CHOICE ANALYSIS (choice + analysis)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting40%

Selected Abstracts

THE YOUNG HELD TO RANSOM , A PUBLIC CHOICE ANALYSIS OF THE UK STATE PENSION SYSTEM

ECONOMIC AFFAIRS, Issue 1 2008
Philip Booth
As populations age, it will become increasingly difficult to reform state pension systems. Reform will not be impossible, but the process of ,buying off' interest groups will be expensive. State pension provision must use the contributory principle combined with an accruals system , though private pension provision would be better still. There are serious flaws in the so-called ,citizens pension' much promoted by interest groups in the UK. [source]

Bicameralism and Party Politics in Germany: an Empirical Social Choice Analysis

POLITICAL STUDIES, Issue 3 2001
Thomas König
This paper analyses whether and how party politics transform German bicameralism. Based on the policy positions of bicameral legislators, the study computes the win sets, the yolks of each chamber and a Nash solution in order to analyse empirically the effects of party politics on German bicameralism. In comparison to the basic bicameral model, hypotheses on bicameral conflict and policy stability are tested in the case of similar and different party majorities in the two-dimensional policy space of German labour politics. The results show that party politics transform German bicameralism in two ways. Similar majorities collapse bicameral checks-and-balances, while different party majorities come close to the basic bicameral model with high policy stability and conflict between both chambers. [source]

Structure of Firm Location Choices: An Examination of Japanese Greenfield Investment in China,

ASIAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL, Issue 1 2007
Shaoming Cheng
F21; L20; R30 This paper presents an empirical investigation of the location decision structure of Japanese investors in China. In this study, a nested logit model and rich Japanese firm-level greenfield manufacturing foreign direct investment data are calibrated together. This examination is not only driven by the unsatisfactory model specification of the conditional logit model in previous location choice analyses, specifically the violation of the independence from irrelevant alternatives assumption; but is also driven by the urgent need to better understand foreign investors' in general and Japanese investors' in particular location decision structure in China. Two potential hierarchical and sequential location decision-making structures of Japanese investors are then tested, which are respectively in line with the spatial divide of China's FDI preferential policies and with China's six traditional census areas. [source]

Characterization of a Cabbage Off-flavor in Whey Protein Isolate

JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 2 2006
Joy M. Wright
ABSTRACT Whey protein isolate (WPI) is a value-added protein with multiple ingredient applications. A bland flavor is expected in WPI, and off-flavors can limit its use in foods. Recently, a cabbage off-flavor was noted in some WPI. The objective of this study was to characterize the source of cabbage flavor in WPI. WPI with and without cabbage flavor were collected, and descriptive sensory analysis was conducted on the rehydrated WPI using a trained panel and a previously identified sensory language. Volatile compounds were extracted by solvent extraction followed by solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE), followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-olfactometry (GCO), to identify and characterize aroma-active compounds. Dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS) (cabbage aroma) was identified by GCO and GC-MS in WPI with the cabbage flavor. DMTS was quantified by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with GC-MS. Orthonasal thresholds of DMTS in deodorized water and WPI were determined by ascending forced choice analysis, and descriptive analysis of model systems was used to confirm instrumental results. DMTS levels were 1.94 ± 0.26 and 3.25 ± 0.61 parts per billion (ppb) in WPI with cabbage flavor, and 0.44 ± 0.25 and 0.43 ± 0.18 ppb in those without cabbage flavor. The orthonasal thresholds for DMTS in water and WPI were 0.07 ± 1.28 parts per trillion (ppt) and 0.80 ± 0.45 ppb, respectively. Descriptive analysis of model systems confirmed the role of DMTS in the cabbage off-flavor. Knowledge of the source of this flavor will aid in identification of ways to minimize or prevent DMTS formation in WPI. [source]

Political Parties, Political Integrity and Public Policy: a ,Transactions Costs' Approach

POLITICAL STUDIES, Issue 1 2001
Philip Jones
Increasing concern about political ,sleaze' prompted the establishment, in 1995, of the Standing Committee of Standards in Public Life and the announcement, in 1999, of proposals to reform political party finance in the UK. A ,public choice' analysis predicts ,opportunism' by representatives at the expense of ,rationally ignorant' voters. It commends constitutional constraints to restrict the range of policy options open to representatives. By contrast, a ,transactions costs' approach suggests that electoral competition can offer protection when voters rely on ,party signal' as a low cost information source. If voters reduce transactions costs by relying on party signal, politicians have an incentive to maintain party reputation. Representatives are more willing than might otherwise be anticipated to accept the need for regulation if this serves to protect reputation. [source]