A Q methodology study of stakeholders' views about accountability for promoting healthy food environments in England through the responsibility deal food network

In March 2011, the United Kingdom's (UK's) Government launched five Public Health Responsibility Deal Networks to address public health priorities. The Networks used voluntary partnerships to influence peoples' choice architecture to move them toward healthier behaviors. The purpose of this research was to conduct an exploratory study of diverse stakeholders' perspectives about perceived responsibility and accountability expectations to improve food environments in England through the Food Network partnerships. A purposive sample of policy elites (n=31) from government, academia, food industry and non-government organizations sorted 48 statements related to improving food environments in England. Statements were grounded in three theoretical perspectives (i.e., legitimacy, nudge and public health law). PQMethod 2.33 statistical software program used factor analysis to identify viewpoints based on intra-individual differences for how participants sorted statements. The results revealed three distinct viewpoints, which explained 64% of the variance for 31 participants, and emphasized different expectations about responsibility. The food environment protectors (n=17) underscored government responsibility to address unhealthy food environments if voluntary partnerships are ineffective; the partnership pioneers (n=12) recognized government-industry partnerships as legitimate and necessary to address unhealthy food environments; and the commercial market defenders (n=1) emphasized individual responsibility for food choices and rejected government intervention to improve food environments. Consensus issues included: protecting children's right to health; food industry practices that can and should be changed; government working with industry on product reformulation; and building consumer support for economically viable healthy products. Contentious issues were: inadequacy of accountability structures and government inaction to regulate food marketing practices targeting children. We conclude that understanding different viewpoints is a step toward building mutual trust to strengthen accountability structures that may help stakeholders navigate ideologically contentious issues to promote healthy food environments in England.

An empirical study on accountability for promoting healthy food environments in England through the public health responsibility deal food network

Objective: In 2011, the United Kingdom launched five Public Health Responsibility Deal Networks inspired by ‘nudge theory’ to facilitate healthy-lifestyle behaviors. This study used Q methodology to examine stakeholders’ views about responsibility and accountability for healthy food environments to reduce obesity and diet-related chronic diseases. Design: A purposive sample of policy elites (n=31) from government, academia, food industry and civil society sorted 48 statements grounded in three theoretical perspectives (i.e., legitimacy, nudge and public health law). Factor analysis identified intra-individual statement sorting differences. Results: A three-factor solution explained 64 percent of the variance across three distinct viewpoints: food environment protectors (n=17) underscored government responsibility to address unhealthy food environments; partnership pioneers (n=12) recognized government-industry partnerships as legitimate; and the commercial market defenders (n=1) emphasized individual responsibility for food choices and rejected any government intervention. Conclusions: Building trust and strengthening accountability structures may help stakeholders navigate differences to engage in constructive actions. This research may inform efforts in other countries where voluntary industry partnerships are pursued to address unhealthy food environments.

The advantages of the construction sector of China and India: a comparison

With the spectacular rise of the Chinese and Indian economies the accompanying growth in these two countries' construction sectors justifies more understanding. There is, however, a lot of unknowns about the two countries' construction sectors from a comparative perspective. This study attempted to identify and compare the comparative/competitive advantages of the two fast-growing economies in construction in pursuit of policy and management implications, which can benefit not only the two countries but also other developing countries. In this regard, a comparative advantage framework and Porter's Diamond Framework were applied to analyze the relative advantages of the Chinese and Indian construction sectors. The comparative analyses showed that China appears better endowed in labor with high productivity. Government intervention was identified as benefiting Chinese firms with support for the development of human resources. China also benefits from superior access to a wide range of inputs, including equipment, construction materials, and technology. The existence of large corporate champions provides scale of economy and contributes to the advantage of the construction sector of China. In contrast, India benefits from the increased competitive rivalry thanks to its more hands-off government policies that focus primarily on providing a good business environment with a favorable tax system, market entry policies, laws and regulations, and code/standard systems. The differences identified provide policy implications to the decision makers of the two countries in further developing their construction sectors. © 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Ownership structure and collateral requirements: Evidence from China’s listed firms

This paper examines the effect of ownership structure on collateral requirements using a sample of China's listed firms from 2007 to 2009. We find that compared to privately controlled companies, state-controlled companies are less likely to be required to pledge collateral, and such a difference is more pronounced for firms in troubled industries. The empirical results also show that the effect of state control on collateral requirements is weaker in companies with more foreign ownership. Moreover, the effect of state control on collateral requirements is weaker in companies with more third party guarantees. Finally, we find that the effect of state control on collateral requirements is more pronounced for firms operating in regions with more government intervention.

Does political capital create value in the IPO market? Evidence from China

This study examines the value of political capital in the Chinese IPO market. We find a positive relationship between a politically connected executive and the probability of IPO approval of entrepreneurial firms. We further identify that shareholders value those connections and give a market premium to connected firms after the firms go public. We provide evidence that other types of political capital gained through external sources, such as politically connected sponsors and PE investors, also bring benefits to the firms in their IPO approval, and these connections substitute for the effect of the executive's political connections on IPO approval. We argue that in emerging markets where government intervention is still prevalent, political capital does create value and entrepreneurial firms usually build political capital to facilitate their access to the IPO market, although other types of political capital do not bring further benefits into the post-IPO market.

The effect of ownership structure on leverage decision: new evidence from Chinese listed firms

This paper examines the effect of state control and ownership structure on the leverage decision of firms listed in the Chinese stock market. Our results show that state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have higher leverage ratios than non-SOEs, and SOEs in regions with a poorer institutional environment have higher leverage ratios than SOEs in better regions. We also show that the largest shareholding (the percentage of shares held by the largest shareholder) in the SOEs has a negative relationship with the leverage ratio, while the largest shareholding in non-SOEs has a non-linear relationship with the short-term and long-term debt ratios. Finally, this study also shows that the share split reform and the improvement of institutional environment both weaken the negative relationship and strengthen the positive relationship between largest shareholding and leverage of SOEs and non-SOEs to some extent. This paper documents how the financing behaviour of SOEs is more influenced by government intervention, while the financing behaviour of non-SOEs is more market oriented.

The evolution of TFP in Latin America

Due to widespread government intervention and import-substitution industrialization, there has been a general perception that Latin America has always been less productive than the leading economies. In this paper, however, we show that until the mid-seventies Latin America had high productivity levels relative to the US and other regions. Moreover, total factor productivity in Latin America increased relative to the US during this period, declining only in the subsequent years.

The evolution of TFP in Latin America: high productivity when distortions were high?

Due to widespread government intervention and import-substitution industrialization, there has been a general presumption that Latin America has been much less productive than the leading economies in the last decades. In this paper, however, we show that until the late seventies Latin America had high total factor productivity (TFP) levels relative to the US and other regions. It is only after the late seventies that we observe a fast decrease of relative TFP in Latin America. Results are robust to the use of diferent methodologies and data sources.

Governando os comuns ou para os comuns?: gestão de áreas protegidas e os arranjos institucionais da política ambiental no Estado de São Paulo

Desde o século XIX, quando foi instituído o primeiro parque nacional, a gestão de áreas protegidas foi evoluindo e se aprimorando, sendo um importante mecanismo para a conservação da biodiversidade e uma das ações de maior intervenção estatal. Neste sentido, esta dissertação apresenta uma análise dos arranjos institucionais da política ambiental que impactam o uso comum dos recursos naturais por populações residentes do Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar. Para esta discussão, são analisados: o embate teórico entre ambientalismo e socioambientalismo; a problemática do uso de acesso comum, associada a necessidade, ou não, de intervenção governamental; os programas e ações do Governo do Estado de São Paulo para a consolidação das unidades de conservação de proteção integral; e as variáveis que compõe os arranjos institucionais da política ambiental dos casos avaliados, na Cota 400 e Água Fria, no município de Cubatão. Face aos arranjos institucionais da política ambiental para gestão de áreas protegidas, esta dissertação busca compreender qual a melhor situação para a conservação dos recursos naturais, com estudos aplicados a luz do modelo proposto por Elinor Ostrom. A análise dos casos permitiu verificar uma performance institucional frágil da comunidade para o uso sustentável dos recursos de acesso comum.

A região metropolitana da Baixada Santista: uma análise a partir dos fatores que favorecem a capacidade de governança e governabilidade regional

As regiões metropolitanas são reconhecidas como locus estratégico para o desenvolvimento econômico e social das sociedades modernas, porém ainda têm dificuldades em responder às crescentes demandas e problemas complexos. São inúmeras as soluções buscadas e aplicadas para melhor responder às demandas coletivas em áreas metropolitanas, no entanto, o que se observam ainda são sucessos parciais, que evidenciam os desafios deste tema para a gestão pública. Desta forma, o presente estudo busca contribuir tanto para a discussão teórica quanto para a base empírica dos estudos de regiões metropolitanas. Por meio de levantamento bibliográfico, foram identificados oito fatores apontados como favoráveis à governança e governabilidade em regiões metropolitanas. Com a realização de entrevistas semiestruturadas e o levantamento de dados e informações, foi possível analisar esses fatores a partir do caso da Região Metropolitana da Baixada Santista e avançar no debate sobre os limites e potencialidades relativos às ações regionais.

On the evolution of TFP in Latin America

Due to several policy distortions, including import-substitution industrialization, widespread government intervention and both domestic and international competitive barriers, there has been a general presumption that Latin America has been much less productive than the leading economies in the last decades. In this paper we show, however, that until the late seventies Latin American countries had high productivity levels relative to the United States. It is only after the late seventies that we observe a fast decrease of relative TFP in Latin America. We also show that the inclusion of human capital in the production function makes a crucial diference in the TFP calculations for Latin America.

On the evolution of TFP in Latin America

Due to several policy distortions, including import-substitution industrialization, widespread government intervention and both domestic and international competitive barriers, there has been a general presumption that Latin America has been much less productive than the leading economies in the last decades. In this paper we show, however, that until the late seventies Latin American countries had high productivity levels relative to the United States. It is only after the late seventies that we observe a fast decrease of relative TFP in Latin America. We also show that the inclusion of human capital in the production function makes a crucial difference in the TFP calculations for Latin America.

Growth,distribution and school policy

This paper investigates the relationship between growth, income inequality, and educational policies. An endogenous growth model is built in which there are two types of labor, skilled and unskilled, and the quality of the labor force (measured by the fraction of skilled workers) will ultimately determine the economic growth rate. We show that multi pIe inequality and growth paths may arise. Countries will not necessarily converge to the same economic growth and income distribution. When the proportion of skilled workers is low, the economy grows slow, and the Gini coeflicient is high. Low expected growth rate inhibits investments in human capital and the quality of the labor force tomorrow turns out to be low again, keeping the economy in the bad equilibrium. We then analyze the effects on growth and inequality of two types of government intervention: introduction of public schools and vouchers. Both types can induce the economic agents to invest more in education. The consequence will be an increase in the quality of the labor force, leading to higher growth rates and less inequality. Finally, we examine the welfare consequences of these interventions and conclude that they may be Pareto improving.

Serviços de saúde, a assimetria da informação e a intervenção do governo: os exemplos americano e brasileiro

O presente trabalho buscou investigar como o mercado de serviços de saúde é afetado pela assimetria de informação, que acaba por justificar a intervenção do governo. Foi realizada uma análise do funcionamento do setor de serviços de saúde e como a assimetria de informação, principalmente a proveniente de seleção adversa, o afeta. Para tanto, foram levados em consideração os modelos de Akerlof e Rothschild e Stiglitz. Em um momento seguinte, foram discutidas as características e particularidades deste setor e porque a intervenção do governo acaba sendo necessária. Neste ponto discutem-se também as questões distributivas de renda ligadas ao setor de saúde. Finalmente, como exemplo, as soluções adotadas por Brasil e Estados Unidos são apresentadas e analisadas. Na conclusão são apresentadas e discutidas as implicações da cada uma destas escolhas, bem como apresentadas sugestões para novos estudos nessa área.

Avaliação dos processos de seleção utilizados nos programas de fomento a inovação nas micro e pequenas empresas da fundação de amparo à pesquisa do Rio Grande do Norte

Technological innovation promotes the generation of economic value by creating a new product, process or organizational management model, being classified as dynamic and multidimensional. Government intervention has the role of acting through government grant programs to foster the integration of innovative processes in small companies, due to the high costs and risks of development, strengthening the country`s economy in this phase. The distribution of this grant is determined by criteria, based especially in subjective judgments, which are based on the beliefs and perceptions about the technological opportunities and market actors involved in the process, being very difficult to measure the probability of success of the project under evaluation. This study aims to identify the most relevant selection criteria that must be inserted in grants programs at Rio Grande do Norte executed by Fundação de Pesquisa do Rio Grande do Norte (FAPERN). Initially, there was a systematization of 18 countries, covering 41 programs in foreign countries and 29 in Brazil. Based on the data collected, we conducted one survey containing four programs of FAPERN (INOVA I, INOVA II , INOVA III and INOVA IV), covering 44 companies and analyzing their responses according to the Likert scale , obtaining the degree of importance given by the respondent to each of the criteria in the questionnaire . As a result, drew up a proposal for new criteria to be used in the next FAPERN´s grants, containing 13 new criteria. It is expected, therefore, to contribute to a better spending of public funds invested in companies subsidized in Brazil