1,721,178 research outputs found
Universal service financing in competitive postal markets: one size does not fit all
Full text linkIn the postal sector, the net cost of universal service depends on the content of the service, the postal market characteristics and the country's geographical configuration. These three groups of factors affect both the direct cost of providing the service and the extent of competition on the market. In this paper, we consider countries with different geographical characteristics and we show that the choice of an appropriate mechanism to share the cost of universal service between market participants depends on the country configuration. Thus, for universal service financing, one size does not fit all
Information acquisition in repeated relationships
No full textThis paper presents a new rationale for delegation. In a repeated relationship, when the principal gives up at time t the control over an action to the better informed agent, the decision taken by the agent signals his private information to the principal. The revelation of information is valuable to the principal only in a context of repeated relation where the principal can use the information at time t+1 to take another decision.
In this paper, we present an example where delegation occurs only if the relation lasts for more than one period. In a single period context, if the agent has a bias in favor of one project, he does not have incentives to select a project that is not his preferred one; hence he does not disclose his private information and delegation is not valuable.
While in a repeated relationship, it becomes costly for the agent to keep the principal non-informed and this counterbalances the agent’s bias for one project. Shared-control
(partial delegation) is then the preferred organizational structure when the interaction is repeated. Moreover, shared-control dominates an alternative mechanism where the principal centralizes all the decisions and the information is transfered through a message game
Une nouvelle tarification des réseaux énergétiques
Full text linkLa transition énergétique est en marche. Nos manières de produire et de consommer de l'énergie sont en train de changer. Un des éléments les plus visible de cette transition est sans doute la production décentralisée d'électricité au moyen de panneaux photovoltaïques.
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Axel Gautier
Axel Gautier
Professeur à l'Université de Liège
Opinion
22/02/16 à 10:02 - Mise à jour à 10:08
Une nouvelle tarification des réseaux énergétiques
La transition énergétique est en marche. Nos manières de produire et de consommer de l'énergie sont en train de changer. Un des éléments les plus visible de cette transition est sans doute la production décentralisée d'électricité au moyen de panneaux photovoltaïques. Nous pensons que la transition énergétique doit s'accompagner d'une transition tarifaire et que les relations financières entre consommateurs et réseaux doivent être repensées
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Qualité de Service et accès à l'électricité au Burundi et en Afrique de l'Est, une comparaison de performances du secteur
Full text linkAccess to reliable, sustainable, modern and affordable energy services for all is one of the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development (SDG7). Despite the potential for renewable energy resources, more than 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remain without energy services. Its demand constitutes only 4% of global demand. Despite the merits of a vertically integrated monopoly, it has been criticized for being inefficient. Thus, a wave of reforms emerged in the 1990s, aiming, among other things, to vertically unbundle the different entities and introduce private sector participation. Burundi is one of the SSA countries for which access to electricity and quality of service are among the lowest in the world.
The thesis examines first the organization and performances of the electricity sector in Burundi. Through a descriptive analysis, it defines the legal and regulatory framework and analyzes performance in terms of access and quality of service. Lack of funding, excessive charges and governance problems at the national water and electricity utility are on the basis for poor performance and the barriers to private sector participation. To improve the quality of service by reducing one MWh of losses due to outages would require additional investments of US$ 223.7 per kVA of transformer installed capacity. Funding for these investments requires incentives for private sector participation, and joint projects within the framework of the East African Power Pool.
Secondly, since the extent to which power sector reforms were implemented varies from country to country, the identification of a required model for performance comparison is essential. Performance is compared using both a generation model and a transmission-distribution model for the case of six East African countries. On average, the performance gap for all countries is 19.6% and 23.5% for the generation and the transmission-distribution models respectively. On the other hand, the results show that countries that have restructured the power sector and attracted private investment tend to be the most technically efficient. Losses of electricity are a common and significant source of inefficiency in all countries. They have a negative impact on both users, utilities and the country. One of the goals of domestic energy policies is to mitigate them. The results show that, on average, it would be possible to reduce electricity losses by 8%, without changing the level of inputs and outputs, as well as the production technology. In this way, minimizing losses could generate enough resources to increase investments and improve the quality of service in the electricity sector.
Finally, this thesis relies on two databases compiled by the author that can be used for academic and managerial purposes. The first database is related to the electricity network in Burundi. It includes data on power outages related to load shedding and the losses they cause. It also includes data on transformers collected through a survey of the entire interconnected network in Burundi. The second database consists of aggregated power sector data from Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. It includes data on inputs and outputs collected through a survey conducted by the author in the various East African utilities.7. Affordable and clean energ
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