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This paper examines the performance of the JTPA performance system, a widely emulated model for inducing efficiency in government organizations. We present a model of how performance incentives may distort bureaucratic decisions. We define cream skimming within the model. Two major empirical findings are (a) that the short run measures used to monitor performance are weakly, and sometimes perversely, related to long run impacts and (b) that the efficiency gains or losses from cream skimming are small. We find evidence that centers respond to performance standards.

The use of formulae has become widespread in recent years across most developed countries. In the UK, a conservative estimate is that annually £150 billion of public service expenditure is distributed using formulae, in services such as health care, local government, social security and higher education. This book offers a comprehensive introduction to the theory and practice underlying the use of such formulae as a basis for funding public services. The philosophy, design and economic consequences of funding formulae have become key policy issues worldwide. However, till now, there has been no text which brings together the economic, statistical and political issues underlying formula funding. This key book fills that gap. Written by a leading international expert on the design of funding formulae, this important book includes empirical evidence from a range of countries and will be a valuable resource for all those involved in this field.

Faculty and students recognize that to succeed in graduate school, the ability to read efficiently and with comprehension is crucial. Students must be able to process information newly presented to them, even when that information seems overwhelming. Comprehending, discussing, and utilizing relevant texts are central to the production of scholars. But what constitutes appropriate techniques of reading, when does one employ various strategies, and for what purposes? In a world in which more is assigned than can reasonably be processed, what constitutes a legitimate practice? In this conversation essay, we discuss the role of skimming, building upon an interview study of 36 social science graduate students in history, economics, and sociology. We ask what students believe about the necessity and appropriateness of skimming, how they honed their skills, and what constitutes normative standards. We treat skimming as a form of "legitimate deviance," necessary for occupational survival but a strategy that is potentially a challenge to an academic self-image. Students learn techniques that allow them to read rapidly and recall information for later use, but the appropriate use of these techniques is rarely discussed openly in graduate training.

This study investigates the impact of innovation support programmes on SME innovation in traditional manufacturing industries in seven EU regions. Recent literature identifying sources of potential government failure in innovation policy suggests that the effects of public support measures to increase private innovation may be disappointing. Our results are consistent with this hypothesis, yet also suggest a direction for policy reform to overcome government failure and, thereby, to increase the potential additionality of innovation support programmes. Innovation support programmes in the EU typically adopt a "cream skimming" selection strategy: namely, programme managers systematically select firms on the basis of observable characteristics conducive to innovation. The econometric analysis of a new survey database reported in this paper suggests that "cream skimming" leads to firms being selected for programme participation that benefit less than would randomly selected firms. The policy corollary is that, subject to due diligence checking, allocation of innovation support by lottery should give rise to greater programme additionality than does the prevalent "cream skimming" approach. We conclude with some practical guidelines for allocation by lottery, which were developed for a recently launched innovation support programme for SMEs. Key words: innovation; SMEs; traditional manufacturing industry; public innovation support; government failure; evaluation

In the United States, bioassessment is a key component of clean water assessment for each state and territory under federal guidelines. Yet, there is a patchwork of approaches implemented by different states that restricts geographic comparisons of water condition. At Jonah Ventures, we have reviewed approaches to implementation of bioassessment for each state and have recommendations for the adoption of aquatic eDNA metabarcoding to complement or replace current practices. States sample different organisms and assess biotic condition differently. For example, only 38 of 55 U.S. states and territories use or have developed methods for using fish assemblages in bioassessments of wadeable streams and rivers. States also differ in the analytical methods used to determine impairment. For benthic macroinvertebrate-based assessments, 2 states apply biotic indices, 35 multimetric indices, 2 predictive models, 2 no standard, and 9 a combination of approaches. Additionally, states vary in ecological values assigned to species, a result of geographic and methodological discrepancies. For instance, the common carp is considered tolerant of disturbance in most states, but not in Arkansas, Georgia, or Maryland. Adoption of eDNA-based bioassessments has the benefits of being cheaper and faster while providing higher taxon detection and resolution than traditional techniques. A single sample can be used to detect the presence or relative abundances of multiple biotic groups. As a result, sample collection can be democratized, and larger, more frequent datasets can be generated that cover a greater range of environments.As a first effort, in 2020, we collected over 100 filtered water samples from streams across the conterminous states. We sequenced multiple PCR replicates of each sample for a hypervariable region of the 12S rRNA gene using the MiFish-U primer set targeting bony fish. ESVs were then assigned to morphospecies taxonomy, and we calculated morphospecies trait-based and compositional metrics for each sample. Up to 18 species of fish were identified at a single site. We also began the process of developing de novo sequence-based ecological values and indices.Given recent advances in sample collection and processing, the path to adoption of eDNA-based assessment in the U.S. is clear:(1) Primer sets for benthic macroinvertebrates need to be improved.(2) Reference sequence libraries need to be expanded. As an example, only about one-third of the freshwater fish species in the U.S. have been sequenced to date. Although taxonomy-free assessments are viable, empirically managers will require taxon-specific information prior to adoption. Genome skimming is recommended for constructing full mitochondrial and chloroplast genome sequence libraries.(3) eDNA must be sampled across a broad gradient of sites that vary in their biogeography and stressors. We estimate about 10,000 samples across the U.S. should be sufficient to generate high-performing indices across the various ecoregions.(4) Analytical techniques must be rigorously tested, regionally calibrated, and consistently implemented across states. We favor an approach in which indices are calculated from gradients of ESV or taxon presence or relative abundances that can secondarily be interpreted based on specific ecological conditions - as opposed to a generalized stress gradient. The transition to eDNA-based bioassessments in the U.S. can likely be accomplished for

The article discusses types of fraud in the field of payment systems, as well as using information and communication technologies, with examples from practice and conclusions to counter common types of fraud, such as phishing and skimming.

In the United States, bioassessment is a key component of clean water assessment for each state and territory under federal guidelines. Yet, there is a patchwork of approaches implemented by different states that restricts geographic comparisons of water condition. At Jonah Ventures, we have reviewed approaches to implementation of bioassessment for each state and have recommendations for the adoption of aquatic eDNA metabarcoding to complement or replace current practices. States sample different organisms and assess biotic condition differently. For example, only 38 of 55 U.S. states and territories use or have developed methods for using fish assemblages in bioassessments of wadeable streams and rivers. States also differ in the analytical methods used to determine impairment. For benthic macroinvertebrate-based assessments, 2 states apply biotic indices, 35 multimetric indices, 2 predictive models, 2 no standard, and 9 a combination of approaches. Additionally, states vary in ecological values assigned to species, a result of geographic and methodological discrepancies. For instance, the common carp is considered tolerant of disturbance in most states, but not in Arkansas, Georgia, or Maryland. Adoption of eDNA-based bioassessments has the benefits of being cheaper and faster while providing higher taxon detection and resolution than traditional techniques. A single sample can be used to detect the presence or relative abundances of multiple biotic groups. As a result, sample collection can be democratized, and larger, more frequent datasets can be generated that cover a greater range of environments.As a first effort, in 2020, we collected over 100 filtered water samples from streams across the conterminous states. We sequenced multiple PCR replicates of each sample for a hypervariable region of the 12S rRNA gene using the MiFish-U primer set targeting bony fish. ESVs were then assigned to morphospecies taxonomy, and we calculated morphospecies trait-based and compositional metrics for each sample. Up to 18 ...

The mismatch between laborer's abilities and the target subject of the training program is one of the most primary concerns for a labor training program. The ability of different workers may significantly affect the outcomes of a labor training program. The objective of this paper is to look at the incentive of labor to enter the program using data of a pilot study at Zhejiang province in China. This paper shows that the average distance of a training center in a village, and the active labor proportion in a family are the core instruments that influence participation of laborers in the rural labor training program. It suggests that rural laborers enter the training program due to the availability of abundant labor in a family, and the convenient conveyance cost to the training center. The Ashenfelter's dip, a pre-program wage drop, on the other hand may induce workers of higher caliber to enter the training program and cause the cream-skimming effect to training program. The traditional view of opportunity cost to enter a training program is extended by the result of cream skimming and training and can be used in revising the future design of rural labor training program. Putting the cream-skimming effect and the training issues together, a better accountability and governance of the training program which actively takes into account of rural laborer needs may be called for.

AbstractTo improve organizational performance, the doctrine of performance management states that managers need to be granted autonomy in exchange for accountability for results. However, managers are often held accountable without autonomy in practice. The accountability pressure often causes gaming behaviors. How does granting managerial autonomy in exchange for accountability affect gaming behaviors? To address this question, we investigated how a performance management reform in New York City public schools, the Empowerment Zone, affected two types of gaming behaviors: effort substitution and cream skimming. Utilizing a difference‐in‐differences estimation strategy over multiple periods, we find that the Empowerment Zone experiment mitigates effort substitution and cream skimming in public schools, but the effect is modified by organizational resources. The findings show the potential of fully implementing performance management doctrine in mitigating gaming and suggest that human resources are crucial for realizing the potential.