early empirical work by Marcia (1966) did not find differences in self-esteem across the four identity statues. Therefore, even the work in ego identity seems to be equivocal. Clearly, further research is needed before definitive conclusions can be made regarding the relationship between ethnic identity status and psychological functioning.

t longitudinal, these findings cannot speak to developmental trajectories over time.

rry and colleagues concluded that the identity statuses were not significant predictors of friendship qualities (but they did not consider how well the friendship characteristics predict identity development).

Barry and

study focused only on positive friendship qualities and did not investigate the influence of conflict and support within friendship on identity. It may be that negative relationship qualities are more relevant to different identity statuses. Nevertheless, this is one of only a few studies that investigate identity and friendship in young adulthood.

identity formation is shaped in the context of close peer relationships

Greater support within friendships was relatedto higher levels of achievement and lowerlevels of diffusion, and conflict within friend-ships was related to higher levels of diffusionand moratorium.

Greater support within friendships was relatedto higher levels of achievement and lowerlevels of diffusion, and conflict within friend-ships was related to higher levels of diffusionand moratorium

Conflict within friendships was positivelyrelated with achievement, moratorium, anddiffusion; support within friendships waspositively related with achievement and neg-atively related to diffusion. When relationsbetween the early stages and identity statuswere statistically controlled, the positive rela-tion between support within friendships andachievement was reduced but the negativerelation with diffusion re

, trade was of vital importance to the success of the industrialisation and also the modernisation of the economy

The 1970s was also an era of great technological and scientific advances;

resulted in rapid economic transformation and industrialization

One of the big stories of the 1990s was the acceleration of productivity growth in the latter part of the decade. Productivity growth averaged 2.5% in the second, compared to 1.5% in the first part of the decade. This improvement primarily resulted from more investment in new technologies, mainly computers and software, and from a tightening labor market that forced firms to utilize their existing pool of workers better. IT investment grew from 3% of GDP at the beginning of 1991 to 4.9% — more than one-third of total investment — at the end of 2000. Subsequently, innovation as measured by multifactor productivity growth more than doubled in second half of the 1990s. While more private investment was instrumental in making widespread use of new, productivity enhancing technologies, public investment helped to ensure that the new technologies existed in the first place. Integral components to the implementation of the new technologies, such as hardware, software, and the internet were developed with public support through government funded research and development, defense contracts, or publicly funded university research (NRC, 1999)

. The main reforms implemented in the "Asian tigers" of the first generation are brought to a common denominator: creating a market environment, providing a favorable business environment, a fundamental change in tax policy, focusing on export potential, transforming the financial system, investment in the development of human capital, as well as anti-corruption policy

During the last two or three generations the Jews have recreated in Palestine a community, now numbering 80,000,