The successes and failures of a key transportation link: accessibility effects of Taiwan’s high-speed rail

Taiwan does not only have a high population density; its population exhibits a strong preference for high-density downtown living. Rich Taiwanese thus live downtown, not in the suburbs. In addition, the expected negative relationship between accessibility and the spaciousness of housing is weak or non-existent in Taiwan’s metropolitan areas. Taiwan should therefore be highly suited to rail transportation investments. In 2007, a new high-speed railroad was inaugurated, connecting seven metropolitan areas. Hedonic estimates show that high-speed rail accessibility has a substantial impact on house prices in at least four of the regions. Interregional downtown-to-downtown commuting time seems to be the most important determinant of success in generating a station-centered price-distance gradient. Neighborhoods around HSR stations in suburban locations are not likely to spawn residential communities for commuters, since most Taiwanese prefer downtown residential locations.     

The effects of industrial diversification on regional unemployment in Taiwan: is the portfolio theory applicable?

Unemployment issues, particularly recently, have been the subject of heated rhetoric in Taiwan due to the currently high unemployment rate in this small open economy. This paper investigates regional unemployment in 23 counties or cities from 1982 to 2004. Izraeli and Murphy (Ann Reg Sci 37:1–14, 2003) suggested that the Herfindahl index of industrial structure is positively correlated with the unemployment rate. In this regard, the portfolio theory argues that industrial diversification can only reduce volatility in the regional labor market. In other words, there is a relatively higher regional unemployment rate during periods of economic prosperity and relatively lower unemployment rate during periods of economic slowdown. This view is fully confirmed from the fixed effects model using panel data and the implication is that a comprehensive industrial policy to lower both the unemployment rate and risk in regional labor markets is critical in Taiwan today.     

The pattern of EU FDI in the manufacturing industry: What role do third country effects and trade policies play?

The Annals of Regional Science - The aim of this paper is to assess the impact of “third country effects” and trade policies on the outward stocks of FDI of the EU. We estimate a model...     

Study of Taza’s Miocene marl applications in heavy clay industry

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment - The Miocene marl (MM) or calcareous clays in the southern Rif groove is one of the geological resources located in the region of Taza...     

The impact of women’s representation on performance in project-based and non-project-based organizations

Project-based organizations face challenges of increasing skill shortages and risks of reducing competitiveness and performance. Leveraging female talent can improve organizational competitiveness and outcomes. Drawing on the resource-based view of the firm and contingency theory, we predict that the impact of women in management on organizational performance will be stronger in project-based organizations than in non-project-based organizations. Using a sample of 932 private organizations and a longitudinal research design, this paper presents pioneering insights into the impact of women’s representation on organizational performance in project-based organizations. The results help refine the positive findings of past research and identify the moderating effect of industry type on the benefits of women’s representation on organizational performance. The relationship between women in management and organizational performance was positive in project-based organizations. For practitioners, the findings suggest that project-based organizations may need to consider how they increase their innovative capacity and address gender imbalances to capitalize on gender diversity benefits for organizational outcomes.     

Economic geography and misallocation in Pakistan’s manufacturing hub

In this article, we explore whether localization of industries can reduce economic distortions and dispersion in total factor productivity (TFP) among firms in Punjab, Pakistan’s largest province economically. We consider two types of misallocation: (i) dispersion in the distribution of output-based TFP (TFPQ), in particular the survival of low productivity firms in the left tail; and (ii) dispersion in revenue-based TFP (TFPR), indicative of allocative inefficiency. The results are mixed: On the one hand, we find that the distribution of TFPQ is less dispersed in more agglomerated areas, measured by the localization quotient, local productive concentration, and average firm size. At the same time, we find that average TFPQ is also positively related to localization, especially the presence of small firms in the same sector, even though own-firm TFP is lowest for small firms. On the other hand, we do not find evidence that agglomeration improves allocative efficiency measured as deviations in TFPR from the sector average, concluding rather that greater localization of small firms is associated with firms being more output and capital constrained.     

Applications of additive manufacturing in the construction industry – A forward-looking review

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, fabricates components in a layerwise fashion directly from a digital file. Many of the early applications of AM technologies have been in the aerospace, automotive, and healthcare industries. Building on the advances in AM in these industries, there are several experimental applications of AM in the construction sector. Early investigations suggest that use of AM technologies for construction have the potential to decrease labor costs, reduce material waste, and create customized complex geometries that are difficult to achieve using conventional construction techniques. However, these initial investigations do not cover the full range of potential applications for construction or exploit the rapidly maturing AM technologies for a variety of material types. This paper provides an up-to-date review of AM as it relates to the construction industry, identifies the trend of AM processes and materials being used, and discusses related methods of implementing AM and potential advancements in applications of AM. Examples of potential advancements include use of multi-materials (e.g., use of high-performance materials only in areas where they are needed), in-situ repair in locations that are difficult or dangerous for humans to access, disaster relief construction in areas with limited construction workforce and material resources, structural and non-structural elements with optimized topologies, and customized parts of high value. AM's future in the construction industry is promising, but interdisciplinary research is still needed to provide new materials, new processes, faster printing, quality assurance, and data on mechanical properties before AM can realize its full potential in infrastructure construction.     

An empirical analysis of the influences of corporate social responsibility on organizational performance of Taiwan’s construction industry: using corporate image as a mediator

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a hot issue for modern enterprises recently. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships of CSR and organizational performance. The secondary purpose was to determine whether the effect of CSR on organizational performance could be mediated by corporate image. To fulfil the primary purpose, a questionnaire-based survey was used to measure CSR, corporate image and overall organizational performance in Taiwan’s construction industry. Two hundred and eighty-one valid samples were collected and statistically analysed using factor analysis, correlation analysis and hierarchical regression analysis. The analysis results suggest that CSR is positively correlated with corporate image and organizational performance. Additionally, levels of corporate image are positively associated with organizational performance levels. The results also indicate that corporate image may serve as a mediator between CSR and organizational performance, meaning that companies benefit from investment in CSR realization, even if they also have a positive corporate image.     

The effects of Seoul’s greenbelt on the spatial distribution of population and employment, and on the real estate market

This paper examines the effects of Seoul’s greenbelt on the distribution of population and employment, and on the real estate market, under the assumption of the complete relaxation of the greenbelt using the random utility-based metropolitan input–output model with an endogenous land market for the Seoul metropolitan area. Simulation results show two important consequences of the greenbelt release. First, the greenbelt release would attract more residents and jobs into greenbelt zones and reduce the population and number of firms in both the central city and outer sides of the greenbelt, thereby implying the reduction of inner city densification and of development beyond the greenbelt. Second, both residential and nonresidential space rents would have declined for the whole metropolitan area from 0.4 to 13.7% had the greenbelt been completely released in 2006, thereby indicating that Seoul’s greenbelt made a contribution to raising space rents by limiting land supply.     

The influence of quartz content on modulus of elasticity and Poisson’s ratio in quartz sandstone

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment - The cemented soils by trench cutting re-mixing deep (TRD) wall or trench cutting assembled diaphragm (TAD) wall are a mixture of various soils....     

Market structure of China’s construction industry based on the Panzar–Rosse model

The structure–conduct–performance (SCP) paradigm posits that market structure determines market performance, and the generally low productivity of China’s construction industry is a reflection of the irrationality of its market structure. Currently, the main approaches for measuring market structure can be classified as either structural approaches or non-structural approaches. Because the statistical data on structural approaches is one-sided, the indicators for the Panzar–Rosse model (a non-structural approach) for the construction industry can be selected by examining the Panzar–Rosse model and comparing the characteristics of the construction industry with those of the banking industry. The Panzar–Rosse model is employed to assess the market structure of 21 listed companies in China’s construction industry during the period from 2009 to 2011. The analysis revealed that China’s construction industry operates under conditions of monopolistic competition with free-entry equilibrium. The methods and results of the research are expected to contribute to the advancement of theories related to and methods of analysing the market structure of industries other than the banking industry.     

Okun’s law,asymmetries and regional spillovers: evidence from Virginia metropolitan statistical areas and the District of Columbia

The purpose of this paper was to examine the strength of the relationship between unemployment and GDP, to determine the extent to which this relationship has been stable in Virginia metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) during the Great Recession and to examine the importance of regional spillovers in Okun’s law. Our results suggest that regional spillovers are very important in local labor markets and in defining the relationship observed at the national level. The MSA level data further supports asymmetries in Okun’s law. The weaker direct relationship between GDP and unemployment at the local level suggests that while federal fiscal and monetary policies to stimulate aggregate demand during periods of economic recovery may be effective, over time, in reducing the unemployment rate, local economic development policies are not effective in achieving the substantial short-term reduction in unemployment needed during recovery. The strong business cycle effects observed in the state MSA, relative to the U.S., suggests that countercyclical policies are fundamentally important and should be targeted more generally to exploit regional spillovers.     

Performance-based assessment of roadway maintenance and rehabilitation activities from user’s perception in Taiwan

In Taiwan, even though the highway agencies have been making effort to improve the overall serviceability of the road system, more often than not, road users were not satisfied with the performance of the maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) activities. This paper focuses on the performance of M&R activities in Taiwan from the road users’ perspective. Surveys were conducted to collect the users’ perception (serving as the performance) of the M&R activities. The Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) and Analytic Network Process (ANP) are jointly used to quantify the performance of M&R activities. DEMATEL is employed to understand the influence among the criteria/elements, and ANP is used to determine the relative weights of the elements. It is found that the respondents were most concerned about unsafe conditions due to manhole covers, damaged manhole covers, insufficient street lighting, potholes and bumps on pavements, and uneven pavements. Furthermore, the performance of M&R activities implemented on six major road types in Taiwan is analysed using the Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) method. Based on the concept lattice and association rules derived from FCA, directions for the improvement of M&R activities are proposed.     

Industrial districts,urban areas or both? The location behaviour of foreign and domestic firms in an Italian manufacturing region

The Annals of Regional Science - The present paper aims at exploring the location behaviour of manufacturing firms, according to their ownership: domestic firms (henceforth DOMs) and inward foreign...     

A study on the comprehensive indicator of indoor environment assessment for occupants’ health in Taiwan

This paper presents the methodology of developing the comprehensive indicator for indoor-environment assessment. It intends to provide the occupants with the measures of indoor-environment quality. These indicators were drawn up by literature review based on the practicability, economic and feasible aspects. The categories we considered included acoustics, vibrations, illumination, thermal comfort, indoor air quality, water quality, greens and electromagnetic fields. The purpose is to derive the essential indicators through expertise consultation for quantitative assessment on existing buildings. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method was used to carry out the weighting among the categories and these indicators in the same category respectively. The consistency ratio was also calculated to filter out the null questionnaire. Finally, a comprehensive index, indoor environment index (IEI_(AHP)), composed of the filtered indicators, is proposed to assess the indoor-environment in the built buildings.     

Is R&D investment in lagging areas of Europe worthwhile? Theory and empirical evidence

Is R&D investment in lagging areas worthwhile? There is no simple answer, nor is there universal theoretical agreement on the question. The Schumpeterian strand of the endogenous growth approach highlights the advantages of spatially concentrating the research and development (R&D) effort in a few areas, in order to maximise external economies and technological spillovers. Innovation is then expected to spill over from these technologically advanced areas into neighbouring regions . The neoclassical view, in contrast, considers that decreasing returns render investment in core areas increasingly less efficient, and makes investment in peripheries more effective. The regional policy view holds that public investment in R&D in lagging regions triggers economic convergence, because it limits congestion in the centre, helps to keep talent, and generates spin-offs in lagging areas. This article surveys these strands and highlights the advantages and disadvantages of investing in R& ;D in lagging regions. I then turn to the evolution of R&D investment across regions in Western Europe. Received: 7 October 2000 / Accepted: 16 April 2001     

Experimental and theoretical investigation of effects of wall’s thermophysical properties on time lag and decrement factor

Energy saving policies are necessary to control energy consumption, use energy efficiently and effectively, and reassess available production and consumption systems. In this context, the objectives of this study are to investigate the thermal behaviours of opaque wall materials under solar energy change, and the interaction between thermophysical characteristics of opaque wall materials and solar energy falling onto exterior surface of the wall affects interior environment. Parameters of characteristics used in wall formation, their positions, wall thermal behaviours, and “time lag” and “decrement factor” having effect on the changes of conditions of interior space were investigated experimentally for different wall formations. The experimental findings were compared with the results of equations derived by using an analytic methodology.     

The housing careers of younger adults and intergenerational support in Germany’s ‘society of renters’

Abstract

Through narrative interviews with younger adults and their parents, this paper explores how the housing transitions of younger adults, both within the rental sector and into homeownership, are shaped through intergenerational intra-family support in Germany’s society of renters. Our findings highlight the profound qualitative differences between regular transfers for establishing and retaining residential independence in the rental sector and inter vivos gifts for house purchase. Where the former support type is given and taken unconditionally, transfers for house purchase follow a different logic and carry different meanings. Being a necessary condition for property acquisition at young age, they have the power to completely rebalance family relations and undermine younger adults’ autonomy accordingly. In an aggregate perspective, our study further suggests increasing socio-spatial inequalities within the younger generation which run along both class and spatial origin, sharply dividing the housing market opportunities of ‘original Berliners’ and those who have moved to the city from more affluent regions in Germany.     

Investigation of pro-oxidant agents’ effects on the ageing of polypropylene bags

ABSTRACT

In this work, the effects of calcium, aluminium and zinc stearates as pro-oxidant agents on the degradation of polypropylene (PP) bags were studied under natural weathering of Mediterranean climate. Samples were taken off periodically and characterised. Tensile properties, structural modifications, morphological and thermal properties were investigated. All the considered properties were affected by the presence of the three pro-oxidant agents. The pro-oxidants can be classified as follows: Zinc stearate > Calcium stearate>Aluminium stearate.