Empirical Tools Research Articles

ВПЛИВ ЦИФРОВИХ ТРАНСФОРМАЦІЙ НА СФЕРУ ПУБЛІЧНИХ ПОСЛУГ

One of the strategic goals of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine is to transfer 90% of public services to an online format by 2024 so that the majority of Ukrainians can use online services and other digital products. Providing public services in an online format increases their accessibility for the population, saves resources of the state and communities, reduces the influence of the "human" factor and reduces corruption risks. In Ukraine, a lot of work has already been done in this direction: a large number of public services have been transferred to the online format, mobile applications have been developed for them, and work is underway to popularize their use among the population. However, a number of issues related to the integration of existing and new services into a single web portal and increasing the level of digital literacy of the population remain unsolved. Such a situation actualizes the topic of the selected research. Purpose of the study is to study the impact of digital transformations on the sphere of public services of the national economy. The research hypothesis is the interpretation of the digital economy as an important tool for increasing the availability of public services for various population groups and promoting their inclusiveness. In the process of research, methods of a system approach and data summarization were used to study the impact of digital transformations on the sphere of public services. In addition, general scientific and empirical methods and tools of economic science, methods of analysis and synthesis, comparison, summary and grouping were used. The processes of penetration of digital technologies into the system of providing public services at the regional level have been studied, the most popular types of public services that can be obtained today with the help of digital technologies have been singled out: SRCSA services (state registration of civil status acts); registration of FOP; accrual for registration of e-pensions; electronic driver's office; HELSI (doctor's appointment, medical card, e-prescriptions and treatment plan); state land cadaster, etc. During the research, it was established that the vast majority of the analyzed types of electronic services were integrated into «Dia». But there are still a number of electronic services that work autonomously. It is proposed to focus further development of the field of electronic services on: systematic expansion of the list of services provided online; integration of online services for the provision of electronic services into a single portal «Dia»; system modernization of the mobile application of the single portal «Dia» taking into account innovations; increasing the level of cyber security; expanding the possibility of connecting to the Internet; increasing the level of digital literacy of citizens. Further research should be focused on assessing the level of accessibility and quality of electronic public services.

Contextualisation of Anglican liturgical worship in Sri Lanka with the use of cultural symbols

ABSTRACT This study was conducted as research on the intertwining of faith and culture. The main question for the study was to find how cultural symbolism depicted in liturgies was understood and approached within the context of worship and culture. The Sri Lankan Anglican Church has promoted the contextualisation of liturgies and worship from its political independence and has also become progressive in developing indigenous liturgies. Through liturgies, much of the religious-cultural context is reflected and contextual theologies are introduced. In that regard, this will be beneficial to practical theology. This research had a documentary study and an empirical element. The sample population for the study was the Diocese of Kurunagala, which is one-half of the Anglican Church in Sri Lanka. For the empirical study data collection tools of Google Forms, interviews and focus group discussions took place across cross-cultural congregations with a focus on participatory action research. The results received indicated a close relationship between worship and culture, the need for further education on theological connections, community awareness, and action as well as visible ventures such as an open museum. There is a need for further research and dissemination of contextualised liturgies and also studying factors that are leading towards local expressions of worship.

Digital strategies for nitrogen management in grain production systems: lessons from multi-method assessment using on-farm experimentation

During the past few decades, a range of digital strategies for Nitrogen (N) management using various types of input data and recommendation frameworks have been developed. Despite much research, the benefits accrued from such technology have been equivocal. In this work, thirteen methods for mid-season N recommendations in cereal production systems were evaluated simultaneously, ranging from simple mass balance through to non-mechanistic approaches based on machine learning. To achieve this, an extensive field research program was implemented, comprising twenty-one N strip trials implemented in wheat and barley fields across Australia over four cropping seasons. A moving window regression approach was used to generate crop response functions to applied N and calculate economically optimal N rates along the length of the strips. The N recommendations made using various methods were assessed based on the error against the optimal rate and expected profitability. The root mean squared error of the recommendations ranged from 15 to 57 kg/ha. The best performing method was a data-driven empirical strategy in which a multivariate input to characterise field and season conditions was abundantly available and used to predict optimal N rates using machine learning. This was the only approach with potential to substantially outperform the existing farmer management, reducing the recommendation error from 42 to 15 kg/ha and improving profitability by up to A$47/ha. Despite being reliant on extensive historical databases, such a framework shows a promising pathway to drive production systems closer towards season- and site-specific economically optimum recommendations. Automated on-farm experimentation is a key enabler for building the necessary crop response databases to run empirical data-driven decision tools.

The development of the Zero-Sum Beliefs between Nature and Humanity Scale

Environmental decisions and policies are often depicted as having win-lose trade-offs with humanity's ability to thrive. These zero-sum beliefs about the relationship between nature and humanity (ZSB-NH) have significant implications for how individuals behave concerning our natural environment. However, no measure exists to operationalise this construct. The aim of this paper thus is to develop and validate a scale that can reliably measure people's zero-sum beliefs about the human-environment relationship. This research provides a theoretical approach to the measurement of ZSB-NH, in which three studies (total N = 1921) assess the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the scale. In Australian samples, our initial pool of items was tested and refined into a final 6-item scale, and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted twice in two subsequent studies to assess construct validity. The final scale demonstrated excellent internal reliability across all three studies, while convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity was also supported. Unexpectedly, zero-sum beliefs in human relationships were found to be unrelated to the ZSB-NH. The predictive utility of ZSB-NH was also demonstrated, where hierarchical multiple regression analyses show the ZSB-NH accounts for unique variance in human pro-social intentions and pro-environmental behaviours, with medium effect sizes. Overall, the ZSB-NH promises to be a useful empirical tool when concerned with understanding barriers to supporting human pro-social and pro-environmental actions.

TYPOLOGY OF THE LOGICS OF THE ACTORS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE INTRODUCTION OF FISH FARMING INNOVATIONS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF OUEME

The introduction of fish production innovations in the Department of Ouémé following the scarcity of aquatic fauna is considered as a way to improve the living conditions of fish farmers. However, these new techniques have given rise to logics that do not favour their adoption. The present research highlights the typology of the logics of the actors around the implementation of fish farming innovations in the Department of Ouémé. It is qualitative in nature. Literature search techniques, interview and observation, as well as empirical data collection tools such as the reading sheet, the interview guide and the observation grid allowed data to be collected from 32 informants. The data obtained were processed with the theory of the entanglement of logics by J.P. Olivier de Sardan (2001). The analysis of the data from the surveys has made it possible to identify two essential logics: the strategic logics of "learning to fish", the logics of "giving fish" and the representative logics of purpose, circumstantial and value. The strategic logics are related to the development agents and the strategic logics are related to the fish farmers.

Laboratory investigation of the cyclic loading behaviour of intact and de-structured chalk

Chalk is a soft biomicrite composed of silt-sized crushable CaCO3 aggregates. Chalk’s response to cyclic loading depends critically on its sensitive micro fabric and state, which may be altered significantly by high-pressure compression, dynamic impact or prior large-strain repetitive shearing. This paper reports high-resolution undrained cyclic triaxial experiments on low- to medium-density intact chalk and chalk de-structured by dynamic compaction to model the effects of percussive pile driving. The intact chalk manifested stable and nearly linear visco-elastic response under a wide range of the one-way, stress-controlled cyclic loading conditions imposed. However, high level cycling led to sudden failures that resembled the fatigue response of metals, concretes and rocks, with little sign of cyclic damage before sharp pore pressure reductions, non-uniform displacements and finally brittle collapses. However, the de-structured chalk’s response to high-level undrained cycling resembles that of silts, developing both contractive and dilative phases that led to pore pressure build-up, leftward effective stress-path drift, permanent strain accumulation, cyclic stiffness losses and increasing damping ratios. Results from exemplar tests are presented to illustrate these key features and demonstrate how chalk’s undrained cyclic shearing characteristics depend also on effective stress level. The experimental outcomes provide significant scope for developing constitutive and empirical relationships or predictive tools to enable the interpretation and design of driven pile foundations in chalk and other chalk-structure interaction related problems under cyclic loading.

Эмпирический инструментарий для оценки уровня благосостояния и бедности населения (опыт Узбекистана)

This article analyzes the empirical tools for assessing the well-being and poverty levels of the population in Uzbekistan for further improvement of the social protection system. The article promotes the relevance of improving the effectiveness of social protection through a critical and analytical study of existing experience and identification of problem points in this area. The task of sociological research was to develop practical recommendations for improving the sociological assessment and monitoring of factors of the effectiveness of the poverty reduction and social protection system in Uzbekistan. The representativeness of the study is ensured on the basis of a random sample of a systematic nature. The following methods were used for field research: expert assessment and online questionnaires. As part of the expert assessment, more than 70 experts and practitioners in the field of poverty reduction and social protection of the population were interviewed. More than 1,200 representatives participated in the online survey. The social protection system in Uzbekistan is an institutional sphere of the State. This system reflects the development strategy of the society and serves as a guarantor of the interests of both individuals and society. Social protection determines the rational distribution of socio-economic resources of the country in accordance with the objectives of social policy.

STRATEGIES FOR STRENGTHENING BUSINESS ECONOMIC SECURITY WITH ACCOUNT TO GLOBAL FINANCIAL CHALLENGES

The study focuses on the algorithm of business behaviour under conditions of worsening of its economic security. The algorithm allows businesses to objectively assess the situation regarding financial threats and develop appropriate strategic measures to eliminate them. A system-situational model is proposed with financial actors to evaluate the tendencies of business players' elimination in the international financial markets. The purpose of the research is theoretical and applied approaches to developing strategies for strengthening the economic security of business in the context of the global challenges of the global financial system. To overcome the state of the economic security system imbalance, the dominant external and internal drivers are determined. It was proven that eliminating the negative impact of factors of global financial challenges can balance the system of economic security of business. In order to universalize the measurement of trends in the elimination of business players in international financial markets, a system-situational model was studied, which is based on the consolidation of systemic and situational perceptions of financial actors regarding the interpretation of financial information and adapted to the conditions of investor behaviour on the international financial market. In the course of the study, it was proven that eliminating the negative impact of factors of global financial challenges can balance the system of economic security of business, bring it to the newest stage of evolutionary response and ensure further sustainable financial and socio-economic development of business. The set of used scientific methods for strategizing balancing opportunities in the system of economic security and proposed empirical tools for eliminating negative factors of external and internal influences allow the creation of new scenario approaches to ensuring the strengthening of economic security of business.

Between the “Structural” and the “Everyday”: Bridging Macro and Micro Perspectives in Comparative Urban Research

The discussion around placing cities within a larger network of cities and the criteria by which they are assessed has recently gained new momentum. Consideration of Southern, disadvantaged, or “peripheral” geographies previously neglected in comparative approaches are now being considered and have opened up new perspectives on the wider urban context. This thematic issue, thereby, explores the practical challenges of how comparative urbanism across a broadening range of dissimilar places across the globe is handled. The collection of empirical studies presented will lay out the challenges and insights gained into applying comparative methodologies to the real-world context, thereby contributing to the advancement of empirical tools for complex and multi-scalar research environments.

The potential of using psychometric tests in Polish accounting research

Purpose: To demonstrate the rationale for using psychometric tests in accounting research and show the spectrum of possibilities for such research in the context of skepticism towards them in Polish academia. Methodology/approach: Deduction and a scoping literature review. Findings: We confirm that personality traits and states of the human mind affect the accounting process, and psychometrics is a field with strong theoretical foundations and well-developed empirical tools. This means that the use of psychometric tests in accounting research indisputably makes sense. Thereby, the skepticism towards psychometric research in accounting in Polish academic accounting society is questioned. Originality/value: We conducted an extensive review of the accounting research that used psychometric tests. We demonstrate the rationale for the use of psychometric testing in accounting.

Inventory and financial performance in the pharmaceutical industry: what transpired over the last two decades?

PurposeThe objective of this study is to explore the structural attributes of the pharmaceutical industry before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic by examining the relationship between inventory and firm performance and developing a taxonomy of pharmaceutical firms based on the earns-turns matrix.Design/methodology/approachThis study examines the inventory–firm performance linkage, considering both total inventory and its discrete inventory components in pharmaceutical firms. In addition, this research develops a new taxonomy of pharmaceutical firms based on the earns-turns matrix. A large panel dataset of firms in the US pharmaceutical industry was collected for the period 2000–2019.FindingsThe results reveal that strategic groups identified based on this taxonomy show different levels of profitability and inventory turns in the earns-turns matrix. Most pharmaceutical firms moved from the low-right to the top-left section in the earns-turns matrix, indicating that these firms have generally pursued profitability rather than effective inventory management.Research limitations/implicationsThis study explores the structural attributes of the pharmaceutical industry using the earns-turns matrix. This two-dimensional analysis may not, however, capture the full complexity of inventory–firm performance dynamics.Practical implicationsThe mapping of strategic groups on the earns-turns matrix provides a useful tool for visual representations of the dynamics of strategic groups in terms of financial performance and inventory management performance. Practitioners can use the earns-turns matrix to benchmark their firm's position against their competitors.Originality/valueThis study broadens the scope of operations management research by introducing the earns-turns matrix as an empirical validation tool for operational and strategic management theories. This study emphasizes the effectiveness of the earns-turns matrix in analyzing strategic groups of pharmaceutical firms.

A dynamic perspective on profiling financial-aid eligibility: the case of South Africa

Abstract The sustainable funding of tertiary education is a subject of significant policy debate worldwide. In South Africa, the need to balance equitable access within a constrained fiscal environment has been a complex challenge. A legacy of racially segregated educational opportunities, together with student activism and protests, has shaped the political economy surrounding tertiary education funding. Policymakers continue to be faced with the challenge of funding students whose household income is too high to meet state financial aid eligibility, yet who struggle to afford tuition and accommodation expenses. In this context, exploring a policy instrument that differentiates students based on multidimensional socioeconomic need is critical. We motivate for a differentiated policy instrument that considers economic uncertainty of households as a dimension of socioeconomic need. A purpose of our paper is therefore to illustrate that income mobility can contribute to household vulnerability, and therefore to funding need. Household income mobility is estimated using a multivariate probit model that explicitly accounts for endogeneity of initial conditions, unobserved heterogeneity, and non-random panel attrition. We operationalise this model as a relevant empirical tool for analysing and understanding the implementation, expansion, and targeting of social policy more generally.

Thermodynamic geometry of dyonic black holes in AdS in extended phase space

Ruppeiner scalar curvature can be considered as an empirical tool to explore the nature of interaction among the microstructures of black holes. In the extended phase space, the phase transitions and criticality are investigated for the dyonic black holes in an ensemble, where the electric potential [Formula: see text] is fixed. At first, we described the thermodynamic properties of dyonic black holes to investigate the [Formula: see text] criticality. Further, the Ruppeiner scalar curvature is calculated in an ensemble with fixed [Formula: see text] utilizing the fluctuation coordinates [Formula: see text]. The behavior of interactions among the microstructures of the dyonic black holes in AdS is studied where the dominance of attractive or repulsive interaction is found to be dependent on the values of electric potential [Formula: see text].

Benchmarking Economic Sustainability: What Factors Explain Heterogeneity between Wine Businesses?

To assess a wine producer’s economic sustainability, it is useful to benchmark its economic indicators against a suitable reference group. Existing research mainly compares wine businesses either by region or by size alone. There is a research gap concerning which of the two benchmarking factors can be more suitable or whether both factors are required. Using a framework of economic sustainability benchmarking figures, the effects of region and size, as well as the effect of their interactions, on 10 economic indicators were estimated through an ANOVA and the estimation of effect sizes. The analysis is based on a unique data set of business data averages of 382 German wine estates across six agricultural years (2014–2019). Region and size both had a significant influence on 7 out of 10 benchmark indicators. Wine estates from distinct regions more strongly differed in their primary indicators of production factors, price and yield as well as secondary indicators of cost and productivity. Contrarily, wine estates of diverse size groups more strongly differed in their tertiary indicators of profitability and return, which are key indicators of economic sustainability. Both size and region should be utilized for suitable economic indicators when benchmarking wine businesses for future assessments of economic sustainability. Hereby, this paper provides a first step in making economic sustainability less subjective for the German wine industry and how to move forward in regards to benchmarking within empirical frameworks and tools of economic sustainability.

Co-designing a just resilience balance scorecard with experts in islands and coastal cities

The growing focus on enhancing resilience in international humanitarian communities and vulnerable regions underscores the need for advancing theoretical and empirical tools. This research introduces a balance scorecard co-developed with users to monitor justice in disaster risk reduction and resilience (DR3) with a specific emphasis on floods, droughts and heatwaves. The goal is facilitating the integration of risk reduction, climate adaptation, and sustainability into development planning across various locations. The participatory design of the balance scorecard engages 71 stakeholders in vulnerable emerging market economies in the Global South. We take a nexus approach towards critically linked resources (water, energy, land, food, materials), global agendas (Climate Change Adaptation, Sustainable Development Goals and Sendai Framework), vulnerability factors (hazard, exposure and capabilities) and environmental justice dimensions (distribution, participation, capabilities and recognition). Stakeholders confirm the findings from literature that disaster risk governance tends to be more responsive than preventive. The research contributes by introducing temporal dimensions into the balance scorecard, covering anticipation, assessment, prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. This enhances the granularity of pre-emergency phases in risk management, enabling a dynamic analysis of justice considerations given the unique challenges faced by different communities at each stage of the risk management cycle.

An Ecosystem Valuation for Enhanced Transboundary Water Cooperation in the Kabul River Basin

An Ecosystem Valuation for Enhanced Transboundary Water Cooperation in the Kabul River Basin

Temperature effect on fatigue behavior of high-modulus asphalt concrete (HMAC)

This study investigated the effect of temperature on the fatigue behavior of high-modulus asphalt concrete (HMAC). The impact of temperature on the Wöhler’s curve parameters, especially with respect to the slope and intercept, was studied to evaluate the accuracy of current methodologies used to estimate them in mechanistic–empirical pavement design tools (M-E PD). Four series of tension–compression (TC) fatigue tests were conducted on HMAC samples at four temperatures (-8.3 °C, 1.4 °C, 11.3 °C, and 21.0 °C). The findings indicated a significant impact of temperature on the intercept; the slope did not exhibit any statistically significant effect.

Problems of intensification of bank lending to the real sector of the economy in the conditions of martial law

Introduction. The difficult conditions of the economic situation in Ukraine during the period of martial law directly affected the activities of the banking system in terms of credit provision for the production and consumer needs of all market subjects, although problematic moments in the field of bank lending did not arise with the start of full-scale war, but accumulated over a quite long period time. Under such circumstances, the study of the main problems arising in the field of bank lending to the real sector should be considered particularly relevant, so that the functioning of banks in the conditions of martial law is stable and maximally provides the needs of the national economy in terms of credit resources.Purpose. The purpose of the study is to find out the main trends and problems of the organization of bank lending to the economy in the conditions of martial law and, on this basis, determine possible directions for optimizing the credit relations of banks with clients for the effective redistribution of monetary resources in favor of the real sector and contributing to the stabilization of the economic situation in the country.Methods. The methods of the system approach and generalization of data are used to assess trends and regularities in the organization of credit relations. In addition, general scientific and empirical techniques and tools of economic science, methods of analysis and synthesis, comparison, summary and grouping were used.Results. The main trends in the functioning of commercial banks on the credit market and the specific of the formation of the structure of bank assets are studied. Factors affecting the credit activity of the banking system under martial law are systematized. The actions of the National Bank to stimulate the work of the banking sector in lending to the economy are analyzed. The main directions of economic policy, which are necessary as a set of measures for the activation of bank lending to the real sector, are substantiated.Prospects. It is advisable to focus further scientific research on the assessment of the macroeconomic conditions for the effective functioning of the credit mechanism, in particular regarding ensuring the stable value of the national currency, preventing crisis phenomena in the banking system, and reliable legal protection of the interests of banks as creditors.

Simulated Data in Empirical Science

AbstractThis paper provides the first systematic epistemological account of simulated data in empirical science. We focus on the epistemic issues modelers face when they generate simulated data to solve problems with empirical datasets, research tools, or experiments. We argue that for simulated data to count as epistemically reliable, a simulation model does not have to mimic its target. Instead, some models take empirical data as a target, and simulated data may successfully mimic such a target even if the model does not. We show how to distinguish between simulated and empirical data, and we also offer a definition of simulation that can accommodate Monte Carlo models. We shed light on the epistemology of simulated data by providing a taxonomy of four different mimicking relations that differ concerning the nature of the relation or relata. We illustrate mimicking relations with examples from different sciences. Our main claim is that the epistemic evaluation of simulated data should start with recognizing the diversity of mimicking relations rather than presuming that only one relation existed.

A person‐centered approach in developmental science: Why this is the future and how to get there

AbstractThis paper argues for a person‐centered approach in developmental science and presents theoretical and empirical techniques to help shift the focus to the individual. The need for a person‐centered approach is urgent, because of widespread nonergodicity in developmental psychology: traditional between‐individual, group‐level statistics often cannot be used to understand individuals over time. Evidence for nonergodicity has been gathered in domains such as personality, emotions, identity, performance and intelligence. This highlights a mismatch between our typical research methods—group‐level analyses—and a core aim of developmental science: understanding the development of individuals. The implications are profound. Without insights into within‐individual processes, our understanding of development remains incomplete and perhaps even incorrect, which could hinder the design of effective interventions. Many of our developmental theories might need to be adjusted to accurately capture individual‐level development. The theory of complex dynamic systems and person‐centered simulations offer promising avenues to do this. In addition, many promising person‐centered analysis techniques, that typically use long time series of data, are available to enhance our understanding of individual‐level development. Together, these person‐centered theoretical and empirical tools have the potential to help shift developmental science towards an understanding of development that genuinely reflects individual processes.Highlights The problem of nonergodicity in psychological science is widespread, this highlights a need for a person‐centered approach to development. Creating individual‐level theoretical models is a difficult challenge, but complex dynamic systems theory and simulations can help. Person‐centered analytical techniques presented in this paper can answer questions on individual development, by investigating the shape of individual trajectories, within‐individual dynamics and nonlinear developments.