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Empirical Examination (empirical + examination)
Selected AbstractsSupply Management Under High Goal Incongruence: An Empirical Examination of Disintermediation in the Aerospace Supply ChainDECISION SCIENCES, Issue 3 2008Christian L. Rossetti ABSTRACT Aftermarket sales and profits are becoming an increasingly important part of an original equipment manufacturer's (OEM) business model. Because replacement parts often do not require further manufacturing, OEMs act as intermediaries in the aftermarket. As with any intermediary, the OEM must concern itself with suppliers disintermediating its supply chain selling replacement parts directly to the OEM's customers. We frame supply chain disintermediation (SCD) as a principal,agent contracting problem between an OEM buyer and a supplier. Hypotheses relate contract conditions, goal incongruence, supplier capabilities and contract enforcement to SCD. The data are collected from the aerospace industry using a multimethod study, combining an Internet-based survey with archival data. Causal modeling with structural equation modeling (SEM) shows general support for the hypotheses. Particularly, SCD is positively related to buyer,supplier goal incongruence. The agency model offers insights that differ from previous transaction-cost-based models of buyer,supplier relationships. OEM buyers with a lucrative aftermarket should consider aligning goals through incentives rather than relying entirely on economic hostages associated with specific assets. [source] An Empirical Examination of Religion and Conflict in the Middle East, 1950,1992FOREIGN POLICY ANALYSIS, Issue 1 2006BRIAN LAI This article examines the influence of religion on conflict in the Middle East. It develops a more refined approach to studying the effects of religion by examining intra-Islamic differences as well as the effects of domestic politics and religion on conflict. It tests these hypotheses on all Middle Eastern dyads from 1950 to 1992, including appropriate control variables. This article finds that religious identity does matter but only when its relationship with conflict is more clearly specified. Religious differences between the leaders of states influence the likelihood of militarized disputes, but not religious differences between the populations of two states. Ethnic differences and power politics also influence the likelihood of an militarized interstate dispute. [source] Organizational Dynamic Capability and Innovation: An Empirical Examination of Internet FirmsJOURNAL OF SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2009Jianwen (Jon) Liao This paper extends the dynamic capability perspective into the study of innovation by entrepreneurial firms. Drawing from both the resource-based view and the dynamic capability perspective, this paper explores theoretically and examines empirically the different roles played by a firm's resource stock (endowment of resources and capabilities) and its integrative capabilities (ability to recognize opportunities as well as to configure and deploy resources) in the process of firm innovation. Our structural equation modeling results, based on a sample of 120 Internet-based companies, indicate that both the firm's resource stock and integrative capabilities affect its innovation. Additionally, we also found that the relationship between resource stock and innovation is mediated by integrative capabilities. That is, merely possessing well-endowed resource stock per se is not sufficient for innovation. Thus, it is the firm's ability to mobilize its resources and capabilities and align them dynamically with the changing opportunities in the environment that is of vital importance as the firm constantly innovates to survive and create its own competitive advantage. In the hypercompetitive and fast changing Internet-based environment, such a need for dynamic capabilities is especially accentuated. Implications and suggestions for future research are provided. [source] Supplier Evaluation and Rationalization via Data Envelopment Analysis: An Empirical ExaminationJOURNAL OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2001Ram Narasimhan SUMMARY Strategic evaluation of supplier performance assists firms in improving their operations across a variety of dimensions. Specifically, it aids in supplier process improvement, which in turn enhances firm performance, allows for optimal allocation of resources for supplier development programs, and assists managers in restructuring their supplier network based on performance. In order to address these issues, this article proposes a methodology for effective supplier performance evaluation based on data envelopment analysis (DEA), a multi-factor productivity analysis technique. The efficiencies derived from the DEA model are utilized in conjunction with managerial performance ratings in identifying supplier clusters, which are categorized into high performers and efficient (HE), high performers and inefficient (HI), low performers and efficient (LE), and low performers and inefficient (LI). Effective benchmarks from the HE cluster are identified for improving the operations of suppliers in the HI, LE, and LI clusters. Finally, managerial insights and implications from the study are discussed. [source] Gender and Emotional Labor in Public Organizations: An Empirical Examination of the Link to PerformancePUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW, Issue 6 2006Kenneth J. Meier Scholars of public organizations have begun to emphasize emotional labor in studies of gender in the workplace, finding that the skills women bring to organizations are often overlooked and undercompensated even though they play a vital role in the organization. Emotional labor is an individual's effort to present emotions in a way that is desired by the organization. The authors hypothesize that employers with greater emotional labor expectations of their employees will have more effective interactions with clients, better internal relationships, and superior program performance. This article tests the effects of emotional labor in a bureaucratic workforce over time. Multiple regression results show that organizations with more women at the street level have higher overall organizational performance. Additionally, emotional labor contributes to organizational productivity over and above its role in employee turnover and client satisfaction. [source] Efficient versus Responsive Supply Chain Choice: An Empirical Examination of Influential FactorsTHE JOURNAL OF PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 6 2003Taylor R. Randall Contemporary strategies in operations management suggest that successful firms align supply chain assets with product demand characteristics in order to exploit the profit potential of product lines fully. However, observation suggests that supply chain assets often are longer lived than product line decisions. This suggests that alignment between supply chain assets and demand characteristics is most likely to occur at the time of initial market entry. This article examines the association between product demand characteristics and the initial investment in a supply chain at the time of market entry. We characterize supply chains as responsive or efficient. A responsive supply chain is distinguished by short production lead-times, low set-up costs, and small batch sizes that allow the responsive firm to adapt quickly to market demand, but often at a higher unit cost. An efficient supply chain is distinguished by longer production lead-times, high set-up costs, and larger batch sizes that allow the efficient firm to produce at a low unit cost, but often at the expense of market responsiveness. We hypothesize that a firm's choice of responsive supply chain will be associated with lower industry growth rates, higher contribution margins, higher product variety, and higher demand or technological uncertainty. We further hypothesize that interactions among these variables either can reinforce or can temper the main effects. We report that lower industry growth rates are associated with responsive market entry, but this effect is offset if growth occurs during periods of high variety and high demand uncertainty. We report that higher contribution margins are associated with responsive market entry and that this effect is more pronounced when occurring with periods of high variety. Finally, we report that responsive market entry also is correlated positively with higher technological demand uncertainty. These results are found using data from the North American mountain bike industry. [source] The Effectiveness of Internal Auditing: An Empirical Examination of its Determinants in Israeli OrganisationsAUSTRALIAN ACCOUNTING REVIEW, Issue 3 2010Aaron Cohen Internal auditing (IA) has become an indispensable control mechanism in both public and private organisations. Yet very few academic studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of IA. The current exploratory study aims to build a conceptual understanding of the effectiveness of IA in organisations. Towards this end it develops a scale to measure the effectiveness of IA and a model of its determinants. One hundred and eight Israeli organisations that employ IA participated in the study (a 37% response rate). Data on the effectiveness of IA were collected from the organisations' general managers and data on the determinants from their internal auditors. The findings reveal good psychometric properties for the scale developed in this study. The correlation and regression analyses show support from top management to be the main determinant of IA effectiveness, with some effect also found for the organisational independence of IA. The effect of the predictors was consistent between the public and private sectors. The research model explained a large amount of variance of IA effectiveness. The findings are discussed in terms of how they can help guide and encourage the continuation of research on this issue. [source] The Transformation of the Supreme Court of Canada: An Empirical Examination By DONALD R. SONGERCANADIAN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION/ADMINISTRATION PUBLIQUE DU CANADA, Issue 3 2009Thomas M.J. Bateman No abstract is available for this article. [source] Updating Heider's balance theory in consumer behavior: A Jewish couple buys a German car and additional buying,consuming transformation storiesPSYCHOLOGY & MARKETING, Issue 5 2001Arch G. Woodside Consumer researchers describe Heider's (1958) balance theory without showing how the theory relates to recent theoretical developments in consumer behavior. Empirical examination of the theory is also lacking in consumer-psychology literature. This article updates Heider's balance theory in consumer behavior by developing the theory's links to theories of perceptual, attitudinal, and behavior automaticity and controlled thinking (see Bargh, 1994; Bargh, Chen, & Burrows, 1996) and cognitive-experiential self-theory (Epstein, 1994). Propositions central for applying balance theory to consumer psychology link automatic-controlled memory retrievals and storytelling of unbalanced (i.e., paradoxical) situations that stimulate further thinking and action. Research using storytelling (e.g., see Fischer, 1999; Schank, 1990) methods aids in examining these theory developments empirically. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] INTERACTIONS BETWEEN WELFARE CASELOADS AND LOCAL LABOR MARKETSCONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 4 2008BRIAN C. HILL This paper provides an empirical examination of interactions between welfare caseloads and local labor markets using data on caseload stocks, entries, and exits. Granger-causality tests show that unemployment rates Granger-cause caseload activity but caseload activity does not Granger-cause unemployment rates. The results also reveal differential dynamics between caseloads and labor market conditions for rural versus metropolitan markets. Several models of one-way association between caseload activity and unemployment rates are presented. The results show that higher unemployment rates are positively associated with welfare caseloads and entries and negatively related to exits. (JEL I38, R23) [source] Staging anorexia nervosa: conceptualizing illness severityEARLY INTERVENTION IN PSYCHIATRY, Issue 1 2008Sarah Maguire Abstract In recent years, there has been increasing attention to the conceptualization of anorexia nervosa (AN) and its diagnostic criteria. While varying levels of severity within the illness category of AN have long been appreciated, neither a precise definition of severity nor an empirical examination of severity in AN has been undertaken. The aim of this article is to review the current state of knowledge on illness severity and to propose a theoretical model for the definition and conceptualization of severity in AN. AN is associated with significant medical morbidity which is related to the ,severity' of presentation on such markers as body mass index, eating and purging behaviours. The development of a functional staging system, based on symptom severity, is indicated for reasons similar to those cited by the cancer lobby. Improving case management and making appropriate treatment recommendations have been the primary purpose of staging in other fields, and might also apply to AN. Such a standardized staging system could potentially ease communication between treatment settings, and increase the specificity and comparability of research findings in the field of AN. [source] Examining the Link Between "Familiness" and Performance: Can the F-PEC Untangle the Family Business Theory Jungle?ENTREPRENEURSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE, Issue 6 2008Matthew W. Rutherford Family business research appears to be caught in a "jungle" of competing theories in regards to familiness and performance. This study provides a further empirical examination into that relationship. We employ a family influence scale (the familiness-power, experience, and culture scale [F-PEC]) presented by Klein, Astrachan, and Smyrnios in an attempt to assess the relationship between familiness and performance in 831 family businesses. The resulting regression analysis adds to the current state of the literature by demonstrating significant and interesting results. Specifically, familiness showed associations with revenue, capital structure, growth, and perceived performance; however, the relationships were both positive and negative, thus casting doubt upon the F-PEC as a vehicle for untangling the jungle. We conclude with discussion and implications. [source] The Future of the Philosophy of HistoriographyHISTORY AND THEORY, Issue 1 2001Aviezer Tucker This article argues that the perception of decline among philosophers of history reflects the diffused weak academic status of the discipline, as distinct from the booming research activity and demand for philosophy of history that keeps pace with the growth rate of publications in the philosophies of science and law. This growth is justified and rational because the basic problems of the philosophy of history, concerning the nature of historiographical knowledge and the metaphysical assumptions of historiography, have maintained their relevance. Substantive philosophy of history has an assured popularity but is not likely to win intellectual respectability because of its epistemic weaknesses. I suggest focusing on problems that a study of historiography can help to understand and even solve, as distinct from problems that cannot be decided by an examination of historiography, such as the logical structure of explanation (logical positivism)and the relation between language and reality (post-structuralism). In particular, following Quine's naturalized epistemology, I suggest placing the relation between evidence and historiography at the center of the philosophy of historiography. Inspired by the philosophy of law, I suggest there are three possible relations between input (evidence)and output in historiography: determinism, indeterminism, and underdeterminism. An empirical examination of historiographical agreement, disagreement, and failure to communicate may indicate which relation holds at which parts of historiography. The historiographical community seeks consensus, but some areas are subject to disagreements and absence of communication; these are associated with historiographical schools that interpret conflicting models of history differently to fit their evidence. The reasons for this underdetermination of historiography by evidence needs to be investigated further. [source] The Euro and International Capital MarketsINTERNATIONAL FINANCE, Issue 1 2000Carsten Detken Long before the introduction of the euro there was an active debate among researchers, policy-makers and financial market participants over how the new European money would change the relative roles of currencies in the international monetary and financial system. A widely held view was that the euro's use in international capital markets would be the key element. Therefore, this paper provides a broad empirical examination of the major currencies' roles in international capital markets, with a special emphasis on the first year of the euro. A contribution is made as to how to measure these roles, both from the viewpoint of international financing and from that of international investment activities. Time series of these new measures are presented, including euro aggregates calculated up to six years back in time. The data allow for the identification of changes in the role of the euro during 1999 compared to the aggregate of euro predecessor currencies, net of intra-euro area assets/liabilities, since the start of stage 2 of EMU in 1994. A number of key factors determining the currency distribution of international portfolio investments, such as relative market liquidity and relative risk characteristics of assets, are also examined empirically. It turns out that for almost all important market segments for which data are available, the euro immediately became the second most widely used currency for international financing and investment. For the flow of international bond and note issuance it even slightly overtook the US dollar in the second half of 1999. The data also suggest that most of this early supply of euro bonds by non-euro area residents, clearly exceeding the euro-predecessor currency aggregate, is actually absorbed by euro area residents and not by outside investors so far. [source] A Model for Audit Engagement Planning of E-CommerceINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDITING, Issue 2 2003Jagdish Pathak The impact of networking technologies on information systems (IS) and its auditing is growing dramatically. This growth is changing the nature of information systems in the modern organization, with special reference to e-commerce. It would also be reasonable to infer that a corresponding effect is mounting on the information system's auditing function. This paper primarily stresses the identification of specific constructs which can contain the potential variables/critical success factors in audit engagement planning that contribute to the success/failure of audit engagement in e-commerce-centric technological scenario, and the same can be used to build a model for its empirical validity in future studies. The objective of this paper is to devise a model, based on the variables turned potential critical success factors to successfully perform audit engagement planning for the current state-of-the-art e-commerce technologies. The available literature is analyzed to identify appropriate candidates for factors that appear to materially affect the success of the e-commerce audit resource planning function. Based on this model, an empirical examination, though not within the scope of this paper, is the next logical step in this direction to establish the validity of this model in the technologically complex e-commerce milieu. [source] Perceived value of corporate donations: an empirical investigationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NONPROFIT & VOLUNTARY SECTOR MARKETING, Issue 4 2008Narissa Gipp There is current recognition that value is the fundamental basis for all marketing activities. The present research provides an empirical examination of perceptions of value within the voluntary sector and specifically donations made by organisations towards the funding of charitable projects. The impact of a number of charity and project-related variables on the formation of value and the corresponding effect of value on satisfaction and behavioural variables are examined. The results support claims that past experience with and information about a charity as well as information about a specific project are significant determinants of value. However, the impact of these constructs is differential between the two components of value (i.e. get/benefits and give/sacrifices). We confirm the significant effect of value on satisfaction and indicate that satisfaction and benefits derived from a donation have a direct impact on behavioural intention. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The role of competence level in the self-efficacy,skills relationship: an empirical examination of the skill acquisition process and its implications for information technology trainingINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2009James P. Downey The role of computer training has long been critical in organizations as reliance on technology for strategic advantage increases in importance. How to most effectively conduct such training has clear implications for organizations. This study examines one area of training which is not well understood: the role that competence level plays in the self-efficacy,competence relationship (if indeed it plays a role at all) during skill acquisition. Two opposing conceptual positions are presented from the literature, one that suggests the relationship between self-efficacy and competence will be stronger early in the skill acquisition process (when competence is minimal), the other suggesting the strength of the relationship will be stronger at mastery. Using a sample of over 600 and structural equation modeling, the relationship between self-efficacy and competence for six different computing application domains is tested by dividing respondents in each domain in half, according to competence level. Results empirically demonstrate that level of competence makes a significant difference in the domains, that those higher in ability typically have a stronger relationship with self-efficacy. Results also show that the relationship is weaker for those new to the application and those who have mastered the application. The important implications for training are discussed. [source] Measuring Word of Mouth's Impact on Theatrical Movie AdmissionsJOURNAL OF ECONOMICS & MANAGEMENT STRATEGY, Issue 4 2007Charles C. Moul Information transmission among consumers (i.e., word of mouth) has received little empirical examination. I offer a technique that can identify and measure the impact of word of mouth, and apply it to data from U.S. theatrical movie admissions. While variables and movie fixed effects comprise the bulk of observed variation, the variance attributable to word of mouth is statistically significant. Results indicate approximately 10% of the variation in consumer expectations of movies can be directly or indirectly attributed to information transmission. Information appears to affect consumer behavior quickly, with the length of a movie's run mattering more than the number of prior admissions. [source] Why Is Elvis on Burkina Faso Postage Stamps?JOURNAL OF EMPIRICAL LEGAL STUDIES, Issue 4 2008Cross-Country Evidence on the Commercialization of State Sovereignty Why would the country of Burkina Faso issue postage stamps featuring Elvis? In part, to make money, one example of what has been called the commercialization of state sovereignty. I could issue stamps, but no one would buy them. But many philatelists (stamp collectors) want countries' stamps, especially those with popular themes like Elvis or Disney characters, in their collection. I examine the commercialization of state sovereignty by first setting out a simple model and then, in the context of the predictions of this model, conduction an empirical examination of what determines whether a country will pursue a set of commercialization opportunities, from the benign to the malign. Three examples are examined: postage stamps, tax havens, and money laundering. The data analysis provides support for the idea that commercialization of state sovereignty is more likely in countries where it is more difficult to raise revenue in alternative ways, and less support for the role of costs of commercialization related to integrity and, for less benign activities, sanctions. The examined examples of commercialization that are more likely to directly raise revenue (stamp pandering and tax havens) are more attractive to poorer countries, and stamp pandering is more attractive to more agricultural countries at a given level of per-capita income. This provides some support to the notion that when revenue is difficult to raise in other ways, revenue-raising commercialization becomes more attractive. Being a tax haven or a stamp panderer is more attractive to small countries, a finding that is consistent with the Slemrod and Wilson (2007) hypothesis about tax havens that the benefits are unrelated to size but the costs are. The results corroborate and extend the Dharmapala and Hines (2007) finding that good governance is associated with tax haven status. Notably, governance has no partial association with the probability of being a money launderer. Thus, there is no evidence that bad governance as measured by the World Bank is associated with international unlawfulness. The fact that governance matters positively for the propensity to be a stamp panderer as well as to be a tax haven expands the Dharmapala-Hines interpretation that governance proxies for a country's credibility, and suggests that governance may also be associated with the capability to undertake domestic-welfare-enhancing activities and may help to explain why more of the most desperately poor nations of the world are not involved in the commercialization of state sovereignty. [source] The homogeneity restriction and forecasting performance of VAR-type demand systems: an empirical examination of US meat consumptionJOURNAL OF FORECASTING, Issue 3 2002Zijun Wang Abstract This paper compares the forecast performance of vector-autoregression-type (VAR) demand systems with and without imposing the homogeneity restriction in the cointegration space. US meat consumption (beef, poultry and pork) data are studied. One up to four-steps-ahead forecasts are generated from both the theoretically restricted and unrestricted models. A modified Diebold,Mariano test of the equality of mean squared forecast errors (MSFE) and a forecast encompassing test are applied in forecast evaluation. Our findings suggest that the imposition of the homogeneity restriction tends to improve the forecast accuracy when the restriction is not rejected. The evidence is mixed when the restriction is rejected. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] User acceptance of Intelligence and Security Informatics technology: A study of COPLINKJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 3 2005Paul Jen-Hwa Hu The importance of Intelligence and Security Informatics (ISI) has significantly increased with the rapid and large-scale migration of local/national security information from physical media to electronic platforms, including the Internet and information systems. Motivated by the significance of ISI in law enforcement (particularly in the digital government context) and the limited investigations of officers' technology-acceptance decision-making, we developed and empirically tested a factor model for explaining law-enforcement officers' technology acceptance. Specifically, our empirical examination targeted the COPLINK technology and involved more than 280 police officers. Overall, our model shows a good fit to the data collected and exhibits satisfactory power for explaining law-enforcement officers' technology acceptance decisions. Our findings have several implications for research and technology management practices in law enforcement, which are also discussed. [source] Corporatism and Democratic Transition: State and Labor During the Salinas and Zedillo AdministrationsLATIN AMERICAN POLITICS AND SOCIETY, Issue 4 2002James G. Samstad ABSTRACT A long process of free-market reforms and gradual democratization seems to be dismantling Mexico's corporatist system of labor representation. A thorough analysis of the country's corporatist institutions yields theoretical reasons to believe that Mexico's practice of labor relations is indeed changing. An empirical examination of the nation's labor congress and ruling party during the two previous presidential administrations (1988,2000) demonstrates that corporatism is being transformed at a practical level, although the process of reform has been complex and uneven at best. The continuing strength of an officialist labor sector will complicate the task of establishing a new system of labor representation, a problem that may have important implications for future democratic consolidation. [source] What Do Bettors Want?AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND SOCIOLOGY, Issue 3 2007Determinants of Pari-Mutuel Betting Preference This paper is an analysis of the demand for thoroughbred racetrack wagers, examining evidence that would support the existence of two types of bettors: the risk-averse informed bettor versus the uninformed bettor. Looking at 12 major racetracks over the fall of 2002, we undertake an empirical examination of the determinants of bettors' preferences for particular wagers on specific races. The goal is to try to determine what individual aspects of a race (conditions, surface, participants, etc.) will encourage increased wagering dollars. With the advent of simulcasting, the competition for the wagering dollar is fierce, as the bettor can choose from more than 100 races daily, each race offering numerous betting options. We find for most wagers that higher quality participants, larger and more competitive fields, and turf races increase betting volume while higher pari-mutuel takeout, poor track conditions, and other races run concurrently reduce volume. However, more competitive fields reduce betting volume in the show and trifecta pools. Optimal field size is determined to be between 10 and 12 betting interests. Overall, we find support for the existence of a significant share of risk-averse informed bettors. [source] Epistemic Communities: A Reply to TokePOLITICS, Issue 3 2000Claire Dunlop This article contests the understanding of Peter M. Haas's ,epistemic communities' approach, forwarded by David Toke in his article in Politics of May 1999. It is argued that while Toke diagnoses the approach's failing correctly, the cause he identifies is off the mark. This particularly concerns his assertion of a positivist dogma underscoring the thesis, which is rejected as a misinterpretation of Haas. Rather, it is contended that the framework's inability to engage with the real world of politics, and the other groups therein, is a product of its lack of theoretical refinement and rigorous empirical examination. [source] Innovativeness, exploratory behavior, market mavenship, and opinion leadership: An empirical examination in the Asian contextPSYCHOLOGY & MARKETING, Issue 8 2007Ayalla Ruvio The market maven construct, developed by Feick and Price (1987), has been used in empirical studies in the USA, South Africa, Germany, Poland, and Hungary. This study extends previous research by being the first to use the general mavenship concept in an Asian country (Israel). Furthermore, the study examines market mavenship and opinion leadership as outcome concepts arising from exploratory behavior or innovativeness tendencies. Additionally, the impact of a three-dimensional exploratory behavior concept is compared to the impact of a unidimensional innovativeness concept on opinion leadership and market mavenship. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the two nomological models based on a sample of 142 adult Israeli consumers. Although both exploratory behavior and innovativeness affect market mavenship and opinion leadership, the impact of the former is stronger. Additionally, the impact of the "new brand trial" facet of exploratory behavior on market maven was comparable to that of innovativeness, whereas its impact on opinion leadership was weaker than the impact of innovativeness. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Fiscal policy and structural reforms in transition economiesTHE ECONOMICS OF TRANSITION, Issue 1 2001An empirical analysis This paper provides an empirical examination of the relationship between fiscal balance and structural reforms using panel data from 25 transition economies. The results indicate that privatization and restructuring, via unemployment, affect the fiscal balance negatively. This finding provides support for ideas in theoretical transition economics that maintain that fiscal pressures are most severe in fast-reforming countries. In contrast, price liberalization has a robust positive impact on fiscal performance. In addition, the results differ somewhat over different countries and transition time. [source] An empirical examination of the relation between futures spreads volatility, volume, and open interestTHE JOURNAL OF FUTURES MARKETS, Issue 11 2002Paul Berhanu Girma This study investigates the relation between petroleum futures spread variability, trading volume, and open interest in an attempt to uncover the source(s) of variability in futures spreads. The study finds that contemporaneous (lagged) volume and open interest provide significant explanation for futures spreads volatility when entered separately. The study also shows that lagged volume and lagged open interest, when entered in the conditional variance equation simultaneously, have greater effect on volatility and substantially reduce the persistence of volatility. This finding seems to support the sequential information arrival hypothesis of Copeland (1976). Finally, the findings of this study also suggest a degree of market inefficiency in petroleum futures spreads. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 22:1083,1102, 2002 [source] Economics and Asia-Pacific Region Territorial and Maritime Disputes: Understanding the Political Limits to Economic SolutionsASIAN POLITICS AND POLICY, Issue 4 2009Jean-Marc F. Blanchard Territorial and maritime disputes are a visible part of the tapestry of Asia-Pacific Region (APR) international relations. They have provoked frictions between states, militarized conflict, and even war. Some believe interstate economic ties or economic inducements have the potential to mitigate and resolve the APR's territorial and maritime controversies. In this article, I analyze, in two primary ways, the potential for economics to calm or resolve the APR's territorial and maritime disputes. One is a theoretical evaluation, while the other is an empirical examination. As for the latter, this article analyzes two specific quarrels: the China-Japan controversy over the East China Sea and Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands and the Japanese-Soviet/Russian conflict over the Northern Territories. In both cases, the economic optimist case is proved wanting. This article shows that researchers must pay attention to political factors, domestic and international, to identify the factors that facilitate/hinder a settlement of territorial and maritime disputes. [source] Revisiting the empirical estimation of the effect of margin changes on futures trading volumeTHE JOURNAL OF FUTURES MARKETS, Issue 6 2003Hans R. Dutt This study revisits the empirical estimation of the effect of margin requirements on trading volume. Although theory suggests that margin requirements impose a cost to traders and will therefore likely reduce volume traded, empirical examinations have generally failed to find this association. The contention of this article is that the theory is correct, but empirical estimation has generally neglected to adjust margins for underlying price risk. After adjusting for risk, this analysis finds economically and statistically significant negative effects of margin requirements on trading volume as predicted by theory. This study examined 6 contracts over a 17-year time period and found that financial futures contracts (gold, Dow Jones, and 10-Year Treasury Notes) were considerably more sensitive to changes in margin requirements than agricultural futures (wheat, corn, and oats). © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 23:561,576, 2003 [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||