Operational performance of U.S. public rail transit and implications for public policy

In today's tough economic environment, governments at all levels face significant budget shortfalls and public rail transit systems must compete with other public services for government subsidies. It is critical that public rail transit systems be concerned with their operational performance and efficient use of resources. In this paper, we develop a methodology that measures a rail transit system's performance relative to that of other rail transit systems, compares its performance to an appropriate efficient benchmark system, and identifies the sources of its inefficiency. We analyze the relationship between public subsidies and operational performance of public rail systems and show an inverse relationship between subsidization and efficiency.     

How do stakeholder interactions influence national food security policy in the Caribbean? The case of Saint Lucia

Increasingly, multi-stakeholder processes have been recognized as being necessary to the development of public policies seeking to promote systemic innovation in response to complex and multidimensional challenges, such as household food security, rural development, and environmental change. Saint Lucia, a small island developing state located in the Caribbean, has been grappling with a wide range of agriculture, food and nutrition security challenges with varying degrees of policy success. Recognizing the significance of the challenge, this paper explores the nature of the stakeholder interactions surrounding the development of Saint Lucia’s 2009–2015 National Agricultural Policy and considers some of the implications for food and agriculture-related policy outcomes. Results reveal a general lack of supportive conditions for effective multi-stakeholder processes, including low stakeholder participation levels, conflicting roles of different forms of social capital in the interactions between stakeholders, and missing “boundary” organizations capable of facilitating a transition towards more flexible and adaptive institutions, enhanced knowledge exchange and learning, and greater trust among stakeholders in the policy network. Future avenues for research and development are subsequently identified.     

Predation and network based price discrimination in Chile

This paper uses a model of strategic interaction among firms –that set discriminatory and nonlinear prices– in addition to public information on prices of the plans marketed by the three major mobile phone companies, to assess the extent to which on-net/off-net price differentials in the plans they offered could represent predatory practices in the mobile telephony market in Chile. The results show that the largest companies offered a few plans with an off-net/on-net price differential larger than what a competitive theoretical model predicts. This larger differential is consistent with the notion of predation defined by Hoernig (2007) as reducing a competitor's profits. Despite the fact that these plans were a small fraction of all the plans mobile phone firms offered, they were recently banned by the antitrust authority because of their potential anticompetitive effects.     

基于PCA-BP-GA的BOT项目风险预测研究

由于BOT项目本身的长期性和复杂性,所以在BOT项目实施前需要准确科学的预测出所面临的风险大小。针对BOT项目风险影响因素众多的问题,先利用主成分分析法进行降维,然后利用遗传算法找出BP神经网络的最优全值阈值,建立了PCAGA-BP BOT项目风险预测模型。同时将以往的BOT项目数据作为学习样本,对BOT项目风险进行预测,并利用某地污水厂的例子进行验证,说明此模型对实际工程的科学指导性。     

Operating efficiency in Chinese universities: An extended two-stage network DEA approach

The result shows that it accepts the null hypothesis. Namely, there is no significant difference in the operating efficiency of universities in different regions. That is to say, although the efficiency of the central and western universities is slightly better than that of the eastern universities in terms of the average efficiency, there is no significant efficiency difference among the eastern, central, and western regions statistically. Therefore, it shows a balanced development trend for the efficiency of universities in different regions.     

Spillovers between sovereign CDS and exchange rate markets: The role of market fear

As important variables in financial market, sovereign credit default swaps (CDS) and exchange rate have correlations and spillovers. And the volatility spillovers between the two markets become further complicated with the effect of market fear caused by extreme events such as global pandemic. This paper attempts to explore the complex interactions within the “sovereign CDS-exchange rate” system by adopting the forecast error variance decomposition method. The results show that there is a relatively close linkage between the two markets and the total spillover index of the system is dynamic. For most of the past, the exchange rate has a higher spillover effect on the sovereign CDS than vice versa. Moreover, after the market fear variables are introduced, the “sovereign CDS-exchange rate” system and market fear variables present bidirectional spillovers. The results of the study have particular significance for maintaining the financial stability and preventing risk contagion between markets.     

An Application of the Dynamic Network DEA Model: The Case of Banks in Taiwan

ABSTRACT

In this study, we apply the dynamic network slack-based measure data envelopment analysis model (DNSBM) to measure the efficiency of Taiwanese banks during the period 2005–11. Using the network structure, we define intellectual capital creation capability as one of the production stages. In order to capture the dynamics of the transformation process, the nonperforming loans and loan loss reserves are defined as carryover items. This study offers sufficient information for managers to understand not only the overall performance of their banks but also the efficiency of each production stage and the dynamic changes of the overall and divisional efficiencies.     

Are the kinship networks a resource or a curse for small firms in post-communist countries? The case of Albania

Cross-sectional data are compiled from the 2002, 2005, 2008 and 2012 World Bank Living Standards Measurement Study databases for Albania. Based on responses from 1169 firms, the entrepreneurs’ kinship networks are found to influence firm activity in a positive and negative way. The positive contribution occurs through employment, be it formal or informal. The persisting impact of the kinship networks fades away, and business and friendship networks have gained importance in recent years.     

移动网络数据中大数据处理的关键技术探索

最近几年以来,我国科技水平持续提升,计算机网络技术也逐渐在各行各业中获得了广泛运用,这也使得信息技术的深度融合发展受到一定的促进,数据规模愈发庞大,在此背景下,开始演变成大数据供不应求的状况。为此,国内陆续推出了一系列相关的管理法规与条例,同时扩大了对大数据的探究创新力度,有效提升了移动通信网络处理数据的速度,这同时促使国内移动通信网络中有关大数据的研究内容更为明晰,由此可知,针对大数据的相关研究具有一定必要性。     

卷接包集控系统网络结构的规划分析

为解决绵阳卷烟厂卷包生产过程中存在的设备自控关联性差、连锁方式难以改变、分散的设备与生产运行难以监控、生产管理模式难以满足柔性化生产等问题,引进了卷包集控系统,并对该系统的三层网络结构进行了规划设计、对比分析。通过改变三个网络层次之间的连接方式、网络拓扑结构,使卷接包生产因集控系统网络故障引起的停机时间降到最低。应用效果表明,改进后的网络结构有利于缩小网络规模,控制网络风险,保证数据交换,避免I/O整体失控,有效提高了通信网络的安全性和稳定性及网络资源的利用率。