Optimal surveillance against foot‐and‐mouth disease: the case of bulk milk testing in Australia

Previous foot‐and‐mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks and simulation‐based analyses suggest substantial payoffs from detecting an incursion early. However, no economic measures for early detection have been analysed in an optimising framework. We investigate the use of bulk milk testing (BMT) for active surveillance against an FMD incursion in Australia. We find that BMT can be justified, but only when the FMD entry probability is sufficiently high or the cost of BMT is low. However, BMT is well suited for post‐outbreak surveillance, to shorten the length of time and size of an epidemic and to facilitate an earlier return to market.     

Impacts of Trade Liberalisation Commitments on the Vietnamese Economy: A CGE Approach

This article quantifies the economic effects of tariff reduction following Vietnam's WTO accession. It differs from previous studies in several aspects. First, the model incorporates non‐standard features of the Vietnamese economy (e.g. changes in the domestic tax system). Second, the model divides Vietnamese households into 10 groups, allowing for the assessment of household welfare and income distribution. Third, the model has been run employing the most up‐to‐date database available. The major findings are summarised as follows. First, Vietnam as a whole would benefit from trade liberalisation. Second, the overall gain would be accompanied by a redistribution of income and a moderate increase in inequality between the rich and the poor. Third, concerning sectoral output, export‐oriented sectors, sectors with large shares of input in total imports, and those with increased domestic demands are likely to expand, whereas, in contrast, domestic‐oriented sectors are likely to contract. Measures to increase labour mobility, target disadvantaged groups and areas, and further liberalise service sectors are recommended as the recipe for effective utilisation of integration, as well as a more equitable pattern of growth.     

De officieele Loonstatistiek en hare uitkomsten

's-Gravenhage, Februari 1915     

Relaxing the limits to growth

Intereconomics - The following contribution is essentially based on the author’s presentation to the Club of Rome’s recently held world conference on “Alternatives to...     

Ownership Concentration and CSR Policy of European Multinational Enterprises

This study investigates how ownership concentration in European multinational firms is associated with these firms’ corporate social responsibility (CSR). We employ factor analysis on responsibility data from EIRiS and use a regression analysis. Using firm-level data for almost 700 European firms, we find that shareholder concentration is significantly related to such policies. That is, more concentrated ownership goes hand in hand with poorer CSR policies. In our analysis, we control for size, leverage, profitability, industry, and country of origin. We use several indicators for ownership concentration. We also find that with more concentrated ownership, CSR of the firm gets worse. We suggest that especially with large shareholders, CSR would need to be included in their performance assessment.     

The multinational corporation vis-à-vis societies in transformation: The case for intermediate technology in the developing countries

There are preciously few problems, no matter how intricate, which—when perceived form more different angles and over more time—do not grow in complexity. Perhaps the most complicated problem that crossed this author's path is the development of Asia, Latin America and Africa.Development to what? As a Dutch economist who sees himself preferably as a socioeconomist, I perceive development as a level of human dignity that requires, a priori, employment. For to be unemployed is to be outside society and to lose face, self-respect and income.As a regional planner for a large multinational corporation—CPC International, Inc.—I have studied in some depth what comes first: education or employment; resources or employment; consumption or production; food or productivity; agriculture or industry; growth or distribution. Having been exposed to these problems in various continents, I have reached the conclusion that employment is, on balance, the number one priority.That priority calls for a highly labor-intensive technology, which in this article is termed “intermediate technology”. It constitutes one phase of development that can create rock-bottom employment, a meager but sure and growing income, and human dignity for one billion marginated people in three continents. That objective requires ingenuous technological forecasting for vital social change.     

Impact of Increasing Minimum Wage on Homeownership and Home Equity Loans

International Advances in Economic Research - The U.S. housing market has not completely recovered from the Great Recession and is likely to tumble into another dive. Meanwhile, multiple proposals...