The determinants of private sector and multilateral development agencies' participation in infrastructure projects

Much more investment will be needed in developing countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, specifically, the goal of reducing poverty. In this respect, private-sector investment is critical, bringing more funds, expertise, and efficiency to the development of projects in several essential areas, like energy, transport, water, and telecommunications. Complementarily, the involvement of Multilateral Development Agencies (MDA) plays an important "enabling" function, acting like a mechanism of risk reduction and enhancing credit. To address these unexplored topics, I perform an empirical analysis of the cross-country determinants of private sector and MDA participation in infrastructure Public Private Partnerships; for this analysis, I use data from developing countries, which was acquired from the World Bank's Private Participation in Infrastructure database. The results suggest the following: the participation of MDA is higher for less populous and poorer countries. Yet neither level of political risk of a country nor respect for human rights seems to play any role in explaining multilateral participation in projects. Concerning private-sector participation, proxies for the country's economic risk are more relevant. The private sector seems to prefer investing in projects located in richer and less populous countries. Also statistically relevant is the country's legal origin and whether the project has MDA participation.

A Simple Mono-Dimensional Approach for Lap Time Optimisation

Lap time minimisation methods have great relevance in the analysis of race tracks, and in the design and optimisation of race vehicles. Several lap time minimisation approaches have been proposed in the literature, which are computationally demanding because they need to either solve differential equations or to implement a forward−backward integration based on an apex-finding method. This paper proposes an alternative method, based on a mono-dimensional quasi-steady-state numerical approach. The proposed approach uses a simplified vehicle model accounting for combined tyre−road interactions, aerodynamic effects, and power limitations. The method exploits the knowledge of the curvature of the trajectory, which is worked out through a rigorous approach that allows for the use trajectories defined with respect to ageneric curve parameter and not necessarily the arc length. An iterative routine is implemented that exploits the vehicle dynamics, without solving differential equations or performing forward−backward integrations from the trajectory apexes. Simulations are carried out on three different tracks and are shown to be computationally efficient. Despite being intentionally simple, the proposed method allows to grasp key aspects of the problem, such as the effect of the combined tyre−road interactions on the acceleration profiles, and the effect of aerodynamic drag and downforce on the position of the braking point on the track and on the speed profile

Competition Policy and Regulation in Ports and Shipping

The country's archipelagic configuration requires an efficient maritime transport infrastructure composed of ports and shipping for growth and socioeconomic integration. This paper examines competition policy and the regulatory framework of the port and shipping sectors. It assesses the policies and programs of the government in promoting competition in these sectors and recommends areas for policy and regulatory reform. After a brief description of the analytical underpinnings of competition policy and regulation, the paper reviews the present state of competition and regulation in Philippine ports and interisland shipping to identify emerging issues that call for policy action. It provides specific recommendations for policy and regulatory reform.competition policy, regulatory framework, maritime transport, ports and inter-island shipping, market contestability

Transferability of Human Capital and Immigrant Assimilation: An Analysis for Germany

This paper investigates the transferability of human capital across countries and the contribution of imperfect human capital portability to the explanation of the immigrant-native wage gap. Using data for West Germany, our results reveal that, overall, education and labor market experience accumulated in the home countries of the immigrants receive significantly lower returns than human capital obtained in Germany. We further find evidence for heterogeneity in the returns to human capital of immigrants across origin countries. Finally, imperfect human capital transferability appears to be a major factor in explaining the wage differential between natives and immigrants.assimilation, immigration, rate of return, human capital

A state-of-the-art review on torque distribution strategies aimed at enhancing energy efficiency for fully electric vehicles with independently actuated drivetrains

© 2019, Levrotto and Bella. All rights reserved. Electric vehicles are the future of private passenger transportation. However, there are still several technological barriers that hinder the large scale adoption of electric vehicles. In particular, their limited autonomy motivates studies on methods for improving the energy efficiency of electric vehicles so as to make them more attractive to the market. This paper provides a concise review on the current state-of-the-art of torque distribution strategies aimed at enhancing energy efficiency for fully electric vehicles with independently actuated drivetrains (FEVIADs). Starting from the operating principles, which include the "control allocation" problem, the peculiarities of each proposed solution are illustrated. All the existing techniques are categorized based on a selection of parameters deemed relevant to provide a comprehensive overview and understanding of the topic. Finally, future concerns and research perspectives for FEVIAD are discussed

Housing Policy: Developing a Market-based Housing Finance System

With housing policy declared as a priority policy concern of the Estrada administration, it is only logical to expect that an effective and sustainable housing finance system to put more teeth into such pronouncement is set in place. Is there such a system? What are its prospects? Are there alternative schemes?microfinance, housing finance

The International Economic Environment and the Philippine Economy

Taking its cue from other Asian countries, the Philippines has joined several international trade organizations that paved the way for economic openness and integration. What these entail in the Philippine economy is the focus for this month’s issue.globalization, economic openness, macroeconomic policy, economic integration

Effect of body temperature of heavy broiler breeders on resistance to heat of their progeny

This trial aimed at studying the effects of the body temperature (BT) of heavy broiler breeders (HBB) on the productive parameters and the resistance to heat of the broilers of their progeny. The experiment was done on two phases: (1) measurements on breeders were done in the commercial hatchery, whereas (2) the tests on broilers were done in the poultry unit of UCV. In phase 1, 280 HBB of line L1 (Ross x Ross) and 280 HBB of line L2 (Hybro) were tested for their rectal body temperature (BT) and level of hyperventilation (LH) during periods of high ambient temperature. The animals were split into two groups: higher BT (HBT, 41.26±0.01°C) and lower BT (LBT, 40.9±0.08°C). Egg production, fertility and hatchability were recorded. A total of 400 chicks (100 of lower of higher parent BT for both lines) were raised in same environmental conditions, and tested for BT, LH and productive parameters. Egg production did not differ between breeders HBT or LBT. Fertility was significantly higher in L2 (98.5±0.08) than in L1 (96.02±0.61). In phase 2 weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion did not differ between animals issued from lower or higher BT parents. At day 36 during a heat challenge (TA=37°C), the BT of animals from L2 issued from parents of higher BT was higher (43.2±0.092 vs 42.7 ± 0.08, p<0.01) whereas this difference was not significant in line L1. Mortality during heat challenge was also 40% higher for these animals. These results suggest than there can be a heritability of BT characteristics, which could have an effect on the resistance of broilers to heat stress. (Résumé d'auteur