Traditional roof coverings in the North York Moors National Park

Purpose – The paper seeks to deal with vernacular roofing practices within the North York Moors National Park. Design/methodology/approach – Initially the paper carries out a literature review of the geography and geology of the area and identifies what makes it physically unique. The paper then examines the development of various roofing materials, including thatch, stone slates and pantiles with case studies of old practice and modern methods from around the Park. Findings – Roofing styles are simplistic and have steered away from the intricate in favour of the indigenous or readily available. The paper demonstrates the much-regionalised nature of the roofing materials and recognises this as one of the special cultural features worthy of conservation. Research limitations/implications – The results are limited to the North York Moors National Park but the approach taken could be extended to other conservation areas. Practical implications – The results of the research will benefit those involved in the conservation of vernacular buildings in the North York Moors National Park. Originality/value – The paper calls for additional guidance for roofers and specifiers on traditional vernacular techniques and for existing funding under the Environmental Stewardship Scheme to be extended to include rural communities in National Parks

Household Investment through migration in Rural China

In this paper, we strive to better understand how household investment is affected by participation in migration in rural China. After we describe investment patterns across different regions of rural China, we use a theoretical model to describe a relationship between migration and investment and to generate hypotheses about the relationship consistent with our descriptive findings. We test the hypotheses using household data collected in rural China in 2000 and find that in poorer areas migration increases consumptive investment by nearly 20 percent. We find no evidence of a link between migration and productive investment.China, migration, development, household investment, dynamic panel data

John Komlos, What Every Economics Student Needs to Know, and Doesn’t Get in the Usual Principles Text

Book Revie

Toward the Integration of Economics and Outdoor Recreation Management

The general theme of this bulletin is that improved management of public-sector recreational resources is a multidisciplinary task. To this end, we attempt to integrate elements of outdoor recreation management theory and economics. The bulletin is written for both resource managers and researchers. For the former, our intent is to emphasize the importance of being aware of economic implications-at least conceptually-of management actions that influence the character and availability of recreational opportunities. To researchers involved in developing recreation management theory, we draw attention to the parallel between recreation management theory and the traditional managerial economic model of the firm. To economists, particularly those involved in developing and applying nonmarket valuation techniques, we draw attention to the types of decisions faced by resource managers. We argue that the most important resource allocation issues are of the incremental variety, so nonmarket valuation should also yield incremental values. These values alone, however, are not sufficient economic input into rational public choice analysis. The missing link , or nexus, between outdoor recreation management theory and economic analysis is the integration of supply and demand, as called for by traditional managerial economics. Collaborative research to develop recreation supply response functions akin to agricultural production functions is an essential step that is missing from both literatures. Theoretical and applied work assume greater practical importance if they feed information into this broadened framework. It is our hope that this bulletin will bring the disciplines closer to that realization

THE EFFECT OF DEVELOPMENT OF GEOGRAPHY, VITAMIN D, WEALTH, AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY ON TUBERCULOSIS MORTALITY: THE CASE OF THE 19TH CENTURY US

Tuberculosis remains a major cause of international mortality, and researchers and policy advocates continue to seek a cost effective prevention and treatment. To better understand the current dilemma, this paper considers the physical and material environments associated with 19th century US tuberculosis mortality. Vitamin D was an historical remedy for tuberculosis, and sunlight-the primary source of vitamin D production and time of year-are documented here to have been associated with lower tuberculosis mortality rates. Occupations were also related with the physical environment and tuberculosis mortality, and workers in outdoor occupations, such as farmers and unskilled workers, were less likely than workers in other occupations to die from tuberculosis. Absolute wealth and agricultural productivity were associated with the likelihood of dying from tuberculosis, and people who lived in high wealth and low agriculturally productive states were less likely to die from tuberculosis.19th Century US Tuberculosis Mortality, Insolation, Wealth, Agricultural Productivity

Working Until Dropping: Employment Behavior of the Elderly in Rural China

In rural areas of many developing countries, including China, people do not have the chance to retire, but rather have to continue working as they age. In this paper, we have two specific objectives. First, we will illustrate the work and retirement patterns of the elderly, and develop a profile of the characteristics of the elderly that work and those that do not. We will describe the work contours both in the formal and informal sectors. Second, we will examine the determinants of work and retirement and attempt to surmise from these the strategies that the elderly use to support themselves when they are old. One finding of interest is that we find evidence of behavior among the elderly that in many cases they are willing to sacrifice their own current consumption and asset accumulation to help make their children more productive so the children will be able to better care for their parents when they are older.China, elderly, employment, retirement