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on Urban and Real Estate Economics |
| By: | Morris A. Davis; Jonas D. M. Fisher; Toni M. Whited |
| Abstract: | The authors construct a dynamic general equilibrium model of cities and use it to estimate the effect of local agglomeration on per capita consumption growth. Agglomeration affects growth through the density of economic activity: higher production per unit of land raises local productivity. Firms take productivity as given; produce using a technology that has constant returns in developed land, capital, and labor; and accumulate land and capital. If land prices are rising, as they are empirically, firms economize on land. This behavior increases density and contributes to growth. They use a panel of U.S. cities and our model's predicted relationship among wages, output prices, housing rents, and labor quality to estimate the net effect of agglomeration on local wages. The impact of agglomeration on the level of wages is estimated to be 2 percent. Combined with their model and observed increases in land prices, this estimate implies that agglomeration raises per capita consumption growth by 10 percent. |
| Keywords: | Balanced Growth, Economic Growth, Productivity, Externalities, Increasing Returns, Agglomeration, Density |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedhwp:wp-2010-02&r=ure |
| By: | Christophe André |
| Abstract: | Housing markets have played a prominent role in macroeconomic developments over recent years. For a great part of the 2000s, buoyant housing markets have contributed to sustained economic activity in most OECD countries. But many markets overheated and the collapse of the US subprime mortgage market has been at the epicentre of a deep financial and economic crisis. Against this background, this paper: i) documents housing market developments in 18 OECD countries since the 1970s, putting recent evolutions into historical perspective; ii) examines the drivers of supply and demand for housing; iii) investigates the interactions between housing markets and the wider economy; iv) assesses the responsibilities of housing taxation, monetary policy and financial supervision and regulation in fuelling or amplifying housing booms; v) explores the link between global imbalances and housing booms.<P>Un survol des marchés immobiliers de l’OCDE<BR>Les marchés immobiliers ont joué un rôle important dans les évolutions macroéconomiques de ces dernières années. Durant une grande partie des années 2000, des marchés immobiliers dynamiques ont contribué à une activité économique soutenue dans la plupart des pays de l’OCDE. Mais de nombreux marchés se sont emballés et l’écroulement du marché hypothécaire « subprime » aux États-Unis a été à l’épicentre d’une profonde crise financière et économique. Dans ce contexte, ce document : i) analyse les évolutions des marchés immobiliers dans 18 pays de l’OCDE depuis les années 1970, replaçant les développements récents dans une perspective historique ; ii) examine les déterminants de l’offre et de la demande de logements ; iii) étudie les interactions entre les marchés immobiliers et l’économie dans son ensemble ; iv) évalue les responsabilités de la fiscalité du logement, de la politique monétaire, de la régulation et de la supervision financières dans l’alimentation ou l’amplification des « booms » immobiliers ; v) considère le lien entre déséquilibres mondiaux et envolées immobilières. |
| Keywords: | taxation, wealth, house prices, monetary policy, mortgage markets, housing market, financial regulation, saving, global imbalances, fiscalité, prix des logements, politique monétaire, marchés hypothécaires, marché immobilier, épargne, déséquilibres mondiaux, patrimoine, régulation financière |
| JEL: | E21 E52 F32 F34 G18 G21 H24 R21 R31 |
| Date: | 2010–01–28 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:ecoaaa:746-en&r=ure |
| By: | Germa Bel; Daniel Albalate |
| Abstract: | This paper analyzes the factors that explain supply and demand of local public transportation. Together with variables related to economics and mobility, we consider variables reflecting institutional characteristics and geographical patterns. Being a political capital increases supply and demand of local public transportation, inequality is associated with higher supply, and contracting out reduces supply. Furthermore, our regional analysis allows us capturing the effect of geographical characteristics and different traditions of government intervention. In all, we provide first evidence on the role played by institutional and regional characteristics useful to achieve a better understanding of local public transportation supply and demand. |
| Keywords: | Urban transportation,Local government,Mobility,Institutions and Geography |
| Date: | 2009–07–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rsc:rsceui:2009/34&r=ure |
| By: | Joshua D. Angrist; Susan M. Dynarski; Thomas J. Kane; Parag A. Pathak; Christopher R. Walters |
| Abstract: | Charter schools affiliated with the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) are emblematic of the No Excuses approach to public education. These schools feature a long school day, an extended school year, selective teacher hiring, strict behavior norms and a focus on traditional reading and math skills. We use applicant lotteries to evaluate the impact of KIPP Academy Lynn, a KIPP charter school that is mostly Hispanic and has a high concentration of limited English proficiency (LEP) and special-need students, groups that charter critics have argued are typically under-served. The results show overall gains of 0.35 standard deviations in math and 0.12 standard deviations in reading for each year spent at KIPP Lynn. LEP students, special education students, and those with low baseline scores benefit more from time spent at KIPP than do other students, with reading gains coming almost entirely from the LEP group. |
| JEL: | I21 |
| Date: | 2010–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:15740&r=ure |
| By: | Billger, Sherrilyn M. (Illinois State University) |
| Abstract: | In our current challenging budgetary environment, school closures remain a potentially attractive choice. With a large panel of Illinois schools from 1991 to 2005, I investigate which factors contribute to school closures. Among elementary schools, declining enrolments and rural locations coincide with closures. However, schools with higher per-pupil spending are ceteris paribus less likely to close. Furthermore, better test scores also yield lower probabilities. High expenditures contribute to junior high closure, but the most significant predictors are the proportions of black and low income students. Administrators may claim that low enrolments and high spending motivate school closures, but in Illinois, that is not the whole story. |
| Keywords: | education finance, education administration, school closures, tax policy |
| JEL: | I22 I28 H75 |
| Date: | 2010–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp4739&r=ure |
| By: | Franco, Sofia; Cutter, Bowman; DeWoody, Autumn |
| Abstract: | Minimum parking requirements are the norm for urban and suburban development in the United States (Davidson and Dolnick (2002)). The justification for parking space requirements is that overflow parking will occupy nearby street or off-street parking. Shoup (1999) and Willson (1995) provides cases where there is reason to believe that parking space requirements have forced parcel developers to place more parking than they would in the absence of parking requirements. If the effect of parking minimums is to significantly increase the land area devoted to parking, then the increase in impervious surfaces would likely cause water quality degradation, increased flooding, and decreased groundwater recharge. However, to our knowledge the existing literature does not test the effect of parking minimums on the amount of lot space devoted to parking beyond a few case studies. This paper tests the hypothesis that parking space requirements cause an oversupply of parking by examining the implicit marginal value of land allocated to parking spaces. This is an indirect test of the effects of parking requirements that is similar to Glaeser and Gyourko (2003). A simple theoretical model shows that the marginal value of additional parking to the sale price should be equal to the cost of land plus the cost of parking construction. We estimate the marginal values of parking and lot area with spatial methods using a large data set from the Los Angeles area non-residential property sales and find that for most of the property types the marginal value of parking is significantly below that of the parcel area. This evidence supports the contention that minimum parking requirements significantly increase the amount of parcel area devoted to parking. |
| Keywords: | Minimum Parking Requirements; Land Use; Externalities |
| JEL: | R52 H23 |
| Date: | 2010–01–25 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:20403&r=ure |
| By: | Francesca Mameli; Gerardo Marletto |
| Abstract: | <p>Starting from an original framework based on four dimensions and thirteen objectives of sustainable urban mobility policies, this paper advocates the selection of a core set of performance indicators founded on a participative procedure. Citizen participation and stakeholder involvement is made possible by a national sample survey and a deliberative multi-criteria analysis, respectively. Such a procedure is applied to the Italian case and it shows that the set of indicators based on citizen evaluations radically differs from that based on stakeholders’ opinions: citizens are more oriented towards reducing private transport costs, air pollution and traffic accidents; stakeholders are more in favour of improving car-free accessibility and reducing the consumption of land and public space generated by urban mobility. For further testing at a local scale, a more articulated procedure is proposed in order to increase the role of citizens and to help generate unequivocal results.</p> |
| Keywords: | Urban mobility; Sustainability indicators; Participation; Stakeholders; National survey |
| JEL: | Q58 Q56 L98 |
| Date: | 2009 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cns:cnscwp:200906&r=ure |
| By: | Giorgio Canarella (California State University, Los Angeles, and University of Nevada, Las Vegas); Stephen M. Miller (University of Connecticut and University of Nevada, Las Vegas); Stephen K. Pollard (California State University, Los Angeles) |
| Abstract: | This paper addresses two issues. First, we employ unit-root tests that allow for two endogenous breaks as suggested by Lumdaine and Papell (1997) and, more recently, Lee and Strazicich (2003) to investigate the integration properties of the returns on the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices. The findings of the tests that assume structural stability provide no evidence against the unit-root hypothesis in all returns series. Conversely, the Lumdaine-Papell and Lee-Strazicich tests indicate that significant structural breaks exist in the US housing market. Only the Lee-Strazicich test, however, which incorporates structural changes under the null hypothesis, finds that the returns to houses exhibit trend stationarity with structural breaks, in most cases, rather than a random walk. Second, we apply these tests to analyze what UK researchers call the "ripple effect" in the British housing markets. Following Meen (1999), we investigate the stationarity of the metropolitan house-price ratios. The findings of the Lumsdaine-Papell test provide no evidence against the unit-root hypothesis in all house-price ratio series. Conversely, the Lee-Strazicich test finds broken-trend stationarity of the metropolitan house-price ratios for Boston, Miami, and New York. This provides limited evidence that some ripple effects do indeed exists in the US housing market. |
| Keywords: | House-price indexes, Time-series properties, "Ripple" effects |
| JEL: | G10 C30 C50 |
| Date: | 2010–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:uct:uconnp:2010-04&r=ure |
| By: | C. Kirabo Jackson |
| Abstract: | I analyze the longer-run effects of a program that pays both 11th and 12th grade students and teachers for passing scores on Advanced Placement exams. Using a difference-in-differences strategy, I find that affected students attend college in greater numbers, have improved college GPAs, and are more likely to remain in college beyond their freshman year. Moreover, the program improves college outcomes even for those students who would have enrolled in college without the program. I also find evidence of increased college graduation for black and Hispanic students ─ groups that tend to underperform in college. This evidence suggests that relatively late high-school interventions may confer lasting positive and large effects on student achievement in college, and may be effective at improving the educational outcomes of minority students. The finding of enduring benefits when extrinsic motivators are no longer provided is important in light of concerns that incentive-based-interventions may lead to undesirable practices such as “teaching-to-the-test” and cheating. |
| JEL: | I0 I20 I21 J0 J1 |
| Date: | 2010–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:15722&r=ure |
| By: | Brian A. Jacob |
| Abstract: | This paper takes advantage of a unique policy change to examine how principals make decisions regarding teacher dismissal. In 2004, the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) signed a new collective bargaining agreement that gave principals the flexibility to dismiss probationary teachers for any reason and without the documentation and hearing process that is typically required for such dismissals. With the cooperation of the CPS, I matched information on all teachers that were eligible for dismissal with records indicating which teachers were dismissed. With this data, I estimate the relative weight that school administrators place on a variety of teacher characteristics. I find evidence that principals do consider teacher absences and value-added measures, along with several demographic characteristics, in determining which teachers to dismiss. |
| JEL: | I21 I28 J2 J3 J45 J63 J70 |
| Date: | 2010–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:15715&r=ure |
| By: | Patrick Bajari; Jane Cooley; Kyoo il Kim; Christopher Timmins |
| Abstract: | We propose a new strategy for a pervasive problem in the hedonics literature—recovering hedonic prices in the presence of time-varying correlated unobservables. Our approach relies on an assumption about homebuyer rationality, under which prior sales prices can be used to control for time-varying unobservable attributes of the house or neighborhood. Using housing transactions data from California’s Bay Area between 1990 and 2006, we apply our estimator to recover marginal willingness to pay for reductions in three of the EPA’s “criteria” air pollutants. Our findings suggest that ignoring bias from time-varying correlated unobservables considerably understates the benefits of a pollution reduction policy. |
| JEL: | C01 Q51 |
| Date: | 2010–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:15724&r=ure |
| By: | Daniel Albalate (Faculty of Economics, University of Barcelona); Germà Bel (Faculty of Economics, University of Barcelona) |
| Abstract: | The regulation of speed limits in the US had been centralized at the federal level since 1974, until decisions were devolved to the states in 1995. However, the centralization debate has reemerged in recent years. Here, we conduct the first econometric analysis of the determinants of speed limit laws. By using economic, geographic and political variables, our results suggest that geography -which affects private mobility needs and preferences- is the main factor influencing speed limit laws. We also highlight the role played by political ideology, with Republican constituencies being associated with higher speed limits. Furthermore, we identify the presence of regional and time dependence effects. By contrast, poor road safety outcomes do not impede the enactment of high speed limits. Overall, we present the first evidence of the role played by geographical, ideological and regional characteristics, which provide us with a better understanding of the formulation of speed limit policies. |
| Keywords: | Speed Limit Laws; Transport Policy; Social Preferences; Policy Analysis. |
| Date: | 2010–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ira:wpaper:201002&r=ure |
| By: | Germà Bel (Faculty of Economics, University of Barcelona); Xavier Fageda (Faculty of Economics, University of Barcelona) |
| Abstract: | This paper conducts an empirical analysis of the relationship between privatization and regulation drawing on data from a wide sample of European airports. We find that privatization promotes a shift from basic regulation to a situation of more detailed or non-regulation, depending on the specific characteristics of the privatization process and on the type of airport being privatized. Moreover, we report a significant association between high traffic volumes and more detailed regulation. By contrast, airports where slot allocation is noncoordinated are significantly associated with non-regulation. |
| Keywords: | Privatization; regulation; air transportation; airports JEL classification: L33; L42; L93; |
| Date: | 2010–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ira:wpaper:201004&r=ure |
| By: | Brian G. Knight; Nathan Schiff |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates competition between jurisdictions in the context of cross-border shopping for state lottery tickets. We first develop a simple theoretical model in which consumers choose between state lotteries and face a trade-off between travel costs and the price of a fair gamble, which is declining in the size of the jackpot and the odds of winning. Given this trade-off, the model predicts that per-resident sales should be more responsive to prices in small states with densely populated borders, relative to large states with sparsely populated borders. Our empirical analysis focuses on the multi-state games of Powerball and Mega Millions, and the identification strategy is based upon high-frequency variation in prices due to the rollover feature of lottery jackpots. The empirical results support the predictions of the model. The magnitude of these effects is large, suggesting that states do face competitive pressures from neighboring lotteries, but the effects vary significantly across states. |
| JEL: | H20 H70 |
| Date: | 2010–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:15713&r=ure |
| By: | Vincent Boucher; Yann Bramoullé; Habiba Djebbari; Bernard Fortin |
| Abstract: | We provide the first empirical application of a new approach proposed by Lee (2007) to estimate peer effects in a linear-in-means model. This approach allows to control for group-level unobservables and to solve the reflection problem. We investigate peer effects in student achievement in Mathematics, Science, French and History in Quebec secondary schools. We estimate the model using maximum likelihood and instrumental variables methods. We find evidence of peer effects. The endogenous peer effect is positive, when significant, and some contextual peer effects matter. Using calibrated Monte Carlo simulations, we find that high dispersion in group sizes helps with potential issues of weak identification. <P>Nous présentons une première application empirique d’une nouvelle approche développée par Lee (2007) pour estimer les effets de pairs dans un modèle linéaire-en-moyenne. Cette méthode permet de tenir compte des variables non-observées au niveau du groupe et de solutionner le problème de réflexion. Nous estimons les effets de pairs sur la performance scolaire (mesurée par les résultats aux épreuves du ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport) en Mathématiques, en Science, en Français et en Histoire dans les écoles secondaires du Québec. À cette fin, nous utilisons des méthodes de maximum de vraisemblance et de variables instrumentales. Nos résultats corroborent la présence d’effets de pairs. L’effet de pair endogène est positif, lorsqu’il est significatif. En particulier, une hausse d’un point dans la note moyenne de ses pairs accroît la note de l’élève de 0,5 en Français, de 0,65 en Histoire et 0,83 en Math (514). En outre, certains effets contextuels ont de l’importance. À partir de simulations Monte Carlo, nous trouvons qu’une grande variabilité dans la taille des groupes peut réduire les problèmes d’identification faible. |
| Keywords: | peer effects, student achievement, reflection problem, effets de pairs, performance scolaire, problème de réflexion |
| JEL: | C31 I20 Z13 |
| Date: | 2010–02–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cir:cirwor:2010s-08&r=ure |
| By: | Attila Ambrus; Markus Mobius; Adam Szeidl |
| Abstract: | We develop a model of informal risk-sharing in social networks, where relationships between individuals can be used as social collateral to enforce insurance payments. We characterize incentive compatible risk-sharing arrangements and obtain two results. (1) The degree of informal insurance is governed by the expansiveness of the network, measured by the number of connections that groups of agents have with the rest of the community, relative to group size. Two-dimensional networks, where people have connections in multiple directions, are sufficiently expansive to allow very good risk-sharing. We show that social networks in Peruvian villages satisfy this dimensionality property; thus, our model can explain Townsend's (1994) puzzling observation that village communities often exhibit close to full insurance. (2) In second-best arrangements, agents organize in endogenous "risk-sharing islands" in the network, where shocks are shared fully within, but imperfectly across islands. As a result, network based risk-sharing is local: socially closer agents insure each other more. |
| JEL: | D02 D31 D70 |
| Date: | 2010–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:15719&r=ure |
| By: | Daniel Albalate (Faculty of Economics, University of Barcelona); Germà Bel (Faculty of Economics, University of Barcelona) |
| Abstract: | In April 2009 the US government unveiled its blueprint for a national network of high-speed passenger rail (HSR) lines aimed at reducing traffic congestion, cutting national dependence on foreign oil and improving rural and urban environments. In implementing such a program, it is essential to identify the factors that might influence decision making and the eventual success of the HSR project, as well as foreseeing the obstacles that will have to be overcome. In this article we review, summarize and analyze the most important HSR projects carried out to date around the globe, namely those of Japan, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy. We focus our attention on the main issues involved in the undertaking of HSR projects: their impact on mobility, the environment, the economy and on urban centers. By so doing, we identify sessons for policy makers and managers working on the implementation of HSR projects. |
| Keywords: | Interurban Transportation, Government Investment Analysis, Transportation Planning, Rail Costs Management.. JEL classification: L91; L92; R41; R42 ; R48 |
| Date: | 2010–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ira:wpaper:201003&r=ure |
| By: | Fabiano Schivardi; E. Viviano |
| Abstract: | <p>The 1998 reform of the Italian retail trade sector delegated the regulation of entry of large stores to the regional governments. We use the local variation in regulation to determine the effects of entry barriers on sectoral performance. We address the endogeneity of entry barriers through local fixed effects and using political variables as instruments. We also control for differences in trends and for area-wide shocks. We find that entry barriers are associated with substantially larger profit margins and lower productivity of incumbent firms. Liberalizing entry has a positive effect on investment in ICT, increases employment and compresses labor costs in large shops. In areas with more stringent entry regulation, lower productivity coupled with larger margins results in higher consumer prices.</p> |
| Keywords: | entry barriers; productivity growth; retail trade |
| JEL: | L81 L5 L11 |
| Date: | 2009 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cns:cnscwp:200908&r=ure |
| By: | De Borger B. |
| Abstract: | The purpose of this paper is to study optimal congestion taxes in a time allocation framework. This makes it possible to distinguish taxes on inputs in the production of car trips and taxes on transport as an activity. Moreover, the model allows us to consider the implications of treating transport as a demand, derived from other activities. We extend several well known tax rules from the public finance literature and carefully interpret the implications for the optimal tax treatment of passenger transport services. The main findings of the paper are the following. First, if governments are limited to taxing market inputs into transport trip production, the time allocation framework (i) provides an argument for taxing congestion below marginal external cost, (ii) implies a favourable tax treatment for time-saving devices such as GPS, and (iii) provides a previously unnoticed argument for public transport subsidies. Second, if the government has access to perfect road pricing that directly taxes transport as an activity, all previous results disappear. Third, in the absence of perfect road pricing, the activity-specific congestion attracted by employment centres, by shopping centres or by large sports and cultural events should be corrected via higher taxes on market inputs in these activities (e.g., entry tickets, parking fees, etc.). |
| Date: | 2010–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ant:wpaper:2010002&r=ure |
| By: | Schittekat P.; Sörensen K.; Sevaux M.; Springael J. |
| Abstract: | Existing literature on routing of school buses has focused mainly on building intricate models that attempt to capture as many real-life constraints and objectives as possible. In contrast, the focus of this paper is on understanding the problem in its most basic form. To this end, we define the school bus routing problem (SBRP) as a variant of the vehicle routing problem in which three simultaneous decisions have to be made: (1) determine the set of stops to visit, (2) determine for each student which stop he should walk to and (3) determine routes that visit the chosen stops, so that the total traveled distance is minimized. We develop an MIP model of this basic problem. To efficiently solve large instances of the SBRP we develop an efficient GRASP+VND metaheuristic. Our method can be called a matheuristic because it uses an exact algorithm to optimally solve the subproblem of assigning students to stops and to routes. The results of our matheuristic approach on 112 artificially generated instances are compared to those obtained by implementing the MIP model in a commercial solver and solving it using a specially developed cutting plane procedure. Experiments show that our matheuristic outperforms the exact method in terms of speed and matched the exact method in terms of solution quality. |
| Date: | 2009–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ant:wpaper:2009010&r=ure |
| By: | Massimiliano Affinito (Banca d'Italia); Edoardo Tagliaferri (Banca d'Italia) |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the ex-ante determinants of bank loan securitization by using different econometric methods on Italian individual bank data from 2000 to 2006. Our results show that bank loan securitization is a composite decision. Banks that are less capitalized, less profitable, less liquid and burdened with troubled loans are more likely to perform securitization, for a larger amount and earlier. |
| Keywords: | securitization, credit risk transfer, capital requirements, liquidity needs |
| JEL: | G21 G28 C23 C24 |
| Date: | 2010–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bdi:wptemi:td_741_10&r=ure |
| By: | Arne Melchior |
| Abstract: | Implementation of the European internal market and East-West integration has been accompanied by dramatic change in the spatial distribution of economic activity, with higher growth west and east of a longitude degree through Germany and Italy. In the east, income growth has been accompanied by increasing regional disparities within countries. We examine theoretically and empirically whether European integration as such can explain these developments. Using a numerical simulation model with 9 countries and 90 regions, theoretical predictions are derived about how various patterns of integration may affect the income distribution. Comparing with reality, we find that a reduction in distance-related trade costs combined with east-west integration is best able to explain the actual changes in Europe's economic geography. This suggests that the implementation of the European internal market or the Euro has "made Europe smaller". In Central Europe, capital regions grow faster and there are few east-west growth differences inside countries. There is no convincing support for the hypothesis that European integration had adverse effects on non-members. |
| Keywords: | Income distribution, regional inequality, economic growth and convergence, European integration. |
| JEL: | F12 F15 R12 O18 |
| Date: | 2009 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sec:cnstan:0379&r=ure |
| By: | Caruntu, Genu Alexandru; Damian, Ion |
| Abstract: | Affairs support structures (SSA) is a clearly defined structures, which provides a range of facilities and / or spaces for economic activities of production and services (except those that are not financed under ERDF rules). These are aimed at attracting investment and unlocking the potential of development - human and material resources - the various parts of Romania and in particular of former industrial areas in decline |
| Keywords: | the eligible value projects; administrative-territorial units; eligible activities; community contribution |
| JEL: | R58 O2 Q56 G32 |
| Date: | 2010–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:20390&r=ure |
| By: | Bogaert S.; Boone Ch.; Van Witteloostuijn A. |
| Abstract: | Organizational demographers found that people who are demographically different from their colleagues, are most likely to leave. To explain this fact, demography and network ties are generally treated as equivalent. Critics claim that the use of demographics as a substitute for network ties is not justified, and called for research combining both approaches. The goal of this paper is to understand the subtleties of the turnover process, by simultaneously studying the impact of demographic position and network ties on turnover of professional employees. We test our hypotheses using event history analyses on a longitudinal dataset (1994-2004) of a mediumsized university faculty. Our findings indicate that demographic distance and strong external network ties have independent effects on turnover. We also found some support for interactions between demographic distance and network ties in determining individual turnover. |
| Date: | 2009–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ant:wpaper:2009014&r=ure |
| By: | Lundberg, Johan (Department of Economics, Umeå University); Lundberg, Sofia (Department of Economics, Umeå University) |
| Abstract: | From economic theory, it is known that consumer loyalty schemes can have lock-in effects resulting in entry barriers and higher prices. This paper concerns consumer loyalty schemes where the main issue is to test the hypothesis that loyalty scheme membership affects the choice of food retailer. This choice is modeled as a random utility maximization problem estimated with maximum likelihood. Based on a data set covering 1,551 Swedish households, we find evidence supporting this hypothesis. Further, according to the results, store characteristics and geographical distance matter for the choice of retailer while household characteristics are not found to have a significant effect. |
| Keywords: | Bonus card; Conditional logit; Consumer choice; Distance; Food retailer; Loyalty scheme |
| JEL: | D12 L49 L66 L81 R10 |
| Date: | 2010–02–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:umnees:0801&r=ure |
| By: | Vegard Iversen (School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia, Norwich); Kunal Sen (IDPM, University of Manchester); Arjan Verschoor (School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia, Norwich); Amaresh Dubey (CSRD, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi`) |
| Abstract: | Economists have focused on job search and supply-side explanations for network effects in labour transactions. This paper develops and tests an alternative explanation for the high prevalence of network-based labour market entry in developing countries. In our theoretical framework, employers use employee networks as screening and incentive mechanisms to improve the quality of recruitment. Our framework suggests a negative relationship between network use and the skill intensity of jobs, a positive association between economic activity and network use and a negative relationship between network use and pro-labour legislation. Furthermore, social identity effects are expected to intensify compared to information-sharing and other network mechanisms. Using data from an all-India Employment Survey we implement a novel empirical strategy to test these relationships and find support for our demand-side explanation. |
| Date: | 2009–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ind:isipdp:09-01&r=ure |
| By: | J.A. Giesecke; W.J. Burns; A. Barrett; E. Bayrak; A. Rose; M. Suher |
| Abstract: | Using a large-scale CGE model, we investigate the short-run and long-run regional economic consequences of a catastrophic event - attack via radiological dispersal device (RDD) - centered on the downtown Los Angeles area. We distinguish two main routes via which such a catastrophic event might affect regional economic activity: (i) reduction in effective resource supply (the resource loss effect) and (ii) shifts in the perceptions of economic agents (the behavioral effect). Broadly, the resource loss effect relates to the physical destructiveness of the event, while the behavioral effect relates to changes in fear and risk perception on the part of firms, households and government. Both affect the size of the regional economy. RDD detonation (Dirty Bomb) causes little direct capital damage and few casualties, but generates substantial short-run resource loss via business interruption. Changes in fear and risk perception increase the supply cost of resources to the affected region, while simultaneously reducing demand for goods produced in the region. In both the short-run and long-run in the affected region, households may require higher wages to work, investors may require higher returns to invest, and economic agents may switch their preferences away from goods produced. We show that because perception effects may have lingering long-term deleterious impacts on both the supply-cost of resources to a region and willingness to pay for regional output, they have the potential to generate changes in real regional GDP that are much greater than those generated by the resource loss effect. Implications for policy that might mitigate these effects are discussed. |
| Keywords: | RDD, economic impact, terrorism, risk perception |
| JEL: | H56 R13 C68 D58 |
| Date: | 2010–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cop:wpaper:g-194&r=ure |
| By: | G. Raghuram; Chandni Jain; Rishita Digar |
| Abstract: | The utilization of coaches on the parameters per cent of runtime, kilometers per day, and average speed of rakes servicing express per mails and passenger trains in the South Central Railway (SCR), taking into consideration the rake linking involved are assessed. This is done by analyzing every rake link used in the SCR as given in their rake link booklet. |
| Keywords: | trains, Indian railways, rake cycle, transportation, passengers, coaches |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ess:wpaper:id:2406&r=ure |