Our press review features the latest publications by UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance, plus mentions in the media. Output for April includes five working papers, one journal article, one country report, and one report based on eight urban case studies. Our research spans the globe, covering migrant integration from the Americas to Asia, school programmes in rural Senegal, and the quality of Chinese scientific research, among many others. Please note that the images above are clickable and lead to related papers.
‘One Europe or several? Causes and Consequences of the European Stagnation’ argues that many of Europe’s problems have complex and long‐term roots, based on the different dynamics and adaptability of European countries. Identifying three “archetypes” – the North, South and East – this working paper explores the consequences of globalization and European economic integration. It investigates the economic performance of the different country groups and how Southern countries in particular have benefited little if at all. The authors recommend a tailored European growth policy, which prioritizes the welfare of the European population as a whole. By Jan Fagerberg and Prof. Bart Verspagen.
‘Innovation Systems Framework: Still Useful for New Challenges?’ argues that new societal challenges require us to rethink our approach to innovation systems. Published in the Ritsumeikan Economic Review, this article notes that emerging forms of innovation ― such as user innovation, public sector innovation, social innovation and innovation for inclusive development ― have different features from firm level innovation. Additionally, it examines the features of emerging types of innovation to assess whether and how the current innovation system can be adjusted to address new social agendas. By Dr. Michiko Iizuka.
‘Millennium Development Goals: Tool or Token of Global Social Governance?’ argues that the MDGs have been an effective tool in creating a global accountability framework, despite shortcomings in the formulation process. This working paper discusses the emergence of the MDGs, leading to questions of ownership and responsibilities of developing and developed countries respectively. The authors then assess whether the MDGs comprehensively reflect development concepts and address the question whether the MDGs had an impact on national policies, and ultimately on people’s lives. These questions and their answers are intended to stimulate and inform discussions on the post-2015 development agenda as a – potentially improved – GSG tool. By PhD fellows Mueid Al Raee, Elvis Amoateng, Elvis Avenyo, Youssef Beshay, Mira Bierbaum, Charlotte Keijser and Rashmi Sinha.
‘Migration & Development: A World in Motion – Ethiopia Country Report’ presents the findings of the IS Academy survey in Ethiopia. By examining the differences between current migrant, return migrant, and non-migrant households, and remittance receiving and non-receiving households across several development indicators, the authors highlight several key trends for migration and development in Ethiopia. By PhD fellow Katherine Kushminder and Dr. Melissa Siegel.
‘The Harmony of Programs Package: Quasi-experimental Evidence on Deworming and Canteen Interventions in Rural Senegal’ uses a unique and large-scale quasi-experimental data to study the combined effects of deworming and school meals (as a package) on educational outcomes in rural Senegal. This working paper shows that these initiatives are more beneficial in combination than separately to pupils’ achievements. Additionally, the authors find that the sequence of implementation does matter and that the two initiatives are complementary in increasing scores and promotion rates. By Prof. Théophile T. Azomahou, Fatoumata Diallo and Wladimir Raymond.
‘The Structure and Comparative Advantages of China’s Scientific Research – Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives’ presents a comparison of China’s scientific performance with the rest of the world. This working paper argues that assessing the quality of scientific output based on citation rates entails serious bias against developing countries. It finds that the quality of China’s research (in terms of publications in top journals) is promising. Pointing out that the growth of scientific publications in China since 2006 has been driven by papers published in English-language journals, the author argues that the increasing visibility of Chinese science paves the way for its wider recognition and higher citation rates. By Dr. Lili Wang.
‘Migrant and Refugee Integration in Global Cities – the Role of Cities and Businesses’ is a research project initiated by The Hague Process on Refugees and Migration (THP) in partnership with our School of Governance. Drawing from eight case studies – in Auckland (New Zealand), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Chicago (USA), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Lisbon (Portugal), Nairobi (Kenya), Rotterdam (The Netherlands) and São Paulo (Brazil) – the project asks how businesses and governments contribute to the integration of migrant and refugee populations. It focuses on specialized outreach programmes, provision of services or targeted funding of NGOs, and to what extent these contributions can be deepened or expanded. The report identifies good practices among the selected cities as well as gaps in intervention by determining whether and how business and cities are working together to ensure deeper integration. While there is presently no collaboration between the private and public sectors, the research identifies barriers and opportunities for potential cooperation and gives examples of where partnerships facilitate knowledge and resource exchange. By research assistants Teressa Juzwiak and Georgina Sturge, researcher Elaine McGregor, Dr. Melissa Siegel, Rebecca Lunn and Levi Vonk.
‘Country Terms of Trade 1960-2012: Trends, Unit Roots, Over-differencing, Endogeneity, Time Dummies, and Heterogeneity’ analyses trends in country terms of trade for goods and services rather than those for commodities, according to the World Bank income classification. This working paper finds that the natural logarithm of the terms of trade for all groups except for the poorest has common unit roots, but none has individual unit roots. The author argues that the problem of falling terms of trade continues to exist for many countries, especially poor ones. By Dr. Thomas Ziesemer.
MEDIA CREDITS
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