The impact of natural disasters on crime

This study addresses the following questions in the context of a developing coun- try. Do crimes increase following natural disasters? Does an upcoming election or the presence of a strong local media, which potentially increases the incentive of the gov- ernment to provide disaster relief, mitigate the eect of disasters on crime rates? I nd that crime rates tend to increase following moderate to big disasters. Furthermore, a higher pre-disaster growth of newspapers has a mitigating eect on the crime response to disasters. Elections also in uence the crime response to disasters. Crimes are more likely to rise following disasters in the years that are close to an election year.crime rate; natural disaster; role of media and elections; developing country

Opportunities for improving environmental compliance in Mexico

Survey evidence from Mexico reveals large observed differences in pollution from factories in the same industry, or the same area, or operating under the same regulatory regime. Many factories have adopted significant measures for pollution control and are in compliance with environmental regulations, but some have made little or no such effort. For lack of data, systematic research on the reasons behind such variations in plant-level environmental performance (especially on how impediments to pollution control affect plant behavior) is rare, even in industrial societies. Drawing on a recent plant-level survey of Mexican factories, the author identifies a number of performance variables characteristic of compliant and non-compliant plants, as well as factors that no-compliant plants perceive to be obstacles to pollution control. Non-compliant firms made less effort than compliant firms to change materials, used, to change production processes, or to install end-of-pipe treatment equipment. They had significantly fewer programs to train their general workers in environmental responsibilities. They lagged behind in environmental training, waste management, and transportation training. They received less technical training, especially about the environment, environmental policy and administration, and clean technology and audits. Responses about obstacles to better environmental performance included scarcity of training resources, government bureaucracy, high interest rates, and Mexico's lack of an environmental protection culture. Respondents said that senior managers did not emphasize the environment, assigned more priority to economic considerations, and were not trained in the subject. Most important, however, little information was available about Mexico's environmental policy. These findings suggest the importance of technical assistance - especially training and information. In Mexico, the information gap on policy is a major problem. Mexican environmental agencies should invest more in technical assistance and environmental training targeted to non-compliant enterprises. Environmental education, especially of senior managers, could significantly improve pollution control. Maintaining close contact with non-compliant firms, designing programs targeted to them, and pursuing them systemically should increase their responsiveness to regulations.ICT Policy and Strategies,Environmental Economics&Policies,Public Health Promotion,Water and Industry,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Environmental Economics&Policies,Water and Industry,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,ICT Policy and Strategies,Agricultural Research

Azimuthal Anisotropy in High Energy Nuclear Collision - An Approach based on Complex Network Analysis

Recently, a complex network based method of Visibility Graph has been applied to confirm the scale-freeness and presence of fractal properties in the process of multiplicity fluctuation. Analysis of data obtained from experiments on hadron-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus interactions results in values of Power-of-Scale-freeness-of-Visibility-Graph-(PSVG) parameter extracted from the visibility graphs. Here, the relativistic nucleus-nucleus interaction data have been analysed to detect azimuthal-anisotropy by extending the Visibility Graph method and extracting the average clustering coefficient, one of the important topological parameters, from the graph. Azimuthal-distributions corresponding to different pseudorapidity-regions around the central-pseudorapidity value are analysed utilising the parameter. Here we attempt to correlate the conventional physical significance of this coefficient with respect to complex-network systems, with some basic notions of particle production phenomenology, like clustering and correlation. Earlier methods for detecting anisotropy in azimuthal distribution, were mostly based on the analysis of statistical fluctuation. In this work, we have attempted to find deterministic information on the anisotropy in azimuthal distribution by means of precise determination of topological parameter from a complex network perspective

Black holes/naked singularities in four-dimensional non-static space-time and the energy-momentum distributions

In this article, we discuss four dimensional non-static space-times in the background of de-Sitter and anti-de Sitter spaces with the matter-energy sources a stiff fluid, anisotropic fluid, and an electromagnetic field. Under various parameter conditions the solutions may represent models of naked singularity and/or black holes. Finally, the energy-momentum distributions using the complexes of Landau-Lifshitz, Einstein, Papapetrou, and M{\o}ller prescriptions, were evaluated.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures. Accepted in EPJA. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:gr-qc/0309002 by other author

Examining tradeable permits with market power, banking and non-compliance: a finite period model

Our model examines how co-existence of market power and noncompliance affects the efficiency and effectiveness of a cap-and-trade system with banking-borrowing in a finite period model. The dynamic equilibrium analysis here extends the results of the established literature, and we show that the initial allocation of permits to the dominant firm continues to play a significant role in both the cost-efficiency of abatement, as well as effectiveness of the cap-and-trade system. The presence of cheating, however, makes the permit demand of firms more price-elastic compared to a model with no cheating. Moreover, the second-order price sensitivity of the permit demand of the dominant firm plays a critical role in the compliance behavior of the dominant firm. We analyze the relationship between violation of a fringe firm and the dominant firm, illustrating the asymmetrical implications for when the dominant firm is a buyer of permits versus a seller of permits. Since we expect the regulator to reduce initial permit allocations over time, we also examine its impact on non-compliance behavior of the dominant firm.Market power, price distortion, cap-and-trade emissions program, abatement efficiency, non-compliance

Strategic planning for a SME

The purpose of this research is to find competitive advantages for an organisation and prepare a long-term strategic planning for the SME. In a New Zealand context, small business enterprises play vital roles in business and the economic sector. However, most small business do not have specific competitive advantage and long-term strategies to compete in the market. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches have been used as mixed method research. Interviews and surveys have been done. Using those methods, researchers are intended to use the most effective implementation methodology to find out the best solution to the problem and cause of a SME. Location and customer satisfaction have been identified as the prime factors for the firm to run the business successfully. The business has been operating smoothly without using any further strategies to compete in the market. Recommendations involve pricing, advertising and stock management