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522. Education and Indoctrination in the Muslim World Is There a Problem? What Can We Do about It?
- Author:
- Andrew Coulson
- Publication Date:
- 03-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- This paper describes the threat posed to U.S. national security by militant schools in lessdeveloped nations, evaluates current policies for dealing with that threat, and suggests an alternative set of policies that would likely be more effective and also more consistent with the laws and principles of the United States.
- Topic:
- Education, International Trade and Finance, and Religion
- Political Geography:
- United States and Arabia
523. The Creative Campus: The Training, Sustaining, and Presenting of the Performing Arts in American Higher Education
- Publication Date:
- 03-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- American Assembly at Columbia University
- Abstract:
- At the close of their discussions, the participants in the 104th American Assembly on “The Creative Cam pus: The Training, Sustaining, and Presenting of the Performing Arts in American Higher Education” at Arden House in Harriman, New York, March 11-13, 2004 reviewed as a group an outline of this statement. While not everything that follows was endorsed by everyone, this reflects the general discussions of the group.
- Topic:
- Economics, Education, and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States, New York, and America
524. Internationalisation of Higher Education
- Publication Date:
- 08-2004
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
- Abstract:
- Higher education has become increasingly international in the past decade as more and more students choose to study abroad, enrol in foreign educational programmes and institutions in their home country, or simply use the Internet to take courses at colleges or universities in other countries. This growth is the result of several different, but not mutually exclusive, driving forces: a desire to promote mutual understanding; the migration of skilled workers in a globalised economy; the desire of the institutions to generate additional revenues; or the need to build a more educated workforce in the home countries, generally as emerging economies.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Civil Society, Education, and Government
525. The Significance of Knowledge Management in the Business Sector
- Publication Date:
- 07-2004
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
- Abstract:
- Knowledge management – how organisations track, measure, share and make use of intangible assets such as an employee's ability to think fast in a crisis – is increasingly important in a fast-changing knowledge society. Organisations have always managed knowledge, even if they did not use the term knowledge management. For example, a person experienced in operating or repairing a particular machine could pass their knowledge on to newcomers.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Education, and Industrial Policy
526. Civil Society Groups And Political Parties: Supporting Constructive Relationships
- Publication Date:
- 03-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United States Agency for International Development
- Abstract:
- Many of us working in the United States on democracy assistance tend to consider civil society organizations (CSOs) and political parties, and support for them, separately. But reality remains much more complex, and the nature of existing relationships in the countries we work in and the effects of democracy assistance on those relationships matter for our larger democracy and governance (DG) goals. They, therefore, deserve explicit examination. This paper deals with two broad sets of questions. First, what do we think we should be aiming for at the systemic level, in terms of the relationship between civil society and political parties? Second, in a given setting, what kinds of relationships, at the micro level (among individual organizations), can contribute to democratization?
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Democratization, Education, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- United States
527. Fresh Starts: School Form and Student Outcomes
- Author:
- Peter Bearman and Christopher Weiss
- Publication Date:
- 10-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy at Columbia University
- Abstract:
- Seemingly endless tinkering and adjustment of the structure of education in the United States over the past century has led to the adoption of different school forms at different times. Currently the middle school is the dominant form of schooling for the middle years of education; however, the middle school is a relatively new form that replaced the junior high school, which itself replaced previous schooling forms. Despite the rhetoric of policymakers and practitioners, little research has considered what school forms work for what kinds of adolescents across what dimensions. In this article, we show that for both academic and non-academic outcomes, how school systems structure the transition from 8th to 9th grade makes almost no difference. Where differences appear, they are small and point to the benefits of school transitions for providing fresh starts to adolescents in socially difficult situations. The policy implications are correspondingly clear: the optimal school structure for any school district is the one that maximizes building space, reduces crowding, and achieves administrative rationality.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, and Education
- Political Geography:
- United States
528. Reducing Bias in Treatment Effect Estimation in Observational Studies Suffering from Missing Data
- Author:
- Jennifer Hill
- Publication Date:
- 01-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy at Columbia University
- Abstract:
- Matching based on estimated propensity scores (that is, the estimated conditional probability of being treated) has become an increasingly popular technique for causal inference over the past decade. By balancing observed covariates, propensity score methods reduce the risk of confounding causal processes. Estimation of propensity scores in the complete data case is generally straightforward since it uses standard methods (e.g. logistic regression or discriminant analysis) and relies on diagnostics that are relatively easy to calculate and interpret. Most studies, however, have missing data. This paper illustrates a principled approach to handling missing data when estimating propensity scores makes use of multiple imputation (MI). Placing the problem within the framework of the Rubin Causal Model makes the assumptions explicit by illustrating the interaction between the treatment assignment mechanism and the missing data mechanism. Several approaches for estimating propensity scores with incomplete data using MI are presented. Results demonstrating improved efficacy compared with existing methodology are discussed. These advantages include greater bias reduction and increased facility in model choice.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Development, Economics, and Education
529. Party Competition in Post-Communist Europe: The Great Electoral Lottery
- Author:
- Abby Innes
- Publication Date:
- 05-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- This article suggests that the academic emphasis on rational choice and political-sociological approaches to party development has led to a misleading impression of convergence with Western patterns of programmatic competition and growing partisan identification in the Central European party political scene. As an alternative thesis, the author argues that the very character of 'transition' politics in Eastern Europe and the necessarily self-referential nature of the parliamentary game has structured party systems in those countries, and that the differences between the party systems in this region are critically related to experiences under communism (–a political-historical explanation). The paper argues that, in order to cope with a practical lack of public policy options in major areas such as the economy, parties have had little choice but to compete over operating 'styles,' rather than over substantive (ideologically based) programmatic alternatives. The development of parties incumbent in government since 1989 may be compared to the development of catch-all parties in Western Europe in terms of the competitive logic of weakening/avoiding ideological positions in order to embrace a large constituency. However, successful parties in Eastern Europe lack the 'baggage' of an ideological past and the history of mass membership and a class or denominational clientele – their defining characteristic is that they try to appeal to all of the people all of the time.
- Topic:
- Education, Government, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Eastern Europe
530. Secure Borders: The European Experience - A Roundtable with Jonathan Faull
- Author:
- Mark R. Shulman
- Publication Date:
- 03-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- EastWest Institute
- Abstract:
- The EastWest Institute hosted a roundtable discussion with Jonathan Faull, Director-General, Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) of the European Commission. Mr. Faull discussed various important, innovative and effective initiatives that JHA is pursuing to cultivate security while promoting freedom and justice throughout Europe and its new neighborhood. He also discussed impending changes to the US visa regime and their potential impact on transatlantic trade, educational and cultural exchanges, tour ism and relations generally. Other participants included leading experts and scholars from the media, universities, think tanks, and human rights organizations.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Security, Education, Human Rights, and Culture
- Political Geography:
- United States and Europe