Suchergebnisse

This paper considers the sensitivity of policy simulation to the specification of the labour market in an Applied General Equilibrium (AGE) model of the European Union. We consider a variety of adjustments to the labour market, including the introduction of labour supply heterogeneity and involuntary unemployment, and examine how those adjustments influenae the simulated impact of a move to European VAT harmonisation. Empirical results indicate that the precise mechanism by which unemployment is factored into the AGE model has important consequences for the price, quantity and welfare effects following the policy reform.

Literacy development is a complex process. It is well established that the Home Literacy Environment influences literacy development. To better understand the influence of the Neighborhood Literacy Environment, we examined the distribution of public library branches across neighborhoods in an American midwestern city and associations between book circulation rates and childhood poverty rates. This study used children's book circulation data provided by the Hamilton County Public Library in the state of Ohio (U.S.). The primary outcome variable was the branch-specific, five-year mean circulation rate of books-per-child living within the branch neighborhood. The predictor variable was the childhood poverty rate of the neighborhood. There was a significant, moderate negative correlation between book circulation and childhood poverty rates (Spearman's r= -0.52, p<0.001). Using data from a public library system in a large midwestern American city, this study found significant disparities in branch access and children's book circulation in high-poverty neighborhoods.

What counts is what works - but how can we actually tell what works? And what can we do with such knowledge to influence policy and practice? As all parts of the public sector embrace 'evidence' as a means of providing more effective and efficient public services, this book provides a timely and novel contribution to such debates. The authors consider the role of evidence in specific public policy areas (healthcare, education, criminal justice, social care, welfare, housing, transport and urban renewal), using experts in each field to explore the creation, dissemination and use of evidence within each. They consider in particular: How is research evidence of service effectiveness created? How does such evidence shape policy and influence service delivery? What efforts are being made to encourage greater utilisation of evidence in policy and practice? The rich cross-sectoral accounts of the many and diverse activities in each sector provide an insight into the ebb and flow of evidence as guidance to policy and practice. 'What works?' develops perceptive analyses of outstanding problems, and raises challenging agendas for service development and future research. The authors conclude with the all-important question of the implementation of evidence-based practice and lead the way to the reinvigoration of innovative thinking. With its relevance to both cutting-edge practice and research, this book is important reading for a wide range of managers and professionals in different sectors, as well as students and academics studying public policy, public administration, and social policy and management