New evidence on the efficiency of Italian airports: A bootstrapped DEA analysis

A bootstrapped DEA procedure is used to estimate technical efficiency of 18 Italian airports during the period 2000-2004. Departing from previous studies, we separate the efficiency related to ability to manage airside activities (operational) from that related to the management of all business activities (financial). In general, Italian airports operate at poor levels of efficiency, with slightly better performance in terms of their financial activities. In the current study, selected intrinsic and environmental characteristics are considered as possible drivers of Italian airport performance. In particular, we found that: (i) the airport dimension does not allows for operational efficiency advantages, (ii) on the other hand, the airport dimension allows for financial efficiency advantages for the case of hubs and disadvantages for the case of the smallest airports (iii) the type(s) of concession agreement(s) might be considered as important source of technical efficiency differentials for those airports running marginal commercial activities; (iv) the introduction of a dual-till price cap regulation might create incentives which lead to the increase of financial efficiency at the detriment of the operational performance. Lastly, the development of a second hub (Milano Malpensa), has negatively affected the performance of the country’s national hub (Roma Fiumicino).     

Relational paths in business network dynamics: Evidence from the fashion industry

This paper addresses the topic of business network dynamics. Starting with a review of the IMP literature, it aims to shed light on potential relational paths by which a firm may reconfigure its business network. To this end, two main emerging paths are described: integration and substitution. Methodologically, the paper presents and discusses the data collected during a longitudinal case analysis of four Italian textile producers. The main implications for business networks stemming from these emerging relational paths are described. In particular, the main findings from the cases analyzed suggest that business network dynamics should be interpreted in terms of the processes of both business network change and consolidation.     

The convertibility of the rouble

Conclusion After a relatively long period of discussion, characterised by an uncertain approach towards transition, the Soviet authorities are now moving with decision towards the market. This statement applies to the reform as a whole and in particular to convertibility.The convertibility process in the Soviet Union started from a relatively unfavourable position: not only because of the complete (internal and external) inconvertibility of the Rouble, but also because the country's past displays a sort of structural propensity towards inconvertibility.It took the Soviet authorities some years to dismiss the doctrine of a parallel currency and the idea that convertibility is the final step of the transition. Recent legislative production in the Soviet Union (in particular the Banking law and the Currency law) are a good sign that they are proceeding in the right direction and practical experience seems to confirm this statement.In 1991 the process has accelerated and more important progress was made towards unification of the exchange rates and the creation of a currency market: these are two steps which are fundamental for achieving partial external convertibility (current account operations made by non-residents), which in its turn is the first step towards broader convertibility. Probably within the end of the year external partial convertibility will be reached. This at last will increase the foreign contribution to the Soviet economy, thus improving domestic conditions. The events of August 1991 will most likely further accelerate the pace of the process, which is now without doubt irreversible.Even if qualitatively positive results are achieved in the reform process however, great effort must still be made not only to complete and consolidate these results, but also to proceed further towards internal and financial convertibility.     

Bootstrapping the Malmquist indexes for Italian airports

This paper uses data envelopment analysis to assess the operational performance of 28 Italian airports during the period of 2000 through 2006. Recent developments in bootstrapping techniques are used to correct total factor productivity estimates for bias and to assess the uncertainty surrounding such estimates. This study found that the Italian airport industry experienced a significant technological regress, with few airports achieving an increase in productivity led by improvements in efficiency. Moreover, the paper shows that the form of ownership (public majority vs. private majority) of an airport management company does not significantly affect performance. In contrast, this type of the concession agreement has positive and significant effects on airport productivity. Finally, the paper highlights the existence of a productivity gap between airports located in the North-Central part of the country and those located in the south.     

Chancen und Herausforderungen der Rückversicherung in der gesetzlichen Krankenversicherung

In 2009 a so-called morbidity orientated risk structure equalization scheme was installed for the German statutory health insurance in order to minimize structural differences between different providers with respect to revenue and expenditures. Even with this mechanism some risks to the individual health insurance providers remain. Reinsurance could be a way to mitigate these risks, but so far only very few contracts have been signed. Moreover the existing reinsurance contracts only focus on the periphery of the statutory health insurance system such as travel health insurance. In this article we therefore analyse existing risks for individual health insurance providers and evaluate their (re-)insurability. Hereafter the potential for reinsurance solutions in the German statutory health insurance itself as well as in newer forms of healthcare provision (e.g. integrated health care and managed care) is discussed. We find that reinsurance may be a reasonable solution for many of the risks in the statutory health insurance scheme. But as research in this area is very young further analysis of the nature of risks is necessary.     

Implementing on‐the‐job training: critical success factors

Post Offices Inc. in The Netherlands has developed and implemented a new instruction model for the training of desk employees. The quality of the new instruction model was assessed by means of the evaluation model of Jacobs and Jones for on‐the‐job training. It is concluded that the implementation of the training model has not been completely successful. Critical success factors, such as the performance of the mentors as well as the quality of the self‐study material, have to be improved. Mentors are expected to serve as a behavioural model, to provide feedback, arrange an adequate environment for self‐study, motivate trainees for self‐study and evaluate trainees’ progress on a regular basis. This study shows that mentors must be fully convinced of the benefit of a new instructional model, if not, the implementation will not be successful. Besides, the study shows that the quality of the self‐study material depends very much on the similarity between the knowledge needed in work and the knowledge presented in the self‐study material.     

Some new characterization of rational expectation equilibria in economies with asymmetric information

We compare the family of rational expectation equilibria with the ex-post Aubin core allocations in the framework of an economy with uncertainty and asymmetric information. We do it in a very general setting: an arbitrary space of agents and an infinite dimensional commodity space. We also present a characterization of the ex–post Aubin core by allocations belonging to the core of the associated complete information economies, and we use a suitable definition of Edgeworth equilibria to characterize the family of rational expectation equilibria. Moreover, we study some generalizations of the ex-post Aubin core obtained by making some restriction on the families of blocking coalitions.     

Integer programming on domains containing inseparable ordered pairs

Using the integer programming approach introduced by Sethuraman et al. (2003), we extend the analysis of the preference domains containing an inseparable ordered pair, initiated by Kalai and Ritz (1978). We show that these domains admit not only Arrovian social welfare functions “without ties,” but also Arrovian social welfare functions “with ties,” since they satisfy the strictly decomposability condition introduced by Busetto et al. (2015). Moreover, we go further in the comparison between Kalai and Ritz (1978)’s inseparability and Arrow (1963)’s single-peak restrictions, showing that the former condition is more “respectable,” in the sense of Muller and Satterthwaite (1985).     

Experimental evidence on tax salience and tax incidence

Although a basic theoretical principle in public economics assumes that individuals optimize fully with respect to the introduction of a tax, a growing body of research is proving that several heuristics are in place when people take decisions. We re‐examine the well known liability side equivalence principle in the light of the concept of salience. While these two topics have been extensively investigated in isolation, this paper innovates on the previous literature in that it focuses on their joint effects. Is tax incidence dependent on whether the subjects face a salient rather than a nonsalient tax? Does the salience of a tax exert a different effect depending on who is legally committed to bear the tax burden? We address these questions through a laboratory experiment in which one unit of a fictitious good is being traded through a double‐auction market institution. Based on a panel data analysis, our contribution shows that point of collection matters and determines the economic incidence of tax. Additionally, we find that the joint effect of salience and statutory incidence does not alter the informative efficiency, but has a positive effect on buyers’ allocational efficiency when the tax is levied on sellers.