European countries’ vulnerability to COVID-19: multicriteria decision-making techniques

COVID-19 has triggered an unprecedented health crisis, crippling economic activity around the world. The aim of this paper is to analyse European countries’ vulnerability to the associated consequences. The analysis will focus on three areas that a priori are expected to be most severely affected by the pandemic – health, society and work – examining the possible relationship with countries’ wealth. The multicriteria decision-making Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) will be used to generate a ranking of countries based on criteria that define each of these three areas. The findings will provide authorities with quantitative information to guide their aid policies. The results show that Eastern European countries should direct their resources towards addressing health-related and social issues. Conversely, those that have higher GDP per capita and that have been hardest hit by coronavirus will have to make changes to their labour systems in order to minimize the fallout

Emerging Countries as the Main Destinations for European Value-Added Exports

Nowadays, production chains may cross the borders of several continents in search of greater profitability. In order to more accurately calculate countries’ foreign demand, value-added exports should be used rather than gross exports. This study takes the value-added exports calculated for European Union countries and uses extended gravity models to analyze the determinants of this trade, differentiating between countries according to the main destinations for their value-added, USA, Russia and China. The results reveal certain changes according to the economic period analyzed and the destination of the goods, with respect to key variables such as the wealth of the exporting country, the level of logistics performance and distance. In 2014, China registered an improvement in its position compared to Russia

Link between structural risk factors for adverse impacts of COVID-19 and food insecurity in developed and developing countries

[EN] COVID-19 has had serious consequences for world food security; lockdowns and social distancing have led to changes in global food value chains, primarily afecting the poorest of the planet. The aim of this research is to analyse the relationship between food insecurity and the structural risk factors for adverse impacts of COVID-19. To that end, 12 contingency tables are constructed to identify the association between the pillars of the food insecurity index and the INFORM COVID-19 Risk Index. We use the Gamma coefcient as a measure of association. In addition, this paper proposes a synthetic index produced by applying the TOPSIS method, using the pillars of the two aforementioned indices (criteria) to establish a ranking of 112 countries (alternatives) ordered from highest to lowest risk faced in the key year of the pandemic, 2020. The results show that the two problems are connected, indicating to international organizations that countries with worse food insecurity will sufer more serious consequences from extreme situations such as the one experienced during the pandemic. The ranking established directs international organizations¿ attention to countries such as Haiti, Zambia and Burundi, highlighting their greater need for an injection of fnancial aid than other emerging economies. Conversely, Switzerland is the country with the lowest combined risk.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This work was supported by: Grant RTI2018-093791-B-C22 funded by MCIN/AEI/https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF A way of making Europe.Martí Selva, ML.; Puertas Medina, RM. (2022). Link between structural risk factors for adverse impacts of COVID-19 and food insecurity in developed and developing countries. Environment, Development and Sustainability (Online). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-022-02749-

European countries' vulnerability to COVID-19: multicriteria decision-making techniques

[EN] COVID-19 has triggered an unprecedented health crisis, crippling economic activity around the world. The aim of this paper is to analyse European countries' vulnerability to the associated consequences. The analysis will focus on three areas that a priori are expected to be most severely affected by the pandemic - health, society and work - examining the possible relationship with countries' wealth. The multicriteria decision-making Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) will be used to generate a ranking of countries based on criteria that define each of these three areas. The findings will provide authorities with quantitative information to guide their aid policies. The results show that Eastern European countries should direct their resources towards addressing health-related and social issues. Conversely, those that have higher GDP per capita and that have been hardest hit by coronavirus will have to make changes to their labour systems in order to minimize the fallout.Martí Selva, ML.; Puertas Medina, RM. (2021). European countries' vulnerability to COVID-19: multicriteria decision-making techniques. Economic Research-Ekonomska Istrazivanja. 34(1):3309-3320. https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2021.1874462S3309332034

La comprensió de la cronologia a finals de l’EGB

El propòsit inicial d’aquest treball és comprovar fins a quin punt els alumnes, en finalitzar l’antiga EGB, tenen assolides unes idees bàsiques sobre cronologia i/o èpoques històriques estudiades amb anterioritat. Val a dir que aquest treball s’ha fet a l’assignatura d’Història Local i Comarcal, impartida pel professor Antoni Gavaldà, el curs 1995-96. Per a l’estudi s’ha comptat amb els resultats obtinguts en un treball semblant (POZO, 1985) que ha servit de base orientativa

Analysis of the role of innovation and efficiency in coastal destinations affected by tourism seasonality

This research analyses the relationship between efficiency, innovation and seasonality of the Spanish coasts for a five-year period (2015−2019). First of all, the nexus between the level of efficiency and changes in productivity, driven by improvements in innovation and/or efficiency, is determined using Data Envelopment Analysis and the Malmquist Index. Second, this paper proposes a synthetic index to measure seasonality and assess its connection with efficiency and innovation, using a cross efficiency approach to do so. Results show how the intensity of seasonality influences efficiency. In addition, it is observed that innovation can offset possible decreases in efficiency; as such, policies that promote both aspects are needed in the more seasonal destinations

Determinants of tourist arrivals in European Mediterranean countries: Analysis of competitiveness

[EN] This research employs a gravity framework to evaluate the tourism in European Mediterranean countries. The paper analyses the destination competitiveness as a means for tourism attraction and also verifies whether more competitive countries can be used as a point of reference for the development of those lagging behind. The gravity equations are used because of their proven effectiveness in estimating other similar studies fields. The study focuses on the Mediterranean European countries, mainly due essentially, to the wide span of their positions along the TTCI ranking (Spain ranks first, whereas Montenegro is in 67th place). Results reveal that these European destinations are not efficiently exploiting their tourism capacity and they need apply policies to foster this economic activity and enable the transformation of competitiveness into greater numbers of visitors.Martí Selva, ML.; Puertas Medina, RM. (2017). Determinants of tourist arrivals in European Mediterranean countries: Analysis of competitiveness. European Journal of Tourism Research. 15:131-142. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/109185S1311421

Factors determining the trade costs of major European exporters

[EN] The aim of this paper is to analyse the determining factors of trade costs in the top European exporting nations (Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Sweden). For this purpose, we have estimated a trade costs equation to evaluate the importance of logistical performance and other variables that may be key in determining trade costs. Our results reveal the great importance of logistics, even greater than the effect of distance on trade costs, and they also show that in those countries where trade costs are lower, logistics becomes more decisive in international trade. This analysis allows one to draw conclusions on the type of improvements necessary for cost reductions and, therefore, for greater international competitiveness. The research has been conducted for 2 years, thus facilitating the detection of possible changes that can in turn reveal the existence of a trade pattern in these countries.Martí Selva, ML.; Puertas Medina, RM. (2019). Factors determining the trade costs of major European exporters. Maritime Economics & Logistics. 21(3):324-333. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41278-017-0093-5S32433321

Plataformas en Campus Virtual: una visión práctica

La Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) inició en el curso académico 2003- 2004 el proyecto de implantación de su Campus Virtual (CV-UCM, 2007). En la actualidad, septiembre de 2007, más de 60.000 alumnos y más de 3.000 profesores están registrados como usuarios del Campus Virtual. El gestor de cursos que da soporte desde sus orígenes a este Campus Virtual es WebCT (versión 4.0.x en sus comienzos y 4.1.x en la actualidad)

Application of data envelopment analysis to evaluate investments in the modernization of collective management irrigation systems in Valencia (Spain)

[EN] Climate change and increased competition for water resources are generating growing concern about how to improve water-use efficiency in agriculture. In turn, this has prompted substantial investments in the installation of water-saving technologies in irrigation systems. The first aim of this research is to use data envelopment analysis to quantify, in terms of gross water savings (GWS), the local-scale efficiency of the irrigation policies adopted in an area of Spain suffering from a structural water deficit. Second, the cross-efficiency method is used to produce a ranking of the irrigation organizations analysed, in order to identify patterns of water-use efficiency performance that can guide future lines of investment. The results reveal that water-use efficiency prior to modernization is a key determinant of the efficiency achieved in terms of GWS at local scale. However, the investments targeted at irrigation modernization often have objectives other than water savings. These and other aspects should be taken into account when allocating public funds to irrigation modernization.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This study has been supported by the ADAPTAMED project ((RTI2018-101483-B-I00) and by the former IMPADAPT project (CGL2013-48424-C2-1-R) with Spanish MINECO (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad) and European FEDER funds.García Molla, M.; Puertas Medina, RM.; Sanchis Ibor, C. (2021). Application of data envelopment analysis to evaluate investments in the modernization of collective management irrigation systems in Valencia (Spain). Water Resources Management. 35:5011-5027. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-021-02986-1S501150273