2007 Working Papers

The Moral Journey of Environmentalism: From Wilderness to Place
By Andrew Light
Evans School Working Paper No. 2007-07 (125 KB PDF)

  • Abstract: This conversational and slightly autobiographical essay attempts an answer to the question "What is environmentalism?" It offers a narrative of the progress of contemporary environmentalism from a movement largely concerned with questions of wilderness to one more focused on the normative dimensions of place.

Does a Public Environmental Philosophy Need a Convergence Hypothesis?
By Andrew Light
Evans School Working Paper No. 2007-06 (142 KB PDF)

  • Abstract: The "convergence hypothesis," originally introduced into the literature in environmental ethics by Bryan Norton in 1992, argues that under certain conditions those holding the view that moral obligations can only be extended to humans (anthropocentrists) and those holding the view that moral obligations can be extended beyond humans to other animals and perhaps to whole ecosystems (nonanthropocentrists) can nonetheless agree on the same environmental policies. In his more recent work Norton distances himself from this hypothesis arguing in favor of a strategy of overcoming these divisions. This paper argues that the convergence hypothesis is still needed for those, like Norton, who count themselves as "environmental pragmatists" and defends the hypothesis against some of its critics.

Restorative Relationships: From Artifacts to Natural Systems
By Andrew Light
Evans School Working Paper No. 2007-05 (129 KB PDF)

  • Abstract: Several influential environmental ethicists have long argued that restored ecosystems can never duplicate the value of original ecosystems and further may represent an affront to those systems. A key part of this argument is that ecological restorations are not ?natural? but rather humanly created artifacts. While it is held that we do have moral obligations to natural entities we do not have moral obligations to artifacts. I accept this description of what restorations are and argue that we can have substantive moral relationships with, or at least through, artifacts. If this argument succeeds then the fact that ecological restorations are human artifacts should be inconsequential to the determination of their value.

Models of NGO Self-Regulation: Theory and Evidence from Africa
By Mary Kay Gugerty
Evans School Working Paper No. 2007-04 (62 KB PDF)

  • Abstract: Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) play an increasingly important role in public service provision and policy making in sub-Saharan Africa, giving rise to needs for new forms of regulatory oversight of such entities. In response, a number of initiatives in NGO self-regulation are taking place in Africa, a region not typically noted for its institutional innovation. This paper examines the emergence of these initiatives through cross-national data on 20 African countries and three case studies. Self-regulation in Africa falls into three types: national guilds, NGO-led clubs and voluntary codes of conduct. National guilds have the advantage of providing regulatory coverage for the entire sector, but are difficult to establish because they require strong pre-existing collective action institutions and good-faith cooperation on the part of governments. Voluntary clubs are increasingly prevalent; clubs have stronger standards and regulatory power that guilds, but typically have much weaker coverage. Voluntary codes are the most common form of self-regulation, but have the weakest regulatory strength.

The School Finance Redesign Project: A Synthesis of Project Work to Date
By Paul T. Hill
Evans School Working Paper No. 2007-03 (345 KB PDF)

  • Abstract: The School Finance Redesign Project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, seeks to answer the question, "How can resources help schools achieve the higher levels of student performance that state and national education standards now demand?" To this end, the project initiated more than 30 research studies and expert papers. The project's research reports and commissioned papers describe a system in which educators understand the need to press for higher achievement and are attempting to implement reforms to improve student learning. However, SFRP's work also indicates that the current education finance system is primarily an accident of history and politics, consequently impeding efficient resource allocation and use. SFRP findings point to plausible ways of focusing money, time, and attention on learning, including applying lessons from the learning sciences, implementing system incentives, supporting out-of-school interventions and core instruction, and revising funding formulas and allocation practices. Finally, this research points to the need for ongoing research into best practices, out-of-the-box thinking, and a system shaped by the concept of continuous improvement.

The effects of sexual orientation and marital status on how couples hold their money
By Marieka M. Klawitter
Evans School Working Paper No. 2007-02 (192 KB PDF)

  • Abstract: Previous research has shown that intrahousehold bargaining power in different-sex couples affects household expenditures and how families hold their money. This paper examines the portfolio of bank accounts held by same-sex and different-sex couples and its relationship to bargaining power and individual and relationship characteristics. Data from the U.S. Survey of Consumer Finances suggest that married couples are much more likely to hold money jointly than are same-sex or unmarried different-sex couples, even after accounting for the effects of other characteristics. However, many couples of all types hold money in joint accounts and do so more often in longer term relationships and when rearing children. Proxies for bargaining power help predict whether money will be held in individual accounts for unmarried different-sex and same-sex couples, but not for married couples. These patterns could reflect greater matching of married couples on preferences or the effects of legal and social institutions that differ by marital status and sexual orientation.

Women's Access to Credit: Does it Matter for Household Efficiency?
By Diana Fletschner
Evans School Working Paper No. 2007-01 (122 KB PDF)

  • Abstract: Improving poor households' access to capital is a common element of rural strategies that are designed to induce growth. To inform this notion a number of studies have sought to assess the negative impact of credit constraints on farm households' efficiency. By and large, these studies have used the household as the unit of analysis, an approach that can be problematic in settings where there are gender-based market imperfections and where there are significant gender-based asymmetries in how rights, resources, and responsibilities are distributed within the household. The analysis in this article shows that imperfections in the capital market impair households' efficiency and that women's constraints matter: in addition to the efficiency loss associated to the husbands' credit constraints, when women are unable to meet their needs for capital their households experienced an additional drop in efficiency of 11%. These results have two important implications. First, they indicate that studies which try to measure the efficiency impact of credit constraints based only on the household's head (if present, typically the husband) are likely to provide an incomplete assessment, and significantly underestimate the true impact of those constraints. In addition, these results provide efficiency-based arguments for enhancing women's access to capital.