From the Bretton Woods system to the global non-system: The trials and tribulations of slow learning

In this paper we analyse why an understanding of the global ‘non-system', in which we now live, took so long to arrive after the Bretton Woods system collapsed in 1971. We first describe how knowledge of how an inflation-targeting regime would operate—what we call ‘Taylor-rule macroeconomics'—was only gradually created during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. We then describe how, subsequent to this, an awareness emerged, also gradually, of how the international non-system might work, depending, as it does, on Taylor-rule macroeconomics being already in place. We then discuss the Great Moderation, making clear that a well-functioning global non-system would require not just inflation targeting and floating exchange rates in each country, but also adequate fiscal discipline, and a satisfactory form of financial regulation. We describe how a well-functioning version of this global non-system would actually fit together. We then discuss how this non-system has responded to two enormous challenges of the last 15 years, namely the Global Financial Crisis and the Covid pandemic. This discussion of what has happened in the recent past provides the background to a discussion, in the companion paper by Subacchi and Vines in this issue of the Oxford Review of Economic Policy, of the challenges that the global non-system will face in the future. © The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press.

The COVID-19 Pandemic in Cyprus: A Problematic Legal Regime, and the Potential of Rule of Law in Emergencies

In the first part of this chapter, we shall argue that the legal regime under which most of the COVID-19 measures were adopted in Cyprus is problematic both from the standpoint of the democratic principle and from the standpoint of the meta-principle of rule of law. In the second part, in the context of an analysis of the path that the Republic of Cyprus did not follow, i.e. a Proclamation of Emergency under Art. 183 of the Constitution, we shall see how a "compulsion of legality” (Dyzenhaus) was incorporated into the emergency doctrine upon which the operation of the constitutional order of Cyprus has been based since 1964. The doctrine of necessity in Cyprus illustrates the potential of the rule of law even in emergencies. The "compulsion of legality” which animates the Cypriot version of the doctrine of necessity affirms the importance of legislative action and of judicial review. At least on COVID-19 measures, this compulsion should orient courts away from constructions (such as the doctrine of "actes de gouvernement”) which insulate executive action from judicial scrutiny. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Europa y Japón: socios con valores comunes en un mundo incierto

En un escenario internacional cada vez más incierto, en el que todavía no se ha dejado atrás la pandemia de Covid-19, a lo que se suma la necesidad de gestionar la ilegítima invasión rusa de Ucrania, así como unas relaciones entre Estados Unidos y China cada vez más tensas, Europa y Japón han reafirmado sus vínculos históricos, económicos y políticos con dos acuerdos de asociación, uno de carácter económico y otro estratégico, en vigor desde 2019. El continente asiático se ha convertido, además, en el principal eje geopolítico del mundo, y Japón quiere tener un papel relevante en el nuevo escenario al que ha respondido mediante su iniciativa del Free and Open Indo-Pacific, a la que Europa ha respondido con ciertas reservas. ¿Deben Europa y Japón seguir profundizando en su relación? ¿Cuáles son los ámbitos susceptibles de mejora? El marco adecuado debe ser, en nuestra opinión, el "orden internacional basado en normas" del que ambos actores son claros defensores, y los valores comunes de democracia, Estado de Derecho y protección de derechos fundamentales que los unen.Alternate :In an increasingly uncertain international environment, in which we are still trying to put the Covid-19 pandemic behind us while trying to manage the illegitimate Russian invasion of Ukraine as well as the increasingly tense relations between the United States and China, Europe, and Japan have reaffirmed their historical, economic and political ties with two association agreements, one economic and the other strategic, in force since 2019. In addition, the Asian continent has become the geopolitical axis of the world, and Japan wants to play a relevant role through its Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) initiative, to which Europe has responded somewhat hesitantly. Should Europe and Japan continue to deepen their relationship? What are the areas for improvement? The appropriate framework, in our opinion, should be the "rules-based international order" of which the two actors are firm defenders, and the shared values of democracy, rule of law, and protection of fundamental rights that unite them.

ASSOCIATION RULE MINING FOR PREDICTION OF COVID-19

COVID-19 is a raging pandemic that has created havoc with its impact ranging from loss of millions of human lives to social and economic disruptions of the entire world. Therefore, error-free prediction, quick diagnosis, disease identification, isolation and treatment of a COVID patient have become extremely important. Nowadays, mining knowledge and providing scientific decision making for diagnosis of diseases from clinical datasets has found wide-ranging applications in healthcare sector. In this direction, among different data mining tools, association rule mining has already emerged out as a popular technique to extract invaluable information and develop important knowledge-base to help in intelligent diagnosis of distinct diseases quickly and automatically. In this paper, based on 5434 records of COVID cases collected from a popular data science community and using Rapid Miner Studio software, an attempt is put forward to develop a predictive model based on frequent pattern growth algorithm of association rule mining to determine the likelihood of COVID-19 in a patient. It identifies breathing problem, fever, dry cough, sore throat, abroad travel and attended large gathering as the main indicators of COVID-19. Employing the same clinical dataset, a linear regression model is also proposed having a moderately high coefficient of determination of 0.739 in accurately predicting the occurrence of COVID-19. A decision support system can also be developed using the association rules to ease out and automate early detection of other diseases. © 2023 by the authors.

Do free-floated shares and board characteristics influence corporate risk disclosure? An empirical analysis on conventional banks in a developing country

PurposeThis study aims to explore the status and drivers (including free-floated shares, board size, rule duality and board independence) of corporate risk disclosure (CRD) for the conventional listed banks in the Egyptian stock market from 2010 to 2021, which include the country's major political upheavals and the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approachThis study based on a sample of 117 annual reports of sampled banks from 2010 to 2021. RD index of Al-Maghzom (2016) was developed and adopted to quantify CRD using an unweighted scoring system. The multiple linear regression model was used to validate the hypotheses. FindingsThe analysis shows that the COVID-19 pandemic increased insignificantly disclosure of all risks except for segment risks. In addition, findings reveal that all sampled banks adhere highly to the requirements of mandatory RD, with a low level of adherence to voluntary RD. Moreover, the analysis concluded that the board size and free-floating shares positively affect the disclosure of financial, operational, general information. Research limitations/implicationsThe study's limitations include the content analysis methodology, reliance on annual reports, emphasis on financial and non-financial risks, focus on listed conventional banks in Egypt. Practical implicationsCurrent study's findings are more likely to be useful for many parties. It informs investors about the characteristics of the boards' directors of Egyptian listed banks that disclosed risk information. Banks should disclose more comprehensive risk information. For academics, the current study's limitations can be considered in their future research. Originality/valueThis work fills a new research area in which there is relatively little research in emerging financial markets that adds new evidence to the relationship between RD and both free-floating shares and board characteristics, particularly in Egypt.

Contextual Market Basket Analysis during Covid-19

One form of Data Mining application to analyze Market Basket Analysis. Market Basket Analysis helps identify buying patterns formed from concurrent transactions. One of the problems with Market Basket Analysis is that customer needs vary according to season and time of day, especially during this covid-19 season. For this purpose, by using the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) Approach that is connected to Market Basket Analysis, it can analyze and compare purchasing patterns and can identify rules that were formed before and after covid-19;several rule changes were found due to changes in people's behavior patterns. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Social Science (2720-9938) is the property of Ridwan Institute and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

An optimisation approach for determining the efficiency of vital medical devices in intensive care units with COVID-19 patients using Apriori algorithm

Improving the process of strategic management in hospitals preparation and equipping the intensive care units (ICUs) and the availability of medical devices plays an important role for knowing consumer behaviour and need. This cross-sectional study was performed in the ICU of Farhikhtegan Hospital, Tehran, Iran for a period of six months. During these months, ten medical devices have been used 5,497 times. These devices include: ventilator, oxygen cylinder, infusion pump, electrocardiography machine, vital signs monitor, oxygen flowmeter, wavy mattress, ultrasound sonography machine, ultrasound echocardiography machine, and dialysis machine. The Apriori algorithm showed that four devices: ventilator, oxygen cylinder, vital signs monitoring device, oxygen flowmeter are the most used ones by patients. These devices are positively correlated with each other and their confidence is over 80% and their support is 73%. For validating the results, we have used equivalence class clustering and bottom-up lattice traversal (ECLAT) algorithm in our dataset.

Legal Education and Legal Profession During and After COVID-19

This edited volume records the amazing transformations brought about by leaders in legal education and legal profession. It captures experiences and experiments in the governance of law schools and legal profession during the COVID-19 pandemic as case studies;ideas which helped in resilience and which could show the way forward;the psychological, philosophical, and sociological aspects of the transformation;and the spiritual and material sources of motivation of the leadership. The contributions are along the following themes --- The shifting idea of law school: systems and processes;The "new normal” in legal profession;Psychological, philosophical, and sociological aspects of transformation;Experiences from global regions and countries;Legal education and legal profession in a post-COVID world. Through these five themes, and the eighteen contributions, the volume seeks to answer questions like --- how the educational and professional leaders adapted to the circumstances by building a "new normal”? How and to what extent their own legal education and professional experiences informed their actions during the Pandemic? How they re-imagined ambitions and reordered systems and processes? What type of guidance and support they received from the state and regulatory bodies? How they guaranteed the well-being of students, faculty, and staff during the Pandemic and the transition? How they upheld professional values and ethics when contexts of their application collapsed. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

Recovery from International Trade Crisis

Since the beginning of COVID-19, the trade crisis has raised many important questions about whether globalization and international trade are dead. It further raised questions whether the persistent trade deficit is an obstacle to recovery and the persistent trade imbalance nullifies or impairs the benefits of international trade. International trade is a privilege given by sovereign countries. Any trade which deprives people's right to livelihood is against the norms of human rights. Should such types of international trade be discouraged by multilateral trade agreements? This article examines what improvements are required within multilateral trade agreements. This article has been divided into five subchapters: (I) Introduction, (II) Impact of COVID-19 on international trade and its legal implications, (III) The new deal to recovery and subject of international trade, (IV) Trade imbalance as an obstacle to recovery, (V) Impact of COVID-19 on globalization, and (VI) Conclusion. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.

The Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights in the Coronavirus Pandemic in Germany

The coronavirus pandemic has been a great challenge for most constitutional states in many aspects. This will be illustrated in this contribution taking Germany as an example, with the focus lying mainly on the rule of law principle and fundamental rights, examined in light of the case law developed so far. Notably during the first lockdown, a lot of fundamental rights in Germany were massively curtailed. This is why this unprecedented situation was sometimes qualified as a "state of emergency” or a "corona-dictatorship”, given that the breadth, depth and duration of the encroachments on fundamental rights were, and in some cases still are, exceptionally great. Nevertheless, the following contribution demonstrates that such an approach is misplaced. The German Basic Law ("Grundgesetz”) does not provide for a state of emergency or any other exceptional provisions regarding the interventions in fundamental rights in times of crisis. The traditional model of the separation of powers has proven to be sufficiently flexible to meet the needs for even far-reaching encroachments on fundamental rights on the one hand, and to adequately control and react to these encroachments in accordance with the rule of law on the other. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Economic policy uncertainty, governance institutions and economic performance in Africa: are there regional differences?

In recent years, the global economy has witnessed several uncertainty-inducing events. However, empirical evidence in Africa on the effects of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on economic activities remains scanty. Besides, the moderating effect of governance institutions on the uncertainty-economic performance relationship in Africa and the likelihood of regional differences in the response of economic activities to EPU on the continent are yet to be investigated. To address these gaps, we applied system GMM and quantile regressions on a panel of forty-seven African countries from 2010 to 2019. We find that while global EPU and EPUs from China, USA and Canada exert considerable influence on economic performance in Africa, the effects of domestic EPU and EPUs from Europe, UK, Japan, and Russia were negligible, suggesting that African economies are resilient to these sources of uncertainty shocks. We also find that governance institutions in Africa are not significantly moderating the uncertainty-economic performance relationship. However, our results highlighted regional differences in the response of economic activities to uncertainty, such that when compared to East and West Africa, economic performance in Central, North and Southern Africa is generally more resilient to global EPU and EPUs from China, USA, Europe and UK. We highlighted the policy implications of these findings.

OPEES: Online Proctored Entrance Examination System with Degree Program Recommender for Colleges and Universities

The college entrance examination is vital for program admission. Typically, entrance examinations are conducted onsite using paper and pens. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the entrance examination was lifted and physical gatherings were prohibited. Since many schools cannot offer an online admissions exam, they rely on grades and interviews to admit and qualify students for degree programs. However, academic standards differ between schools, and grades may not be enough to assess students' capacity. Thus, this study aims to develop an Online Proctored Entrance Examination System (OPEES) with Degree Program Recommender for colleges and universities to help institutions administer onsite or online entrance tests and generate course suggestions using a rulebased algorithm. The study employed the scrum methodology in software development. OPEES allows applicants to submit applications online, and institutions can manage user accounts, tailor exams and degree programs' criteria, manage exam dates, and assign proctors. Online proctoring using Jitsi, an opensource multiplatform voice, video, and instant messaging tool with end-to-end encryption, ensures exam integrity. The system's features were evaluated by 102 respondents, comprised of end-users (students and school personnel) and IT professionals, using the FURPS (Functionality, Usability, Reliability, Performance, and Supportability) software quality model. In the software evaluation, the overall system proved to be functional as perceived by the respondents, as manifested by the mean rating of 4.61. In conclusion, the system's architecture was deemed feasible and offers a better way to streamline admission examinations and determine a student's applicable degree program by enabling institutions to customize their exams and degree program requirements. It will be beneficial to look into recommendation system algorithms and historical enrollment data to improve the system's use case. © 2022 IEEE.

The Covid-19 Pandemic as a Driver of More Responsive Social Procedures: between Theory and Practices in Slovenia

Social and other administrative procedures are gaining importance because of the increasing complexity of administrative relationships brought about by the Covid‐19 pandemic, digitalisation, and other societal changes. When exercising social rights, procedural elements should be seen – both at the level of regulation and enforcement of the rules – as factors contributing to the welfare state, the rule of law, and good administration, and not as an excuse for a bureaucratic attitude. In view of the multifunctionality of social procedures, including their casual‐functional role in social relationships and their potential for a critical value‐based evaluation of the current regulation, the rationale for this study is to assess the impact of the Covid‐19 pandemic on special administrative procedures conducted by the 16 social work centres (SWCs) in Slovenia. A special emphasis is placed on the informational calculation of social assistance payments, such as child benefits, kindergarten subsidies or state scholarships ‐by far the most numerous procedures involving social rights in Slovenia, with over one million cases annually. Drawing upon a normative analysis, available statistics, semi‐structured interviews with SWCs managers and surveys among employees, the findings reveal that the response of SWCs to the crisis has improved. However, largely due to the lack of coordination on the part of the line ministry, the simplifications introduced mainly benefit the public administration rather than particularly vulnerable parties to the procedure. Consequently, there is a need to pay greater attention to providing the parties with adequate protection of their constitutional rights and other elements of good public governance. In addition to analysing the direct practical implications of the legislative, organisational, and IT adaptations to the Covid‐19 pandemic, the article provides a broader study of the multifunctionality of social procedures and their role in ensuring citizens' fundamental rights in times of socially unstable conditions. The findings are thus directly applicable for practitioners deciding on social procedures in the broader European setting, and for policymakers and legislators in the respective fields. As the conclusions are grounded on a strong methodological framework, this should contribute to advocating the much‐needed change in ensuring the protection of the basic constitutional rights in social procedures in times of crisis in Central Europe and beyond. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of NISPAcee Journal of Public Administration & Policy is the property of Sciendo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Extracting Rules via Markov Chains for Cryptocurrencies Returns Forecasting.

With the growing popularity of digital currencies known as cryptocurrencies, there is a need to develop models capable of robustly analyzing and predicting the value of future returns in these markets. In this article, we extract behavior rules to predict the values of future returns in the Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Ripple closing series. We used categorical data in the analyses and Markov chain models from the first to the tenth order to propose a new way of establishing possible future scenarios, in which we analyze the dependence of memory on the dynamics of the process. We used the measurements of accuracy Mean Quadratic Error, Absolute Error Mean Percentage, and Absolute Standard Deviation for the choice of the best models. Our findings reveal that cryptocurrencies have long-range memory. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple exposed seven steps of memory, while Litecoin displayed nine memory steps. From the transitions between states that happened the most, we defined decision rules that assisted in the definition of future returns in the series. Our results can support the decisions of traders, investors, crypto-traders, and policy-makers.

Protection of Patients' Rights during a Pandemic

The coronavirus has brought the world unprecedented quarantine measures, border closures, air traffic closures, and restrictions on certain human rights as a result of which patient safety has become a major global health issue. Pursuant to international standards, there are inherent human rights that cannot be restricted under any circumstances. In the research, special attention is paid to the basic principles that must be adhered to when introducing temporary measures to restrict constitutional rights of human rights: the rule of law and the principle of proportionality The paper uses the following scientific methods of cognition: general dialectical method of cognition, systematization, problem-oriented, comparative-legal, special-legal, historical-legal, formal-legal analytical and scientific knowledge. On the basis of these, it can be deduced that as a result of scrutinizing this hitch, the article developed proposals in the field of protecting the rights of patients during a pandemic, as well as proposals for enriching the theoretical apparatus.

Measuring global pandemic governance: how countries respond to COVID-19

Covid-19 is an unprecedented crisis that faces the majority of governments around the world. The pandemic has resulted in substantial changes to government work cultures, financial management, and the implementation of good governance. The paper has shown how these governments react to the crisis caused by Covid-19. We analyse strategy, policy, and financial management when facing Covid-19 and give a result that will contribute to the development of crisis governance field. In this article, we argue that the most successful action in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in high income, upper-middle income, and lower-middle income countries is guided by the implementation of good governance principles. Data used in this research was obtained from the World Health Organization and the World Bank. The results indicate that countries that have been able to manage the COVID-19 pandemic have good governance indicators, such as voice and accountability, political stability and absence of violence/terrorism, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, and control of corruption.

ENFRENTAR RIESGOS PARA LA SEGURIDAD SANITARIA EN EL MARCO DE UN ESTADO DE DERECHO. LECCIONES A APRENDER DE LA COVID-19

Este trabajo pone de relieve cómo la pandemia causada por el COVID-19 constituye uno de tantos riesgos globales a los que se enfrentan nuestras sociedades, uno de esos riesgos que han venido para quedarse y que, por lo tanto, exigen una respuesta fuera de los estados de excepcionalidad. Se advierte también de los riesgos y la inseguridad que para los derechos fundamentales supone la dilación en el tiempo de medidas de excepcionalidad, apostando por una regulación por ley orgánica de las situaciones de emergencia sanitaria, la actual o las que podamos vivir en el futuro. La cuestión de cómo valoramos los riesgos y que respuestas reglamos con antelación para afrontarlos constituye hoy un imperativo para la defensa de los derechos fundamentales.Alternate :This paper highlights how the pandemic caused by COVID-19 constitutes one of the many global risks faced by our societies, one of those risks that have arrived to stay. That, therefore, demands a response out of a state of exceptionality. The paper also warns of the risks and insecurity for fundamental rights posed by the delay in the time of exceptional measures, and advocates regulation by organic law of health emergency situations -the current one or those that we may experience in the future-. The question of how we assess the risks and what responses we regulate in advance to face them constitutes today an imperative for the defense of fundamental rights.

Rethinking the Work of Theologians in the Pandemic's Wake

This article focuses on what the pandemic reveals about theological work in the academy and imagines a way forward. Too often, theologians are ground down, isolated workers, overworked, and strapped for time. They constantly must choose between progress in the guild and their familial and communal relationships. This false choice starves theologians of meaning and purpose, and, in such scarcity, inflames pursuit of status. However, a communal conception of theological academic work could mitigate some of these frictions. To imagine this possibility, we draw upon our collective experiences of working in Benedictine institutions that also argue for communal approaches to living, learning, and experiencing God. We draw ideas from the Rule of Benedict as a model for life-giving community that we think can be resituated in academic life.

(Il)legitimacy of international intellectual property regime?

The recent Covid-19 global health crisis not only brings into sharp relief the current problems afflicting the international intellectual property regime (IIPR) but also calls into question its legitimacy as an international authority. Against this backdrop, the article aims to launch an investigation into the legitimacy of the IIPR, as an international co-ordinative authority, designed to protect IP rights without prejudice to international trade norms. Drawing on Raz's service conception of authority, it explores whether the IIPR lives up to its promises by enabling co-ordination between states over IP rights without undermining the initial balance on which it is founded, struck between developing and developed countries, as well as between international protection of IP- cum-trade rights and domestic regulatory autonomy. It does so by classifying the historical evolution of the IIPR under three different phases: (i) its foundation, (ii) before, and (iii) after the TRIPS-plus. Upon showing the legitimacy challenges inherent in its undemocratic foundation, the article points to the success of the regime in finding a balance between conflicting interests before the TRIPS-plus era. Later, it underlines the many challenges that come with linking the IIPR to the investment regime and argues that the FTAs and frequent regime-shifting activities put further pressure on the authority and legitimacy of the regime. Stressing the importance of democratic participation for the legitimacy of any co-ordinative authority, the article casts doubt on the IIPR's legitimacy and concludes by raising some points to overcome the ongoing legitimacy challenges.

The 20/20/20 rule: Practicing pattern and associations with asthenopic symptoms.

Purpose: The present work style and lifestyle have increased the digital device use. Therefore, an increase in digital eyestrain is to be expected. We undertook a survey during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to investigate the practice of 20/20/20 rule and its association with digital device use and asthenopic symptoms. While this rule is commonly advised, little is known about its validity. Methods: An online survey form was disseminated through social media and emails. The questions for eye-related symptoms were similar to the convergence insufficiency symptom survey (CISS). Participants with age ≥5 years were included, with parents completing the survey for children (≤16 years). Results: A total of 432 participants (mean ± standard deviation [SD]: 26.06 ± 13.92 years) were enrolled, of which 125 responses were for children. The 20/20/20 rule was practiced only by 34% of the participants either regularly (n = 38) or occasionally (n = 109). Those who had complaints of burning sensation and headache tended to practice this rule. Among adult participants, more females (47%) practiced this rule when compared to males (23%). Also, adult females significantly (P = 0.04) had more symptoms score when compared to males. In children, no such gender difference was found. Conclusion: Only one-third of participants practice the 20/20/20 rule at least occasionally. More number of adult females being symptomatic and practicing in greater number could be due to higher prevalence of dry eye condition in females. While the symptom of burning sensation could be related to dry eye, that of headache could be related to refractive error or binocular vision dysfunctions.