The subjective measures include such matters as whether a company has an innovative hiring program for the disabled.

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They include such measures as limiting the influx of immigrants by arranged marriages and making more effort to integrate newcomers into Dutch society, for example by compelling them to learn the Dutch language.

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Eight of the schemes are near schools and seven include traffic calming measures such as speed bumps.

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The drinks company SABMiller is one such partner who has signed up to measures that include a general pledge to "foster a culture of responsible drinking".

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These include adopting measures currently used in Northern Ireland, such as restricting postal voting to constituents that are physically unable to come in person and forcing people to prove their identity at polling stations.

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And it does not include a host of other needed measures to boost competition, such as: detecting and punishing collusion, preventing former civil servants from abusing their public ties when they retire, encouraging foreign investment and promoting economic diversity in Japan's regions.

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But the measures of income usually reported as showing rising inequality do not even include such transfer payments in their definition of income.

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The reforms also include measures to stimulate economic activity and improve competitiveness in Spain, such as an expansion of tax cuts for small and medium sized companies, and measures to make it easier to set up new firms.

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Measures you can take to improve your credit score relatively quickly include paying down revolving consumer debts, such as credit cards or auto loans, using your debit card instead of your credit cards for future purchases, paying your bills on time every month and correcting any errors on your credit report.

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