Supplier density and at-home care use in Japan: Evidence from a micro-level survey on long-term care receivers

Following the introduction of the long-term care insurance scheme and deregulation of the market for at-home care services, Japan experienced a substantial increase in expenditure on care for the elderly. Using household-level survey data, we empirically examine whether the increase in care expenditure is associated with supplier density springing from the rise in the number of care providers following deregulation. We provide weak evidence that supplier density in the at-home care market is positively correlated with probability to use care or expenditure on care. Moreover, we find no link between the share of for-profit providers and the demand for at-home care services.     

Relative Performance Evaluations in a Model of Financial Intermediation

This paper focuses on the delegation by bank managers of lending decisions to their agents, typically subordinate employees of the bank. We assume that agents may base their decisions about lending to borrowers on decisions other banks have made about these same borrowers. Then we show that there exist some lazy or negligent agents who neither directly monitor the borrower nor imitate the other banks if managers use relative performance evaluations as incentive schemes. In addition, it is shown that the learning or adjustment process of agents exhibits cyclical dynamics. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: D82, D83.     

The effectiveness of bank recapitalization policies in Japan

This study examines the effectiveness of bank recapitalization policies in Japan. Based on a reading of the “business revitalization plan” submitted by banks requesting government funds, we identify four primary goals for the capital injection plan in Japan: (1) to increase the bank capital ratios; (2) to increase write-offs of non-performing loans; (3) to increase lending, in particular to small and medium enterprises, in order to avoid a “credit crunch”; (4) to encourage restructuring. Using a panel of individual bank data, we empirically estimate the effectiveness of the Japanese government policy of public fund injection in achieving the first three of these stated goals. Our empirical analysis reveals that, in general, the capital injections into the large internationally active banks were more effective than those into the smaller domestic banks in Japan. In addition, the second round capital injection, administered in 1998, was more effective than the first round, administered in 1997. The first capital injection in 1997 mostly served as a stop-gap measure to help the large international banks clear the 8% capital adequacy ratio (BIS ratio) required under the Basel Accord and did not make much contribution to the other policy objectives. The second round of capital injections in 1998 were more effective, boosting capital adequacy ratios for the domestic as well as international banks and supporting other policy objectives as well by stimulating banks to write off bad loans and increase domestic lending, in particular to small and medium enterprises.     

Information, Incentives, and Option Value: The Silicon Valley Model

This paper analyzes the Silicon Valley model as a novel economic institution in the domain of technological product system innovation. We analyze the informational relationship as well as governance relationships between venture capitalists and a cluster of entrepreneurial firms. The informational conditions that make the Silicon Valley model efficient are identified, leading to an understanding of the significance of standardized interfaces, modularization, and information encapsulation. We then examine the governance/incentive aspect by integrating the models of Aoki (Towards a Comparative Institutional Analysis, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2001) and Baldwin and Clark (Design Rules—Vol. 1: The Power of Modularity, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2000). The paper concludes by evaluating the applicability of the model to other localities and industries. J. Comp. Econ., December 2002, 30(4), pp. 759–786. Department of Economics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, and RIETI, 1-3-1 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0013, Japan; and Faculty of Economics, Toyo University, 5-28-20 Hakusan, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8606, Japan. © 2002 Association for Comparative Economic Studies. Published by Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: D21, L23, O32, P51, P52.     

Behaviour theory and soft transport policy measures

The aim is to propose a theoretical grounding of soft transport policy measures that aim at promoting voluntary reduction of car use. A general conceptual framework is first presented to clarify how hard and soft transport policy measures impact on car-use reduction. Two different behavioural theories that have been used to account for car use and car-use reduction are then integrated in a self-regulation theory that identifies four stages of the process of voluntarily changing car use: setting a car-use reduction goal, forming a plan for achieving the goal, initiating and executing the plan, and evaluating the outcome of the plan execution. A number of techniques are described that facilitate the different stages of the process of voluntary car-use reduction and which should be used in personalized travel planning programs.     

日本水权体制中的水资源配置及管理

在日本,用水单位可自由使用取水设施,干旱季节水资源的合理配置就成为一个突出的问题.目前,日本的干旱季节会有多种用水分配分式.对于KOKAI河流域的水资源分配,水的配给制度沿用了传统的方式,即地形条件占有决定性的地位,没有特殊的手段去控制水资源的公平配置.而对于YAHAGI河流域的水资源分配,各用水单位建立了一个非政府的水资源配置委员会.尽管灌溉部门掌握用水优先权,但是在严重干旱期农民会将水资源转让给供水部门.     

Removal of organic matter and phosphate using ferrihydrite for reduction of microbial regrowth potential

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) and phosphate in reclaimed water promote microbial growth in distribution systems and deteriorate water quality. In this study, we tested ferrihydrite (Fh) for its potential to remove both DOM and phosphate in order to control bacterial regrowth. Adsorption kinetics on Fh revealed that phosphate has a higher affinity with Fh than has DOM. The removal efficiency of DOM increased at lower pH. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectra of freeze-dried Fh showed that adsorbed DOM was rich in carboxyl/hydroxyl functional groups, indicating anion exchange at Fh surfaces to be a major mechanism, especially at low pH. Fh preferentially removed DOM greater than 1,000 Da. Specific ultraviolet absorption (SUVA) at 254 nm and DOC results suggest Fh adsorption removes more hydrophilic DOM than the coagulation-sand filtration process. Reduction of bacterial regrowth potential (BRP) by Fh was comparable to that of the coagulation-sand filtration process, which indicated that phosphorus was not the rate-limiting factor of microbial growth.     

Factors causing PAC cake fouling in PAC-MF (powdered activated carbon-microfiltration) water treatment systems.

Two pilot-scale powdered activated carbon-microfiltration (PAC-MF) reactors were operated using river water pretreated by a biofilter. A high permeate flux (4 m/d) was maintained in two reactors with different particle sizes of PAC. High concentration (20 g/L) in the PAC adsorption zone demonstrated 60-80% of organic removal rates. Analysis on the PAC cake fouling demonstrated that attached metal ions play more important role than organic matter attached on PAC to the increase of PAC cake resistance. Effects of factors which may cause PAC cake fouling in PAC-MF process were investigated and evaluated by batch experiments, further revealing that small particulates and metal ions in raw water impose prominent influence on the PAC cake layer formation. Fe (II) precipitates after being oxidized to Fe (III) during PAC adsorption and thus Fe(ll) colloids display more significant effect than other metal ions. At a high flux, PAC cake layer demonstrated a higher resistance with larger PAC due to association among colloids, metals and PAC particles, and easy migration of small particles in raw water into the void space in the PAC cake layer. Larger PAC possesses much more non-uniform particle size distribution and larger void space, making it easier for small colloids to migrate into the voids and for metal ions to associate with PAC particles by bridge effect, hence speeding up and intensifying the of PAC cake fouling on membrane surface.     

Calculations of the shares of financial resources paid by actual payers for transportation improvements

In this paper we identify and quantitatively describe the actual providers of financial resources, termed “actual payers”, for transportation improvements in some advanced countries, using various statistical data. The theoretical framework on which the concept of actual payers is based was presented in our earlier paper (Transport Policy, April 1998). The current study presents the results of calculations performed according to that concept. Because of the complexity and variety of the financial resources drawn on by transportation systems, the means of financial support for transportation have not been made clear when superficial classifications such as “National expenditures”, “Local expenditures”, “Owners/operators' funds” and “Debt” are used. In the present study, the financial support for transportation is calculated on the basis of what is spent by actual payers, such as users, payers of national taxes and payers of local taxes. This approach allows us to show that the shares of actual payers are quite different in each country. In addition, we indicate the characteristics of the shares of the actual payers in each country by calculating the ratio of the users' burden or the dependence of debt, etc.     

Self‐rated Health Status of Japanese and Europeans in Later Life: Evidence from JSTAR and SHARE

Using panel data from two surveys in Japan and Europe, we examine the comparability of the self‐rated health of the middle‐aged and elderly across Japan and European countries and across the survey periods. We find that a person's own health is evaluated using different standards (thresholds) across the different countries and survey waves. When evaluated using common thresholds, the Japanese elderly are found to be healthier than their counterparts in the European countries. Reporting biases causing discrepancies between the changes in individuals' self‐rated health and their actual health over the survey waves are associated with education and country of residence.