The diffusion of differentiated waste disposal taxes in the Netherlands

The diffusion of a novel taxing scheme among Dutch municipalities in the period 1998-2005 is studied. In this taxing scheme the waste disposal tax is made dependent on the amount of waste a household produces. Inspecting the pattern of the introduction of this tariff, it seems to be contagious: the probability of introduction is increasing in the number of neighboring municipalities that have already introduced this taxing scheme. A possible rationale is that the tax encourages illegal dumping of waste which in turn might increase the waste of neighboring municipalities (spillover effect). Using panel data it is possible to distinguish between municipal specific effects and the spillover effect. The results indicate the presence of strong spillovers.

The Hartwick rule as a conservation law

Using conservation laws, we provide a new proof of the Hartwick result, i.e. there is intergenerational equity if and only if net investment is constant. Subsequently, the technique is used to show that constant net investment does not indicate intergenerational equity if consumers value the existence of an essential non-renewable resource.

On the probability of breakdown in participation games

In this paper I analyze a participation game i.e. a public good game where contributions to the public good are binary (people either participate or not participate). Although variants of this game have been studied extensively, most previous work takes the benefit of provision of the public good to be independent of the number of players that contribute and show that the probability of breakdown, i.e. the probability that no one participates, is increasing in group size. Here this assumption is dropped. I show when the probability of breakdown is decreasing in group size and also present sufficient conditions under which the probability of breakdown is increasing in group size. Moreover I show that for large groups this probability is non-negligible and exceeding exp(−1) in the limit and that the expected number of participants is less than one. Also two economic examples, concerning R&D and debt overhang, are discussed.

Price discrimination and price sensitivity in the car market : working paper, comment welcome

The model in Verboven (2002) is extended to include non-zero price elasticities and behavior in the fuel market is modelled explicitly. With the aid of simulations it is shown, that this makes quite a difference and, therefore, might lead to bias in parameter estimates.

Managing the environment and the economy in the presence of hysteresis and irreversibility

The shallow lake optimal management problem is one of the simplest ecological-economic interest conflict models for which several qualitatively different long run outcomes are possible. We extend the original model by adding the capital stock of an industry as a second state variable. A government can mitigate the effects of pollution arising from industrial activities by imposing the requirement to abate emissions. Within this framework two scenarios are examined. In the social optimal benchmark, the social planner optimally allocates investment. In the competitive equilibrium, market forces determine the investment in capital, but the social planner can still abate emissions. We show that in the case of irreversibilities catastrophes are avoided in the competitive equilibrium when it is socially optimal to do so. However, in the competitive equilibrium, either the catastrophe is avoided in an inefficient way or the catastrophe is badly managed. In case of hysteresis, catastrophes are almost always avoided. Moreover, the decision to avoid catastrophes does not depend on long-term considerations.

Environmental Policy and the Macroeconomy in the Presence of Ecological Thresholds

We study the environmental and economic effects of public abatement in the presence of multiple stable steady-state ecological equilibria. Under shallow-lake dynamics (SLD), the isocline for the stock of pollution features two stable branches, a good and a bad one. Assuming that the ecology is initially located on the upper (bad) branch of the isocline, the ecological equilibrium is hysteretic and a suitably designed temporary abatement policy can be used to steer the environment from the bad to the good equilibrium. In all models considered in this paper, a “cold turkey” abatement policy is optimal, i.e. the largest feasible shock should be administered for the shortest possible amount of time. Depending on the particular model used to characterize the economic system, there is a capital feedback effect that either helps or hinders the attainment of a successful abatement policy.Shallow-lake dynamics, Bifurcation, Environmental policy, Overlapping generations

Psychometric Properties of Questionnaires on Functional Health Status in Oropharyngeal Dysphagia: A Systematic Literature Review

Introduction. Questionnaires on Functional Health Status (FHS) are part of the assessment of oropharyngeal dysphagia. Objective. To conduct a systematic review of the literature on the psychometric properties of English-language FHS questionnaires in adults with oropharyngeal dysphagia. Methods. A systematic search was performed using the electronic databases Pubmed and Embase. The psychometric properties of the questionnaires were determined based on the COSMIN taxonomy of measurement properties and definitions for health-related patient-reported outcomes and the COSMIN checklist using preset psychometric criteria. Results. Three questionnaires were included: the Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10), the Swallowing Outcome after Laryngectomy (SOAL), and the Self-report Symptom Inventory. The Sydney Swallow Questionnaire (SSQ) proved to be identical to the Modified Self-report Symptom Inventory. All FHS questionnaires obtained poor overall methodological quality scores for most measurement properties. Conclusions. The retrieved FHS questionnaires need psychometric reevaluation; if the overall methodological quality shows satisfactory improvement on most measurement properties, the use of the questionnaires in daily clinic and research can be justified. However, in case of insufficient validity and/or reliability scores, new FHS questionnaires need to be developed using and reporting on preestablished psychometric criteria as recommended in literature

The new professional: underdog or expert? New Museology in the 21th century

Cadernos de SociomuseologiaFor a long time, museum’s form and function were impregnated with social exclusion, only accessible for a prosperous and educated minority. It held the monopoly on the past and therefore in a way on the present and the future. However times have changed and different perspectives on museum practices have been taken. In 1989 the British Peter Vergo mentioned as quoted below, a number of possible museologies, including a ‘new’, and therefore presumably an ‘old’ type of museology: “At the simplest level I would define it, as a state of widespread dissatisfaction with the ‘old’ museology, both within and outside the museum profession; and though the reader may object that such a definition is not merely negative, but circular, I would retort that what is wrong with the ‘old’ museology is that it is too much about museum methods, and too little about purposes of museums; that museology has in the past only frequently been seen, if it has been seen at all, as a theoretical and humanistic discipline.” (Vergo, 1989