Investment Climate Around the World: Voices of the Firms from the World Business Environment Survey (Directions in Development)

Book Description

The analysis of firm-level data collected through parallel international enterprise surveys can reveal important linkages between governance constraints and business growth and investment. The World Business Environment Survey (WBES), an initiative led by the World Bank Group in 1999 and 2000, collected enterprise data from more than 10,000 firms in 80 countries and one territory. Econometric analysis of responses to that survey points to a strong association between corruption, financing, regulatory and tax constraints, policy uncertainty, and protection of intellectual property rights with firm-level performance, as measured by sales and investment growth and participation in the formal economy.

Investment Climate Around the World presents the core WBES questionnaire and survey findings, and confirms the significance of key country conditions on firm performance and behavior. The findings provide a basis for regional comparison¾-but suggest the need for caution when averaging across categories, especially in light of country conditions that can significantly affect firm-level sales and investment.

The enclosed CD-ROM provides the complete WBES core database, with firm-level data, country and variable code lists; an interactive tool that allows users to configure and analyze graphs depicting global or country-specific results; and links to Web-based analytical tools.

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The world Business Environment Survey provides a unique look at the impact of the investment climate on enterprise performance. This book presents enterprise data from more than 10,000 firms in 80 countries that was carried out between late 1998 and mid 2000. In addition to the general findings, detailed explanations and the core questionnaire are provided in this paper, as well as a presentation of key findings across regions and firm size. The findings suggest that country conditions with regard to taxes and regulations, financing, governance and other business constraints matter significantly in explaining a firm's performance and behavior. Listening to firms contributes significantly to assessing the climate for business, investment, and governance in a country and warrants institutionalization of periodic worldwide enterprise survey efforts.

Book Description

"Culture Clash--with its rare blend of creativity, verbal skill and balanced judgement--helps to clarify the understanding of law and science in American life."
—New York Law Journal

"A lucid and entertaining mix of constitutional law and history."
—American Journal of Human Genetics

"One of the most vital interdisciplinary works of this generation. A trenchant, thought-provoking, and immensely readable analysis of the important issues at the intersection of law, science, and morality. Goldberg, perhaps the most prominent and certainly the most prolific legal scholar in the law and science field, explores the most contemporary topics at the frontiers of current scientific, technological, legal, and moral inquiry. An accomplished and important book."
—Nancy Levit,Associate Professor of Law, University of Missouri-Kansas City,Co-author of Jurisprudence

"Draws on more than a decade's work to bring together in one place a remarkably broad treatment of the relationship between law and science. All of the well-known issues are addressed: the legal questions likely to arise from current research aimed at mapping the human genome, the legal debates over the public schools' treatment of creationism and evolution, the effect of federal agency practices on the course of scientific research, and the use of scientific evidence in legal disputes...Certain to enrich all future discussion of these topics."
—Ira Mark Ellman,Professor of Law, Arizona State University

It is an article of faith in America that scientific advances will lead to wondrous progress in our daily lives. Americans proudly support scientific research that yields stunning breakthroughs and Nobel prizes. We relish the ensuing debate about the implications—moral, ethical, practical—of these advances. Will genetic engineering change our basic nature? Will artificial intelligence challenge our sense of human uniqueness? And yet the actual implementation of these technologies is often sluggish and much-delayed. From Star Trek to Jurassic Park, the American imagination has always been fascinated by the power of scientific technology. But what does the reality of scientific progress mean for our society?

In this controversial book, Steven Goldberg provides a compelling look at the intersection of two of America's most powerful communities—law and science—to explain this apparent contradiction. Rarely considered in tandem, law and science highlight a fundamental paradox in the American character, the struggle between progress and process. Science, with its ethic of endless progress, has long fit beautifully with America's self image. Law, in accordance with the American ideal of giving everyone a fair say, stresses process above all else, seeking an acceptable, rather than a scientifically correct, result. This characteristic has been especially influential in light of the explosive growth of the legal community in recent years.

Exposing how the legal system both supports and restricts American science and technology, Goldberg considers the role and future of three projects—artificial intelligence, nuclear fusion, and the human genome initiative—to argue for a scientific vision that infuses research with social goals beyond the pure search for truth. Certain to provoke debate within a wide range of academic and professional communities, Culture Clash reveals one of the most important and defining conflicts in contemporary American life.

Culture Clash: Law and Science in America.

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Culture Clash: Law and Science in America.
Steven Goldberg
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M491PE

Book Description

This book presents the widely applicable information obtained during the planning and management of the collaborative regional air quality study known as the San Joaquin Valley Air Quality Study/Atmospheric Utility Signatures, Predictions, and Experiments (SJVAQS/AUSPEX). The extensive experience and knowledge gained during and after the study is clearly presented in this guide - an ideal working reference for developing regional and subregional air quality and meteorological field measurement and modeling studies.

Book Description

The beneficial aspects of utilizing polymers from renewable resources, when considering synthesis, processing, disposal, and overall material lifecycle issues, suggests that this will continue to be an important and growing area of interest. The focus on greener chemistries in industry can be in part satisfied by exploring the range of polymers available from Nature. The information for each type of polymer includes aspects of synthesis, processing and properties. The wide range of polymers and their properties, including polyamides, polysaccharides, polyesters and polyphenols, among others, illustrates this diversity of materials. The reader will have a single volume which provides a resource from which to gain initial insights into this diverse field and from which key references and contacts can be drawn.

Book Description

Hundreds of well-illustrated articles explore the most important fields of science.

Based on content from the McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Science & Technology, Fifth Edition, the most widely used and respected science reference of its kind in print, the new Concise Encyclopedia Series delivers:

* Detailed, well-illustrated explanations, not just definitions
* Hundreds of concise yet authoritative articles in each volume
* An easy-to-understand presentation, accessible and intersting to non-specialists
* A portable, convenient format
* Bibliographies, appendices, and other information to supplement the articles

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Most Useful Engineering Book I Own!

McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Physics

Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Companies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books
General & Reference | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Physics | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
General | Reference | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0070514003

Book Description

With 700 alphabetically arranged articles, including all major fields of physics, this authoritative work covers atomic physics, classical mechanics, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, acoustics, electricity and electronics, optics, theoretical physics, and much more. It also details some of the most recent advances and breakthroughs in theoretical and experimental research. A scholarly but accessible introduction to the world of physics for the serious student and nonspecialist alike. Copiously illustrated with graphs, charts, photographs, and line drawings.

Customer Reviews:

Most Useful Engineering Book I Own!.......2007-07-12

This book explains every physics principle I have heard of clearly and concisely. Topics range from common to truly weird. I ran across 4-D Complex numbers related to motion control systems in satellites (Quaternions) - It is in there. I strongly recommend this book for Engineers (and some pages would make nice wall paper).

McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Physics, 2nd Ed.

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McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Physics, 2nd Ed.
Sybil P., Editor in Chief Parker
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Companies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OFN9D6

Product Description

The discovery of the irregularity in the marriage of the newly hired assistant headmaster and matron at Dr. Wortle's school and the ensuing scandal test the character of all involved. Six 90-minute cassettes.

Customer Reviews:

Really good read.......2006-02-12

Trollope gets in his digs at Victorian hypocrisy in more of a forthright manner than his lengthier novels. Both Dr. Wortle and Mr. Peacocke stick to their guns in not getting in a tizzy over the "technicality" of the bigamous marriage, until the situation can be properly sorted out. I wasn't as wild about the romantic sub-plot as others, finding it a distracting method of filling out the book.

A moral dilemma.......2003-11-16

This novel, one of Anthony Trollope's shortest, deals with a scandal that arises when the bigamous marriage of school teacher Mr. Peacock and his supposed wife is uncovered. In the moral climate of Victorian England, the repercussions of that discovery spread swiftly and severely. The fallout not only harms the Peacocks, but schoolmaster Dr. Wortle and the reputation of his school. The story dwells less upon the secret bigamous marriage itself than upon the the moral dilemma resulting from it: whether something that seems on the surface to be immoral is in truth not really a sin. Dr. Wortle, rather than the Peacocks, is the central character of the story. It is through his fair and compassionate eyes that the reader ponders whether the relationship between Mr. Peacock and his "wife" was really less sinful than any other choice available to the couple. His views are contrasted to those of the Church and to the society as a whole.

Trollope introduces a note of levity to the story with a side plot concerning the love between Dr. Wortle's daughter Mary and young Lord Carstairs, a student at the school. Trollope also takes some interesting potshots at America, particularly the lawlessness and licentiousness of the American West. A good introduction and footnotes to the novel provide background information on Trollope's ideas and personal life, and how they are reflected in the story. If you are hesitant to try a novel by Trollope, this would be a good one to start with.

A Trollope Treat.......2000-09-12

Dr. Wortle's School is basically the story of two couples in love and how their affections disrupt the tranquil setting of the school. The main plot revolves around Dr. Wortle's "usher" or school assistant, Mr. Peacocke and his wife. A scandal from their past threatens their happiness. The second, very minor, plot is the love story between Dr. Wortle's daughter, Mary and the good-natured Lord Carstairs.

The joy of the novel is watching Dr. Wortle deal with these crises. Will he stand by Mr. Peacocke in his time of need? Will he allow his daughter to become engaged to the very young Lord Carstairs? The answers to these questions and the reactions of the other characters are handled in the typical Trollope fashion, with compassion and common sense. Sprinkle the whole thing with deft strokes of humor and you have what is Dr. Wortle's School.

As I mentioned in my review of Castle Richmond, I am amazed what a modern thinker Trollope was. His reputation as a "old-fashioned" author is entirely undeserved. In a day and age (late 1870s)when actions and image were everything, where a hint of scandal could ruin a person, it must have seemed radical to stress that persons should be judged as much on their "nature" or character as anything else. This is one of those general notions that could be applied just as well in 2000 as in 1878.

You might wonder, given what I have already said, why I give Dr. Wortle's School four stars. When you compare them to his towering Last Chronicle of Barset, Orley Farm and The Way We Live Now, it seems a slight injustice to those five star books to give all the others five stars. Dr. Wortle's School is very readable certainly, but it does not quite obtain the status of "masterpiece" that these other novels can claim. As always, Trollop's humor, dialogue, and characterizations make this an enjoyable novel that can be recommeded to anyone.

A well-balanced portrait of compassion and forgiveness.......2000-09-12

In 'Dr. Wortle's School' Anthony Trollope takes on a very controversial and scandalous subject, that of a bigamous marriage. With a very even hand Trollope allows us to see into the motivations of his characters and truly come to understand why they've done the things they've done, and how they justify their actions. Instead of preaching religion, which clearly isn't Trollope's style, he chooses to take a more liberal look at the underlying morality of the actions of his characters. 'Dr. Wortle's School' has a very modern ring for a Victorian novel, and the themes and characters could easily have been depicted by Joanna rather than Anthony Trollope. Add to that the mysterious tone of Wilkie Collins and you have a very satisfying Victorian novel.

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Dr. Wortle's School
Anthony Trollope
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

The Doctor had found it difficult to carry out the scheme described in the last chapter. They indeed who know anything of such matters will be inclined to call it Utopian, and to say that one so wise in worldly matters as our schoolmaster should not have attempted to combine so many things. He wanted a gentleman, a schoolmaster, a curate, a matron, and a lady -- we may say all in one.

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Dr Wortle's School
Anthony Trollope
Manufacturer: Thorndike Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Men's Adventure | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literature & Fiction | Large Print | Formats | Books
ASIN: 0786270683

Book Description

Mr Peacocke, a Classical scholar, has come to Broughtonshire with his beautiful American wife to live as a schoolmaster. But when the blackmailing brother of her first husband - a reprobate from Louisiana - appears at the school gates, their dreadful secret is revealed, and the county is scandalized. With its scathing depiction of American manhood, its jousting with convention and its amiable, egotistical protagonist, this is one of the sharpest and most engaging of Trollope's later novels.

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Dr Wortle's School.
Anthony Trollope
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press 1944. (World's Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Dr Wortle's School: Trollope 1989 (Trollope Society Editon of the Novels of Anthony Trollope)

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Dr Wortle's School: Trollope 1989 (Trollope Society Editon of the Novels of Anthony Trollope)
Skilton , and Anthony Trollope
Manufacturer: Ashgate Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Dr Wortles School
Anthony Trollope
Manufacturer: TROLLOPE SOCIETY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WTCI6I

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Dr. Wortle's School
Anthony Trollope
Manufacturer: Oxford
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Dr. Wortle's School
Anthony Trollope
Manufacturer: North Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Dr. Wortle's School (Large Print Edition): A Novel

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Dr. Wortle's School (Large Print Edition): A Novel
Anthony Trollope
Manufacturer: BiblioBazaar
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1434644022
Release Date: 2007-08-20

Dr. Wortle's school, (The World's classics. 317)

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Dr. Wortle's school, (The World's classics. 317)
Anthony Trollope
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, Milford
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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