On the role of innovation and market structure on trade performance: is Schumpeter right?

PurposeThe goal of the paper is to examine the dynamics between innovation, market structure and trade performance. Firstly, the author first investigates the effects of innovation on trade performance. Secondly, the author then examines how market structure affect trade by classifying industries based on their innovation intensity.Design/methodology/approachThe author uses a detailed level data set of eight OECD countries in a panel of 17 industries from the STAN and ANBERD Database. The author employs both a pooled regression and a two-stage quantile regression analysis. The author first investigates the effects of innovation at the aggregate level, and then the author assesses the effects at the disaggregated or firm level.FindingsThe author finds that at the aggregate level, innovation and market size have a positive and significant effect on competitivity in most of the specifications. However, innovation is negatively associated with trade performance in the case of bilateral trade between Spain and the Netherlands. Also, the sectoral analysis provides evidence that the innovation-trade nexus depends on technological classification. The author shows that: (1) the effect of innovation activity on trade performance economic performance is lower for the high technology and high concentration (HTHC) market compared to the low technology (LT) market;(2) the impact of innovation on economic performance is ambiguous for firms in the high technology and low concentration (HTLC) market.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the database provides a rich data set on industrial data, it fails to provide innovation output such as patent data which may underestimate the innovation activities of firms that do not have a separate R&D records. In the current context of subdue economic growth these research results have important policy implications. Firstly, the positive impact of innovation on trade performance strengthens its role for sustainable development. The negative coefficient on innovation is an indication that research intensity in some cases has not been able to create a new demand capable to boost economic performance.Practical implicationsThe market classification analysis provides new evidence that innovation in the LT market has the potential to enhance competition. Secondly, market size supports industries that are competing in the international market. Policy makers must therefore put in place incentives to encourage firms to grow in size if they want to remain globally competitive.Social implicationsSustainable development can be supported through investment in research and development in the low technology sector.Originality/valueThe study is the first as far as the author knows, to examine the impact of innovation on bilateral trade performance using industry level data from OECD countries. Secondly, the author complements the existing literature by examining how innovation activities (classified as high technological intensive or low technological intensive) affect trade performance.

Impact of the Coronacrisis on the Situation of Different Population Strata

The article analyzes coronacrisis impact on various segments of the population. The purpose is to identify universal and local consequences of the pandemic, as well as the sources to resist new challenges. For the analysis we use data from a FCTAS RAS study in the spring of 2021. The study showed that financial risks for representatives of all social groups are universal in Russian conditions. For disadvantaged segments of the population, for all analyzed reasons, the risks associated with obtaining stable incomes and employment grew. They are also less likely to contract the coronavirus and make significant lifestyle changes. For prosperous Russians, the risks associated with work are significantly lower. This allowed them to quickly adapt to epidemiological restrictions, learn new skills for their work. However, risks of contracting coronavirus and abandoning their usual lifestyle were higher for them. Thus, the ability to quickly adapt to new challenges in modern Russia is determined more by the quality of human potential and level of social protection in the workplace than by the income size. Along with this, potential weakening of positions under impact of the coronavirus and growing international tension for representatives of the upper and middle strata create significant risks of changes in the social structure, as well as transformation of channels and factors of social mobility.

COVID on campus: An empirical analysis of COVID infection rates at U.S. colleges and universities

We provide an empirical analysis of the determinants of cumulative COVID infection rates at 1069 U.S. colleges and universities during the 2020–21 academic year. We propose that financially constrained educational institutions faced a trade-off between the reduction of COVID infection risks and an institution's educational, social, reputational, and financial goals. We find that cumulative infection rates are higher at wealthier institutions, measured by higher endowments per student or higher tuition rates. Institutions with lower enrollment yields in admissions also have higher COVID infection rates, perhaps reflecting the greater influence of student preferences on decision making at these institutions. Economies of scale in COVID mitigation emerge gradually over the course of the year. Finally, COVID infection rates do not differ significantly for otherwise similar public and private institutions in states with Democratic governors, but they are significantly higher for public institutions in states with Republican governors. © 2023 The Southern Economic Association.

‘The Biggest Charity You've Never Heard of': Institutional Logics of Charity and the State in Public Fundraising in Scotland's NHS

The boundaries between state and charitable activities within the NHS are set out in regulations but are also enacted, blurred, and contested through local practices. This article reports research on NHS Charities– charitable funds set up within NHS organizations to enhance statutory provision – in Scotland. We analysed financial accounts and conducted qualitative interviews with staff in 12 of the 14 NHS Charities in Scotland, where they are generally known as endowments. Our findings suggest that Scotland's endowments are relatively wealthy in charitable terms, but that this wealth is unevenly distributed when population size and socio-economic deprivation are considered. We also identify two diverging organisational approaches to decisions, including those about appropriate and inappropriate fundraising. We argue that these approaches cohere with contrasting ‘state' and ‘charitable' institutional logics, which in turn imply different attitudes to potential inequalities, and to relationships with local publics.

IMPACT OF THE CORONACRISIS ON THE SITUATION OF DIFFERENT POPULATION STRATА

The article analyzes coronacrisis impact on various segments of the population. The purpose is to identify universal and local consequences of the pandemic, as well as the sources to resist new challenges. For the analysis we use data from a FCTAS RAS study in the spring of 2021. The study showed that financial risks for representatives of all social groups are universal in Russian conditions. For disadvantaged segments of the population, for all analyzed reasons, the risks associated with obtaining stable incomes and employment grew. They are also less likely to contract the coronavirus and make significant lifestyle changes. For prosperous Russians, the risks associated with work are significantly lower. This allowed them to quickly adapt to epidemiological restrictions, learn new skills for their work. However, risks of contracting coronavirus and abandoning their usual lifestyle were higher for them. Thus, the ability to quickly adapt to new challenges in modern Russia is determined more by the quality of human potential and level of social protection in the workplace than by the income size. Along with this, potential weakening of positions under impact of the coronavirus and growing international tension for representatives of the upper and middle strata create significant risks of changes in the social structure, as well as transformation of channels and factors of social mobility. © 2022, Russian Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Diving Deep on Equity and Power: Exploring Shifts in Philanthropic Practice With the Iceberg Model

Confronting questions of systemic racism and the fallout from a pandemic requires a look inward at the practices, policies, structures, mindsets, and cultural norms that govern how foundations operate. The experience of The California Endowment and the James Irvine Foundation shows what can be learned from this period of crisis and disruption. This article illustrates how each funder used the iconic iceberg model as a tool to move beyond surface-level responses to explore eight tangible, equity-focused changes in the way they practice philanthropy. This article also reflects on what it takes to shift norms, structures, and power in ways that lead to equitable outcomes and embed equity throughout an organization - and what gets in the way.

Influence Of Revenue Streams On Financial Sustainability: Evidence From Kenyan Public Universities

This paper discusses the influence of various revenue streams (government grants, student fees, internally generated revenue, and endowment trust funds) on the financial sustainability of Kenyan public universities from the perspective of resource dependency theory. A longitudinal survey research approach was used and the final sample consisted of 31 public chartered universities in Kenya that had operated continuously for more than five years as of 2015. Panel data were extracted from the annual financial statements of these universities and other secondary data sources for the period from 2015 to 2020. A random effects regression model was applied to determine the correlation between the different revenue streams and financial sustainability. This study found that both government grants and student fees have significant relationships with the current ratio. By contrast, internally generated revenue and endowment trust funds have insignificant relationships with the current ratio. Not only do this study's findings contribute to existing empirical literature, but the results will also be beneficial to multiple stakeholders, such as university management, stakeholders, and researchers.

On inequality, growth and trust: some evidence from the lab

In a novel experimental design, we investigate the impact of exogenous variation in economic growth and inequality on trusting behaviour. In addition to a control with uniform endowment, three treatments were implemented where the initial endowment is exogenously changed to produce inequality and three growth scenarios where average endowments increase (boom), decrease (recession) or remain unaltered (steady state). We find that aggregate trust and trustworthiness both decrease due to the induced heterogeneity in endowments. Also, trust (but not trustworthiness) decreases (increases) due to recessions (booms). The impact of inequality on trust is greatest in a recession and absent in a boom. These aggregate effects are driven mainly by the reactions of those who, after treatment, end up at the bottom of the endowment distribution. These findings are close in sign and in the order of magnitude to those reported in observational studies on the relationship between growth, inequality and trust.

Dynamic Model for Drinking Water Consumption in Times of SARSCoV-2 in Corazón City, Pangua, Cotopaxi, Ecuador, South America

The urban parish, Corazón city, is located in the Pangua canton, Cotopaxi province, located in the foothills of the Andes Mountain range, where the water supply of drinking water is currently carried out by gravity with a storage tank to the population. This research analyzed the water supply during the period of confinement due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This was based on the change in use, behavior, and losses to the system. In order to population conditions, data from registered volumes were employed, distributed and consumed volumes registers were the variables used to develop the dynamic model, which has helped to estimate the charge in drinking water consumption due to the pandemic lockdown. Hence, the current consumption during the confinement period was determined, and the forecast considering the actual conditions. Finally, the dynamic model of water consumption was proposed;the results obtained showed that water consumption had not experienced any significant change during the social distancing period, and the maximum growth rate of 0.2755 will be reached in December 2020. A sharp change in water consumption tendency was probably not observed because the majority of Corazón city population have been working from home before and after the pandemic. To conclude, it is necessary to remark that thanks to the data provided, it was possible to model this behavior within mathematical formulas and the Vensim software, having results close to reality;Indeed, two critical scenarios have been considered on the supply system under analysis. © 2022. International Journal on Advanced Science, Engineering and Information Technology.All Rights Reserved

Financial development and natural resources nexus in Egypt: the role of clean energy sources and foreign direct investment

Purpose>Achieving the goals of the sustainable development strategy and Egypt’s vision 2030 depends mainly on the existence of sources of funds. And since Egypt faces a great challenge in obtaining finance, then analyzing the drivers of financial development is a vital issue and there is a persistent need to shed light on the key obstacles for it. Thus, this paper aims to empirically assess the impact of natural resources, foreign direct investment (FDI) net inflows, education and clean energy sources on financial development in Egypt using the data of the 1971–2014 period.Design/methodology/approach>The paper uses auto-regressive distributed lag and Toda-Yamomoto approaches to fulfill the purpose.Findings>Empirical results signify that all variables except natural endowments stimulate financial development which can suggest the presence of the natural resources curse in Egypt. Moreover, the feedback effect between financial development and FDI is recognized. Clean energy sources cause financial development and natural endowments. Financial development causes natural endowments and FDI leads to the deployment of more clean energy resources.Practical implications>Several crucial policy implications are suggested based upon these results as improving the quality and quantity of education and encouraging both domestic and foreign investors by providing several incentives. Moreover, the government has to enhance green finance through financing solar energy projects and other environmentally friendly projects.Originality/value>It is the first research for Egypt that explores natural resource-financial development nexus using time series analysis according to our information, and two important variables are included in the model which is clean energy sources and FDI. Then, although several studies examined the impact of financial development on clean energy no empirical study before assessed the impact of clean energy on financial development.

Impact of Air Pollution on Residents' Medical Expenses: A Study Based on the Survey Data of 122 Cities in China.

Background: With the development of the social economy, air pollution has resulted in increased social costs. Medical costs and health issues due to air pollution are important aspects of environmental governance in various countries. Methods: This study uses daily air pollution monitoring data from 122 cities in China to empirically investigate the impact of air pollution on residents' medical expenses using the Heckman two-stage and instrumental variable methods, matching data from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) survey. Results: The study found that poor air quality, measured by the air quality index (AQI), significantly increased the probability of chronic lung disease, heart disease, and self-rated poor health. Additionally, the AQI (with an effect of 4.51%) significantly impacted health-seeking behavior and medical expenses. The medical expenditure effects of mild, moderate, severe, and serious pollution days were 3.27, 7.21, 8.62, and 42.66%, respectively. Conclusion: In the long run, residents' health in areas with a higher air pollution index, indicating poor air quality, is negatively impacted. The more extreme the pollution, the higher the probability of residents' medical treatment and the subsequent increase in medical expenses. Group and regional heterogeneity also play a role in the impact of air pollution on medical expenses. Compared with the existing literature, this study is based on individuals aged 15 years and above and produces reliable research conclusions.

Mobilizing BIPOC Student Power against Liberalism at Soka University of America: A Collection of Voices

[...]all students are required to live on campus, a grand resort-like gated community overlooking canyons on three sides in suburban Orange County in California, in order to engage in dialogue with each other and learn how to get along. [...]there are few Black students (constituting less than three percent of the student body) and virtually no full-time Black faculty trained in critical Black studies on our campus or representation of African Studies in the curriculum. Given its proclaimed commitments and mission and endowment, we ask why it is that when BIPOC working-class students ask for the fulfillment of their needs, interests, dreams, desires, demands, well-being, our incredibly wealthy university is always unable to find resources for working-class and/or BIPOC students. Since its founding, there have been and continue to be no resources specific to working-class and/or BIPOC students, whose needs and demands are viewed as "special-interest," with suspicion, as threatening, as too divisive, met with derision, and continually dismissed, ignored, rejected. Even though decisions at SUA are typically made hierarchically by the president and the dean often in disregard of faculty expertise or conviction, we were told the university's hands are tied;it has limited resources;it can't move forward without faculty support (despite considerable faculty support);it can't move forward without expansive faculty approval (read: the same faculty who teach imperialist frameworks must approve of our pedagogies of resistance);Life Sciences is "a totally different beast";concentrations must have broad appeal despite broad student support;etc., etc. Since its founding, there has been no concerted effort by our SLAC to question its reproduction of whiteness.

Vegetable Trade Flows and Chain Competitiveness Linkage Analysis Based on Spatial Panel Econometric Modelling and Porter’s Diamond Model

The vegetable sector plays an important role in ensuring food security. Vegetable trade flows in Romania have become a major concern due to constant trade balance deficits despite the country’s agricultural potential. Taking into account the paradox between what could be considered an abundance of factor endowments and poor trade balance results, the objective of this research was to study the linkage between vegetable trade flows and chain competitiveness. Spatial panel econometric methods were used to study the impact of the international vegetable market on the demand in Romania, while the Balassa index and Porter’s diamond modelling techniques were used to study the competitiveness of the vegetable chain at both county and national levels. By applying the spatial regression method to the international trade and national production panel data, it was found that an increase in the quantity of vegetables imported into Romania would cause an even greater decrease in national vegetable production. The results show that Romanian vegetable production is highly and negatively influenced by the growing appetite for imports—therefore leading to a national dependence on the global vegetable chain. Porter’s diamond model results confirm that: (a) growing vegetables is profitable in Romania and the average profit margin is higher in this economic sector than in many others;(b) there is a lack of competitiveness caused by the post-communist excessively fragmented agrarian land structure and poor performance of the irrigation, warehousing, and transportation sectors;(c) the national production of vegetables is generally self-sufficient with the exception of three counties that resort to importing and account for more than 70% of Romania’s total vegetable imports;(d) factor endowments cannot be fully harnessed, and this contributes to the deepening of the trade balance deficits. Improvement is possible by fostering competitiveness through increasing the performance of supporting industries and the logistics infrastructure, as well as removing market access barriers for the many small farmers.

Geographies of Flowers and Geographies of Flower Power

The world is changing under the pressure of environmental and health crises, and in this context, location choice and political choice become of even more poignant importance. Following a Culture-Based Development (CBD) stand, our paper highlights the link between political voting and the cultural and ecological valuation of a place. We start from the premise that the individual utility functions of the urban inhabitant and the urban voter coincide, since they both express the citizen’s satisfaction with the life in a place. We suggest that the unified citizen’s utility function is driven by a trade-off between the availability of virtual and physical spaces for interaction. We expect that this trade-off can lead to dissatisfaction with the place and consequent political discontent if the incumbents’ access to green areas and artistic environment in a place is simultaneously hampered for a long time. Our operational hypothesis is that the political sensitivity of citizens is related to the local availability of green areas (geographies of flowers) and cultural capital endowments (geographies of flower power). Using individual-level data from the WVS from the period close before the pandemic—2017–2020, we test empirically this hypothesis. We use as an outcome of interest the individual propensity to active political behaviour. We explain this propensity through the geographies of flowers (i.e., green areas) and geographies of flower power (i.e., cultural and creative industries). We compare the effects for urban and for rural areas. We find strong dependence of politically proactive behaviour on the geographies of flowers and geographies of flower power, with explicit prominence in urban areas. We find a more pronounced effect of these two geographies on the utility function of incumbent than migrant residents. We also crosscheck empirically the relationship of this CBD mechanism on an aggregate level, using data from the Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor. The findings confirm the Schelling magnifying effect of micro preferences on a macro level.

Reflecting upon 30 Years of STEM Partnerships between Industry, University, and Public Schools: Past Lessons, Current Successes, and Future Dreams

The importance of partnerships is critical in educational arenas, but information on how partnerships form with the involvement of corporations, districts, and universities working in harmony is limited in the current literature. The teacher preparation program described in this paper is a “built-to-last” partnership model with over 650 teachers prepared to be teacher-leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. The authors provide a history of the program’s development, the sustainability of the program over time, the content of the various components of the partnership, and the evolution of the program, including its current status.

Irrationality and economic morality of SMEs' behavior during the Covid-19 pandemic: lesson from Indonesia.

The Covid-19 pandemic provides severe consequences of economic behavior as an increase of unemployment rates, and providing a new business creation can continue the economic activities. This study explores a functional relationship between irrational behavior, which proxied by loss aversion, the endowment effect, and herd behavior toward the morality of economic among small and medium enterprises (SMEs), as well as the mediating role of altruism in the perspectives of behavioral economics. The research involved a quantitative survey and cross-sectional data with a sample of 288 SMEs in East Java of Indonesia. Using structural equation modeling, the findings reveal that the endowment effect and herd behavior have a robust relationship with economic morality. This study also notes that altruism has a positive link with economic morality, and it has successfully mediated the irrational behavior of SMEs in Indonesia. In addition, the marketing strategy also distinguishes altruism's impact on morality economic.