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on Central and Western Asia |
| By: | Gyles, Amanda; Hardaker, J. Brian; Kami, Viliami; Speijer, Paul R. |
| Keywords: | Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, |
| Date: | 2013–02–19 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aare89:144731&r=cwa |
| By: | Webb, Ian |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy, |
| Date: | 2013–02–28 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aare90:145458&r=cwa |
| By: | Pradhan, Jadunath; Quilkey, John J. |
| Keywords: | Consumer/Household Economics, Farm Management, |
| Date: | 2013–03–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aare91:146111&r=cwa |
| By: | Van camp, J.; Braet, J. |
| Abstract: | Failures of business performance measurement (BPM) systems are dispersedly discussed in the abundance of literature written. Due to the multi-disciplinarity of stakeholders and researchers involved, the basis of literature is expanding but not converging. The added value of this paper is twofold. Firstly, the nomenclature used in the BPM eld is aligned and represented visually. Secondly, this paper compiles and discusses 36 identied failures of performance measurement systems (PMS), thereby proposing an easy taxonomy. The classication draws upon three layers: metric level, framework level and management level, with respectively 13, 9 and 14 failures. This paper holds information for both academics and business people. The former can employ the literature overview for further referencing and can use it as a guideline to construct new BPM frameworks or systems, or adjust old ones. By reading this paper, people from the eld create an awareness of risks involved when implementing a PMS. Alternatively, they can use it as a checklist in their current situation or tool for easy communication. Further research is necessary, both for tackling the problems listed and for looking into the correlation of the presented failures. |
| Date: | 2013–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ant:wpaper:2013004&r=cwa |
| By: | A. E. Biondo; A. Pluchino; A. Rapisarda; D. Helbing |
| Abstract: | In this paper we explore the specific role of randomness in financial markets, inspired by the beneficial role of noise in many physical systems and in previous applications to complex socio- economic systems. After a short introduction, we study the performance of some of the most used trading strategies in predicting the dynamics of financial markets for different international stock exchange indexes, with the goal of comparing them with the performance of a completely random strategy. In this respect, historical data for FTSE-UK, FTSE-MIB, DAX, and S&P500 indexes are taken into account for a period of about 15-20 years (since their creation until today). |
| Date: | 2013–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:1303.4351&r=cwa |
| By: | Diego Ardila; Peter Cauwels; Dorsa Sanadgol; Didier Sornette |
| Abstract: | We have analyzed the risks of possible development of bubbles in the Swiss residential real estate market. The data employed in this work has been collected by comparis.ch, and carefully cleaned from duplicate records through a procedure based on supervised machine learning methods. The study uses the log periodic power law (LPPL) bubble model to analyze the development of asking prices of residential properties in all Swiss districts between 2005 and 2013. The results suggest that there are 11 critical districts that exhibit signatures of bubbles, and seven districts where bubbles have already burst. Despite these strong signatures, it is argued that, based on the current economic environment, a soft landing rather than a severe crash is expected. |
| Date: | 2013–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:1303.4514&r=cwa |
| By: | Evangelos I. Gkanas; Vasso MagkouKriticou; Sofoklis S. Makridis; Athanasios K. Stubos; Ioannis Bakouros |
| Abstract: | Nanotechnology is the first major worldwide research initiative of the 21st century and probably is the solution vector in the economic environment. Also, innovation is widely recognized as a key factor in the economic development of nations, and is essential for the competitiveness of the industrial firms as well. Policy and management of innovation are necessary in order to develop innovation and it involves processes. It is essential to develop new methods for nanotechnology development for better understanding of nanotechnology based innovation. Nanotechnologies reveal commercialization processes, from start ups to large firms in collaboration with public sector research. In the current paper, a study in the present status of innovation in nanotechnology and the affection of global economic crisis in this section is made and also the potential of increase the innovation via the presence of clusters in a small country like Greece which is in the eye of tornado from the global crisis is studied. |
| Date: | 2013–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:1303.5290&r=cwa |
| By: | Leif Anders Thorsrud (BI Norwegian Business School and Norges Bank) |
| Abstract: | We study the synchronization of real and nominal variables across four different regions of the world, Asia, Europe, North and South America, covering 32 different countries. Employing a FAVAR framework, we distinguish between global and regional demand and supply shocks and document the relative contributions of these shocks to explaining macroeconomic fluctuations and synchronization. Our results support the decoupling hypothesis advanced in recent business cycle studies and yields new insights regarding the causes of business cycle synchronization. In particular, global supply shocks cause more severe activity fluctuations in European and North American economies than in Asian and South American economies, whereas global demand shocks shift activity in the different regions in opposite directions at longer horizons. Furthermore, demand shocks play a larger role than that found in related studies. Finally, only innovations to the Asian activity and price factors have significant spillover effects on shared global factors, demonstrating the growing importance of Asia in the global economy. |
| Keywords: | Business cycles, Factor model, Globalization, International macro |
| JEL: | C11 C38 F41 F44 |
| Date: | 2013–02–27 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bno:worpap:2013_08&r=cwa |
| By: | Max Nathan |
| Abstract: | High levels of net migration to the UK have contributed to growing cultural diversity, and researchers are turning their attention to the long-term effects of diversity on productivity. Yet little is known about these issues. This paper asks: what are the links between the composition of firms' top teams and business performance? What role do ethnic diversity and co-ethnic networks play? And do cities amplify or dampen these channels? I explore using a rich dataset of over 6,000 English firms. Owners, partners and directors set firms' strategic direction. Top team demography might generate production externalities through diversity (a wider range of ideas/ experiences, helping problem solving) and/or 'sameness' (via specialist knowledge or better access to international markets). These channels may be balanced by internal downsides (lower trust) and external barriers (discrimination), so that overall effects on business performance are unclear. In addition, urban locations (particularly big cities) may amplify any demographics-performance effects. I create a repeat cross-section of firms from the RDA National Business Survey. I construct measures of diversity and sameness across ethnicity and gender 'bases', alongside information on revenues, product and process innovation. I then regress these measures of business performance on top team demographics, plus firm level controls, area, year and detailed industry fixed effects. My results suggest a non-linear link between diversity and business performance, which is net positive for process innovation and net negative for turnover. Further tests on diverse and minority/female-headed firms find positive links for diverse top teams, negative for minority and female-only top teams. This implies that while diversity has internal and external benefits, penalties from being 'too diverse' probably result from external constraints. Further tests for intervening effects of capital cities, metropolitan hierarchies and urban form find some evidence of amplifying and dampening effects - which are generally stronger in London and larger cities. |
| Keywords: | Cities, innovation, entrepreneurship, cultural diversity, migration, gender |
| JEL: | J61 L21 M13 O11 O31 R23 |
| Date: | 2013–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cep:sercdp:0129&r=cwa |
| By: | Román David Zárate |
| Abstract: | The interaction between family size and children quality has been a recurring topic in the economics of family. However, there is scarce evidence in Latin America, and the literature has not yet explored new mechanisms to explain either positive or null effects of an additional sibling found by different authors in the last ten years. This article addresses these two issues. On the one hand, I construct a simple theoretical model which rationalizes negative and positive effects of an additional sibling due to family interactions. On the other hand, I estimate the effect of family size in Colombia on school lag, school attendance, school dropout and child labor. I use data from the Demographic and Health survey and construct a set of instruments based on the report of the ideal number of children. The novelty of the instruments lies in that unlike most articles which can only estimate the effect from two siblings onwards, I can estimate the effect of a first sibling. I find that for first (second) born children a first (second) sibling generates null or positive effects on the four outcomes but there are negative effects from two (three) siblings onwards on the four outcomes. |
| Date: | 2013–02–27 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:col:000089:010588&r=cwa |
| By: | Delia Furtado; Nikolaos Theodoropoulos |
| Abstract: | Immigrants residing among many people who share their ethnic background are especially likely to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for a disability when they belong to high SSI take-up immigrant groups. After showing that this relationship cannot be fully explained by differences in health, we consider the likely sources of these network effects by separately examining their role in the decision to apply for SSI and, conditional on applying, their role in determining who ultimately receives benefits. Our results suggest that networks may increase the probability of applying for SSI despite minor disabilities, but it is unlikely that network effects are driven by egregious lies on applications. |
| Date: | 2013–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:crr:crrwps:wp2013-7&r=cwa |