Sri Lankans’ residential segregation and spatial inequalities in Southern Italy: an empirical analysis using fine-scale data on regular lattice geographies

Quality & Quantity - Sri Lankans constitute one of Italy's oldest foreign communities. A comparative geographic study of Sri Lankans’ settlement patterns in three main municipalities...     

Kalai and Muller’s possibility theorem: a simplified integer programming version

We provide a respecification of an integer programming characterization of Arrovian social welfare functions introduced by Sethuraman et al. (Math Oper Res 28:309–326, 2003). By exploiting this respecification, we give a new and simpler proof of Theorem 2 in Kalai and Muller (J Econ Theory 16:457–469, 1977).     

Social media marketing in wine tourism: winery owners’ perceptions

This paper examines winery owners’ attitudes and perceptions regarding the use of social media in marketing and promoting wine tourism online. Empirical evidence is provided by a sample of 20 winery owners in the North Italian region of Langhe, who have engaged to a greater or lesser extent in social media. The findings show that while the majority of winery owners recognise the social, economic and emotional benefits of social media, they are far from exploiting its full potential, partially due to barriers such as their agricultural mentality and the time-consuming nature of social media.     

Investigating the consequences of word of mouth from a WOM sender’s perspective in the services context

Abstract

Employing scenario-based experiments, this paper examines the effect of word of mouth (WOM) on the sender’s intention to give future WOM about the focal service provider and the self-enhancement derived from articulating WOM. Extant WOM literature considers self-enhancement as a key driver of positive WOM. This paper provides empirical evidence that a reverse effect exists and that self-enhancement is also an outcome of WOM behaviour. Results indicate that the impact of WOM on self-enhancement has substantive significance and holds for both positive and negative WOM. The effect of WOM on intentions is only partially supported. Finally, tie strength between the WOM participants partially moderates the relationship between the variables. Importantly, the impact of negative WOM is stronger than that of positive WOM.     

Do data policy restrictions inhibit trade in services?

Review of World Economics - This paper examines whether restrictive data policies are related to trade in services. The authors have collected comparable information on a variety of policy measures...     

Linguistic sleuthing for innovators

Quality & Quantity - For centuries “innovation” has been a topic of book authors and academic researchers as documented by Ngram and Google Scholar search results. In contrast,...     

Networks of foreign affiliates: Evidence from Japanese micro-data

The paper provides evidence of the investment patterns of Japanese multinational enterprises (MNEs) across countries and industries and analyses the main drivers of their location strategies, using detailed micro-data on Japanese parents and their affiliates including the final destination of affiliate sales. The breakdown of affiliate sales by destination market reveals that Japanese MNEs establish services affiliates primarily to maximise proximity to local customers, while foreign affiliates in manufacturing sectors tend to engage more widely with third countries. Yet, some economies emerge as strategic gateways to other destinations in their region. The empirical analysis delves into the drivers of host country attractiveness for FDI seeking new markets, production efficiency and to act as regional or global platforms. Important factors shaping Japanese FDI decisions include trade and investment policies in goods and services, deep FTAs, as well as streamlined customs procedures. Furthermore, well-calibrated rules for digital commerce and investments in digital infrastructure and innovation contribute to attracting MNEs. Overall, the paper stresses the factors behind better integration into global production networks and the policy priorities to attract various types of FDI inflows.     

China’s rise,asymmetric trade shocks and exchange rate regimes

China’s rapid growth provides a natural experiment to study the effects of asymmetric trade shocks on the competitiveness of OECD countries. The different levels of exposure to Chinese trade competition, as measured using an index of export similarity, triggered asymmetric shocks as China’s trade surged. Motivated by a Ricardian framework, this paper finds that countries with exports similar to those of China experience a loss in competitiveness compared with countries with a different trade structure. Once an additional layer of distinction is introduced between fixed and flexible exchange rate regimes, I find that countries with a fixed exchange rate and with relatively high similarity to China experience a real appreciation.     

Consolidation in the public sector: a cross-country comparison

This article analyses consolidated annual accounts in the public sector in six countries (Sweden, the UK, the USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia) highlighting the differences and similarities in approaches. The authors also examine international trends and take an in-depth look at the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB).     

Scrutinizing local public service provision

Set in the context of an expansion of scrutiny by local authorities of local service provision, this article explores the key challenges ahead for managers and politicians in this area of local governance. Drawing on an evaluation of the development of health scrutiny, it outlines the different types of activities health scrutiny committees are engaging in to fulfil their legislative commitments and suggests lessons for the expansion of external scrutiny.