| 1. |
- Al-mutawkkil, A., et al.
(author)
-
Development of telecommunication and broadcasting infrastructure indices at the global level
- 2009
-
In: Telecommunications Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0308-5961 .- 1879-3258. ; 33:3-4, s. 176-199
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The importance of information and communication technology (ICT) in economic development has been increasing rapidly along with the Internet and mobile telecommunication networks. ICT development is becoming a main growth factor of many countries. As they realize the importance of the ICT industry, developing nations work to catch up with established economies. Therefore, many nations are formulating an ICT-enhanced policy. This paper introduces a number of telecommunication and broadcasting sub-indices, which include the fixed telephone network, the Internet, and mobile networks, which are aggregated into a composite Telecommunication Index (TI). The indices are computed using principal component analysis and human development type index methods. The country rankings, by different ICT-related indices, help identify the strengths and weaknesses of infrastructure development such that each country can foster economic growth. The performance of TI is compared with several other indices, such as the digital access, human development, and ArCo technology indices. The type of indices affects the country ratings. Results suggest that the parametric index approach may be preferred over those methods in which the subjective weighted summation of normalized variables used (non-parametric indices). Crown Copyright © 2009.
|
|
| 2. |
- Aoun, D., et al.
(author)
-
International diversification, capital structure and cost of capital : Evidence from ICT firms listed at NASDAQ
- 2008
-
In: Applied Financial Economics. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0960-3107 .- 1466-4305. ; 18:12, s. 1021-1032
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study, we intend to examine the information and communication technology (ICT) firms from a financial perspective. The relationship between capital structure and cost of capital (COC) is investigated in a simultaneous equation framework. On the one hand, we relate international diversification to the firm’s capital structure, and on the other, we test their individual and collective inferences on the combined debt and equity COC. We expect a negative correlation between international diversification and higher total and long-term debt ratios, and a reduction in the overall COC.
|
|
| 3. |
- Bhandari, A. K., et al.
(author)
-
Labour use and its adjustment in Indian manufacturing Industries
- 2005
-
In: Global Economic Review. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1226-508X .- 1744-3873. ; 34:3, s. 261-290
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study provides an empirical investigation of the adjustment process of labour in Indian manufacturing industries, which evolved through structural transformation in the era of globalization. The analysis is based on a dynamic model applied to a panel of 22 two-digit manufacturing industries for the time period of 22 years covering 1980/1981 to 2001/2002. It is assumed that as competition increases industries adjust their employment to a desired level which is both industry and time specific. The results indicate that the manufacturing sector has shown a considerable dynamism in adjusting its workforce. The long-run labour demand responds greatest to the output, followed by capital and least by wages. It is observed that Indian manufacturing is not inefficient in labour use as modest speed of adjustment has led employment size closer to the optimal level. ©2005 Institute of East and West Studies, Yonsei University, Seoul.
|
|
| 4. |
- Bhandari, Amit Kumar, et al.
(author)
-
Wage Inequality and Job Insecurity Among Permanent and Contract Workers in India: Evidence from Organized Manufacturing Industries
- 2008
-
In: The ICFAI Journal of Applied Economics. - 0972-6861. ; 7:1, s. 80-111
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Since the early 1990s, the employment structure of organized manufacturing industries in India has undergone substantial changes with steep rise in the use of contract workers in place of permanent workers. This process has led to increased wage inequality, discrimination as well as concern of job insecurity in the labor market. The paper focuses on wage inequality between permanent and contract workers, since contract workers earn substantially lower wages than their counterparts. The study uses data at the individual level from a recent labor survey of organized manufacturing industries in the India. The lower wage earned by contract workers is largely due to cost cutting, rather than differences in labor productivity. The issue of job insecurity has been modeled in the form of a binary logistic model. The factors affecting job security are divided into productivity-related attributes such as level of education and skill, and institutional attributes such as labor market rules and regulations and union membership. Contrary to the general expectation, the study finds that permanent workers are more concerned regarding job insecurity than the contract workers.
|
|
| 5. |
|
|
| 6. |
- Färe, R., et al.
(author)
-
Measurement of productivity and quality in non-marketable services. With application to schools
- 2006
-
In: Quality Assurance in Education. - : Emerald. - 0968-4883 .- 1758-7662. ; 14:1, s. 21-36
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose - This paper seeks to model and compute productivity, including a measure of quality, of a service which does not have marketable outputs - namely public education at the micro level. This application is a case study for Sweden public schools. Design/methodology/approach - A Malmquist productivity index is employed which allows for multiple outputs or outcomes such as test results and promotions without requiring price data with which to aggregate these outputs. It also allows one to account for inputs such as teachers and facilities as well as proxies for quality of the inputs (e.g. experience of teachers) and outputs. This model generalizes the basic data envelopment analysis (DEA) models - used successfully to measure performance in many educational applications - to the intertemporal case. A way of computing quality and quantity components of overall productivity is employed. Findings - The case study is an application to the Swedish primary and secondary school system over the 1992 to 1995 period. It was found that quality "matters", i.e. productivity growth changes when one accounts for quantity. Research limitations/implications - The data available implied that the specification is restricted to an intermediate production model, i.e. the output data only account for the intermediate outcomes of education like grades and promotions, but not the longer term outcomes related to success in the job market or higher education, which one proposed as a task for future research. Originality/value - The indices which are computed at the micro level are of value for policy purposes (does investment in quality matter?) and in an evaluation context. ©Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
|
|
| 7. |
- Gholami, R., et al.
(author)
-
The causal relationship between information and communication technology and foreign direct investment
- 2006
-
In: The World Economy. - : Wiley. - 0378-5920 .- 1467-9701. ; 29:1, s. 43-62
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper investigates the simultaneous causal relationship between investments in information and communication technology (ICT) and flows of foreign direct investment (FDI), with reference to its implications on economic growth. For the empirical analysis we use data from 23 major countries with heterogeneous economic development for the period 1976-99. Our causality test results suggest that there is a causal relationship from ICT to FDI in developed countries, which means that a higher level of ICT investment leads to an increase inflow of FDI. ICT may contribute to economic growth indirectly by attracting more FDI. Contrarily, we could not find significant causality from ICT to FDI in developing countries. Instead, we have partial evidence of opposite causality relationship: the inflow of FDI causes further increases in ICT investment and production capacity. ©United Nations University 2006.
|
|
| 8. |
- Haouas, I., et al.
(author)
-
The impacts of trade liberalization on employment and wages in Tunisian industries
- 2005
-
In: Journal of International Development. - : Wiley. - 0954-1748 .- 1099-1328. ; 17:4, s. 527-551
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper investigates short and long-run effects of trade liberalization on employment and wages. Employment and wage equations are estimated using data (1971-96) for importable and exportable industrial sectors in Tunisia. Causality tests show that causality is unidirectional. Wages strongly causes employment. There is significant difference in the direction of effects in the short and long-run. Empirical results only support the short-run theoretical predictions for the exportable sectors. A possible reason for the divergence of theory and practice is that the theoretical model is premised on the basis of a fixed supply of labour. Employment at exportable sectors could therefore only rise if employment at importable fell. However, as we have seen, the supply of labour increased dramatically in Tunisia as women entered the labour market. This allowed employment at importable sectors to be maintained as the exportable sector expanded. Copyright ©2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
|
|
| 9. |
- Herrman, Peter, et al.
(author)
-
Efficiency and Effectiveness of Social Spending
- 2009
-
In: Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft. ; 35:1, s. 13-43
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this qualitative sociological and quantitative economic policy paper, we start out from the assumption of a very recent European Commission Background paper on the ”Efficiency and effectiveness of social spending“, which says the effectiveness of social spending can be defined by the degree to which the realized allocation approaches the socially desired outcome. The conclusions listed in the Commission paper are found far reaching and not supported by the empirical data. We perform such an analysis, starting from advances in recent literature. A more encompassing sociological perspective on the issue and factor analytical calculations is presented, which supports our general argument about the efficiency of the Scandinavian model. The social quality approach provides an alternative perspective on welfare system analysis, focusing on public policies rather than social policies. The empirical evidence, suggests that in terms of the efficiency of the European social model, the geography of comparative performance include: the direct action against social exclusion, health and family social expenditures, the neo-liberal approach, and the unemployment benefit centred approach. Applying rigorous comparative social science methodology, we also arrive at the conclusion that in terms of the initial ECOFIN definition of efficiency, the data presented in this article suggest that apart from Finland and the Netherlands, three new EU-27 member countries, especially the Czech Republic and Slovenia, provide interesting answers to the question about the efficiency of state expenditures in reducing poverty rates.
|
|
| 10. |
- Heshmati, Almas, et al.
(author)
-
Alternative Composite Lisbon Development Strategy Indices : A Comparison of EU, USA, Japan and Korea
- 2006
-
In: The European Journal of Comparative Economics. - : European Association for Comparative Economic Studies and Universita Carlo Cattaneo. - 1824-2979. ; 3:2, s. 131-170
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study addresses the measurement of two composite Lisbon strategy indices that quantifies the level and patterns of development for ranking countries. The first index is nonparametric labelled as Lisbon strategy index (LSI). It is composed of six components: general economics, employment, innovation research, economic reform, social cohesion and environment, each generated from a number of Lisbon indicators. LSI by reducing the complexity of the set of indicators, it makes the ranking procedures quite simple. The second and parametric index is based on principal component analysis. Despite the difference in the ranking by the two indices, it is shown that the United States outperformed most EU-member states. Our investigations also show evidence of significant dynamic changes taking place, as the countries of the Union struggle to achieve the Lisbon goals. The necessity of a real reform agenda in several old and new members and candidate countries emerges from our analysis. We briefly refer to two important European phenomena emerging from our data analysis and discuss the possible lessons learned from the Korean development strategy.
|
|
