The Effect of EU ETS Indirect Cost Compensation on Firms Outcomes

This report evaluates the impact of the EU Emission Trading System (EU ETS) indirect cost compensation on firms economic performance and competitiveness, seeking to assess potential competition distortions and carbon leakage risks produced by the policy. The analysis is run on the sample of businesses operating in any of the sectors eligible to compensation and on the aluminium sector alone. The data employed in the evaluation is at the firm level and comes from the records on the beneficiaries of indirect cost compensation provided by DG COMP and from the Orbis Bureau Van Dijk database. Competition distortion is measured in terms of the effects of the intervention on per worker measures of turnover and value of total assets. The risk of carbon leakage is evaluated on the basis of firm-level indicators of turnover, value of total assets and number of employees. The results suggest that receiving compensation for indirect costs does not have a statistically significant impact on labour productivity of firms in comparison to those that do not receive funding. Conversely, the evidence points to a negative effect on performance measured in terms of turnover, value of total assets and employment. This might be due to a multitude of factors that affect firms’ economic performance, for instance differences in energy costs across countries that do not provide compensation compared to MS that foresee this type of aid. As far as the analysis on aid intensity is concerned, which only contemplates a more homogeneous pool of firms operating in aiding countries, higher compensation amounts do not seem to generate competition distortion. At the same time, a higher level of subsidies appears to marginally reduce the risk of carbon leakage, as performance measured in terms of turnover, value of total assets and number of employees improves. Estimated coefficients suggest that, for each 1% increase in the amount of the subsidy received (i.e. around 1,000 EUR), firms expand their turnover and their assets value by 0.01%, and their workforce by 0.07%. The report also provides some suggestions on future data collection and reporting provisions, aimed at reducing cost, facilitating data management and increasing the quality and level of accuracy of future evaluations.JRC.I.1-Monitoring, Indicators & Impact Evaluatio

Robust motion control of a robot manipulator via Integral Suboptimal Second Order Sliding modes

This paper deals with the formulation of an Integral Suboptimal Second Order Sliding Mode control algorithm oriented to solve motion control problems for robot manipulators, taking into account the presence of unavoidable modelling uncertainties and external disturbances affecting the systems. The proposed algorithm is designed so that the so-called reaching phase, normally present in the evolution of a system controlled via a Sliding Mode controller, is reduced to a minimum. Moreover, since the relative degree of the relevant system output is suitably augmented through the use of an integrator, the control action affecting the robotic system is continuous, with a significant benefit, in terms of chattering alleviation, for the overall controlled electromechanical system. The verification and validation of our proposal have been performed by simulating the motion control scheme relying on a model of the considered robot, i.e. a COMAU SMART3-S2 anthropomorphic industrial robot manipulator, identified on the basis of real data. © 2013 IEEE

Design of an Integral Suboptimal Second-Order Sliding Mode Controller for the Robust Motion Control of Robot Manipulators

The formulation of an integral suboptimal second-order sliding mode ((ISSOSM) control algorithm, oriented to solve motion control problems for robot manipulators, is presented in this paper. The proposed algorithm is designed so that the so-called reaching phase, normally present in the evolution of a system controlled via the sliding mode approach, is reduced to a minimum. This fact makes the algorithm more suitable to be applied to a real industrial robot, since it enhances its robustness, by extending it also to time intervals during which the classical sliding mode is not enforced. Moreover, since the algorithm generates second-order sliding modes, while the model of the controlled electromechanical system has a relative degree equal to one, the control action actually fed into the plant is continuous, which provides a positive chattering alleviation effect. The assessment of the proposal has been carried out by experimentally testing it on a COMAU SMART3-S2 anthropomorphic industrial robot manipulator. The satisfactory experimental results, also compared with those obtained with a standard proportional-derivative controller and with the original suboptimal algorithm, confirm that the new algorithm can actually be used in an industrial context

Robust motion control of a robot manipulator via Integral Suboptimal Second Order Sliding modes

This paper deals with the formulation of an Integral Suboptimal Second Order Sliding Mode control algorithm oriented to solve motion control problems for robot manipulators, taking into account the presence of unavoidable modelling uncertainties and external disturbances affecting the systems. The proposed algorithm is designed so that the so-called reaching phase, normally present in the evolution of a system controlled via a Sliding Mode controller, is reduced to a minimum. Moreover, since the relative degree of the relevant system output is suitably augmented through the use of an integrator, the control action affecting the robotic system is continuous, with a significant benefit, in terms of chattering alleviation, for the overall controlled electromechanical system. The verification and validation of our proposal have been performed by simulating the motion control scheme relying on a model of the considered robot, i.e. a COMAU SMART3-S2 anthropomorphic industrial robot manipulator, identified on the basis of real data. © 2013 IEEE

Guidance of quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicles via adaptive multiple-surface sliding mode control

In many application domains, navigation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) requires a planar flight to move along a desired path or to track a moving object under uncertain conditions. In this paper, we propose a robust control approach for quadrotor UAVs performing a nonholonomic-like navigation with a predefined velocity based guidance law. Specifically, the quadrotor model is first recast in the framework of nonholonomic systems, and then an adaptive multiple-surface sliding mode approach, with suboptimal second order sliding mode control, is applied. The robustness features of the proposed approach are discussed and assessed in simulation

Does institutional quality matter for multidimensional well-being inequalities? Insights from Italy

Our paper aims to shed light on regional multidimensional well-being inequalities in Italy. We first decompose the Theil index in its "within" and "between" components and we find that disparities in multidimensional well-being go beyond the historical GDP divide between the Centre-North and the South of Italy: "within" multidimensional well-being inequalities result to be as relevant as inequalities "between" these sub-national areas, suggesting that territorial-specific factors may be at work. Then, using a regional panel in the period 2004–2012, we analyse the relationship between multidimensional well-being disparities and regional institutional quality in terms of voice and accountability, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, and corruption. We find that institutional quality matter in affecting regional multidimensional well-being inequalities and the effect varies heterogeneously accordingly to the level of public expenditure, institutional dimensions, and spatial spillovers. These findings indicate local policies could be better targeted to reduce gaps and increase expenditure efficiency, foremost among which are anti-corruption actions and measures to enhance the effectiveness of regulatory interventions, especially in regions which are lagging behind

A Variable-Length Cell Road Traffic Model: Application to Ring Road Speed Limit Optimization

International audienceIn this paper we propose a variable speed control strategy based on a new Variable-Length cell transmission Model (VLM). The VLM differs from the standard Cell Transmission model in that only a limited number of (variable length) cells are used. Road network is subdivided into several sections which are assumed to be composed of a downstream congested cell followed by a free upstream cell. Both cells have variable lengths and are described by two lumped densities (one congested, the other free). One more state describing the length variation completes the model for each section. The paper also introduces an associated optimal speed control design based on the proposed VLM. The method is illustrated on a closed ring road and is shown to optimize the traveling time per turn

INDICATORI DI BENESSERE E CONVERGENZA TRA LE REGIONI: UN’APPLICAZIONE AL CASO ITALIANO

Questo articolo studia la convergenza tra le regioni italiane considerando due indicatori compositi di progresso socio-economico che tengono conto della natura multidimensionale del benessere. Un primo indicatore composito viene costruito incorporando, oltre al reddito disponibile delle famiglie, altri due sotto-indicatori riguardanti gli aspetti della salute e dell’istruzione; il secondo indicatore composito viene ottenuto considerando, in aggiunta ai primi, altri tre sotto-indicatori che riguardano, rispettivamente, la qualità socio-istituzionale, le pari opportunità intergenerazionali e tra sessi sul mercato del lavoro, e la competitività regionale. La banca dati delle singole variabili o indici, complessivamente 17, che compongono i sei sotto-indicatori copre il periodo che va dal 1998 al 2008. Viene dunque valutata sia la convergenza sigma che la convergenza gamma, quest’ultima attraverso la costruzione dell’indice di Kendall. In coerenza con altri studi condotti per altri Paesi europei e che utilizzano indicatori compositi di reddito e di qualità della vita, i risultati mostrano l’esistenza di un processo di sigma convergenza tra le regioni in termini di benessere, anche se risultano assenti manifestazioni significative di mobilità intradistributiva: in altri termini, le differenze tra le regioni tendono a ridursi, ma la graduatoria in senso ordinale delle stesse non subisce variazioni di rilievo.