The Dynamics of Revenue-Neutral Trade Liberalization

Abstract: The paper studies the dynamic welfare and macroeconomic effects of a revenue-neutral strategy of offsetting tariff reductions with increases in destination-based consumption taxes. To this end, we employ a dynamic general equilibrium model of a small open developing economy, featuring endogenous labor supply and sector-specific capital and land. In contrast to conventional results from tax-tariff reform studies based on fixed factor endowments, we find that instantaneous utility and the volume of trade fall on impact. Aggregate output rises in the short run, re ecting increased labor supply and a more efficient allocation of resources across sectors. In the long run, however, aggregate output declines, whereas instantaneous utility and the volume of trade increase compared to the pre-reform equilibrium. For a plausible calibration of the model, lifetime welfare is shown to increase.Tariff reform;coordinated tax-tariff reform;consumption tax reform;trade liberalization

Coordinated Tax-Tariff Reforms, Informality, and Welfare Distribution

The paper studies the revenue, efficiency, and distributional implications of a simple strategy of offsetting tariff reductions with increases in destination-based consumption taxes so as to leave consumer prices unchanged. We employ a dynamic micro-founded macroeconomic model of a small open developing economy, which features an informal sector that cannot be taxed, a formal agricultural sector, and an import-substitution sector. The reform strategy increases government revenue, imports, exports, and the informal sector. In contrast to Emran and Stiglitz (2005), who ignore the dynamic effects of taxes and tariffs on factor markets, we find an efficiency gain, which is unevenly distributed. Existing generations benefit more than future generations, who (depending on pre-existing tax and tariff rates and the informal sector size) even may become worse off.Tariff reform;consumption tax reform;informal sector;home production;transitional dynamics;overlapping generations;second-best outcome

Coordinated Tax-Tariff Reforms, Informality, and Welfare Distribution

The paper studies the revenue, efficiency, and distributional implications of a simple strategy of offsetting tariff reductions with increases in destination-based consumption taxes so as to leave consumer prices unchanged. We employ a dynamic micro-founded macroeconomic model of a small open developing economy, which features an informal sector that cannot be taxed, a formal agricultural sector, and an import-substitution sector. The reform strategy increases government revenue, imports, exports, and the informal sector. In contrast to Emran and Stiglitz (2005), who ignore the dynamic effects of taxes and tariffs on factor markets, we find an efficiency gain, which is unevenly distributed. Existing generations benefit more than future generations, who - depending on pre-existing tax and tariff rates and the informal sector size - even may become worse off.tariff reform, consumption tax reform, informal sector, home production, transitional dynamics, overlapping generations, second-best outcome

Local Vitamin D Metabolism in Bone and Muscle

Lips, P.T.A.M. [Promotor]Heijer, M. den [Promotor]Bravenboer, N. [Copromotor]Jaspers, R.T. [Copromotor

Development of the MILENA gasification technology for the production of Bio-SNG

The production of Substitute Natural Gas from biomass (Bio-SNG) is an attractive option to reduce CO2 emissions and replace declining fossil natural gas reserves. The Energy research Center of the Netherlands (ECN) is working on the development of the MILENA gasification technology that is ideally suited to convert a wide range of biomass fuels into a gas that can be upgraded into Bio-SNG. The MILENA gasification process is a new biomass gasification process designed to produce a medium calorific value gas (approximately 16 MJ nm-3 on dry basis) with a high content of hydrocarbons like methane and ethylene. A high hydrocarbon content is beneficial if the gas is going to be used in a prime mover or will be upgraded to Bio-SNG. The MILENA is best described as an Indirect or Allothermal fluidized bed gasifier. One of the major advantages of Indirect gasifiers is the near 100% conversion of the fuel into a combustible gas and sensible heat. The residual ash is virtually carbon free (<1 wt.% C), which means that the loss in heating value of the remains including the ash is close to zero.. The overall efficiency of the MILENA gasifier is relatively high, compared to the alternatives, because of the complete fuel conversion and the relatively low amount of steam required in the process. Chapter 4 presents an analysis of the obtainable Bio-SNG process efficiency using three different, more or less suitable, gasification technologies and associated gas cleaning and methanation equipment. These technologies are: 1) Entrained Flow, 2) Circulating Fluidized Bed and 3) Indirect gasification. Overall efficiency to SNG is highest for Indirect gasification. The net overall efficiencies on an LHV basis, including electricity consumption and pretreatment, but excluding transport of biomass, are 54% for Entrained Flow, 58% for CFB and 67% for Indirect gasification. Because of the significant differences in overall efficiencies to SNG for the different gasifiers, ECN has selected the Indirect gasification as the preferred technology for the production of SNG. A pseudo-equilibrium model is made to describe the MILENA gasification process. This MILENA model was used to design the lab-scale and pilot-scale installations. The model will be described in Chapter 5. The model is also usable for other fluidized bed biomass gasification processes operating at atmospheric pressure between 770 and 880°C. In 2004 the 30 kWth lab-scale MILENA gasifier was build. After successful operation of the MILENA lab-scale gasifier for some years it was, at the end of 2006, decided to start the realization of a pilot-scale gasifier. Construction started in 2007 and the 800 kWth pilot plant was taken into operation in 2008. First tests with the complete system (gasifier and gas cleaning) were done in 2009. The MILENA process and the lab-scale and pilot-scale installation are described in Chapter 6. An extensive test program was done in the lab-scale and pilot-scale MILENA installations. Different fuels, such as clean wood, demolition wood, sewage sludge and lignite were tested. Test results were used to verify the MILENA model. Only minor adjustments were made to the model. Tests with demolition wood were done to produce data for the engineering of a MILENA demonstration plant. Results of these tests are described in Chapter 7. A MILENA demonstration gasifier to be operated with demolition wood B (painted wood), in combination with OLGA gas cleaning, is planned for 2012. The cleaned gas will be used in a gas engine to produce heat and electricity. The MILENA demonstration is designed for a net electrical output of approximately 3 – 3.5 MWe. Residual heat will be used in the local heat grid. A 50 MWth Bio-SNG demonstration plant is scheduled to be started in 2015. Experimental work will focus on testing of the required catalysts as well as final gas conditioning steps that are required for upgrading the gas into Bio-SNG

Final internship report revenue management: an internship at NH Hotels

This document reports my experience as an intern at the revenue management department of NH hotels. Throughout this six-month internship, two revenue managers were supported with their daily task for a total of seven hotels. The objective of the internship was to see how NH hotels is optimising its revenue stream by analysing what kind of tools its revenue management team are using, as well as what activities they are performing. This report also offers a brief summary of the relevant literature on revenue management. Reviewing the extant literature was pivotal to ensure my internship’s success. In fact, knowing about the key papers, authors and results on revenue management helped me prepare to face what was coming from a practical standpoint. I derived two main conclusions from this internship. First, as suggested by the literature, I now strongly believe that, in order to maximise revenue, hotels must use their scarce resources effectively, which suggests moving away from mass prices and marketing and instead concentrating on tailor-made offers to their customers. NH hotels is accomplishing this using Duetto’s open-pricing principles to offer the optimal price to match each segment’s willingness to pay. Second, there seems to be a gap between theory and practice regarding what concerns revenue management. In particular, NH hotels generally complies with the revenue management process as described by Ivanov (2014). Theoretically speaking, however, such process is described as an order of steps that the revenue management team should continuously perform, when in practice, we see that such steps are intertwined and often done performed at the same time.Este documento reporta a minha experiência enquanto estagiário na área da gestão de rendimento na cadeia de hotéis NH. Tive a oportunidade de passar seis meses nesta posição, apoiando directamente dois profissionais desta área que estão encarregues de gerir sete hotéis do grupo. Durante o estágio tive a oportunidade de acompanhar todas as tarefas diárias e assim verificar de perto a forma como uma das maiores cadeias internacionais leva a cabo a difícil tarefa de optimizar o fluxo de rendimento gerado pelo negócio hoteleiro. Cumulativamente, tive a oportunidade de aprender a manusear os diferentes sistemáticos em utilização pelos hotéis NH e, com isso, verificar a complexidade inerente a este tipo de tarefas. Para além do reporte das acções levadas a cabo durante o estágio o presente relatório também fornece um breve enquadramento teórico da área ligada à gestão de rendimento no sector hoteleiro. Na verdade, esta foi uma peça fundamental para o bom desenvolvimento do estágio já que me permitiu adquirir um nível de conhecimento prévio bastante relevante sobre o que poderia esperar do contacto com a realidade. A realização do estágio levou-me a duas conclusões fundamentais. Primeiro, em linha com o proposto pela literatura, é fundamental para o negócio hoteleiro utilizar uma estratégia de gestão de rendimento que se foque na especificidade dos clientes em detrimento de uma visão global e não segmentada da sua procura. Esta é precisamente a filosofia seguida pela cadeia NH e implementada com base em sofisticados sistemas informáticos. Segundo, parecer existir uma diferença considerável entre o proposto pela teoria e a prática no que toca à gestão do rendimento no sector hoteleiro. Em particular, apesar da cadeia NH seguir de forma genérica o postulado por Ivanov (2014) nesta matéria, a realização do estágio enfatizou que o processo é bem mais complexo do que a realidade muito organizada que parece ser prescrita pela generalidade dos autores académicos que se debruçam sobre o tema

Człowiek i jego duchowość. Edyty Stein rozumienie osoby

This article discusses the concept of a person in Edith Stein’s philosophical anthropology. It is a key-concept of Stein’s early and later philosophical theories. I discuss the properties and conditions of being a person, in particular: spirituality, rationality, freedom, being an ego and the individuality of persons. Analysis is confronted with the historical beginnings of the term ‘person’. The main focus of the article is the relation between the two concepts: ‘person’ and ‘human being’. Thus, the article’s final section discusses the exclusive character of Stein’s theory of a person

Analysis of North Sea offshore wind power variability

This paper evaluates, for a 2030 scenario, the impact on onshore power systems in terms of the variability of the power generated by 81 GW of offshore wind farms installed in the North Sea. Meso-scale reanalysis data are used as input for computing the hourly power production for offshore wind farms, and this total production is analyzed to identify the largest aggregated hourly power variations. Based on publicly available information, a simplified representation of the coastal power grid is built for the countries bordering the North Sea. Wind farms less than 60 km from shore are connected radially to the mainland, while the rest are connected to a hypothetical offshore HVDC (High-Voltage Direct Current) power grid, designed such that wind curtailment does not exceed 1% of production. Loads and conventional power plants by technology and associated cost curves are computed for the various national power systems, based on 2030 projections. Using the MATLAB-based MATPOWER toolbox, the hourly optimal power flow for this regional hybrid AC/DC grid is computed for high, low and medium years from the meso-scale database. The largest net load variations are evaluated per market area and related to the extra load-following reserves that may be needed from conventional generators.Parts of this work were funded by Agentschap.NL, the Netherlands, now RVO.nl (Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland [25], under the project North Sea Transnational Grid (NSTG). The NSTG project is a cooperation between Delft University of Technology and the Energy Research Center of the Netherlands

Students with Disabilities in Dutch VET: An Exploratory Study

[Excerpt] The inclusion of persons with disabilities in general programmes of vocational training has been called for by the ILO in international labour standards over many years, including standards relating to Human Resources Development and disability-related standards. This call is taken up strongly in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which calls on States Parties to take appropriate steps to enable persons with disabilities to have effective access to general tertiary education, vocational and life-long learning without discrimination and on an equal basis with others, and to ensure that reasonable accommodation is provided to that effect. While many countries have expressed commitment to this vision of inclusive vocational training, progress has been limited, even in countries which have adopted policies to promote, and there has been limited analysis of the factors hindering the effective implementation of such policies. It was thus appropriate for the ILO to undertake this exploratory study, to seek to pinpoint elements of policy and practice that might need to be addressed, if these policies on inclusion are to make a difference to persons with disabilities seeking to develop their skills with a view to obtaining decent jobs. The issues identified in this study will hopefully contribute to the wider policy debate, particularly on the matter of instructor preparation for disability inclusion and on the impact of funding arrangements. It will also hopefully stimulate further research to establish whether the patterns identified here are general patterns to be found and tackled elsewhere

Doctor Crucis : the criteria for conferral of the title of Doctor of the Church and their application to the case of Edith Stein : part I

Edyta Stein jest powszechnie uznawana za świętą, męczennicę, ofiarę Holokaustu i filozofa - ale czy może być doktorem Kościoła? Do tej pory trzydzieści siedem postaci, w tym cztery kobiety, nosiło ten tytuł ze względu na ich tak zwane "wybitne nauki", eminentes doctrinae. Przez wieki istniała proceduralna trudność w przyznawaniu tytułów męczennikom, jednak w drugiej dekadzie XXI wieku Kongregacja Spraw Kanonizacyjnych doszła do wniosku, że męczeństwo nie jest co do zasady przeszkodą w przyznaniu tytułu. Można zatem postawić pytanie: czy spuścizna kogoś spośród chrześcijańskich męczenników spełnia kryteria doktoratu Kościoła? Celem niniejszego artykułu jest zbadanie kryteriów nadawania tytułu doktora Kościoła, wśród których prym wiedzie kryterium zwane eminens doctrina, i zastosowanie ich do jednego przykładu - Edyty Stein. Czyniąc to, rozważam kwestię czysto historycznie i filozoficznie, rozpoczynając od przebadania definicji ojca Kościoła i doktora Kościoła w części pierwszej (dostępnej poniżej). W drugiej części (cz. II dostępna w 2024) pytam, które aspekty teologii, filozofii i duchowości męczennicy spełniają kryteria wybitnej doktryny, sformułowane w dokumentach Kościoła, a które są niewystarczające lub ich brakuje. Aby uwypuklić charakter danego kryterium, zestawiam przypadek Stein z innymi niedawno dyskutowanymi przypadkami, takimi jak Ireneusz z Lyonu i Jan Paweł II.Edith Stein is widely recognised as a saint, a martyr, a victim of the Holocaust and a female philosopher - but can she be a Doctor of the Church? So far, thirty-seven figures, including four women, carry the title due to their so-called "eminent doctrines", eminentes doctrinae. For centuries, a procedural difficulty existed in awarding the titles to martyrs, however, in the second decade of the 21st century, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints reached a conclusion that martyrdom is not, in principle, an obstacle in awarding the title. A question, therefore, can be posed: does the legacy of someone among the Christian martyrs fulfill the criteria of the Church’s Doctorate? The aim of this article is to investigate the criteria for conferral of the title of the Doctor of the Church, prime among which is a criterion called eminens doctrina, and apply them to one example, that of Edith Stein. In doing so, I consider the question purely historically and philosophically, starting out with definitions of the Father of the Church and the Doctor of the Church in part one (available below). In the second part of the article (available in 2024), I ask what aspects of the female martyr’s theology, philosophy and spirituality fulfill the criteria of an eminent doctrine, as formulated in the Church’s documents, and which are insufficient or lacking. In order to highlight the nature of a particular criterion, I contrast Stein’s case with other recently debated cases, such as those of Irenaeus of Lyons and John Paul II