Public sector and economic growth: the Greek experience

Over the past two decades there has been an increase in the relative size of the public sector, accompanied by a decline in the growth performance of the Greek economy. In an attempt to highlight the contribution of the government size to growth, an analytical framework is developed, incorporating the possibility that marginal factor productivities are not equal in the public and private sectors. Econometric analysis utilizing this framework points to a negative relationship between government size and economic growth. This seems to derive, in part, from intersectoral diseconomies generated by the growing share of deft-financed government activities.     

Values motivation and concern for appearances: the effect of personality traits on responses to corporate social responsibility

• The present research seeks to examine differences in support for corporate social responsibility based on certain personality traits. Secondary data from a nationally representative sample of 6065 respondents were examined. The results demonstrate that individuals motivated by a concern for appearances, an egoistic enhancement motivation, as well as individuals motivated by their values, make purchases in support of corporate philanthropy. However those concerned for appearances do not view CSR as a normative requirement, unlike those motivated by their values.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Enhancing occupational health and safety in young workers: the role of social marketing

• Young workers (age 15–24) suffer work‐related injury at a much higher rate than older workers, yet research on the role and effectiveness of social marketing to influence and improve workplace safety is limited.
• A review of the relevant literature reveals that significant gaps exist in terms of effectively using social marketing to reduce young worker injury rates.
• A comprehensive, multi‐faceted social marketing approach is required to address young worker safety.
• Directing more attention toward the practice of social marketing can enhance the effectiveness of campaigns to reduce workplace injuries.

Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Systematic review of models used in economic analyses in moderate-to-severe asthma and COPD

Background:

Respiratory diseases exert a substantial burden on society, with newer drugs increasingly adding to the burden. Economic models are often used, but seldom reviewed.

Purpose:

To summarize economic models used in economic analyses of drugs treating moderate-to-severe/very severe asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods:

This study searched Medline and Embase from inception to the end of February 2015 for cost-effectiveness/utility analyses that examined at least one drug against placebo, another drug, or other standard therapy in asthma or COPD. Two reviewers independently searched and extracted data with differences adjudicated via consensus discussion. Data extracted included model used and its qualities, validation methods, treatments compared, disease severity, analytic perspective, time horizon, data collection (pro- or retrospective), input rates and sources, costs and sources, planned sensitivity analyses, criteria for cost-effectiveness, reported outcomes, and sponsor.

Results:

This study analyzed 53 articles; 14 (25%) on asthma and 39 (75%) COPD. Markov models were commonly used for both asthma and COPD-related economic evaluations. Relatively few studies validated their model. For asthma-related studies, 10 examined inhaled corticosteroids and nine studied omalizumab. Placebo or standard therapy was the comparison in 11 studies and active drugs in the remainder.

Conclusions:

Few studies include validation of their models. Furthermore, controversy concerning some results was uncovered in this study, which needs to be avoided in the future.     

数据的质量、诊断和维修决策及其对利润的影响

全面质量维修(TQMain)是状态维修((CBM)出现的一种新概念。其目标不仅仅是要保持机器状态良好，而且要保持影响制造过程所有重要环节的状态良好。诸如：生产工艺、运转条件、员工能力、寿命周期费用(LCC)，以及质量控制系统。为此要组成一个综合的设备信息系统。重要的成果有：(1)利用更精确的诊断和预测技术进一步确定了延长轴承平均有效寿命的数据和指标。(2)为监控机器状态采集了影响振动信号的机器速度和负载变化数据。(3)利用振动频谱分析检测了曲轴的主轴承表面质量偏差。(4)求出了一台造纸机的维修利润每年约为3．58MSEK。主要结论是：实施连续改进和确保延长机器寿命和以竞争价格生产出高质量产品。确定和消除造成质量偏差和设备早期故障的原因以及扩大应用数据反馈技术是不可缺少的。还讨论了最近7年间为验证实现全面质量维修(TQMain)概念的需求和效益而进行过一些案例研究。     

Flood prone risk and amenity values: a spatial hedonic analysis

This study examines the impact of flood‐hazard zone location on residential property prices. The study utilises data from over 2000 private residential property sales occurred during 2006 in North Shore City, New Zealand. A spatial autoregressive hedonic model is developed to provide efficient estimates of the marginal effect of flood prone risks on property prices. Results suggest that the sale price of a residential property within a flood prone area is lower than an equivalent property outside the flood prone area. The flood plain location discount is reduced by the release of public information regarding flood risk.     

Choice experiment adaptive design benefits: a case study*

Efficient experimental designs offer the potential to reduce required sample sizes, or to reduce confidence intervals for parameters of interest, in choice experiments. Choice experiment designs have typically addressed efficiency of utility function parameter estimates. The recently developed concept of C‐efficiency recognises the salience of willingness to pay estimates rather than utility function parameters in studies that seek to put money values on attributes. C‐efficiency design benefits have been illustrated in a theoretical context, but have not been tested in applied settings. This study reports a choice experiment field application that used initial responses to update statistical designs to maximise C‐efficiency. Consistent with theoretical predictions, the revised design delivered significant reductions in the variance of willingness to pay estimates, illustrating that C‐efficient designs can indeed decrease costs of choice experiments by reducing required sample sizes.     

Economic analysis of paliperidone long-acting injectable for chronic schizophrenia in Portugal

Objective: Patients with chronic schizophrenia suffer a huge burden, as do their families/caregivers. Treating schizophrenia is costly for health systems. The European Medicines Agency has approved paliperidone palmitate (PP-LAI; Xeplion), an atypical antipsychotic depot; however, its pharmacoeconomic profile in Portugal is unknown. A cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted from the viewpoint of the Portuguese National Health Service.

Methods: PP-LAI was compared with long acting injectables risperidone (RIS-LAI) and haloperidol (HAL-LAI) and oral drugs (olanzapine; oral-OLZ) adapting a 1-year decision tree to Portugal, guided by local experts. Clinical information and costs were obtained from literature sources and published lists. Outcomes included relapses (both requiring and not requiring hospitalization) and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Costs were expressed in 2014 euros. Economic outcomes were incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs); including cost-utility (outcome?=?QALYs) and cost-effectiveness analyses (outcomes?=?relapse/hospitalization/emergency room (ER) visit avoided).

Results: The base-case cost of oral-OLZ was 4447€ (20% drugs/20% medical/60% hospital); HAL-LAI cost 4474€ (13% drugs/13% medical/74% hospital); PP-LAI cost 5326€ (49% drugs/12% medical/39% hospital); RIS-LAI cost 6223€ (44% drugs/12% medical/44% hospital). Respective QALYs/hospitalizations/ER visits were oral-OLZ: 0.761/0.615/0.242; HAL-LAI: 0.758/0.623/0.250; PP-LAI: 0.823/0.288/0.122; RIS-LAI: 0.799/0.394/0.168. HAL-LAI was dominated by oral-OLZ and RIS-LAI by PP-LAI for all outcomes. The ICER of PP-LAI over oral-OLZ was 14,247€/QALY, well below NICE/Portuguese thresholds (≈24,800€/30,000€/QALY). ICERs were 1973€/relapse avoided and 2697€/hospitalization avoided. Analyses were robust against most variations in input values, as PP-LAI was cost-effective over oral-OLZ in >99% of 10,000 simulations.

Conclusion: In Portugal, PP-LAI dominated HAL-LAI and RIS-LAI and was cost-effective over oral-OLZ with respect to QALYs gained, relapses avoided, and hospitalizations avoided.