CLASSIFICATION PROBLEMS AND THE DIVIDING LINE BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND THE MARKET: AN EXAMINATION OF NHS FOUNDATION TRUST CLASSIFICATION IN THE UK

ABSTRACT: In this paper we argue that national accounting categories provide an inadequate basis for evaluating differences between public and private sector services. This is because accounting categories rely on economic concepts such as market price but do not take account of substantive public policy goals such as universality. The argument has important consequences for the structures and systems of delivery especially where nonprofit providers and social enterprise models are substituted for public bodies formerly integrated into the government's delivery system. Using an example taken from the UK's National Health Service, we show that the mechanisms for ensuring universality through redistribution are not sufficiently taken into account for classification purposes.     

Financial and legislative aspects of drug development of orphan diseases on the European market – a systematic review

According to the European Commission, medical products for orphan diseases are those which affect fewer than five persons out of every 10 000. Producers are reluctant to develop these drugs under the common market conditions because the demand for these drugs does not guarantee return on investments into research and development of such products. Patients with orphan diseases, however, have the same rights for treatment as any other patient. To stimulate the research and development of drugs for orphan diseases, the governmental offices introduce various incentives for health and biotechnological industry. This started in the USA already in 1983 by passing a special law. Japan introduced this law in 1993 and Australia in 1997. Europe followed in 1999 by introducing common policy for all member states.

The aim of this article is to specify current economic and legislative conditions in European countries and compare them with the legislation and approaches of the countries which started this initiative, i.e. USA, Japan, Australia or Singapore. In addition, the treatment costs of orphan diseases are specified and prospects of this field are evaluated.     

A nonlinear simultaneous probit-model for the investigation of decision-making processes: modelling the process of setting up a family in partnerships

This article proposes an approach for modelling the interactive influences of two (or more) actors in decision-making processes. We use a nonlinear simultaneous probit-model and show how the problem of identification for estimating the relative effects of the actors can be solved. The formal model will be applied to examine the decision-making process for setting up a family in partnerships. We model a trivariate distribution consisting of the wifes’ desire to have a child or disposition toward the generative decision, the husbands’ disposition and the joint generative decision. We show how the parameter can be used to assess the relative importance of both partners’ dispositions for the decision, the reciprocal influence of both partners’ dispositions within the interaction process, and the relevance of both partners’ biographical contexts in relation to their own disposition as well as to that of the partner. The analysis is based on a three-stage estimation strategy which is implemented in MECOSA 3 and we use data from the Bamberger married couple panel.     

Collision density: driving growth in urban entrepreneurial ecosystems

The growth of entrepreneurial ecosystems is becoming increasingly dynamic. We introduce the concept of collision density, defined as the potential frequency of interdisciplinary interactions, to explain this phenomenon. We develop hypotheses about the impact of collision density on the growth of entrepreneurial ecosystems. This impact is hypothesized to be amplified by the presence of angel financing. We find support for our hypotheses in panel data from 89 urban entrepreneurial ecosystems of 92,229 investments between 2007 and 2014. We conclude with discussions of the the implications for research and practice.