Income inequality: Implications and relevant economic policies

The aim of this contribution is to discuss closely the implications of income inequality and the economic policies to tackle it, especially so in view of inequality being one of the main causes of the 2007/2008 international financial crisis and the ?great recession? that subsequently emerged. Wealth inequality is also important in this respect, but the focus is on income inequality. Ever since the financial crisis and the subsequent ?great recession?, inequality of income, and wealth, has increased and the demand for economic policy initiatives to produce a more equal distribution of income and wealth has become more urgent. Such reduction would help to increase the level of economic activity as has been demonstrated again more recently. A number of economic policy initiatives for this purpose will be the focus of this contribution.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from the Association of Economists of Vojvodina via http://dx.doi.org/10.2298/PAN1601001

House prices and current account imbalances in OECD countries

This contribution attempts to provide theoretical propositions and empirical evidence on the ‘obscure’ relationship between current account imbalances and house prices. We propose a theoretical framework, which studies the interaction between house prices and current account imbalances and also pays special attention to the role played by fiscal and monetary policies. In a second stage of this contribution, our theoretical framework is estimated empirically by using data from 17 OECD economies, which spans the period 1970-2013. In doing so, the least squares technique with breakpoints is employed.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ijfe.152

Revisiting the accelerator principle in a world of uncertainty: Some empirical evidence

This contribution builds on the accelerator model to produce an investment function in which employment and households’ investment are used as proxies for economic activity. This analysis identifies a positive correlation between corporate investment in fixed assets and households’ investment in dwellings. Using a panel of 11 OECD countries for the period 1970-2010, the results also confirm that oil prices and interest rates may dampen firms’ investment in fixed assets. An interesting feature of this investment function is that it accounts for uncertainty.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2016.03.01

Boron Nitride Enhanced Garnet-Type (Li6.25Al0.25La3Zr2O12) Ceramic Electrolyte for an All-Solid-State Lithium-Ion Battery

Solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) are expected to improve not only the safety but also the energy density of lithium-ion batteries, especially referring to the application of most promising Li metal anode which encounters deleterious dendritic growth. The key challenge for the SSEs is the pursuit of higher ionic conductivity, higher mechanical strength, and better chemical and electrochemical stability. Herein, for the first time, hexagonal boron nitride (BN) is employed as the effective additive for garnet-type Li6.25Al0.25La3Zr2O12 (LALZO) SSE during sintering, which induces comprehensively improved properties. Compared with the LALZO electrolyte without BN, a small percentage of 1 wt % BN added to the LALZO electrolyte exhibits 30 times higher ionic conductivity (6.21 × 10–5 S cm–1), 6.6 times higher surface hardness (∼0.5 GPa), and 6.3 times higher reduced modulus (5.6 GPa), much improved chemical stability against air (anti-Li2CO3), and electrochemical stability during lithium stripping/plating at different current densities. As a result, the all-solid-state lithium-ion battery composed of lithium metal anode and LiCoO2 cathode with the 1 wt % BN enhanced LALZO electrolyte delivers a discharge capacity of 120 mA h g–1 and a much higher capacity retention (67% vs 33%) after 50 cycles at a rate of 0.1C than that without BN addition. This BN enhanced garnet-type ceramic electrolyte may provide a facile and efficient approach to further promote the solid-state electrolyte for next-generation high performance energy storage devices

House price overvaluation in Hong Kong: Identifying the market fundamentals and understanding the “Bubble”

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, the authors investigate the main drivers of house prices in the Hong Kong housing market. Second, further research is undertaken to confirm the existence of house price overvaluation, which has driven the market into a bubble episode. Design/methodology/approach First, the authors propose a theoretical framework to identify the fundamentals of the market. In the second step, they decompose house prices into fundamentals, frictions and bubble episodes for a better understanding of the evolution of house prices during the period 1996(Q3)-2013(Q3). Findings The results of this paper suggest an eventual possible correction of up to 46 per cent of house prices with respect to their 2013(Q3) level. Originality/value The originality of this paper is to use the procedure developed by Glindro and Delloro (2010) to analyse the Hong Kong housing market. The contribution of this paper also modifies the original Glindro and Delloro’s (2010) approach by including the Christiano and Fitzgerald (2003) filter to decompose house prices. This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Emerald via http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJHMA-01-2016-000

Mental health care: perceptions of people with schizophrenia and their carers

The current study aims to discover the opinions of patients and their (informal and formal) carers concerning the mental health care of individuals with long term schizophrenic disorders within different contexts and cultures. It's a qualitative study with focus groups, in which 6 research centers (from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Spain, England and Venezuela) participated. Eight focus groups were conducted in each center, totaling 303 individuals in 46 groups. The data were analyzed with the aid of the Qualitative Solutions and Research/Non-numerical Unstructured Data Indexing program (QSR NUD*IST 4.0). The perception regarding the quality of care is influenced by the professional-patient relationship and the availability of resources. Poor quality of care is also perceived as discrimination. People with schizophrenia in general consider themselves to be ostracized by professionals and services and lacking in more humanized care. In the contexts in which community care is less advanced, the complaints center on resources and services that do not meet demands. On the other hand, in more developed contexts criticism centers more on the attitude of the professionals and the professional-patient relationship. Over and above the need for resources and services, people with schizophrenia require more humanized health care

Library of Apicomplexan Metabolic Pathways: a manually curated database for metabolic pathways of apicomplexan parasites.

The Library of Apicomplexan Metabolic Pathways (LAMP, http://www.llamp.net) is a web database that provides near complete mapping from genes to the central metabolic functions for some of the prominent intracellular parasites of the phylum Apicomplexa. This phylum includes the causative agents of malaria, toxoplasmosis and theileriosis-diseases with a huge economic and social impact. A number of apicomplexan genomes have been sequenced, but the accurate annotation of gene function remains challenging. We have adopted an approach called metabolic reconstruction, in which genes are systematically assigned to functions within pathways/networks for Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum, Cryptosporidium and Theileria species, and Babesia bovis. Several functions missing from pathways have been identified, where the corresponding gene for an essential process appears to be absent from the current genome annotation. For each species, LAMP contains interactive diagrams of each pathway, hyperlinked to external resources and annotated with detailed information, including the sources of evidence used. We have also developed a section to highlight the overall metabolic capabilities of each species, such as the ability to synthesize or the dependence on the host for a particular metabolite. We expect this new database will become a valuable resource for fundamental and applied research on the Apicomplexa

IMPORTANCE OF DEMOGRAPHICS FOR HOUSING IN THE OECD ECONOMIES

The aim of this contribution is to study the role of demographics in the explanation of house prices in the last few decades. Special attention is paid to the role, which has been played by three groups of population that have different necessities in terms of the amount of housing services that they wish to consume: (a) population aged between 25 and 44 years old; (b) population aged between 45 and 64 years old; and (c) retirees. Following our discussion of recent trends in demographics and relevant stylised facts, the construction of a theoretical framework ensues; finally we provide empirical evidence in the case of 17 OECD economies over the period 1970-2013, discuss it in relation to our theoretical framework before we summarise and conclude.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/boer.1207