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Cultural diversity and innovative entrepreneurship
No full textA growing empirical literature has established a positive relationship between cultural diversity and entrepreneurship, often attributing this effect to innovation benefits of diversity. However, not all entrepreneurship is inherently innovative, raising the question of whether cultural diversity may increase the likelihood of an entrepreneur pursuing an innovative instead of a more replicative business strategy. This study investigates the relationship between regional cultural diversity and the innovation orientation of early-stage entrepreneurs and considers moderating factors by decomposing shares of foreign-born population by origin (within and outside of the EU) and by education level. Combining survey data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor with population-based indicators of cultural diversity, we carry out a multilevel analysis for 140 European regions. The results suggest that entrepreneurs in culturally more diverse regions are significantly more likely to exhibit innovation orientation
Adaptation as investment: Balancing public and private roles in climate adaptation
No full textAdaptation to climate change is an investment decision with unique challenges including uncertainty, long time horizons, and market imperfections that hinder optimal private action. Public sector involvement should address market failures while avoiding moral hazard and the crowding out of private investment through targeted knowledge dissemination and incentives. Significant disparities in adaptive capacity between and within countries create fundamental inequities in climate resilience, necessitating special policy consideration. Effective adaptation policy requires balancing public enablement with private investment through collaborative approaches that address market failures while ensuring equitable outcomes
Road Pricing: Travel Behavior and Public Support
No full textWe conduct a large-scale randomized controlled trial to examine the effects of time- and location-specific, distance-based road pricing on travel behavior and driving externalities. Using financial incentives and a smartphone app that automatically tracks participants' travel behavior across different modes, we find that road pricing reduces driving externalities by 5.3%, implying a price elasticity of -0.07 to -0.15 for the external costs of driving. Our findings suggest that drivers of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) are much less responsive to road pricing than drivers of non-BEVs. Furthermore, we find that providing information on the expected benefits of road pricing enhances public support for such policies, whereas experience with road pricing has little impact
Umgang mit Meldeverzug in der Wanderungsstatistik – das Berichtsmonatskonzept
No full textAn- und Abmeldungen des Wohnsitzes von Personen werden bei den Meldebehörden teilweise mit erheblicher zeitlicher Verzögerung registriert. Dadurch entsteht bei der zeitlichen Zuordnung von Wanderungsfällen in der Wanderungsstatistik ein Zielkonflikt zwischen Aktualität und Genauigkeit. Als Ausgleich beider Qualitätsansprüche wird in der Wanderungsstatistik das Berichtsmonatskonzept angewendet. Dabei werden nicht bis Ende des Folgemonats an die Statistik gemeldete Wanderungsfälle eines Monats durch verspätete Meldungen aus Vormonaten kompensiert. Der Beitrag stellt das Berichtsmonatskonzept erstmals systematisch dar, analysiert dessen Vor- und Nachteile und vergleicht es mit Auswertungen nach dem tatsächlichen Ereignisdatum.In Germany, all persons must register their residence with the local authorities. The registration and deregistration of persons who have changed their place of residence are sometimes recorded with considerable delay by local registration offices. In migration statistics, such delays mean there is a need to strike the right balance between timeliness and accuracy when assigning migration cases to specific time periods. The reporting month approach is used in migration statistics to balance these two quality requirements. Migration cases that have not been reported to the statistics authorities by the end of the subsequent month are compensated for by late reports from preceding months. This article describes the reporting month approach systematically for the first time, analyses its benefits and shortcomings and compares it with an approach that uses the month in which the event occurred, basing the evaluation on the actual date of the event
TiMBA - Timber market model for policy-based analysis: Documentation of model structure, data, and parameters
No full textThis working paper details the underlying structure of the Timber market Model for policy-Based Analysis - TiMBA - as well as the data and parameters used for modeling. TiMBA is a partial economic equilibrium model for the global forest sector. The market equilibrium is subject to market clearance and constraints, balancing raw materials, product manufacturing, and consumption while limiting international trade (Paul A. Samuelson 1952). The model structure distinguishes three types of roundwood (fuelwood, coniferous and non-coniferous industrial roundwood), two additional raw products for paper production (other fiber pulp and waste paper), two intermediate products (mechanical and chemical wood pulp) and eight finished products (coniferous and non-coniferous sawnwood, veneer sheets and plywood, particle board, fibreboard, newsprint, printing and writing paper, and other paper and paperboard). Except for sawnwood, intermediate and end products are produced from a mix of coniferous and non-coniferous industrial roundwood.(...)Dieses Working Paper beschreibt das Timber Market Model for Policy-Based Analysis (TiMBA) sowie die in dem Modell verwendeten Daten und Parameter. TiMBA ist ein partielles Gleichgewichtsmodell für den globalen Holzmarkt. Die Modellstruktur unterscheidet drei Arten von Rundholz (Brennholz, sowie Nadelholz und Laubholz für die industrielle Nutzung), zwei zusätzliche Rohstoffe für die Papierproduktion (andere Zellstoffe und Altpapier), zwei Zwischenprodukte (mechanischer und chemischer Papierzellstoff) und acht Endprodukte (Nadel- und Laubschnittholz, Furnier- und Sperrholz, Spanplatten, Faserplatten, Zeitungen, Druck- und Schreibpapier sowie sonstige Papiere und Pappen). Abgesehen vom Schnittholz können Zwischen- und Endprodukte aus einem Input-Mix aus Nadelholz und Laubholz hergestellt werden. Exogene Parameter und Annahmen geben einen Leitfaden, wie sich die Gesellschaft und der Forstsektor in der Zukunft entwickeln könnten. Innerhalb des Models werden Holzprodukte, unabhängig von ihrer Herkunft, als perfekte Substitute behandelt solange sie demselben Produkt angehören. Daher wird die Nachfrage nach Holzprodukten lediglich durch Änderungen von Einkommen und Preisen verschoben (Murray et al. 2004), wobei das Bruttoinlandsprodukt (BIP) ein wichtiger Treiber des Modells ist. Das Angebot an Rundholz hängt von Holzpreisen und der Wachstumsdynamik der Waldbestände die durch Veränderungen der Waldfläche und Erntemengen bestimmt wird. Basierend auf dem Konzept der Umwelt-Kuznets-Kurve (Panayotou 1993) sind die Entwicklung der Waldfläche und die Holzversorgung an die Entwicklungen des BIP pro Kopf gekoppelt.(...
Showcasing the Variety of Biosocial and Evolutionary Approaches in Sociology: Introduction to the Special Issue
No full textThis introduction to the special issue explores the increasing integration of biosocial and evolutionary approaches within sociology, highlighting the diverse ways in which these perspectives are incorporated into sociological research. In the past, sociology had reservations against or even rejected biological and evolutionary explanations of human behavior and often viewed them with skepticism. However, recent developments have seen a resurgence of interest in these approaches, leading to the emergence of interdisciplinary subfields such as biosociology, evolutionary sociology, neurosociology, and sociogenomics. This introduction provides a historical overview of biological and evolutionary thinking with regard to human behavior and sociality, tracing its roots from Darwinian theory to its contemporary applications within sociology. We discuss the conceptual and methodological differences between these approaches and offer an overview of key contributions that illustrate their relevance to core sociological topics. The articles in this special issue—which we summarize in this introduction—exemplify the variety of work being done at the intersection of sociology and the bio- and evolutionary sciences, from theoretical explorations to empirical studies. By presenting this range of interdisciplinary research, we aim to invite a broader sociological audience to engage with these perspectives, contributing to the development of a more comprehensive understanding of human behavior that sheds the dualism between nature and nurture—long overcome outside of sociology—for a consolidated effort to examine how nature and nurture are intertwined in multiple and complex ways.Diese Einführung in das Sonderheft untersucht die zunehmende Integration biosozialer und evolutionärer Ansätze in der Soziologie und zeigt die verschiedenen Möglichkeiten auf, wie diese Perspektiven in die soziologische Forschung einbezogen werden. Die Soziologie war in der Vergangenheit biologischen und evolutionären Erklärungen menschlichen Verhaltens gegenüber zurückhaltend bis ablehnend eingestellt und hat diese oft mit Skepsis betrachtet. In jüngster Zeit ist das Interesse an diesen Ansätzen jedoch wieder erwacht und hat zur Entstehung interdisziplinärer Teilbereiche wie Biosoziologie, Evolutionssoziologie, Neurosoziologie und Soziogenomik geführt. Diese Einführung bietet einen historischen Überblick über biologisches und evolutionäres Denken in Bezug auf menschliches Verhalten und Sozialität, wobei die Wurzeln von der Darwinschen Theorie bis zu den heutigen Anwendungen in der Soziologie verfolgt werden. Wir erörtern die konzeptionellen und methodischen Unterschiede zwischen diesen Ansätzen und geben einen Überblick über die wichtigsten Beiträge, die ihre Relevanz für zentrale soziologische Themen verdeutlichen. Die Beiträge in diesem Sonderheft, die wir in dieser Einleitung zusammenfassen, veranschaulichen die Vielfalt der Arbeiten, die an der Schnittstelle von Soziologie und Bio- und Evolutionswissenschaften durchgeführt werden, von theoretischen Erkundungen bis hin zu empirischen Studien. Durch die Präsentation dieses Spektrums an interdisziplinärer Forschung möchten wir ein breiteres soziologisches Publikum dazu einladen, sich mit diesen Perspektiven auseinanderzusetzen und zur Entwicklung eines umfassenderen Verständnisses des menschlichen Verhaltens beizutragen, das den außerhalb der Soziologie lange Zeit überwundenen Dualismus zwischen „nature“ und „nurture“ zugunsten einer konsolidierten Untersuchung der vielfältigen und komplexen Verflechtung von „nature“ und „nurture“ aufgibt
Exploring the adoption of food safety measures in smallholder dairy systems in Ethiopia: implications for food safety and public health
No full textMilk is highly perishable and can be a conduit for the transmission of zoonotic foodborne pathogens. This cross-sectional survey involving 159 farming households and 18 participant observations in participating farms was undertaken in Addis Ababa and surrounding areas in Oromia, Ethiopia to assess the adoption of food safety measures in smallholder farms. Adoption of food safety measures at the farm level influences milk quality and safety across the entire milk value chain, from “grass to glass”. This study considered the adoption of 36 different food safety measures (FSM) including animal health, milking hygiene, hygienic milk storage, and hygienic milking premises. A weighted food safety index (FSI, ranging from 0 to 100) was calculated for each household based on FSM adopted. Ordinary Least Squares linear regression was used to quantify the factors of FSM adoption by smallholder farmers. The overall food safety index ranged between 59.97—60.75. A majority of farmers may be classified as moderate adopters of FSM (index ranging between 30–70%). Farm and farmers’ characteristics such as herd size, farmer’s education level, farmer’s expertise in dairying, and participation of the farm in the formal milk value- chain, were shown to positively influence the level of adoption of FSM. Low farm-level adoption of FSM has food safety and public health implications as it can lead to milk contamination and, therefore, expose consumers to foodborne diseases. There is an imperative for policymakers to design and implement policies and intervention strategies that lead to increased farmer training related to livestock production and awareness of the important role that FSM adoption can play in improving food safety and public health
R&D grants and R&D tax credits to foreign-owned subsidiaries: Does supporting multinational enterprises’ R&D pay off in terms of firm performance improvements for the host economy?
Get PDFThe subsidiaries of foreign-owned multinational firms make significant contributions to national Research and Development (R&D) in many host countries. Policymakers in host countries often support subsidiaries’ R&D efforts, through R&D grants and R&D tax credits. A key objective of this funding is to leverage R&D-driven firm performance benefits for the host economy. However, the subsidiary's parent firm may decide not to commercially exploit the results from host country-funded R&D projects, in the host country. Therefore, supporting subsidiaries’ R&D presents a unique risk, that significant amounts of scarce public R&D funding may translate into little, or no firm performance payoffs for the host economy. To address this issue, we construct a unique panel dataset, containing 24,404 observations of firms in Ireland over a 10-year period. Using this rich data, we first evaluate the impact of R&D grants and R&D tax credits on subsidiaries’ R&D. We then examine the link between policy-induced R&D from each policy instrument, and subsidiaries’ firm performance in the host country. Our study provides the first evaluation of (1) whether public R&D funding stimulates additional R&D investment in subsidiaries, (2) whether policy-induced R&D drives subsidiaries’ firm performance in the host country, and (3) the differential effects of R&D grants and R&D tax credits. We find that both R&D policy instruments drive subsidiary R&D, and that the policy-induced R&D results in substantial host country improvements in turnover, exports, and value added. Our results suggest several policy implications, particularly for economies pursuing an R&D strategy which targets foreign-owned subsidiaries
The impact of dependencies between climate risks on the asset and liability side of non-life insurers
No full textThe aim of this paper is to examine the impact of dependencies between climate transition and physical risks on the default probability and profitability of a non-life insurer focusing on the scenario of a delayed and sudden transition. Toward this end, we suggest a simplified modeling approach for scenario analyses for climate risks affecting assets and liabilities, taking into account potential nonlinear dependence structures. Our results show that dependencies on the liability side and between assets and liabilities in the context of physical-transition scenarios can have a significant impact, particularly on the default risk of a non-life insurer. We additionally analyze the mitigating effects of stop loss reinsurance and risk-adjusted pricing, which–if implementable–seem to be an effective risk management measure against physical climate risks in particular