What constitutes a convention? Implications for the coexistence of conventions

A model of repeated play of a coordination game, where stage games have a location in social space, and players receive noisy signals of the true location of their games, is reviewed. Sugden (1995) suggests that in such a model, there can be a stationary state of convention coexistence only if interaction is non-uniform across social space. This paper shows that an alternative definition of conventions, which links conventions to actions rather than expectations, permits convention coexistence when interaction is uniform. To assess robustness, the concept of a global mutant is introduced, to which certain states of coexistence are robust.Conventions Coordination game Equilibrium selection JEL classification: C73

The evolution of social norms

Evolutionary game theory provides the tools to analyze which strategies, or patterns of behaviour, emerge over time through a process of adaptation. Social norms can be defined as patterns of behaviour with certain characteristics. Evolutionary game theory thus provides one perspective on how social norms are formed and maintained. Prisoner's dilemma games can be used to study the conditions under which cooperative norms emerge. Bargaining games can be used to address the formation of fairness norms. However, being more congenial to analyzing norms that somehow focus on material payoffs, it is not a given that evolutionary game theory can adequately address norms focusing on rights or virtues.Evolutionary game theory Social norms

Lowering barriers to agricultural exports through technical assistance

Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) regulations imposed by the developed world, significantly reduce the export opportunities of developing countries. Under the SPS Agreement, developed countries are obliged to provide technical assistance to developing countries, to help them meet SPS requirements. A survey of providers of technical assistance reveals, however, that assistance is allocated in an ad hoc manner. This article argues for a more systematic allocation of technical assistance to developing countries, based on relevant data and comparisons of benefits and costs of different kinds of capacity building. Data is presented which highlights the major problems of developing countries in exporting to the European Union, complementing earlier studies of exports to the United States.Food policy Agriculture Exports Technical assistance Aid evaluation

Promoting investment in small Caribbean states

This study performs an econometric analysis to determine the main policy levers for investment promotion in the Caribbean. The results provide the following policy advice to Caribbean policy makers seeking to increase investment in, and hence the growth prospectives of, their countries. 1. Investment, both foreign and domestic, is higher in countries that are open to international trade. Our results also suggest that Caribbean countries might see a greater effect of trade integration than other countries. Caribbean governments should therefore pursue regional trade arrangements, and actively support the WTO process of global trade liberalization. 2. Investment, both foreign and domestic, is higher in countries whose domestic markets are larger and more advanced. Regional integration to expand what is considered the domestic market, is thus beneficial. 3. Investment, both foreign and domestic, is higher in countries with greater political stability. To inspire confidence among investors, Caribbean countries should avoid major political disruptions, by pursuing inclusive and participatory policies. Our results suggest that investment is particularly responsive to stability issues in countries like Haiti, Guyana, Dominica, and Grenada. 4. Foreign investors are discouraged by bad macro-economic policies, poor infrastructure, and excessive regulation. Caribbean countries should avoid periods of high inflation and large debt burdens, and develop functional infrastructure and regulatory frameworks.FDI (Foreign Direct Investment Domestic investment Small states Caribbean

Determinants of foreign direct investment in services

This study uses industry level foreign direct investment (FDI) data from 57 countries 1989-2000, to examine the host country determinants of FDI flows in services as a whole, and in the major service industries. Consistent with the observation that many services are non-tradable, we find that service FDI is market-seeking, and unaffected by trade openness. Producer services are important in binding together vertically disintegrated chains of production, accordingly we find a strong correlation between FDI in manufacturing and FDI in finance and transport. While composite political risk does not affect FDI in services, disaggregate socio-political indices prove significant in certain service industries.Foreign direct investment Services

Alternatives to local content

This paper suggests that an optimal local content policy in the context of flawed institutions is a more minimal one than those typically pursued by developing countries with recently discovered petroleum reserves. We argue that local content requirements need to be seen as a public expenditure question: such requirements increase multinationals' costs and hence reduce the taxes that can be extracted from these companies. There are thus opportunity costs in imposing local content requirements, since the forgone taxes could be used in other ways to improve development prospects. Such requirements can also exacerbate key problems of patronage and rent-seeking

Bribes, taxes and regulations: Business constraints for micro enterprises in Tanzania

This paper analyses the business environment for micro enterprises in Tanzania based on survey data. The primary objective of the study is to identify major constraints facing the firms' business operations. Taxation, corruption, and regulations in the form of licences and permits, are found to be the most important constraints on business operations. Reported constraints vary according to firm characteristics such as age, location, education and gender of the owner. Contrary to previous studies and current policies, financial constraints and property rights are not perceived as important constraints.Small enterprise Business constriants Taxation Corruption Tanzania

Does an educated mind take the broader view? A field experiment on in-group favouritism among microcredit clients

A number of studies document an in-group bias in social dilemma situations. While group structure and dynamics are important in shaping in-group favouritism, less attention has been paid to individual characteristics affecting favouritism. Using data from dictator games conducted among 523 microcredit clients in Angola, this paper analyzes the effect of education on in-group favouritism. When addressing the endogeneity of education, we find that education increases in-group bias. This goes against the conventional view that education broadens the perspectives of an individual. In addition, our results suggest that in-group favouritism is related to gender, family background and access to particular forms of networks

Impact of the number of previous lumbar operations on patient-reported outcomes after surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis or lumbar disc herniation

Aims - Repeated lumbar spine surgery has been associated with inferior clinical outcomes. This study aimed to examine and quantify the impact of this association in a national clinical register cohort. Methods - This is a population-based study from the Norwegian Registry for Spine surgery (NORspine). We included 26,723 consecutive cases operated for lumbar spinal stenosis or lumbar disc herniation from January 2007 to December 2018. The primary outcome was the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), presented as the proportions reaching a patient-acceptable symptom state (PASS; defined as an ODI raw score ≤ 22) and ODI raw and change scores at 12-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes were the Global Perceived Effect scale, the numerical rating scale for pain, the EuroQoL five-dimensions health questionnaire, occurrence of perioperative complications and wound infections, and working capability. Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine how the number of previous operations influenced the odds of not reaching a PASS. Results - The proportion reaching a PASS decreased from 66.0% (95% confidence interval (CI) 65.4 to 66.7) in cases with no previous operation to 22.0% (95% CI 15.2 to 30.3) in cases with four or more previous operations (p Conclusion - We found a dose-response relationship between increasing number of previous operations and inferior outcomes among patients operated for degenerative conditions in the lumbar spine. This information should be considered in the shared decision-making process prior to elective spine surgery

The Norwegian registry for spine surgery (NORspine): cohort profile

Purpose - To review and describe the development, methods and cohort of the lumbosacral part of the Norwegian registry for spine surgery (NORspine). Methods - NORspine was established in 2007. It is government funded, covers all providers and captures consecutive cases undergoing operations for degenerative disorders. Patients’ participation is voluntary and requires informed consent. A set of baseline-, process- and outcome-variables (3 and 12 months) recommended by the International Consortium for Health Outcome Measurement is reported by surgeons and patients. The main outcome is the Oswestry disability index (ODI) at 12 months. Results - We show satisfactory data quality assessed by completeness, timeliness, accuracy, relevance and comparability. The coverage rate has been 100% since 2016 and the capture rate has increased to 74% in 2021. The cohort consists of 60,647 (47.6% women) cases with mean age 55.7 years, registered during the years 2007 through 2021. The proportions > 70 years and with an American Society of Anaesthesiologists’ Physical Classification System (ASA) score > II has increased gradually to 26.1% and 19.3%, respectively. Mean ODI at baseline was 43.0 (standard deviation 17.3). Most cases were operated with decompression for disc herniation (n = 26,557, 43.8%) or spinal stenosis (n = 26,545, 43.8%), and 7417 (12.2%) with additional or primary fusion. The response rate at 12 months follow-up was 71.6%. Conclusion - NORspine is a well-designed population-based comprehensive national clinical quality registry. The register’s methods ensure appropriate data for quality surveillance and improvement, and research