Calories,obesity and health in OECD countries

Theoretical models suggest that decisions about diet, weight and health status are endogenous within a utility maximization framework. In this article, we model these behavioural relationships in a fixed-effect panel setting using a simultaneous equation system, with a view to determining whether economic variables can explain the trends in calorie consumption, obesity and health in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and the large differences among the countries. The empirical model shows that progress in medical treatment and health expenditure mitigates mortality from diet-related diseases, despite rising obesity rates. While the model accounts for endogeneity and serial correlation, results are affected by data limitations.     

Incentive effects of paying demand response in wholesale electricity markets

Recently issued U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regulations require comparable treatment of demand reduction and generation in the wholesale electric market so that they are compensated at the same market clearing price. The new regulations measure demand reduction as a reduction from a “customer baseline,” a historically based estimate of the expected consumption. In this paper, we study the incentive effects on the efficiency of the demand response regulation using a static equilibrium model and a dynamic extension of the model. Our analysis provides three main results. Firstly, our analysis shows that the demand reduction payment will induce consumers to (1) inflate the customer baseline by increasing consumption above the already excessive level during normal peak periods and (2) exaggerate demand reduction by decreasing consumption beyond the efficient level during a demand response event. This result persists when applied to alternative baseline designs in a dynamic model. Secondly, we study alternative policy remedies to restore the efficiency of demand response regulation and introduce a new approach to define the customer baseline as a fixed proportion of an aggregate baseline. In particular, the aggregate baseline approach can significantly weaken or eliminate the incentive to inflate the baseline. Finally, we illustrate that if the baseline inflation problem is solved and demand and supply functions are linear, the current policy can produce a net social welfare gain. However, the welfare improvement requires that demand reduction be paid only when the wholesale price is at least twice the fixed retail rate. This argues that the policy should include a sufficiently high threshold price below which demand response is not dispatched.     

Examining How Country Image Influences Destination Image in a Behavioral Intentions Model: The Cases of Lloret De Mar (Spain) and Cancun (Mexico)

Understanding the importance of a country’s image in the behavioral intentions of tourists is essential for sun-and-sand destinations. This study examines an integrated model of behavioral intentions regarding two international tourist destinations, namely Cancun (Mexico) and Lloret de Mar (Spain). The results indicate that country image influences destination image; destination image influences value, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions; value influences satisfaction; and satisfaction influences behavioral intentions. These findings confirm that the country and destination images are different constructs, and that destination image is the key to attracting tourists. Additionally, there are some differences in the relationships hypothesized in the model among the destinations.     

Inflation,interest rate policy,and currency substitutions in developing economies: A discussion of some major issues

This paper deals with the management of interest rates in an open economy under rapid inflation and reviews the links between interest and exchange rate policies.To prevent current substitution the rate of interest paid to lenders must equal the equivalent rate after adjusting for differential taxation and intermediation costs. This would probably induce capital inflows and consequent monetary growth. Exchange risks are also considered in this context.The paper concludes that under inflationary conditions it is difficult to use only interest rates to achieve both proper resource allocation and prevention of currency substitution. Some policy measures to cope with this problem are discussed.     

Funzioni di utilità di gruppo ed avversione al rischio multivariata

In questo lavoro si studia l'impatto che l'avversione al rischio multivariata ha in un problema di decisione di gruppo, note le misure di avversione al rischio relative alle funzioni di utilità dei singoli individui. Supponendo che tali funzioni siano aggregate in accordo al principio di Pareto e che ad ogni decisione di gruppo sia associato un profitto che deve essere suddiviso tra gli individui del gruppo stesso, si analizzazo i legami tra l'avversione al rischio degli individui e quella del gruppo, soprattutto nei casi in cui le funzioni di utilità sono additive e multilineari.

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In this paper, a methodology for modeling group decision-making problem is presented and links between group and individual multivariate risk aversion are studied.After a decision, a group will recive a payoff which must be devided among the members of the group itself: properties of the group utility functions and the sharing rule are investigated in connection with individual and collective risk aversion, under different assumptions concerning the form of the group utility function.

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Versione definitiva pervenuta il 27-7-1981

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Lavoro eseguito nell'ambito del GNAFA-CNR.     

New competitors in banking services

In this paper the authors investigator the evolution of new competition in banking. As a consequence of the deregulation of this market and the opportunities the new technologies offer, new non-banking competitors — companies whose main activity is not finance — have decided to venture into a promising sector that is unknown to them. This conceptual paper aims to present an overview of the competitive situation that has arisen from the entrance of new participants in the banking industry, and to describe the different strategies that banks may use in order to face this new situation. Data were sourced from a literature review and new entrants' websites in order to ascertain their origin, their promoters and partners as well as their actual situation.     

A note on the international transmission of inflation: The impact of U.S. inflation on Mexico

This paper investigates the relative impact of U.S. inflation and domestic monetary factors on the joint determination of inflation and the balance of payments of Mexico between 1950 and 1979. It also tests the hypothesis that the U.S. money supply has an additional, direct impact on Mexico's balance of payments.     

A note on the specification of the fisher equation under inflation uncertainty

The effect of uncertainty on the relationship between the nominal interest rate and the expected rate of inflation, the Fisher equation, is examined both theoretically and empirically. It is found that the coefficient of the expected rate of inflation is significantly below unity. Variable rates of inflation tend to effect the nominal rate of interest positively, but real yields are apparently effected only by expected inflation, but not its variance.