Studies of Religion Buddhism free essay sample

The impact of Buddhist ethical teachings has been extremely effective throughout the world of adherents. Buddhism exists as living religious tradition and continues to thrive throughout the world, except paradoxically in India, the land of its beginnings (Living a Religion Third Edition). This can be attributed to Buddhist ethical teachings easily adapting itself to cultural and social conditions around the world. However, flaws exist within society which tampers on attaining Nirvana. Through interpreting Buddhism’s Five Precepts, Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, we can further explore the impact of Buddhist teachings on its adherents and understand Sutta Nipata 705 quote Comparing oneself to others in such terms as â€Å"Just as I am so are they, just as they are so am I,† he should neither kill nor cause others to kill. Sutta Nipata 705 Sutta Nipata 705 quote refers to the equality of all people as it states â€Å"Just as I am so are they, just as they are so am I,† This equality therefore assess the harming of other people and self-harming as it states â€Å"he should neither kill†. We will write a custom essay sample on Studies of Religion Buddhism or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Buddhists must treat other people the same as how they would treat themselves. Therefore, they must not harm others or themselves. Buddhist ethical teachings have a strong and positive impact on the expression of Buddhism as a living religious tradition. This is because it provides solutions to different types of ethical issues such as sexual issues. However, this equality as described by Sutta Nipata can be distraught as we live in an imperfect world. The Four Noble Truths are significant to the ethical teachings of Buddhism, which is the Dharma. They are a guide for Buddhists to attain Nirvana. These Noble Truths build the structure of sexual ethics for the adherents of Buddhism. These Noble Truths can be used to judge sexual issues like rape, premarital sex, and extramarital sex. For example, sexual issues and practices are a desire and are described in the second Noble Truth as â€Å"the cause of suffering is from desires†. These issues and desires stem from the contemporary society in which adherents live in as the media powerfully influences their everyday lives. For example, everyday advertisements are constantly bombarding adherents with sexual images to attract a range of products and services which make sexual immorality a means of bettering oneself through material goods/ services. This marketing strategy makes it extremely difficult for Buddhists to follow their ethical teachings and fully express Buddhism as a living religious tradition. With Buddhist ethical teachings aiming to reduce suffering from desire, society can be seen as creating suffering. Society can be described as the â€Å"killer† of sexual morality and as Sutta Nipata 705 quotes â€Å"he should neither kill nor cause others to kill†, he indirectly describes the media as the â€Å"killer† of sexual ethics. The fourth Noble Truth which is, â€Å"the way to overcome suffering is through eightfold path† also relates to ethical teachings and provides morals of a Buddhist adherent since it aims to grow self-understanding and control. The Eightfold Noble Path is the ‘middle way’ of life for Buddhists. The performance of sexual activity is outside the middle way. The eightfold path judges different sexual issues depending on the effect of the issue. Extramarital sex is judged by the third step â€Å"speech† since it allows the senses to take control over mind and body and a destruction of honesty. This destruction can further cause marriage and family breakdowns and cause psychological and emotional harm to the children and partners involved. Rape is judged by the fourth step â€Å"action† since this act effects other people. Rape breaks the first Precept (to refrain from destroying living creatures) since these sexual activities harm another person physically and emotionally. Rape also breaks the second Precept (to refrain from taking that which is not given) since this sexual activity performed by a person steals the respect and dignity of another person. For example, rape causes destruction to the victim involved as they suffer traumatically through their emotional and physical state. The perpetrator is further sanctioned with imprisonment by the Criminal Justice System to keep society safe from harm. An element of suffering is evident within prison for the perpetrator but mainly the victim. This significance is related to Sutta Nipata 705 since the equality towards the adherents has the same meaning to â€Å"Just as I am so are they, just as they are so am I,† and the elimination of the destruction towards others has the meaning to he should neither kill nor cause others to kill. Sexual ethics provides equality in Buddhist adherents since it guides them to a path of no destruction of other people including themselves. The Five Precepts form the foundations of the morals of a Buddhist. Each Precept judges different types of ethical issues. These Precepts have a theme of not harming one another and self-harming which embeds with Sutta Nipata 705 quote since it relates to the theme of the Precepts. They apply to ethical issues, for example, the 5th Precept (to refrain from misuse of the mind or body through intoxicants) assesses the use of drugs and alcohol and provides the consequences of the use. These Precepts also guide sexual ethics which provide judgments on improper sexual activity. Sexual ethical issues like rape, premarital sex, and extramarital sex, all break the third Precept (to refrain from sensual misconduct). The Third Precept prevents improper decision making and allows the mind to take control over mind and body. As Sutta Nipata 705 quote refers to â€Å"kill† which means harming, it supports the Precepts on judging the sexual issues, in this case, these issues â€Å"kill† or harms other people. When relating this to premarital sex, refraining from sensual misconduct prevents Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD’s), relationship breakdowns, abortions, unwanted pregnancies, all in which damage or â€Å"kill† others/ themselves. The observance of Buddhist ethical teachings can prevent this harm and portrays the manifestation of Buddhism as a living religious tradition. Buddhist ethical teachings can have a positive impact on the expression of Buddhism as a living religious tradition. This is due to deep and meaningful ethics and judgements which many foreigners find to be positive to their everyday lives. As Sutta Nipata 705 quotes â€Å"Just as I am so are they, just as they are so am I†, an element of equality is evident which makes the expression of Buddhism appealing.

Freedom And Liberty Essays - Nineteen Eighty-Four, Free Essays

Freedom And Liberty Essays - Nineteen Eighty-Four, Free Essays Freedom And Liberty subject = Essay Exposition title = Freedom And Liberty Freedom and Liberty (a book review of George Orwell's 1984) Living in a society with limited freedom of expression is not, in any case, enjoyable. A Totalitarian society is a good example of such a society, because although it provides control for the people, it can deny them a great deal of freedom to express themselves. The fictional society in George Orwells 1984 also stands as a metaphor for a Totalitarian society. Communication, personal beliefs, and individual loyalty to the government are all controlled by the inner party which governs the people of Oceania in order to keep them from rebelling. Current society in America is much more democratic. It contrasts with Orwells society of 1984 because communication, personal beliefs and the peoples loyalty to the government are all determined by the individual. In order to keep the people of Oceania in conformity with the desires of the governing Inner Party, the Inner Party controls several aspects of the peoples lives. Communication, for one, is controlled for the benefit of the nation. Newspeak is a modified version of language that is enforced upon the people in order to limit their expression. Syme and Winston, two middle-class workers in Oceania, discuss the concept of Newspeak. Syme reveals that he supports the system, demonstrating how he has been brainwashed by the Inner Party who enforces the system. "Its a beautiful thing, the destruction of words... You havent a real appreciation for Newspeak, Winston... Dont you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thougtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. (p. 46)" One can detect from this quotation that the people of Oceania, as a group, have been brainwashed by the Inner Party to use only Newspeak. Syme, for one, understands the purpose of it, and he still complies with the system because he has been trained to do so. The concept of Newspeak is designed to control personal beliefs of the citizens by limiting their form of expression as Syme explains. But when the governing system is not followed, Thought Police are used to prevent thoughts that oppose the nation. "How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. (p. 6)" There is no doubt that - through both Newspeak and Thought Police - the system of government in 1984 has adequately prevented the people from thinking against it. When all this surveillance is placed on the people, they learn to comply with their country and eventually begin to value it automatically. At the end of the story, aft er Winston is accused by the Thought Police of thoughtcrime and is tortured, he finally conforms to the general thoughts of Oceania. "He had finally won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother. (p. 245)" This quote indicates that the inner party has done everything that was necessary to preserve Winstons loyalty to the nation. Even Winston, who at one time was against his government, has now been "fixed" to support it and love his leader. The government of Oceania has gone to great lengths to change Winstons mind, and as always, they have gotten what they desire. America in 1997 is much different from Orwells 1984 because, for one, freedom of expression is a dominating factor in American communication. In conversation as well as newspapers and magazines, a variety of views and opinions are openly expressed. Censorship is not enforced to a high degree. As an example, demonstrations and protests are often held which counter certain governmental policies; laws or propositions are often spoken out against in public. The fact that these rebellious actions are not punished by the government proves that the government of America is much more lenient than that of 1984. The expression of such a variety of beliefs comes from the freedom of individual beliefs. The thoughts and opinions of the individual are not maintained by the government; the government does not have a system to control the thoughts of the individual. This is why one commonly sees such a variety of beliefs and ideas spread in advertisements and media. For instance, while there are often advertisemen ts for meat, leather or fur products in magazines and such, other advertisements often try to suggest a more humane treatment of animals, therefore contradicting the idea that animals should be

Speech to inform Outline Rubric Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Speech to inform Outline Rubric - Essay Example . I tend to behave differently when I visit my parents’ households. In my opinion maintaining one’s culture is a crucial part of life, it sort of gives any individual an identity unique from others. In my family, my mother is African while my Father is from Saudi Arabia. This definitely makes me multiracial. Nonetheless, I tend to be more with my father’s culture since we reside with them and I have stayed with them longer than my mother’s family. The discourses can be diverse but at some point similar in terms of values. Following all these, I also have been affected in school since I come from different races. I will therefore take you through my experiences from both cultures for a better understanding of their discourse. I will explain the similarities as well as differences between the two, and the impact they both have had in my life especially when I was growing up. Transition: Despite the many differences with the two discourse cultures, they share a number of similar values which in my opinion make them compatible to intermarry, as my parents did. Here are some of the similarities. Transition: As I have explained, Discourse culture basically brings out the difference in the culture of communities. My Saudi Arabian and African discourses have their differences and similarities also they have had some negative effects on me. It is my hope that through my multiracial identity you now comprehend what discourse culture is. The two cultures are different in some way especially when visiting other people but have similarities. Respect for family unity is a similar in both of my races. I have been discriminated but have survived it all since I love both my mother and father so dearly. My challenge to all of you is to stop racism, if anyone of you still believes in discrimination upon race then this is a reason on why you should see the world and the people in it differently. We cannot all be the same and

Data Warehousing and Data Mining Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Data Warehousing and Data Mining - Essay Example The main objective is to eliminate or minimize the redundancy and at the same time increasing database efficiency. The negative part illustrates that too much implementation of normalization can cause issues. The objective is to deploy the highest acceptable level of normalization. If we compare three of these NF’s, the 1NF removes replication in groups. The 2NF reduces data replication or redundancy and the 3NF reduces columns from the tables that are not reliant on primary keys. Therefore, database design must demonstrate the highest level of normalization possible, in order to make database efficient and robust. In order to maintain 3 large databases for a VLDB and to keep them efficient for two years if required, there is a requirement for constructing a ‘store and forward’ mechanism that will process the data or information from and through each distribution center database. Likewise, at the same time embrace that data or information pending till the completi on of EDW. Moreover, data archiving is also required for maintaining each distribution center becoming a VLDB. EDW is efficient enough to support this scenario. A study demonstrated the overall cost of this disease throughout the world is $376 Billion annually. It is now almost fundamental that a person exceeding an age of 60 have more chances to get this disease, as it is now considered as the fourth largest live taking disease globally along with making its name for the fourth most common disease that contributes to a death of a person. However, the most common of all diabetes is the type 2. As there are almost 20% habitants suffering from in the United Arab Emirates alone, many research studies and debates are conducted yearly in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Moreover, awareness sessions are conducted in every town of the cities to aware the people about this disease (MoH launches second phase of diabetes campaign.2010). However, this case study demonstrates the disease diabetes and medic al data associated with patients from the Middle east region i.e. United Arab Emirates for discovering concealed patterns and the valuable information that can be utilized for decision making process. In addition, these informed decisions are performed by medical personnel and practitioners. Therefore, this case study can be utilized for illustrating the requirements for medication for each type of diabetes and also forecast the futuristic elements reflected in the extracted data (MoH launches second phase of diabetes campaign.2010). In the process of data mining, the data associated with people has risky ethical significances. Data mining experts need to deploy norms for making the data application resilient (Keating, 2008). As far as humans are concerned, this method is associated with disparity along with behaviors such as racialism, as they are negative to norms. Perception that is considered as another example is dependent on the applied classification, as it is recognized in s plitting a disease that needs urgent attention. However, in case of a financial institution or a bank, loan acquisition is a non-ethical characteristic. Similarly, there are numerous factors that may be relevant to data mining. For instance, a report that was published from a leading consumer illustrated that in France, customer possessing a red car are more likely to be defaulters in returning loans back. As it is a debatable issue on categorizing it as ethical or non-ethical issue, similarly, insurance companies are always

Response & Recovery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Response & Recovery - Essay Example After doing this, the second step I need to do is to perceive imposing hazards that can affect the safety of the people and the environment. This entails securing the area to prevent accidents and further casualties, which might eventually lead to evacuation of people or residents within and around the area of disaster; as well as the potential hazards that rescue personnel and the affected community may face (Emergency Management Institute – FEMA, n.d.). The following step that I need to do after the first two aforementioned steps have been undertaken is to set up initial priorities and urgent supply necessities which take on the need to process requirements in terms of equipment, personnel, facilities and supplies that will support the activities for response and recovery operations. This phase of the operation is quite critical because everybody involved needs to be on an equal footing that puts strict compliance to having personnel who are trained for such situations with knowledge in the use of common terminology pertaining to incident amenities; the position or title of designated supervisors/heads; the role of each present organization within the recovery operations; and the description of resources. ... It is vital to the whole operation that a chain and unity of command is established before the whole operation actually proceeds. This will enable every individual involved to report to a selected supervisor that I will be assigning, thus eliminating the possibility of being given several contradictory orders that can affect the smooth flow of communication and field work. Having a unity of command allows different agencies (local, state or federal) to work as a cohesive unit and effectively mete out the desired services as expected. There is also an essential need for responders to have and know entrance and exit routes, making the staging area an efficient workplace for everybody (Emergency Management Institute – FEMA, n.d.). Parallel to the abovementioned paragraph is the organization of priorities which I will do. The first priority is always the safety of all the personnel involved in the operation since another loss of life or another casualty may undermine the self-conf idence and self-esteem of the staff. Making the place of the incident safe from further damage is the second priority to do away with accidents and further loss of lives. The third priority is the preservation of property, where relief operation personnel implements procedures to safeguard possessions within the vicinity of the disaster (Emergency Management Institute – FEMA, n.d.). Likewise, I need to be very specific about the goals of the operation that must be finished within a specified timeframe or period. The goals must be realistic and feasible; and must be within the authority that was vested on me as Incident Commander (Emergency Management Institute – FEMA, n.d.). Additionally it is

Does The Freedom Of Press Affect Our Daily Life?

Does The Freedom Of Press Affect Our Daily Life? The first amendment gives us the right to express our feelings without any restrictions. Freedom of the press is usually defined as the right to communicate ideas, opinions, and information without government restraint (Dennis and Merill 5) The newspaper was one our main source of communication. Newspapers were mainly just for News. Now you could access to any type of information in the different sections that a newspaper have. Newspapers have sections that talk about Finance, Sports and even real estate. The internet has taken a lot of the audience that were served by the newspaper. The internet is more accessible than the newspaper. It is easier to search and access information. Many of us dont even have the time to stop and get the newspaper. The internet makes it easier to access the information of our interest and not those sections in the newspaper that we tend to skip. Cellphones and Portable devices lets us access the media on the Go. Many television channels and newspapers give access to certain shows or news that could be transferred to our portable players. The media is now more customized. There are several types of news that focus in different interests and targeted to different markets. There are Financial newspapers, Sports, Entertainment, Local news, International news and even in other languages. The news is less conservative now. We could have access to different news that could be access for free that wont be available in certain newspapers. It is easier for us to access the information online. It is easier to target this audience via internet. Most of us spend more time in front of a computer students use more internet sources for school projects. The online version is already replacing the Original print version of the newspaper because it is more accessible. In this fast paced world we do not like to wait. We like everything at out fingertips. Online we even have access to archives news; some sites require subscriptions to access the full content of the articles. The internet is slowly replacing newspaper, television and radio. We could have access our favorite channels and watch videos that were originally broadcasted on T.V. Just like we could have access to certain articles that were originally printed in the newspaper. And last but not least download songs that we usually just listen to on the radio. There will always be that small group that does not have access to the internet that will still get their newspaper in the morning and also watch T.V at 6pm. This is a slow transition that that is affecting our everyday life. The popularity of the internet as a resource of news raises questions about the future of traditional news media. Is the internet likely to become an addition to newspapers and television news, or a replacement used for these media? Along with the people who have access to television, the internet and newspapers some prefer to use the Web as a resource of news, while others prefer conventional news media. We access the news that we are interested in a video online. MTV, ESPN and other sites give us the option to subscribe to their newsletter and customize the information that we would like to receive. It also gives us the option to receive automatic updates of news. The ability of us being able to customize the information that we receive is great. We are able to just read the information that we are interested in. Rather than what happened to Angelina Jolie in Africa. Yes it is information that is good to know but not as important as knowing about local news or news that is that is affecting us directly. It is easier to filter the information that we want to read rather that standing in front of the T.V watching celebrity News. The internet and independent newspapers has helped journalist to be more original about what they write. There are certain articles that you will find in the web that will not be printed in the NY Times. The interment gives everyone the real meaning of the first amendment. We could basically write and post anything we want. The internet is not about ratings is about getting the information out to the public. Ratings is what T.V stations are looking for and thats why the advertise celebrity news because that is what people would like to see. But many of us want to know what is really going on in the real world and what is going on in our local areas and the war in Iraq. Journalism has changed ever since we made the transition from the radio to the television. We could access any kind of information if our portable devices and even our cell phones. I do not believe that the newspaper will disappear but I do believe that there will be more information available in the web that in the printed version. Some news channels give us the information of where to go if we want to find out more about a certain news or article.

Reaching For Dreams - A Ballet :: essays research papers

In watching a professional ballet one doesn’t realize how much work is put into making the production come to life. Both the dancers and the choreographers put every ounce of energy and emotion into telling their story. It takes years for a ballerina to train for the labor that goes into becoming professional, however just weeks to learn a full-length ballet. Dancers can sometimes be put through months of sore muscles in order to train. Often ballet dancers are told to loose weight in order to look their part, or are only given a few minutes for break after hours of vigorous training. In the end it is all worth it though. When I checked out Reaching for Dreams: A Ballet from Rehearsal to Opening Night, by Susan Kuklin out of the library I expected to read another boring drawn out diary. Amazingly this book was difficult for me to put down because I became so enthralled by the process of putting on a ballet. At the beginning of this book the author describes the dancers coming in on a rainy Monday morning to begin warm-ups and rehearsal. This of course is the beginning of their voyage to opening night. The dancers taking part in this production were from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. The ballet that they plan to perform in seven weeks is called â€Å"Speeds.† The choreographer of â€Å"Speeds† is a world-renowned woman by the name of Jennifer Mullers. This production contains a cast of eleven dancers and five alternates. â€Å"Speeds† is a modern ballet that explains how one moment in time is like no other, and how often things in the world change. Throughout this book, Kuklin observes the life of a dancer. The typical day of a professional ballerina at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre consists of waking up around seven to be at rehearsal in plenty of time to warm-up. In dance warming up your muscles is the most important device to do before beginning, as it helps you stay clear of any possible injuries. After warming up Jennifer, the choreographer, teaches them the dance and makes sure that every move â€Å"flows† with the body of the person dancing it. She claims that â€Å"the dancers must be comfortable with the shapes that they dance.† After hours of strenuous practice the dancers receive a five-minute break to cool off and grab a bite to eat.

A Rose for Emily. Analysis

Jack Wu English 1B – Professor Meehan 03/05/13 â€Å"Rose for Emily† Analysis In â€Å"A Rose for Emily†; William Faulkner details the loneliness and selfishness of peculiar woman, Miss Emily. Miss Emily is unable to grip the idea of death and suffers great deals of denial. After the death of her father, the townspeople expected her to be in a state of grief but alas she is not. Instead she proceeds to say that her father is very well with her, alive. William Faulkner’s idea of grieving is clear in this story because he shows his audience that it is better to accept death than to ignore it through the accounts of Miss Emily’s journey.William Faulkner’s story takes place in the South, during a time period of racial discrimination and major political change. By using reader response criticism, a reader can analyze â€Å"A Rose for Emily† through the aspects of the secret held within the story, race found through anthropology, and gender found through anthropology. To begin with, one can analyze â€Å"A Rose for Emily† by examining the underlying hidden message found within the story. The hidden message that William Faulkner tried to convey in his story was the themes of death and change.Death looms through the story from the beginning right on through to the end as the narrator begins describing the beginning of Miss Emily’s funeral. Miss Emily herself chooses not to accept the fate of death when her extremely controlling father passes away. Miss. Emily later killed Homer to ensure that he would never leave her. This is Miss Emily’s most severe attempt to preserve her life and the time period in which she lived. Miss. Emily believes that having nothing is less painful than grief over something lost. To further examine â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is by analyzing gender, Mr.Faulkner explains the roles of women in the South and how they were seen through the eyes of men. One can clearly see tha t through the opening sentence of the story, the narrator is stating that women gossip while men are caring and serious. This is only one of many passages that show that Mr. Faulkner is attempting to make men the stronger gender. â€Å"Only a man of Colonel Satoris’s generation could have invented it and only a women could have believed it† Faulkner. Colonel Satoris is described as being an ingenious man but in this sentence, Miss Emily’s name isn’t even mentioned when the two are compared.The statement made in this story is that men are the better gender. There are many aspects that were incorporated into â€Å"A Rose for Emily†. William Faulkner was able to create a story involving many ideas about society and how it functioned in a specific time period in the South. To further examine â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, one can use the reader response criticism and analyze the aspects of the hidden message found within the story, gender and race fou nd through anthropology. â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is an important element in literature due to examination of the effects of change created in the olden South.

Why the Homeless Must Vote essays

Why the Homeless Must Vote essays You held out your hand and said you needed helping. They gave you a pathetic look and The acrid rain came down and it soaked up into your shoes. You thought you had pneumonia, but it was the homeless blues. You had not voted when you had a home. You had not voted when you had a job. You did not vote when domestic violence was not a problem. You did not vote when the house was not on fire. And surely you did not vote when you were out of your head on drugs and alcohol. Would you be concerned, and would anything have been different if you had been a registered voter, and had voted? When you heard someone say, "it can happen to any one of use," would you have thought that they could have been talking about your For a multitude of reasons, both legitimate and illegitimate, any one of us can again become homeless. With that concern in mind, the issues and positions of the homeless should be more immediate in the need for your attention. That concern should dictate that you not take for granted the duties of a citizen, and not have to rely on the kindness of strangers, nor be dependent on those who perhaps did vote. To vote is to use the greatest weapon a citizen has at his disposal in a democracy. To vote is to fight that corner of apathy in our communities, our institutions, in our homes and in To register to vote, and vote, by homeless people is a tool that was not always afforded the indigent, and some of the harsh realities of needing certain kinds of assistance is profoundly significant, in that you are in the eye of the storm at the moment, you can see with clarity the needs. And in the aftermath of the storm you will have a perspective of the legislation and the legislators who understand your plight now, and the same concerns of those who may need services after you. The homeless need to align ...

The flypaper effect examines the impact of intergovernmental grants on local governments’ spending behaviour. The WritePass Journal

The flypaper effect examines the impact of intergovernmental grants on local governments’ spending behaviour. Introduction The flypaper effect examines the impact of intergovernmental grants on local governments’ spending behaviour. IntroductionReferencesRelated Introduction The flypaper effect examines the impact of intergovernmental grants on local governments’ spending behaviour. Where one level of government is unable to provide public goods and services for another level of government it transfers money to that government to finance its own provision. The transfer of funds is usually from a higher level of government to lower levels. These intergovernmental grants are flows of money from federal or central government to local state governments. These grants change the income distribution and spending patterns of the local government. The flypaper effect is the concept of money from the central government to the local authorities sticking where it hits. Grants to the local government will be spent on goods and services in the local public economy and not be used somewhere else. When the local government receives a grant, it can choose to either spend it on increasing provision of public goods without increasing. Or cut taxes of its residents w hich increases their incomes. The effect the grant and tax cuts will have on local spending is dependent on the income elasticity of demand. Theory predicts that the effect of a lump sum grant on local spending will be equivalent to the effect of an increase in income from distributing the grant directly to local residents or indirectly through tax cuts. However this   theory has been disconfirmed by a number of empirical studies which is why the flypaper effect is considered as an anomaly inconsistent with economic theory[3]. A study by Gramlich (1977) found evidence which goes against the occurrence of this America. The studies show that the grant induces greater local spending than an equivalent cut in taxes does which is considered to be an anomaly. A 100$ increase in citizens’ income from a cut in taxes raises local governments spending by $5-$10, while lump sum grant on the other hand raises spending by $40-100$. The grant stimulates higher local spending than an equivalent increase in income from a cut in taxes would. Spending is stimulated by more than theory predicts. A number of researchers[4] have carr ied out studies to estimate the effect additional grants will have on local government spending. Even though all these studies were carried out in different ways they all report some degree of flypaper effects. The results from these studies show that an additional dollar increase in the grant can increases local government spending by anywhere around 25 to 106% of the additional dollar. Studies have been conducted to estimate the actual effect of different types of grants to the local governments. The magnitude of the flypaper effect will vary depending on the nature of the grant received as this influences the spending pattern of the local government. An open-ended matching grant which is a form of subsidy given to the local government has a larger effect on local spending as it induces both an income and substitution; as compared to an unconditional grant which the local government can spend grant any way it chooses to, or specific grants which are given with strings attached such as having to spend the grant on specific programmes such as on education. These have a smaller increase on local governments on spending. General and specific lump sum grants have the same effects on local government spending as they induce only an income effect. A lump sum grant also results in a smaller increase in local spending than an equivalent matching grant would. Where there are misspecifications on the type of grant received, this can create flypaper. Moffitt (1984) proved that taking the type of grant into consideration when estimating the flypaper effects avoids creating an upward bias and could eliminate the flypaper effect. Different explanations have been given as to why we observe these flypaper effects. One argument that has been made is that it is due to fiscal illusion. Some sources of government revenue are unobserved or partially unobserved by citizens who benefit when incomes from these sources are spent and increase their support for the government. Because these income sources are unknown to the citizens, they do not have to pay higher taxes or forego tax cuts for the increased expenditure on public goods and services to be financed. The government will have an incentive to increase spending of revenue from these unobserved sources which are subject to fiscal illusion to increase their support. This allows the local government to spend a higher amounts of grants resulting in the flypaper effect of money sticking where it hits. Oates’s model is based on the assumption of fiscal illusion with lack of full information on the part of citizens. When the local government receives a grant, this could be passed onto residents to increase incomes who increase their spending on public goods. The local government could instead decide to supply the good at a lower price which results in a greater increase in spending than that which results from the increased income. Residents are made to believe that the cost of the service is less that its actual cost. This makes the effects of the lump-sum grant is greater than that from increased incomes. The magnitude of the flypaper effect depends on the relative sizes of the income and price elasticities of demand. Oates estimation of these elasticities results in flypaper effects on local spending as an increase in income causes a 0.1 marginal increase and an increase in intergovernmental grant leads to a 0.4 increase. Because of information asymmetry citizens may confu se marginal and average price effects of grants which results in flypaper effects. The use of average instead of marginal prices can create an illusion that results in flypaper effects. The role of bureaucracy has also been given as another explanation for the flypaper effect. Self interested bureaucrats and politicians who aim to maximise the size of their budget are not acting it the interests the local citizens. However there is information asymmetry where the bureaucrats have more information than those in power which they take advantage on when requesting a budget to finance public expenditure. This allows the bureaucrats to spend additional grants received from the central government. To maximise the budget size they request a budget where the cost of provision is equal to benefit of consumption to residents. A specific matching grant to the local government reduces the cost of provision and the cost (price) of the good or service to citizens. According to King (1984) the increase in the bureau’s budget is greater than the amount of grant. For this to explain the flypaper effect the increase in income causes a smaller increase in the budget, and the gra nt should have a higher effect on local spending than the increase in income does. The Romer-Rosenthal model is built in an attempt to explain the role of bureaucrats in the occurrence of flypaper effects where local government spending may differ from what the traditional model predicts (increase in income and a grant having the same effect on spending). In their model increased income leaves local spending levels unchanged. This explains the flypaper effect as an equivalent increase in residents income will increase size of the budget by less than increased spending does. The flypaper effect is seen as an outcome of politics. The econometrics used in the estimations of the flypaper effect is given another reason as to why we observe the effects. Some omitted variables may result in an upward bias of the effect on a grant on local spending. It is argued that altering the variables and parameters used in the estimations should eliminate these effects. Becker (1996) substituted the commonly used linear equation with the logarithmic form which eliminates the evidence of flypaper effects. Other studies conducted altering these estimations still showed evidence of some degree of flypaper effects. Hamilton (1983) explained a significant proportion of the flypaper effects with the inclusion of relevant variables. Wyckoff(1991: 30) study argues that â€Å".. the flypaper effect is unlikely to fade away with the inclusion of these omitted variables†. Other relevant variables excluded include local government’s savings ration and residents expenditure on private sector alternatives. Another argument is the misspecification of the expenditure function due to the exclusion of some variables in the estimates of the flypaper effects such as not taking differing characteristics of localities and government behaviour into account. Or the use of inappropriate variables can result in flypaper effects. However even after taking these factor into account studies still showed evidence of flypaper effects. Not taking into account some of the biases created can also result in flypaper effects. Bruce Hamilton (1983) added to this argument that the underestimation of the propensity to spend on public goods from individual’s private income is also a reason why we observe flypaper effects. Additional explanations as to why the flypaper effects may occur can be due caution from local authorities. Where the local government is unsure about future intergovernmental grants, they would rather spend grants on local public expenditure rather than on tax cuts which may not occur in future years causing voter discontent. Because of the high transaction costs from tax changes, the government finds it more efficient to use the grant to increase local expenditure rather than to increase residents income via tax cuts, which could create a flypaper effect. Conflict between the interests of local citizens and bureaucrats can create flypaper effects.   Flypaper effects may occur because the local government believes that maintaining a high level of public expenditure will result in receiving additional grants. With differences in the estimations of the effect of grants from a number of empirical studies, this may suggest that some of these results overestimate the actual size of the flypaper effect. Where there are errors in the empirical studies, the reliability of the existence of flypaper effects and its size becomes biased. Empirical studies which prove the occurrence of flypaper effects reject the traditional theory of a grant and increased income having the same stimulatory effect on local spending . These empirical results however are flawed due to some statistical or specification error which leads to an overestimation of flypaper effects. There are a number of explanations given for why we observe flypaper effects, but none of these offer a full explanation of this giving only a part explanation of the flypaper effect. Further research into the flypaper effect is required to give a full explanation on it. References Bailey, S. and Connolly, S. The flypaper effect: Identifying areas for further research, Department of Economics, Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland, U.K., Accepted 31 October 1997. Becker, E. (1996). The Illusion of Fiscal Illusion: Unsticking the Flypaper Effect, Public Choice 86, 1-2, 85-102. Cullis, J and Jones, P. Public Finance and Public Choice, 2nd Edition, Oxford University Press. Dahlberg, M. et al. Local Taxes and spending: Estimating the Flypaper Effect Using a Discontinuous Grant Rule. Inman, R. The Flypaper Effect. Lalvani, M. The Flypaper Effect: Evidence from India. University of Mumbai, Economics. Public Budgeting and Finance, vol 22. Pp 67-88, 200. Mueller, D. Public Choice 3. Cambridge University Press.

College degree Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

College degree - Essay Example One of the core benefits is that I will gain from a college degree is the KSAs associated with it. When an individual attends college he/she is able to develop and polish various significant KSAs that are required to perform various jobs in the corporate world. Some of these KSAs include communication, time management, and interpersonal skills. These skills are developed during the course of a college education. For example, students are awarded several assignments during a particular semester which helps them in learning how to manage their time while working on several assignments within a limited period of time.  One of the core benefits is that I will gain from a college degree is the KSAs associated with it. When an individual attends college he/she is able to develop and polish various significant KSAs that are required to perform various jobs in the corporate world. Some of these KSAs include communication, time management, and interpersonal skills. These skills are develope d during the course of a college education. For example, students are awarded several assignments during a particular semester which helps them in learning how to manage their time while working on several assignments within a limited period of time.  Another major benefit of attaining a college degree is that a college degree increases the probability of an individual to gain employment. Employers nowadays desire to hire those individuals who are ready for the corporate world and its stressful conditions. A college education is a means to which an individual is prepared to meet the stress of working in a particular position and that is why employers give preference to those individuals who have undergone college level education. Adams has reported a study that states that employers are looking forward to hiring 8.6% extra individuals who are college graduates during the period of 2014 as compared to the period of 2013. This clearly depicts that employers are willing to consider c ollege graduates over those who have not attended college.  A third major benefit of gaining a college degree is that it helps in increase living standards.

Accountant in Business Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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