Human capital and per capita product: A comparison of US states

This article analyzes the extent to which human capital differences can explain the differences in gross state product (GSP) per capita levels between the richer and poorer states of the US. It uses 1990 Census and Bureau of Economic Analysis data on educational attainment, wage levels of different segments of the labor force, and GSP to compare New York – our representative rich state – with the poorest third of the states. The findings indicate that human capital differences explain at least 49% of the observed difference in GSP per capita between New York and each of the poor states. Received: 19 May 1999 / Accepted: 19 September 1999     

An exploration of relationships between urbanization and per capita income: United States and countries of the world

The relationship between urbanization and level of income has been the subject of considerable theoretical debate and empirical study for many years. However, little recent work has been done to determine whether or not previous findings still hold, and there has been even less multi-country analysis to explore the degree of generality. Analysis of data for metropolitan areas in the United States from 1970 to 1990 indicates per capita income increases directly with population size. For states of the United States and 113 countries for 1960 and 1980 a strong positive relationship exists and holds temporally between level of per capita Gross Domestic Product and percent of the population that is urban.     

铝塑板单位产品能源消耗限额

铝塑板单位产品能源消耗限额1.范围本标准规定了铝塑板单位产品能源消耗(以下简称能耗)限额的技术要求、计算原则、计算范围、计算方法和节能管理与措施。本标准适用于铝塑板企业单位产品能耗的计算、考核,以及对新建项目的能耗控制。2.规范性引用文件下列文件对于本文件的应用是必不可少的。凡是注日期的引用文件,仅所注日期的版本适用于本文件。凡是不注日期的引用文件,其最新     

Stochastic convergence tests for US regional per capita personal income; some further evidence: a research note

This paper contributes to the time-series literature on US regional income convergence. We apply unit root tests to metropolitan and nonmetropolitan per capita personal income series from 1969 to 2001. We show that some of the mixed results on regional income convergence in the time-series literature may be the result of using different unit root tests. We demonstrate these mixed results with our data. Then, using a test we consider the most appropriate, we generate results which reject the hypothesis that US regional incomes are nonstationary. Thus, we provide additional support for the regional convergence of US per capita regional income.     

Network effect of transportation infrastructure: a dynamic panel evidence

This study examines the effects of transportation infrastructure (motorways) on economic growth by using a dynamic model for panel data of 19 OECD countries. The results indicate a significant nonlinear network effect of motorway extensions. Specifically, motorway construction has an increasingly positive effect as the network expands.     

民用建筑怎样实现降低20%能耗的目标

根据国家“十一五”规划中单位产值节能20%的战略目标,指出应制定前瞻性的建筑节能目标。认为节能比较的基准应为2005年的建筑能耗实物量。估算出2010年建筑节能量约为1亿t标准煤,为实现这一建筑节能目标,建议针对围护结构传热、系统设备能效、温室气体减排、住宅能耗标识的建立等关键问题采取相应措施。     

Efficacies of technological progress and renewable energy transition in amplifying national electrification rates: contextual evidence from developing countries

Since electricity is a basic human need, improving its accessibility is of global relevance. Hence, this study considers data from 74 developing countries for understanding the macroeconomic factors influencing their national electrification rates. Although the income-group-specific findings exhibit heterogeneity, the overall results endorse the electrification rate-boosting impacts of technological progress, renewable energy transition, economic growth, and institutional quality improvement. Besides, the joint electrification rate-boosting effect of technological progress and renewable energy transition is affirmed, while higher income inequality and prices of crude oil are found to inhibit improvement in electrification rates in the developing countries of concern. Accordingly, several electrification rate-boosting policies are suggested.     

Impact of crude oil market behaviour on unit bid prices: the evidence from the highway construction sector

It is well known that the cost of highway construction is affected by the cost of crude oil. While this relationship is highly visible for construction items such as asphalt cement (a by‐product in the process of refining oil), the effects of the crude oil prices on the cost of other construction items, such as concrete cement or construction operations are less direct, but equally important. For unit‐based contracts without price adjustment clauses, this relationship is of a particular significance. In fact, an increase in price of fuel could result in substantial losses, as contractors are not protected. Hence, to hedge against this risk, contractors are likely to incorporate a premium in bid prices to manage project risks. The objective of this paper is to investigate the evidence of this behaviour. New evidence shows that the expected change in oil prices (the difference between future and spot price) and the implied volatility in the oil market affect the price of bid items for contracts without price adjustment clauses. Such results allow for more effective implementation of risk management on project‐ and programme‐level basis.     

Forecasting electricity consumption of OECD countries: A global machine learning modeling approach

Electricity is a critical utility for social growth. Accurate estimation of its consumption plays a vital role in economic development. A database that included past electricity consumption data from all OECD countries was prepared. Since national trends may be transferable from one country to another, the entire database was modeled and simulated via machine learning techniques to forecast the energy consumption of each country. Understanding similarities among the profiles of different countries could increase predictive accuracy and improve associated public policies.     

Accelerated Fabrication: A Catalytic Agent within a Community of Caring

Accelerated Fabrication is an ongoing project in the Building Institute, a design-build program at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, in which team members designed a master plan for a homeless shelter, then immediately fast-tracked the deployment of several modest but instrumental fabrications on site. As a deliberate tactic, acceleration generated project momentum and stimulated an improvisational design process.     

Convergence and Policy Transfer: An Examination of the Extent to which Approaches to Spatial Planning have Converged within the Context of an Enlarged EU

The paper explores the evolution of approaches to spatial planning within the enlarged European Union (EU) and seeks to assess the extent to which such approaches have converged. The context for the evolution of the discipline is examined before the extent of convergence is assessed on the basis of case studies examining spatial policy in Ireland, Scotland and Wales and the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The assessment reveals a certain ambiguity where a significant degree of convergence in approach and practice can be detected until closer examination raises the question of how far such convergence has gone beyond the level of rhetoric. Evidence from the case studies also suggests that a lacuna between rhetoric and reality appears to be an emerging characteristic of spatial planning throughout the EU. In this context the need for and value of context sensitive local solutions is clear.     

The effect of state and local taxes on economic growth: A spatial dynamic panel approach

This study revisits the growth effects associated with subnational fiscal policy. This, to my knowledge, is the first attempt to address the potential endogeneity of fiscal policy control variables. More specifically, the analysis used in this study implements a general method of moments spatial dynamic panel data model estimation procedure to arrive at a more refined set of estimates for the growth effects attributed to state and local fiscal policy. In deriving the estimable equation, this study extends a factor market approach for modelling regional output into a strategic interaction framework.     

A nonexperimental evaluation of training programmes: regional evidence for Spain

This research analyses a training programme for the unemployed funded by the European Union in a Spanish “Objective 1” region. It utilizes propensity score with a rich database, allowing to compare one training group and two control groups. Training increases employment probabilities in about 8–9%. A significant creaming effect appears indicating that selection into training may be more important than training contents. It is suggested that creaming may be related to the regional character of the policy and the way training is provided. Also, a locking-in effect of trainees is shown that it may be decreasing labour mobility. These results suggest that regional management of training for the unemployed does not contribute to the integration of the national labour market in Spain.     

The contribution of the spatial dimension to inequality: A counterfactual analysis for OECD countries

This paper provides recent evidence on the contribution of the spatial dimension to inequality and more specifically accounts for the impact of the changes in the territorial distribution of the population on the recent dynamics of income inequality. We use LIS harmonized microdata for a selected sample of OECD countries. We provide new evidence over a more varied group of countries and a more recent period than in previous studies. We perform different types of decompositions to isolate the contribution of the changes in the territorial distribution of the population. The results show a generalized increase in income inequality, with an interesting “reducing effect” on this trend due to inter–territorial population movements.     

Modeling of cooking-emitted particle dispersion and deposition in a residential flat: A real room application

Maintenance of good indoor air quality for residences could be very challenging. Episodic event such as cooking emits a large amount of ultrafine and supermicron particles. A numerical model is used to simulate a 10-min cooking process in a real room, followed by a few more minutes to allow the decay and removal of particles. Particle dispersion and deposition in the kitchen and the living room are simulated by a new drift-flux model. Strong buoyancy flow is observed and particle concentration is significantly affected by the thermal plume. Results show that for supermicron particles strong non-uniformity of concentration is observed in the kitchen but the non-uniformity is less obvious in the living room. Exposure analysis must take into account the influence of the particle sizes.     

关于培育的问题:让建筑设计在大学中蓬勃发展

运用生物学类比,从适应和培育的角度思考如何在当代大学中支持并促进设计教师的发展.根据过去十数年在都柏林大学的经验,同时考虑到高级教职员工和初级教职员工的不同情况,认为教师与学院机构都需要适应和改变,才能正确地评估设计实践者的工作价值.