‘Cheap,efficient, and easy to implement’? Economic aspects of monitorial education in Swedish elementary schools during the 1820s

This article investigates the economic aspects of monitorial education in Sweden during the 1820s. In contrast to previous research, which has often emphasised monitorial education as a cheap method of education, this article shows that this was rarely the case. Monitorial education could in fact lead to increased costs, especially during the initial stage of implementation. By analysing the minutes and accounts of some 30 Swedish schools which introduced monitorial education during the 1820s, it is shown that the new method did not result in any real savings in terms of expenditure on teachers, school premises or school supplies. The method’s only real potential for savings was lowering the total cost per pupil by increasing the number of children per teacher. However, this was possible only in cities, where the population concentration was high. Overall, monitorial education was not cheap, efficient and easy to implement from an economic perspective.     

论我国储蓄过剩与外资流入的矛盾及对策

传统的两缺口分析把引进外资与储蓄缺口或外汇缺口相联系,认为储蓄过剩与引进外资是不可能并存的,这与我国的实际情况不同。在我国经济运行中,一方面存在储蓄过剩,另一方面又有大量外资流入。这种矛盾既是我国资本运行低效率的反映,同时也是我国经济开放条件下储蓄投资不协调、非均衡的反映。储蓄过剩与外资流入的矛盾既不能通过控制国内储蓄来解决,也不能通过限制外资流入来解决,解决的根本之路是在提高资本运行效率的基础上,按照储蓄国内和国际均衡配置的要求协调引进外资与对外投资,提高储蓄投资的均衡水平。     

Financial education for female foreign domestic workers in Singapore

We evaluate a randomized field experiment to study the effect of financial workshops for domestic workers in Singapore. Groups of women met monthly with a trained mentor. Take-up rates were low and our results are inconclusive as to whether invitations to these workshops improved financial knowledge and behavior. Unexpectedly, treatment assignment had a significant, negative effect on self-reported savings. Further exploration suggests that assignment to treatment could affect participants’ awareness of accumulated savings. We find a reduction in the number of savings accounts reported and an increase in the probability respondents report having disagreements with family members over finances.     

Savings test for associations between neutral stimuli

Three experiments showed a savings procedure to be an effective and sensitive alternative to sensory preconditioning procedures as a measure of associations among neutral stimuli. Experiment 1 showed that within-compound associations developed more rapidly in reinforced appetitive serial compound conditioning when nonreinforced preexposure to the serial compound was given than when separate element or no preexposure was given. Experiment 2 showed the savings effect to be highly stimulus specific. Experiment 3 examined the facilitation of serial compound conditioning after either simultaneous or serial nonreinforced preexposure to the elements of the compound. The results of that experiment were consistent with those of analogous sensory preconditioning experiments. When preexposure involved only the two elements of the subsequently reinforced compound, serial preexposure produced more savings than simultaneous preexposure. But when preexposure involved a three-stimulus procedure like that used by Rescorla (1980b), simultaneous preexposure resulted in more savings. Advantages of the savings procedure over sensory preconditioning as a measure of association among neutral stimuli are discussed.     

GENDER COMPARISONS OF BABY BOOMERS AND FINANCIAL PREPARATION FOR RETIREMENT

This study compared men and women, focusing on three middle‐year age groups incorporating the baby boomers, in relation to the level of savings for retirement and the number of savings vehicles utilized. The research tapped into a study conducted by the National Center for Women and Retirement Research. Usable responses were received from 1,287 persons, 872 females and 415 males. Multiple linear regression identified certain personal characteristics, economic factors, psy‐chosocial factors, attitudes, and investing methods that appeared to be related to the level of savings for retirement. Certain personal characteristics, economics, and psychosocial factors were identified for the investments used. The identified factors were true for both genders, thus a profile of the person most likely to have a higher level of savings for retirement and likely to own investments emerged. The males best fit the savings and investing profiles. Neither gender was saving adequately for retirement or taking full advantage of portfolio diversification, with women the lowest. Recommendations are made, based on the findings, for educators, financial institutions and advisors, employers, and policy makers.     

A New Dimension in Teaching Experimental Science

An instrument is now available that can combine the benefits of educational television with data obtained from carrying out an experiment. All students are able to see clearly what is happening, all can receive experimental results and some involvement in the experiment, and the lecturer knows in advance the details and results of that actual experiment, presenting the commentary as he or she chooses. The Bio Videograph B V2 allows analogue data to be encoded directly on to a videotape in perfect synchrony with the audio and video tracks. During replay of the tape, picture and sound are reproduced on a TV monitor and the data are decoded back on to the appropriate instrumentation, recreating the original data recordings. In areas of science‐based education where experiments and demonstrations are difficult to set up and carry out, long or tedious, expensive to perform, often repeated, or involve the controversial use of animals, this instrument could provide a solution. The savings in time and money from heavily committed budgets could be significant at the same time as providing an innovative and possibly improved method of teaching.     

Retirement Savings Behavior of Higher Education Employees

Higher education employees often participate in university-sponsored defined contribution pension plans that place the investment decision responsibility upon them. In order to examine investment decision-making behavior with retirement savings plans we investigated attitude-mediated, individual difference determinants of risky decision-making behavior in employer-sponsored defined contribution retirement plans. Using a field survey of 795 higher education employees, who participated in one of four defined contribution savings plans, we tested a risk taking model using data on the employees’ investment allocations in their defined contribution savings plan. We found that an attitudinal preference toward risk and a perception of opportunity served as mediators for the relationships among employees’ dispositional characteristics and their retirement savings behavior. We also found that investment knowledge directly affected risk taking behavior. Implications of the results for higher education institutions are discussed. Funding for this study was provided by TIAA-CREF and is gratefully acknowledged by the authors.     

中国居民高储蓄率测算与结构突变实证分析

中国居民高储蓄率现象已引起各界的广泛关注。在对储蓄率相关问题的研究进行综述的基础上,根据1953-2009年间的居民储蓄率数据,对居民储蓄率序列本身的随机过程进行了测算,同时对其进行了平稳性和结构突变的检验,发现中国居民储蓄率序列是一个“含有水平、斜率双突变的退势平稳过程”,证明了结构突变点的存在性。     

Estimating scale economies and the optimal size of school districts: A flexible form approach

This paper investigates estimation methods to model the relationship between school district size, costs per student and the organisation of school districts. We show that the assumptions on the functional form strongly affect the estimated scale economies and offer two possible solutions to allow for more flexibility in the estimation method. First, we introduce a model by adding higher‐degree district size polynomials, allowing for multiple optima. Second, we develop a Fourier cost function, innovative in the literature on scale economies in education. We then compare both models to classical approaches in the literature. We illustrate how a minor change in the estimation method can alter policy conclusions significantly using Flemish school district data. In doing so, we find sizeable potential cost savings from the consolidation of school districts, especially at the lower tail of the district–size distribution. The organisational transition from small to large school districts is characterised by an interval between two optima. Beyond an apparent slowdown in cost savings in medium‐sized school districts, cost savings from school district consolidation increase again, up to the optimal size of around 6,500 students. Beyond this optimum, school districts incur diseconomies of scale. The commonly used quadratic form (‘U’‐shaped cost function) overestimates scale economies, and fails to identify the interval between both optima.     

An experimental comparison of “live” and filmed lectures employing mobile training devices

Conclusion It may reasonably be assumed on the basis of this study that important savings in money and manpower could be realized, with no loss in training effectiveness, and the possibility of a real gain in training effectiveness, by the application of well-designed films to supplement or replace mobile training devices such as are currently being used in Air Force transitional training programs. This article reports an Air Force study which was made to investigate the feasibility of using filmed recordings of familiarization lectures, given to mechanics transitioning to new types of aircraft. The study was conducted as a part of a U. S. Air Force program of research on the utilization of audio-visual media under the direction of A. A. Lumsdaine and S. M. Roshal of the Air Force Personnel and Training Research Center. H. H. Shettel is now with the Perceptual Development Laboratories in St. Louis, and E. J. Faison is now with Needham, Louis and Brorby in Chicago. The opinions and interpretations given by the authors are their own and are not to be construed as representing official views of the Air Force.     

“归途千里一空囊”——晚清玉林“第一廉士”苏宗经研究系列论文之一

广西玉林市＂江岸村＂苏氏第十六代孙苏宗经（1793-1864）,是晚清道同年间最清廉的士人。出任广西地方教育官员时,苏宗经守道安贫,宦囊如洗,创造了宦海＂空囊＂的廉政新境。清末乱世,地方匪患猖獗,＂囊空原不忧强盗＂,他因之而脱险;即便为太平军捕获,他依旧高歌＂贫极还可贺＂。这样一股＂清风＂气尚,既深深影响了同代的晚清人,也是现代知识分子砥砺廉耻的活教材。同时,苏宗经问学不辍,史识独到,个人诗文、学术及其理念,载诸方册,亦是真实呈现晚清岭南地方精英经邦济世的好史料。     

利率决定及其调节功能

利率水平高低一方面取决于企业利润率水平,另一方面取决于借贷资本的供求关系,而借贷资本的供求关系不仅同非货币部门的储蓄投资活动相联系,而且同货币部门的活动有关.利率具有调节、平衡储蓄和投资,引导资源合理配置的功能.要强化利率的调节功能,必须构建利率合理形成的经济基础.     

提高我国储蓄——投资转化效率的对策研究

实证分析表明我国储蓄-投资转化效率低下的问题比较突出。提高我国储蓄-投资转化效率的对策是:第一,建立和完善金融市场,疏通我国储蓄-投资转化的各中渠道;第二,深化金融体制改革,建立适合我国的金融主导型储蓄投资转化机制;第三,深化制度改革,营造高效率储蓄-投资转化的制度环境。     

Industry‐Related Activities in Initial Teacher Education: A Survey

Abstract

This paper discusses research which was stimulated by the controversial question of the educability of entrepreneurial characteristics and the economic value of enterprise training. The research focuses on participants on enterprise training courses within the Irish Republic which aim to help people to set up and run businesses. An attempt was made to develop a technique, that is an adapted Osgood's Sematic Differential Technique, for use in the exploration of participants’ perceptions of entrepreneurial characteristics. This technique could represent a useful assessment technique for appraising participants’ attitudes to themselves as entrepreneurs and any changes over the duration of a training course in participants’ identification with entrepreneurial characteristic. Although, this technique would require self assessments, it could be used to establish the conditions for the development of entrepreneurial characteristics and explore questions of whether entrepreneurial characteristics may be developed. Despite methodological limitations, the reported study lends support to the thesis that many entrepreneurial characteristics may be developed over the duration of enterprise training courses in the view of participants.     

我国居民储蓄与政府储蓄转化效率的实证分析

利用我国1980-2004年的样本数据,考察居民储蓄、政府储蓄与投资之间的长期动态关系,协整检验表明:储蓄与投资之间存在长期的均衡关系,而且当前政府储蓄的转化效率要远远高于居民储蓄的转化效率.进一步的Granger因果检验也表明,储蓄的变化影响投资的变化.基于上述的实证分析,提出了一些改善转化效率的措施.     

我国城镇居民家庭教育负担研究

家庭教育负担微观上影响居民生活,宏观上制约我国经济转型,是一个重要的研究议题。采用国家统计局在2007年对21个城市的城镇居民家庭入户教育调查数据,本文分析了家庭教育支出水平和负担的影响因素,获得以下实证结果:首先,低收入家庭的教育负担更重。其次,义务教育阶段的家庭教育负担要明显小于非义务教育阶段的家庭教育负担。此外,教育负担存在显著的地区差异。根据以上结论,本文提出了相应的政策建议。     

Determining the business impact of knowledge management

This case study describes an evaluation of business impact and return on investment (ROI) for the Knowledge Exchange, a knowledge management (KM) system within Accenture. The evaluation used a continuous measurement design to allow impact and ROI to be tracked across time and groups. The results demonstrated a significant positive impact on productivity, based largely on the effect on time savings realized by leveraging a useful KM system across a large population of employees.     

Long-term effects of Individual Development Accounts on postsecondary education: Follow-up evidence from a randomized experiment

This paper presents evidence from a randomized field experiment testing the impact of a 3-year matched savings program on educational outcomes 10 years after the start of the experiment. We examine the effect of an Individual Development Account (IDA) program on (1) educational enrollment, (2) degree completion, and (3) increased education level. The IDA program, which ran from 1998 to 2003 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, provided low-income households with financial education and matching funds for qualified savings withdrawals, including a 1:1 match for educational uses. We find a significant impact on education enrollment and positive (but nonsignificant) impacts on degree completion and increase in level of education. We also examine the interaction between gender and treatment assignment, finding that the IDA had a strong positive effect on increased educational attainment for men but not for women.     

Assets and educational achievement: Theory and evidence

This special issue of Economics of Education Review explores the role of savings and asset holding in post-secondary educational achievement. Most college success research has focused on income rather than assets as a predictor, and most college financing policy has focused on tuition support and educational debt, rather than asset accumulation. Nevertheless, there is compelling evidence that household asset holdings, especially savings for education, may have a pronounced positive influence, independent from income, in post-secondary educational success. Moreover, the fundamental reality is that savings plays a role, even though sometimes small, in college financing for most households. For these empirical and practical reasons, it may be important to pay greater attention to savings and asset holding for education in the future than we have in the past. The articles in this volume contribute empirical evidence, theoretical understanding, and potential policy directions regarding saving, asset holding, and educational achievement.     

理财建议

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