Impact of externalities on sustainable development: evidence from public-private partnerships in Kazakhstan and Russia

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the influence of public-private partnerships (PPPs) on social and economic conditions in Kazakhstan and Russia from a public economics perspective, namely, through the lens of a market failure and PPPs’ negative externalities. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on the concept of a market failure and using the externalities perspective, the paper investigates whether partnerships are instrumental in solving market problems, which is illustrated by the evidence from ongoing PPP projects in Kazakhstan and Russia. Findings – Results show that citizens face expansion of monopolistic trends in the service provision and decreased availability of public services. Additionally, the government support to partnerships recreates a negative externality in the form of a higher risk premium on loan interest rates that banks use to finance PPPs. The partnerships’ impact on sustainable development often appears detrimental, as they significantly intensify the struggle between sub-national governments for increased transfers from the national budget. Practical implications – The government agencies must incorporate the appraisal of the PPP externalities and their effects on the society in the decision-making regarding the PPP formation. Originality/value – The authors suggest that, although government is interested in PPPs’ positive externalities, in reality many negative externalities may offset the positive spillover effects. As a result, the partnerships’ contributions to economic and social sustainability remain controversial. Extending the value-for-money concept to incorporate the assessment of PPP externalities might significantly enhance the partnership conceptualisation by more comprehensive and accurate assessment of PPPs’ economic and social value.

Litigation against fracking bans and moratoriums in the US: exit, voice and loyalty

A number of US states, counties and municipalities have responded to the public health and environmental concerns surrounding fracking by imposing bans or moratoriums on unconventional oil and gas drilling. These restrictions have, in recent years, given rise to litigation challenges by oil and gas companies and by property owners deprived of potential revenues. The current article begins by examining precisely who has litigated. Have large companies dominated or is it mostly smaller independents? Is there a difference in litigation rates between private and public companies? The article then considers how Hirschman’s ideas of exit, voice and loyalty might apply in the context of bans and moratoriums and further explores some of the factors that may have driven litigation in the area.

Draft Proposed Public Transportation Routes for Waterville, ME

Currently, there is a public bus transportation route in Waterville, Maine. However, this system could be improved. Our goal was to use GIS to find optimal public transportation routes throughout the city based on given points of interest and high population density areas. Three different groups of points of interest were created in the North, West, and South sections of Waterville. Using the Network Analyst tool, which calculates optimal routes, using existing street data, based on the input of stops, barriers, and impedance, we ran an analysis of what we thought would be the routes that best served the greatest number of people. Two different sets of routes were found: one with length as the impedance (the shortest length between the selected stops was favored), and one with population density as the impedance (the roads with the highest population density were favored). Finally, the times of the resulting routes (given a constant speed limit of 25 mph) were calculated and evaluated.

The contagion effect of public debt on monetary policy: the brazilian experience

This paper attempts to explain why the Brazilian inter-bank interest rate is so high compared with rates practiced by other emerging economies. The interplay between the markets for bank reserves and government securities feeds into the inter-bank rate the risk premium of the Brazilian public debt.

Public debt and the limits of fiscal policy to increase economic growth

Research that seeks to estimate the effects of fiscal policies on economic growth has ignored the role of public debt in this relationship. This study proposes a theoretical model of endogenous growth, which demonstrates that the level of the public debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio should negatively impact the effect of fiscal policy on growth. This occurs because government indebtedness extracts part of the savings of the young to pay interest on the debts of the older generation, who are no longer saving. Therefore, the payment of debt interest assumes an allocation exchange role between generations that is similar to a pay-as-you-go pension system, which results in changes in the savings rate of the economy. The major conclusions of the theoretical model were tested using an econometric model to provide evidence for the validity of this conclusion. Our empirical analysis controls for timeinvariant, country-specific heterogeneity in the growth rates. We also address endogeneity issues and allow for heterogeneity across countries in the model parameters and for cross-sectional dependence.

Política judiciária nacional: resolução n. 125/2012 do CNJ e a sua efetividade como política pública para redução da judicialização dos conflitos

Por mais que a informatização esteja avançada (interligação por meio da rede internet de computadores entre os órgãos e entidades públicas pelo Estado), máquina alguma substituirá os dramas do homem contemporâneo, principalmente aqueles que sempre estiveram alijados da cidadania. O presente estudo traz à baila as reflexões e discussões acadêmicas desenvolvidas ao longo das mais de 700 horas/aulas do curso de mestrado em Poder Judiciário, turma 2010. Longe de ser uma unanimidade o Poder Judiciário é um poder do Estado que representa antes de tudo a capacidade e a prerrogativa de julgar, de acordo com as regras constitucionais e das leis criadas pelo Poder Legislativo em determinado país. É um dos mais sólidos pilares nas democracias e um perigoso algoz nos regimes absolutos. Apesar desta importância e de no Brasil ser um poder sólido que já demonstrou sua importância para a garantia da solidificação da democracia, são poucos os estudos sobre o Judiciário, poucos e iniciais são as pesquisas sérias sobre este poder de suma importância para a sociedade, para economia e para as instituições. Como, também, não é espanto quando vemos que fato repetitivo que a maior insatisfação ou reclamação da sociedade reside na morosidade das soluções judiciais traduzida pela alta taxa de litigiosidade da justiça brasileira. O Poder Judiciário é objeto de estudos sistemáticos, contínuos e avançados em diversos países que já demonstraram a importância de se conhecer bem as suas propostas, os resultados das suas atividades, funções e os seus gastos, pois, o seu “negócio”é a resolução dos conflitos da sociedade de forma a contribuir com a pacificação da mesma através de uma ordem jurídica justa. Os estudos realizados nos Estados Unidos, Alemanha e Espanha, como exemplo, demonstram que conhecer bem o judiciário é o primeiro passo para melhor gerenciá-lo. Assim, deve-se menção e reconhecimento no investimento realizado pela Fundação Getúlio Vargas em promover com destaque o presente Mestrado em Poder Judiciário. A FGV é uma das poucas instituições privadas que tem como um dos seus objetivos o preparo pessoal, extrapolando as fronteiras do ensino com avanços significativos nas áreas da pesquisa e da informação. No mesmo caminho da qualificação profissional de seus magistrados e servidores e na vanguarda da gestão judiciária, o Tribunal de Justiça do Distrito Federal e dos Territórios, investiu e acreditou na proposta de estudos e pesquisas do presente mestrado, merecendo, significativamente, os elogios e agradecimentos pela visão de futuro e investimento realizado no conhecimento que é sempre importante e necessário. A dissertação em comento representa primeiramente uma visão contraposta ao modelo de política pública encampada pelo Conselho Nacional de Justiça, através da Resolução 125 de 29 de novembro de 2010, cujo objeto é o tratamento adequado dos conflitos de interesse no âmbito do Poder Judiciário, representando, assim, interesse especial de pesquisa científica por se tratar de uma política nacional judiciária a ser adotada, obrigatoriamente, por todos os Tribunais de Justiça do país. Além deste aspecto supra referido, reside, também, o fato do ineditismo deste estudo e pesquisa, especificamente, porque essa política pública judiciária aborda aspectos e variáveis novas no tratamento das atividades e das funções próprias do Poder Judiciário quando propõem, como exemplo, o tratamento dos conflitos considerados pré processuais. Outro aspecto importante merecedor de atenção no estudo reflete-se na discussão do modelo de política pública que, em premissa vênia, deveria ser tratado em caráter geral republicando do Estado e não particularizado em um dos seus entes, mesmo que pareça ser, constitucionalmente, pressuposto da alçada do Poder Judiciário tratar exclusivamente do problema da altíssima litigiosidade e do baixo resultado de resposta à demanda posta para seu controle. Este estudo, tem como objetivo demonstrar que a resolução 125/2010 do CNJ é insuficiente para resolver os problemas de congestionamento e morosidade da Justiça brasileira, como preconizada, isso porque, o modelo que se propõe para combater o problema da morosidade é restrito e está “contaminado” pela idéia do monopólio da jurisdição ou por uma espécie similar que traz para o âmbito do judiciário uma nova atividade de trabalho, a qual é relacionada com a solução do conflito pré-processual a qual deveria fazer parte de uma política pública geral não restrita a um poder republicano. A correspondência dos argumentos com a materialização utilizada para o problema será comprovada nas linhas que se seguem, pois, assuntos com grande abrangência como as soluções judiciais devem, preferencialmente, adotar mecanismos públicos de caráter geral para uma boa solução. Nesse sentido, o trabalho demonstrará que as tentativas recorrentes em superar o problema da alta demanda judicial está restrita a modelos insuficientes abrangidos por um monopólio que não deveria ser aplicado para solucionar problemas pré processuais no âmbito do Poder Judiciário. Constitui, pois, um contraponto à idéia de efetividade na redução da demanda judicial tradicional 1 como prevista pela política pública judiciária frente ao monopólio da jurisdição, ou seja, frente à reserva que detém o Judiciário na promoção e gestão de uma nova atividade – o tratamento dos conflitos de interesse pré-processual por meio dos instrumentos de autocomposição, notadamente as conciliações e mediações. Apresentam-se, igualmente, neste trabalho proposições legislativas que dão o suporte material às idéias apresentadas, caracterizando a comprovação de viabilidade entre a apresentação do problema científico, as justificativas para o enfrentamento do problema e uma solução para o mesmo, como vista a modernizar uma política pública. Importante reafirmar que o escopo do presente trabalho não reside na observação própria dos modelos e técnicas de resolução de conflitos, notadamente as conciliações e mediações, incentivadas pelo CNJ, ou nos modelos arbitragem. Ao contrário, espera-se que todas as tentativas que possam melhorar e modernizar os atuais serviços judiciais no Brasil sejam válidas, eficazes e são muito bem vindas, pois, é uma tentativa positiva para melhorar o atual cenário em que se encontra o Poder Judiciário quando é confrontado em seu acesso à justiça, rapidez, confiabilidade e segurança nos seus julgamentos.

A importância da participação das agências reguladoras como amicus curiae nos processos que envolvem ambientes regulados

O presente trabalho propõe uma reflexão acerca de um novo papel a ser desempenhado pelas Agências Reguladoras no Estado Democrático de Direito, repensando a teoria tripartite desenvolvida por Montesquieu - a importância de sua participação, como amicus curiae, nos processos que envolvem o ambiente regulado. O tema ganha importância quando se percebe que as decisões tomadas pelos reguladores tornam-se objeto de disputas judiciais, geralmente iniciadas por meio de ações civis públicas, que na defesa do princípio da transparência dos atos públicos e do interesse da coletividade, por vezes, acabam por esbarrar em questões técnicas fundamentais ao bom funcionamento do ambiente regulado, e que, se modificadas, prejudicam a própria prestação do serviço, consequentemente, os consumidores – em defesa dos quais foi proposta a ação. É objeto deste trabalho, portanto, propor uma solução, ou melhor, chamar atenção para uma solução em face do problema posto – visto que se encontra no ordenamento jurídico brasileiro, porém tão pouco utilizada.

National public investment systems in Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tabago

Includes bibliography

Public debt sustainability in the northern countries of Latin America

Includes bibliography

Public debt sustainability in the Caribbean

This paper analyses public debt in the most indebted Caribbean countries – i.e. Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, and St. Kitts and Nevis – from the standpoint of its sustainability. A level of debt is deemed to be sustainable when the debt-to-GDP ratio remains constant or declines. The concept of sustainability is closely linked to that of solvency. A government is solvent if the net present value of its future primary balances (i.e. that excludes interest payments) is equal to or greater than the present value of public debt stock. It can be demonstrated that if the debt-to-GDP ratio is not on an explosive path, that it either stable or decreasing, the solvency condition holds. It is worth noting that the concept of fiscal sustainability addressed in this paper differs from that of optimality of public debt. The analysis that follows is intended to determine whether the service of the current debt levels is consistent with the fiscal stance. Therefore, it does not set out to identify the target debt level based on any optimality criteria. The next section presents the main features of different theoretical approaches to analyse public debt sustainability.1 Section II discusses the situation of public debt in the Caribbean countries showing different indicators; Section III analyses debt sustainability in countries with access to market financing; Section IV does the same in Guyana – a country dependent on concessional financing and, as such, included in the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative – and the countries of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU). Sections V and VI go beyond debt levels as determinants of fiscal sustainability, highlighting the importance of the currency composition of debt and the variability of fiscal revenue. The last section concludes.

Loss of interest, depressed mood and impact on the quality of life: Cross-sectional survey

Abstract Background Depressive symptoms and chronic disease have adverse effects on patients' health-related quality of life (H-RQOL). However, little is known about this effect on H-RQOL when only the two core depressive symptoms - loss of interest and depressed mood - are considered. The objective of this study is to investigate H-RQOL in the presence of loss of interest and depressed mood at a general medical outpatient unit. Methods We evaluated 553 patients at their first attendance at a general medical outpatient unit of a teaching hospital. H-RQOL was assessed with the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Depressed mood and loss of interest were assessed by the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD)-Patient Questionnaire. A physician performed the diagnosis of chronic diseases by clinical judgment and classified them in 13 possible pre-defined categories. We used multiple linear regression to investigate associations between each domain of H-RQOL and our two core depression symptoms. The presence of chronic diseases and demographic variables were included in the models as covariates. Results Among the 553 patients, 70.5% were women with a mean age of 41.0 years (range 18-85, SD ± 15.4). Loss of interest was reported by 54.6%, and depressed mood by 59.7% of the patients. At least one chronic disease was diagnosed in 59.5% of patients; cardiovascular disease was the most prevalent, affecting 20.6% of our patients. Loss of interest and depressed mood was significantly associated with decreased scores in all domains of H-RQOL after adjustment for possible confounders. The presence of any chronic disease was associated with a decrease in the domain of vitality. The analysis of each individual chronic disease category revealed that no category was associated with a decrease in more than one domain of H-RQOL. Conclusion Loss of interest and depressed mood were associated with significant decreases in H-RQOL. We recommend these simple tests for screening in general practice.

Regulating State Aid: Inter-jurisdictional competition, public choice, and corporate governance

Depending on the regulatory regime they are subject to, governments may or may not be allowed to hand out state aid to private firms. The economic justification for state aid can address several issues present in the competition for capital and the competition for transfers from the state. First, there are principal-agent problems involved at several stages. Self-interested politicians might enter state aid deals that are the result of extensive rent-seeking activities of organized interest groups. Thus the institutional design of political systems will have an effect on the propensity of a jurisdiction to award state aid. Secondly, fierce competition for firm locations can lead to over-spending. This effect is stronger if the politicians do not take into account the entirety of the costs created by their participation in the firm location race. Thirdly, state aid deals can be incomplete and not in the interest of the citizens. This applies if there are no sanctions if firms do not meet their obligations from receiving aid, such as creating a certain number of jobs or not relocating again for a certain amount of time. The separation of ownership and control in modern corporations leads to principal-agent problems on the side of the aid recipient as well. Managers might receive personal benefits from subsidies, the use of which is sometimes less monitored than private finance. This can eventually be to the detriment of the shareholders. Overall, it can be concluded that state aid control should also serve the purpose of regulating the contracting between governments and firms. An extended mandate for supervision by the European Commission could include requirements to disincentive the misuse of state aid. The Commission should also focus on the corporate governance regime in place in the jurisdiction that awards the aid as well as in the recipient firm.

Nursing Homes as a Setting for Psychological Practice: Public Policy Perspectives.

Recent federal legislation has provided renewed interest in improving the quality of nursing home care. The lack of both funding and personnel are significant barriers that may keep psychology's disciplinary expertise from being fully used in nursing homes. Nursing homes may be forced to undertake mandated activities (e.g., preadmission screening, nurses aides' training, and evaluation) without psychologists' expertise, relying either on medical practitioners with little knowledge of mental health interventions or on minimally qualified, entry-level mental health workers. Advocates for improved nursing home care must see the links among basic disciplinary skills, interdisciplinary collaboration, and improved care for mentally impaired elderly individuals.

Public Drinking in the Early Modern World: Voices from the Tavern, 1500-1800

Until recently the role of the public drinking house has been approached from elitist, folkloric and anecdotal perspectives. The work of a new generation of social historians, however, has raised the tavern’s profile in the academic consciousness and confirmed its position within the mainstream of social and cultural history. It is now recognized that an understanding of the centrality of public drinking to the development of both elite and popular culture is vital to studies of social behaviour. The study of taverns has also been at the forefront of emerging interest in the history of consumption and material culture, and has contributed to a richer understanding of economic history. Constructions of gender and identity are also visible through research into the patterns of behaviour and discourse in and around the public house. This four-volume reset edition presents a wide-ranging collection of primary sources which uncover the language and behaviour of local and state authorities, of peasants and town-dwellers, and of drinking companions and irate wives. The documents are translated and set in their social and historical context, providing a multidisciplinary collection that will be of great importance to scholars of all areas of social and cultural history of the early modern period. The vast majority of this material is published here for the first time, ensuring that the collection will open up new avenues of research. Volume 1 draws heavily from the Parisian police archives and includes inspectors’ reports, complaints by the general public and details of court cases to build a picture of drinking in early modern France. Volumes 2 and 3 address public drinking in the Holy Roman Empire through a variety of chronicles, civic ordinances, court records, travel reports and surveys of public houses. Volume 4 locates taverns within a broader analysis of America’s public houses, drawing on visual material as well as journal entries, business reports and newspaper articles. Each volume is accompanied by editorial introductions and is annotated to provide readers with a high-quality resource of scholarly material.

Crime, Mass Media and the General Public in Lithuania

The project investigated the presentation of crime in the Lithuanian media and its possible impact on the general public's understanding of crime-related problems in society. Dobryninas concentrated on three main aspects of this problem: the development of the image of crime in the Lithuanian press and television, journalists' principles in presenting crime-related information, and the public attitude to the presentation of crime in the media. A content analysis of national newspapers from the period of 1992-1997 showed not only increasing interest in crime problems, but also the distorted nature of the image of crime in the media. In-depth interviews with Lithuanian journalists demonstrated that they understood their role in presenting crime-related information firstly as providing information oriented to high public demand, although at the same time they did not deny the commercial and entertainment aspects of crime reporting. Readership and audience research illustrated the clear influence of the media on the public understanding of crime problems in society. However, the virtual image of crime did not greatly affect the system of values and beliefs of Lithuanians, nor did it challenge their insistence that problems of crime could and should be managed within the framework of a civil and open society.