Tolerance of tax evasion

We present a formal model in which individuals want the government to tolerate tax evasion because, in a context of limited state capacity, evasion provides insurance. Also, preferred tolerance of tax evasion increases with income, because government programs are redistributive, and decreases with perceived state capacity, because taxation is less distortionary in more capable states. We test the model using a question in the World Values Survey (WVS) about how justifiable cheating on taxes is. We find that tax evasion justifiability views present an inverted-U shape in perceived risk and increase with individuals’ income.

     

Economic and environmental effects of replacing bottom trawling with fishing with creels

Bottom trawling is associated with negative external effects such as seafloor pressure and high fuel use. Replacing bottom trawls with passive gear, such as creels, is therefore interesting for policymakers. We investigate the response of the Norway lobster fishery in Sweden to an expanded creel area. Using an economic model (FishRent), we analyse fleet structure, net present value and two environmental indicators under five management scenarios. Our results show that expanding the creel area increases the number of creel fishers, while some trawlers leave the fishery. In total, the net present value and the environmental performance of the fishery improve.     

Lessons from the 2008 Financial Crisis: Policy Responses to External Shocks in Uruguay

The 2008 global economic crisis affected the Uruguayan economy through two main channels: collapse in global trade and drop in capital flows. In response to the crisis, the Uruguayan government increased public consumption and investment and expanded social benefits to unemployed workers. We apply a computable general equilibrium model linked to microsimulations to analyze the distributional impacts of these policies and assess their effectiveness. We find that an increase in public investment was the only policy effective in mitigating the negative impact of the crisis on extreme poverty. The other policies reinforced the negative impact of the crisis on the poor. All three policies are costly and have an important impact on macroeconomic variables and the structure of production and export, while they have only slight or negative results on poverty and household income. More focalized policies, such as direct cash transfers, might have better results in terms of cost‐benefit.     

‘Eco’ For Whom? Envisioning Eco‐urbanism in the Sino‐Singapore Tianjin Eco‐city,China

Eco‐cities have attracted international attention from governments, corporations, academics and other actors seeking to use sustainable urban planning to reduce urban environmental impacts. China has devoted significant political will and economic resources to the development of new‐build eco‐city projects, reflecting the Chinese government's goals to build a ‘harmonious society' in which environmental sustainability and social stability are mutually reinforcing. We critically analyse the case of the Sino‐Singapore Tianjin eco‐city to demonstrate that the eco‐city's ecologically modernizing visions of eco‐urbanism construct a protective environment for its residents that constrains broader consideration of social sustainability. Through analysis of the marketing and presentation of specific domestic and other spaces of the eco‐city, we examine the application of ecologically modernizing construction and technology to the design of the city. We argue that the eco‐city is discursively constructed as ecologically beneficial for its inhabitants rather than for the broader socio‐environmental landscape. Our analysis of residential spaces in Tianjin eco‐city introduces the question of what ‘eco’ means when considering the construction of eco‐urban environments for the city's residents.     

Linking drinking to injury--causal attribution of injury to alcohol intake among patients in a Swedish emergency room

This study analysed the drinking patterns and motivation to change drinking behaviours among injury patients who acknowledged alcohol as a factor in their injuries. A cross-sectional study was conducted over 18 months at a Swedish emergency department. A total of 1930 injury patients aged 18 - 70 years were enrolled in the study (76.8% completion rate). Of those who reported drinking, 10% acknowledged alcohol as a factor in their injury. A patient was more likely to report a causal attribution of the injury to alcohol the higher the weekly intake and the higher the frequency of heavy episodic drinking. The motivation to change variables showed a similar pattern of increased likelihood of attributing a causal link of alcohol and injury with increasing discontent with drinking behaviours and increasing desire to change drinking behaviours. The findings suggest that the ability to measure causal attribution of alcohol to injuries could be a promising tool to help patients explore the association between their injuries and alcohol use and motivate patients to modify drinking behaviours in order to avoid future injuries.     

Development of a health economic model to evaluate the potential benefits of optimal serum potassium management in patients with heart failure

Abstract

Aims: Patients with heart failure are at increased risk of hyperkalemia, particularly when treated with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitor (RAASi) agents. This study developed a model to quantify the potential health and economic value associated with sustained potassium management and optimal RAASi therapy in heart failure patients.

Materials and methods: A patient-level, fixed-time increment stochastic simulation model was designed to characterize the progression of heart failure through New York Heart Association functional classes, and predict associations between serum potassium levels, RAASi use, and consequent long-term outcomes. Following internal and external validation exercises, model analyses sought to quantify the health and economic benefits of optimizing both serum potassium levels and RAASi therapy in heart failure patients. Analyses were conducted using a UK payer perspective, independent of costs and utilities related to pharmacological potassium management.

Results: Validation against multiple datasets demonstrated the predictive capability of the model. Compared to those who discontinued RAASi to manage serum potassium, patients with normokalemia and ongoing RAASi therapy benefited from longer life expectancy (+1.38 years), per-patient quality-adjusted life year gains (+0.53 QALYs), cost savings (£110), and associated net monetary benefit (£10,679 at £20,000 per QALY gained) over a lifetime horizon. The predicted value of sustained potassium management and ongoing RAASi treatment was largely driven by reduced mortality and hospitalization risks associated with optimal RAASi therapy.

Limitations: Several modeling assumptions were made to account for a current paucity of published literature; however, ongoing refinement and validation of the model will ensure its continued accuracy as the clinical landscape of hyperkalemia evolves.

Conclusions: Predictions generated by this novel modeling approach highlight the value of sustained potassium management to avoid hyperkalemia, enable RAASi therapy, and improve long-term health economic outcomes in patients with heart failure.     

R&D decision support by parallel assessment of economic, ecological and social impact — Adipic acid from renewable resources versus adipic acid from crude oil

The concept of eco-efficiency has largely been applied along these years. This study proposes the earlier application of this concept, namely the R&D stage of a product. Together with the economic and ecological assessment, the social impacts were analysed in the production of adipic acid from renewable resources. Conventional adipic acid based on crude oil served as a benchmark. The work was carried out within the frame of the EU funded project BIOFOAM. The ecological aspects were addressed in the Life Cycle Perspective by performing a Life Cycle Assessment. The economic impacts were assessed by the application of the Life Cycle Costing under a ‘total production cost’ perspective. In this case, the addressee is interested in several steps of the value chain, but only of the steps that are related to the consortium as a single player in the value chain. The Life Cycle Working Environment method was used to assess the social impacts. Data sources were based on the project consortium, literature and statistics. Despite of the fact that the conventional routes still outperform the new bio-source based adipic acid, the application of this methodology has shown as successful way of identifying problem fields and paving further research.     

制造世界:对未来的一瞥!

第53届威尼斯双年展,如往常一样,意欲展示当代艺术最前沿的新趋势,每个国家中那些初出茅庐的,或已享有一定知名度的艺术家犹如该国的艺术大使在威尼斯双年展上展示自己的艺术。今年,威尼斯双年展的展览规模空前的扩大,可谓百花齐放。从传统的军械库(Arsenale),绿堡花园(Giardini)开始,     

Isaak,Robert. Green Logic: Ecopreneurship,Theory and Ethics

Teaching Business Ethics -