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Demand Side (demand + side)
Selected AbstractsService restoration method considering simultaneous disconnection of distributed generators by one-bank fault of distribution systemELECTRONICS & COMMUNICATIONS IN JAPAN, Issue 8 2008Hirotaka Takano Abstract Distributed generators (DGs) such as fuel cells and solar cells are going to be installed in the demand side of distribution systems. The DGs can reduce distribution loss by appropriate allocation. However, there are several problems installing DGs such as service restoration of distribution system with DGs and so on. When one bank fault of distribution substation occurs in distribution system, since DGs are simultaneously disconnected from the system, it is not easy to restore isolated load by one bank switching in distribution substation. Therefore, a service restoration method to determine restoration configuration and restoration procedures (switching procedure from normal configuration to restoration configuration) taking into account simultaneous disconnection of DGs is needed. In this paper, the authors propose a computation method to determine the optimal restoration configuration and the restoration procedure considering simultaneous disconnection of DGs by one bank fault of distribution system. In the proposed algorithm, after all of the restoration configuration candidates are effectively enumerated under the operational constraints, the optimal configuration to restore the isolated load is selected among enumerated configuration candidates. After determining the optimal restoration configuration, the optimal restoration procedures are obtained by greedy algorithm. Numerical simulations are carried out for a real scale system model with 237 sectionalizing switches (configuration candidates are 2237) and 21 DGs (total output is 5250 kW which is 3% of total load) in order to examine the validity of the proposed algorithm. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn, 91(8): 44,55, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecj.10133 [source] Systemic polarisation and spatial votingEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 6 2010SERGI PARDOS-PRADO The controversy between proximity and directional models of issue voting has not been settled. Instead of appointing an ultimate winner, this article explores the conditioning impact of the level of systemic polarisation and provides evidence that proximity is a more relevant determinant of voter behaviour in less polarised systems, whereas there is a centrifugal and directional dynamic in more polarised contexts. By so doing, the article shows how a largely forgotten notion , namely Sartori's idea of the spatial elasticity of the political spectrum , leads to different spatial viewpoints. In distinguishing between party (supply side) and voter (demand side) polarisation, this framework provides a comprehensive picture about the conditions that turn a centripetal electoral dynamic into a purely centrifugal one. [source] Keeping nurses at work: a duration analysisHEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 6 2002Tor Helge HolmåsArticle first published online: 9 AUG 200 Abstract A shortage of nurses is currently a problem in several countries, and an important question is therefore how one can increase the supply of nursing labour. In this paper, we focus on the issue of nurses leaving the public health sector by utilising a unique data set containing information on both the supply and demand side of the market. To describe the exit rate from the health sector we apply a semi-parametric hazard rate model. In the estimations, we correct for unobserved heterogeneity by both a parametric (Gamma) and a non-parametric approach. We find that both wages and working conditions have an impact on nurses' decision to quit. Furthermore, failing to correct for the fact that nurses' income partly consists of compensation for inconvenient working hours results in a considerable downward bias of the wage effect. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Harmonising Higher Education and Innovation Policies: Canada from an International PerspectiveHIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2009Marie Lavoie Abstract This paper focuses on the relevance of harmonising higher education and innovation strategies in the context of fostering economic growth, illustrated by the particular weak point in the case of Canada. The present-day market for highly-skilled labour is global and therefore increasingly porous. A government that wishes to avoid losing its highly-skilled workers to countries that can provide more attractive conditions must aim at investing simultaneously in tertiary education and science and engineering infrastructure. Ideally, supply (higher education) and demand side (innovation) policies would interact in a balanced way. Canada is located at the two extreme ends of investment in higher education and innovation and will be compared to other OECD countries. The paper concludes that seeking policy convergence in innovation and higher education with leading countries is not sufficient to reach growth and can produce disappointing results for talented people whose career expectations may remain unfulfilled. It is therefore crucial for a country to develop higher education and innovation ,in harmony' with the global context and also to achieve harmony between other policies and institutions in its own national context. [source] ,McJobs', ,good jobs' and skills: job-seekers' attitudes to low-skilled service workHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 2 2005Colin Lindsay This article focuses on unemployed job-seekers' attitudes towards entry-level jobs in three areas of the service sector , retail, hospitality and call-centre work. The article examines whether job-seekers are reluctant to pursue these opportunities, and provides an analysis of the motives of those ruling out service work. A range of potential barriers is discussed, including the extent to which job-seekers perceive the service economy as offering only so-called ,McJobs', low-skilled, low-paid jobs with few opportunities for development. However, the article also focuses on perceived skills mismatches, with some job-seekers arguably over-qualified for entry-level service jobs, while others consider themselves to lack the necessary ,soft' skills. The analysis is based on interviews with 220 unemployed people in Glasgow. The article concludes that policy action may be required to encourage job seekers to consider a broader range of vacancies and to provide tailored training in partnership with service employers. On the demand side, service employers must address the need for entry-level positions that offer realistic salaries, decent work conditions and opportunities for progression and development. [source] Regional Inequalities in Consumption Patterns: A Multilevel Approach to the Case of ItalyINTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL REVIEW, Issue 1 2007Filippa Bono Summary The main aim of this paper is to evaluate the disparities in the Italian regions on the demand side. In more detail, an attempt will be made to find if the consumption behaviour of Italian households is different in the regions. With this in mind, Istat's 2000 Italian Family Budget data set was analysed. The data in question, which were collected through a two-stage sample over Italy's 20 regions, contains information regarding the expenses of approximately 23,000 households. In this analysis, both households and regions are considered as units: households are nested in the regions so that the basic data structure is hierarchical. In order to take this hierarchical structure into account, a multilevel model was used, making it possible for parameters to vary randomly from region to region. The model in question also made it possible to consider heterogeneity across different groups (regions), such as stochastic variation. First, regional inequalities were tested using a simple model in which households constituted the first level of analysis and were grouped according to their region (the second level). As a second step, and in order to investigate the interaction between geographical context and income distribution, another model was used. This was cross-classified by income and regions. The most relevant results showed that there is wide fragmentation of consumption behaviour and, at the same time, various differentiated types of behaviour in the regions under analysis. These territorial differentials become clear from income class and items of consumption. Resumé L'objet du travail est l'analyse des différences, entre les régions italiennes, des comportements des consommateurs. Le traitement statistique des données individuelles est originale car il est conduit par un modèle ,multilevel'. Le modèle multilevel tient compte de la structure hiérarchique de données et permet au paramètres estimée de varier par hasard. En outre, ce modèle permet que l'hétérogénéité entre le différent groupes de familles (les unités statistiques) peut varier par hasard entre le régions. Pour l'analyse des différences régionales modèle ,multilevel nous avons estimée un premier modèle avec les familles au premier dégrée hiérarchique et les régions au second dégrée. Car le facteur géographique interagit avec la distribution du revenue dans chaque région nous avons estimée un autre modèle cross-classifiée par lequel le familles sont groupées par le revenue. [source] Effects of government programs to raise milk prices: Academic economists and public policyAGRIBUSINESS : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 4 2005Daniel A. Sumner The Northeast Dairy Compact benefited milk suppliers (and allied input suppliers) and harmed those on the fluid milk demand side in the Compact region, while having opposite impacts on these groups outside the Compact region. These simulation results leave many questions unanswered, but seem relatively robust. Simulations require many assumptions, but so do all other approaches to policy analysis. The specific policy question addressed and available data determine the most promising approach. In some cases, as with the evaluating effects of the Compact, a variety of approaches to policy analysis are complementary. [EconLit citations: Q18, Q13, L10, L43]. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 21: 473,476, 2005. [source] Cost-effectiveness analysis at the development phase of a potential health technology: examples based on tissue engineering of bladder and urethraJOURNAL OF TISSUE ENGINEERING AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE, Issue 5 2007Helen McAteer Abstract Objectives: We demonstrate the use of health economics to guide investment decisions in regenerative medicine. Our examples are based on proposed tissue engineering applications in the urinary tract. We show that health economics have a role in strengthening the supply side, not just the demand side of the health economy. Methods: We reviewed the epidemiology and treatment of the clinical conditions where TE of urothelium may be considered using literature identified from a range of sources including electronic databases, article bibliographies and references, online articles and expert opinion in the field. Results: Careful analysis of current best treatment suggested that urethral defects and bladder resection for cancer offered the most propitious applications of TE. The headroom for engineered urethral tissue was estimated at £186. This is unlikely to be large enough to support the launch of a TE product populated with viable cells. The headroom for TE bladder, on the other hand, was estimated at around £16 268. However, the market size is limited reducing potential profitability. Conclusions: The Headroom Method can help inform instrumental decisions concerning new treatments without having to build a complex model with very wide parameter uncertainty. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Competitor identification and competitor analysis: a broad-based managerial approachMANAGERIAL AND DECISION ECONOMICS, Issue 4-5 2002Mark Bergen Managerial myopia in identifying competitive threats is a well-recognized phenomenon (Levitt, 1960; Zajac and Bazerman, 1991). Identifying such threats is particularly problematic, since they may arise from substitutability on the supply side as well as on the demand side. Managers who focus only on the product market arena in scanning their competitive environment may fail to notice threats that are developing due to the resources and latent capabilities of indirect or potential competitors. This paper brings together insights from the fields of strategic management and marketing to develop a simple but powerful set of tools for helping managers overcome this common problem. We present a two-stage framework for competitor identification and analysis that brings into consideration a broad range of competitors, including potential competitors, substitutors, and indirect competitors. Specifically we draw from Peteraf and Bergen's (2001) framework for competitor identification to develop a hierarchy of competitor awareness. That is used, in combination with resource equivalence, to generate hypotheses on competitive analysis. This framework not only extends the ken of managers, but also facilitates an assessment of the strategic opportunities and threats that various competitors represent and allows managers to assess their significance in relative terms. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Past and future sustainability of water policies in EuropeNATURAL RESOURCES FORUM, Issue 3 2003Bernard Barraqué The article contributes to a discussion on two global issues on water: water resources management, and water supply and sanitation. Focusing on Europe, it traces the legal roots of current systems in history: as a resource, water is considered as a common property, rather than a market good; while as a public service it is usually a commodity. Public water supply and sanitation technologies and engineering have developed under three main paradigms: quantitative and civil engineering; qualitative and chemical/sanitary engineering (both on the supply side); and the most recent one, environmental engineering and integrated management (on the demand side). The cost of public drinking water is due to rise sharply in view of the two-fold financial challenge of replacing an ageing infrastructure and keeping up with ever-rising environmental and sanitary quality standards. Who will pay? Government subsidies, or water users? The author suggests that apparent successes with privatisation may have relied heavily on hidden government subsidies and/or the healthy state of previously installed water infrastructure: past government subsidies are still felt for as long as the lifetime of the infrastructure. The article stresses the importance of public participation and decentralized local management of water and sanitation services. Informing and involving users in water management decisions is seen as an integral part of the ,ethics' side of the crucial three E's (economics, environment, ethics). The article strongly argues for municipal provision of water services, and hopes that lessons learnt and solutions found in the European experience may serve water services management efforts in other regions of the world. [source] Food Price Surges: Possible Causes, Past Experience, and Longer Term RelevancePOPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW, Issue 4 2008Nikos Alexandratos The food price surges of recent years have created much misery and raised once again the Malthusian specter. Increases in the demand for food in the emerging economies, particularly China and India, have frequently been identified as the dominant factor behind a perceived shock on the demand side. Use of crops for biofuels was listed as an additional, though less important, factor. Yet global cereals utilization without biofuels has been growing at slowly decelerating rates, as in the past. It is the addition of biofuels that has resulted in its growing faster than in the past. In parallel, global production had been falling behind utilization for several years, leading to declining stocks. Weather shocks, depreciation of the dollar, and turbulence in the financial markets were added to these fundamentals of the supply,demand balance to generate the price surges. If energy prices remain high and/or rising and pro-biofuel policies remain in place, the diversion of crops to biofuels is likely to continue. This could prevent the current commodity cycle from unfolding in the "normal" way over the short to medium term with prices trending back toward their pre-surge levels. Conclusions are drawn about how these developments should influence the way we assess long-term food and agriculture prospects. [source] Social Citizenship Rights and the Welfare Circle Dilemma: Attitudinal Findings of Two Chinese SocietiesASIAN SOCIAL WORK AND POLICY REVIEW, Issue 1 2009Chack-Kie Wong This paper places social citizenship momentum into the context of squaring the welfare circle for examination. Citizenship is a powerful world-level organizing principle especially by the minority groups for their claim of equal treatment. The squaring of welfare circle refers to the need of the governments to constrain their budgets but also meet the rising demands from and needs of their people. This comparative study looks at the attitudinal findings of two Chinese societies of Hong Kong and Taiwan to see whether or not the cultural factor can mitigate the momentum of social citizenship rights and the demand side of the welfare circle. Implications for social policy are also discussed. [source] Demand under product differentiation: an empirical analysis of the US wine market,AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL & RESOURCE ECONOMICS, Issue 4 2008Timothy R. Davis Oversupply has led to a number of perplexities for the Australian wine industry in recent times. When disaggregated from the industry level, however, the problem can be better described as a range of attribute-specific disequilibria. To date, the solutions to this problem have predominantly revolved around supply-side policies of reducing output through crop thinning or vine pulling. By contrast, this paper focuses on the demand side and argues that the disequilibria may be reduced by gaining a better understanding of the demand for Australian wine. A discrete choice model of product differentiation is used to estimate the demand for wine in Australia's second largest export market, the United States. Implications of the analysis are explored. [source] Securitization: The Transformation of Illiquid Financial Assets into Liquid Capital Market Securities Examples from the European MarketFINANCIAL MARKETS, INSTITUTIONS & INSTRUMENTS, Issue 3-4 2000Charles Austin Stone Since the benefits a firm can derive from securitization are universal, the discussion of a market bounded by national borders is somewhat artificial unless the focus is on constraints particular to the country which promote or inhibit the use of securitization. With the exception of the United Kingdom, regulatory constraints have been an important factor in slowing the development of a European market for asset and mortgage backed securities. In addition to the regulatory hurdles, securitization in Europe has been inhibited by segmented corporate bond markets and the relatively slow development of money market savings vehicles for households. Liquidity across credit spectrums has been enhanced since the introduction of the Euro, as has been the competition for savings. European companies are developing the ability to securitize even if the technique is not yet being widely exploited. What is the European market for mortgage and asset backed securities? Does it include the U.S. credit card banks, Citicorp, Chase, MBNA, and First USA that have refinanced U.S. credit card receivables in European currencies and in Euro? Does it include GMAC which has structured Swiss Franc and Euro ABS backed by its U.S. dealer floor plan loans? Does it include Japanese banks that have refinanced Yen denominated leases with Euro and Swiss Franc ABS? Does it include Barclays' issue of $1 billion of ABS backed by sterling credit card receivables? Of course the answer is yes. Markets are defined by both the supply and demand sides. Our analysis focuses on the supply side of the domestic European market. [source] Intertemporal analysis of employment decisions on agricultural holdings in SloveniaAGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 2 2005Luka Juvan Employment decisions; Mobility of labor supply; Off-farm employment; Probit model Abstract The article attempts to quantify determinants influencing the dynamics of employment decisions on agricultural holdings in Slovenia and to test specific aspects of labor reallocation during the transition period by the application of an agricultural household model. Through the use of a 1991,2000 longitudinal data set for 22,055 farm households, quantitative analysis of intertemporal employment decisions by farm holders is carried out using probit techniques. The determinants tested relate to the personal characteristics of farm holders (gender, age, education level, and potential off-farm income), household characteristics (size, structure), characteristics of the agricultural holding (economic size, labor intensity), and local labor market conditions. The model results generally confirm existing empirical evidence on asymmetrical and irreversible participation of holders on the labor market. Despite intensive restructuring of agriculture and profound changes in the nonfarm labor market in the analyzed period, labor supply of farm holders remains rigid. The mobility of labor supply is lower than expected, which can be attributed to the importance of structural problems constraining intersectoral mobility. Low labor mobility reduces the efficiency of labor allocation on agricultural holdings in Slovenia. Elements of this problem emerge on both supply (e.g., low level of educational and professional attainment of reference persons) and demand sides of the labor market (e.g., unfavorable local labor market conditions). A marked tendency toward maintaining the same employment status is more distinct in the case of holders employed on-farm only. [source] Knowing is all: or is it?PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2001Some reflections on why the acquisition of knowledge, does not always lead to action, focusing particularly on evaluation activities This article examines the factors that influence whether the acquisition of knowledge leads on to action. It looks first at the ,supply' side, i.e. the kind of knowledge that is being acquired and whether it meets the needs of the intended users and is conducive to action; whether knowledge is a product or a process; the relevance of the positivist and constructivist approaches in this context; and whether participatory methods are required. The article then turns to the ,demand' side, and looks at possible reasons why decision-takers may often seem to ignore new knowledge and evaluation findings. It suggests that evaluators may sometimes have unrealistic expectations of the kind of impact their reports should have. On the other hand there are factors leading to inertia and risk averseness that may stymie action. The importance of a ,knowledge culture' is emphasized if knowledge is to be turned into action. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||||||||