The role of participation and empowerment in income and poverty dynamics in Indonesia 1993-2000

The objective of this study is to assess whether living in a community that has a more democratic decision making system or in a society with a higher degree of participation and cooperation has any effect on household income changes and poverty reduction in Indonesia. Constructing an empowerment index and a participation index, we find that a household would have had a two percentage point higher income growth from 1993 to 2000 if it had been in a society with a high degree of cooperation compared to a society with the lowest degree of cooperation, if our results imply causality. This is substantial, since the average household per capita real income growth between 1993 and 2000 was 11 %. The participation index was found to be insignificant.Household income Poverty reduction Indonesia

Statistical Mechanical Theory of a Closed Oscillating Universe

Based on Newton's laws reformulated in the Hamiltonian dynamics combined with statistical mechanics, we formulate a statistical mechanical theory supporting the hypothesis of a closed oscillating universe. We find that the behaviour of the universe as a whole can be represented by a free entropic oscillator whose lifespan is nonhomogeneous, thus implying that time is shorter or longer according to the state of the universe itself given through its entropy. We conclude that time reduces to the entropy production of the universe and that a nonzero entropy production means that local fluctuations could exist giving rise to the appearance of masses and to the curvature of the space

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: March 20, 2015

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) was flat in February 2015, rising by just 0.01% during the month. The LEI-N predicts economic growth in the state six months in the future. The flat LEI-N, when combined with solid monthly increases in December 2014 and January 2015, suggest that economic growth in Nebraska will be solid in mid-2015. Three of six components of the leading economic indicator rose during February. Respondents to the Survey of Nebraska Business were optimistic. Respondents predicted a strong increase in employment over the next six months and an increase in sales. There also was a slight increase in building permits and a slight decline in initial claims for unemployment insurance during February, which suggests strength in the labor market. Among declining components, the most important factor was the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar. For the seventh consecutive month, there was a sharp increase in the value of the dollar, which is a significant negative for businesses which export. There also was a decline in airline passenger counts and manufacturing hours during February

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: March 20, 2015

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) was flat in February 2015, rising by just 0.01% during the month. The LEI-N predicts economic growth in the state six months in the future. The flat LEI-N, when combined with solid monthly increases in December 2014 and January 2015, suggest that economic growth in Nebraska will be solid in mid-2015. Three of six components of the leading economic indicator rose during February. Respondents to the Survey of Nebraska Business were optimistic. Respondents predicted a strong increase in employment over the next six months and an increase in sales. There also was a slight increase in building permits and a slight decline in initial claims for unemployment insurance during February, which suggests strength in the labor market. Among declining components, the most important factor was the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar. For the seventh consecutive month, there was a sharp increase in the value of the dollar, which is a significant negative for businesses which export. There also was a decline in airline passenger counts and manufacturing hours during February

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: December 18, 2015

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) rose by 0.38% in November 2015. The increase in the LEI-N, which predicts economic growth in the state six months in the future, suggests solid economic growth in Nebraska during the 2nd quarter of 2016. There was a split among components of the LEI-N during November. There was an increase in building permits for single-family homes and airline passenger counts. There also were positive business expectations, with respondents to the Survey of Nebraska Business predicting growth in both sales and employment at their businesses over the next 6 months. However, initial claims for unemployment insurance were up during November. There also was evidence of challenges ahead for Nebraska’s export-oriented sectors. The value of the U.S. dollar resumed its increase in November, which will pressure export-oriented businesses in agriculture and manufacturing. There also was a decline in manufacturing hours during November