Regulating environmental threats

Environmental consequences of natural resource exploitation often entail threats of future occurrences of detrimental abrupt events rather than (or in addition to) inflicting a damage gradually. The possibility of abrupt occurrence of climate-change related calamities is a case in mind. The uncertainty associated with the realization of these threats and their public-bad nature complicate the design of optimal economic response. We derive a Pigouvian hazard tax schedule that implements the socially optimal outcome. The tax is based on the expected cost of the hazard-generating activities and serves to reduce hazardous emissions well in advance of the catastrophic occurrence. A numerical example illustrates possible effects of the proposed regulation scheme. Implications for climate policy are discussed.      

Exploring the relationship between celebrity endorser effects and advertising effectiveness

This study provides a quantitative summary of the relationship between celebrity endorser source effects and effectiveness in advertising. The Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test is used to identify the most influential celebrity endorser source effects on effectiveness. The role of celebrity/product fit, interaction effects, sample type, study setting, and country of study are also included as moderators. Results suggest negative celebrity information can be extremely detrimental to an advertising campaign. The source credibility model composed of celebrity trustworthiness, celebrity expertise, and celebrity attractiveness appears to capture the three most influential source effects on purchase intentions, brand attitudes and attitudes towards the advertisement.     

Self versus superior assessment of social science research employees

Self-assessment of performance was compared to superior's assessment on a sample of 60 personnel research workers. It was hypothesized that norms of self-acceptance and relatively low defensiveness will characterize members of this sample as a result of their educational background in Psychology and related areas. Therefore the previously noted leniency effect in self-assessment will not be expressed. The subjects and their superiors (N=10) rated the subjects performance on a thirty-item behaviorally based scale as well as on a global performance assessment item. No significant differences between superior's and subordinates' ratings were found for any of the scale items. The results also suggest that subordinates' ratings were significantly more highly correlated with the importance they attributed to the performance items than superiors' ratings. There were also noted differences between superiors and subordinates in the relationships between the assessment of various performance areas and the global performance assessment. The results are discussed in terms of the need for exploring the characteristics of self-assessment in unique samples and the possible advantages of incorporating self-assessment into personnel evaluation systems.     

Coping with climate change in Africa: an analysis of local interpretations in Eastern Cape,SA

The emissions of greenhouse gases together with other anthropogenic activities has caused a change in global climatic conditions with corresponding negative effects on agricultural productivity, biodiversity and other socio-economic indices. Studies reveal that the impacts of climate change are felt most severely by the vulnerable, who have fewer adaptive capacities. In Africa, for example, little is known about local narratives on the ‘causes’ of climate change, and how such narratives influence climate change coping and adaptation strategies in specific local settings. Where do the ‘local’ and the ‘global’ intersect in the search for effective coping measures – and do they? Using a qualitative approach, this paper reveals how local conceptions of climate change appear to be rooted in ‘politics’ and spiritual forces. The paper highlights not only the major points of divergence between local interpretations and ‘Western’ conceptions about climate change, but also important areas of convergence between the two ideational domains.     

A Review of Nigerian Agricultural Efficiency Literature, 1999–2011: What Does One Learn from Frontier Studies?

Abstract: The objective of the study is to provide a critical overview of Nigerian agricultural efficiency literature covering 1999–2011. A total of 156 frontier studies which yields 210 observations were used for the review. The preliminary findings from both the Funnel Plot and Funnel Asymmetry Test revealed that publication bias is not a severe problem in the selected literature. Our findings via univariate scatter plot and Spearman correlation provided evidence that reported efficiency scores positively correlated with the year of survey in the primary study. However, this observation might be an indication that positive efficiency change in the total factor productivity (TFP) growth characterized the development of Nigerian agricultural sector over the years. The average efficiency estimate from all the reviewed studies is about 0.71, thus suggesting, there is considerable room for improvement in the sector. To further distil important policy findings from the primary literature, we observed that 48 percent of the observations identified education as a significant determinant of efficiency in the Nigerian agriculture over the years. Likewise, experience was shown to be an important variable by 33 percent, while 23 percent identified age as a key determinant. Also, 19 percent showed that extension and family size are important. The directions of future research are also outlined.     

An exploratory investigation into how socioeconomic attributes influence coupons redeeming intentions

In this study, we examine the effects that opportunity cost, income effect, coupon proneness and devaluation effect have on coupon redemption intention. Overall, the results of a survey received from approximately 2250 respondents suggest that prospect of savings and coupon proneness are positively associated, while opportunity cost is inversely associated with coupon redemption intention. The results are consistent across several sub-samples of grocery stores, which further underline the robustness of our hypotheses. Our analyses are more exhaustive than and therefore, contribute to, extant literature on promotions using coupons, because we base our study on behavioral, social and economic factors that influence coupon redemption intentions.     

Coping with Multiple Catastrophic Threats

We study intertemporal policies for dealing with multiple catastrophic threats with endogenous hazards, allowing, inter alia, for gradual mitigation efforts that accumulate to reduce occurrence risks. The long-run properties of the optimal policies are characterized in terms of the key parameters (damage, hazard sensitivity and natural degradation rate) associated with each type of catastrophic threat. Effects of background threats on the optimal response to a potential catastrophe are illustrated numerically.