Merchandise trade slowed in most major economies in second quarter of 2013

Merchandise trade slowed in most major economies during the second quarter of 2013. Compared with the first quarter of 2013, the value of merchandise imports and exports for the total of G7 and BRICS countries decreased by 1.4% and 1.8%, respectively.

Compared with the previous quarter, merchandise imports and exports contracted in the second quarter of 2013 in most major economies: in Germany (by 1.5% and 2.0%, respectively), France (by 3.1% and 0.5%), Italy (by 3.8% and 3.1%), Japan (by 3.0% and 0.4%), Canada (by 1.1% and 0.3%), the Russian Federation (by 4.6% and 1.8%) and India (by 4.5% and 8.1%).

Imports grew and exports contracted in China (by 1.4% and minus 3.4% respectively) and in Brazil (by 0.2% and minus 4.6%). In contrast, exports increased and imports contracted in the United States (by 0.5% and minus 1.7%, respectively) and in South Africa (by 3.8% and minus 2.9%).

The United Kingdom was the only economy with some, albeit moderate, growth in both imports and exportsinthe second quarter of 2013 (0.1% and 1.4%, respectively).

Documento completo: http://www.oecd.org/std/its/TradeQ22013_Eng.pdf

Fuente: OECD

We're all just so "busy" these days. "Slammed" in fact. "Buried." Desperately "trying to keep our heads above water." While these common responses to "How are you?" seem like they're lifted from the Worst Case Scenario Handbook, there seems to be a constant exchange, even a a one-upping, of just how much we have on our plates when we communicate about our work.

My favorite "busy" humble-brag was that of a potential client who apologized for lack of communication due to a "week-long fire drill." What does that even mean? Does this mean there were fake fires, but not real ones, all week? Does calling it a "drill" mean that everything is okay? Is your business in flames? Should I call someone?

Then there was the date I had with a fellow who was so busy "crashing on deadlines" that he asked me to "just make a reservation somewhere" for him. I was floored.

So much of this is about out-doing each other. To say that "I'm busier than you are" means I'm more important, or that my time is more valuable, or that I am "winning" at some never-finished rat race to Inbox Zero. (Inbox Zero is another absurd contest to tackle at another time.) What you're trying to say with these responses is: I'm busier, more in-demand, more successful.

ABSTRACT

All education systems rely on financing to function, but the characteristics and actions of a successful school finance system are not always clear. Research has often failed to find a strong relationship between spending and learning outcomes in education, which leads some researchers and policy makers to question whether the amount of spending in education matters at all (Hanushek 1986). Among countries with similar levels of income, those that spend more on education do not necessarily score higher on international assessments such as the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Even within an education system, student achievement can vary substantially among localities that spend comparable amounts (Wagstaff and Wang 2011). The observation that learning outcomes are seemingly unrelated to spending levels supports the argument that how money is spent, not simply how much, matters in education finance. The six policy goals includes the following headings: ensuring basic conditions for learning; monitoring learning conditions and outcomes; overseeing service delivery; budgeting with adequate and transparent information; providing more resources to students who need them; and managing resources efficiently.

Documento completo: http://goo.gl/IS3wK1