European Cohesion Policy impact on development and convergence: a local empirical analysis in Portugal between 2000 and 2014

Substantial European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) monies have been directed at regional economic and social development in Portugal in which Portuguese local government plays a vital role. Given the magnitude of funding, an important question turns on the effect of the ESIF on overall local authority performance. This paper focuses on the impact of the ESIF on Portuguese municipality performance and development. In particular, it investigates whether the ESIF improved the performance of Portuguese local government and which factors best explain its effect on municipality development. The analysis considers all 308 Portuguese local authorities for the period 2000–2014. Various policy implications flowing from the empirical results of this analysis are explored.     

Updating Numerical Models of Masonry Arch Bridges by Operational Modal Analysis

This article aims at presenting and discussing the strategies for updating the finite element numerical modeling of stone masonry arch bridges using operational modal analysis. The study comprehended three bridges: two old ones, the St. Lázaro and the Lagoncinha bridges, and a recently constructed bridge in Vila Fria, Portugal. Updating of the bridge models is performed by comparing the numerical and experimental modal parameters. Three-dimensional detailed numerical models are used to perform modal analysis of the bridges. Experimental modal identification of the bridges is based on the measurement of their acceleration responses during normal operation. The assigned material properties are also based on available results obtained from in situ and laboratory tests and on the results of visual inspection and historical research carried out for both old bridges.     

The Multiple Testing Issue in Geographically Weighted Regression

This article describes the problem of multiple testing within a Geographically Weighted Regression framework and presents a possible solution to the problem which is based on a family‐wise error rate for dependent processes. We compare the solution presented here to other solutions such as the Bonferroni correction and the Byrne, Charlton, and Fotheringham proposal which is based on the Benjamini and Hochberg False Discovery Rate. We conclude that our proposed correction is superior to others and that generally some correction in the conventional t‐test is necessary to avoid false positives in GWR.     

国家起源的理论

千百年来,国家起源一直是伟大哲学家和思想家们关注的一个话题,从亚里士多德、孟德斯鸠、霍布斯、卢梭、弗格森、孔德到摩尔根、马恩和列宁,都有过经典性的系统论述。时至今日,在新资料、新方法、新技术的支持下,在吸收过去理论成就的基础上,国家起源更成为当今国际学术界的三大课题(人类起源、农业起源和国家文明起源)之一,并且产生了很多既有实证性又有理论性的研究成果。卡内罗在这篇经典文章中,对当今各种理论流派做了比较详细的概括总结。就他自身而言,是持强制论或者说战争论的观点,认为战争是国家兴起的主要动力。他甚至认为,世界各地的历史学和考古学证据都毫无二致地证明战争是早期国家形成的根本原因,战争以这样或那样的形式在国家兴起中起到了决定性作用。当然,他也认为,战争并非国家起源的唯一因素。尽管战争可能是国家兴起的必要条件,但却不是充分条件。国家的兴起还需要一些特殊条件,经过一些具体的过程,例如自然的限制、社会的限制、资源的集中、政治的演化等等。卡内罗的战争论虽然是一家之言,但由于它对历史的继承和现实的尊重而有巨大的合理性,对包括中国在内的国家文明起源研究有重大影响,而且今后仍然有十分积极的意义。本文写作于1970年,从时间上看观点已显陈旧,但是作为国家起源理论的一种重要流派,仍然值得介绍和回顾。     

Vertebral Compression Fractures: Towards a Standard Scoring Methodology in Paleopathology

Vertebral compression fractures are the most common osteoporotic fractures in postmenopausal women. Notwithstanding, its clinical diagnosis remains ambiguous. In paleopathological studies, vertebral fractures and/or deformations are frequently disregarded. When observed, vertebral compression fractures are usually recorded without the support of quantifiable and comparable protocols. As such, Genant's semi‐quantitative method for vertebral compression fracture assessment was applied to a large sample (N = 196) from the Coimbra Identified Skeletal Collection, Portugal, and the reliability of the method was tested. Vertebral fracture scoring agreement was evaluated with the kappa statistic and the per cent of agreement. Intra‐observer agreement was almost perfect, whereas inter‐observer agreement was substantial to almost perfect. The Genant's semi‐quantitative scoring methodology is easy to apply and highly reproducible; as such, it should be adopted as the standard method to score vertebral fractures in any paleopathological investigation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

External Financial Liberalization and Macroeconomic Performance in Emerging Countries: An Empirical Evaluation of the Brazilian Case

This article evaluates the effects of external financial liberalization on Brazilian macroeconomic performance from 1995 to 2016. Its main contributions are to assess the influence of the global financial cycle on the level of external financial liberalization and to analyse the short- and long-run macroeconomic effects of such liberalization on the performance of a peripheral economy in the global currency hierarchy. Methodologically, the article employs the Markov-Switching Vector Autoregressive and Vector Error Correction models. The results show that the global financial cycle directly affects cross-border financial flows and frames the impact of external financial liberalization on the macroeconomic performance. The article concludes that external financial liberalization has negative macroeconomic effects in the short run and generates a trade-off between stability and growth in the long run.     

官僚主义的文化探源及治理对策选择

官僚政治是体制性官僚主义的表现形态,在政治体制上表现为政府权力不受制约,具有侵犯公民自由和权利的倾向,政府机构官僚主义的泛滥成为必然。在这种政治体制后必定具有特定的文化精神为支撑,封建官僚政治的传统文化精神里的重大缺陷在于缺乏民主的意识和精神,因此民主是防治官僚主义的最佳对策选择。以民主的方式防治官僚主叉是一个如何在政府与个人、集体与个人之间寻求最佳平衡的过程。