Poor Strata Research Articles

RECONSTRUCTING INCOME STRATA IMPLICIT COALITIONS IN THE EU AND EFTA COUNTRIES

The article, which aims to conduct a multi-criteria cluster analysis to classify countries by income distribution, growth, and implicit income coalition composition, allowed us to reconstruct implicit income coalitions that have benefited relatively more from economic growth. It also provided methodological advances by calculating right-wing policy indices and a centrist policy index to assess the actual social and economic policy regimes in advanced European economies. The highest right-wing policy indices were recorded in Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Poland, and Romania. The most left-wing policies were in Hungary, Greece, and Lithuania. The most centrist policies were recorded in Belgium, Croatia, and Slovakia. The highest policy polarization in favor of the richest and the poorest strata was identified in Germany and Italy. The type of policy implemented was found to have no significant impact on overall economic growth. On average, the strata in the coalition had 8 percentage points higher income growth over the analyzed 4-year period (2015-2019). This difference was generally larger in fast-growing economies. But the high correlation between the growth of coalition members and outsiders showed that outsiders also benefited significantly from economic growth, albeit to a lesser extent. With the exception of four countries outside the eurozone (Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, and Poland), economic growth was quite inclusive for outsiders and the poorest. A cluster analysis using several criteria allowed us to classify countries by income distribution, growth, and the implicit composition of the income coalition.

Deformation Analysis of Existing Buildings Affected by Shield Tunnels Based on Intelligent Inversion and Measured Data

In the construction of urban underground shield tunnels, uneven deformation can easily occur when the shield passes through soft soil and other poor strata. Such deformation has a significant impact on surface settlement and may cause potential safety hazards to the surrounding existing buildings, directly affecting the safety of urban operation. When simulating and predicting surface settlements, the small-strain soil hardening model can more accurately characterize the mechanical parameters of soil. Nevertheless, its parameters are numerous and complicated to determine accurately, so parameter inversion is needed to determine the accurate parameters of the soft soil layer in order to more accurately predict the surface settlement. This study uses the EFAST method to analyse the sensitivity of the HSS model parameters of soft soil strata. It is determined that the parameters that have the most significant impact on the surface settlement are the reference tangent modulus, rebound modulus, and effective cohesion. Then, XGBoost’s fast calculation speed and high precision of SSA inversion are used to inverse and optimize the parameters with high sensitivity. Finally, according to the parameters of the soft soil layer obtained from inversion and measured data, the settlement deformation and safety behaviour of existing buildings are analysed. Combined with the actual shield tunnel project in a city along a river, the inversion calculation shows that the overall average error of the transverse monitoring section is 1.04 mm, and the average maximum error of each monitoring point in the overall shield process is 2.87 mm. The prediction effect is significantly improved compared with the original parameters. The accuracy of the inversion of soil layer parameters is verified from the perspective of time and space. The average settlement of the river embankment foundation is 2.5 mm. Compared with the original parameter data, the prediction results have been greatly improved, and the settlement deformation results are more consistent with the measured data.

Is there a future for smallholder farmers in bioeconomy? The case of ‘improved’ seeds in South Punjab, Pakistan

Smallholder farmers are key players in agrarian value chains, particularly in the Global South. In the planning of technology-oriented agricultural interventions featured prominently in bioeconomy policies they are however often neglected. As global demand for food and biomass is expected to rise, production increase through (bio)technological means is framed as a necessity. Yet its ecological and social sustainability has been debated. We add to this debate by investigating the possibilities and challenges for smallholder farmers to participate in the intensification of production in an emerging bioeconomy. We scrutinize the case of Pakistan, an agricultural country where 65% of farms operate less than 2 ha of land and where bioeconomy approaches such as biotechnology and advanced plant breeding have gained momentum in policy debates. We specifically analyze a cornerstone of the bioeconomy value chain—namely ‘improved’ seed varieties by looking at the experiences of smallholder farmers with genetically modified cotton and hybrid maize. We build on qualitative data from South Punjab collected between 2019 and 2022. Smallholders value improved seeds. However, the poorest strata are hindered from adopting improved seed varieties due to lack of resources, established crop rotation patterns, and frequent oscillations of the cropping trends. Market and climatic factors also limit the profitability of improved seed varieties as higher input costs disproportionately affect smallholder farmers. Furthermore, highly productive crops and frequent crop cycles result in surging tenancy rates for smallholders and can lead to their expulsion from agriculture. Our results contribute to the understanding of the complex role of smallholder farmers in the Global South under a bioeconomy scenario.

The Holy and everyday life among Brazilian Lutherans: Syncretisms

The article is a theoretical effort to understand the religious practices of “laypersons” in the submersed part of church institutions. Such religious practices, called “popular religiosity” by sociology of religion in Brazil, are exemplified by three different characters, one of whom is taken from a work of fiction of Brazilian literature. They do not break with the official political or ecclesiastical order but reinterpret institutional discourses in the pragmatic dynamics of the search for a religion of survival. The socio-existential dilemmas of their everyday lives mark their utterances in the search for meaning, particularly in the area of health and the precariousness of the world of labor. They navigate through the official utterances of institutions and express the worldview and the needs of the poor population strata, but not only of the latter. Persons of the affluent classes also turn to the religiosity of the underground of social life. They act on the margins of institutions and in many cases create their own churches or religious organizations or are committed to them in various ways. Finally, the article also points to a theological effort—still in embryo—to understand religious practices that coexist with official discourses.

Bernhard Glaeser. Housing, Sustainable Development and the Rural Poor. A Case Study of Tamil Nadu. New Delhi: Sage Publications, 1989. 432 Pages. Hardbound, Indian Rs 465.00.

Shelter is the most pressing need of the present times. Strategies to satisfy this need are urgently needed, particularly for the rural poor. Since eighty percent of the Indian population lives in the rural areas, the author tries to identify their demand for better houses and the required improvements in construction technology in rural India. This study is the result of a joint project of two institutes, i.e., Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (Social Science Research Centre, Berlin) (WZB), based on a survey conducted in Tamil Nadu, India. The majority of the rural population covered by this study are landless labourers. The survey covered 300 households in 20 selected villages where 71 percent of the respondents were living in traditional katcha houses made of mud, bamboo, and palm leaves. The study concentrates on the poorest strata of rural society and collects information about socioeconomic properties such as income, occupation, education, energy, and water sources used by the respondents. The respondents were asked during the survey to reveal the household preferences for more living space, privacy, ownership, and availability of public services like piped water, electricity, sewerage system, etc. The analysis is based on 291 (out of 300) questionnaires (households schedule).

A Study on the Effectiveness Pradhan Manthri Jan ArogyaYojana with Reference to Cherunniyoor Grama Panchayat

The saying ‘ health is wealth’ is very much true in the present fast-paced life and it signifies the importance and necessity of a well developed health care system. Ill health not only leads to financial bankruptcy but also gives a lot of sufferings to the affected individual and his/ her family. Good health is one of the most important pre requisite to human productivity which in turn leads to overall development of a society. Primary health care is the backbone of the Indian health system. Health problem can be occurred at any time for any one. To ensure “Health for all” is a huge challenge that confronts the authorities in India, given the country’s size and the diversity of its population in socio-economic, regional, and cultural terms. Accordingly, steps were initiated to provide health insurance to selected beneficiaries either at the state level or national level. PradhanManthri Jan ArogyaYojana Scheme was launched in 2018 by the Government of India, with the objective of providing health insuranceto the poorest strata of society, i.e. below poverty line (BPL) households. The primary aim of PMJAY is to protect BPL households from catastrophic health expenditure and to promote health-seeking behavior in them. The costs of this scheme are borne in the ratio of 3:1 between the central government and the state. The main objectives of the studies are to study the financial impact and effectiveness in the implementation of PMJAY among BPL families in CherunniyoorGramaPanchayat of Kerala state and to identify whether the PMJAY beneficiaries are satisfied with the amount provided for treatment under the Scheme.

Evolution of Spanish tax policy (1975-2021)

The article considers the evolution of the Spanish tax system during the most important period of its historical development: the transition from Francoism to democracy. As the main economic function of the state, the tax system traditionally reflects its social structure, the nature of economic relations and managerial decisions of the ruling class, fundamental processes of social development. Unlike most European countries, the tax policy of the Spanish state until the last quarter of the 20th century was characterised by extreme anachronism, due to the long existence of Franco’s political system. Spain entered the path of democracy and europeanization of the Franco tax legislation only in the second half of the 70s, having gone through two stages of its modification: from state dirigism to neoliberal model. The main goal of the first stage was declared to achieve a fairer redistribution of the tax burden and narrowing the gap in the level of taxation between the most and the poorest strata of the population in accordance with the democratic principle "who receives the most income pays more to the budget". In the course of the second stage of tax reform the emphasis was done on stimulating business, its innovative, foreign economic and competitive potential, curtailing the functions of the Welfare state. Pandemic Covid-19 sums up the negative consequences of the neoliberal policy, largely due to the existing tax model. Its serious modification is the main direction in the complex of socioeconomic reforms of the Spanish government for the coming years.

Экономический рост и неравенство: пересмотр экономической политики

The study is devoted to the issue of changes in Russian economic policy in the context of a “covid” crisis and after it, based on the previous dynamics. The main task is to launch economic growth in Russia while solving acute social problems that were present before the “covid” crisis in the form of non-growing real disposable incomes, high poverty levels, and compressed consumption. The crisis has significantly exacerbated these problems, having worked to increase unemployment, created a special social regime for teleworking, and created imbalances in the distribution of demand and income. Poverty and inequality levels have increased, real disposable income and gross domestic product have decreased, which makes it urgent to determine the relationship between economic growth and inequality in the pre-crisis period in order to identify economic policy instruments that can stimulate growth while reducing the level of inequality and poverty in the country. The research methodology is a regression analysis based on the Gretl 2020b software module, the use of which makes it possible to select the best models of the relationship between the GDP value and inequality and poverty, as well as to reveal the influence of a set of parameters of the conducted macroeconomic policy on the income growth rate of 20% of the poorest and richest stratum of the country’s citizens. As these parameters, the key interest rate, the oil price, the level of monetization of the economy, the amount of inflation and the amount of budget expenditures are taken. Thus, it is possible to get a picture of the influence of the same economic policy instruments, when they change, on the dynamics of income of different strata of the population. This result makes it possible to identify for the future the possibilities of economic policy, together with the social measures taken to support the population in a crisis situation, the greatest opportunities for ensuring economic growth simultaneously with solving the problem of an outstripping income growth rate of the poorest strata of the population. The prospect of the undertaken research is the study of the influence of various institutional, including tax, changes on the dynamics of income of various groups of the population of the country.

Aquaculture in Kenya: Present State and Development Trends

At present, about half of the total amount of fish and seafood consumed in the world is grown in artificial conditions, while in the early 2000s its share was 30%, and in the 1980s it did not exceed 7%. This trend is formed against the background of depletion of natural marine and freshwater bio-reserves. Overexploitation of some of their species, primarily fish, has actually reached the verge of sustainable reproduction or even exceeds this objective limit beyond which no production is possible without compromising the ecological state of the aquatic biological environment. At the same time, the population’s demand for products containing the most suitable balance of proteins, “right” fats, vitamins and amino acids is increasing more and more. One of their main sources is water bio-reserves. The shortage of these resources as a result of excessive demand (in the context of the actualization of the problem of preserving natural capital for future generations) is increasingly compensated by an increase in the supply of aquaculture products – that is, man-controlled artificial reproduction of commercial water reserves. Compared to other types of food, global aquaculture production is increasing at a faster rate of 10% per year. It is expected to exceed 100 million tons by 2030, compared to 82 million tons in 2018. The highest indicator, which is 48%, is estimated for Africa, which is no less affected by the growing deficit of natural water bioresources than other countries of the world. In addition, it exacerbates the still unresolved problems of food security in the countries of the continent and the lack of adequate nutrition of its population, especially its poorest strata, who are constantly experiencing protein and vitamin starvation. In many ways, this is why it is difficult to overestimate the importance of aquaculture for the African continent, although so far its share in global production is only 2.7%. This may indicate, in particular, a lack of attention to the industry by the leadership of a very large number of African states, which are still only at the beginning of the road. Among them was Kenya, which is currently in the middle of the list of top ten African countries that in recent years, according to the FAO, have made rather noticeable positive changes in this area of economic activity. The article discusses the main stages of development of various areas of aquaculture in Kenya. The main attention is paid to the state policy on turning this agricultural sub-sector into an important resource for increasing employment and well-being of the population in rural areas.

The Bases of Montessori Pedagogy as a Facilitating factor for Child Development in Burkina Faso and Spain

<p style="text-align:justify">Education faces barriers all over the world, which sometimes makes it difficult to look after children’s rights and their individual development. Hence, society is clamoring for new practices, and different approaches are emerging, Montessori among them. Despite the fact that this approach was developed to attend to the poor strata, nowadays it is basically promoted by elitist sectors, though it can be perfectly applied as an education system for all children, regardless of their socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. This study analyzes the bases of Montessori pedagogy in a school from a low-to-middle-income country (LMIC), Burkina Faso, and another school in a high-income country (HIC), Spain. The study takes into account children, family, school environment and teacher training all of which contribute to children’s development.</p>

Clustering of lifestyle risk factors among adult population in India: A cross-sectional analysis from 2005 to 2016.

IntroductionIndividual’s early life style and health behaviors are directly linked to chronic non-communicable diseases. Considering the increased burden of NCDs during the last two decades, the aim of this study is to assess co-occurrence/clustering of lifestyle risk factors and its association with different socio-demographic and economic characteristics among adult men and women in India from 2005–2016.MethodsThis study utilized the data from the National Family Health Survey 2005–06 and 2015–16 survey rounds. Multinomial logistic regression is employed to evaluate co-occurrence of multiple risk factors among adult men and women of different socio-economic and demographic characteristics to identify the subgroups with elevated risk of clustering of multiple unhealthy lifestyle risk factors.ResultsMore adult men in India tend to exhibit clustering of multiple non-communicable disease risk factors than females. Individuals between 30–49 years of age, residing in urban areas, the population with no education, separated couples and those from poor economic strata are the specific population subgroups show higher prevalence of co-occurrence of multiple risk factors. The regional pattern of clustering of risk factors shows that the prevalence of co-occurrence of multiple risk factors is higher among men and women from the North-Eastern part of India compared to the other regions of the country.ConclusionThe prevalence of clustering of multiple risk factors associated with chronic NCDs is substantially high and has increased between 2005–06 to 2015–16. India may therefore experience a significant increase in the burden of chronic non-communicable diseases in the coming years. We therefore conclude that appropriate strategies should be implemented by policy makers and the government to reduce the overall health burden of NCDs due to lifestyle habits.

The State, democracy and the incompleteness of the social project: the Chilean experience

The article examines the main directions and results of the political and social modernization undertaken by the democratic governments of Chile during 2000-2019, identifies both the unconditional achievements associated with the gradual democratization of the political sphere, and the unresolved problems. Large-scale policies aimed at overcoming poverty and social exclusion, radically changing the education system, did not significantly reduce social inequality, create effective elevators for young people from the poorest strata. The reformism of the second government of M.Bachelet (2014-2018) increased the effect of disappointed expectations and the growing public disillusionment. The divergence of the results of political and social modernization, the conflict of new political opportunities, especially felt by young people, and old social approaches, became the main reason for the protest movement. The article analyzes the internal political processes, the decline of traditional left-centrism and the strengthening of radical tendencies, as well as the prospects for overcoming the crisis associated with the results of the national plebiscite on October 25, 2020.

Скрытая дилемма российской социально-экономической политики стимулирования рождаемости

The demographic policy of the Russian government, which aims to ‘preserve and increase the people’, combines two qualitatively different approaches to understanding the problem of population decline. Most often, the emphasis is placed on stimulating fertility, although there is also an understanding that it is important to raise the quality of their upbringing and education. While the focus on increasing human capital is economically justified, the desire to increase the birth rate has no such justification. The theory of demographic transition proves that stimulating the birth rate is an erroneous goal. The ‘cash for babies’ policy applied in Russia is based on the conviction that children, even those born in poor and dysfunctional families, inevitably ‘pass’ through the education system and become qualified workers. On the basis of this stereotype, the system of pro-natalist incentives is built in such a way that, in accordance with the law of diminishing marginal utility, it creates stronger incentives for poorer families and is therefore actually aimed at increasing the birth rate primarily in the poor strata, having little effect on middle-class families. Meanwhile, modern theories of social capital and labor market signals prove the limited ability of schools and universities to play the role of social elevators. International studies (in particular, in the USA) shows that state benefits for children of poor and disadvantaged families contribute to the reproduction of a culture of poverty. Therefore, when the Russian authorities provide assistance primarily to low-income and single-parent families with children, they create problems for the future. The study proposes to replace the current policy based on the principle ‘more babies but cheaper’ with a policy aimed at middle-class families and based on the principle ‘less is more’. Thus, an orientation towards stimulating population growth is replaced by an orientation towards fostering human capital.

Uticaj Omer Lutfi pašinih reformi iz 1851. godine na kadiluk Bihor

Already with the defeat at Vienna in 1683. the Ottoman court became aware of the need to adapt to the Western world. The necessity of establishing harmonious relations between the Muslim and non-Muslim populations imposed the undertaking of a series of reforms, which came to full expression with the coming to power of Sultan Mahmud II, who created the conditions for the social modernization of the Ottoman Empire. The enactment of Haticerif by Gulhana in 1839, which formally equated Muslim and non-Muslim subjects in rights, opened the door for further reforms that imposed themselves as a historical necessity, and much less as a result of pressure from the great powers. Under the influence of their thinkers, the population of the Ottoman Empire has been emphasizing its demands for the establishment of a regime that would enable a greater degree of democracy and freedom, which would create conditions for freer trade and better education, since Haticerif of Gulhana. A big problem was also the finances that needed to be reformed in a way to achieve productivity. With such demands, Ottoman society embarked on reforms that remained known as the Tanzimat. It was a time when "ruin and progress were tackled", hence the conclusion that it was the "longest life" of the Ottoman Empire. The planned reforms were particularly difficult to implement in the Balkan provinces. The central Ottoman government showed a lot of inability to quell the local uprisings, regardless of whether they were of a social or national character. A major obstacle in that process was the interference of European powers, which in that way realized their interests and considered the Balkan states as their sphere of influence. Apart from political issues, the difficult situation was also felt in the field of agriculture. Primitive cattle breeding and traditional agriculture could not provide the conditions for meeting all other living needs, which is why the demands of the broadest strata of the population were aimed at liberalization and removing barriers that could lead to the presence of any dependence, especially from greengrocers. In addition to the presence of progressive forces, there were also stubborn structures of society in the Ottoman Empire that wanted to preserve the system that was present before the implementation of reforms. Resistance to the use of Tanzimat in the middle of the 19th century was very pronounced in the Ottoman provinces in the Balkans. In that sense, the reactions of the rural population from the area of the kadiluks Bihor and Rožaj were not absent, primarily to the application of certain decisions in the field of agrarian relations. The key measure was the introduction of tithing, which was considered another new tax among the poorer strata. The response to this measure of the central government was an armed uprising that broke out in 1851. in Bihor and the Rožaje region. It was brutally quelled by military units under the command of Omer Lutfi-pasha. The aim of this paper is precisely to present the circumstances in which this revolt took place and to point out its consequences. While the mentioned riots lasted, Omer Lutfi-pasha carried out certain administrative reforms on the territory of the Bosnian eyalet, which also had their reflections in the area of the Bihor kadiluk. With a stronger connection to the Bosnian eyalet, the kadiluk Bihor with Trgovište (Rožaje) will be formed in its next period as an integral part of that area, and in the spirit of the decisions made in Sarajevo as the new seat of the Bosnian vali.

Inequality in child undernutrition among urban population in India: a decomposition analysis

BackgroundWith increasing urbanization in India, child growth among urban poor has emerged as a paramount public health concern amidst the continuously growing slum population and deteriorating quality of life. This study analyses child undernutrition among urban poor and non-poor and decomposes the contribution of various factors influencing socio-economic inequality. This paper uses data from two recent rounds of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3&4) conducted during 2005–06 and 2015–16.MethodsThe concentration index (CI) and the concentration curve (CC) measure socio-economic inequality in child growth in terms of stunting, wasting, and underweight. Wagstaff decomposition further analyses key contributors in CI by segregating significant covariates into five groups-mother’s factor, health-seeking factors, environmental factors, child factors, and socio-economic factors.ResultsThe prevalence of child undernutrition was more pronounced among children from poor socio-economic strata. The concentration index decreased for stunting (− 0.186 to − 0.156), underweight (− 0.213 to − 0.162) and wasting (− 0.116 to − 0.045) from 2005 to 06 to 2015–16 respectively. The steepness in growth was more among urban poor than among urban non-poor in every age interval. Maternal education contributed about 19%, 29%, and 33% to the inequality in stunting, underweight and wasting, respectively during 2005–06. During 2005–06 as well as 2015–16, maternal factors (specifically mother’s education) were the highest contributory factors in explaining rich-poor inequality in stunting as well as underweight. More than 85% of the economic inequality in stunting, underweight, and wasting among urban children were explained by maternal factors, environmental factors, and health-seeking factors.ConclusionAll the nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions in urban areas should be prioritized, focusing on urban poor, who are often clustered in low-income slums. Rich-poor inequality in child growth calls out for integration and convergence of nutrition interventions with policy interventions aimed at poverty reduction. There is also a need to expand the scope of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) program to provide mass education regarding nutrition and health by making provisions of home visits of workers primarily focusing on pregnant and lactating mothers.

Effects of Corruption on Tertiary School Enrolment in Africa

This paper empirically analyses the effects of control of corruption on tertiary school enrolment in a panel of 44 African countries over the period 1996-2016. Using system Generalized method of moments and controlling for a large number of other determinants of tertiary school enrolment, it finds that, over the sample period, control of corruption has a substantial positive effect. This is probably because control of corruption increases public spending level and effectiveness on tertiary education, increases the return on tertiary education, and ultimately fosters the access to tertiary education specially the poorer strata in the African economies. In the light of this result, an intensification of control of corruption in Africa is imperative to improve the tertiary school enrolment. Keywords: Control of corruption, tertiary school enrolment, System GMM, Africa DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-29-06 Publication date: October 31 st 2020

The role of mobile money in improving the financial inclusion of Nairobi’s urban poor

The aim of this research is to examine the extent to which mobile money has improved the financial inclusion of Nairobi’s urban poor. Nairobi is Kenya’s largest and most developed city, but it is also the city where the country’s largest slum is located. The city’s poorest strata, the so-called urban poor, account for a large proportion of Nairobi’s population; most of them face exclusion from accessing formal financial services. However, mobile money has enabled them to access financial services more easily. Based on survey research conducted by the author in Nairobi, this paper demonstrates that the urban poor were far less likely to have a bank account than middle- and high-income groups, but that they had a high need for saving services/safe money storage. Mobile money has provided a savings service that is better suited to the needs of the urban poor than that offered by other channels and has enabled them to save small amount of money more frequently. This has encouraged greater use of mobile money and has significantly decreased levels of financial exclusion amongst the urban poor (p < .001).

Priority Analysis of Right Remedies of Basic Living Recipients in Korea

Through an active administration approach, the Local Living Security Commission (LLSC) has provided relief to protect the poor strata and reinforce the distribution of entitlements. However, the absence of a system to monitor operational performance makes it difficult to manage it efficiently. The purpose of this study is to find ways to strengthen and efficiently operate the functions of the LLSC through priority analysis of its operation. To this end, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was conducted based on the results of the focus group interview to derive priorities for the operation of the LLSC. The variables used in the AHP analysis included regional conditions, operational performance, organizational method, and network. The result of the analysis revealed, first, that the performance of the committee has increased due to a joint evaluation or verification survey conducted at the end of each year, second, that the creation of a budget for the organization and the operation of an independent LLSC is necessary, and third, that operational performance is the most important, followed by organizational method, network, and regional conditions. Therefore, a system for monitoring performance should be established to improve the operation performance of the LLSC. Additionally, it is necessary to establish an independent LLSC and secure the budget for each city and county. It should be possible to provide feedback on operations through regular priority analysis.

Estimating poverty rates in subnational populations of interest: An assessment of the Simple Poverty Scorecard

Abstract The performance of the Simple Poverty Scorecard is compared against the performance of established regression-based estimators. All estimates are benchmarked against observed poverty status based on household expenditure (or income) data from household socioeconomic surveys that span nearly a decade and are representative of subnational populations. When the models all adopt the same “one-size-fits-all” training approach based on the national sample, there is no meaningful difference in performance and the Simple Poverty Scorecard is as good as any of the regression-based estimators. The “one-size-fits-all” training approach based on the national sample results in overestimating poverty in the regions with lower poverty rates (wealthier regions) and underestimating poverty in the regions with higher poverty rates (poorer regions). In the poorest strata (regions/districts), average SPS discrepancies are as high as 15–25 percentage-points. The findings change, however, when the regression-based estimators are “trained” on “training sets” that more closely resemble potential subpopulation test sets. In this case, regression-based models outperform the nationally calculated Simple Poverty Scorecard in terms of bias and variance. These findings highlight the fundamental trade-off between simplicity of use and accuracy.

Linguística, educação e política: para além da academia

Este ensaio tem as relações entre Política, Linguística e Educação em Língua Portuguesa como tema, delimitando-se no questionamento acerca de em quê/como/de que modo os estudos linguísticos têm ou não contribuído para qualificar a abordagem escolar da linguagem em nível nacional. O conteúdo ocupa-se de problematizar questões como “O que os estudos linguísticos têm efetivamente feito em favor da qualificação do ensino e da aprendizagem de Língua Portuguesa nos estratos mais pobres da população brasileira? Em quê/como avanços nessa área do conhecimento reverberaram nacionalmente na educação em linguagem? E por que deveriam fazê-lo?” e inquietudes afins. Objetiva-se (i) argumentar contrariamente à denegação da abordagem epistêmica que se compreende ter tomado conta do campo da linguagem, e (ii) defender que o tensionamento dialético entre usos da língua e metacognição é condição para que a escola efetivamente contribua em um processo de formação dos estudantes que esteja comprometido com a emancipação humana, o que ganha especial sentido em um país com a forte conformação de fragilidades sociais como o Brasil.