Economic Growth and Electricity Consumption in 12 European Countries: A Causality Analysis Using Panel Data

We apply recent panel methodology to investigate the relationship between electricity consumption and real GDP for a set of 12 European Union countries using annual data for the period 1970-2004. Recently developed tests for panel unit roots, cointegration in heterogeneous panels and panel causality are employed. The results show a long-run relationship between the series. We estimate this relationship and test for causality. We find no short-run causality in any direction. These results might help to design appropriate electricity consumption policies in the sample countries, as well as investment policies in interconnections to build a single European market for electricity.electricity consumption, economic growth, panel cointegration, panel causality

Impact of climate conditions on the use of infrared thermography for the inspection of coated and uncoated unreinforced concrete samples

This project´s fundamental objective is to evaluate the ability of the infrared thermography technique under different climate conditions to detect and recognize anomalies, delamination and defects that cause deterioration on concrete surfaces both coated and uncoated. The use of concrete as a construction material is very extended in today´s world and it is all-important the use of inspection techniques that allow proper monitoring and maintenance of concrete infrastructure in order to manage and administrate it´s useful life, through prevention and repair of damages. With the passage of time deterioration of this material exists, especially when their surfaces are visibly exposed to the actions of the environment and inclement weather. Therefore, Infrared Thermography has been presented as attractive alternative, facing other traditional methods. However, its range of application on concrete elements has been focused from the beginning to the detection of very specific type of defects, except for recent years where it has been possible to observe some interesting developments. For this reason, it has become necessary to test IRT seeking its real potential under the conditions and situations more similar to those found in a field inspection. In order to achieve this, the method of active infrared thermography has been used to test in our laboratory different cracked concrete samples during different climate conditions. This test recreates the different weather conditions that can occur in the field by developing a climate controlled system in the lab. Finally, the analysis of the results has revealed that different climate conditions affect the reliability and performance of IRT for detecting surface defects on concrete structures. In addition, the fulfilment of concrete coatings´ function during different climate conditions was also studied. Large amount of test results have been collected and will be used in the future for improving the accuracy of the IRT technique

Electricity consumption and economic growth: evidence from Spain

The paper investigates both linear and nonlinear causality between electricity consumption and economic growth in Spain for the period 1971-2005. We use the methodology of Toda and Yamamoto (1995) and Dolado and Lütkepohl (1996). We also apply the standard Granger causality tests in a VAR for the series in first differences to achieve stationarity. The results are similar with both methodologies, which shows their robustness. We find unidirectional linear causality running from real GDP to electricity consumption. On the contrary, we find no evidence of nonlinear Granger causality between the series in either direction.First author would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia under research grant BEC2003-02084. Second author would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia under research grant SEJ2004-04811

Analysis of volatility transmissions in integrated and interconnected markets: The case of the Iberian and French markets

This paper models the mean and volatility spillovers of prices within the integrated Iberian and the interconnected Spanish and French electricity markets. Using the constant (CCC) and dynamic conditional correlation (DCC) bivariate models with three different specifications of the univariate variance processes, we study the extent to which increasing interconnection and harmonization in regulation have favoured price convergence. The data consist of daily prices calculated as the arithmetic mean of the hourly prices over a span from July 1st 2007 until February 29th 2012. The DCC model in which the variances of the univariate processes are specified with a VARMA(1,1) fits the data best for the integrated MIBEL whereas a CCC model with a GARCH(1,1) specification for the univariate variance processes is selected to model the price series in Spain and France. Results show that there are significant mean and volatility spillovers in the MIBEL, indicating strong interdependence between the two markets, while there is a weaker evidence of integration between the Spanish and French markets. We provide new evidence that the EU target of achieving a single electricity market largely depends on increasing trade between countries and homogeneous rules of market functioning

Economic Growth and Electricity Consumption in 12 European Countries: A Causality Analysis Using Panel Data

We apply recent panel methodology to investigate the relationship between electricity consumption and real GDP for a set of 12 European Union countries using annual data for the period 1970-2004. Recently developed tests for panel unit roots, cointegration in heterogeneous panels and panel causality are employed. The results show a long-run relationship between the series. We estimate this relationship and test for causality. We find no short-run causality in any direction. These results might help to design appropriate electricity consumption policies in the sample countries, as well as investment policies in interconnections to build a single European market for electricity.We acknowledge financial support from Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia under research grant SEJ2006-06309 and from Dpto. de Educación, Universidades e Investigación del Gobierno Vasco under research grant IT-313-07

Linear and Nonlinear Causality between Energy Consumption and Economic Growth: the Case of Mexico 1965-2014

This paper analyzes the causal link between aggregated and disaggregated levels of energy consumption and economic growth in Mexico between 1965 and 2014, with the presence of structural breaks stemming from the series. To that end, unit root with structural breaks, cointegration, and linear and nonlinear causality tests are employed. The results show that there is a long-run relationship between production, capital, labor, and energy, and linear causal links from total and disaggregated energy consumption to economic growth. A nonlinear causality also exists from energy consumption, the transport sector, capital, and labor to output. These results support the growth hypothesis, which maintains that energy is an important input factor for economic activity and that energy conservation policies impact the economic growth in Mexico.We are grateful to three anonymous reviewers for valuable comments and suggestions that helped to improve the paper. This work was supported under research grant ECO2015-64467-R (MINECO/FEDER), from Dpto. de Educacion, Universidades e Investigacion del Gobierno Vasco under research grant IT-783-13 and from the National Council for Science and Technology (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia, CONACYT) in Mexico, which is gratefully acknowledged (N265826-2016)

La topología de los problemas de división: reparto libre de envidia y división consensuada

En este trabajo se estudian dos problemas de división y la topología que se requiere para resolverlos. Los problemas son el reparto libre de envidia y la división consensuada, y los resultados topológicos involucrados son el Teorema del Punto Fijo de Brouwer y el Teorema de Borsuk-Ulam. Estos teoremas se deducen de sus análogos discretos: el Lema de Sperner y el Lema de Tucker. También analizamos las equivalencias formales entre estos cuatro resultados. Palabras clave: División justa y libre de envidia, división consensuada, lema de Sperner, teorema del punto fijo de Brouwer, lema débil de Ky Fan, lema de Tucker, teorema de Borsuk-Ula

Impact of climate conditions on the use of infrared thermography for the inspection of coated and uncoated unreinforced concrete samples

This project´s fundamental objective is to evaluate the ability of the infrared thermography technique under different climate conditions to detect and recognize anomalies, delamination and defects that cause deterioration on concrete surfaces both coated and uncoated. The use of concrete as a construction material is very extended in today´s world and it is all-important the use of inspection techniques that allow proper monitoring and maintenance of concrete infrastructure in order to manage and administrate it´s useful life, through prevention and repair of damages. With the passage of time deterioration of this material exists, especially when their surfaces are visibly exposed to the actions of the environment and inclement weather. Therefore, Infrared Thermography has been presented as attractive alternative, facing other traditional methods. However, its range of application on concrete elements has been focused from the beginning to the detection of very specific type of defects, except for recent years where it has been possible to observe some interesting developments. For this reason, it has become necessary to test IRT seeking its real potential under the conditions and situations more similar to those found in a field inspection. In order to achieve this, the method of active infrared thermography has been used to test in our laboratory different cracked concrete samples during different climate conditions. This test recreates the different weather conditions that can occur in the field by developing a climate controlled system in the lab. Finally, the analysis of the results has revealed that different climate conditions affect the reliability and performance of IRT for detecting surface defects on concrete structures. In addition, the fulfilment of concrete coatings´ function during different climate conditions was also studied. Large amount of test results have been collected and will be used in the future for improving the accuracy of the IRT technique

¿Propensión cultural al delito? Un enfoque criminológico sobre las dimensiones culturales de Hofstede

El sesgo cultural ha supuesto un escollo inevitable para cualquier disciplina de las Ciencias Sociales, como la Criminología, cuyos contribuyentes no han quedado al margen de verse influidos por este elemento espurio. La Criminología ha prescindido del enfoque cultural bajo el argumento de que una cultura (compuesta esencialmente por los valores intrínsecos de una sociedad) no puede favorecer la infracción de normas. Recientes estudios sociopsicológicos como el de Geert Hofstede ofrecen instrumentos como las dimensiones culturales que abren la puerta a considerar la importancia de la cultura como un determinante fundamental de la conducta humana y, por ende, del comportamiento desviado. Este estudio hace un breve repaso de las dimensiones culturales, las pone en relación con las Grandes Teorías y otros estudios criminológicos relevantes y arroja un enfoque cultural a la Criminología necesario para un triple objetivo: poner en tela de juicio la latente percepción cultural que todo teórico de las Ciencias Sociales –y, en concreto, de la Criminología– impregna en su obra, esbozar una posible propensión cultural al delito a través del análisis de las distintas dimensiones culturales, así como la correlación significativa de algunas de éstas con dimensiones de la personalidad relacionadas tradicionalmente con el comportamiento desviado, y señalar la cultura como elemento espurio que modula el grado de constatación empírica de los estudios criminológicos.Cultural bias has meant an unavoidable obstacle to any discipline of the Social Sciences such as Criminology, whose contributors have been influenced by this spurious element. Criminology has ignored the cultural approach on the grounds that a culture (consisting of, essentially, the inner values from a society) cannot foster to break the rules. Recent socio-psychological studies such as Geert Hofstede’s, offer valuable instruments such as cultural dimensions which open the door to deem the importance of culture as a cornerstone of human behavior and, therefore, the deviant behavior. This paper explains briefly the cultural dimensions, links them to the Great Theories and other relevant criminological researches and casts a cultural approach to Criminology needed for aiming at: bringing up that the latent cultural perception that any scholar of Social Sciences –and, in particular, Criminologists– introduces unconsciously within his works, sketching out a likely cultural propensity to Crime throughout an analysis of these different cultural dimensions, as well as their correlation with the personality dimensions related traditionally to deviant behavior, and standing out culture as spurious element that modulates the degree of empirical and actual verification of all criminological researches

Identidades y cambio político: nuevos retos para Europa ante las exigencias de la globalización

Como producto social que es, la identidad está inmersa en los procesos de cambio político, sufriendo alteraciones que pueden repercutir en el sistema político y en las instituciones. El contexto del proceso de globalización, si bien parece indicar una tendencia hacia la homogeneización de la sociedad mundial, está salpicado en ocasiones por líneas de conflicto que denotan heterogeneización y fragmentación. La identidad, no necesariamente acorde con la legalidad, se constituye como un elemento decisivo para asegurar la lealtad de los ciudadanos hacia las instituciones políticas. Desde lo local a lo global, el debilitamiento del papel del Estado aumenta la necesidad de readecuar los imaginarios identitarios a las nuevas realidades de la sociedad postnacional