Firm behavior and the labor market in the Hungarian transition

The authors describe the main changes in the Hungarian labor market since 1989. They focus especially on changes in behavior in state and privatized firms, since the shedding and restructuring of labor are at the heart of the transition. They describe five types of firms: 1) state firms (often in bad shape and/or natural monopolies); 2) firms privatized by insiders; 3) firms privatized by outside (but domestic) investors; 4) new small-scale ("de novo") private firms. The state and de novo firms are increasingly outside the tax system - the state firms by de facto tax exemptions, the de novo firms through tax evasion. As the de novo sector grows, the effective tax yield will tend to fall, shifting the tax burden to the other three types of firms. Subsidizing the growth of the private sector may have been desirable initially, but it is dynamically undesirable. It is important to change the distribution of the tax burden, while setting tax rates that enhance the growth of labor. Thetype of growth seen in the last four years is probably not sustainable. With tax evasion high, average payroll taxes in the taxable sector have until recently risen sharply. Social insurance spending and other labor taxes represented about 34 percent of hourly compensation costs in 1992 - significantly more proportionately than in OECD and most transition economies. And high contribution rates together with apparent real wage rigidity have depressed the rate of job creation in the taxed sectors. Wage levels are lower than in neighboring countries but higher than in other transition economies. Despite adverse shocks to output and employment, consumption wages have risen slightly and unit labor costs have clearly increased. The authors emphasize the continuing loss of employment and its changing distribution in terms of ownership, sector, and taxation - as well as associated changes in unemployment that have resulted from the asymmetric paths of the state and private sectors.Banks&Banking Reform,Environmental Economics&Policies,Municipal Financial Management,Economic Theory&Research,Private Participation in Infrastructure

Towards a more realistic population of bright spiral galaxies in cosmological simulations

We present an update to the multiphase SPH galaxy formation code by Scannapieco et al. We include a more elaborate treatment of the production of metals, cooling rates based on individual element abundances, and a scheme for the turbulent diffusion of metals. Our SN feedback model now transfers energy to the ISM in kinetic and thermal form, and we include a prescription for the effects of radiation pressure from massive young stars on the ISM. We calibrate our new code on the well studied Aquarius haloes and then use it to simulate a sample of 16 galaxies with halo masses between 1x10^11 and 3x10^12 M_sun. In general, the stellar masses of the sample agree well with the stellar mass to halo mass relation inferred from abundance matching techniques for redshifts z=0-4. There is however a tendency to overproduce stars at z>4 and to underproduce them at z<0.5 in the least massive haloes. Overly high SFRs at z<1 for the most massive haloes are likely connected to the lack of AGN feedback in our model. The simulated sample also shows reasonable agreement with observed star formation rates, sizes, gas fractions and gas-phase metallicities at z=0-3. Remaining discrepancies can be connected to deviations from predictions for star formation histories from abundance matching. At z=0, the model galaxies show realistic morphologies, stellar surface density profiles, circular velocity curves and stellar metallicities, but overly flat metallicity gradients. 15 out of 16 of our galaxies contain disk components with kinematic disk fraction ranging between 15 and 65 %. The disk fraction depends on the time of the last destructive merger or misaligned infall event. Considering the remaining shortcomings of our simulations we conclude that even higher kinematic disk fractions may be possible for LambdaCDM haloes with quiet merger histories, such as the Aquarius haloes.Comment: 26 pages, 20 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

The behavior of Russian firms in 1992 : evidence from a survey

The authors surveyed 41 firms in and around Moscow in the last two weeks of November 1992 to get an empirical handle on how firms are responding to the changing economic environment. They found the following conclusions. There were large negative (supply and demand) shocks to output for a significant number of firms and branches. Profitability was remarkably buoyant in real terms. There was clear evidence that firms with market power rapidly adjusted producer prices, trying to maintain or increase their markup. There was no evidence of a strategic change in pricing rules. Most firms experienced relative stability in earnings and in the distribution of revenues. There was no substantial evidence of decapitalization - at least through greater borrowing or predatory wage settlements. The upward shift in interfirm arrears was smaller than aggregate numbers might have led one to expect. Inertia in the wage system should not be ignored. Real wages were cut back sharply by the great price shock of January 1992, but real statistical wages then climbed back toward early 1991 levels. Benefits firms provided account for large shares of labor income and 40 to 45 percent of firms'costs. Firms may have tried to squeeze benefits particulary in housing, but allocations to the Social Fund have generally stayed constant. Employment adjustments were limited, despite the downward pressure on output and the lack of growth in firms surveyed. Net employment separations were relatively restricted. Firms continued to hire at significant rates in 1992, in part because of fixed factors technology, in part because of the reluctance of firms to discard workers. Consequently, firms have shed few workers - mostly ancillary and clerical staff, usually women; some firms chose to place workers on minimum wages, reducing labor costs significantly. The result is that unemployment benefits are provided de facto within the firms rather than through labor offices. In short the status of the so-called production worker, the core of the Russian industrial firm, remains untouched. Clearly there was a large"employment overhang"at the end of 1993. The next stage of the transition will be difficult.Markets and Market Access,Environmental Economics&Policies,Microfinance,Private Participation in Infrastructure,Small Scale Enterprise

Planificación turística sustentable en el departamento de Lavalle, Mendoza, Argentina

El Departamento de Lavalle presenta un reciente e incipiente desarrollo turístico. Consideramos que el turismo desarrollado bajo el paradigma de sustentabilidad constituye la mejor alternativa para el municipio. El presente estudio de carácter descriptivo y propositivo tuvo como objetivo la elaboración de una propuesta de planificación turística sustentable que permitiera organizar la actividad turística del destino. El trabajo consistió en la realización de un diagnóstico del subsistema de origen y de destino; se confeccionó una síntesis de fortalezas, amenazas, debilidades y oportunidades; se clasificaron y jerarquizaron atractivos y recursos turísticos; se generó una propuesta de macro-productos turísticos y se definieron líneas estratégicas, programas, acciones y proyectos. Para ello se consultó bibliografía específica y fuentes secundarias, se realizó trabajo de campo y entrevistas a pobladores y actores claves. Los resultados alcanzados permiten verificar que el departamento presenta recursos naturales y culturales propicios para el desarrollo turístico; un sector importante de la población tiene interés en participar en la actividad turística y existe una demanda potencial para este tipo de productos turísticos. Por otra parte, la zona presenta debilidades vinculadas mayormente con infraestructura y equipamiento turístico.Lavalle County presents a recent and incipient tourism development. We believe that tourism developed under the paradigm of sustainability is the best alternative for the area. This descriptive and purposive study aimed at developing a sustainable tourism planning to organize the tourist activity in the area. The study consisted of carrying out a diagnostic, a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats), a classification of tourist resources and attractions, a proposal for tourist products and a definition of strategists, programs and projects. Specific literature and secondary sources were consulted, fieldwork and interviews were conducted.Fil: de Simon, Cecilia Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Ciencias Humanas, Sociales y Ambientales; Argentin

The Ortega Park, Rodeo del Medio, Mendoza: Territorial governance in its valuation as a cultural heritage

El Parque Ortega de Rodeo del Medio presenta una situación de abandono  consecuencia de múltiples causas. Desde el año 2011, los vecinos de la zona han llevado a cabo una serie de acciones con el objetivo de recuperar y proteger el espacio verde. El presente trabajo tuvo como objetivo estudiar las condiciones de gobernanza territorial en la valorización del Parque Ortega como patrimonio cultural. Complementariamente, procedimos a realizar una aproximación histórica que permitiera comprender la importancia social, histórica y cultural que el parque presenta para la comunidad de Rodeo del Medio. El estudio es exploratorio con alcance descriptivo y explicativo. Se empleó un enfoque cualitativo. Para la construcción del marco teórico se recurrió al análisis de bibliografía específica. Para el estudio del objeto empírico se utilizó el método estudio de caso. Los resultados alcanzados permiten verificar que el Parque Ortega constituye un referente identitario de la comunidad de Rodeo del Medio, y es la identidad, en cierta forma, la que ha movilizado la acción colectiva para su puesta en valor. Por otra parte, al analizar las condiciones de gobernanza en la valoración del bien patrimonial estudiado, observamos que la acción colectiva ha prevalecido sobre la acción pública y la acción privada, generando procesos de patrimonialización y valoración territorial.The Ortega Park in Rodeo del Medio presents a state of abandonment due to multiple causes. Since 2 2011, the local community has been carrying out collective actions in order to recover and protect the site. The aim of this research was to study the territorial governance in the valuation of Parque Ortega as a cultural heritage. Furthermore, we carried out a historical research in order to understand the social, cultural and historical importance of the site to Rodeo del Medio.Fil: de Simon, Cecilia Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Ciencias Humanas, Sociales y Ambientales; Argentin

Effects of Supernova Feedback on the Formation of Galaxies

We study the effects of Supernova (SN) feedback on the formation of galaxies using hydrodynamical simulations in a Lambda-CDM cosmology. We use an extended version of the code GADGET-2 which includes chemical enrichment and energy feedback by Type II and Type Ia SN, metal-dependent cooling and a multiphase model for the gas component. We focus on the effects of SN feedback on the star formation process, galaxy morphology, evolution of the specific angular momentum and chemical properties. We find that SN feedback plays a fundamental role in galaxy evolution, producing a self-regulated cycle for star formation, preventing the early consumption of gas and allowing disks to form at late times. The SN feedback model is able to reproduce the expected dependence on virial mass, with less massive systems being more strongly affected.Comment: To appear in "The Galaxy Disk in Cosmological Context"; Proceedings of IAU254; 9-13 June 2008; Copenhagen; v2: typo corrected; uses iaus.cl

Family history of prostate and colorectal cancer and risk of colorectal cancer in the Women's health initiative.

BackgroundEvidence suggests that risk of colorectal and prostate cancer is increased among those with a family history of the same disease, particularly among first-degree relatives. However, the aggregation of colorectal and prostate cancer within families has not been well investigated.MethodsAnalyses were conducted among participants of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) observational cohort, free of cancer at the baseline examination. Subjects were followed for colorectal cancer through August 31st, 2009. A Cox-proportional hazards regression modeling approach was used to estimate risk of colorectal cancer associated with a family history of prostate cancer, colorectal cancer and both cancers among first-degree relatives of all participants and stratified by race (African American vs. White).ResultsOf 75,999 eligible participants, there were 1122 colorectal cancer cases diagnosed over the study period. A family history of prostate cancer alone was not associated with an increase in colorectal cancer risk after adjustment for confounders (aHR =0.94; 95% CI =0.76, 1.15). Separate analysis examining the joint impact, a family history of both colorectal and prostate cancer was associated with an almost 50% increase in colorectal cancer risk (aHR = 1.48; 95% CI = 1.04, 2.10), but similar to those with a family history of colorectal cancer only (95% CI = 1.31; 95% CI = 1.11, 1.54).ConclusionsOur findings suggest risk of colorectal cancer is increased similarly among women with colorectal cancer only and among those with both colorectal and prostate cancer diagnosed among first-degree family members. Future studies are needed to determine the relative contribution of genes and shared environment to the risk of both cancers

Volatile Organic Compounds in Brewed Kenyan Arabica Coffee Genotypes by Solid Phase Extraction Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

Besides its stimulatory effect, coffee is appreciated and/or consumed for its pleasing aroma, which is a key quality index. The objective of this study was to characterize the volatile organic compounds in brewed Kenyan Arabica coffee genotypes. Solid phase Extraction (SPE) technique was used for the extraction of the organic compounds in the brewed coffee, while characterization of the compounds was done by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Various volatile organic compounds were identified and classified into alcohols, aldehydes, carboxylic acids, furans, ketones, pyrazines and pyrroles. Differences were observed in the chromatographic profiles of the eluents from the seven coffee genotypes evaluated. Compounds such as 2, 6-dimethylpyrazine,5-methyl-1H-pyrole-2-carboxyaldehyde,2-furanmethanolacetate, 4-Ethylcatechol, Methoxy-4-vinylphenol, 2,6-Dihydroxyacetophenone and Ionone, were found to be present in all the coffee genotypes. This study demonstrated the presence of appreciable levels of volatile organic compounds in the coffee brew of the genotypes studied with variations in the types and concentrations being observed among the genotypes. Keywords: Kenya, Coffee genotypes, Solid Phase Extraction (SPE), Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) Volatile organic compounds

Formation of Isolated Dwarf Galaxies with Feedback

We present results of high resolution hydrodynamical simulations of the formation and evolution of dwarf galaxies. Our simulations start from cosmological initial conditions at high redshift. They include metal-dependent cooling, star formation, feedback from type II and type Ia supernovae and UV background radiation, with physical recipes identical to those applied in a previous study of Milky Way type galaxies. We find that a combination of feedback and the cosmic UV background results in the formation of galaxies with properties similar to the Local Group dwarf spheroidals, and that their effect is strongly moderated by the depth of the gravitational potential. Taking this into account, our models naturally reproduce the observed luminosities and metallicities. The final objects have halo masses between 2.3x10^8 and 1.1x10^9 solar masses, mean velocity dispersions between 6.5 and 9.7 kms-1, stellar masses ranging from 5x10^5 to 1.2x10^7 solar masses, median metallicities between [Fe/H] = -1.8 and -1.1, and half-light radii of the order of 200 to 300 pc, all comparable with Local Group dwarf spheroidals. Our simulations also indicate that the dwarf spheroidal galaxies observed today lie near a halo mass threshold around 10^9 solar masses, in agreement with stellar kinematic data, where supernova feedback not only suffices to completely expel the interstellar medium and leave the residual gas-free, but where the combination of feedback, UV radiation and self-shielding establishes a dichotomy of age distributions similar to that observed in the Milky Way and M31 satellites.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures. MNRAS accepte

Formation history, structure and dynamics of discs and spheroids in simulated Milky Way mass galaxies

We study the stellar discs and spheroids in eight simulations of galaxy formation within Milky Way mass haloes in a cold dark matter cosmology. The first paper in this series concentrated on disc properties. Here we extend this analysis to study how the formation history, structure and dynamics of discs and spheroids relate to the assembly history and structure of their haloes. We find that discs are generally young, with stars spanning a wide range of stellar age: the youngest stars define thin discs and have near-circular orbits, while the oldest stars form thicker discs that rotate ∼2 times slower than the thin components, and have 2–3 times larger velocity dispersions. Unlike the discs, spheroids form early and on short time-scales, and are dominated by velocity dispersion. We find great variety in their structure. The inner regions are bar- or bulge-like, while the extended outer haloes are rich in complex non-equilibrium structures such as stellar streams, shells and clumps. Our discs have very high in situ fractions, i.e. most of their stars formed in the disc itself. Nevertheless, there is a non-negligible contribution (∼15 per cent) from satellites that are accreted on nearly coplanar orbits. The inner regions of spheroids also have relatively high in situ fractions, but 65–85 per cent of their outer stellar population is accreted. We analyse the circular velocities, rotation velocities and velocity dispersions of our discs and spheroids, both for gas and stars, showing that the dynamical structure is complex as a result of the non-trivial interplay between cooling and supernova heating.Fil: Scannapieco, Cecilia. Leibniz Institut Fur Astrophysik Potsdam; Alemania. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: White, Simon D. M.. Gobierno de la Republica Federal de Alemania. Max Planck Institut Fur Astrophysik; AlemaniaFil: Springel, Volker. Gobierno de la Republica Federal de Alemania. Max Planck Institut Fur Astrophysik; AlemaniaFil: Tissera, Patricia Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; Argentin