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1 – 6 of 6Luuk Mandemakers, Eva Jaspers and Tanja van der Lippe
Employees facing challenges in their careers – i.e. female, migrant, elderly and lower-educated employees – might expect job searches to have a low likelihood of success and might…
Abstract
Purpose
Employees facing challenges in their careers – i.e. female, migrant, elderly and lower-educated employees – might expect job searches to have a low likelihood of success and might therefore more often stay in unsatisfactory positions. The goal of this study is to discover inequalities in job mobility for these employees.
Design/methodology/approach
We rely on a large sample of Dutch public sector employees (N = 30,709) and study whether employees with challenges in their careers are hampered in translating job dissatisfaction into job searches. Additionally, we assess whether this is due to their perceptions of labor market alternatives.
Findings
Findings show that non-Western migrant, elderly and lower-educated employees are less likely to act on job dissatisfaction than their advantaged counterparts, whereas women are more likely than men to do so. Additionally, we find that although they perceive labor market opportunities as limited, this does not affect their propensity to search for different jobs.
Originality/value
This paper is novel in discovering inequalities in job mobility by analyzing whether employees facing challenges in their careers are less likely to act on job dissatisfaction and therefore more likely to remain in unsatisfactory positions.
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Rong Zhang and Qi Li
The China–Europe Railway Express (CR Express) in Chongqing has operated regularly and undergone large-scale development. Its impact on Chongqing’s economic growth has become…
Abstract
Purpose
The China–Europe Railway Express (CR Express) in Chongqing has operated regularly and undergone large-scale development. Its impact on Chongqing’s economic growth has become increasingly evident, necessitating further research in this field.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs the opening of CR Express as a quasi-natural experiment, designating Chongqing, which inaugurated the CR Express in 2011, as the treatment group. 13 provinces and cities that had not yet opened the CR Express until 2017 were selected as the control group. Utilizing panel data from 14 provinces across China spanning from 2006 to 2017, the synthetic control method (SCM) is employed to synthetically construct Chongqing. To quantify the difference in economic development levels between Chongqing with the operation of the CR express and Chongqing without its operation. Key metrics such as gross domestic product (GDP), per capita GDP, total retail sales of consumer goods, import and export value and the proportions of the secondary and tertiary industries are employed to measure urban economic development capabilities. Chongqing is designated as the experimental group, and a double-difference model is constructed to regress the operation of the CR Express against economic development capabilities. Robustness tests are conducted to validate the analytical results.
Findings
The results indicate that, compared to provinces without the operation of the CR Express, the initiation of the CR Express in Chongqing significantly enhances the economic development level of the city. The opening of the CR Express exhibits a pronounced positive impact on Chongqing’s economic development, and these findings remain robust and effective even after parallel trend tests and placebo tests.
Originality/value
The study represents an expansion of the theoretical framework. In contrast to previous studies that relied on a single indicator such as GDP, this study selects six indicators from the dimensions of economy, trade and industry to measure regional economic development capabilities. Furthermore, employing the grey relational analysis method, the study screens these indicators, thereby providing a theoretical basis for the selection of indicators for measuring regional economic development capabilities.
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Bingzi Jin and Xiaojie Xu
Agriculture commodity price forecasts have long been important for a variety of market players. The study we conducted aims to address this difficulty by examining the weekly…
Abstract
Purpose
Agriculture commodity price forecasts have long been important for a variety of market players. The study we conducted aims to address this difficulty by examining the weekly wholesale price index of green grams in the Chinese market. The index covers a ten-year period, from January 1, 2010, to January 3, 2020, and has significant economic implications.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to address the nonlinear patterns present in the price time series, we investigate the nonlinear auto-regressive neural network as the forecast model. This modeling technique is able to combine a variety of basic nonlinear functions to approximate more complex nonlinear characteristics. Specifically, we examine prediction performance that corresponds to several configurations across data splitting ratios, hidden neuron and delay counts, and model estimation approaches.
Findings
Our model turns out to be rather simple and yields forecasts with good stability and accuracy. Relative root mean square errors throughout training, validation and testing are specifically 4.34, 4.71 and 3.98%, respectively. The results of benchmark research show that the neural network produces statistically considerably better performance when compared to other machine learning models and classic time-series econometric methods.
Originality/value
Utilizing our findings as independent technical price forecasts would be one use. Alternatively, policy research and fresh insights into price patterns might be achieved by combining them with other (basic) prediction outputs.
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Rostand Arland Yebetchou Tchounkeu
This work aims to analyse the relationship between public health efficiency and well-being considering a panel of 102 Italian provinces from 2000 to 2016 and evaluates if there…
Abstract
Purpose
This work aims to analyse the relationship between public health efficiency and well-being considering a panel of 102 Italian provinces from 2000 to 2016 and evaluates if there are omitted variable biases and endogeneity biases and also evaluates if there are heterogeneous effects among provinces with different income levels.
Design/methodology/approach
We use a multi-input and output bootstrap data envelopment analysis to assess public health efficiency. Then, we measure well-being indices using the min-max linear scaling transformation technique. A two-stage least squares model is used to identify the causal effect of improving public health efficiency on well-being to account for time-invariant heterogeneity, omitted variable bias and endogeneity bias.
Findings
After controlling for important economic factors, the results show a significant effect of an accountable and efficient public health system on well-being. Those effects are concentrated in the North, the most economically, geographically and environmentally advantageous areas.
Research limitations/implications
The use of the sample mean, probably the oldest and most used method for aggregating the indicators, could be affected by variable compensation, with consequent misleading results in the process of constructing the well-being index. Another limitation is the use of lagged values of the main predictor as an instrument in the instrumental variables setting because it could lead to information loss. Finally, the availability of data over a long period of time.
Practical implications
The findings could help policymakers adopt measures to strengthen the public health system, encourage private providers and inspire countries worldwide.
Social implications
These results draw the attention of local authorities, who play an important role in designing and implementing policies to stimulate local public health efficiency, which puts individuals in the conditions of achieving overall well-being in their communities.
Originality/value
For the first time in Italy, a panel of well-being indices was constructed by developing new methodologies based on microeconomic theory. Furthermore, for the first time, the assessment of the relationship between public health efficiency and well-being is carried out using a panel of 102 Italian provinces.
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Ilse Valenzuela Matus, Jorge Lino Alves, Joaquim Góis, Paulo Vaz-Pires and Augusto Barata da Rocha
The purpose of this paper is to review cases of artificial reefs built through additive manufacturing (AM) technologies and analyse their ecological goals, fabrication process…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review cases of artificial reefs built through additive manufacturing (AM) technologies and analyse their ecological goals, fabrication process, materials, structural design features and implementation location to determine predominant parameters, environmental impacts, advantages, and limitations.
Design/methodology/approach
The review analysed 16 cases of artificial reefs from both temperate and tropical regions. These were categorised based on the AM process used, the mortar material used (crucial for biological applications), the structural design features and the location of implementation. These parameters are assessed to determine how effectively the designs meet the stipulated ecological goals, how AM technologies demonstrate their potential in comparison to conventional methods and the preference locations of these implementations.
Findings
The overview revealed that the dominant artificial reef implementation occurs in the Mediterranean and Atlantic Seas, both accounting for 24%. The remaining cases were in the Australian Sea (20%), the South Asia Sea (12%), the Persian Gulf and the Pacific Ocean, both with 8%, and the Indian Sea with 4% of all the cases studied. It was concluded that fused filament fabrication, binder jetting and material extrusion represent the main AM processes used to build artificial reefs. Cementitious materials, ceramics, polymers and geopolymer formulations were used, incorporating aggregates from mineral residues, biological wastes and pozzolan materials, to reduce environmental impacts, promote the circular economy and be more beneficial for marine ecosystems. The evaluation ranking assessed how well their design and materials align with their ecological goals, demonstrating that five cases were ranked with high effectiveness, ten projects with moderate effectiveness and one case with low effectiveness.
Originality/value
AM represents an innovative method for marine restoration and management. It offers a rapid prototyping technique for design validation and enables the creation of highly complex shapes for habitat diversification while incorporating a diverse range of materials to benefit environmental and marine species’ habitats.
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