Suchergebnisse

Images have a strong presence in educational contexts, particularly in online environments. When images add vital information for the understanding of a given subject, this information must be perceived by all students, including those who have a visual impairment. Although most web tools and platforms have a field for the description or alternative text, most images do not contain this information. Since 2016, some platforms and web services have been providing features, based on Artificial Intelligence, which present a brief description of the images to screen readers. Are these descriptions effective for people with visual impairment, in an eLearning context? Are they enough for a blind person to create a mental image? How do they differ from the description performed by humans? To answer these questions, it is necessary to have an idea of how we perceive images and how they make sense in our brain, according to our values and culture. Thus, in this work we present a reflection related to these questions, using examples of descriptions obtained by the google chrome feature "Get image description" and descriptions made by people in the various editions of the MOOC "Image description in web context".

ABSTRACTIt has been suggested that the Phillips curve (positive output‐inflation correlation) is inverted in poor countries. It is argued here that the truth is more complex. In poor countries temporary supply‐side shocks, for example to agricultural output, induce a negative correlation between prices and output rather than between inflation rates and output. Empirical evidence supports this hypothesis.

Inflationary performance in sub-Saharan Africa since 1996 is examined. Median inflation has tended to be higher than in other regions of the developing world, such as MENA and Latin America. Inflation is highly persistent and is higher in countries that are less politically stable, in those without hard-peg exchange rate regimes, and in those with larger fiscal deficits. Inflation has declined over time, at least at the upper end of the distribution. There is no evidence that commitment devices such as inflation targeting have reduced inflation, but in SSA the sample is confined to two countries. Inflation typically spikes after a devaluation, and is sensitive to supply-side shocks. Movements in the real price of oil and rice (but not maize) have significantly affected the inflation rate. In countries that are poor in oil and minerals and therefore more reliant on agriculture, output growth is negatively correlated with inflation, presumably because, when the harvest is good and agricultural output is high, the extra supply reduces food prices. Fiscal balances also display considerable persistence and are more favourable in resource-rich and politically stable countries and in those with hard-peg exchange rate regimes, and have improved over time.

Abstract.  Using data from a large sample of developing countries from 1985 to 2001, we confirm that hard pegs (currency boards or a shared currency) reduce inflation and money growth. There is no evidence that soft pegs confer any monetary discipline, after other factors are controlled for. Inflation triggers regime switches. Under hard pegs, monetary growth is unaffected by fiscal deficits or by inflation shocks. Under soft pegs, as under floats, increased fiscal deficits and positive inflation shocks are associated with higher monetary growth. The apparently slower per capita output growth under hard pegs is explained by their geographical distribution. JEL classification: F41