Relocation Decisions Research Articles

Global auto industry and product standards

Global auto industry and product standards

Out of the Frying Pan: Climate Change and Internal Migration in Brazil

When global warming affects productivity in climate-sensitive sectors, migration represents a potential adaptation mechanism. We exploit exogenous variation in temperatures and precipitation across Brazil and examine the response in state-to-state migration flows between 1981 and 2010. Accounting for time-varying migration costs using a novel road dataset constructed by digitizing historical maps, and addressing the endogeneity of the roads network, we find strong evidence that states with warming temperatures exhibit higher levels of emigration, particularly in the agricultural sector. Our results suggest that holding travel cost constant states that experience a 10 percent increase in Celsius temperatures will see an 8.8 percent increase in emigration to other Brazilian states. Interestingly, while rising temperatures clearly play a role in pushing migrants out, we do not generally find that migrants pay attention to the temperatures of their destination. Awareness of the climate at destination is however much higher if migrants have been exposed to droughts at origin. These ambiguous findings raise questions about whether migrants appreciate the role of climate in their relocation decisions or simply react to the consequences of climate change, e.g. in the form of lower agricultural productivity.

Globalising the Thai ‘high-touch’ industry: exports of care and body work and gendered mobilities to and from Thailand

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the global trade of Thai tourism and related service industries such as restaurant, spa and hospital – service activities in which the body and bodily emotions of both service consumers and providers are central. I will demonstrate how the Thai state and private sector market Thai services to the world and construct Thailand as a destination for bodily and spiritual fulfilment. Analysing Thailand as an exporter of care and body labour, this article highlights the important role the nation-state and local socioeconomic structures play in shaping global care chains. State policy that promotes tourism and related service industries as a key economic development strategy has shaped current interrelated forms of transnational mobilities between Thailand and more affluent countries – marriage migration, health and medical tourism, and retirement migration. I also explore the interface between Thai state policies on the export of care and lived experiences of Thailand-Europe transnational migrants. Through their occupation choices, marital relocation decisions and care arrangements, Thai migrants in Europe and European migrants in Thailand both resist and reproduce the commodification of care and body work.

Households’ Relocation Decision in Air Pollution Context of Cotonou

Journal of Anthropology and Archaeology is a peer-reviewed international journal, which publishes original papers promoting theoretical, methodological and empirical developments in the discipline of socio-cultural anthropology.

Sea-level rise and human migration

Anthropogenic sea-level rise (SLR) is predicted to impact, and, in many cases, displace, a large proportion of the population via inundation and heightened SLR-related hazards. With the global coastal population projected to surpass one billion people this century, SLR might be among the most costly and permanent future consequences of climate change. In this Review, we synthesize the rapidly expanding knowledge of human mobility and migration responses to SLR, providing a coherent roadmap for future SLR research and associated policy. While it is often assumed that direct inundation forces a migration, we discuss how mobility responses are instead driven by a diversity of socioeconomic and demographic factors, which, in some cases, do not result in a migration response. We link SLR hazards with potential mechanisms of migration and the associated governmental or institutional policies that operate as obstacles or facilitators for that migration. Specific examples from the USA, Bangladesh and atoll island nations are used to contextualize these concepts. However, further research is needed on the fundamental mechanisms underlying SLR migration, tipping points, thresholds and feedbacks, risk perception and migration to fully understand migration responses to SLR. Rising sea levels threaten to displace millions of people through direct inundation and increased exposure to related hazards. This Review highlights populations at risk from sea-level-rise-related migration and discusses individual and institutional factors that influence relocation decisions.

The impact of uncertainty on production relocation: Implications from a regional perspective

AbstractAnalysis of the Spanish automobile industry during the global economic crisis of 2008 shows that the number of relocations was comparatively lower than in the period before the crisis. Uncertainty weighs more in relocation decisions than the advantages that multinationals can gain from their operational flexibility. The main drivers of relocation in the sector are conditioned by relocation costs and the risks inherent in such processes. The main implication of the research is that it helps identify vulnerability in relocation under conditions of uncertainty. This is key for defining public policies aiming to avoid the impact of relocation on regions that have traditionally been affected by such processes.

On investigating the potential effects of private autonomous vehicle use on home/work relocations and commute times

The current study is motivated by the need to better understand the potential impacts that vehicular automation may have on individual decisions of residential and work relocation in a future autonomous vehicle (AV) scenario. The study employs a multivariate approach to model five behavioral dimensions simultaneously: (1) technology-savviness (TS) propensity, (2) interest in productive use of travel time (IPTT) propensity, (3) interest in work relocation, (4) interest in residential relocation, and (5) tolerance to an increase in commute travel time. Data from a web-based survey of commuters in 2017 in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area (DFW) is employed. The results show that both TS and IPTT, as well as demographic variables, impact relocation decisions when individuals have a private AV available for their commute. Importantly, there is considerable heterogeneity across individuals in the willingness to relocate and/or accept longer commute times in an AV future. As such, our model results may be used to inform inputs to land use and travel demand models in an AV future. Also, our results suggest that the magnitude of value of travel time savings (VTTS) decrease considered in many earlier AV impact simulation studies may be much higher than reality. Relative to 50% and even 100% VTTS decreases assumed in many studies, our results suggest a much more modest 30% or so overall decrease in VTTS because of the ability to commute in a privately-owned AV. Finally, our results do predict a rather substantial extent of urban sprawl due to AVs, potentially up to a 68% increase in the horizontal spread of cities such as Dallas-Fort Worth, unless proactive planning and policies are implemented to avert such consequences of AVs.

Stay or Go? Relocation Decisions of German Manufacturing Plants

In this paper I investigate the relocation decision of manufacturing plants in the German economy. The relocation decision involves whether a plant moves its location from one region to another over a time period or whether it stays in the same region. To analyze the relocation of plants, I constructed a novel dataset based on comprehensive regional data as well as official German firm statistics. The results reveal that in particular an improved regional road infrastructure and accessibility of regions positively affects the decision to relocate a plant in the German economy. A reduction of 10 percent in travel time on roads to reach the three nearest agglomeration centers leads to an increase in the relocation probability of about 9.5 percent on average. Further effects are related to market potential, a better educated workforce, and the regional tax base.

Where do firms relocate? Location optimisation within and between Polish metropolitan areas

Since the middle of the nineteenth century, the regional economics literature has paid special attention to the locational patterns of firms. However, the scientific debate on the location and relocation decisions of firms is still open. The paper aims at evaluating whether relocation factors established in the literature on metropolitan areas in the USA and Western European countries play a critical role in post-socialist countries as well. We empirically investigate the destination choice of relocating firms at local level, by looking at the case of Polish metropolitan areas. A nested logit model is applied, with sampling of alternatives. Results underline the role of distance in choosing the destination: even in Poland, a country with a wide surface, relocation of firms occurred within small distances. Moreover, our results demonstrate the relevance of urbanisation economies in the locational preferences of firms, confirming the relevant role of metropolitan areas as catalyst for people and investments. Finally, we observe that firms do not necessarily adopt a pure costs minimisation strategy in the relocation decision, but they choose municipalities where they can take advantage of availability of high-skilled workers and amenities.

Ecological memory and relocation decisions in fungal mycelial networks: responses to quantity and location of new resources

Saprotrophic cord-forming basidiomycetes, with their mycelial networks at the soil/litter interface on the forest floor, play a major role in wood decomposition and nutrient cycling/relocation. Many studies have investigated foraging behaviour of their mycelium, but there is little information on their intelligence. Here, we investigate the effects of relative size of inoculum wood and new wood resource (bait) on the decision of a mycelium to remain in, or migrate from, inoculum to bait using Phanerochaete velutina as a model. Experiments allowed mycelium to grow from an inoculum across the surface of a soil microcosm where it encountered a new wood bait. After colonisation of the bait, the original inoculum was moved to a tray of fresh soil to determine whether the fungus was still able to grow out. This also allowed us to test the mycelium’s memory of growth direction. When inocula were transferred to new soil, there was regrowth from 67% of the inocula, and a threshold bait size acted as a cue for the mycelium’s decision to migrate for a final time, rather than a threshold of relative size of inoculum: bait. There was greater regrowth from the side that originally faced the new bait, implying memory of growth direction.

BASF signals 2H 2019 dive

Providing efficient healthcare service is critical in a disaster situation and mobile hospitals can be utilized for this purpose. We introduce a network design model considering the location and re-location decisions of mobile hospitals using a two-stage stochastic programming model with various disaster scenarios. This problem addresses critical transportation and logistics decisions of governments and relief organizations in designing health care networks for disaster preparedness. We apply our models to a real life case study for an expected earthquake in Istanbul and extract several managerial insights. Numerical experiments demonstrate that mobile hospitals can provide significant improvements in healthcare service.

A healthcare network design model with mobile hospitals for disaster preparedness: A case study for Istanbul earthquake

Providing efficient healthcare service is critical in a disaster situation and mobile hospitals can be utilized for this purpose. We introduce a network design model considering the location and re-location decisions of mobile hospitals using a two-stage stochastic programming model with various disaster scenarios. This problem addresses critical transportation and logistics decisions of governments and relief organizations in designing health care networks for disaster preparedness. We apply our models to a real life case study for an expected earthquake in Istanbul and extract several managerial insights. Numerical experiments demonstrate that mobile hospitals can provide significant improvements in healthcare service.

Voluntary Household Relocation Decision Making in the Wake of Disaster: Re-interpreting the Empirical Record

Household relocation decisions after disasters are influenced by many factors. Among others, these include pre- and post-event community conditions, disaster experience, available financial and social resources, place attachment, risk perceptions, and demographics. This paper provides a synthesis of the body of knowledge surrounding voluntary household relocation decisions. Simply stated, we are focused on better understanding what influences the decision to stay somewhere that has been affected by disaster or permanently leave it. This work provides two main contributions by characterizing and synthesizing research exploring relocation drivers. First, we provide several new directions for the study of this issue by proposing theoretical models not commonly used in this area of research with potential to provide insight. Second, we critically discuss the need for improvements in the conceptualization and measurement of these concepts.

Shelter planning for uncertain seismic hazards using multicriteria decision approach: A case of Nepal earthquake

AbstractThis paper explores the location and relocation decision problem of temporary shelters under uncertain damage situations in humanitarian relief contexts. The article proposes a multicriteria decision support framework based on fuzzy sets, analytic hierarchy process, technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution, and weighted goal programming to address the issue of temporary shelter planning. The paper formulates a multiobjective location–relocation model that considers multiple objectives of risk, number of sites, unmet demand, qualitative suitability of locations, unmet demand, and nature of land ownership while generating solutions under different scenarios of earthquake damage. The robustness and performance of the proposed model are illustrated using a real case study of 2015 Nepal earthquake. The framework can benefit governments and humanitarian agencies in high‐seismic areas for adequate shelter planning under damage uncertainties.

Relocation decisions to nursing homes for older persons with intellectual disability

Arelevant number of older persons with intellectual disability (ID) moves from residential settings in the disability sector to nursing homes. The study analyzes from the perspective of self-determination, which factors lead to moves to nursing homes and to what extent older persons with ID and their relatives participate in decision-making. Quantitative telephone interviews and surveys were conducted in general and specialized nursing homes in Westphalia-Lippe. In three specialized nursing homes, qualitative interviews focused on relocation decisions from different perspectives. Decisions to move were induced on one hand by the insufficient fit and adaptation of the support to the needs of older residents in settings of the disability sector. On the other hand, organizational interests of the nursing homes influenced the decisions. The counselling of residents and their relatives and the participation in decision making were inadequate. Efforts should be taken to strengthen self-determined relocation decisions of older persons with ID. The specific function of specialized nursing homes for aged persons with ID has to be clarified.

Spatial optimization of rural settlement relocation by incorporating inter‐village social connections under future policy scenarios

AbstractSocial connections between villages can represent farmers’ interests and thus benefit participatory rural relocation planning. With rural development, however, these connections will change and may weaken the adaptation of relocation plans to future rural systems. As yet, most studies still use empirical social connections to guide relocation planning, while a few have incorporated predicted connections in the context of rural development into relocation decisions. Meanwhile, spatial optimization approaches have seldom been adopted to solve this geographical decision issue. Accordingly, our study proposes a novel spatial relocation framework that incorporates changed inter‐village social connections under future rural development scenarios. Empirical inter‐village connections and their policy‐induced changes in central China were explored using social network analysis. An integration of particle swarm optimization and geographic information systems was adopted to identify the relocation solutions with maximum inter‐village connections and maximum spatial land use compactness, and to examine how connection changes under different policy scenarios influenced relocation outcomes. The results demonstrate the significance of incorporating policy‐induced social connections into relocation plans, and most importantly, show the negative relations between changed social connections and the migration distance/direction of relocated settlements. Our study is expected to improve the adaptation of relocation plans to future rural development.

Investment evaluation of wind turbine relocation

Energy has become one of the most important building blocks of many changes in the world, and it still maintains this quality. The demand for natural resources and energy continues to increase daily. For this reason, the supply of reliable and sustainable energy has become an important issue that concerns and occupies mankind. Of the renewable energy sources, wind energy is a clean, reliable and inexhaustible source of energy with low operating costs. Turkey is a rich nation in terms of wind energy potential. In this context, the profitability of investments made in utilising domestic and renewable energy potential is important. Investment efficiency is a very important issue before and during the investment period due to the fact that wind energy investments are high cost investments. In this study, a solution will be proposed for the replacement of inefficient wind turbines which have been installed. In the ideal solution of the issue, the remaining lifetime of the wind turbine which is to be replaced and capacity utilization at the new location of the turbine will be used as key input factors. The results showed that it was important for the relocation decision to be made early for the investment to be more profitable. In the event of delayed decisions to relocate the turbine, a high capacity factor is expected in the new location. If a high capacity factor is not achieved, the relocation of the turbine will be meaningless and losses will be incurred for the investor. Also according to the results of the analysis, in the first two years, the turbine operating at a low capacity of 19% and 17% is profitable if it works at 26% capacity until the end of its economic life when change is made in the third year.

Alternative narrations and imaginations of disaster recovery: a case study of relocatees after the Christchurch, New Zealand, earthquakes

ABSTRACT The earthquakes that struck Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2010–11 ruptured both the material and sociocultural architectures of the city. Subsequent examinations of the landscape have explored the alternative imaginations and narrations of urban space that have taken hold during recovery. Focusing on the prolific presence of transitional organisations in the city-centre, some of these have argued that the alternative subjectivities and places that arose post-quake represent responses that challenge and contest state expectations of what constitutes ‘recovery’. This paper develops these ideas further, arguing that such practices and imaginaries can also be observed in other spaces of the ruptured city. Specifically it explores the relocation decisions made by citizens who were subjected to a globally unprecedented state-buyback scheme. Through a typological analysis I argue that, rather than representing submission to state recovery ideologies, the decisions made by movers invoked new kinds of identity, meaning and value amongst participants. In doing so this paper explores the multiple spaces through which ethical fidelity to the perceived transformational nature and potential of the disaster has been performed. Such analysis problematises narratives of what constitutes ‘recovery’ and raises questions about how the transformational potential of disasters pervade landscapes through multiple spaces and scales.

An Overview of German Centers of Corporate Dominance and Motives for Corporate Headquarters Relocation

The purpose of this paper is to identify the centers of corporate dominance in Germany, and the main drivers of recent headquarter relocations within the country. The analysis is based on a literature review, a database comprising the 10,000 most significant companies in Germany and additional research for qualitative input to support the interpretation of the findings. The findings show that corporate dominance in Germany is decentralized. Centers with relative corporate dominance tend to host a higher proportion of public limited companies. These public limited companies had a turnover of over one billion Euros, and most of these companies were founded after the year 2000. The main drivers for recent HQ relocations were corporate restructuring (mergers and demergers) and the centralization of functions. Furthermore, it has been found that differences in the trade tax burden between municipalities have had no influence on recent relocation decisions within Germany.

Relocation of second degree: Moving towards a new place or returning home?

We study the “Relocations of Second Degree” (RSDs), i.e., the location decisions that modify the country of destination of a previous offshoring investment. Specifically, we distinguish between two types of RSDs, i.e., “Relocation to the Home Country (RHC)”, also known as back-reshoring, and “Relocation to a Third Country (RTC)”, i.e., the choice to move to a second host country.Specifically, we explore how the location advantages underlying the previous offshoring decision affect the probability to undertake an RHC, rather than an RTC. Location advantages reflect the favourable conditions that a foreign country offers with respect to the home one, in terms of market-seeking, asset-seeking and efficiency-seeking (i.e., cost-saving and productivity-enhancing) opportunities. Using data from the European Restructuring Monitor, we focus on the RSDs regarding manufacturing activities, implemented across European countries between 2002 and 2015. We find that, on the one hand, when a previous offshoring investment is driven by market-seeking location advantage, firms undertaking the RSD are more likely to opt for an RHC, except during the economic crisis where market-seeking European firms seem to prefer RTCs. On the other hand, RTC is a preferred choice when the location advantage is of efficiency-seeking type. In addition to offering a broader characterization of RSDs, our study provides empirical evidence of the relationship between the offshoring and relocation decisions. Managers should be aware of this connection when designing their manufacturing internationalization strategies.