Poverty and the Environment: Exploring the Relationship between Household Incomes, Private Assets, and Natural Assets

Using purpose-collected survey data from 537 households in 60 different villages of the Jhabua district of India, this paper investigates the extent to which rural households depend on common-pool natural resources for their daily livelihood. Previous studies have found that resource dependence— defined as the fraction of total income derived from common-pool resources—strongly decreases with income. Our study finds a more complex relationship. First, for the subsample of households that use positive amounts of resources, we find that dependence follows a U-shaped relationship with income, declining at first but then increasing. Second, we find that the probability of being in the subsample of common-pool resource users follows an inverse U-shaped relationship with income: the poorest and richest households are less likely to collect resources than those with intermediate incomes. Resource use by the rich is therefore bimodal: either very high or—for the very richest households—zero. Third, we find that resource dependence increases at all income levels with an increase in the level of common-pool biomass availability. The combination of these results suggests that the quality of natural resources matters to a larger share of the rural population than had been previously believed; common-pool resources contribute a significant fraction of the income not just of the desperately poor, but also of the relatively rich.

Exploring the Behavior of Highly Effective CIOs Using Video Analysis

Although recently several studies have addressed the required skills of effective CIOs, little is known of the actual behavior successful CIOs. In this study, we explore the behavior of highly effective CIOs by video-recording CIOs at work. The two CIOs videotaped were nominated as CIO of the year. We analyze the data in an innovative and systematic way by developing and using a behavioral leadership coding scheme. The analysis indicates that highly effective CIOs are good listeners. They also often verify previously made agreements; structure the conversation; and provide subordinates with factual information. We also compare the behavior of the highly effective CIOs to a sample of 25 highly effective middle managers. Whereas the CIOs spend little time defending themselves against their subordinates and are mostly involved in steering, middle-managers spend much more time defending themselves and show more support for their subordinates. We conclude that our new video observation-and-coding method is viable to analyze and better understand the behavior of CIOs

Magnetism and Electronic Structure in ZnFe2_2O4_4 and MnFe2_2O4_4

Density functional calculations are used to study magnetic and electronic properties of the spinel ferrites, ZnFe$_2$O$_4$ and MnFe$_2$O$_4$. Correct magnetic orderings are obtained. ZnFe$_2$O$_4$ is predicted to be a small gap insulator in agreement with experiment. MnFe$_2$O$_4$ is found to be a low carrier density half-metal in the fully ordered state. However, strong effects on the electronic structure are found upon partial interchange of Fe and Mn atoms. This indicates that the insulating character may be due to Anderson localization associated with the intersite Mn-Fe disorder.Comment: 3 pages, submitted to mmm01 conferenc

Economic insecurity during the Great Recession and metabolic, inflammatory and liver function biomarkers: analysis of the UK Household Longitudinal Study

Background: Economic insecurity correlates with adverse health outcomes, but the biological pathways involved are not well understood. We examine how changes in economic insecurity relate to metabolic, inflammatory and liver function biomarkers. Methods: Blood analyte data were taken from 6520 individuals (aged 25–59 years) participating in Understanding Society. Economic insecurity was measured using an indicator of subjective financial strain and by asking participants whether they had missed any bill, council tax, rent or mortgage payments in the past year. We investigated longitudinal changes in economic insecurity (remained secure, increase in economic insecurity, decrease in economic insecurity, remained insecure) and the accumulation of economic insecurity. Linear regression models were calculated for nine (logged) biomarker outcomes related to metabolic, inflammatory, liver and kidney function (as falsification tests), adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Compared with those who remained economically stable, people who experienced consistent economic insecurity (using both measures) had worsened levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, triglycerides, C reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen and glycated haemoglobin. Increased economic insecurity was associated with adverse levels of HDL-cholesterol (0.955, 95% CI 0.929 to 0.982), triglycerides (1.077, 95% CI 1.018 to 1.139) and CRP (1.114, 95% CI 1.012 to 1.227), using the measure of financial strain. Results for the other measure were generally consistent, apart from the higher levels of gamma-glutamyl transferase observed among those experiencing persistent insecurity (1.200, 95% CI 1.110 to 1.297). Conclusion: Economic insecurity is associated with adverse metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers (particularly HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and CRP), heightening risk for a range of health conditions

Institutions for adaptation: the capacity and ability of the Dutch institutional framework to adapt to climate change

The climate is not the only aspect in this world that is changing. We notice a number of societal trends – a shift towards individual responsibility to receive rain water on private property and to encourage individuals to seek insurance rather than depend on a safety net to be provided by the government; increasing pressure on rural land use because of urbanisation processes, together with development to combine land use functions; decisions to develop large scale housing projects that do not take into account the potential impact of climate change; and, inter alia, the development of innovative solutions such as floating houses and brackish agriculture. We also notice the development of new organizational arrangements, such as multilevel agreements between policy actors, a more horizontal approach to land use planning, and a shift form national to European nature policies. Obviously, the system we will try to study is a moving target, and the theoretical framework we use will have to be able to deal with thi

On-chip detection of ferromagnetic resonance of a single submicron permalloy strip

We measured ferromagnetic resonance of a single submicron ferromagnetic strip, embedded in an on-chip microwave transmission line device. The method used is based on detection of the oscillating magnetic flux due to the magnetization dynamics, with an inductive pick-up loop. The dependence of the resonance frequency on applied static magnetic field agrees very well with the Kittel formula, demonstrating that the uniform magnetization precession mode is being driven

The Role of Marriage in the Causal Pathway from Economic Conditions Early in Life to Mortality

This paper analyzes the interplay between early-life conditions and marital status, as determinants of adult mortality. We use individual data from Dutch registers (years 1815-2000), combined with business cycle conditions in childhood as indicators of early-life conditions. The empirical analysis estimates bivariate duration models of marriage and mortality, allowing for unobserved heterogeneity and causal effects. Results show that conditions around birth and school ages are important for marriage and mortality. Men typically enjoy a protective effect of marriage on mortality, whereas women suffer during childbearing ages. Having been born under favorable economic conditions reduces female mortality during childbearing ages.death, longevity, recession, life expectancy, lifetimes, marital status, timing of events, selectivity, health

India's Firewood Crisis Re-examined

Households in rural India are highly dependent on firewood as their main source of energy, partly because non-biofuels tend to be expensive. The prevailing view is therefore that, when faced with shortages of firewood in the village commons, such households, and especially the women in them, have to spend more and more time searching for firewood and eventually settle for poorer-quality biomass such as twigs, branches and dry leaves. Using data from a random sample of rural households in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, we come to very different conclusions, however. We find that households in villages with degraded forests do not spend longer hours searching for firewood, but instead switch to either using firewood from private trees or to using agricultural waste for fuel. In the long run, moreover, households respond to the firewood shortage by altering the mix of private trees on their land in favor of firewood, as opposed to fruit, trees. We find also that, Joint Forest Management, a government program initiated in the 1990s, is having a positive impact on the firewood economy.firewood crisis, time allocation, fuel switching, JFM, India

The role of marriage in the causal pathway from economic conditions early in life to mortality

This paper analyzes the interplay between early-life conditions and marital status, as determinants of adult mortality. We use individual data from Dutch registers (years 1815-2000), combined with business cycle conditions in childhood as indicators of earlylife conditions. The empirical analysis estimates bivariate duration models of marriage and mortality, allowing for unobserved heterogeneity and causal effects. Results show that conditions around birth and school ages are important for marriage and mortality. Men typically enjoy a protective effect of marriage on mortality, whereas women suffer during childbearing ages. Having been born under favorable economic conditions reduces female mortality during childbearing ages.Death; longevity; recession; life expectancy; lifetimes; marital status; timing of events; selectivity; health