SOS — Notfall auf Station

Klinisches Notfallmanagement ist verbesserungsbedürftig — Notf?lle sind auf Allgemeinstationen eher die Ausnahme. Tritt aber der Notfall ein, sollte jeder wissen, was zu tun ist. Doch h?ufig fehlen klare Regelungen und Strukturen und das Personal reagiert unsicher. Als Retter in der Not erweisen sich daher in immer mehr Kliniken die Medical Emergency Teams.     

Economic impacts of mobile versus fixed broadband

Broadband telecommunication service is growing rapidly and its economic impact is likely to vary considerably around the globe. Considerable interest is being shown in wireless broadband, especially in low income and rural areas. This study focuses on the direct effect (broadband penetration as an input), and separately, the productive efficiency effect of broadband (as an information network externality), using a model developed in Thompson and Garbacz (2007). Aggregate fixed and mobile broadband usage and their effect are analyzed and compared first on a sample of forty-three countries with sufficient data. The same models are used on samples of high income and low income countries. It is hypothesized that the rapid growth of broadband could have a stronger effect for low income countries and their initial levels of network development. Key variables are adjusted to a per household basis, using information on household size. Due to the endogeneity of key variables, instrumental variables are employed to estimate separate equations for mobile broadband and fixed broadband. Predicted values for these variables are used in the final equations in order to adjust for endogeneity and omitted variable bias. The results of the model estimated for the full sample indicate that mobile broadband has an important direct effect on GDP, but fixed broadband has an effect no different than zero. In the models with high and low income samples it is apparent that low income countries derive significantly more benefit from mobile broadband. Estimates from the Stochastic Frontier Model find mobile broadband to be a significant driver of growth via a reduction of inefficiency.     

Zoll- oder Monopolschutz für den österreichischen Getreidebau?

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Efficiency in nuclear power pricing

This study investigates whether the rate structure for electric utilities with nuclear and fossil fuel generation is efficient and perhaps equitable. Data were collected on fossil and nuclear steam generation and transmission to estimate costs. Tests were performed to determine if efficient pricing practices were being followed. The results indicate that the marginal cost of nuclear generated power is less than that of power generated from fossil fuel sources. Also, the rate structure for the nuclear utilities is inefficient, with industrial rates significantly higher than first-best or second-best pricing criteria would indicate.     

Cost of living, real wages and real incomes in thirteen Canadian cities, 1900–1950

Price indices for thirteen Canadian cities for 1900 to 1950 demonstrate large regional differences in cost of living until 1914. After 1914 regional price levels converged. Before the war, western Canadian cities had the highest cost of living. After 1920 cities in Ontario had the highest cost of living. Accounting for these trends in regional costs of living reveals that regional real wage and real income structures have been present and stable since at least 1901. Thus, regional wage and income disparities are long-standing and persistent features of the Canadian economy.
Coût de la vie, salaires réels et revenus réels dans treize villes canadiennes . Les indices de prix pour treize villes canadiennes entre 1900 et 1950 montrent qu'il y avait de fortes différences dans le coût de la vie jusqu'en 1914. Après 1914, il y a convergence des niveaux de prix régionaux. Avant la guerre, les villes de l'ouest canadien avaient le coût de la vie le plus élevé. Après 1920, des villes de l'Ontario vont avoir le plus haut coût de la vie. Si l'on tient compte de ces tendances régionales dans les niveaux du coût de la vie, il appert que des structures de salaires et de revenus réels ont été en place et stables depuis 1901. Donc, les disparités régionales de salaires et de revenus sont des caractéristiques déjà anciennes et persistantes de l'économie canadienne.     

THE SEASONALITY IN CONVERTIBLE BOND MARKETS: A STOCK EFFECT OR BOND EFFECT?

There is a strong January effect in convertible bond returns that has been partially attributed to seasonality in the underlying stock. January returns for convertible bonds are positively influenced by the degree to which the bond reflects the underlying equity, which suggests that the anomaly in one asset market may carry over to its derivative asset market. Significant evidence presented here indicates that the January effect also is attributable to unique tax-loss selling in the convertible bond market. A peripheral contribution of this study is that, similar to findings in the stock market, the risk-return trade-off appears to hold only in January for convertible bonds.     

Toward a behavior-specific measure of well-being

Suggestions are put forth regarding a hedonic measure of well-being based on individual freedom of choice and similarity of group behavior in the market. A type of backward segmentation using multivariate analysis is described. The suggested measure appears justifiable as an indexing device, a constant relative measure of well-being, and/or a gauge of poverty-wealth thresholds.