The Obligations of a Policy Economist

Agricultural and Food Policy,

The Political Economy of Environmental Policy

This paper provides a review and assessment of the extensive literature on the political determination of environmental regulation. A promising theoretical literature has emerged relatively recently that provides models of the political interaction of government with various interest groups in the setting of environmental standards and the choice of regulatory instruments. A large empirical literature supports such models, finding evidence of the influence of interest groups but also evidence that net social benefits are often an important determinant of environmental policy choices. We then take up the issue of environmental federalism and the large and growing theoretical literature that addresses the competitive “race to the bottom.” The paper concludes with a brief look at the evolution of environmental policy and finds that economics has come to play a growing role both in the setting of standards for environmental quality and in the design of regulatory measures.environmental regulation, environmental management, environmental policy

Med ECG

Medical Schoolhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/170643/1/DavidPortney_1.docxhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/170643/2/DavidPortney_2.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/170643/3/DavidPortney_3.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/170643/4/DavidPortney_4.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/170643/5/DavidPortney_5.pptxhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/170643/6/DavidPortney_6.pptxhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/170643/7/DavidPortney_7.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/170643/8/DavidPortney_8.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/170643/9/DavidPortney_9.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/170643/10/DavidPortney_10.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/170643/11/DavidPortney_11.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/170643/12/DavidPortney_12.pd

The Economics of Fuel Economy Standards

This paper discusses several rationales for the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program, including reduced oil dependence, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and the possibility that fuel saving benefits from higher standards might exceed added vehicle costs. We then summarize what can be said about the welfare effects of tightening standards, accounting for prior fuel taxes, and perverse effects on congestion and traffic accidents through the impact of improved fuel economy on the incentive to drive. Implications of CAFE on local air pollution, and the controversy over CAFE, vehicle weight, and road safety, are also discussed. Finally, we describe ways in which the existing CAFE program could be substantially improved and identify a variety of alternative, and much superior, policy approaches.

Expert consensus for respiratory physiotherapy management of mechanically ventilated adults with community-acquired pneumonia: A Delphi study

Rationale and aims: Patients with community‐acquired pneumonia (CAP) are frequently admitted to an intensive care unit. Physiotherapy may be provided to optimize respiratory function; however, there is significant variability in clinical practice and limited research directing best practice for this cohort. This study aimed to determine expert consensus for best physiotherapy practice for invasively ventilated adults with CAP. Method: A modified Delphi technique involved an international expert panel completing three rounds of an online questionnaire. The initial 35‐statement questionnaire, based on a systematic literature review and survey of current clinical practice, covered physiotherapy assessment and treatment of intubated patients with CAP. Quantitative data using Likert scales determined level of agreement, with qualitative data collected through open‐ended responses. Consensus threshold was set a priori at 70%. Items not achieving consensus were modified and new items added based on themes from qualitative data. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively, with thematic analysis used on qualitative data. Results: The panel comprised 29 international clinical and academic experts in critical care physiotherapy. Response rate was more than 95% for each round. Outcome achieved was 38 consensus statements covering assessment and treatment, with 28 statements (74%) providing consensus on recommended clinical practice, two consensus disagreement statements (7%) for what practice is not recommended, and eight statements (21%) indicating which treatments may be beneficial. Conclusion: Expert consensus regarding physiotherapy for intubated adults with CAP patients provides an evidence‐based approach to guide clinical practice. The consensus statements can also be used to guide research evaluating physiotherapy interventions for patients with CAP

Governing the Water-Energy-Food Nexus: What it Is and Why it Matters

The term “water-energy-food nexus” describes the ways the three resources are heavily dependent on each other. The science of the water-energy-food nexus suggests that these resources need to be managed and governed together. But, few people know much about what nexus governance is or why it matters. This brief addresses the governance of these resources as reflected in research of the Institute for Science, Technology, and Public Policy

The Destiny of Net Operating Losses

Professor Eustice opens the discussion with a description of the 1976 amendments to section 382 and the history of other provisions as a backdrop to the proposed changes by the Senate Finance Committee Staff Report. Professor Eustice provides a comprehensive roadmap to the limitations proposed, including how they would operate in practice. Mr. Portney then considers the reform proposals for the net operating loss carryover and the types of considerations that merit discussion in choosing the appropriate restrictions on carryovers. Mr. Portney presents a strong case in favor of simplicity. He argues also that the statute should restrict the use of corporate acquisitions for the purpose of obtaining loss carryovers and suggests methods for accomplishing that sort of restriction. Professor Eustice then discusses alternatives for limiting loss carryovers, one based on the purchase price of the business and the other based on the future income stream from the pool of capital in existence at the time of the acquisition

Sustainable Cities and Healthy Cities: Are They the Same?

There is robust literature examining the wide array of public policies and programs cities pursue in order to try to become more sustainable. Whether the focus of such programs is explicitly on improving the bio-physical environment, climate protection and adaptation, energy efficiency, land use regulation, or any of a number of other targets, such programs often carry with them an expectation that the programs will contribute to improve the health of populations. While there is significant attention to asserting that such a relationship exists, or ought to exist, there have been no efforts to explicitly and empirically link city policies to health outcomes. This paper tackles this issue head-on, investigating the extent to which cities in the US that have the most aggressive sustainability initiatives exhibit better health outcomes than cities with less aggressive sustainability initiatives. Using data from the largest cities in the US, this paper presents evidence concerning the strength of this relationship, discusses the foundations for the relationship, and provides a discussion of the implications for urban planning, sustainability policies and for improving the health of populations

Economic Incentives and the Containment of Global Warming

This paper explores the role for economic instruments in the control of global warming. It begins with a review of what theory and practice have taught us about these instruments--pollution taxes and systems of transferable permits--in the pursuit of domestic environmental management. It then extends this analysis to a global framework and examines some of the difficult issues that arise in the design and implementation of such policy measures for the regulation of global emissions of greenhouse gases.Regulation