Large-scale Panel Research Articles

Innovative Social Groups in the Institutional Changes of the Russian Countryside

The article considers the formation of innovative social groups in the social structure of the Russian countryside, broadcasting the managerial style of thinking and lifestyle of an active subject of agricultural labor. The current model of the agricultural market was formed under the powerful institutional pressure of market reforms. These objective social processes transformed the mentality of rural residents, gave rise to various labor practices, including employment in the informal sector, from which innovative market models of behavior in the agricultural labor market emerged. Using the example of farms and rural entrepreneurs, innovative layers in the labor market are shown, the criteria for which are an increase in agricultural land, production growth using new technologies and digital equipment, access to export markets. The information base consists of data from large-scale panel studies of Rosstat 2011–2022 and the All-Russian agricultural censuses of 2006, 2016, 2021. Institutional changes in the agricultural labor market have been identified, within the framework of which innovative groups are being formed. The development of innovative technologies used in agriculture requires the involvement of highly qualified labor. However, there is an acute shortage of personnel in the agricultural labor market. The wages of a significant segment of jobs in the rural market do not ensure economic stability. The survival strategy remains the main factor in the socio-economic behavior of rural residents, which determines the employment of most of them in non-agricultural sectors in the agricultural labor market. The crisis of agricultural organizations and the arrival of high-tech capitalist forms of production in agriculture cause the migration of the rural population to cities. Despite significant government support for agriculture, there is a shortage of engineering specialties and skilled workers. All these processes hinder the emergence and development of new innovative groups in rural areas. The foreign experience of the functioning of an institutionalized system of information networks and consulting for farmers and small businesses in agriculture is also presented.

Does off-farm work induce farmland abandonment? Evidence from China

PurposeThis study investigates whether, how and under what circumstances off-farm work induces farmland abandonment, which is of great importance for developing countries to cope with food security.Design/methodology/approachExploiting large-scale panel data from the newly released Chinese Family Database, this study employs a two-way fixed effects model to empirically estimate the causal relationship between off-farm work and farmland abandonment.FindingsIn the context of large-scale labor migration in rural China, current off-farm work leads to an increase in the probability and area of farmland abandoned due to insufficient agricultural labor. However, off-farm work does not harm farm households in plain areas, or villages with land rental markets, abundant agricultural labor, and agricultural machinery, while it harms others. Moreover, farmers who work off-farm in the local area are less likely to abandon their farmland than those in other areas. Additionally, when the number of off-farm workers in a household exceeds two, the probability and area of farmland abandonment will miraculously decline, as the household will no longer live entirely on agriculture.Originality/valueThis study may fill the gap in clarifying the relationship between off-farm work and farmland abandonment, and identify scenarios where off-farm work may not cause farmland abandonment through multiple dimensions, providing insights into the governance of farmland abandonment during rural-urban transformation in developing countries.

Teacher autonomy support counters declining trend in intrinsic reading motivation across secondary school

Students’ intrinsic motivation to read, which is relevant to all forms of learning, tends to decline throughout secondary school. Based on self-determination theory (SDT), this study examines whether this downward trend is slowed when students perceive greater autonomy support in the classroom. We used large-scale panel data from the NEPS comprising N = 8193 students in Germany who reported their intrinsic motivation to read and their perceived autonomy support from German teachers at annual intervals from fifth to eighth grade. Scalar longitudinal measurement invariance was found for intrinsic reading motivation (IRM) and teacher autonomy support (TAS). A dual change score model showed a decline in IRM and a negative, non-significant decrease in TAS over time. Confirming our hypothesis, the decline in IRM was slowed by earlier levels of TAS. We discuss methods to counteract the decline in intrinsic reading motivation.

Firm age, size, and firm-level job creation and destruction

This study examines the effects of firm age and size on job creation and destruction of existing firms, using large-scale panel data from Japan. It contributes to the literature by examining the effects on firm-level job creation and destruction, differing from previous studies which focused on net employment growth (i.e., the difference between job creation and destruction for each firm) or job creation/ destruction on aggregated level (calculated by aggregating net employment increases/decreases of firms or plants). Results show that for an individual firm, age has significantly negative effects on the firm's job creation and destruction; however, size has a significantly negative effect on the firm's job creation but a significantly positive effect on its job destruction. Particular firm groups and different business cycles are further examined. The findings suggest that policy and managerial issues differ between a firm's expansion and aging.

Coal burst mechanism in large-scale panel under extra-thick key strata

Extra-thick key strata (ETKS) are a key factor causing coal bursts. In this study, field monitoring, physical and numerical modelling, and theoretical analysis were comprehensively adopted to investigate the effect of ETKS on the static and dynamic stress and its impact on coal bursts. Firstly, the coal bursts and the stability of ETKS were investigated. The roof strata structure and the mining-induced stress in a large scale panel under ETKS were analyzed. Then, the coal burst mechanism under ETKS is discussed. The results show that when the panel reaches the 4th and 5th longwall faces, the inferior ETKS and the main ETKS break, respectively, and large-scale cantilever-articulated structures involving the ETKS are formed. This moment, the overburden load is transferred downwards massively, and the coal seam becomes overstressed and accumulates massive elastic energy. Meanwhile, the collaborative collapse of multiple strata in the large cantilever-articulated structures causes the sudden release of elastic energy and high-energy seismicity, which exerts strong dynamic disturbances on the overstressed coal mass and leads to coal burst. Finally, strategies for coal burst control under ETKS including deep-hole pre-splitting blasting and panel size optimization are proposed and validated.

The political fallout of air pollution

This paper studies the effect of air pollution on voting outcomes. We use data from 60 federal and state elections in Germany from 2000 to 2018 and exploit plausibly exogenous fluctuations in ambient air pollution within counties across election dates. Higher air pollution on election day shifts votes away from incumbent parties and toward opposition parties. An increase in the concentration of particulate matter (PM10) by 10 [Formula: see text]g/m[Formula: see text]-around two within-county SDs-reduces the vote share of incumbent parties by two percentage points, which is equivalent to 4% of the mean vote share. We generalize these findings by documenting similar effects with data from a weekly opinion poll and a large-scale panel survey. We provide further evidence that poor air quality leads to more negative emotions such as anger, worry, and unhappiness, which, in turn, may reduce the support for the political status quo. Overall, these results suggest that poor air quality affects decision-making in the population at large, including consequential political decisions.

Avant-Garde Inspirations in the Art of Ukrainian Monumentalists of the 1960-70s:

The purpose of the research is to introduce into scientific circulation the results of documentary reconstruction and art analysis of the lost monumental panel, which was created by a tandem of talented artists in the Palace of Culture of the BilotserkivMAZ plant in Bila Tserkva. The research methods involve a combination of art analysis with methods of documentary reconstruction and interviews with the author of the studied artifacts. Scientific novelty consists in the introduction into scientific circulation of a previously undescribed and destroyed monument of monumental art – a panel in the Palace of Culture of the BilotserkivMAZ plant in Bila Tserkva. For the first time, the stylistics of the execution of an unexplored object of monumental and decorative art were analyzed. Through a personal interview with Oleg Yerzhikivskyi, a direct participant in the process, the circumstances of the order and execution of the work were recorded. For the first time, a photo from a private family archive was made public, and an attempt was made to reconstruct the panels based on individual photos. Conclusions. As a result of the artistic analysis of the work, the ideological inspirations that manifested themselves during the execution of the large-scale panel were established. Despite the isolation of the Soviet artistic environment from world artistic currents, the dosage of information coming from the West was enough for Ukrainian artists to create their own interpretations of seen foreign or banned domestic samples. Sensing this on an intuitive level rather than being in the full context of theoretical and art history discourse, the best representatives of the process managed to create a work of decent quality, the execution of which was financed by the state of that time. Despite the presence of Soviet symbols in the work (as a tribute to the totalitarian system for the opportunity to work in the field of art at all), the monumental panel is made at a high artistic level and is valuable for its innovative approach. As it follows from the results of the research, the effort to adapt samples of Western European art to the realities of the orders of the Art Fund of the Ukrainian SSR was not the least important in this process. This became possible thanks to the high level of specialized art education in higher educational institutions, as well as the personal self-improvement of each author-performer and his personal giftedness. In addition, the mentioned works were created by Ukrainian artists on Ukrainian territory and they are far from glorifying the regime.

The effects of higher-order human values and conspiracy beliefs on COVID-19-related behavior in Germany

Abstract Aim This article simultaneously examines the influence of Schwartz’ higher-order human values (self-transcendence, openness to change, self-enhancement, and conservation) and conspiracy beliefs on four COVID-19-related dependent variables. Subject and methods Using path analysis with large-scale panel data from Germany (N = 4382), we tested if the correlational effects of higher-order values as independent variables on the perceived threat of the infection event, evaluation of government measures, number of self-initiated measures, and trust toward individuals and institutions involved as dependent variables could be mediated by conspiracy beliefs. Results We found evidence of a significant influence of all four higher-order values on the strength of conspiracy beliefs. In addition, we detected effects of higher-order values and conspiracy beliefs on all four COVID-19-related measures. Self-transcendence with consistently positive and openness to change with consistently negative total, direct, and indirect effects provided the most evident results. The respondents’ country of origin and residence in East or West Germany affected all four COVID-19-related variables. Conclusion This article has shown that belief in conspiracy narratives reveals associations of higher-order values with all four COVID-19-related measures that would not have been apparent without this mediator. In doing so, it contributes to the understanding of how pandemic mitigation measures are implemented differently. The results of this study can improve the ability to develop and enforce policies to increase the acceptance of scientifically accepted efforts in better governance.

Investigation on distributed scheduling with lot-streaming considering setup time based on NSGA-II in a furniture intelligent manufacturing

Distributed flexible flowshop scheduling is getting more important in the large-scale panel furniture industry. It is vital for a higher manufacturing efficiency and economic profit. The distributed scheduling problem with lot-streaming in a flexible flow shop environment is investigated in this work. Furthermore, the actual constraints of packaging collaborative and machine setup times are considered in the proposed approach. The average order waiting time for packaging and average order delay rate is used as objectives. Non-dominated sorting method is used to handle this bi-objective optimization problem. An improved encoding method was proposed to address the large-scale orders that need to be divided into sub-lots based on genetic algorithm. The proposed approach is firstly validated by benchmark with other multi-objectives evolutionary algorithms. The results found that the proposed approach had a good convergence and diversity. Besides, the influence of the proportion of large-scale orders priority level and sub-lot size was investigated in a panel furniture manufacturing scenario. The results can be concluded that the enterprise could obtain shorter order average waiting time and delay rate when the sub-lot sizes were set as two and the order priority level was allocated in the proportion of 1:2:3:4:5.

Hedonic Signals in Crowdfunding

AbstractThis study draws on signaling theory to investigate the effect of hedonic signals in crowdfunding projects on funding performance. It compares the effect of hedonic signals across reward-, equity-, and donation-based crowdfunding platforms by combining archival data from 18 platforms and a large-scale panel of 64 experts that rate the strength of hedonic signals in 108 crowdfunding projects. Through the application of mixed linear modeling, the findings indicate a positive influence of stronger hedonic signals on funding performance. However, there are substantial differences across platform types. Increasing the strength of hedonic signals by one standard deviation increases funding performance by 28.9% on reward platforms, while there are no systematic effects on equity and donation platforms. This study contributes to existing crowdfunding research by clarifying the role of hedonic signals in crowdfunding and shedding light on the increasing need to better consider the characteristics of different crowdfunding platforms in crowdfunding research.

Parent-Child Relationships Following Gray Divorce: Stronger Ties With Mothers, Weaker Ties With Fathers.

With rising gray divorce rates, older individuals face heightened risk of social isolation, highlighting the significance of adult children as a vital source of solidarity in the absence of a spouse. Simultaneously, gray divorce may undermine parent-adult child relationships and weaken the core of the family safety net of older persons. This study examined the consequences of gray divorce for parent-child relationships. We used longitudinal data from the German Family Panel (Pairfam), a large-scale panel study collecting detailed information about family relationships and family structure. We focused on adult children aged 18-49 (n = 9,092) whose parents were married at first observation. During an observation period spanning up to 13 years (2008-2020), 606 individuals experienced parental divorce. Using fixed-effects models, we estimated changes in contact frequency, emotional closeness, and instrumental and emotional support provided to parents. Consequences of gray divorce varied strongly between mothers and fathers. Adult-child solidarity intensified for mothers but eroded for fathers. This impact was strongest for changes in contact frequency, moderate for changes in emotional closeness, and smaller for changes in support. The persistence of gender role differentiation was evident, as daughters displayed closer ties and provided greater support to their mothers following a gray divorce. Divorce alters relationships with adult children. A gray divorce tilts adult-child solidarity toward mothers and puts fathers at a higher risk of social isolation. Moreover, the observed gender dynamics underscore the continued influence of gender roles on family dynamics in the aftermath of gray divorce.

Including citizens in collaborative projects in integrated health care through the living lab approach: how to attract participants, build a panel database, engage with end users, and keep them motivated

Introduction: The living lab approach allows citizens to be directly involved in projects in integrated healthcare to ensure that the development of topics is tailored to their needs and priorities and that their values are respected all throughout ideation and development. Be it through providing insights to researchers, participating in the collection and analysis of information on their health and well-being, or initiating and co-constructing the protocols of a project, citizens can be involved in many ways. They are the experts of their own lives!
 Aims & methods: While setting up a community living lab, the development of a large-scale panel of citizens is an intensive, but necessary action. This community forms a large-scale co-creation and test environment of individuals willing to contribute to the development of new concepts, services, or products.
 A user panel fulfills two core functions: Firstly, the panel is needed as a recruitment (data)base for the various experiments/research projects that will run within the living lab (as well as facilitating scalability). The panel must be well profiled and easily accessible, so it can be quickly activated. 
 Secondly, this test panel aims to act as a benchmark for the living lab. It is the breeding ground from which specific needs and requirements, but also certain trends, can be identified bottom-up. This information can serve as a basis for defining new projects.
 In this presentation, we will highlight: 
 What the requirements are for a representative reference group to run projects
 How different profiles and organisations can be approached and attracted
 The importance of network building
 How a panel database can be built and managed
 Which techniques can be used to profile panel members
 How to keep panel members interested and motivated to contribute to projects on a regular basis
 Key findings: LiCalab has over 10 years of experience in working with citizens in innovation projects. It takes time to build a test panel and it will always remain a work in progress. The main learnings from this journey are that you need to be a trusted partner for both citizens and intermediaries as well as care organisations. An ethical approach, committed and inclusive communication, and an attractive story are key.
 Conclusions: Citizens are motivated partners in designing future-proof and inclusive healthcare. A well profiled database and a close one-on-one connection with members is an intensive but rewarding approach for all parties that want to build new solutions together with end users.
 Implications: Local authorities, care organisations and companies increasingly acknowledge the importance of citizen involvement to design better solutions corresponding to the needs of end users.

Don't waste your time measuring intelligence: Further evidence for the validity of a three-minute speeded reasoning test

The rise of large-scale collaborative panel studies has generated a need for fast, reliable, and valid assessments of cognitive abilities. In these studies, a detailed characterization of participants' cognitive abilities is often unnecessary, leading to the selection of tests based on convenience, duration, and feasibility. This often results in the use of abbreviated measures or proxies, potentially compromising their reliability and validity. Here we evaluate the mini-q (Baudson & Preckel, 2016), a three-minute speeded reasoning test, as a brief assessment of general cognitive abilities. The mini-q exhibited excellent reliability (0.96–0.99) and a substantial correlation with general cognitive abilities measured with a comprehensive test battery (r = 0.57; age-corrected r = 0.50), supporting its potential as a brief screening of cognitive abilities. Working memory capacity accounted for the majority (54%) of the association between test performance and general cognitive abilities, whereas individual differences in processing speed did not contribute to this relationship. Our results support the notion that the mini-q can be used as a brief, reliable, and valid assessment of general cognitive abilities. We therefore developed a computer-based version, ensuring its adaptability for large-scale panel studies. The paper- and computer-based versions demonstrated scalar measurement invariance and can therefore be used interchangeably. We provide norm data for young (18 to 30 years) and middle-aged (31 to 60 years) adults and provide recommendations for incorporating the mini-q in panel studies. Additionally, we address potential challenges stemming from language diversity, wide age ranges, and online testing in such studies.

Respondents with more extreme views show moderation of opinions in multi-year surveys in the USA and the Netherlands

People with extreme political attitudes are often assumed to be more resistant to change than moderates. If this assumption is true, extreme attitudes would ossify and continuously aggravate intergroup conflict and polarization. To test this assumption of stubborn extremists, we use large-scale panel surveys of attitudes towards policy issues and general ideologies across up to 13 years (combined N = 16,238). By tracking the same people across multi-year periods, we are able to ascertain whether extreme attitude holders exhibit less change in policy attitudes than moderates. The results revealed that extreme attitude holders are more likely to change their attitudes than moderates across various policy issues and general ideologies, and tend to directionally moderate over time. A final experiment finds that lay people incorrectly believe that extreme attitudes holders are more resistant to change, contrary to the results found here. We discuss the implications of this finding for understanding the evolution of extreme attitude holders, the misperception of ideological and policy differences, and the role of inaccurate out-group perceptions in shaping polarization and intergroup conflict.

Abstract PR016: Largescale organoid panel drug screening to short-track clinically-relevant output

Abstract Introduction Patient-derived organoids (PDOs) have emerged over the last decade as representative in vitro replicas of tumor biology, bringing increased accuracy in predicting clinical outcomes based on pre-clinical results. Large and deeply characterized organoid biobanks, covering broad varieties in indications and genetic backgrounds, have been generated that allow large scale (combination) drug testing, reliable biomarker predictions, and improved drug repurposing and patient stratification studies. However, relatively long timelines and high expenses hold the organoids back to live up to their promise. To overcome these hurdles, we have optimized processes, and here present a largescale organoid panel drug screening platform consisting of over 50 organoid models that predicts drug responses across at least seven indications in a robust, but also fast and cost-efficient manner. Methods Colorectal, breast, lung, pancreatic, ovarian, cervix and melanoma organoid models were selected for subtype and driver mutation variety, banked in large batches, and preserved in an assay-ready format to reduce lead-in time and organoid expansion phase. Drug responses of the full organoid panel were characterized with standard of care compounds (cisplatin, gemcitabine and paclitaxel) and AMG510 targeted therapy (KRAS G12C inhibitor, sotorasib) by measuring ATP levels after a 5-day exposure using a 9-dose curve. Experiments were executed using automated liquid handling equipment to standardize procedures and increase consistency. Control variability (CV), Z-factors and assay windows were calculated to assess assay performance, and IC50 values and area under the curves (AUC) were calculated to express drug sensitivity. Experiments were repeated in multiple labs to test for assay robustness. Results The largescale panel screening platform exhibits a high average assay performance, with high Z-factors (>0.6), low intra- and interplate variability (CV <15%) and reproducible IC50 outputs. Data report of the full panel was prepared within 6 weeks of project kick-off; shortening timelines compared to regular organoid screens over 6-fold, from months to weeks. Using IC50 values and AUC, drug sensitivity testing distinguished sensitive from partially and insensitive models, and models with specific genetic features (KRAS G12C vs G12X) behaved as expected when a AMG510 therapy was tested. Conclusion and Discussion Assay-ready organoid technology-based largescale panel screening as presented here has resulted in efficient timeline and cost reductions and will therefore further harness the large potential of PDO technology in the drug development pipeline. Largescale organoid panel screening enables identification of drug synergy by testing drug combinations. With the majority of included models also being available as PDX models, it will facilitate a seamless translation into subsequent in vivo studies. Moreover, combining panel screens with advanced biomarker analysis will allow early patient stratification, further aiding clinical development of novel oncology drugs. Citation Format: Liza Wijler, Annelot Staes, Linda van Seeters, Lama Alhaj Hasan, Bram Herpers, Leo Price, Mariusz Madej, Michiel Fokkelman, Xiaoxi Xu, Marrit Putker. Largescale organoid panel drug screening to short-track clinically-relevant output [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC Virtual International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2023 Oct 11-15; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2023;22(12 Suppl):Abstract nr PR016.

Using Instrumental Variables to Measure Causation over Time in Cross-Lagged Panel Models

Cross-lagged panel models (CLPMs) are commonly used to estimate causal influences between two variables with repeated assessments. The lagged effects in a CLPM depend on the time interval between assessments, eventually becoming undetectable at longer intervals. To address this limitation, we incorporate instrumental variables (IVs) into the CLPM with two study waves and two variables. Doing so enables estimation of both the lagged (i.e., “distal”) effects and the bidirectional cross-sectional (i.e., “proximal”) effects at each wave. The distal effects reflect Granger-causal influences across time, which decay with increasing time intervals. The proximal effects capture causal influences that accrue over time and can help infer causality when the distal effects become undetectable at longer intervals. Significant proximal effects, with a negligible distal effect, would imply that the time interval is too long to estimate a lagged effect at that time interval using the standard CLPM. Through simulations and an empirical application, we demonstrate the impact of time intervals on causal inference in the CLPM and present modeling strategies to detect causal influences regardless of the time interval in a study. Furthermore, to motivate empirical applications of the proposed model, we highlight the utility and limitations of using genetic variables as IVs in large-scale panel studies.

Institutional Trust in Times of Corona

During the corona pandemic, governments of all countries appealed strongly to the trust of their populations by implementing drastic social and economic measures to prevent the spread of the virus. This study seeks to understand mechanisms that influence the level of institutional trust at the time of the corona pandemic. We are specifically interested in how three explanatory factors (socioeconomic status, experienced economic insecurity and dissatisfaction with the implemented corona policies) can, in mutual association, explain differences in institutional trust. This study is based on data from a large-scale panel survey on the social impact of COVID-19, carried out by Kieskompas research agency (N=22,696). Using a serial mediation analysis, we show that SES has both a direct and indirect effect on the level of institutional trust. People with higher SES experience less economic insecurity and have less dissatisfaction with the corona policies and, partly as a result of this, stronger institutional trust. It is also true that economic insecurity increases dissatisfaction with the corona policies and, partly as a result of this, weakens the level of trust.

The impact of induced earthquakes on mental health: evidence from the Dutch Lifelines Cohort Study

Abstract Background A growing body of literature demonstrates that exposure to events, such as natural disasters, accidents, or adverse life events, may increase the risk of physical and psychological distress. Despite this understanding, little is known about the health consequences of consistent exposure to human-made crises. To address this issue, we examine the long-term health effects of mining-induced earthquakes in the Northern Netherlands and study the heterogeneity of the effect across socioeconomic status (SES). Methods Large-scale individual health data is from the Dutch Lifelines biobank and cohort study with 148,700 participants from the Northern Netherlands. Earthquake data is from Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. The main health outcomes are housing-related stress, depression, anxiety, and self-assessed health. The key independent variable is accumulated peak ground velocity. We use an individual-level fixed effects model to assess the health effects of induced earthquakes by controlling individual heterogeneity, especially migration preference. Further, we add the interaction terms of accumulated PGV and education level into the regression model to analyze the different effects of earthquakes across SES. Results We find an association between living in high-exposure areas and housing-related stress. The results also show that for each additional noticeable earthquake (PGV>0.5 cm/s), the probability of getting anxiety increases by 1.04% on average. Moreover, the number of noticeable earthquakes (PGV>0.5 cm/s) has an adverse impact on self-assessed health. After adding the interaction terms, considerable health effects disparities were observed between SES, with the highest health effects of earthquakes in the lowest SES groups. Conclusions Our results indicate that the long-run effects of sequences of small shocks are more significant than previously believed. The low SES group was the most vulnerable population to induced earthquakes. Key messages • This paper aims to estimate the causal effects of mining-induced earthquakes on health by employing large-scale panel data from the Lifelines biobank and cohort study in the Northern Netherlands. • Our findings suggest that exposure to repeated earthquakes has a negative effect on housing-related stress, anxiety, and self-rated health.

Combating extreme weather through operations management: Evidence from a natural experiment in China

In recent years, frequent extreme weather events have had serious impacts on firms' operations and supply chain management. More and more firms are taking extreme weather into consideration in their formulation of strategies and are striving to employ a range of measures to mitigate the adversity caused by extreme weather. Many of prior extreme weather-related studies focus on its socioeconomic or financial impacts in developed countries. In the operations management field, while researchers have long investigated various climate change-related issues, limited efforts have been specifically devoted to extreme weather’s operational performance implications, and it remains unclear whether operational resources or strategies employed in the firm-specific endogenous glitches or disruptions can be successfully scaled to such exogenous extreme conditions. Employing the staggered difference-in-differences approach and analyzing a large-scale panel dataset of Chinese listed firms, we find that there is a significant negative relationship between extreme weather and firms' operational performance in terms of labor productivity. Further analysis shows that firms with high levels of operational slack, digital technology deployment, and cash hedging are less significantly affected by extreme weather. Our findings remain consistent across various robustness checks including parallel trend analysis, alternative measures, Mahalanobis distance matching approach, placebo test, and adjustment of estimation window. These findings contribute to the extreme weather and disaster management literature in several ways and have significant practical implications for firms.

Life cycle assessment for producing monocrystalline photovoltaic panels: a case study of Brazil

ABSTRACT Energy generation from photovoltaic panels provides for clean, renewable, low environmental impact energy. However, such characteristics are only related to products already in operation, as they do not apply to their production process. In this study, Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) was conducted to quantify 11 environmental impacts caused by the production of monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic panels in Brazil, considering raw material extraction, material processing, construction, and part production. The LCA showed that the photovoltaic panel production process has several environmental impacts that can be minimized by implementing changes to the production chain, especially to reduce the generation of greenhouse gases which contribute to global warming. It was observed that the solar cell production stage contributes to the environmental impacts the most, especially to those referring to abiotic depletion (84%) and to all stratospheric ozone layer depletion (62%). The potential impacts estimated were 9.43 × 10−2 kg Sbeq and 5.34 × 10−4 kg CFC-11eq, respectively. With relation to global warming, Greenhouse Gases (GHG) were emitted with a corresponding value of 3.23 × 103 kg CO2 eq, it was caused by CO2, CH4, HFC-134a, nitrous oxide, HFC-23, CFC-13 gases. To reduce impact per unit of production, it is suggested that the monocrystalline silicon panel production be substituted for polycrystalline, and more incentives be provided to increase large-scale panel production, making it cheaper.