Barriers and the transition to modern growth

This paper argues that barriers affect both the beginning date and the subsequent pace of modern growth, and taking into account this fact enriches our knowledge of cross-country income differences. The model matches the observed inverted U-shape of cross-country income differences, which implies that a substantial fraction of current income differences is transitional. Hence, the model requires smaller barriers to account for current income differences relative to models that focus only on steady states. Empirically, I find that differences in the beginning dates of modern growth explain large differences in incomes.     

Sustainability in Canadian B&Bs: comparing the east versus west

Although bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) represent a small part of the overall accommodation sector, they can contribute to both the positive and negative impacts of the industry. Through a questionnaire of Canada's east and west coastal B&Bs, findings indicate that financial reasons are the biggest barrier to implementing environmental practices and government incentives and tax rebates may help the uptake of environmental measures. Results from this study can be used to motivate improvements for environmental commitment in this form of accommodation such as cost savings and strengthened lines of communication. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessing the factors that influence waste generation and diversion at Canadian festivals

ABSTRACT

Festivals can be important contributors to tourism and the social and economic sustainability of the communities in which they are located. A festival, however, can also negatively impact the environment by increasing demands on waste management and disposal. To better understand what factors influence festival waste management, we applied both quantitative and qualitative methods to find that provincial location, festival type and festival size significantly influence waste generation and diversion. Consistency in waste regulation and practices, sustainability partnerships with local stakeholders, and responsible leadership are encouraged.     

Retail transitions in Southeast Asia

This special issue explores multi-dimensional retail transitions in Southeast Asia against the backdrop of the ongoing globalization of retail capital. As an introduction to the special issue, this paper does three things. First, it introduces the rationale for, and wider context to, the special issue. Second, it offers a contemporary snapshot of the leading retail markets in Southeast Asia in order to highlight the considerable national variation in market conditions that exists, and thereby to situate the papers that follow. Third, it reviews the existing literature on retail transformations in Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on three areas: deregulation and reregulation with respect to retailing, competitive impacts of foreign retailers on domestic firms, and the supply network impacts of inward investment in retailing. The paper concludes by outlining a brief research agenda for work on retail transitions in Southeast Asia.     

Can Vehicle Maintenance Records Predict Automobile Accidents?

This article proposes that vehicle maintenance records can provide useful information for predicting the probability that an owner will have an automobile accident. To test the hypothesis, we use a unique data set that is merged from an insurance company and a vehicle manufacturer in Taiwan. We find weak evidence to support our hypothesis. Among all the proxies for proper maintenance, we indicate that proper maintenance defined by the recommended kilometers is significantly negatively correlated with the loss probability in compulsory automobile liability insurance. The average loss probability decreases by 0.23 percent when the insured vehicle is properly maintained according to the recommended number of kilometers in the previous years, whereas the average loss probability for the overall sample is 0.49 percent. We further find that proper maintenance is insignificantly correlated with loss severity.