Levels Of Goods Research Articles

The Myth of the “Triple Win”: Questioning the Impact of Immigration on Immigrants, Origin, and Destination Countries

Abstract David Leblang and Benjamin Helm's 2023 book, The Ties That Bind. Immigration and the Global Political Economy, provides evidence that state governance affects the levels of emigration as well as international migrants' choice of destination. States that provide higher levels of public goods generate fewer emigrants while states that provide access to citizenship and non-discrimination attract more immigrants. Leblang and Helms then show that migrants, having moved across borders, facilitate international capital flows, including remittances, foreign direct investment, and portfolio investment. These flows, in turn, reduce the number of future emigrants. Their presentation falls short by failing to acknowledge the adjustment costs that may arise because of the temporal and geographic imbalances in generating revenues to expand public goods in the host state to accommodate the new arrivals. Moreover, their policy recommendation for enlarging temporary labor migration programs fails to acknowledge longstanding criticisms of these plans because of their potential for worker exploitation and the tendency of temporary migrants to remain in the destination country.

Assessing the nonlinear relationship between consumer goods and water pollution in different seasons with machine learning models: A case study in the Yangtze River Economic Belt

Consumer goods volume and their consumption structure significantly contribute to water pollution within economic zones. However, there remains a need to better comprehend the nuanced and seasonal nonlinear relationship between consumer goods and water pollution, which currently obstructs essential consumption adjustments aimed at reducing water pollution. This study selected an effective machine learning model Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM) with SHapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) to assess the nonlinear relationship between consumer goods and water pollution during flood and non-flood seasons within the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2013 to 2022, Baidu Index of consumer goods were used to represent the potential consumption level (PCL). The findings revealed the following: (1) During flood seasons, hydroelectricity and the PCL of furniture and cultural goods emerged as factors driving water pollution reduction. Conversely, GDP, PCL of communication devices, and beverages played significant roles in exacerbating water pollution. During non-flood seasons, the drivers for reducing water pollution included GDP, income gap and PCL of cultural goods. Meanwhile, PCL of cars, western medicine and oil became pivotal drivers for exacerbating water pollution. (2) Concerning consumption structure during flood and non-flood seasons, maintaining consumption levels of costume industrial goods, cultural, sports and health goods and transportation and accommodation goods below 66.71%, 77.66% and 79.61% respectively of their average PCL appeared beneficial in reducing water pollution. During flood seasons, consumption levels of cars and furniture below 85.69% and 91.46% respectively of their average PCL were associated with reduced water pollution. During non-flood seasons, consumption levels of cars and oil below 82.95% and 71.28% respectively of their average PCL could help reduce water pollution. (3) The proportion of hydroelectricity generation exceeding 2% and 3% respectively during flood and non-flood seasons helped in reducing water pollution. Moreover, GDP per capita surpassing 2388.82 and 2075.78 respectively during flood and non-flood season was preferable for reducing water pollution. These findings deepened our understanding of the nonlinear relationship and identify promising consumer goods and their consumption structure that could effectively aid in reducing water pollution from a consumption perspective.

Stochastic optimization of level-dependent perishable inventory system by Jackson network

In this research work, we developed a model to investigate the long-run behavior of the solutions of continuous review ( s , S ) inventory policy for level-dependent perishable products with positive service time on Jackson queueing network. The service facility is assumed that the waiting capacities of each queue are different. In this model, we assume two independent single server nodes in a M / M / 1 queueing system with an associated inventory, where each node represents a queue. In a Poisson process, customers enter the system. The service times ( μ i > 0 ) and lead times ( θ i > 0 ) are independent and also spread exponentially at the node i for 1 ⩽ i ⩽ 2 . If the inventory levels of goods from the warehouse i are below s i at any moment, an order for Q i = ( ( S i - s i ) > 0 ; ∀ i ) units is made, where S i is the highest capacity of storage for each warehouse in the system. In the steady state case, the matrix analytic technique is used to derive the combined probability distribution for the number of customers and inventory level. The overall anticipated cost rate is determined using some essential system performance measures. Numerical and graphical examples are presented to analyze the effect of variation of parameters on the system.

How different are Monetary Unions to national economies according to prices?

AbstractNot that different. Based on a unique dataset of semi‐annual microeconomic price levels of goods and services across and within countries for 1990:1–2018:2, we show that time‐series volatility and cross‐sectional dispersion of law‐of‐one‐price deviations are similar for pairs of cities within the same country and across the Eurozone eleven original members. Our empirical analysis reveals that inflation and nominal exchange rate volatility/dispersion across locations have a positive impact on the volatility/dispersion across locations of law‐of‐one‐price deviations across the globe. Furthermore, dispersion of law‐of‐one‐price deviations across goods falls when the relative inflation rate between these locations rises, suggesting that the degree of price adjustment in individual product markets within a country has an international component shaped by international trade and arbitrage considerations. According to this measure of price integration, economies within the monetary union are half‐way to the level of integration characterizing national economies. Moreover, monetary union membership is associated with lower volatility of law‐of‐one‐price deviations, placing member countries more than half‐way towards the volatility levels characterizing national economies.

Democracy and public goods revisited: Local institutions, development, and access to water

Democracies are commonly thought to provide greater levels of public goods than autocracies. Given that many public goods are provided locally, higher levels of local democracy are further thought to result in better rates of provision in both autocratic and democratic systems. However, several studies have cast doubt on democratic superiority in public goods provision both nationally and locally. We re-examine these contested relationships, investigating a locally provisioned public good: access to basic water. To determine what, if any, effects democracy has on public goods provision, we analyse the effects of both national and local democratic institutions, in conjunction with economic development. In cross-national regression analyses, we examine a global sample of 140 states from 2000 to 2015, arriving at three findings. First, access to basic water varies little by national regime type once accounting for development. Second, the existence of local elections and the degree to which they are free and competitive are positively correlated with basic water access rates in poor states. Finally, the positive effects of local democracy on water access in poor states increase with democratic institutional longevity. The findings of this study suggest two necessary additions to future research. First, more nuance is needed in the study of public goods provision beyond resources or a theoretical rationale for increased provision related to national regime characteristics. Second, considering the conditional influences of local institutional characteristics, development metrics could help illustrate the complicated circumstances determining access to basic public goods.

Stringency of Movement Restrictions Linked With Higher Retail Food Prices but Not Overall Prices for All Consumer Goods During COVID-19 Pandemic

ObjectivesThe COVID-19 crisis has disrupted economies and health systems across the globe and has brought substantial challenges for food systems. Government responses key to minimizing disease spread have included a number of movement restriction policies (e.g., school closures, stay at home measures, etc.). Such policies have impacted food consumption and purchasing behaviours and have harmed much of the face-to-face type of labour required for food retailing, which in turn may have impacted the affordability of diets. We use evidence from 133 countries to investigate the association between stringency in movement restriction policies and retail price levels for food and other consumer goods.MethodsWe use the International Monetary Fund's monthly national consumer price index (CPI), and food and non-alcoholic beverage index (FCPI), as well as a ratio of FCPI to CPI—the food price index (FPI)—for 133 countries from January 2017 to November2020. Data on stringency in movement restriction policies and COVID-19 cases and mortality per million were obtained from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, respectively. Fixed effects regression models were used to estimate the association between stringency of COVID-19 movement restrictions and monthly differences in 2020 retail price levels (from average 2017–2019 levels) of foods and other consumer goods, while controlling for pandemic severity in each country and month.ResultsRegression models yielded a positive and significant relationship between stringency level and FCPI level (coeff. = 1.24–1.91; 95% CIs: 0.25–2.79) or FPI level (coeff. = 1.24–2.14; 95% CIs: 0.60–2.53). Alternatively, stringency level was either negatively associated with CPI level (coeff. = −0.57; 95% CI: −1.06 – −0.07) or not significantly associated with CPI level.ConclusionsGovernment response stringency in COVID-19 movement restriction policies is linked with higher retail food price levels. Governments could consider implementing these policies alongside other measures (e.g., food assistance) to mitigate negative spillovers into the domain of food security and nutrition.Funding SourcesThis work was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and UKAid through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office of the UK.

Developing a framework for sacred grove management using stakeholder analysis: evidence from sacred groves in Gujarat, India

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to use the framework of stakeholder analysis in a participatory democracy, used in forest management planning, for arriving at the best management option for selected sacred groves of Kachchh. This is achieved by accounting for economic, cultural and ecological values and the resulting outcomes in the complex institutional mechanism. Additionally, this study provides a framework for complex decision-making that characterizes the management of sacred groves involving multiple criteria and options accounting for multiple stakeholders that involve conflicting interests.Design/methodology/approachThe analytical hierarchy process was used to calculate the global priorities of management options using the relative importance of stakeholders, weights of different decision criteria to arrive at the best management practice for selected groves of Kachchh. The global priorities of management options rank management practices based on stakeholders' values and their effects on the choice of management strategy as well as on the potential to attain a compromise between competing interests. For this purpose, survey responses of 141 individuals belonging to seven different stakeholder categories were analyzed. Along with focus group discussions, and personal interviews, a stratified random sampling technique was used to survey respondents.FindingsBased on the global priority weights of the alternatives, it is determined that the restoration management option (guggal is restored by planting new guggal sapplings, cattle grazing is prohibited and high levels of ecosystem goods and services are provided) had the highest score, followed by the preservation management option (grazing is allowed on the periphery, juvenile guggal is preserved and moderate ecosystem goods and services are provided). Therefore, restoration of sacred groves is the best management practice of sacred groves in West Kachchh, offering a compromise between maximizing provision of ecosystem services and economic benefits in terms of allowing cattle grazing.Originality/valueThough there are several studies on best management practices for community-owned forests, irrigation systems, and pasture lands, and the role of local institutions in sustaining these common-pool resources; such studies for sacred groves are absent, despite sacred groves being one of the longest surviving common-pool resources that has sustained it over several decades. This is the first study that uses the framework of stakeholder analysis to arrive at the best management practice for sacred groves. The uniqueness of the study lies in a comprehensive evaluation of ecological–economic–cultural interests of multiple stakeholders toward management of sacred groves.

Upgrading waste material flow analysis with process models: The case of anaerobic digestion

Material flow analysis (MFA) has been shown to be a valuable tool for goal-oriented decision making of waste management systems. When used to evaluate or compare waste management scenarios, it relies on applying transfer coefficients to model how the flows of goods and substances are transformed through waste treatment processes. Although transfer coefficients provide a useful simplification, their applicability to represent complex processes such as anaerobic digestion (AD) is limited. In this study, three levels of model complexity were compared to upgrade an MFA: a material-specific empirical transfer coefficient method using the biochemical methane potential, a kinetic method using a first-order model, and a process-based method using the Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1). The three models were integrated in an MFA and compared based on their prediction of methane production and nitrogen recovery for different waste compositions, reactor operating conditions and simulation time steps. The results showed that the simpler models were sufficient to predict the methane production, but that only complex models such as ADM1 could predict behaviour regarding the loss of nitrogen in the liquid digestate. The results also showed the advantages of integrating the model in transient state for nitrogen modelling. An MFA upgraded with a process model such as ADM1 allows to better implement the analysis on both the levels of goods and substances and can be useful for the case of waste treatment processes other than AD.

Choice Simplification: A Theory of Mental Budgeting and Naive Diversification*

Abstract We develop a theory of how an agent makes basic multiproduct consumption decisions in the presence of taste, consumption opportunity, and price shocks that are costly to attend to. We establish that the agent often simplifies her choices by restricting attention to a few important considerations, which depend on the decision at hand and affect her consumption patterns in specific ways. If the agent’s problem is to choose the consumption levels of many goods with different degrees of substitutability, then she may create mental budgets for more substitutable products (e.g., entertainment). In some situations, it is optimal to specify budgets in terms of consumption quantities, but when most products have an abundance of substitutes, specifying budgets in terms of nominal spending tends to be optimal. If the goods are complements, in contrast, then the agent may—consistent with naive diversification—choose a fixed, unconsidered mix of products. And if the agent’s problem is to choose one of multiple products to fulfill a given consumption need (e.g., for gasoline or a bed), then it is often optimal for her to allocate a fixed sum for the need.

Public goods equilibria under closed- and open-list proportional representation

Building on past research, this paper develops a game theoretic model to study the provision of local public goods under closed- and open-list proportional representation (CLPR and OLPR). The core results suggest that, all thing equal, legislators will provide voters with higher levels of public goods in OLPR than in CLPR systems. However, two intervening variables condition the institutional comparison: the district magnitude and electoral volatility. Firstly, public goods effort increases as district magnitude increases in OLPR systems, while it tends to decrease as magnitude increases in CLPR systems. Indeed, when district magnitude is [Formula: see text], the two systems are often indistinguishable. Furthermore, the distinction between OLPR and CLPR weakens when electoral volatility is low, such that neither system generates high levels of public goods effort. In addition to their relevance for political economy, the paper’s results provide game theoretic foundations for a series of theoretical conjectures found in Carey and Shugart’s (1995) seminal study of electoral institutions and legislative personalism (Incentives to cultivate a personal vote: A rank-ordering of electoral formulas. Electoral Studies 1995; 14(4): 417–439).

Public Goods Equilibria Under Closed - and Open - List Proportional Representation

Building on past research, this paper develops a game theoretic model to study the provision of public goods under Closed- and Open-List Proportional Representation. The core results suggest that legislators will provide voters with higher levels of public goods in OLPR than in CLPR systems. However, two intervening variables condition the institutional comparison: the district magnitude and electoral volatility. Firstly, public goods effort increases with district magnitude in OLPR systems, but tends to decrease with district magnitude in CLPR systems. Indeed, when magnitude is M = 2, CLPR and OLPR are often indistinguishable. Furthermore, the distinction between the two systems will weaken when electoral volatility is low, since in such circumstances neither system generates high levels of public goods effort. In addition to their relevance for political-economy, the paper's results provide game theoretic foundations for a series of theoretical conjectures found in Carey and Shugart's (1995) seminal study of electoral institutions and legislative personalism.

Willingness to pay for consumer food products in scientific research

<p><strong>Theoretical background</strong>: The basis for developing a company's pricing strategy is information on consumers' willingness to pay (WTP). In order to properly estimate the demand for the products offered, it is necessary to understand the reactions of consumers to different price levels of goods. Research on WTP has been developing dynamically in the international arena for over a decade. The concept of WTP as presented in the article, a concept which may support decisions concerning pricing policy and influence the earnings of entrepreneurs, is rarely discussed in Polish publications.</p><p><strong>Purpose of the article</strong>: Based on the analysis of the literature, the article attempts to answer the question of whether, if buyers are willing to pay a higher price for certain characteristics of food products, WTP is an important predictor of consumers' purchase decisions.</p><p><strong>Research methods</strong>: The article contains studies of Polish and world literature in the field of the development and application of WTP in the context of food consumer products.</p><p><strong>Main findings</strong>: Consumers will most likely accept a higher price if they perceive that the value of a particular characteristic of the product distinguishes it from conventional goods. This means that it is not the price but the WTP that determines the decision to buy a food product. The relationship between value and price, and thus WTP, is crucial in the process of forecasting consumer choices.</p>

CREATION OF LOCAL WINES AS A METHOD OF FORMATION OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES OF THE WINERY

The article proves the practicability of producing wine from local grapes for Ukrainian wineries. Thesubstantiation is based on the construction of five levels of goods and consumer values. The fifth level is awine that has a unique style: its character, temperament, expresses the peculiarities of the area where it isproduced. It has directed therapeutic properties due to the maximum content of nutrients from certain varieties of grapes and innovative technology. A business model of wine production in the chateau format hasbeen proposed. The mission, goals and strategies for such production have been developed. The mission isthe production of unique wines and the revival of winemaking traditions and wine consumption culture inUkraine. Target audience of consumers and competitive advantages have been determined. It is advisableto determine a competitive strategy for focusing on the manufacture of local wines. The marketing strategy ofgrowth has been proposed - the strategy of developing a new product. Namely - the organization of a fullproduction cycle for the manufacture of dry white table wines from the grapes of the new breeding generation by author's blend schemes. Market research has shown that production of local wines may become acompetitive advantage of Ukrainian winemakers for a rather long period of time. The competitive advantagesof "Chateau", which produce local wines, allow us to work effectively on the national and international markets.

Is living in African cities expensive?

ABSTRACTAlthough several studies have examined why overall price levels are higher in richer countries, little is known about whether there is a similar relationship at the urban and city level across countries. This paper compares the price levels of cities in Sub-Saharan Africa with those of other regions by analyzing price information collected for the purpose of calculating official purchasing power parities. The approach of the paper is to readjust the calculated price levels from national to urban levels, using known price-level ratios between those areas. The results indicate that African cities are relatively more expensive, despite having lower income levels. The price levels of goods and services consumed by households are 25 to 28 percent higher in Sub-Saharan Africa than in other low- and middle-income countries, relative to their income levels. Such high costs of living could constrain livelihood of low-income urban residents, as well as the development of Africa’s urban economies.

Ethnic Segregation and Public Goods: Evidence from Indonesia

This article contributes to the study of ethnic diversity and public goods provision by assessing the role of the spatial distribution of ethnic groups. Through a new theory that we callspatial interdependence, we argue that the segregation of ethnic groups can reduce or even neutralize the “diversity penalty” in public goods provision that results from ethnic fractionalization. This is because local segregation allows communities to use disparities in the level of public goods compared with other communities as leverage when advocating for more public goods for themselves, thereby ratcheting up the level of public goods across communities. We test this prediction on highly disaggregated data from Indonesia and find strong support that, controlling for ethnic fractionalization, segregated communities have higher levels of public goods. This has an important and underexplored implication: decentralization disadvantages integrated communities vis-à-vis their more segregated counterparts.

A Note on Local Public Good Induced Spillovers between a Leading and a Lagging Region

We analyze spatial spillovers in an aggregate economy consisting of a leading and a lagging region where the spillovers stem from the provision of a local public good. Specifically, if the leading region provides the public good then the lagging region obtains some spillover benefits and vice versa. We first solve for the Nash equilibrium levels of the local public goods in the two regions when public investment decisions are simultaneous; next, we determine the equilibrium welfare levels in each region. Second, on the assumption that the public investment decisions are centralized, we compute the levels of the local public goods that maximize aggregate welfare. Finally, we describe an interregional transfer scheme that leads each region to choose non-cooperatively in a Nash equilibrium the same public investment levels as those that arise when aggregate welfare is maximized.

Ethnic Segregation and Public Goods: Evidence from Indonesia

This article contributes to the study of ethnic diversity and public goods provision by assessing the role of the spatial distribution of ethnic groups. Through a new theory that we call spatial interdependence, we argue that the segregation of ethnic groups can reduce or even neutralize the “diversity penalty” in public goods provision beyond what can be explained by ethnic fractionalization alone. This is because local segregation allows communities to use disparities in the level of public goods in other communities in the same administrative area as leverage when advocating for more public goods for themselves. We test this prediction on highly disaggregated data from Indonesia and find strong support that, controlling for ethnic fractionalization, segregated communities have higher levels of public goods. This has an important and underexplored implication: decentralization disadvantages integrated communities vis-a-vis their more segregated counterparts. Redistributive intervention from the center can counter this source of inequality.

Conceptual models underlying economic analysis of animal health and welfare with the inclusion of three components: people, products and resources.

Infectious animal diseases can spill across farm boundaries, so effective management requires coordinated responses. Costs and benefits from the management of infectious diseases are such that those who make the decisions have weak incentives to act, the levels of goods and services produced from animal agriculture are probably smaller than is socially optimal and resources are likely wasted. This work provides an overview of the existing literature on conceptual economic models in animal disease management, paying particular attention to inadequate incentives to make the required biosecurity efforts. A disease transmission model follows, emphasising policy and management issues which need to be addressed to enhance the benefits that consumers and producers obtain from animal protein markets. The article concludes with comments and suggestions on tackling infectious disease as a public good, and on directions for future research.

TBTT SPS: , , (India's TBT and SPS: Institutions, Cases and Impact on Exports to India)

Korean Abstract: 최근 주요 비관세조치인 TBT와 SPS가 확대되고 있는 상황하에서 본 연구는 인도의 TBT와 SPS 관련 정부 조직과 각종 제도 및 정책을 조사하고 관련 무역 현안사례를 분석하였으며, 인도의 TBT와 SPS가 대인도 수출에 미치는 영향을 분석하였다. English Abstract: Since the financial crisis began in the late 2000s, the tendency of protective trade has been strengthened in the globe. In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, evaluated the current FTAs of India as non-beneficial to India. The Modi administration has redirected its FTA strategy from the quantitative expansion that the previous administration pursued to the strategy that emphasizes qualitative growth. It is possible that the Modi administration implements protective trade policies directly and indirectly in order to push the 'Make in India' industrial growth policy that seeks to make India a global manufacturing hub. Therefore, negotiations for improving the Korea-India CEPA are likely to be delayed and face various obstacles. This study investigates relevant government bodies, institutions and policies on TBT (Technical Barriers to Trade) and SPS (Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures) in India. It also analyzes relevant specific trade concerns to TBT and SPS, and explores the effects of TBT and SPS on exports to India. In Chapter 2, this report examines government bodies and institutions related to TBT and SPS and also relevant articles and Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) to the FTAs that India has already signed. India's standards and regulation systems are complex and poorly established, compared to those of advanced countries and hence India has continuously expanded its regulations and has established, revised and supplemented its systems. While most of the FTAs by India deals with TBT and SPS, the Japan-India CEPA and Singapore-India CECA are more detailed, compared to the Korea- India CEPA. On the other hand, India is not yet active to enforce MRAs. Chapter 3 analyzes pending specific trade concerns (STCs) on India's TBT and SPS, and especially the STCs on Korea by reviewing WTO's TBT and SPS Committees and STCs from the various trade reports. Most TBT related STCs raised by India were raised by the EU and the US and automobile-related items were the most frequently discussed. Most countries that raised TBT and SPS against India were advanced countries including the US. The most controversial issues were the differences between India's standards and international standards. In addition to the qualitative analysis, chapter 4 provides an empirical analysis of the effects of India's TBT and SPS measures on the exports to India of trading partners. First, in case of the entire trading countries and industries, the results show that overall India's TBT measures had a positive effect on exports to India while SPS measures are not expected to have much influence. In other words, India's TBT measures have a positive effect on export through the provision of market information and increasing product reliability against expectations. Secondly, when the industries are divided into agriculture and manufacturing, the estimates show that TBT has significant positive on exports to India in the manufacturing sector while SPS's effect is limited. Our empirical results are in line with previous studies. However, the results for SPS were still statistically insignificant. Lastly, results of the effects of TBT and SPS on individual industries were disparate. TBT forms a trade barrier for processed primary goods, processed minerals, general machines, and electric machines, while rubber/chemicals and nonmetallic minerals that have high portions of intermediary goods and precision machinery and other manufacturing sectors that have high levels of capital goods gained positive impacts. In the case of SPS, exports of processed primary goods and the paper/lumber industry were expedited as a result of India's SPS measures while exports of the rubber/chemicals industry were blocked. This study provides suggestions and policy implications. It is suggested that the creation of a new division exclusive to the TBT and SPS measures on the Agri-food sector, policies in response to the political industrial application of the TBT and SPS, and policies in response to the poor administration systems on the TBT and SPS are needed. Lastly, it is recommended that the Korean government seeks to conclude an MRA with India to invigorate economic cooperation, including merchandise trade, between the two countries.

A Refutation of the Paul Davidson and Post Keynesian Claim that Paul Samuelson Was Never a Keynesian

A Refutation of the Paul Davidson and Post Keynesian Claim that Paul Samuelson Was Never a Keynesian