College (Un)Bound


Book Description

Jeff Selingo, journalist and editor-in-chief of the Chronicle for Higher Education, argues that colleges can no longer sell a four-year degree as the ticket to success in life. College (Un)Bound exposes the dire pitfalls in the current state of higher education for anyone concerned with intellectual and financial future of America.




Advances in Child Neuropsychology


Book Description

In the foreword to Volume 1 of this series, Byron Rourke noted that the field of child neuropsychology is still young. He wrote: "It has no obvious birthdate. Hence, we cannot determine its age with the type of chronoƯ metric precision for which our scientific hearts may yearn ... Be that as it may, activity in the field has been growing steadily, if not by leaps and bounds. Although there is nowhere near the intensity of inƯ vestigation of children from a neuropsychological standpoint as there is of adults, there have been notable systematic investigations of considerable interest. Some of the more important of these are presented in the current volume." I am happy to say that the contents of Volume 2 likewise provide new insights across many important domains of developmental neuroƯ psychology. As the editors note, this book consists of six chapters divided into four general areas, including developmental neuropsychology (one chapter), abnormal neuropsychology (three chapters), assessment (one chapter), and treatment (one chapter). The first chapter is addressed to attention, response inhibition, and activity level in children. In this chapter, Jeffrey M. Halperin, Kathleen E. McKay, Kristin Matier, and Vanshdeep Sharma provide a lucid and articulate review of research on this topic. The authors correctly note by that attention, response inhibition, and activity level are mediated neurocircuits throughout the brain that interact with and modulate virƯ tually all higher cognitive information-processing domains.




Development Economics


Book Description

This second edition of Development Economics: Theory and Practice continues to provide students and practitioners with the perspectives and tools they need to think analytically and critically about the current major economic development issues in the world. Alain de Janvry and Elisabeth Sadoulet identify seven key dimensions of development—growth, poverty, vulnerability, inequality, basic needs, sustainability, and quality of life—and use them to structure the contents of the text. The book gives a historical perspective on the evolution of thought in development. It uses theory and empirical analysis to present readers with a full picture of how development works, how its successes and failures can be assessed, and how alternatives can be introduced. The authors demonstrate how diagnostics, design of programs and policies, and impact evaluation can be used to seek new solutions to the suffering and violence caused by development failures. In the second edition, more attention has been given to ongoing developments, such as: pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals continuously rising global and national inequality health as a domestic and international public good cash transfers for social protection carbon trading for sustainability This text is fully engaged with the most cutting-edge research in the field and equips readers with analytical tools for impact evaluation of development programs and policies, illustrated with numerous examples. It is underpinned throughout by a wealth of student-friendly features, including case studies, quantitative problem sets, end-of-chapter questions, and extensive references. Excel and Stata exercises are available as digital supplements for students and instructors. This unique text is ideal for those taking courses in development economics, economic growth, and development policy, and will provide an excellent foundation for those wishing to pursue careers in development.




Young Mathematicians at Work


Book Description

Explains how children between the ages of four and eight construct a deep understanding of numbers and the operations of addition and subtraction.




Why Doesn't Microfinance Work?


Book Description

Since its emergence in the 1970s, microfinance has risen to become one of the most high-profile policies to address poverty in developing and transition countries. It is beloved of rock stars, movie stars, royalty, high-profile politicians and ‘troubleshooting’ economists. In this provocative and controversial analysis, Milford Bateman reveals that microfinance doesn’t actually work. In fact, the case for it has been largely built on hype, on egregious half-truths and – latterly – on the Wall Street-style greed of those promoting and working in microfinance. Using a multitude of case studies, from India to Cambodia, Bolivia to Uganda, Serbia to Mexico, Bateman demonstrates that microfi nance actually constitutes a major barrier to sustainable economic and social development, and thus also to sustainable poverty reduction. As developing and transition countries attempt to repair the devastation wrought by the global financial crisis, Why Doesn’t Microfinance Work? argues forcefully that the role of microfinance in development policy urgently needs to be reconsidered.




Slave Soldiers and Islam


Book Description

De islamiske religiøse idealer medførte, at muslimerne ikke gerne engagerede sig i krig eller regeringsanliggender, hvorfor de gennem tiderne systematisk skaffede sig udenlandske slaver, som blev uddannet og anvendt som professionelle soldater, første gang omkring 815-820, f.eks. er det berømte tyrkiske janitscharkorps, der bestod af osmanniske elitesoldater, skabt i det sene 1300 tal af kristne krigsfanger.




Remaking the North American Food System


Book Description

Examines the resurgence of interest in rebuilding the links between agricultural production and food consumption. With examples from Puerto Rico to Oregon to Quebec, this work offers a North American perspective attuned to trends toward globalization at the level of markets and governance and shows how globalization affects specific localities.




The Fiscal Year ... Budget


Book Description




Microfinance Institutions


Book Description

Research on MFI performance is still in its infancy. MFIs are hybrid organizations with dual objectives. Performance studies in microfinance are therefore less straightforward compared to performance studies in traditional banking research. This book contains new MFI performance research by top scholars from across the globe.




Dealing with Financial Risk


Book Description

The concept of financial risk and the realties of financial risk management. Understanding risk and weighing risk against reward have become central to all commercial activity in particular to the financial markets.The concept of risk management used to refer to exclusively to the insurance industry but it was hijacked by wizards in financial institutions in the1980s, initially to make their gambling in the markets seem more respectable. Good risk management requires a constant sharpening of one's awareness to new risks and to the probabilities of different outcomes.This guide will increase the reader's risk awareness, by presenting concepts in a simple and entertaining way, and by explaining the endeavours, mistakes and successes of others, as they have tried to identify, measure and simplify risk, and make it work for them. It looks at swaps, futures, options, derivatives, hedging principles, formulas, Monte Carlo simulations, chaos theory, neural networks, Raron (or risk-adjusted rate of return on capital), stress tests, worst case scenarios and all kinds of games that are played in the cause of managing risk. With great panache, colour and clarity David Shirreff does a remarkable job of throwing light on one of the most complicated aspects of business and finance.