How to Influence People with Partial Incentives

We study the power of fractional allocations of resources to maximize influence in a network. This work extends in a natural way the well-studied model by Kempe, Kleinberg, and Tardos (2003), where a designer selects a (small) seed set of nodes in a social network to influence directly, this influence cascades when other nodes reach certain thresholds of neighbor influence, and the goal is to maximize the final number of influenced nodes. Despite extensive study from both practical and theoretical viewpoints, this model limits the designer to a binary choice for each node, with no way to apply intermediate levels of influence. This model captures some settings precisely, e.g. exposure to an idea or pathogen, but it fails to capture very relevant concerns in others, for example, a manufacturer promoting a new product by distributing five "20% off" coupons instead of giving away one free product. While fractional versions of problems tend to be easier to solve than integral versions, for influence maximization, we show that the two versions have essentially the same computational complexity. On the other hand, the two versions can have vastly different solutions: the added flexibility of fractional allocation can lead to significantly improved influence. Our main theoretical contribution is to show how to adapt the major positive results from the integral case to the fractional case. Specifically, Mossel and Roch (2006) used the submodularity of influence to obtain their integral results; we introduce a new notion of continuous submodularity, and use this to obtain matching fractional results. We conclude that we can achieve the same greedy $(1-1/e-\epsilon)$-approximation for the fractional case as the integral case. In practice, we find that the fractional model performs substantially better than the integral model, according to simulations on real-world social network data

Incentives for quick penetration of electric vehicles in five European countries: perceptions from experts and stakeholders.

On the basis of 143 responses from experts and stakeholders from Germany, Austria, Spain, the Netherlands and the UK, we assess the perceived impact of a range of incentives for the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs). We find that the incentive that most respondents consider to have a positive impact is the development of charging infrastructure, with 75% stating so. This is followed by purchase subsidies, to narrow the difference in price of an EV and that of an internal combustion engine vehicle, with 68% of respondents stating that they have a strong or at least a partial positive impact. Pilot/trial/demonstrations of EVs, to expose potential buyers to EVs, are also perceived to have a positive effect, with 66% of respondents stating so. Tax incentives, which like purchase subsidies, narrow the gap between the total operating cost of an EV and that of a conventional vehicle, are also perceived to have a positive impact by 65% of respondents. Other incentives that are perceived to have a positive influence include climate change and air quality policies, consumer information schemes and differential taxation applied to various fuels and energy vectors

Disability Employment Policy

This paper is the first in a series aimed at analyzing disability employment policy and developing recommendations for policy reform in middle income countries. As the first paper in this series, this study provides a general overview of the relationship between disability and employment, focusing primarily on disability employment policies in OECD countries. It discusses how well these policies address the dual functions of integration and income security, and reports on recent trends. A variety of policy tools are examined: full and partial disability cash benefits, vocational rehabilitation and training, supported work, sheltered and public sector employment, hiring quotas, tax incentives for employers, and anti-discrimination laws. A general set of recommendations are offered on designing disability employment policies in emerging economies

International Research Project on Job Retention and Return to Work Strategies for Disabled Workers: Key Issues

[From Preface] The International Research Project on Job Retention and Return to Work Strategies for Disabled Workers breaks new ground by examining the inter-relationships of public and enterprise policies and practices as they affect the retention and return to work of disabled workers. The enquiry encompasses public policies to promote employment of disabled people; benefit and compensation programmes; employment support and rehabilitation services; provision to adapt work and workplace; and measures developed and implemented by the enterprise. The Project aims not only to identify successful policies and practices which are transferable from one country to another but also to inform the development of effective, efficient and equitable job retention and return to work strategies for disabled workers. The ultimate objective is to develop strategies which can be put into effect in the workplace

Confronting objections to performance pay: A study of the impact of individual and gain-sharing incentives on the job satisfaction of British employees

The increasing interest in incentive pay schemes in recent years has raised concerns regarding their potential damaging effect on intrinsic job satisfaction, or the security of employment. This study explores the impact of both individual and gain-sharing incentives on the overall job satisfaction of workers in the UK, as well as their satisfaction with various facets of jobs, namely total pay, job security, and the actual work itself. Using data from six waves (1998-2003) of the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), and after correcting for the sorting problem that arises, no significant difference in overall job utility is found between those receiving performance-related pay (PRP) and those on other methods of compensation. In addition, non-economic arguments that PRP crowds-out the intrinsic satisfaction of jobs are also not supported, as are popular concerns regarding the adverse impact of PRP schemes on job security. An important asymmetry in the manner in which individual and gain-sharing incentives affect the utility of employees is nonetheless unearthed, as the latter are consistently found to have a positive effect on employee well-being

Part-time work and Health among Older Workers in Ireland and Britain

Part-time work is viewed as a viable option for people who wish to have a gradual transition to retirement. From a policy viewpoint, this may help to alleviate some labour supply shortages, especially in the context of the aging population. Factors such as health or pension provision may influence a person´s decision to work part-time. This paper considers the impact of health on the work decision for people aged 50 and over in the UK and Ireland. Methodological issues are discussed and the impact of unobserved individual effects is estimated using the Mundlak estimator applied to the multinomial probit model. The impact of health on part-time work is negative in Ireland, but we find no significant effect in the UK. The paper discusses potential reasons for these impacts and current policies on part-time work