Effects of broadband availability on total factor productivity in service sector firms: Evidence from Ireland

While broadband is widely believed to augment productivity, there is little firm-level evidence of a generalised causal effect. In this paper we examine whether the introduction of digital subscriber line (DSL) broadband services increased firms' productivity in nine sub-sectors within the services and distribution sector in Ireland from 2006 to 2012. Firm-level panel data on firms' characteristics are linked to spatial information on the rollout of DSL. While we do not find significant productivity effects in the services sectors taken together, we do find positive and significant effects on firm's total factor productivity in Information & Communication and Administrative & Support Services.     

Three Triggers? Negative Equity,Income Shocks and Institutions as Determinants of Mortgage Default

The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics - In understanding the determinants of mortgage default, the consensus has moved from an ‘option theory’ model to the ‘double...     

Purpose, development and use of injury indicators

Injury indicators can be used to give policy makers an estimate of the scale of injuries and their long-term effects. They can help compare injury levels in different areas and countries and can be used to help measure the effectiveness of interventions. Work on severity related indicators is promising. However there are no perfect indicators to date as many are hampered with difficulties in case definition and under reporting. For example, mortality rates are affected by improvements in care even if the incidence of an injury remains the same, the abbreviated injury scale (AIS) takes 10-20 minutes to code and so is not used in health service databases, surveys have problems with recall bias, definition of injury and response rates. If we accept that we need to make the best out of imperfect indicators and imperfect data then we should use multiple sources of data and accept that no one indicator can be used universally but needs to be selected for the purpose. For example, one possible new indicator of the incidence of non-fatal injury might be fracture data in the emergency department. Fractures are painful and so nearly always end up with a hospital attendance. This might give a means to compare incidence of non-fatal injury in different areas and countries. In conclusion, we need injury indicators to progress in injury prevention. Imperfect indicators can be used for targeting and evaluating interventions as long as we know and adjust for their limitations.     

亚洲直面通胀挑战

亚洲终于觉醒,开始直面通胀挑战。最近,亚洲各中央银行纷纷上调利率,或采取其他措施抑制物价上涨,启动新一轮的货币紧缩。尤其是印度,该国已采取前所未有的强硬措施并大幅上调利率。亚洲通胀高企源于多种原因。首先,该地区2010年经济发展强劲,经济放缓程度远低于西方国家。旺盛的国内需求令经销商和生产商得以将增加的成本转嫁给消费者,并通过提高价格,维持或提升利润率。尽管这样存     

亚洲直面通胀挑战

近日，各中央银行纷纷上调利率，或采取其它措施抑制物价上涨，启动新一轮的货币紧缩。尤其是印度，该国家已采取前所未有的强硬措施并大幅上调利率，而中国等其它国家也再度提高准备金要求。亚洲终于觉醒，开始直面通胀挑战。     

Children aged 9-14 living in disadvantaged areas in England: Opportunities and barriers for cycling

The aim of this paper is to take a holistic perspective to explore levels of cycling and opportunities and barriers to increase children’s safer cycling in disadvantaged areas in England. The study was one part of a larger study which explored the factors underlying the high level of road traffic casualties especially among children in the most disadvantaged areas of England and to explore how this impacts on mobility and quality of life. The methods involved a cross sectional survey comprising school based questionnaire surveys with children aged 9-14 and focus groups with parents who had children within this age range. The surveys were conducted in 2007 and the focus groups during 2008. 4286 children completed the survey and eight focus groups were held. Bike ownership (77%) was high, use in previous week moderate (39%) but only 2% cycled to school. Ownership was significantly lower in minority ethnic groups. Despite young children’s strong preference to travel by cycle (30%) than walk or go by car, most parents felt it was too hazardous. It is unlikely that these findings would be any different from the rest of England, however the combination of environmental and social factors may elevate the risks for young cyclists in these areas. This paper concludes that a number of barriers exist to increasing levels of cycling among children living in disadvantaged areas particularly amongst ethnic groups. These barriers could be addressed by environmental modifications to reduce speeds and by reducing the levels of antisocial driving and riding in residential areas and around destinations where children travel, by providing cycle training to improve children’s skills and parent’s confidence, and by providing secure storage facilities for bikes. Until these barriers are addressed it is unlikely that cycling will increase despite the strong preferences children have to travel by bike. Such preferences to cycle provide an opportunity for local authorities to act on.     

A troublesome transport challenge? Working round the school run

Transport policy and practice could be challenged by the future of women’s mobility if it means an increasing reliance on the car. The paper examines the contextual relationship between the journey to school/childcare and the journey to work undertaken by eleven women who work part-time. It considers what the problems these women face in managing their time-space commitments and argues that time is the central problem. Transport can be a solution and a further problem in negotiating the competing time needs of work and family schedules. The research indicates the role ICTs, notably the mobile phone, play in mitigating individual transport problems, thus solutions to the problem of women’s time may not be sustainable.     

Asia Confronts Its Inflation Challenge

Asia is finally waking up to its inflation challenge.Recent weeks have seen a further round of monetary tighten-ing, with a succession of central banks raising interest rates, or taking other measures to put a cap on rising prices.India, in particular, has taken tougher action than before, with a large rate hike, whilst others such as China have again pushed up reserve requirements.     

A COMPARISON OF LEGISLATIVE ASPECTS OF AGRICULTURAL MARKET REGULATION IN CANADA AND THE U.S.

There are many common characteristics between publicly sanctioned market regulation in U.S. and Canada, but there are also important differences. The growth of this form of organized intervention in Canadian agriculture in recent years and the apparent continued growth through national marketing boards create a need for a great deal more information than is presently available. This paper summarizes existing legislative sources of producer marketing agencies in Canada and the U.S. as one step toward reducing this information gap.
Les régulations sur la mise en marché sanctionées publiquement aux Etats-Unis et au Canada ont beaucoup de traits communs mais il y a aussi ďimportantes différences. La croissance de cette forme ďintervention organisée dans ľagriculture canadienne au cours des derniéres années ainsi que la croissance apparente engenderée par le Conseil de la mise en marché ont crée un besoin pour beaucoup plus ďinformation qui ne sont actuellement pas disponibles. Cet article réume les sources législatives qui existent présentement dans les agences de mise en marché des produits agricoles au Canada et aux Etats-Unis, comme un pas en avant afin de réduire ce manque ďinformation.