Institutional quality and economic growth: Evidence from South-Asian countries

The current study investigates the relationship between institutional quality and economic growth, focusing on South-Asian countries entailing Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, from 2002 to 2018. The data are analysed using the dynamic heterogeneous panel (panel autoregressive distributed lag [ARDL] model) approach, specifically the dynamic fixed effect (DFE), mean group (MG), and pooled mean group (PMG). Based on the findings, the three governance indicators, namely corruption control, accountability, and the rule of law, positively and significantly affect economic growth. All the nations have consistent long-run estimates but varied short-run estimates and adjustment speed for the long-term equilibrium. This is due to governance volatility that is evident in all the nations. This article offers both practical and theoretical contributions. This article contributes to the institutional quality and economic growth literature from a theoretical perspective from the South-Asian perspective. From a practical perspective, the study findings are significant for policymakers, particularly those from the countries that demonstrate major fiscal and external imbalance due to war and terrorism, low oil prices and weak trade. Hence, there is a pressing need to address economic growth issues instigated by the policymakers' negligence to ensure appropriate governance and macroeconomic management. Regulators can improve economic growth through national and regional image building by developing a stable economic and political landscape and maintaining macroeconomic stability by improving the institutional quality indicators. There is evidence that institutional quality improvement leads to better economic growth.     

Examining Connections between the Police and Prosecution in Sexual Assault Case Processing: Does the Use of Exceptional Clearance Facilitate a Downstream Orientation?

After several decades of research on how the criminal justice system handles reports of sexual assault, the attrition of cases at the police and prosecutor stages continues to draw the attention of policy makers, victim advocates, and academics. Such attrition has implications for thousands of victims and their alleged offenders each year. Current estimates show that significant rates of attrition persist and vary across jurisdictions. Recent work in two jurisdictions reveals a pattern of exceptional clearances being used to close sexual assault cases reported to the police and that prosecutors are weighing in at the arrest stage. Broadening this analysis we use incident data from a multitude of jurisdictions that report to the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) in combination with data from other law enforcement sources to investigate how legal and extra-legal incident factors as well as agency factors differentiate the decision to clear cases by exceptional means from clearance by arrest. We find that agency, legal, and extra-legal factors predict the use of exceptional clearance relative to arrest and discuss how these findings suggest a downstream orientation in case processing.     

High-tech Interest Groups in the United States and Its Political Influence

Representing the appeals of its industry,the high-tech interest group has recently become an emerging political force in the United States.With abundant financial resources and proficiency in political communication,the group rapidly grows to be a significant force in the American political sphere.It has started to affect the internal and foreign affairs of the U.S.and played a proactive role in the latest presidential election.Since the high-tech interest group has already become and will continue to be a big player in Sino-U.S.relations,China should carefully deal with its appeals and conflict of interests,and try to develop this group into a stabilizer between the two countries.     

Chapter 12. Conclusion-Looking Ahead

Abstract

Attention is drawn to important themes thought likely to influence the continuing development of group care services for children and young people in the decade ahead. These include a poorly educated workforce, autonomous training, multi-disciplinary approaches, centres of excellence, diversified programs, new trends and issues shaping the future, and group care practice and the law.     

Engaging rural young mothers in a technology-based intervention for depression

A dating violence and sexual assault prevention program was presented to 396, predominately African American, middle schoolers in two inner city schools in the United States. In one school the program was offered with a same-gender group composition; in the other school, the same program was offered with mixed-gender group composition. A quasi-experimental design was used to assess how gender composition in programming influenced youths’ attitudes about dating violence. Study findings suggest that boys benefit most from participation in a same-gender program and girls benefit most from a mixed-gender program. Implications for prevention programming are discussed.     

Chapter 13: Group Therapy for Birth Parents of Children in Foster Care

Psychological impairments render many biological parents of children placed in treatment foster care incompetent to meet child-rearing tasks. Service agreements identify and address critical areas of dysfunctioning but do not engage parents in a broader inventory of their parental functioning and dysfuntioning. A group method provides mutual support, exploration, and a positive child-rearing model. A clinical assessment of parenting that highlights ongoing developmental needs of nurturance and empathy, limit setting, structure, role modeling, reality testing, and separation and individuation is used to promote progress. Parents gain insight into their own overall impairments, origin of impairments, and compensatory techniques. Parents recognize broader responsibility for parenthood enhancing reunification efforts.     

论强势化解危机

与预防危机、处置危机相比,化解危机有其独特的价值与作用,是减少社会冲突的最佳选择。群体性治安事件作为一种社会危机,更有机会和可能得到化解。在当前维护稳定工作中一般性号召和措施难以奏效的背景下,运用强势化解危机这种工作理念和运作方法,把握其中的两个基本环节并采取四种基本策略,可以有效地应对群体性治安事件。     

村民自治权的司法保障问题研究

村民自治在我国已成为一种最广泛的基层民主的实践,其基本要求是村民自治体尽可能独立于政府的行政权力,同时村民自治体内部应当形成比较完善的民主决策机制。然而,村民在自治过程中亦存在着诸多权利冲突,大致可分为两类：一类是自治体内部的权利冲突,另一类是国家干预村民自治事务引起的行政权与自治权之间的外部权力冲突。由于缺乏完善的法律保障制度,我国的村民自治权往往难以落实。司法保障是权利保障的最后一道防线,我国必须尽快确立村民自治的司法保障,从而最大限度地维护村民的民主决策,并尽可能对村民自治体滥用自治权加以有效控制。     

略论独龙族传统文化的特点

独龙族长期因交通阻障而被封闭在深山狭谷中,在那里,他们创造了自己独特的文化,其宗教信仰、建筑风格、生产工艺、文化艺术都具有神秘和原始的色彩,但在现代文化的影响下,已开始出现新的特点和混合文化.