Data Literacy Through Digital Inquiry: A Visual Framework for Teaching Trade Policy (Ecuador, 1979–2024)

In today’s society, workplace, and scientific environment, data is increasingly regarded as a highly valuable often the most valuable resource. Decisions are progressively being made on the basis of data. Digitalisation and datafication are reshaping life and work in the 21st century: artificial intelligence, networked production, communicating machines, and autonomous vehicles all rely on data while simultaneously generating vast amounts of it. Data thus forms the foundation for knowledge creation, value generation, and better decision-making. Therefore, data literacy must be cultivated from the start of higher education and across all disciplines. The present study is aimed to find out the data literacy of the university students in Pakistan furthermore to compare the data literacy of applied and social science students at BS level. For the purpose, a total six academic departments three from the applied sciences (Biotechnology, Chemistry, and Zoology) and three from the social sciences (Education, Psychology, and Sociology). A sample size of 360 (180 students from each applied and social science) were selected. IDL was used as data collection tool. Results showed that overall data literacy levels are low across both groups, with social science students demonstrating relatively higher proficiency. From inferential data analysis no significant difference in data literacy between applied science and social science students at the BS level was found. It is recommended that universities should organize workshops and training sessions for teachers; facilitated Enhancing faculty proficiency in statistical tools will directly contribute to improving students’ understanding and use of data literacy software such as SPSS, STATA, and R. The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) is encouraged to integrate a dedicated unit on data analysis software including SPSS, STATA, and R into relevant undergraduate programs.

This paper analyzes the effects of changes in relative commodity prices on the distribution of income among factors of production in the context of two models of a simple, two-good economy. In the first model capital is treated as a specific factor in each industry, with labor mobile between industries. The assumption of specificity determines the direction of factor income changes, with magnitudes depending on substitutability between factors and on intensities of factor use within the two industries. In the second model, capital is viewed as a quasi-fixed factor. For the short run, this model is identical to the model first considered. For the long run, this model is identical to the Stolper-Samuelson model in which the direction and magnitude of factor income changes depend solely on relative factor intensities. The difference between the short-run and long-run determinants of changes in factor incomes gives rise to a conflict between factor owners' short-run and long-run interests.

Digital learning has become an everyday experience for a significant part of the population during a pandemic, regardless of their technical and psychological readiness. Both the more and less technologically advanced countries have faced the inevitable need for large-scale deployment of digital learning. This paper presents an assessment of the development of digital learning in Lithuania and the EU countries in 2019, i.e., before the pandemic began. The evaluation is carried out using the Index of Readiness for Digital Lifelong Learning, developed by the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS) using official indicators and expert evaluation.Despite the growing number of studies aimed at assessing the digital divide in modern society and in education in particular, there is still a lack of empirical material to shed light on the link between the extent of digitalization, its determinants (such as national governance in promoting digitalization), and changes in learning outcomes caused by digitalization. The findings from the CEPS study presented in the paper are the first attempt to move beyond the assessment of the prevalence of learning digitalization in different European countries, taking a holistic view of digitalisation-induced changes in learning outcomes and participation with a special focus on digital learning policy as an important component of digitalisation development.The aim of this article is to assess the digital learning situation in Lithuania using the Index of Readiness for Digital Lifelong Learning, which was developed before the pandemic in 2019. The progress of European Union countries in developing digital learning is reviewed in the paper, based on the results of CEPS (2019) research. The Index of Readiness for Digital Lifelong Learning and the results of Lithuania’s assessment using the methodology developed by CEPS are presented here. The description of the situation in Lithuania is based on the second component of the Index titled “Institutions and policies for digital learning”.In order to qualitatively assess the country’s strategic provisions for digital learning, the method of analysis of the country’s strategic documents was applied. Public expert opinions were included into the analysis of the situation in Lithuania. An interpretation of the comparative analysis of the obtained index values is presented.Standard indicators from the Eurostat, Eurobarometer, OECD, Bertelsmann Stiftung, World Bank, and expert surveys were used to create the combined Index of Readiness for Digital Lifelong Learning. The index is constructed as a weighted average of indicators divided into three categories: learning participation and outcomes, institutions and policies for digital learning, and availability of digital learning. The assessment of the situation in the EU countries, carried out according to the developed methodology, allowed to calculate the value of the Index for each country. Lithuania ranks 11th in the overall EU-27 ranking with an Index value of 0.623.A more detailed analysis allowed us to see that the countries’ ratings can differ significantly according to the different categories of the Index. The Scandinavian countries lead in terms of learning participation and outcomes and, together with the Netherlands and Austria, in terms of availability of digital learning. Southern European countries received relatively high ratings in the Index category “institutions and policies for digital learning”, which reflects their determination to strengthen their position in the digital world. Estonia and the Netherlands also found themselves among the leaders in this category. Lithuania’s relatively high position in the list is also based on positive evaluations of the indicators of the second component of the Index (i.e., policies and institutions), while participation and learning outcomes were assessed modestly. Using the example of Lithuania, the article provides arguments in favor of why the second component of the Index should not be given.

Trade policy and growth of developing countries: some new data

Interest in U.S. trade policy has been stimulated in recent years by the massive American trade deficit, by the belief that intervention by foreign governments in international markets has given other countries a competitive edge over the United States, and by concern about the increase in protectionism among industrial countries. In turn, major analytical developments in international economics have revolutionized trade theory, broadening its scope both by introducing in a more formal manner such concepts as imperfect competition, increasing returns, product differentiation, and learning effects and by including the study of political and economic factors that shape trade policy decisions. This collection of papers—the result of a conference held by the NBER—applies these trade theories to existing world cases and also presents complementary empirical studies that are grounded in more traditional trade theories. The volume is divided into four parts. The papers in part 1 consider the problem of imperfect competition, empirically assessing the economic effect of various trade policies introduced in industries in which the trade theory seems to apply. Those in part 2 isolate the effects of protection from the influences of the many economic changes that accompany actual periods of protection and also examine how the effects from exogenous changes in economic conditions vary with the form of protection. Part 3 provides new empirical evidence on the effect of foreign production by a country's firms on the home country's exports. Finally, in part 4, two key bilateral issues are analyzed: recent U.S.-Japanese trade tensions and the incident involving the threat of the imposition of countervailing duties by the United States on Canadian softwood lumber.

The purpose of this survey is to review the available empirical evidence on the impacts of agricultural trade liberalization on poverty – considering both the impact of domestic and international liberalization. Since trade liberalization is generally an economywide phenomenon, with tariff cuts occurring across a wide range of commodities, we do not restrict ourselves to episodes where only agricultural trade was liberalized, although emphasis in this survey is given to agricultural trade policies. Furthermore, given the difficulty of isolating the effects of trade policies alone, we will also consider the impact of other types of external shocks which have the effect of changing the relative prices of tradeable and non-tradeable goods. By examining the way in which households adjust to such external shocks, we can learn a great deal about how they would respond to sharp reductions in tariffs, or significant changes in a country’s international terms of trade engendered by multilateral trade liberalization.

This article explores a facet of the relationship between trade marks and the criminal law in the UK in the interwar era, a pivotal period of transition in UK economic policy from free trade to a more managed economy. Drawing together insights from legal, business and economic history, we show that, in the interwar years, the context of domestic politics and wider international trade policy, produced a greater focus on the relationship between trade marks and market-place understandings of the national origin of manufactured products. This context included the passage of the Merchandise Marks Act 1926, a criminal law statute that stipulated the circumstances in which imported goods were to be marked with an indication of national origin, and included a criminal offence regulating trade marks enforced by prosecutions brought by the Board of Trade. We argue that the criminal law regulating trade marks became entwined with ‘soft’ trade policy, i.e. a means of protecting the domestic/Empire market falling short of tariff protection. Drawing on substantial original archival research, we explore the problems that confronted the Board of Trade when it enforced the 1926 Act in view of market realities.

While embracing trade policies that foster trade liberalization, Taiwan has clear protectionist policies covering its agricultural trade, which combine border measures with domestic support, and are closely modeled on the policies created by the European Union. The idea of multifunctionality of agriculture — and its link to trade policy — has created a normative framework whereby the agricultural markets have to be shielded in order for them to provide non-commodity attributes or public goods. This paper aims to explore the causal power of ideas (liberalization and multifunctionality) in the definition of Taiwan’s agricultural trade policy, by analyzing them from the perspective of historical institutionalism, and taking Taiwan as a case study. It is the institutionalization of the idea of multifunctionality that gives it an explanatory power toward understanding the ideational source of protectionism in agricultural trade.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is one of the most important spectroscopy methods in modern chemistry, yet students need help learning and understanding its complex nature. Empirical investigations show that simulation and (interactive) visualizations can support students by offering new possibilities for investigating connections and direct effects of parameter changes. Therefore, this article introduces a digital and interactive learning environment that addresses students’ learning difficulties to facilitate the understanding of crucial 1H NMR background knowledge. The SpinDrops Learning Environment (SDLE) covers practically useful, basic concepts for interpreting a 1H NMR spectrum from a theoretical point of view. It includes new interactive visualizations and a dynamic and realistically simulated ppm-spectrum. To evaluate the role and influence of interactivity by parameter control regarding students’ learning processes and conceptual understanding, we designed two SDLE versions differing in the degree of interactivity and dynamics. We then asked N = 50 students to work with the learning environment in a pre-post study with questionnaires on affective constructs and a 1H NMR knowledge test on conceptual understanding. N = 12 students additionally took part in a think-aloud study. The results showed that students benefit from learning with the SDLE as their conceptual understanding and NMR-related interest, self-efficacy, and estimated knowledge increase significantly. Although the SDLE showed significantly positive effects on students’ learning results and processes, the difference in the degree of interactivity and dynamics inside the software only had a small impact, as revealed in the quantitative and qualitative data.

A disparity exists between mainstream perception and reality with regard to American economic history. There is widespread belief among the public, media, and even some scholars that the U.S. amassed its wealth and prosperity from the adoption of exclusively free-market principles from the onset of the union. This is far from reality. Since 1980, the U.S. government has adopted policies that largely support the free-market ideology and can be classified as neoliberal. However, As Chang (2002) and Cohen and DeLong (2016) have shown, during the early stages of economic development and critical junctures whilst a middle-income country, the U.S. record is one of active government intervention in targeted industries, the creation of important institutions to complement free-market competition, and the widespread use of trade protection in support of infant industries. This misconception has significant ramifications for present-day developing countries, which are routinely advised to adopt neoliberal policies with insufficient regard for the idiosyncratic stage of economic development. This paper documents the misconceptions by examining the theoretical basis and historical record of U.S. industrial and trade policy. We detail how this misconception became widespread and ultimately entered policymaking by analyzing two contributing factors: the rise of neoliberalism, and the standard economics curriculum.

<p><span>The rapid advancement of digital technologies is transforming educational paradigms worldwide. This article explores the relationship between digital learning and religious moderation from an educational management perspective, focusing on how these technologies can promote inclusivity, mitigate extremist ideologies, and enhance learning experiences. The literature review covered key concepts such as digital learning, educational management, and religious moderation, highlighting the dual-edged nature of digital technology in education. The research adopted a mixed-method approach, combining qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques. The study also found that digital learning has improved educational outcomes and personalised learning experiences, indicating high agreement between students and educators that digital learning has improved educational outcomes and personalised learning experiences. The qualitative analysis explores the themes of digital learning in religious education, focusing on access to diverse perspectives and interfaith understanding. The content analysis of digital religious education materials varies significantly, from promoting tolerance and understanding to emphasising religious distinctiveness. In conclusion, the themes revealed a dynamic yet challenging landscape for digital learning in religious education. The research suggests several recommendations, which include developing inclusive digital learning policies, promoting digital literacy skills, prioritising teacher training, and investing in high-quality digital learning materials that promote religious understanding, tolerance, and respect for diverse perspectives</span></p>

We provide theoretical and empirical evidence that policy uncertainty can significantly affect firm level investment and entry decisions in the context of international trade. When market entry costs are sunk, policy uncertainty can create a real option value of waiting to enter foreign markets until conditions improve or uncertainty is resolved. Using a dynamic, heterogeneous firms model we show that: (i) investment and entry into export markets is reduced when trade policy is uncertain, and (ii) preferential trade agreements (PTAs) are valuable to exporters even if applied trade barriers are currently low or zero. We derive a structural equation that predicts how firm entry responds to changes in applied tariffs and a theory-based measure of policy uncertainty. Our novel approach using observable trade policies allows us to estimate the impact of policy uncertainty and quantify its aggregate implications. We apply this method to Portugal's accession to the European Community in 1986 using new firm-level trade data. We find that (i) the trade policy reform accounted for a large fraction of the observed Portuguese exporting firms' entry and sales upon accession (ii) the accession removed uncertainty about future preferences and (iii) this uncertainty channel accounted for a large fraction of the predicted growth. These results have broader implications for other PTAs and our approach can be applied to analyze other sources of policy uncertainty.

Debates abound regarding the link between trade and industrial policy and the adoption of sustainable energy technologies in developing countries. Some purport that open trade regimes support technology diffusion, while others indicate that more interventionist regimes are more conducive. This paper uses empirical evidence from Mexico City and São Paulo to argue that sustainable energy technology uptake can be more prevalent in settings with partially open trade policy regimes. These regimes have afforded countries more opportunities to develop local capabilities, which, in turn, has had knock‐on effects on sustainable energy technology uptake. Specifically, having more local technology sources (equipment, expertise) brought quicker access to these technologies, created more perceptions of technology “ownership,” fostered more effective mobilization, and helped create well‐established standards, which in turn contributed positively to sustainable energy technology uptake, while taxes and tariffs were less influential.

Drawing upon empirical evidence from a research carried out at the University of Crete, this paper investigates the social sciences students’ perception towards their experiences regarding the emergency online learning amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The study reveals aspects of digital divides, as well as divergent perceptions of students, ranging from techno-philic attitudes that enthusiastically welcome the pivot to online learning, to ambivalent opinions expressing moderate satisfaction and techno-sceptic views, criticising pandemic pedagogies through digitalised forms of learning. The analysis sheds light on the contextual factors associated with the dystopic condition of the protracted economic crisis and the pandemic, that lie behind the claims of many students, revealing a main tension between contrasting perceptions of digital education. Students with positive attitudes towards online learning tend to highlight the advantages in regard to time and space flexible modalities of digital education, embracing it as an inclusive practice that responds to the social and educational needs of students, especially at times of crisis. Techno-sceptic attitudes criticise online learning models fοr lowering the academic standards, separating students from the real-life world on campus and repositioning them in digital settings where common physical experience, affective body language and classroom socialisation are missing. The article offers insight in the ongoing discussion of the emergency remote learning and underlines the political and pedagogical significance of the accelerating digitalisation of the universities in the post-COVID era.

Primary commodity markets have offered an opportunity for much economic debate on a number of key issues. First, secularly declining terms of trade of primary commodities are used to explain the widening gap between developing (LDCs) and developed countries (DCs). Second, they are regarded as a contributing factor to the creation of a structural condition of unequal exchange between a "dominating" industrial center and a "dominated" agrarian periphery. And third, they are thought to be a source of instability, often causing financial vulnerability to foreign exchange equilibria and fragility to international market institutions.