Total Economic Impact Research Articles

Contributions of Renewable Energy Industries to the Local Economy in North Dakota

Energy production in North Dakota is typically associated with fossil fuels, but in the past decade there has been considerable growth in renewable energy, which is comprised of ethanol production, electricity generation from wind turbines, and the manufacture of wind turbine components. Using expenditures data from renewable energy firms, we find that expansion of renewable energy infrastructure between 2002 and 2011 increased retail sales, personal income, employment, and total tax collections. Total economic impact associated with construction expenditures peaked in 2008 and 2009. In 2011 the total economic impact of the operations of renewable energy industries in North Dakota was $1.0 billion, two-thirds of which was contributed by ethanol production.

МЕТОДОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ ОСНОВЫ СОВЕРШЕНСТВОВАНИЯ ТОРГОВО-ПРОМЫШЛЕННОЙ ПОЛИТИКИ В СИСТЕМЕ СТРАТЕГИЧЕСКОГО УПРАВЛЕНИЯ РАЗВИТИЕМ АГРОПРЕДПРИЯТИЙ МОЛОЧНОЙ СПЕЦИАЛИЗАЦИИ АПК

The article describes the concept of forming the trade and industrial policy in the system of strategic management of dairy enterprises. The author describes the conditions and requirements for formation of the trade and industrial policy in the dairy subcomplex of AIC, indicates principles for formation of the trade and industrial policy and methods of their realization. The balanced state of the trade and industrial policy of dairy enterprises, as the author notes, depends on the balance between the trade policy and subjects of the wholesale and retail trade. The retailers are in close proximity to the end user, that’s why through the channels of retail trade networks the demand for dairy products is formed. This demand is supplied by milk processing plants together with the subjects of wholesale trade. The balance in the trade and industrial policy in the dairy subcomplex of AIC requires involvement in the process of all agents of the dairy market (milk processing plants, milk producers, subjects of retail and wholesale trade). In order to raise the information level of the dairy market participants about its state it is advisable to consider the possibility of creating an electronic dairy market, aimed at ensuring a balance of the trade and industrial policy of agro-enterprises and their trading partners, that are in closer proximity to end users and thus creates a market for the dairy industry and closes the process of realization of dairy products. The operation of the electronic dairy market suggests the following sequence of actions of its members. Also, the author substantiates the necessity of uniting all involved participants in the trade and industrial clusters of the dairy specialization, in which there would be the accumulation of economic effects of trade and industry activities of the participants and further equitable distribution of the total economic impact between them in proportion to the annual maintenance costs of the invested capital.

Method for Establishing the Project Evaluation System

After the construction project evaluation and implementation of the entire project an indispensable part of the process, and establish a sound, scientific index system for the scientific evaluation of the results obtained have a pivotal role in the project. This paper discusses the method of establishing evaluation system after construction projects, and gives a more scientific and comprehensive indicator system: After the implementation and management, project operations conducted from four economic projects, project evaluation and analysis of the impact and sustainability of projects establish the sub-indices, including duration of the project, project quality, with a total investment control, project profitability, solvency, environmental impact, economic impact, social impact, policies and projects for sustainable development and social factors, financial factors, social factors, a number of technical factors. Each sub-index and a scientific decomposition.

Analysis of Costs and Benefits of Cloud Computing

This article incorporating a theoretical and practical approach to cost-benefit analysis to help the managerial level of a company that is in front of a decision if or not to adopt Cloud Computing to the bussiness. Cost-benefit analysis is divided into six distinct sections to determine what costs and benefits are economically significant for the case study analyzed. Based on the above allocation sections TEI (Total Economic Impact) is applied, implemented by Forrester as a methodology. This methodology was chosen because it gives a general view of the impact and benefits in information technology to cloud computing adoption not only through the analysis of costs and benefits but also giving appropriate weight to information technology resources that are possessed. The article deals with analysis, forecasts and implementation of Cloud Computing. Showing financial benefits acquired from "green IT" as a consequence from this technology. Through a detailed analysis of the cloud computing phenomenon and its connection with green IT, this article conducts a cost-benefit analysis as a case study taking a internet and comunications services company, such as Primo Communications sh.p.k. The aim of the project is to show the potential benefits of the transition to cloud computing of this company, benefits expressed in increased efficiency of the use of technological resources or even increased environmental benefits. Together "cloud computing" and "green IT" treatment in this article represent two of the most challenging opportunities in business development nowadays. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2014.v3n3p259

Schmallenberg virus epidemic: Impact on milk production, reproductive performance and mortality in dairy cattle in the Netherlands and Kleve district, Germany

Schmallenberg virus (SBV), a novel orthobunyavirus that rapidly spread throughout north-western Europe in 2011, caused congenital malformations in lambs and goat kids (Van den Brom et al., 2012) and newborn calves (Hoffmann et al., 2012). The impact of the SBV epidemic seemed limited however, in terms of the number of affected herds with malformed offspring (European Food Safety Authority, 2012b). Nevertheless, little is known with regard to the overall within-herd impact of SBV infection. The objective of the current study was to quantify the impact of the 2011 SBV epidemic on the productivity of dairy cattle in the Netherlands and the district of Kleve, Germany.For the Netherlands, several multilevel multivariable statistical models were applied on eight productivity parameters regarding milk production, reproductive performance and mortality. All four fertility parameters analysed were slightly but significantly reduced between August 1st and November 1st 2011 compared to the reference period in 2009–2010. Between August 15th and September 19th 2011, the average loss in milk production per cow was −0.26kg (95% CI: −0.30; −0.22) per day in dairy herds, compared to the reference period (p<0.001). The total loss per cow in a subgroup of dairy herds that notified malformations in newborn calves during the mandatory notification period in the Netherlands was −0.43kg (95% CI: −0.59; −0.28) per day (p<0.001).For Germany, a study was carried out in the district of Kleve, situated in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia near the Dutch border. Data on milk yield, two fertility parameters and the number of rendered calves in this specific region were analysed. There was a small but significant increase in the number of secondary and third inseminations between August 1st and November 1st 2011, indicating reduced fertility. No significant change in calf mortality was observed in the assumed SBV period. Milk production at district level did not seem to be affected by SBV in August and September 2011.SBV had no or limited impact on mortality rates, which was as expected given the relatively mild expression of SBV in adult cows and the low incidence of notified malformations in newborn calves. Our results indicate that SBV had a limited impact on productivity of dairy cattle. However, the total economic impact of SBV on the ruminant industry not only consists of productivity caused losses; it is expected that international trade restrictions formed a larger part of the total economic impact.

Economic and environmental assessment of product life cycle design: volume and technology perspective

Abstract Economic and environmental assessments of products are commonly performed at product level in a comparative way to identify possible improvement solutions. The problem with this approach is that introduction of new technologies leads to increased functionality that alters the economic and environmental impacts. In addition, a growing market leads to the demand for higher volume of products. When these factors are combined, overall increase in economic and environmental impacts occurs in the society even though improvements were made at product level. Therefore, this research article proposes a new approach to product assessment to cater for technology changes and increasing volume. Using Axiomatic Design Theory, the drivers of economic and environmental impacts are identified by characterising these impacts as a function of product features. The assessment method is applied for a range of functionality and increasing volume to determine the total economic and environmental impact caused in society. Furthermore, ratio analysis is used to determine the economic and environmental impact changes over product generations to identify additional environmental improvements needed to reach target score. The methodology is validated using a comparative case study of different battery technologies for a range of functionality and assumed volume increase in the next generation of batteries to be produced.

Economic Impact of the Potential Spread of Vampire Bats into South Texas

Rabies transmitted by the common vampire bat is a major public health concern in subtropical and tropical areas of Latin America, and there is some concern that the species will eventually spread into south Texas. The objective of this study was to estimate the total economic impact of the potential spread of vampire bats into south Texas. Data on livestock populations and values in the relevant counties was combined with expected mortality rates to calculate livestock losses. An IMPLAN model of the regional economy was then used to estimate the secondary impacts experienced by other businesses in the region. These impacts were combined with estimates of increased expenditures on post-exposure prophylaxis and animal tests to derive the total economic impact. We estimated the total economic impact would be $7 million to $9.2 million annually if vampire bats spread to south Texas.

Estimating the Total Economic Impact of Black Bear Peeling in Western Oregon Using GIS and REMI

In parts of the Pacific Northwest, black bears emerge from winter dens with depleted fat reserves and feed on mature conifers by stripping bark and consuming sugar-rich sapwood. Peeling by bears affects commercial conifers through direct loss of the tree or degraded log quality at stand harvest. Bears generally peel trees from 15-30 years old in intensively managed forests until preferred foods such as fruits and berries are available, and a single bear can peel several trees per day. Dying trees have a signature red canopy and are detected in annual aerial forest health surveys; however, trees that scar over peeling are not detected by aerial surveys. Previous studies reported results of damage summaries for northwest Oregon from flights, adjusted for bias; however, they offered no estimates of economic impact. Using landowner survey data, another study estimated an annual timber loss to bears at approximately $11.5 million across part of western Oregon. While informative, these estimates used broad assumptions to derive primary impacts and did not address secondary impacts. We used aerial health surveys, the national land cover database, and the Regional Economic Models Inc. (REMI) PI+ model to estimate the primary and secondary (indirect and induced) impacts of bear peeling in western Oregon. Because the accuracy and precision of aerial estimates (i.e., percentage of dead trees/polygon) was unknown, we calculated 4 scenarios of loss: 1%, 10%, 30%, and 100% loss. Under these scenarios, black bear damage to commercial forests negatively impacted Oregon’s gross domestic product between $0.9-$89 million annually, and resulted in an annual loss of between 11 and 1,012 jobs in the state. We will explain our methodology in this study as well as current efforts to improve the accuracy and precision of damage estimates, and ultimately our understanding of the economic impacts of black bear peeling.

Measuring the economic impact of publicly funded research in Northern Canada

This paper provides the first empirical estimate of the local economic impact of publicly funded research expenditures in the Yukon, Nunavut, and Northwest Territories of Canada between 2000 and 2009. The total dollar expenditures of northern research during this period was estimated to be $284 million and peaked in 2009 at close to $110 million. Using data acquired from major granting agencies in Canada and Statistics Canada multipliers, the economic impact of northern research on local income, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and employment impacts were estimated. It was determined that at its peak, northern research impacted the territorial GDP by 0.04%, income by 0.09% and employment by 0.11%. While the total economic impact of publicly funded research expendituers may be small relative to other northern industries, individual communities where the field research is conducted, may experience significant income, employment and other intangible benefits. The community of Old Crow is used to illustrate the potential community-level importance of local expenditures associated with northern research.

A brief reply to Ernest Albuquerque

Mr Albuquerque challenges my article in Policy Quarterly (Volume 9, Issue 3, 2013) on three main grounds. Firstly, he uses the well-known limitations of standard cost-benefit analysis (CBA) in transport project appraisals as the basis for claiming that the ‘strategic fit’ and ‘effectiveness’ criteria adopted by the NZTA lead to a better estimation of the total economic impact of the proposed activity than using the ‘efficiency’ criterion alone. He implies that these criteria attempt to capture the impact of large transport schemes on long-term land use development and on induced traffic effects. However, he does not substantiate this claim, and it is unclear how use of these criteria could achieve that goal.

Hunter and Landowner Needs and Expectations and the Economic Impact of

Hunting has a significant impact on South Carolina’s economy. While state-level hunting related expenditure information is readily available, county level information is not. This study was designed to provide insight regarding the size and impact of the hunting industry on two South Carolina county economies, and additionally, to examine hunter and landowner needs and expectations. Over three-quarters of the private land in the two counties are open to some form of hunting. Nearly half of hunters come from out-of-state. Much of the land is leased for hunting. Landowner needs centered on technical and financial assistance, property access issues, and better hunter relations. Hunter needs were for enhanced habitat, improved roads, clearer property boundaries, and more prescribed burning. Total economic impact of hunting in the two counties was about $123 million. The current recession appeared to have little effect on this impact. Specific forest management practices could make hunting in the counties more attractive and changes in community structure could also serve to attract more hunters.

Economic Impacts of Using Switchgrass as a Feedstock for Ethanol Production: A Case Study Located in East Tennessee

One of the major motivations to establish a biobased energy sector in the United States is to promote economic development in the rural areas of the nation. This study estimated the economic impact of investing and operating a switchgrass-based ethanol plant in East Tennessee. Applying a spatially oriented mixed-integer mathematical programming model, we first determined the location of biorefinery, feedstock draw area, and the resources used in various feedstock supply systems by minimizing the total plant gate cost of feedstock. Based on the model output, an input-output model was utilized to determine the total economic impact, including direct, indirect, and induced effects of feedstock investment and annual production in the study region. Moreover, the economic impact of ethanol plant investment and annual conversion operation was analyzed. Results suggest that the total annual expenditures in an unprotected large round bale system generated a total $92.5 million in economic output within the 13 counties of East Tennessee. In addition, an estimated $234 million in overall economic output was generated through the operation of the biorefinery. This research showed that the least-cost configuration of the feedstock supply chain influenced the levels and types of economic impact of biorefinery.

Contingency-Based Nodal Market Operation Using Intelligent Economic Alarm Processor

This paper focuses on system monitoring and alarm processing and the use of those alarms for economic decision in the nodal electricity market. The task of an Intelligent Economic Alarm Processor (IEAP) is to analyze thousands of alarm messages and extract useful information that explains cause-effect sequences associated with the unexpected contingencies. A graphical Fuzzy Reasoning Petri-nets (FRPN) model that uses fuzzy logic parameters to effectively tackle the uncertainties is built. The economic alarm processor module then processes the fault event signal, analyzes the impact on the market operation activities and different participants, and gives recommendations to optimize the total economic impact under fault scenarios. A contingency-based strategic bidding model concept is proposed to help the market participants take advantages of the latest system operation information and maximize their benefits over the competitors.

Seeking Smart Growth: The Idea of a California Global Higher Education Hub

DOI 10.1515/cjpp-2012-0019 Calif. J. Politics Policy 2013; 5(1): 1–29 John Aubrey Douglass*, Richard Edelstein, and Cecile Haoreau Seeking Smart Growth: The Idea of a California Global Higher Education Hub Abstract: In 2010 international students generated more than $18.8 billion in net income into the US economy. California alone had nearly 100,000 international students with an economic impact of nearly $3.0 billion. In this paper, we outline a strategy for the San Francisco/Bay Area to double the number of international students enrolled in local colleges and universities in 10 years or less, gene­rating a total direct economic impact of an additional $1 billion a year into the regional economy. The US retains a huge market advantage for attracting foreign stu- dents. Within the US, the San Francisco/Bay Area is particularly attractive and could prevail as an extraordinary global talent magnet, if only policy-makers and higher education leaders better understood this and formulated strategies to tap the global demand for higher education. Ultimately, all globalism is local. We propose that one or all three of California’s major urban areas consider devel- oping the hub idea, and specifically outline how the San Francisco/Bay Area, a region with a group of stellar universities and colleges, could re-imagine itself as a Global Higher Education Hub. It could help meet national and regional economic needs, and assuage the thirst of a growing world population for high-quality ter- tiary education. Other parts of the world have already developed their version of the higher education hub idea. The major difference in our proposed Califor- nian version is that foreign competitors seek to attract foreign universities to help build enrollment and program capacity at home, and are funded almost solely by significant government subsidies. Our model builds capacity, but is focused on attracting the world’s talent and generating additional income to existing public and private colleges and universities. Doubling international enrollment from currently around 30,000 to 60,000 students in the Bay Area is an achievable goal, but would require expanding regional enrollment capacity as part of a strategy to ensure access to native students, and as part of a scheme to attract a new gen- eration of faculty and researchers to the Bay Area and Califo­r n ­ ia. International students would need to pay higher than the full cost of their education, helping to subsidize domestic students and college and university programs. The result would be a self-reinforcing knowledge ecosystem. At the same time, we recog- nize that California may not have the political will and interest to take on such a venture. But we sense that some regions in the US will eventually grasp the model and its advantages. Keywords: California; higher education system; international students; San Francisco/Bay Area.

A Simple Framework for Evaluating the Economic Welfare of a Large Event

Large events have become an important and unique economic phenomenon. Although existing studies have assessed the total economic impact of a large event measured by gross domestic product (GDP), few studies have examined the welfare impacts of an event on local residents. To fill in this gap, this article builds a simple framework for assessing the economic welfare of a large event measured by Equivalent Variation. In this framework, extensions to modeling event investment and expenditure, such as event tourism expenditure and investment in the construction, are introduced to a standard computable general equilibrium model. The main critic for previous studies is that they always generate unrealistically large economic results. This framework attempts to overcome this by modeling investment in the event construction in a more reasonable method—modeling both positive and negative impacts. The framework is then applied to assessing the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Findings show that welfare gains generated in 2008 by holding the Beijing Olympics account for 0.33% and 7% of real GDP growth in China and Beijing, respectively. This implies that economic benefits in terms of welfare gains brought by holding the Beijing Olympics are not significant at both the national and city levels. Based on the model results, some policy implications are suggested.

Regional socio-economic impacts of decentralised bioeconomy: a case of Suutela wooden village, Finland

The regional bioeconomy has a high importance for generating socio-economic impacts, especially in sparsely populated resource peripheries. The benefits include increased employment and income and improved security of supply. In this study, the modified regional input–output model is applied for analysing the socio-economic impacts of Suutela wooden village construction in North Karelia, Finland. The main objective of this article is to provide an illustrative example on the regional input–output modelling, applied to the investigation of the socio-economic impacts of a conventional, decentralised bioeconomy. Based on this Finnish case of a wooden village with bioenergy district heating, we demonstrate both the employment and income potentials of a decentralised bioeconomy. The results indicate good socio-economic potential of local wood construction, resulting in about 250 personnel working years and a total economic impact of 43.7 million euros on the regional economy. To maintain the sensitivity of the input–output modelling, it is considered more suitable for overall regional impact estimations, rather than pointing out differences between the subsystems. When modified for research purposes, the regional input–output model is well capable to efficiently describe the socio-economic impacts and providing information for local decision-makers to support new projects of a bioeconomy.

Quantitative economic impact assessment of an invasive plant disease under uncertainty – A case study for potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) invasion into the European Union

International treaties require that phytosanitary measures against introduction and spread of invasive plant pests are justified by a science-based pest risk analysis, including an assessment of potential economic consequences. This study evaluates the economic justification of the currently applied phytosanitary measures against potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd). It assesses the impact of an unregulated EU infestation, while accounting for uncertainty due to scarcity of data. Expert opinions were elicited to describe the possible range of PSTVd spread. Stochastic simulations, based on the assessments of separate experts, indicated that the direct impacts exceed the costs of current phytosanitary measures (€5.6 M/year) with a probability of 44%, but with large differences between experts making it hard to justify the measures solely by the expected savings in direct impacts. The direct impact on potato producers was estimated with partial budgeting. This impact is 2.1 M€, based on an assumed prevalence of PSTVd of 0.73%, while the direct impact on tomato producers was estimated at 3.5 M€. The total economic impact, considering price changes and higher costs for consumers, was estimated at 4.4 M€ for potatoes and 5.7 M€ for tomatoes. Consumers bore 92% of the total costs of invasion in the case of potato and 77% in the case of tomato. If the presence of PSTVd would imply export restrictions, resulting in an annual loss of more than 1% of the total EU export value of potatoes and tomatoes, the cost of current phytosanitary measures would also be justified. The potential economic impacts of PSTVd into the European Union are therefore demonstrably of importance when considering market effects or export losses but questionable if only accounting for the direct losses. The large degree of uncertainty in the prevalence of disease contributes to the justifiability of measures based on the precautionary principle. The assessment approach can be useful for assessing the economic justification of phytosanitary measures.

On the Uncertainty About the Total Economic Impact of Climate Change

This paper uses a vote-counting procedure to estimate the probability density function of the total economic impact as a parabolic function of global warming. There is a wide range of uncertainty about the impact of climate change up to 3°C, and the information becomes progressively more diffuse beyond that. Warming greater than 3°C most likely has net negative impacts, and warming greater than 7°C may lead to a total welfare loss. The expected value of the social cost of carbon is about $29/tC in 2015 and rises at roughly 2% per year.

The economic impact of stroke in The Netherlands: the €-Restore4Stroke study.

BackgroundStroke has a considerable socio-economic impact worldwide and is the leading cause of disabilities in the Western world. Economic studies of stroke focus merely on physical aspects and clinical interventions. To our current knowledge there is no comprehensive economic study investigating the economic impact of stroke including psychological and social aspects. The €-Restore4Stroke project, part of a large comprehensive research programme Restore4Stroke, aims to investigate the total economic impact of stroke in the Netherlands.MethodsTwo trial-based economic evaluation studies will be conducted within the €-Restore4Stroke project: one focussing on a self-management intervention and one on an augmented cognitive behavioural therapy intervention. Both include cost-effectiveness analyses and cost-utility analyses as primary research methods. Furthermore, a cost-of-illness study investigating costs after stroke attached to a cohort study and a record linkage study in which four databases are linked to investigate patterns of health care consumption before and after stroke, are embedded in €-Restore4Stroke. All studies will be performed from a societal perspective. The primary outcome measure for the cost-effectiveness analysis is the increase in health status on the primary outcome scales. Within the cost-utility analysis, the primary outcome measure is quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) for which an indirect preference-based technique will be used. In the self-management study we will also look at the estimation of health effects on informal caregivers. Cost outcomes in the cost-of-illness study will be computed with a cost questionnaire and linkage of several databases will be used to derive outcomes in the record linkage study,Discussion€-Restore4Stroke will provide new insights and evidence for the economic impact of psychosocial consequences after stroke. Besides being innovative in various ways (i.e. focussing on the chronic phase after stroke and including personal factors as possible determinants of long-term re-integration including quality of life in a prospective longitudinal design), a major strength of €-Restore4Stroke is that we include impact on informal caregivers. The outcomes of this study will provide health care decision makers with valuable and necessary information regarding stroke care related decisions.Trial registrationNTR3051 (RCT Self-management), NTR2999 (RCT Augmented Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)

Yoga for Chronic Low Back Pain: New Evidence in 2011

Copyright: © 2012 Groessl EJ. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Chronic low back pain is a highly prevalent [1], and is typically defined as back pain lasting greater than 4 weeks [2]. In addition to pain itself, chronic low back pain also results in increased psychological symptoms [3,4], increased disability, [5] and reduced health-related quality of life (HRQOL) [6,7]. Subsequently, the health care costs of people with chronic low back pain are 60% higher than those without back pain[8], and the total economic impact (socioeconomic costs and health care costs) was an estimated $100 billion annually as of 2008 [9].