action and illustrated the importance of political-legal, economic and consumer strategies for salt reduction.