Heterogeneous Impact of the "Seguro Popular" Program on the Utilization of Obstetrical Services in Mexico, 2001-2006: A Multinomial Probit Model with a Discrete Endogenous Variable

Objective: We evaluated the impact of Seguro Popular (SP), a program introduced in 2001 in Mexico primarily to finance health care for the poor. We studied the effect of SP on pregnant women's access to obstetrical services. Data: We analyzed the cross-sectional 2006 National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT), focusing on the responses of 3,890 women who delivered babies during 2001-2006 and whose households lacked employer-based health care coverage. Methods: We formulated a multinomial probit model that distinguished between three mutually exclusive sites for delivering a baby: a health unit accredited by SP; a clinic run by the Department of Health (Secretaria de Salud, or SSA); and private obstetrical care. Our model accounted for the endogeneity of the household's binary decision to enroll in the SP program. Results: Women in households that participated in the SP program had a much stronger preference for having a baby in a SP-sponsored unit rather than paying out of pocket for a private delivery. At the same time, participation in SP was associated with a stronger preference for delivering in the private sector rather than at a state-run SSA clinic. On balance, the Seguro Popular program reduced pregnant women's attendance at an SSA clinic much more than it reduced the probability of delivering a baby in the private sector. The impacts of the SP program at the individual and population levels varied with the woman's education and health, as well as the assets and location (rural versus urban) of the household. Conclusions: The SP program had a robust, significantly positive impact on access to obstetrical services. Our finding that women enrolled in SP switched from non-SP state-run facilities, rather than from out-of-pocket private services, is important for public policy and requires further exploration.

Factors affecting energy-efficiency investment in the hotel industry: survey results from Spain

Increasing energy efficiency is a major way of saving energy and thus reducing energy expenses. However, adoption of energy efficiency is generally low, as demonstrated by the energy efficiency gap. To understand that gap, this paper analyses the factors that affect how the energy efficiency attribute is rated in investment in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in the hotel industry in Spain. A survey conducted on two hundred owners of hotels, hostels and holiday cottages (referred to jointly here for the sake of convenience as the hotel industry ) shows that the value placed on energy efficiency is influenced not just by climate conditions, environmental concern and type of hotel but also by other attributes of the HVAC system such as brand reliability, price and performance. The hotel industry may also be identifying EE as a proxy for quality rather than savings. Designing the right energy-efficiency policy entails accounting for potential responses by agents, and this analysis helps identify those drivers to which they may or may not respond. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. part of Springer Nature.This study was undertaken as a part of the CONSumer Energy Efficiency Decision making (CONSEED) project, an EU-funded H2020 research project under grant agreement number 723741. This research is also supported by the Spanish State Research Agency through María de Maeztu Excellence Unit accreditation 2018-2022 (Ref. MDM-2017- 0714) and the Basque Government BERC programme. Financial support from the Government of Spain and the European Regional Development Fund through grants RTI2018-093692-B-I00, RTC2019- 007315-3 and RED2018-102794-T is gratefully acknowledged

Accounting for the effects of employment, equity, and risk aversion in cost-benefit analysis: An application to an adaptation project

This paper sets out to explore to what extent integrating employment effects, equity, and risk aversion within cost-benefit analysis (CBA) affect the economic appraisal of a climate change adaptation project designed to protect against flood risk in a region of Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain). Four CBAs are conducted: (i) a standard CBA; (ii) a standard CBA considering equity; (iii) a standard CBA considering equity and employment; and (iv) a standard CBA considering equity, employment and risk aversion. All CBAs are conducted using a time frame of 2014- 2080 and considering a 100-year return period under a middle of the road emission scenario (RCP4.5). A sensitivity analysis is also undertaken. Results suggest that the economic efficiency of the adaptation investment is contingent on what types of considerations are included within CBA. Integrating elements of employment, equity and risk aversion can strengthen or weaken the case for action (leading to higher or lower net-present values) and (depending on the discount rate chosen) may even be the deciding factor for determining whether a particular action should be carried out or not (whether the net-present value is positive or negative). © The Author(s), 2021.Acknowledgments: The funding for this work was provided by the European Commission 7th Framework Programme ECONADAPT project on the “Economics of climate change adaptation in Europe” under the grant agreement No. 603906. This research is also supported by the Basque Government through the BERC 2018-2021 program and by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness MINECO through BC3 María de Maeztu excellence accreditation MDM-2017-0714

Risk measures and the distribution of damage curves for 600 European coastal cities

A good understanding of climate change damages is vital to design effective adaptation policies and measures. Using a dataset of probabilistic sea-level rise and other of flood damages and protection cost curves for the 600 largest European coastal cities we generate stochastic damage curves and their distributions with and without adaptation. We apply the Generalized Extreme Value distribution to characterize the distributions and calculate two risk measures: the Value at Risk and the Expected Shortfall, which contribute to understanding the magnitude and probability of high-end sea-level rise represented by the upper tail of the distribution. This allows the costs of sea-level rise to be estimated (that is, in addition to other costs related to coastal extreme events) and supports decision-makers in integrating the high uncertainty related to future projections. This knowledge is necessary for an adequate risk management that does not underestimate risk. Furthermore, it allows city planners to tailor their risk tolerance. A great number of cities in Europe are currently undertaking adaptation plans or have already done so. Making these findings available should therefore be of great priority value to inform these processes. © 2019 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.This research is supported by the Basque Government through the BERC 2018–2021 program and by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICINN) through BC3’s María de Maeztu excellence accreditation MDM-2017-0714

Consumers’ preferences regarding energy efficiency: a qualitative analysis based on the household and services sectors in Spain

Informational failures frequently lead consumers to make non-optimal energy-efficient purchasing decisions. Energy efficiency labels seek to influence consumer behaviour at the point of sale by reducing informational failures regarding energy efficiency. However, several informational and behavioural factors contribute to the energy efficiency gap and could render label-oriented policies useless. The purchasing decision model of Allcott and Greenstone (The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 26, 3 28, 2012) is used here to explore the different factors that influence purchasing decisions and understand (i) the importance of energy consumption compared to other attributes; (ii) how consumers weight energy savings and (iii) what other benefits and costs influence the purchase of energy-efficient goods. The analysis reported here is based on qualitative research methods and is conducted in the household and service sectors (the accommodation sector and private service companies), for appliances, heating and cooling systems and cars in Spain. Results show that (i) there is still an informational gap regarding energy labels and (ii) bounded rationality and end-user behaviour are important limiting factors for the purchase of energy-efficient goods in Spain. © 2020, The Author(s).This work was undertaken as a part of the CONSumer Energy Efficiency Decision making (CONSEED) project, an EU-funded H2020 research project under grant agreement number 723741. This research is also supported by the Spanish State Research Agency through María de Maeztu Excellence Unit accreditation 2018-2022 (Ref. MDM-2017-0714). Amaia de Ayala would like to thank the financial support of Fundación Ramón Areces under the project entitled “La toma de decisiones de los hogares en eficiencia energética: determinantes y diseño de políticas”

Presentación

El cambio climático es uno de los mayores retos a los que se enfrentan nuestras sociedades. Muchos de los cambios previstos por la ciencia son ya evidentes y el Panel Intergubernamental sobre el Cambio Climático (IPCC, en sus siglas en inglés) en su informe especial Calentamiento global de 1,5º C advertía de la vulnerabilidad de determinados sistemas naturales o humanos que podrían verse gravemente afectados incluso por pequeños aumentos de la temperatura media del planeta. Para evitar riesgos intolerables resulta ineludible y urgente implementar, en las próximas décadas, políticas de mitigación y adaptación (IPCC, 2018a

Lethal Mutagenesis of Picornaviruses with N-6-Modified Purine Nucleoside Analogues

RNA viruses exhibit extraordinarily high mutation rates during genome replication. Nonnatural ribonucleosides that can increase the mutation rate of RNA viruses by acting as ambiguous substrates during replication have been explored as antiviral agents acting through lethal mutagenesis. We have synthesized novel N-6-substituted purine analogues with ambiguous incorporation characteristics due to tautomerization of the nucleobase. The most potent of these analogues reduced the titer of poliovirus (PV) and coxsackievirus (CVB3) over 1,000-fold during a single passage in HeLa cell culture, with an increase in transition mutation frequency up to 65-fold. Kinetic analysis of incorporation by the PV polymerase indicated that these analogues were templated ambiguously with increased efficiency compared to the known mutagenic nucleoside ribavirin. Notably, these nucleosides were not efficient substrates for cellular ribonucleotide reductase in vitro, suggesting that conversion to the deoxyriboucleoside may be hindered, potentially limiting genetic damage to the host cell. Furthermore, a high-fidelity PV variant (G64S) displayed resistance to the antiviral effect and mutagenic potential of these analogues. These purine nucleoside analogues represent promising lead compounds in the development of clinically useful antiviral therapies based on the strategy of lethal mutagenesis

Gas Blowing Ultrasonic Aluminium Degassing Assessment with the Reduced Pressure Test (RPT) Method

Entrapped gases, solidification shrinkage and non-metallic compound formation are main sources of porosity in aluminium alloy castings. Porosity is detrimental to the mechanical properties of these castings; therefore, its reduction is pursued. Rotary degassing is the method mostly employed in industry to remove dissolved gases from aluminium melts, reducing porosity formation during solidification of the cast part. Recently, ultrasonic degassing has emerged as a promising alternative thanks to a lower dross formation and higher energy efficiency. This work aims to evaluate the efficiency of the ultrasonic degasser and compare it to a conventional rotary degassing technique applied to an AlSi10Mg alloy. Degassing efficiency was evaluated employing the reduced pressure test (RPT), where samples solidified under reduced pressure conditions are analysed. Factors affecting RPT were considered and temperature parameters for the test were established. The influence of ultrasonic degassing process parameters, such as degassing treatment duration and purging gas flow rate were studied, as well as treated aluminium volume and oxide content. Finally, ultrasonic degassing process was contrasted to a conventional rotary degassing technique, comparing their efficiency.This work has been done within the AL-STRUC project supported by the ELKARTEK program of the Basque Government under Grant KK-2017/00020

Sea-level rise in the Basque coast, A probabilistic approach

Itsas mailaren gorakada aldaketa klimatikoaren mehatxu garrantzitsuenetarikoa da euskal kostaldearentzat. Artikulu honetan itsas-mailaren bataz besteko igoeraren esperotako balioa zenbatetsi dugu hamaika herritan, hiru isurpen-egoeratan. Probabilitate txikiko baina magnitude handiko gertaerak deskribatzen dituzten bi arrisku neurketa ere zenbatesten dira. 2050. urterako gure emaitzek 21-29cm arteko bataz besteko igoerak iradokitzen dituzte, eta muturreko balio askoz handiagoak, 35-45cm 95 pertzentilerako eta 40-52cm kasu okerrenen %5aren bataz bestekoarentzako. Informazio hori oso esanguratsua izan daiteke klima aldaketaren egokitzapenerako politiken garapenean. Izan ere, arriskuaren kudeaketa egokiago bat ahalbidetzen du eta lerrokaturik baitago finantza ekonomikoan erabilitako hurbilpenekin. © 2018, Ekonomiaz, Basque Economics Journal.Due to climate change, sea-level rise poses a major threat to the Basque coast. In this study we assess the average sea-level rise under three emission scenarios in eleven municipalities of the Basque coast. We also estimate two risk measures that describe low-probability, highdamage events. Our results by 2050 show average sea-level increases in 21-29 cm and significantly larger extreme values, ranging between 35 and 45 cm at the 95th percentile and 40-52 cm at the average of 5% worst cases. This information could be very relevant to inform climate change adaptation policies and measures, as it allows managing risk more effectively, in line with the approaches used in financial economics. © 2018, Ekonomiaz, Basque Economics Journal.El aumento del nivel del mar representa una de las principales amenazas del cambio climático para la costa vasca. En este artículo estimamos el valor medio esperado de aumento del nivel del mar en once localidades bajo tres escenarios de emisión, junto con dos medidas de riesgo que describen aquellos eventos de baja probabilidad pero de gran magnitud. Nuestros resultados para el año 2050 sugieren aumentos medios de entre 21-29 cm y valores extremos significativamente mayores, de 35-45 cm para el percentil 95 y de 40-52 cm para la media del 5% de los peores casos. Esta información puede ser muy relevante para el desarrollo de políticas de adaptación al cambio climático ya que permite una gestión del riesgo más adecuada, en línea con las aproximaciones empleadas desde la economía financiera. © 2018, Ekonomiaz, Basque Economics Journal

COP23: Technical profile with relevant political support

La Conferencia de las Partes de la Con-vención Marco de Naciones Unidas para el Cambio Climático (UNFCCC, por sus siglas en inglés), conocida como la COP 23, se celebró en Bonn (Alemania) entre los días 7 y 18 de noviembre de 2017. Aunque la República de Fiji, en Melanesia, ocupa-ba la Presidencia de la COP23 y era, por tanto, la anfitriona de la misma, ésta se celebró en la sede central de UNFCCC en Bonn, con el apoyo del gobierno alemán como coanfitrión, debido a la falta de in-fraestructuras necesarias para alojar a las decenas de miles de delegados y observa-dores esperados en la Conferencia de Fiji. Los seis órganos de UNFCCC se reunieron, siguiendo sus agendas correspondientes, a lo largo de dos semanas. Las Partes envia-ron a 11.300 delegados a Bonn, un 25% menos que en la Cumbre de París. Más de 6.000 representantes de agencias es-pecializadas, organizaciones interguber-namentales, ONGs y órganos estadouni-denses también estuvieron presentes, así como 1.600 periodistas acreditados. En total, más de 19.000 delegados se despla-zaron a Bonn, una cifra muy lejana a la de París en 2015