Estimating the effect of chemical safety standards on firm performance in Malaysia and Vietnam

This paper uses firm-level data to examine the impact of chemical safety regulations imposed by importing countries such as RoHS and REACH on the production costs and export performance of firms in Malaysia and Vietnam. We find that in addition to the initial setup costs for compliance, EU RoHS and REACH implementation causes firms to incur additional variable production costs by requiring additional labor and capital expenditures of around 12% of the variable costs, respectively. We also find that compliance with RoHS and REACH significantly increases the probability of export. Furthermore, we find that compliance with EU RoHS and REACH helps firms to penetrate into a greater variety of countries. Also, we find that multinational enterprises and firms participating in global value chains generally exhibit better export performance and their costs rise less steeply.

Effects of RoHs and REACH regulations on firm-level production and export, and the role of global value chains : the cases of Malaysia and Vietnam

This paper uses firm-level data to examine the impact of foreign chemical safety regulations such as RoHS and REACH on the production costs and export performance of firms in Malaysia and Vietnam. This paper also investigates the role of global value chains in enhancing the likelihood that a firm complies with RoHS and REACH. We find that in addition to the initial setup costs for compliance, EU RoHS (REACH) implementation imposes on firms additional variable production costs by requiring additional labor and capital expenditures of around 57% (73%) of variable costs. We also find that compliance with RoHS and REACH significantly increases the probability of export and that compliance with EU RoHS and REACH helps firms enter a greater variety of countries. Furthermore, firms participating in global value chains have higher compliance with RoHS and REACH regulations, regardless of whether the firm is directly exporting, when the firm operates in upstream or downstream industries of the countries' supply chain.

Hogar digital para servicios FTTH : dispositivos, tecnologías y QoE

FTTH (fibra hasta el hogar) es actualmente, junto con la banda ancha móvil, la principal evolución tecnológica en Redes y Servicios de Telecomunicaciones. Se prevé que en los próximos años, el despliegue de las redes FTTH se vea incrementado de manera significativa, gracias al interés creciente tanto de Operadores de Telecomunicaciones como de Organismos Gubernamentales. Este despliegue (que en el año 2013 ya se está haciendo realidad) llevará servicios de muy alta velocidad (superiores a 100 Mbps, incluso 1 Gbps) de manera masiva a los hogares, exigiendo nuevos requisitos y prestaciones en la red del hogar de los clientes. Se abre aquí, por tanto, un campo de exploración novedoso, incipiente y de requerimientos cada vez más exigentes. De hecho, sin duda, la red del hogar es uno de los elementos fundamentales para el éxito de las redes y servicios en FTTH. Debido a todo lo anterior, se convierte en una necesidad para el sector de las Telecomunicaciones el encontrar soluciones a los problemas anteriormente mencionados. Con objeto de contribuir al análisis de soluciones, este proyecto se enfoca en dos temas, ambos relacionados con la problemática ya mencionada en la red del hogar:  Prospección e identificación de soluciones tecnológicas avanzadas para la red del hogar. Descrito en capítulos 2, 3 y 4. En ellos se realiza un estudio detallado de la situación actual y tendencias futuras de los dispositivos utilizados en la red del hogar. Este estudio está enfocado en la distribución de señales de muy alto ancho de banda (en torno a los 100 Mbps por segundo) en el hogar.  Diseño y desarrollo de una aplicación que permita determinar la calidad de experiencia de cliente (QoE) de un servicio de televisión IP (IPTV). Descrito en capítulos 5 y 6. Se ha seleccionado este tipo de servicios debido a que son los que requieren mayores prestaciones tanto de la red de transporte como de la red del hogar y, al mismo tiempo, son los más complicados de medir debido a la fuerte componente de subjetividad del usuario final. Una red del hogar correctamente diseñada debe cumplir de manera equilibrada los requisitos demandados tanto por el operador como por el cliente o usuario final del servicio. Los requisitos del operador se centran principalmente en el control de la inversión (CAPEX) y del gasto de mantenimiento de la red del hogar (OPEX). El usuario, por otra parte, requiere sencillez en la instalación y mínimo número de elementos a instalar (cero intrusismo, ausencia de cableado). Para adaptarse a estos requerimientos, existe una serie de dispositivos y tecnologías que buscan encontrar el punto de equilibrio entre necesidades de operadores y de clientes finales. Las soluciones actualmente utilizadas pueden dividirse en soluciones cableadas e inalámbricas. También existen soluciones híbridas. Todas ellas se describen en detalle en los capítulos 3 y 4. Al final del estudio se concluye que, con la tecnología actual, es preferible el uso de soluciones cableadas tipo Ethernet o POF. Es recomendable no usar soluciones PLC de manera extensiva (G.hn puede ser una alternativa a futuro) y, en caso de no requerir cableado, utilizar WiFi 11n con frecuencias de 5 GHz, así como sus evoluciones, WiFi 11ac y 11ad. La aplicación desarrollada, explicada en los capítulos 5 y 6, permite capturar y medir en tiempo real la señal de televisión IP que se entrega al usuario. Esta aplicación estimará, a partir de dichas medidas, la calidad de la señal entregada. Para ello tendrá en cuenta el tipo de descodificador utilizado por el usuario así como la red empleada (red FTTH de Telefónica). Esta aplicación podría ser utilizada en los centros de atención técnica de las operadoras de telecomunicaciones, determinando así la relación existente entre reclamaciones recibidas y calidad de servicio medida por la aplicación. Asimismo, aparte de realizar medidas en tiempo real, la aplicación vuelca las medidas realizadas y alarmas detectadas en ficheros log, facilitando el análisis técnico de los problemas e incidencias registrados por dichos centros técnicos. Igualmente, esta aplicación puede ser utilizada para el proceso de certificación de equipamiento de red del hogar o incluso como herramienta para profundizar en parámetros teóricos y criterios de medida de calidad de servicio en IPTV. ABSTRACT. FTTH (Fiber To The Home) and mobile broadband are currently the main technological trend in the Network and Telecommunications Services area. In the next few years, the deployment of FTTH networks will experiment a significant increase, due to the growing interest of both telecommunications operators and government agencies. This deployment (that is becoming a reality) which will massively carry high-speed services to households (speeds of more than 100 Mbps, even 1 Gbps) will demand new requirements and features in the customer’s home network. It can be found here a new and emerging field of exploration, with increasingly demanding requirements. In fact, the home network is one of the key elements for the success of FTTH network and services. Due to the aforementioned, it is a necessity for the telecommunications industry to find solutions to these problems. In order to contribute into the solution analysis, this project focuses on two subjects, both related to the problems of home networking:  Exploratory research and identification of advanced technology solutions for the home network. Described in chapters 2, 3 and 4. These chapters show a detailed study of the current situation and future trends of the devices used at the home network. It focuses on the distribution of very high bandwidth signals (around 100 Mbps per second) in the customer’s home.  Design and development of an application to evaluate customer’s quality of experience (QoE) of an IP television service (IPTV). Described in chapters 5 and 6. IPTV service has been selected because it requires higher performance both from the transport and the home networks and, at the same time, it is the most difficult to measure due to the strong component of subjectivity of the end user. A correct design of the home network must meet the requirements demanded both by the network operator and the customer (end user of the service). Network operator requirements mainly focus on reduced capital expenditures (CAPEX) and operational expenditures (OPEX). Additionally, the final user requires a simple and easy installation and also the minimum number of items to install (zero intrusion, lack of wiring, etc.). Different devices and technologies seek to find a balance between these two requirements (network operators and final users requirements). Solutions available in the market can be divided into wired and wireless. There are also hybrid solutions. All of them are described thoroughly in the first part of the project. The conclusion at the end of the study recommends the use of wired technologies like Ethernet or POF. Additionally, the use of PLC is not advised (G.hn can be an alternative in the future) and, in the case of not requiring wiring, the use of 11ac and 11ad WiFi is advised. The application developed in the second part of the project allows capturing and measuring the real-time IPTV signal delivered to the user. This application will estimate the delivered signal quality from the captured measurements. For this purpose, it will also consider the type of decoder installed on the customer’s premises and the transport network (Telefonica’s FTTH network). This application could be used at the operator’s technical service centres, determining in this way the relationship between user’s complaints and the quality of service measured. Additionally, this application can write all the measurements and alarms in log files, making easier the technical analysis of problems and impairments recorded by the technical centres. Finally, the application can also be used for the certification process of home networking equipment (i.e. decoders) or even as a tool to deepen theoretical parameters and measuring criteria of quality of service in IPTV.

1987 census of service industries.

"Issued April-November 1990."

1992 census of service industries.

"Issued February 1995."

1982 census of service industries.

"SC82-I-1-[SC82-I-5]."

An examination of accounting and auditing issues related to strategic environmental initiatives

Although corporate environmental accountability is receiving unprecedented attention in the United States from policy makers, the capital market, and the public at large, extant research is limited in its examination of the implications of strategic corporate environmental initiatives on accounting and auditing. The purpose of my dissertation is to address these implications by examining the association between firm environmental initiatives and audit fees, capital expenditures, and earnings quality using multivariate regression analysis. I find that firms engaged in more strategic environmental initiatives tend to have significantly higher audit fees and capital expenditures, and significantly lower levels of earnings manipulation measured using discretionary accruals. These results support the notion that auditors do recognize the importance of environmental initiatives when conducting the year-end financial statement audit, an idea that positively reflects upon the auditor’s monitoring role. The results also demonstrate the increased amount of capital resources required to participate in strategic environmental initiatives, an anecdotal notion that had yet to be empirically supported. This empirical support provides valuable insights on how environmental initiatives materially impact corporate financial statements. Finally, my results extend the extant literature by demonstrating that the superior financial performance reported by environmentally active firms is less likely driven by earnings manipulation by management, and by implication, more likely a result of real economic gains. Taken together, my dissertation establishes a strong and timely foundation for current and future research to explore corporate environmental initiatives in the United States and globally, a topic increasingly gaining momentum in today’s more eco-conscious world.^

The Economic Case for Electric Mining Equipment and Technical Considerations Relating to their Implementation

Underground hardrock mining can be very energy intensive and in large part this can be attributed to the power consumption of underground ventilation systems. In general, the power consumed by a mine’s ventilation system and its overall scale are closely related to the amount of diesel power in operation. This is because diesel exhaust is a major source of underground air pollution, including diesel particulate matter (DPM), NO2 and heat, and because regulations tie air volumes to diesel engines. Furthermore, assuming the size of airways remains constant, the power consumption of the main system increases exponentially with the volume of air supplied to the mine. Therefore large diesel fleets lead to increased energy consumption and can also necessitate large capital expenditures on ventilation infrastructure in order to manage power requirements. Meeting ventilation requirements for equipment in a heading can result in a similar scenario with the biggest pieces leading to higher energy consumption and potentially necessitating larger ventilation tubing and taller drifts. Depending on the climate where the mine is located, large volumes of air can have a third impact on ventilation costs if heating or cooling the air is necessary. Annual heating and cooling costs, as well as the cost of the associated infrastructure, are directly related to the volume of air sent underground. This thesis considers electric mining equipment as a means for reducing the intensity and cost of energy consumption at underground, hardrock mines. Potentially, electric equipment could greatly reduce the volume of air needed to ventilate an entire mine as well as individual headings because they do not emit many of the contaminants found in diesel exhaust and because regulations do not connect air volumes to electric motors. Because of the exponential relationship between power consumption and air volumes, this could greatly reduce the amount of power required for mine ventilation as well as the capital cost of ventilation infrastructure. As heating and cooling costs are also directly linked to air volumes, the cost and energy intensity of heating and cooling the air would also be significantly reduced. A further incentive is that powering equipment from the grid is substantially cheaper than fuelling them with diesel and can also produce far fewer GHGs. Therefore, by eliminating diesel from the underground workers will enjoy safer working conditions and operators and society at large will gain from a smaller impact on the environment. Despite their significant potential, in order to produce a credible economic assessment of electric mining equipment their impact on underground systems must be understood and considered in their evaluation. Accordingly, a good deal of this thesis reviews technical considerations related to the use of electric mining equipment, especially ones that impact the economics of their implementation. The goal of this thesis will then be to present the economic potential of implementing the equipment, as well as to outline the key inputs which are necessary to support an evaluation and to provide a model and an approach which can be used by others if the relevant information is available and acceptable assumptions can be made.

Social capital, government expenditures, and growth

Countries with greater social capital have higher economic growth. We show that socialcapital is also highly positively correlated across countries with government expenditureon education. We develop an infinite-horizon model of public spending and endogenousstochastic growth that explains both facts through frictions in political agency whenvoters have imperfect information. In our model, the government provides servicesthat yield immediate utility, and investment that raises future productivity. Voters aremore likely to observe public services, so politicians have electoral incentives to underprovidepublic investment. Social capital increases voters' awareness of all governmentactivity. As a consequence, both politicians' incentives and their selection improve.In the dynamic equilibrium, both the amount and the efficiency of public investmentincrease, permanently raising the growth rate.

Better administration of capital grants could reduce unnecessary expenditures on mass transit projects. Report by the Comptroller General of the United States.

Mode of access: Internet.

Human capital in a global and knowledge-based economy. Part 2. Asssessment at the EU country level.

This report is an extension and partial update of de la Fuente and Ciccone (2002). It constructs estimates of the private and social rates of return on schooling for fourteen EU countries using microeconometric estimates of Mincerian wage equations, the results of cross-country growth regressions and OECD data on educational expenditures, tax rates and social benefits. The results are used to draw some tentative conclusions regarding the optimality of observed investment patterns and educational subsidy levels.

A Structural Analysis of the Health Expenditures and Portfolio Choices of Retired Agents

Richer and healthier agents tend to hold riskier portfolios and spend proportionally less on health expenditures. Potential explanations include health and wealth effects on preferences, expected longevity or disposable total wealth. Using HRS data, we perform a structural estimation of a dynamic model of consumption, portfolio and health expenditure choices with recursive utility, as well as health-dependent income and mortality risk. Our estimates of the deep parameters highlight the importance of health capital, mortality risk control, convex health and mortality adjustment costs and binding liquidity constraints to rationalize the stylized facts. They also provide new perspectives on expected longevity and on the values of life and health.

Does social capital reinforce technological inputs in the creation of knowledge? Evidence from the Spanish regions

In this paper we seek to verify the hypothesis that trust and cooperation between individuals, and between them and public institutions, can encourage technological innovation and the adoption of knowledge. Additionally, we test the extent to which the interaction of social capital with human capital and R&D expenditures improve their effect on a region’s ability to innovate. Our empirical evidence is taken from the Spanish regions and employs a knowledge production function and longitudinal count data models. Our results suggest that social capital correlates positively with innovation. Further, our analysis reveals a powerful interaction between human and social capital in the production of knowledge, whilst the complementarity with R&D efforts would seem less clear.

Natural resources, redistribution and Human capital formation

How do resource booms affect human capital accumulation? We exploit time and spatial variation generated by the commodity boom across local governments in Peru to measure the effect of natural resources on human capital formation. We explore the effect of both mining production and tax revenues on test scores, finding a substantial and statistically significant effect for the latter. Transfers to local governments from mining tax revenues are linked to an increase in math test scores of around 0.23 standard deviations. We find that the hiring of permanent teachers as well as the increases in parental employment and improvements in health outcomes of adults and children are plausible mechanisms for such large effect on learning. These findings suggest that redistributive policies could facilitate the accumulation of human capital in resource abundant developing countries as a way to avoid the natural resources curse.

Public expenditures taxation and welfare measurement

this article addresses the welfare and macroeconomics effects of fiscal policy in a frarnework where govemment chooses tax rates and the distribution of revenues between consumption and investment. We construct and simulate a model where public consumption affects individuaIs' utility and public capital is an argument of the production function. The simulations suggest that by simply reallocating expenditures from consumption to investment, the govemment can increase the equilibrium leveIs of capital stock, hours worked, output and labor productivity. Funhennore, we 'show that the magnitude and direction of the long run impact of fiscal policy depends on the size of the elasticity of output to public capital. If this parameter is high enough, it may be the case that capital stock, within limits, increases with tax rates.