The multiplier accelerator theory in the study of municipal-level investment

In our research we specially adapted the multiplier accelerator approach for analysis of investment processes on the municipal level. We analyzed the databases of municipalities of the Bashkortostan Republic and found a one-year lag and ratchet effects in the development of investment processes, which manifested themselves through steady rates of growth in the volumes of shipped goods and services in these areas while the amount of investment was declining. Excessively high values of the investment accelerator in certain municipalities were explained, on the one hand, by the insignificant changes in the economic performance of these municipalities and, on the other hand, by the inflow of capital, which was not related to the incentive function of return from the previous investment. The main causes of the disincentive function include the low investment attractiveness of the territories; the poorly developed environment for investment stimulation; the inefficiency of the investment itself; and its short-term character. Our approach combines the multiplier accelerator theory with the concept of efficient management of investment in socio-economic systems of various levels and thus it has enabled us to develop a matrix for diagnostics of investment processes by calculating investment efficiency (with the help of the investment multiplier) and the focus of the investment process (with the help of the investment accelerator). Upon these results we have mapped municipalities according to their levels of investment development and proposed a differentiated approach to managerial decision-making. These findings can be used to study investment attractiveness on the municipal level and to develop guidelines for assessment of investment attractiveness and for managerial decision-making to enhance investment efficiency

Report of the In Situ Resources Utilization Workshop

The results of a workshop of 50 representatives from the public and private sector which investigated the potential joint development of the key technologies and mechanisms that will enable the permanent habitation of space are presented. The workshop is an initial step to develop a joint public/private assessment of new technology requirements of future space options, to share knowledge on required technologies that may exist in the private sector, and to investigate potential joint technology development opportunities. The majority of the material was produced in 5 working groups: (1) Construction, Assembly, Automation and Robotics; (2) Prospecting, Mining, and Surface Transportation; (3) Biosystems and Life Support; (4) Materials Processing; and (5) Innovative Ventures. In addition to the results of the working groups, preliminary technology development recommendations to assist in near-term development priority decisions are presented. Finally, steps are outlined for potential new future activities and relationships among the public, private, and academic sectors

Formes coopératives hybrides

On constate avec un intérêt croissant la transformation d’organisations du tiers secteur en organisations hybrides. Les chercheurs se sont penchés sur les processus d’« hybridation » ayant mené au développement de l’entreprise sociale, dont l’incarnation la plus remarquable est le modèle italien de la coopérative sociale. Il s’agit d’un modèle doublement « hybride », tant par son mode de gouvernance que par la diversité de ses pourvoyeurs de ressources. D’autres formes hybrides de coopératives se sont développées au cours de ces dernières années, en particulier dans le secteur des coopératives agricoles, qui ont adopté certaines pratiques des entreprises privées (par exemple au niveau des droits de vote). D’autres formes d’hybridation ont concerné les coopératives de consommateurs ou les coopératives ouvrières. Parfois, ce processus s’opère au niveau multi-organisationnel, avec le développement de structures de holding, lorsqu’une coopérative diversifie ses activités en créant une filiale ou en ayant recours à une structure d’entreprise traditionnelle. Abstract in English: There is growing interest in the transformation of third sector organizations into hybrid forms of organization. Researchers focus attention on some of the ‘hybridization’ processes that lead to the development of what is often recognized as a major new hybrid organization: the social enterprise. One of the most notable examples of this is the social cooperative model in Italy, which is “hybridized” in two respects: firstly in adopting a multi-stakeholder governance structure and secondly in terms of using multiple resources. We have also witnessed other hybrid forms of cooperatives develop over the years, particularly in the agricultural cooperatives sector, where we have seen changes (for example in voting rights) moving the form closer to that of private business. And in the consumer cooperatives and worker cooperatives sectors we have seen other patterns of hybridization. Sometimes this functions at the multi-organizational level, where we have seen the growth of holding structures when a cooperative grows and diversifies by developing a line of business which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the cooperative and uses a conventional company structure

CIS-lunar space infrastructure lunar technologies: Executive summary

Technologies necessary for the creation of a cis-Lunar infrastructure, namely: (1) automation and robotics; (2) life support systems; (3) fluid management; (4) propulsion; and (5) rotating technologies, are explored. The technological focal point is on the development of automated and robotic systems for the implementation of a Lunar Oasis produced by Automation and Robotics (LOAR). Under direction from the NASA Office of Exploration, automation and robotics were extensively utilized as an initiating stage in the return to the Moon. A pair of autonomous rovers, modular in design and built from interchangeable and specialized components, is proposed. Utilizing a buddy system, these rovers will be able to support each other and to enhance their individual capabilities. One rover primarily explores and maps while the second rover tests the feasibility of various materials-processing techniques. The automated missions emphasize availability and potential uses of Lunar resources, and the deployment and operations of the LOAR program. An experimental bio-volume is put into place as the precursor to a Lunar environmentally controlled life support system. The bio-volume will determine the reproduction, growth and production characteristics of various life forms housed on the Lunar surface. Physicochemical regenerative technologies and stored resources will be used to buffer biological disturbances of the bio-volume environment. The in situ Lunar resources will be both tested and used within this bio-volume. Second phase development on the Lunar surface calls for manned operations. Repairs and re-configuration of the initial framework will ensue. An autonomously-initiated manned Lunar oasis can become an essential component of the United States space program

Synergizing Roadway Infrastructure Investment with Digital Infrastructure for Infrastructure-Based Connected Vehicle Applications: Review of Current Status and Future Directions

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.The safety, mobility, environmental and economic benefits of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) are potentially dramatic. However, realization of these benefits largely hinges on the timely upgrading of the existing transportation system. CAVs must be enabled to send and receive data to and from other vehicles and drivers (V2V communication) and to and from infrastructure (V2I communication). Further, infrastructure and the transportation agencies that manage it must be able to collect, process, distribute and archive these data quickly, reliably, and securely. This paper focuses on current digital roadway infrastructure initiatives and highlights the importance of including digital infrastructure investment alongside more traditional infrastructure investment to keep up with the auto industry's push towards this real time communication and data processing capability. Agencies responsible for transportation infrastructure construction and management must collaborate, establishing national and international platforms to guide the planning, deployment and management of digital infrastructure in their jurisdictions. This will help create standardized interoperable national and international systems so that CAV technology is not deployed in a haphazard and uncoordinated manner

Cooperation in manure-based biogas production networks: An agent-based modeling approach

Biogas production from manure has been proposed as a partial solution to energy and environmental concerns. However, manure markets face distortions caused by considerable unbalance between supply and demand and environmental regulations imposed for soil and water protection. Such market distortions influence the cooperation between animal farmers, biogas producers and arable land owners causing fluctuations in manure prices paid (or incurred) by animal farmers. This paper adopts an agent-based modeling approach to investigate the interactions between manure suppliers, i.e., animal farmers, and biogas producers in an industrial symbiosis case example consisting of 19 municipalities in the Overijssel region (eastern Netherlands). To find the manure price for successful cooperation schemes, we measure the impact of manure discharge cost, dimension and dispersion of animal farms, incentives provided by the government for bioenergy production, and the investment costs of biogas plants for different scales on the economic returns for both actor types and favorable market conditions. Findings show that manure exchange prices may vary between −3.33 €/t manure (i.e., animal farmer pays to biogas producer) and 7.03 €/t manure (i.e., biogas producer pays to animal farmer) and thanks to cooperation, actors can create a total economic value added between 3.73 €/t manure and 39.37 €/t manure. Hence, there are cases in which animal farmers can profitably be paid, but the presence of a supply surplus not met by demand provides an advantage to arable land owners and biogas producers in the price contracting phase in the current situation in the Netherlands

Regional household and poverty effects of Russia's accession to the world trade organization

This paper develops a seven-region comparative static computable general equilibrium model of Russia to assess the impact of accession tothe World Trade Organization on these seven regions (the federal okrugs) of Russia. In order to assess poverty and distributional impacts, the model includes ten households in each of the seven federal okrugs, where household data are taken from the Household Budget Survey of Rosstat. The model allows for foreign direct investment in business services and endogenous productivity effects from additional varieties of business services and goods, which the analysis shows are crucial to the results. National welfare gains are about 4.5 percent of gross domestic product in the model, but in a constant returns to scale model they are only 0.1 percent. All deciles of the population in all seven federal okrugs can be expected to significantly gain from Russian World Trade Organization accession, but due to the capacity of their regions to attract foreign direct investment, households in the Northwest region gain the most, followed by households in the Far East and Volga regions. Households in Siberia and the Urals gain the least. Distribution impacts within regions are rather flat for the first nine deciles; but the richest decile of the population in the three regions that attract a lot of foreign investment gains significantly more than the other nine representative households in those regions.Economic Theory&Research,Emerging Markets,Access to Finance,Debt Markets,Investment and Investment Climate

Automated Additive Construction (AAC) for Earth and Space Using In-situ Resources

Using Automated Additive Construction (AAC), low-fidelity large-scale compressive structures can be produced out of a wide variety of materials found in the environment. Compressionintensive structures need not utilize materials that have tight specifications for internal force management, meaning that the production of the building materials do not require costly methods for their preparation. Where a certain degree of surface roughness can be tolerated, lower-fidelity numerical control of deposited materials can provide a low-cost means for automating building processes, which can be utilized in remote or extreme environments on Earth or in Space. For space missions where every kilogram of mass must be lifted out of Earth’s gravity well, the promise of using in-situ materials for the construction of outposts, facilities, and installations could prove to be enabling if significant reduction of payload mass can be achieved. In a 2015 workshop sponsored by the Keck nstitute for Space Studies, on the topic of Three Dimensional (3D) Additive Construction For Space Using In-situ Resources, was conducted with additive construction experts from around the globe in attendance. The workshop explored disparate efforts, methods, and technologies and established a proposed framework for the field of Additive Construction Using In-situ Resources. This paper defines the field of Automated Additive Construction Using In-situ Resources, describes the state-of-the-art for various methods, establishes a vision for future efforts, identifies gaps in current technologies, explores investment opportunities, and proposes potential technology demonstration missions for terrestrial, International Space Station (ISS), lunar, deep space zero-gravity, and Mars environments