Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Voluntary Agreements with Industries: Participation Incentives with Industry-Wide Targets

We consider a policy environment in which an entire industry is faced with possible imposition of an emissions tax if environmental goals are not met voluntarily. We develop a multiple-firm model of pollution abatement in this context. Using the concept of a self-enforcing equilibrium, we examine the free-riding incentive of individual firms and its impact on the viability of the voluntary approach. We find that, despite the free-riding problem, a sub-group of firms have an incentive to participate in the VA. The VA is strictly preferred by the industry as a whole, although it is not cost-minimizing. (JEL Q53, Q58)
Outsourcing and innovation: Evidence for a local production system of Emilia-Romagna

Summary The paper investigates how innovation relates to outsourcing for firms located in a specific local production system. A set of theoretical correlations between innovation related variables and outsourcing decisions is formulated by drawing on a heterogeneous body of literature. Correlations are tested with respect to a representative sample of firms of a localproduction system in Emilia–Romagna: Reggio Emilia. The main result of the paper is that, in the district–like context investigated, where networking intertwines with market mediated mechanisms, the firm’s innovativeness correlates positively with the complexity of the outsourcing strategies. Once the firms’ embeddedness is controlled for, the ‘dualistic’ argument that innovative firms do not outsource in order to avoid the impoverishment of their capabilities is not guaranteed. On the contrary, according to a ‘developmental’ argument, being innovative in Reggio Emilia requires the outsourcing of ancillary activities, in order to refocus on the business core and, though to a lesser extent, of supporting production activities in order to tap-into the external providers and benefit from their own competences. Confirming the results of other previous studies, the particular set of network interactions which make up the social capital of Reggio-Emilia thus seems to make the outsourcing-innovation relationship viable by attenuating the risks of firms getting locked in unbalanced and dependency relations from their suppliers.
How Should Governments Make Risky Policy Decisions

Public policy-making does not follow the long-established and well-recognised principles of rational decision analysis under risk. Public views of risk are often inconsistent and seemingly irrational, and a gulf exists between risk perceptions and attitudes of the public and those of ‘experts’. On the other hand, experts often claim unjustifiably high levels of confidence in their predictions of policy choice outcomes, creating a lack of public faith in their recommendations. While risky policy choices deserve more systematic decision analysis, many challenges remain to effective implementation of such analyses. Among the suggestions for improvement that we offer is the need for more effective interaction between policy-makers, decision analysts and the public.
Time-varying nonlinear exchange rate exposure

We develop a tractable time-varying parameter model that can be used to simultaneously study variation over time and nonlinearity in the link between stock returns and exchange rate returns (exchange rate exposure). We estimate our model using monthly data for the period 1970 to 2006 for three major industrialized countries: Japan, United Kingdom and the United States. We report evidence of nonlinear exchange rate exposure, and evidence that exchange rate exposure has significantly changed over time.
Perspectives for Post-Keynesian Economics

The paper reviews and assesses the negative and positive advice which has been offered by various fellow economists to heterodox economists in general, and Post-Keynesian economists in particular, in light of changes that have occurred within neoclassical economics and in light of the rising hegemony of mainstream economics in economics departments. Various strategies are considered, among which is more engagement with orthodox dissenters, but it is concluded that the majority of heterodox economists ought instead to engage more with other heterodox economists and possibly other social sciences, developing and expanding their own agenda around real-world problems.
The adoption and diffusion of e-commerce in developing countries: The case of an NGO in Jordan

The case study in this research involves a nongovernmental organization (NGO) in Jordan in the Middle East, which attempted to utilize electronic commerce (EC) to streamline its business processes and information flow to businesses in Jordan and to other international businesses interested in the Jordanian market. The NGO managed to achieve these tasks expeditiously, and its EC initiative assisted in adding an effective digital parallel to existing systems and processes in this NGO. The NGO is directly involved in the e-government initiative empowered by H.M. King Abdullah II. At this end, with this royal support, the NGO successfully adopted EC. During the adoption and implementation process, the organization encountered numerous difficulties, as detailed in this research. However, the full success of EC was hampered by other factors. Initially, other governmental entities related indirectly to this NGO were not EC-ready. Second, although Web site utilization was growing in this NGO, most member merchants were reluctant to switch to the online arena and to abandon traditional practices in obtaining information and resources from this NGO. However, the NGO is aware of these concerns and envisages resolving such hurdles in its medium- to long-term projections. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A review of bottom-up vs. top-down control of sponges on Caribbean fore-reefs: what’s old, what’s new, and future directions

Interest in the ecology of sponges on coral reefs has grown in recent years with mounting evidence that sponges are becoming dominant members of reef communities, particularly in the Caribbean. New estimates of water column processing by sponge pumping activities combined with discoveries related to carbon and nutrient cycling have led to novel hypotheses about the role of sponges in reef ecosystem function. Among these developments, a debate has emerged about the relative effects of bottom-up (food availability) and top-down (predation) control on the community of sponges on Caribbean fore-reefs. In this review, we evaluate the impact of the latest findings on the debate, as well as provide new insights based on older citations. Recent studies that employed different research methods have demonstrated that dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and detritus are the principal sources of food for a growing list of sponge species, challenging the idea that the relative availability of living picoplankton is the sole proxy for sponge growth or abundance. New reports have confirmed earlier findings that reef macroalgae release labile DOC available for sponge nutrition. Evidence for top-down control of sponge community structure by fish predation is further supported by gut content studies and historical population estimates of hawksbill turtles, which likely had a much greater impact on relative sponge abundances on Caribbean reefs of the past. Implicit to investigations designed to address the bottom-up vs. top-down debate are appropriate studies of Caribbean fore-reef environments, where benthic communities are relatively homogeneous and terrestrial influences and abiotic effects are minimized. One recent study designed to test both aspects of the debate did so using experiments conducted entirely in shallow lagoonal habitats dominated by mangroves and seagrass beds. The top-down results from this study are reinterpreted as supporting past research demonstrating predator preferences for sponge species that are abundant in these lagoonal habitats, but grazed away in fore-reef habitats. We conclude that sponge communities on Caribbean fore-reefs of the past and present are largely structured by predation, and offer new directions for research, such as determining the environmental conditions under which sponges may be food-limited (e.g., deep sea, lagoonal habitats) and monitoring changes in sponge community structure as populations of hawksbill turtles rebound.
British trade unions and social partnership: rhetoric, reality and strategy

'Social partnership', and its vaguer synonym, 'stakeholding', have recently been mooted by the European Union, the TUC, and New Labour as well as sections of the business community, as an alternative to the Thatcherite trend to weaken trade unions and banish them from British soil. In contrast to earlier management fads, like Human Resource Management and Employee Involvement, the new rhetoric offers unions a central role as joint architects of partnership in the workplace and beyond. The article maps out the overlapping semantic threads of social partnership and its sister term, as they appear in the mouths of political, union and business actors and goes in search of conceptual clarity and unifying themes. It establishes a matrix of conceptual tools, drawn from Alan Fox's 'frames of reference', and uses these to make sense of high flying rhetoric, asking what opportunities it opens for trade unions in the context of contemporary political reality. In doing so, the article presents a radical interpretati.
The Changing Structure of Ethnic Diversity and Segregation in England, 1991–2001

Using data from the 1991 and 2001 Censuses, I examine patterns of ethnic diversity and segregation in England's metropolitan regions. Diversity is measured using the Shannon entropy index and segregation is measured using the Theil index. Both indices can be decomposed into contributions due to region, district, and ward, which may indicate the processes responsible for patterns of ethnic diversity and segregation. The results show that ethnic diversity increased from 0.533 in 1991 to 0.731 in 2001. Between 1991 and 2001 the share of diversity contributed by Inner London and the West Midlands declined and the share contributed by Outer London and the Outer Metropolitan Area rose. Decomposition of total diversity shows that regional and district differences in ethnic diversity increased between 1991 and 2001 but differences between wards declined in importance. Within-ward diversity contributed more than 75% of total diversity at each census. Between 1991 and 2001 there was a slight increase in the overall level of segregation. Decomposition of total segregation into between-district and within-district components for each region shows that the contribution of within-district segregation to total segregation fell between 1991 and 2001. However, the contribution of between-district segregation to total segregation remained important and increased significantly in Inner London. Across the area investigated wards have on average become more ethnically diverse but there remain significant differences in diversity and segregation between regions and districts.
Interaction effect of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and CYP1A1, CYP1B1 polymorphisms on blood pressure in an elderly population

Objective: Hypertension and vitamin D deficiency are prevalent worldwide, especially in the elderly. Considering the possibility of gene–environment contributions to disease development, we evaluated the influence of certain cytochrome P450 polymorphisms and vitamin D levels on blood pressure (BP). Methods: We measured serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels [25(OH)D] and BP in 535 individuals over 60 years old and identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 in lymphocyte DNA. Repeated measure analyses were used to determine the statistical association. Results: The relationship between 25(OH)D and SBP or DBP was inversely significant, and influence of several CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 SNPs on BP was found across different genotypes. Estimated effect of 25(OH)D levels on BP in the group with higher risky genotype scores of selected SNPs (rs4646421, rs2551188, and rs1056836) was greater (&bgr; = −2.841, P = 0.004 for SBP; &bgr; = −2.035, P = 0.001 for DBP) than the group with lower genotype score (&bgr; = −0.878, P = 0.347 for SBP; &bgr; = 0.037, P = 0.947 for DBP), and synergistic interaction between vitamin D levels and genotype variations was observed (P-interaction = 0.081 for SBP and 0.008 for DBP). When stratified by the hypertension medication status, interaction effect was found only in individuals taking medication (P-interaction = 0.004 for SBP and 0.001 for DBP). Conclusion: Genetic variations in CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 and the serum levels of 25(OH)D showed synergistic effect on BP, especially in individuals currently in treatment for hypertension.
Sequence Determinants in Hypoxia-inducible Factor-1α for Hydroxylation by the Prolyl Hydroxylases PHD1, PHD2, and PHD3*

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is a heterodimeric transcription factor induced by hypoxia. Under normoxic conditions, site-specific proline hydroxylation of the α subunits of HIF allows recognition by the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein (VHL), a component of an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex that targets these subunits for degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Under hypoxic conditions, this hydroxylation is inhibited, allowing the α subunits of HIF to escape VHL-mediated degradation. Three enzymes, prolyl hydroxylase domain-containing proteins 1, 2, and 3 (PHD1, -2, and -3; also known as HIF prolyl hydroxylase 3, 2, and 1, respectively), have recently been identified that catalyze proline hydroxylation of HIF α subunits. These enzymes hydroxylate specific prolines in HIF α subunits in the context of a strongly conserved LXXLAP sequence motif (where Xindicates any amino acid and P indicates the hydroxylacceptor proline). We report here that PHD2 has the highest specific activity toward the primary hydroxylation site of HIF-1α. Furthermore, and unexpectedly, mutations can be tolerated at the −5, −2, and −1 positions (relative to proline) of the LXXLAP motif. Thus, these results provide evidence that the only obligatory residue for proline hydroxylation in HIF-1α is the hydroxylacceptor proline itself.
Tourist Motives and Destination Competitiveness: A Gap Analysis Perspective

This study explores the use of gap analysis in examining the demand-side and supply-side perceptions of international tourists’ motives for visiting Botswana, along with Botswana’s competitiveness as a tourist destination. Statistically significant negative gaps between tourists and tourism providers’ perceptions mean that further understanding of tourists by providers is necessary to enhance the destination’s competitiveness. The analysis of findings was based on 14 “pull” motivations adapted from Kozak (2002) and 104 destination competitiveness measures, some of which were adapted from Omerzel (2006). Factor analysis, reliability analysis, and a series of independent t-tests were used to analyze the data. Study results indicate that tourists visit Botswana mainly for pleasure seeking rather than culture. The study further reveals that Botswana’s competitiveness as a destination is average. Furthermore, the study found statistically significant differences between tourists and tourism providers on all of the “push” factors and nine of the 15 destination competitiveness factors. In order for Botswana to be globally competitive, there is need for further improvement with a view to match international tourists’ expectations. Particular attention should be directed at improving the way the destination is managed. Further developments should be made on created resources, safety, demand conditions, historical and cultural heritage resources, organized excursions, and cleanliness.
An Intra-National Perspective on Regime Implementation: The Case of Marine Fisheries in China – Keen Conficts and Hazy Contents

The international legal framework developed by the United Nations for the management and sustainable use of fisheries resources has not prevented the severe depletion of world fish stocks. In order to be effective, international agreements have to be voluntarily implemented by national governments. This process of domestic implementation has been little investigated by regime theory, despite the rich array of frameworks developed by policy studies. Therefore, this article seeks to contribute to regime theory through the use of insights coming from implementation research. In order to do so, the domestic implementation of international fisheries agreements in the People’s Republic of China is investigated. Responsible fisheries are not yet a common practice in China, although the country has adapted its legal framework to international requirements. The execution of new laws has been jeopardised not only by the lack of resources, but mainly by institutional conflicts and unclear policy contents.
The impact of monetary policy on New Zealand business cycles and inflation variability

This paper uses the open economy structural VAR model developed in Buckle, Kim, Kirkham, McLellan and Sharma (2002) to evaluate the impact of monetary policy on New Zealand business cycles and inflation variability and the output/ inflation variance trade-off. The model includes a forward- looking Taylor Rule to identify monetary policy and the impact of monetary policy is evaluated by deriving a monetary policy index using a procedure suggested by Dungey and Pagan (2000). Monetary policy has generally been counter-cyclical, thereby reducing business cycles and inflation variability. Exceptions are in 1993 when monetary policy accentuated the business cycle upswing and in 1998 when monetary policy accentuated the recession, although its impact in 1998 was small relative to the impact of adverse climatic conditions. During the initial years of inflation targeting monetary policy tended to simultaneously reduce inflation and output variability. From 1996 to 2001 monetary policy was less effective in reducing inflation and output variability. This latter period included a brief experiment with a Monetary Conditions Index, the Asian crisis and a large adverse domestic climate shock.
The Effect of Short Selling on Market Reactions to Earnings Announcements

This paper examines the effect of the inherent demand implied by short interest by observing price reactions to earnings announcements based on the level of short interest. We find that for extreme good- and bad- news events, the inherent demand increases stock prices around the earnings announcement date, with the effect being stronger for good news relative to bad news. Specifically, the initial market reaction to an extreme positive earnings surprise is larger for firms with high levels of short interest. On the other hand, for an extreme negative earnings surprise event, the initial market reaction is smaller for heavily shorted firms. Furthermore, the initial rightward demand curve shift caused by the short sellers' reaction to an extreme good (bad) news event also results in a smaller (larger) post-earnings-announcement drift.
Genetic Parameter Estimates for Lactation Curve Parameters, Milk Yield, Age at First Calving, Calving Interval and Somatic Cell Count in Holstein Cows

The objective of this study was to estimates the genetic and environmental components for the lactation curve parameters, milk yield, age at first calving (AFC), calving interval (CI) and somatic cell count (SCC) in Iranian Holstein cows. The dataset consisted of 210625 test day records from 25883 cows with milk yield in the first parity recorded from July 2002 to September 2007 in a total of 97 herds in Iran. The lactation curve and the selected lactation parameters were the scaling factor to represent yield at the beginning of lactation (a), the factor associated with the inclining (b) and declining (c) slopes of the lactation curves and the first 100-day milk yield, second 100-day milk yield, third 100-day milk yield, peak yield (Ymax), days in milk at peak yield (b/c), persistency (s), lactation length (LL) and the 305-day milk yield. The incomplete gamma function (Wood function) was used to estimate lactation curve and lactation parameters from daily milk records. Among the 100-day milk yield periods, the second 100-day milk yield had the highest heritability (0.29±0.024) and the highest genetic correlation with the 305-day milk yield (0.996±0.00). Lactation curve parameters had low h 2 (0.017±0.007 to 0.051±0.011). The b / c had a relatively high genetic correlation with the 305-day milk yield (0.52±0.08), a moderate genetic correlation with CI (0.32±0.14) and negative genetic correlations with measures of somatic cell count. This suggested that b / c could be used as a criterion to improve 305-day milk yield and resistance to subclinical mastitis.
HAB1–SWI3B Interaction Reveals a Link between Abscisic Acid Signaling and Putative SWI/SNF Chromatin-Remodeling Complexes in Arabidopsis[C][W]

Abscisic acid (ABA) has an important role for plant growth, development, and stress adaptation. HYPERSENSITIVE TO ABA1 (HAB1) is a protein phosphatase type 2C that plays a key role as a negative regulator of ABA signaling; however, the molecular details of HAB1 action in this process are not known. A two-hybrid screen revealed that SWI3B, an Arabidopsis thaliana homolog of the yeast SWI3 subunit of SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complexes, is a prevalent interacting partner of HAB1. The interaction mapped to the N-terminal half of SWI3B and required an intact protein phosphatase catalytic domain. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation and coimmunoprecipitation assays confirmed the interaction of HAB1 and SWI3B in the nucleus of plant cells. swi3b mutants showed a reduced sensitivity to ABA-mediated inhibition of seed germination and growth and reduced expression of the ABA-responsive genes RAB18 and RD29B. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments showed that the presence of HAB1 in the vicinity of RD29B and RAB18 promoters was abolished by ABA, which suggests a direct involvement of HAB1 in the regulation of ABA-induced transcription. Additionally, our results uncover SWI3B as a novel positive regulator of ABA signaling and suggest that HAB1 modulates ABA response through the regulation of a putative SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex.
Real Wages, Employment, and Inflation

Current issues are now on the Chicago Journals website. Read the latest issue.One of the oldest and most prestigious journals in economics, the Journal of Political Economy (JPE) presents significant and essential scholarship in economic theory and practice. The journal publishes highly selective and widely cited analytical, interpretive, and empirical studies in a number of areas, including monetary theory, fiscal policy, labor economics, development, microeconomic and macroeconomic theory, international trade and finance, industrial organization, and social economics.