Forensic Analysis of mtDNA Haplotypes from Two Rural Communities in Haiti Reflects Their Population History

Abstract: Very little genetic data exist on Haitians, an estimated 1.2 million of whom, not including illegal immigrants, reside in the United States. The absence of genetic data on a population of this size reduces the discriminatory power of criminal and missing‐person DNA databases in the United States and Caribbean. We present a forensic population study that provides the first genetic data set for Haiti. This study uses hypervariable segment one (HVS‐1) mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) nucleotide sequences from 291 subjects primarily from rural areas of northern and southern Haiti, where admixture would be minimal. Our results showed that the African maternal genetic component of Haitians had slightly higher West‐Central African admixture than African‐Americans and Dominicans, but considerably less than Afro‐Brazilians. These results lay the foundation for further forensic genetics studies in the Haitian population and serve as a model for forensic mtDNA identification of individuals in other isolated or rural communities.     

Acting small in a large state's world: Russia and the Baltic states

The interest in small states ebbs and flows as important international affairs include small states. Russia's actions and policies vis-à-vis Ukraine, and the resultant intensified apprehension among Russia's smaller neighbours, aim the proverbial microscope at the size and power discrepancies between states. Russia, by most metrics, is a large state and the Baltic states, by those same metrics, are small states. Small-state scholars expect large and small states to act differently. However, the case of Russia and the Baltic states indicates that large and small states do not, in fact, act all that different. This being the case, this article calls into question many of the assumptions made by small-state scholars about the difference between large- and small-state action and argues for changes within small-state studies as a subdiscipline of the larger international relations discipline.     

The Impact of Assembly Size on Representativeness

Choosing the number of seats in a legislature is a balancing act between efficiency and representativeness. This article focuses on representativeness and hypothesises that the larger the assembly, the higher the vote–seat proportionality, the higher the number of parties represented, and the higher the representation of otherwise under-represented groups. An approach using simulations of elections is introduced and applied in testing the hypotheses in the case of Danish local elections. Two thousand six hundred and forty-six elections are simulated, and a positive, but non-linear, relationship is demonstrated between number of seats and proportionality, number of parties, and percentage of women councillors.     

贵州省少数民族自治地方人口素质研究

了解贵州少数民族自治地方人口素质的现状,分析形成的原因,提出解决问题的措施,促进贵州省少数民族自治地方人口素质的提高。     

民族贫困地区开发过程中的人口素质问题研究--以海南中部为例

民族贫困地区开发面临的最大约束是人口素质问题.人口素质提高对民族贫困地区经济增长、缓解贫困,使人口与经济、资源、环境相互协调,可持续发展,具有非常关键的作用.本文以海南中部为例,实证分析民族贫困地区存在着人力资本投资不足及教育资源和卫生资源的配置效率欠佳问题,指出应通过加大教育投资的制度创新力度等措施,从根本上解决问题.     

Genetic variation of different Peruvian populations using 23 autosomal STR markers

In the present study the genetic variation of different Peruvian populations was investigated. The samples for this study were obtained from 669 individuals distributed among 11 populations from Peru. All samples were analyzed using 23 autosomal STR markers. The Arlequin v3.5.2.2 software was used to determine the genetic distances (Fst) of the studied populations. Notable population substructure was detected between some populations.     

人口年龄结构如何影响住房财富效应？——基于家庭微观视角的分析

人口年龄结构变动与高房价均为我国当前经济社会的重要特征，研究人口年龄结构对住房财富效应的影响对于房价调控、释放居民消费潜力具有较大的现实意义。基于中国家庭追踪调查(CFPS)数据，实证检验人口年龄结构对住房财富效应的影响，结果发现：老年抚养比和幼年抚养比升高显著增强了住房财富效应，且幼年抚养比升高对住房财富效应的影响更大；进一步，老年抚养比和幼年抚养比对拥有大产权房产家庭和低房价收入比家庭的住房财富效应有显著正向影响，但对拥有小产权房产家庭和高房价收入比家庭的影响不显著；并且，幼年抚养比对家庭住房财富效应的正向影响在高房价地区更为显著，老年抚养比对其的正向影响则在低房价区域更显著。     

Are Overlapping Local Governments Competing With Each Other When Issuing Debt?

Local public services are produced through various overlapping jurisdictions. This study examines how the issuance of municipal general obligation bonds is affected by the tax policies of overlapping local governments. The findings challenge the hypothesis that the shared tax base would be overused in a common-pool resource scenario. Instead, the empirical results show that the issuance of general obligation bonds is more likely in jurisdictions where counties and school districts make more intensive use of the property tax. These findings highlight the importance of the signals local governments receive from their overlapping neighbors regarding voters’ demand for additional public spending.     

‘Municipal entrepreneurs’: local politicians and the delivery of urban sanitation in Kumasi,Ghana

ABSTRACT

The municipal government in Kumasi has been the focus of numerous reforms to improve local policymaking and delivery of public goods to the city’s dwellers. Yet, the reforms have spurred strategic reactions from local actors who exploit institutional ambiguities to pursue their interests. This paper draws on empirical data on the city’s sanitation franchising to show how ordinary local politicians exploit reform ambiguities; they establish themselves as local entrepreneurs to deliver urban sanitation services and also contest the municipal executive. The manipulations do not only undermine reforms proffered by the regime and external actors but the municipal government’s promise to deliver efficient public services also becomes problematic. Management of urban sanitation is a contested arena between bureaucrats and political actors all vying for their interests. The sanitation reforms are eventually subsumed under the ‘local politics as usual’ logic.