Public Options Research Articles

The Economics of the Public Option: Evidence from Local Pharmaceutical Markets

We study the effects of competition by state-owned firms, leveraging the decentralized entry of public pharmacies to local markets in Chile. Public pharmacies sell the same drugs at a third of private pharmacy prices, because of stronger upstream bargaining and market power in the private sector, but are of lower quality. Public pharmacies induced market segmentation and price increases in the private sector, which benefited the switchers to the public option but harmed the stayers. The countrywide entry of public pharmacies would reduce yearly consumer drug expenditure by 1.6 percent. (JEL D22, I18, L32, L65, O14)

Real‐time demonstration of photonics‐based THz wireless fronthaul integrated with fiber‐optic mobile fronthaul

AbstractA photonics‐based terahertz (THz) wireless fronthaul is proposed, and its feasibility is investigated by real‐time demonstration. The proposed wireless fronthaul can be simply integrated into existing fiber‐optic fronthaul, to serve as a complementary or emergency network. An optical signal can be converted into a THz wireless signal by photonics‐based THz‐signal generation technology, utilizing a unitraveling carrier photo‐diode. Following wireless transmission, the THz wireless signal is reconverted to an optical signal by using a Schottky‐barrier diode and an optical transmitter. To investigate the feasibility of our proposed concept, real‐time transmission over a 100 m‐equivalent configuration is demonstrated with 24.33 Gb/s common public radio interface option 10 signals, at a carrier frequency of 275 GHz. The latency added by the proposed wireless fronthaul was measured to be few 100 ns, which is negligibly lower than the wireless transmission latency required by 6G key performance indicator.

Can You Pay Your Way to Readership? Free to Publish Open Access Formats Receive Greater Readership and Citations Than Paid Open Access Formats in Total Knee Arthroplasty Literature

BackgroundAs publishing with open access is becoming increasingly popular within orthopaedics, understanding the types of publishing options available and what each may deliver is critically important. Hybrid articles require a high article processing charge. Open journal articles have a lower fee, while closed license articles are freely accessible at no charge. Open repository articles are peer-reviewed manuscripts posted freely online. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between article type and resulting citations, social media attention, and readership in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) literature. MethodsOpen access TKA journal articles published since 2016 were found using the Altmetric Explorer Database. Data gathered included the Altmetric Attention Score (attention), Mendeley Readership Score (readership), and citations per article. Articles were grouped by type: open journal, hybrid, closed license, and open repository. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Tukey’s analysis; α = 0.05. ResultsA total of 9,606 publications were included. The open repository had the greatest mean citations (14.40), while open journal (9.55) had fewer than all other categories (P < .001). Hybrid had the greatest mean attention (10.35), and open journal (6.16) had a lower mean attention than all other categories (P ≤ .002). Open repository had the greatest mean readership (44.68), and open journal (34.00) had a lower mean readership than all other categories (P ≤ .012). The mean publication fee for paid publication options was $1,792 United States dollars. ConclusionsIn open access TKA literature, free-to-publish open repositories had the greatest mean citations and readership. Free publication options, open repositories and closed licenses, had greater readership compared to paid publication options.

Destigmatizing Indian Punjab from irregular migration: Key public policy options

Destigmatizing Indian Punjab from irregular migration: Key public policy options

A Public Option for Clinical Trials? Lessons from Convalescent Plasma.

The case of clinical trials for convalescent plasma during COVID-19 illustrates important lessons for realizing public sector approaches to biomedical research and development. These lessons, centering on mission, transparency, and spillover effects, can be translated to wider efforts to develop a "public option" for clinical trials.

Decoding vibrant neighborhoods: Disparities between formal neighborhoods and urban villages in eye-level perceptions and physical environment

Vibrant neighborhoods play a pivotal role in the human well-being and social cohesion. However, existing research amalgamates vitality discussions of varied functions, failing to offer nuanced insights for specific neighborhood planning. Another gap emerges from the lack of research focusing on cultivating neighborhood vibrancy based on bottom-up spatial perceptions at the eye-level. Therefore, our study delves into the spatial and temporal disparities in vitality between formal neighborhoods and urban villages. Both real and virtual indicators are employed to measure the physical and digital vitality of neighborhoods. We incorporate eye-level perceptions as a new explanatory variable based on the physical environment. Our findings suggest that real vitality exhibits a modest morning and evening peak on weekends, while virtual vitality continually increases and peaks at night. In addition to enhancing green and enclosed neighborhood environments, improving public transportation options that replace reliance on motorized travel could facilitate formal neighborhood vitality. Regarding urban villages, clear rights-of-way can boost commuting efficiency, spatial accessibility and road safety, while the provision of ample public facilities and public spaces fosters the creation of “15-minute living circles.” The differentiated planning recommendations could offer valuable insights to promote livable neighborhoods and ultimately help to improve human well-being.

The Influence of Quality, Easy of Use, and Price on Product Attractiveness and Its Impact on Use Decisions (Study of Suroboyo Bus Service Users)

The increase in the number of motor vehicles is occurring in various cities in Indonesia, just like in Surabaya. This demands the Surabaya City government to reduce traffic congestion with several solutions, like increase the number of public transportation fleets. Suroboyo Bus, as one of the public transportation options in Surabaya, is required to meet the needs and desires of the Surabaya residents so that its user numbers will increase and contribute to reducing congestion. This research aims to determine the extent of the influence of quality, ease of use, price, product attractiveness, ease of use, and user decisions, both directly and indirectly, on Suroboyo Bus users in Surabaya. The method used in this research is the associative quantitative method. The respondents in this study were 100 respondents selected through purposive sampling. Data processing was carried out using path analysis method with the assistance of PLS software version 9.0.4.5.

How The "Great Resignation" and COVID Unemployment Have Eroded the Employer Sponsored Insurance Model and Access to Healthcare.

Pre-pandemic, employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI) covered 175 million workers and their dependents, the equivalent of 49% of the country's total population. ESI, a valuable tax preference to employer and employee alike, spurred worker job dependence on employers resulting in access to healthcare dependent upon continued employment. With the advent of the pandemic and the dramatic increase in unemployment, the number of uninsured increased by more than 2.7 million people. Then, unemployment proliferated further by an unprecedented exit from the workforce dubbed the "Great Resignation." Over 47 million Americans voluntarilyquit their jobs in a movement characterized as a general labor strike. The pandemic opened the floodgates to workers' concerns about COVID safety in the workplace, wage stagnationdespite increases in the cost of living, enduring job dissatisfaction, and increased demand for a remote-working environment. Data shows that the unemployed shifted to the Affordable Care Act marketplace or to the public payer option, Medicaid, for coverage. This shift signals a change, post-pandemic, away from the destabilizing system of access to care based on employment and unwanted job dependence and provides a policy argument favoring the more stabilizing influence of public insurance options in the health insurance market.

Comparative Evaluation of Road Pricing Schemes: A Simulation Approach (Australian Perspective)

Road network pricing and congestion charging continue to be debated as efficient instruments to address traffic congestion and emissions. For cities where the schemes have not been implemented yet, the impacts of these schemes are typically evaluated using transport simulation models to understand the impacts and design effective solutions before the schemes are deployed. This paper considers a simulation approach for the city of Melbourne in Australia to investigate the potential impacts of road network pricing on reducing private vehicle travel, road congestion, and vehicle emissions. The study uses a dynamic traffic simulation model developed for Melbourne using the AIMSUN modeling tool, which was extended for modeling road user pricing and congestion charging, including considerations and formulations of distance-based, delay-based, joint-distance-and-delay-based, and cordon-based schemes under low-cost, medium-cost, and high-cost regimes. The study’s contributions also include an extension of the modeling framework to include public transport options to allow for providing travelers with the option of choosing an alternative mode of transport if they do not wish to pay. A mesoscopic stochastic route choice modeling approach was adopted to examine the impact of road pricing inside a nominated charging zone within the network. The results showed it would be possible to achieve a reduction of 11% in vehicle count, a 20% reduction in travel time, a 13% reduction in emissions, and a 3% increase in travel speed within the proposed pricing zone under a high-cost pricing scenario. The results also showed a significant reduction in emissions resulting from shifting drivers who are not willing to pay the congestion charge to public transport. When 20% of car drivers shifted to public transport, carbon emissions were reduced by up to 30% and network performance improved by 45%, compared to the baseline scenario without pricing. The findings of this research provide important directions for policymakers in deciding on the type and scope of charging schemes to use and how these could reshape transportation taxation systems by moving away from taxes on vehicles through registration fees and towards user-pay taxations where travelers pay for the amount of travel they do or the pollution and emissions they are responsible for.

Public and Private Options in Practice: The Military Health System.

Recent debates over health care reform, including in the context of the Military Health System (MHS) and Veterans Administration, highlight the dispute between public and private provision of health care services. Using novel data on childbirth claims from the MHS and drawing on the combination of plausibly exogenous patient moves and heterogeneity across bases in the availability of base hospitals, we identify the impact of receiving obstetrical care on versus off military bases. We find evidence that off-base care is associated with slightly greater resource intensity, but also notably better outcomes, suggesting marginal efficiency gains from care privatization.

Selection of Propulsion System for Electric Amphibious Bus to Alleviate Traffic Congestion in the Jabodetabek Area

High vehicle growth in Jakarta is not balanced with traffic growth, the level of congestion in Jakarta continues to increase every year. To overcome this congestion, innovation is needed to utilize the river as a means of public transportation. The amphibious bus is an alternative public transportation option in the Jabodetabek area to break congestion. The amphibious bus design must be supported by a propulsion system that can operate on land and water. The amphibious bus propulsion system is a must, according to river conditions and operational requirements. The selection of the drive system is carried out by means of analysis The driving criteria factors needed according to the specifications of the amphibious bus are power, efficiency, size, cost, and maneuverability. These criteria become indicators in determining the type of mover. This study aims to select the prime mover system based on criteria and specification requirements. The selection uses the process hierarchy analysis (AHP) method by giving weight to the criteria for each driver, and type of mover in the water, namely waterjets, azimuth-podded, Paddle Wheels, Cycloidal Propellers and propulsion on land diesel engines, gasoline engines, and electric engines. The results showed that the order of the propulsion selection criteria was propulsion power being the top priority, followed by maneuverability, energy efficiency, cost, operational and investment, and propulsion size and weight. The results of the AHP show that the main options are propulsion systems in water, namely waterjets and diesel engine propulsion systems on land. System Water Jet has a propulsion power of 1000 kW, has high maneuverability, energy efficiency of 85%, and a maximum speed of 60 Km/hour so it can meet the specifications of an amphibious bus drive. For operations on land, the main choice of propulsion system for amphibious buses is a diesel engine with a power of 250 HP and 800 Nm of torque providing strong torque and a wide cruising range. This system has a range of up to 800 km, a maximum speed of 120 km/h, and exhaust emissions of Euro 5.

“Patiently waiting”: How do non-driving disabled adults get around in rural America?

Most mobility needs in rural America are primarily met via driving. Yet many disabled adults cannot drive. Lack of adequate public transportation in rural areas exacerbates transportation-related disparities. We interviewed 33 non-driving disabled adults throughout the U.S. to explore how they get around in their rural communities. Research questions primarily focused on the relationships between transportation, community participation, healthcare access, and social capital. We used thematic analysis to identify themes related to our research questions. In general, interviewees described a dearth of public transportation options. Even if public transit were available, other issues limited use such as inaccessibility, expenses, or schedules and routes. Many participants also described getting rides from others. While this was a critical component of many individuals’ daily travel, it also introduced a layer of dependency and social pressure that otherwise would not exist with more independent means of transportation. Policy implications include improved public transit funding and strategies to promote universal auto access.

Shrinking labour geographies: Transport access for paid work in later ages

Background and objectivesIn developing countries, a substantial share of the older population is employed (WHO, 2007), which is anticipated to triple between 2020 and 2050, bolstered by the rise of bridge employment in later life. Bridge jobs are part-time, informal work arrangements that serve as a transitional phase between full-time employment and retirement. While transport access for older adults is a primary policy concern in the age-friendly cities framework, their experiences of encountering and negotiating labour geographies, particularly transport systems to access bridge employment, are understudied. Research design and methodsThis paper used a qualitative and interpretative approach to analyse how older adults engage in nonlinear work patterns and commute to workspaces. We use a combination of visual mapping, observations, and in-depth interviews with older adults in Bengaluru, an urban metropolis in southern India. ResultsOlder workers engage in regular mobility routines to access informal bridge jobs. Our results suggest that the precarity of their bridge jobs permeates into their mobilities. Class, gender, and spatialities create additional layers of barriers to their already constrained transport resources. Economically disadvantaged older individuals encountered shrinking labour geographies due to unaffordable public transportation and first-and-last-mile journeys. For reasons of safety, older women were forced to depend on shared and public transport options, which were often unreliable. Lastly, older workers residing in geographically marginalised areas find more difficulty in organising transport to bridge jobs. Discussion and implicationsBridge jobs in informal arrangements are important means of livelihood for older persons in countries like India. Apart from the already precarious working conditions, the weak systemic transport support induces strain on the working conditions of older workers. From the purview of labour geography, adding to the natural limits of ageing, induced limits such as ageism and precarity at workplaces and non-age-friendly transport infrastructure create situations of vulnerable employment among older adults in the cities of the Global South.

Understanding Broadcast Meteorologists’ Current and Future Use of Severe Weather Watches, Warnings, and Probabilistic Hazard Information

Abstract Broadcast meteorologists are essential in the communication of National Weather Service (NWS) warnings to the public. Therefore, it is imperative to include them in a user-centered approach for the design and implementation of new warning products. Forecasting a Continuum of Environmental Threats (FACETs) will modernize the way meteorologists forecast and communicate NWS warning information to the general public using rapidly updating probabilistic hazard information (PHI). Storm-scale PHI consists of probabilistic forecasts for severe wind/hail, tornadoes, and lightning hazards. Hence, NWS warnings would have the capacity to be supplemented by a quantitative or qualitative likelihood of hazard occurrence. The researchers conducting this study wanted to know what broadcast meteorologists thought about the inclusion of this likelihood information and how it could impact their decision-making and communication process. Using a nationwide survey, this team of researchers first asked broadcast meteorologists about their current practices for severe weather coverage using NWS watches and warnings. Next, broadcast meteorologists were introduced to multiple iterations of PHI prototypes and queried for their input. Findings indicated that broadcast meteorologists already face a complex decision-making and communication process under today’s warning paradigm. In addition, respondents were split on whether to explicitly communicate probabilities with their viewers. Respondents’ choices were also somewhat inconclusive regarding nomenclature, definitions of PHI and representations of PHI with warning polygons. These results suggest that PHI should feature user-driven, customizable options to fulfill broadcast meteorologists’ needs and that the iterative nature of the research-and-development process of PHI should continue. Significance Statement Broadcast meteorologists are vital communicators of dangerous weather to the public, leading researchers to study them more closely. Using a nationwide survey, this team of researchers wanted to know how broadcast meteorologists talk about tornadoes, large hail, and high winds to their viewers under today’s system of National Weather Service warnings. Survey findings indicated that broadcast meteorologists face a complex decision-making process when communicating dangerous weather. Any effort to modernize the current warning system, such as including hazard probability, should consider this complex process. Modernization should complement the role of broadcast meteorologists to ultimately serve the public and user-driven options should be a key component of any probabilistic information that is included in a future National Weather Service warning system.

PENGARUH HARGA DAN AKSESBILITAS TERHADAP MINAT BERKUNJUNG DAN PENINGKATAN PELAKU WIRAUSAHA DI DESTINASI DANAU CIPONDOH

This research aims to determine the effect of price and accessibility on interest in visiting and its impact on increasing entrepreneurship at Lake Cipondoh. The type of research conducted is quantitative descriptive using path analysis method. The research population consists of all visitors to Lake Cipondoh, and the sample size used is 150 respondents. The sampling technique used is accidental sampling. The results of the study show that: (1) Price and accessibility have a significant effect on interest in visiting; (2) Interest in visiting has a significant effect on increasing the number of entrepreneurs. The parking ticket, admission ticket, and attraction prices are very cheap and affordable, thus visitors are interested in visiting Lake Cipondoh which is more financially accessible. The paved and concrete roads, various public transportation options, and clear signage make visitors interested in coming to Lake Cipondoh. Interest in visiting Lake Cipondoh affects the increasing demand for food and drinks, providing opportunities for business actors to establish food stalls and eateries at Lake Cipondoh.

Fostering an Age-Friendly Sustainable Transport System: A Psychological Perspective

The aging population is rapidly growing across the world, with the number of people aged 65 or older projected to reach 1.6 billion by 2050. As such, it is essential to consider how to develop sustainable transport systems that are age-friendly. This perspective paper investigates how to foster an age-friendly transport system with a particular focus on public and sustainable transport options for the elderly. Existing transport systems are evaluated to determine their adherence to an effective age-friendly transport system in terms of three main requirements, namely affordability, accessibility and safety. Then, a psychological perspective is introduced by considering the psycho-physical needs and preferences of the elderly as well as individual factors affecting them. Four areas are considered: (a) independence and autonomy, (b) comfort and convenience, (c) social inclusion and ageism, (d) physical health and well-being, especially injuries due to mobility and fear connected with them. Finally, a proposal is made about psychological training programs directed to both elderly users and transport workers to overcome concerns for an age-friendly transportation system. Such programs could effectively support the age-friendly use of public transport systems simply by increasing the age-friendly skills of both users as well as transport workers.

202 Development of a be-SPOKE ICPOP clinics in a rural catchment area

Abstract Background The hub and spoke model within the healthcare setting is designed around the principle of a main healthcare setting (hub) which offers a full complement of services and investigations and supporting secondary (spoke) clinics, which offer a narrower range of services but may be much more practical and preferable environment for assessment for older adults. This strategic model can meet patient needs fully, allow for appropriate concentration of resources and offers great potential for delivery of high quality patient care. Methods Our aim is to describe the development of several SPOKE clinic in a rural catchment area as part of the Integrated care for Older Persons (ICPOP) service. Results Our catchment covers a population of 38,000, many of whom are living rurally with few accessible public transport options to attend the nearest city for medical assessments. We identified key locations to develop a spoke clinics to deliver comprehensive geriatric assessments on those with new falls, frailty and decline in cognition. We gathered key stakeholders and identified clinical space, listed equipment and upgrades that would be required and process mapped the patient journey compared to attending a city based hub clinic. Our first spoke clinic began January 2023, with two further locations added in April 2023 with positive feedback from patients and caregivers to date. Practical aspects have been praised by patients including parking, distance to clinic room and accessible facilities. Conclusion This model is in its early phase but has been satisfactory to date. An additional benefit has been improved interaction with local services and primary care teams co-located at spoke clinic sites. This model would be suitable to implement in any community catchment area with a large urban and rural population mix.

Research Data Management Curriculum of the Research Data Services at the University Library Duisburg-Essen

Reproducible and transparent science requires good research data management (RDM). However, researchers are often not familiar with how to appropriately handle research data, publication options, legal aspects, and the multitude of available software tools. To support scientists at the University of Duisburg-Essen in gaining RDM knowledge and competencies, the Research Data Services developed a structured teaching program – the RDM Curriculum – for researchers from different disciplines and career levels.&#x0D; The RDM Curriculum is separated into a basic and an advanced module. In the basic module, participants can select from three full-day courses that address the basics of RDM with different disciplinary focus. The advanced module consists of various 2 hour online hands-on courses on diverse RDM topics and tools. As incentive to attend multiple courses, participants can earn the RDM Badge of the University Library Duisburg-Essen. The curriculum program is complemented by specialized RDM courses and self-learning materials.&#x0D; With the RDM Curriculum, we created an easily accessible and individually selectable RDM course offer that enables researchers to gain discipline-specific and individually relevant RDM knowledge. The curriculum structure can gradually be expanded to further target groups (e.g. students) and allows for continuously adding new contents in the advanced module. The high request for the RDM Badge after the first iteration of the RDM Curriculum in the winter semester 2022/2023 confirmed the positive effect of incentives. Consequently, we are planning to establish a Data Champion Award as appreciation of RDM achievements and to showcase best-practice examples at the University of Duisburg-Essen.

Exploring non-mandatory travel behavior in Jakarta City: Travel time, trip frequency, and socio-demographic influences

This study investigates non-mandatory trips in three regions of Jakarta city, namely Central, North, and West. Specifically, the focus is on examining mode choice, distance traveled, and trip frequency. The dataset used for analysis consists of 1,187 complete survey responses obtained from an on-site survey of residents conducted between December 2019 and March 2020. The results reveal distinct travel patterns across the surveyed areas. For instance, Central Jakarta exhibits a high reliance on ride-hailing services, while shorter-distance trips are more common in West Jakarta. These variations can potentially be attributed to socio-demographic factors. To gain deeper insights into travel behavior, a multinomial transport mode choice model is employed to explore the relationship between travel modes, trip characteristics, and personal/household variables. Interestingly, despite the growth of motorcycles in Jakarta, our findings suggest that older individuals are more inclined to choose walking over motorcycle travel. Additionally, trip frequency plays a role in mode choice, as frequent trips are associated with motorcycle-based travel. As anticipated, motorcycle modal share is influenced by vehicle ownership; however, our results indicate a negative impact of ownership on the likelihood of switching from motorcycle mode to alternative modes. To facilitate a shift from motorcycle use to active and public transportation, our findings emphasize the need for an effective transportation strategy that includes reducing motor vehicle ownership, creating walkable environments, and developing age-friendly public transport options.

Establishing a public option for asset management in the United States

Asset managers – financial institutions like BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard – manage trillions of dollars of US household financial assets, including public pension funds at the federal, state, and municipal level. The structural power of asset managers means they play a decisive role in corporate decision-making, while the conflicts of interest inherent in their business model and a short-term interpretation of their fiduciary duties means they do not serve the actual interests of their economic beneficiaries in a sustainable economy. I propose establishing a public asset manager in the United States to serve as the asset manager for public pension funds. This article situates this proposed institutional reform in the broader evolution of asset manager capitalism and explains how establishing a public asset manager is an institutional reform that would shift the financial system toward serving the actual interests of the people and social systems on which it depends.