How integrated is the world economy?

This paper develops a methodology to measure the degree of economic integration between nations that are members of an integrated area. We show that a fully integrated economic area (IEA) is characterized by three properties regarding the distribution of member shares of total IEA output and total IEA stocks of physical and human capital. We then show that the expected distribution of member shares within a fully IEA is a harmonic series, with the share distribution depending only on the number of IEA members. This property is then used to develop a composite indicator of the degree of economic integration within an IEA that indicates the distance between the theoretical and actual distribution of shares: the closer is the actual distribution to the expected distribution, the greater the degree of integration. We empirically compute our degree of integration for US states, and alternative regional trading agreements (e.g., EU countries, MERCOSUR, Bangkok Agreement, etc.) and a “world” comprising 64 countries.     

Children's Recreational Physical Activity

This study explored children's participation in recreational (physical) activities and the extent to which this participation was influenced by individual and household socio-demographics and characteristics of the social and physical environment. Travel and activity diaries were used to collect data on out-of-home recreational activities for a random sample of 4,293 children in primary schools in the Netherlands. These data were investigated in relation to measures describing the social and physical living environment. Specifically, a Bayesian belief network was proposed because it derives and represents simultaneously all direct and indirect relationships between the selected variables. Results indicated that participation in various types of recreational activities was directly related to the socio-economic status of the household, the perceived safety of the neighborhood, the size of agricultural area in the neighborhood, travel distance, and day of the week. Planners and designers are recommended to find a good land use mix, and specifically make sure that they focus their attention on safety issues, as these factors stimulate children's participation in recreational physical activities.     

MORE COSTLY OR MORE PRODUCTIVE? MEASURING CHANGES IN COMPETITIVENESS IN MANUFACTURING ACROSS REGIONS IN CHINA

Using a newly constructed industry-by-region dataset based on China's two censuses, this paper examines the trend of average labor compensation (ALC), labor productivity (ALP) and unit labor cost (ULC) in 28 manufacturing industries across 29 provinces in China for 1995 and 2004. Findings show that at the aggregate level, ALP growth was generally faster than that of ALC and hence resulted in a significant decline in ULC for all regions in China. Furthermore, less developed regions exhibited stronger productivity growth relative to labor cost increase than more developed regions, thus leading to a convergence in ULC levels across provinces and regions over this period. Comparing individual industries, we observe a substantial variation in growth rates and convergence trends across regions. Logit regression analysis confirms that labor-intensive industries are more likely to converge in ALP, ALC and ULC, whereas capital/skill-intensive industries tended to diverge. This finding is further confirmed by estimating a convergence regression, which suggests that misallocation of resources due to market imperfections or institutional barriers is likely to be the main factor behind the divergence of ULC.     

Value of digital information networks: a holonic framework

The worldwide extraordinary level of interest in digital information networks’ deployment among nations is due to the strong perception that they bring economic, social and environmental value. Our literature review on studies aiming at clarifying the value of information networks, led us to conclude that these studies take speculative, elusive or limited conclusions. We identify the requirements to capture the value of information networks and indicate a possible theoretical ground to account for it. Based upon this, we propose a framework operationalized with data from Eurostat. Furthermore, we identify the added-value of our framework with a precise and comprehensive comparison with two state of the art reference frameworks. We demonstrate that our framework provides significant conceptual added-value and, more fundamentally, allows for traditional measures of economic value (e.g. productivity and growth), as well as for other measures of value (e.g. social and environmental). Finally, we demonstrate with examples the wider application range of our framework in comparison with existing work.     

Assessment of model uncertainty in destinations and travel forecasts of models of complex spatial shopping behaviour

This paper reports the results of an analysis of model uncertainty in the context of shopping behaviour. This analysis is positioned in a discussion on the evolution of models of spatial shopping behaviour. For different generations of shopping models, the potential of uncertainty analysis is discussed. The actual analysis is based on an application of the Albatross model to the city of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Characteristic of this model is that shopping trips are embedded in the prediction of daily more comprehensive activity-travel patterns, adding complexity and realism to traditional models of spatial shopping behaviour, such as the Huff and spatial interaction model. Results show that overall the uncertainty associated with the aggregate outcomes of the model is small. It is higher for the total number of visits to selected shopping areas.     

Immigrant Specificity and the Relationship between Trade and Immigration: Theory and Evidence

Studies routinely document that immigrant employment concentrates in non‐traded goods sectors and that many immigrants have low inter‐sectoral mobility. We consider these observed characteristics of immigrant employment with regard to the question of how immigration affects a nation's pattern of production and trade. We model an economy producing three goods; one is non‐traded. Domestic labor and capital are domestically mobile but internationally immobile. Allowing that some new immigrants will become specific to the non‐traded goods sector, the model indicates that the effects of immigration on output and trade depend importantly on the sectoral pattern of employment of both new and existing immigrants. Empirical investigation in a panel data set of OECD countries supports the model's prediction that immigration raises the output of non‐traded goods. Consistent with the model, we also find that immigration and trade are complements. Given its empirical support, the model's implications for immigration policy are then discussed.     

Determining the insolvent estate – A comparative analysis

This article is part of a comparative research project in which the provisions of several different jurisdictions concerning the determination of the insolvent estate are examined. In particular, this part of the project examines those provisions which enable the administrator of the insolvent estate to seek to increase the size of the estate by (a) setting aside pre‐insolvency transactions and (b) seeking compensation from those who allegedly were negligent or fraudulent in the management of the debtor prior to the onset of the latter's insolvency. The overall purpose of the research study is to establish a basis for the possible substantive harmonization of the different provisions in those countries, which constitute the European Union. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Developing end-use marketing teams

This article describes how a sales group in a highly competitive business transformed itself—and its business volume and profits—with the help of a new marketing strategy and a results-focused training and development process.