Wages in Rail Markets: Deregulation,Mergers, and Changing Networks Characteristics

The Staggers Act of 1980 largely deregulated the Class 1 Railroad industry and has had profound effects on labor. Between 1978 and 1994, employment in the industry decreased by about 60%, while real wages (average compensation) increased by over 40%. Earlier research examined employment effects; in this article, we develop and estimate compensation effects using firm-level data. By using firm-level data, we are able to identify the effects of partial deregulation, an accompanying and massive consolidation movement, as well as changes in firm operating and network characteristics. Our estimates suggest that mergers contributed 5-15%, partial deregulation contributed about 20%, and changes in firm operating and network characteristics contributed 4-5% to the overall increase in wages.     

Do Developing Countries Need a Development Box?

Do Developing Countries Need a Development Box? Developing country proposals for a Development Box focus on changes to WTO rules on agricultural trade that would enable them to address more effectively their objectives related to food security, poverty alleviation and economic development. Yet, there are few instances where developing countries have been constrained in the policies they can adopt. This does not mean that demands for a Development Box are pointless, for if the next WTO agreement is to have a real impact on rates of protection, there will be a need for tighter commitments in both developed and developing countries. Hence proposals for a Development Box can be seen as an insurance policy, given the prospect of deeper multilateral reforms. There is a strong case for easier access to safeguards, under which developing countries could temporarily apply higher tariffs on food security crops when world prices are depressed below threshold levels. There may be an economic justification for expanding the types of domestic support measures that developing countries can employ, in those rare cases where policies would otherwise be constrained. However, these demands should not constrain progress on the most important issue; namely, how OECD countries can do more for developing countries through improvements in market access, the elimination of explicit and implicit export subsidies, and reductions in trade‐distorting domestic support. Faut‐il une boite spéciale pour le développement ? Les propositions des pays en développement en vue ?établir une ‘boîte pour le développement’à?OMC sont centrées sur ?idée qu'il convient de modifier les règies du commerce international agricole, afin de leur permettre ?aborder de façon plus efflcace leurs problèmes spécifiques de sécurité alimentaire, de réduction de la pauvreté et de développement économique. Pourtant, il existe peu ?exemples de situations dans lesquelles un pays en développement ait pu être gêné dans ?adoption ?une politique particulière. Cela ne veut pas dire qu'une boîte pour le développement soit inutile: si le prochain accord à?OMC doit avoir un effet réel sur les taux de protection, des engagements encore plus stricts seront nécessaires de la part, aussi bien des pays en développement que des pays développés. II en résulte que les propositions en vue ?une ‘boîte pour le développement’ peuvent être considérées comme une politique ?assurance, dans ?optique de réformes multilatérales plus approfondies. II y a des raisons sérieuses pour faciliter le recours aux clauses de sauvegarde, grâce auxquelles les pays en développement pourraient imposer temporairement des droits plus élevés sur les denrées importantes pour leur sécurité alimentaire lorsque les cours mondiaux descendent en deçà?un certain seuil. Il peut exister une justification économique à?extension des catégories de soutien que les pays en développement peuvent employer, dans les cas peu fréquents où les engagements pris seraient contraignants à cet égard. Mais surtout, il faut que les pays en développement prennent garde à ne pas entraver les progrès dans les domaines vraiment importants, à savoir ce que les pays de ?OCDE peuvent faire pour eux en améliorant ?accès aux marchés, en eliminant les subventions implicites et explicites aux exportations, et en réduisant les mesures de soutien intérieures qui affectent les échanges. Benötigen Entwicklungsländer eine Development Box? Die Vorschläge der Entwicklungsländer für eine Development Box zielen auf Änderungen in den Agrarhandelsvorschriften der WTO ab; es soil ihnen ermöglicht werden, ihre Zdele hinsichtlich der Nahrungsmt‐telsicherheit, Armutsbekämpfung und Wirtschaftsentwicklung wirkungsvoller zu verfolgen. Bis heute jedoch wurden die Entwicklungsländer nur in wenigen Fällen bei der Ausgestaltung bestimmter Politikmaßnahmen eingeschränkt. Damit ist nicht gesagt, dass Forderungen nach einer Development Box zwecklos sind, denn wenn sich das kommende WTO‐Abkommen tatsächlich auf die Protektionsraten auswirken soil, werden sowohl den entwickelten Ländern als auch den Entwicklungsländern mehr Verpflichtungen abverlangt werden. Daher können Vorschläge für eine Development Box als eine Versicherungspolirik vor dem Hintergrund der Aussicht auf tiefergreifende multilaterale Reformen angesehen werden. Es spricht vieles für einen einfacheren Zugang zu Schutzmaßnahmen, unter denen Entwicklungsländer vorübergehend höhere Zölle auf pflanzliche Erzeugnisse mit Bedeutung für die Nahrungsmittelsicherheit erheben könnten, wenn die Weltpreise unterhalb von Schwellenwerten liegen. Es mag aus ökonomischer Sicht eine Rechtfertigung für die Ausdehnung der inlandischen marktstützenden Maßnahmen geben, welche Entwicklungsländer anwenden dürfen; dies kann sinnvoll sein, wenn andernfalls, allerdings in seltenen Fällen, Politikmaßnahmen eingeschränkt werden müssten. Diese Forderungen sollten den Fortschritt bei den allerwichtigsten Themen jedoch nicht behindern; OECD‐Länder können mehr für Entwicklungsländer tun, und zwar durch Verbesserung des Marktzugangs, durch die Abschaffung von expliziten und impliziten Exportsubventionen und durch Kürzungen bei den handelsverzerrenden Inlandssubventionen.     

A comparison of the technical efficiencies of health districts and hospitals in Botswana

An attempt is made here to construct and present relative efficiency indices for the services rendered by health districts and specific hospitals in Botswana, using Stochastic Frontier Regression analysis and Data Envelopment Analysis. The analysis indicated that three districts - Kweneng East, Kgalagadi and Boteti - have efficiency scores below the optimum level. Among the 13 hospitals considered, Tsabong Primary Hospital was found to have an efficiency score of less than one. Since the health services involve a number of factors, these indices ought to serve as indicators for further scrutiny of those units (health districts and hospitals) that fall below the optimum efficiency level. The data used for the analysis are from the published material by the Central Statistics Office, Botswana for the year 1997. Health is considered one of the major concerns of the government of Botswana. As a consequence, the authors feel that this study will be useful to policy makers and health planners in giving them some kind of relative ranking among health districts and hospitals.     

Developing technologically induced environments: the case of the Nigerian banking sector

This paper addresses issues regarding prevalent values and themes in technologically induced environments in terms of planning, development, and implementation. Emerging themes (efficiency, usability, control, and security) are debated and developed in relation to underpinning values (quality, education, and reach/concern) which provide a comprehension of technological adoption in the developing economy of Nigeria. In addition, problems relating to new product development, innovation processes, synthesising marketing technologies, and strategic planning are investigated and explored. Discussion on technological adoption and use produces diverse perspectives and interpretations, which consequently prompts questions on its nature and understanding in developing societies. Assessing life-world perspectives and interpretations through phenomenological hermeneutics and consumer and communication models this study examines levels of technologically induced customer services in the banking services sector from a Nigerian perspective.     

Sources of airline productivity from carbon emissions: an analysis of operational performance under good and bad outputs

This study incorporates carbon dioxide emissions in productivity measurement in the airline industry and examines the determinants of productivity change. For this purpose a two-stage analysis under joint production of good and bad outputs is employed to compare the operational performance of airlines. In the first stage, productivity index are derived using the Luenberger productivity indicator. In the second stage, productivity change scores derived therefrom are regressed using the random-effects Generalized Least Squares to quantify determinants of productivity change. The paper finds low cost carriers and average number of hours flown per aircraft having a positive impact on productivity under joint production model while demand variable negatively impacts on productivity under market model.     

How buyers frame problems: Revisited

This article investigates the following propositions: a useful approach for building an organizational‐buying–behavior taxonomy might begin with classifying how buyers frame purchasing problems followed by how such frames affect subsequent perceptions and actions in the decision process. Unlike previous taxonomies of buying situations, direct questioning of organizational buyers is used to learn: (1) whether or not they identify different categories of buying problems; (2) if they do, what dimensions they use when framing buying problems; and (3) how do such frames influence their choices of value‐added service alternatives offered by suppliers. To test the propositions empirically, supplier choices are modeled with the use of buying‐decision exercises. A key result of this study is that the buyers’ framing of problems affects their preferences for vendor designs of value‐added customer services. Most likely, the framing of buying problems by organizational buyers is layered and more complex than related taxonomies found in the marketing literature. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The Size and Growth of UK Manufacturing and Service Firms

This paper investigates the relationship between firm size and growth for UK manufacturing and services over the period 1991 to 1995. We test for size effects on growth, using models which incorporate the influences of previous growth and industry membership. The results from the analysis suggest that for both manufacturing and services, small firms tend to grow faster than larger firms. The growth of manufacturing firms appears to persist over time, whereas this is not the case for service firms. Small firms tend to have more variable growth rates than their larger counterparts in manufacturing and services. This suggests that large firms may enjoy advantages associated with diversified operations which make them less susceptible to periods of extremely high or low growth.     

Credit Unions: A Theoretical and Empirical Overview

In 2009 there were over 49,330 credit unions across 98 countries with more than 184 million members and approximately $1,354 billion in assets. There is a great diversity within the credit union movement across these countries. This reflects the various economic, historic and cultural contexts within which credit unions operate. This paper traces the evolution of the credit union movement. It examines credit union objectives, and considers issues relating to efficiency, technology adoption, product diversification, merger, failure and demutualization. The regulatory environment within which credit unions operate is also explored under the themes of interest rate regulation, common bond requirements, taxation, deposit insurance and capital regulation. The overview also considers demutualization and the costs and benefits to credit unions of altering their organizational form.