{"title":"Special Report on Online Legal Education in Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore","authors":"Nobumichi Teramura, S. Farrar","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3918043","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3918043","url":null,"abstract":"This report compares the development of online legal education in Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore, three quite closely linked Asian economies following the English common law tradition. Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, these countries all faced pressing needs to shift their legal education to mostly online modes. In Malaysia, where the health and economic consequences of the pandemic were the most salient, universities and institutions have been struggling to deliver online teaching due to the uneven allocation of internet resources among the large population scattered across large and sometimes remote areas. Being instead small but well-resourced states, Brunei and Singapore were well positioned to weather the global pandemic and adopt online legal education. In particular, Singapore is a leader of online legal education in ASEAN, thanks to its advanced ICT infrastructures and outstanding preparedness for online teaching. Both Brunei and Malaysia can learn from the success of Singapore, to become strong players in the field of online legal education.","PeriodicalId":149553,"journal":{"name":"Political Economy - Development: Public Service Delivery eJournal","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114672012","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ballooning Bureaucracy: Tracking the Growth of High-Skilled Administration within Swedish Higher Education","authors":"F. Andersson, Henrik Jordahl, Anders Kärnä","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3907896","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3907896","url":null,"abstract":"Organizations, both non-profit and for-profit, needs to allocate labor for both production as well as internal administration. If this allocation is skewed towards internal administration, organizations, and especially non-profit organizations, might develop sclerosis over time with too much labor allocated to internal administration compared to production. Using detailed registry data on all individuals working at Swedish universities and colleges, we document a rapid increase in the number of qualified administrators, both in the number of employees and in total wages paid for these. This increase is not present in less qualified administration, and is mainly driven by an increase by a few professions such as communication and human resources. The increase does not lead to a significant reduction, or increase, in the time that researchers and teachers spend on administration. This in turn suggests that Swedish higher education over-allocates resources to high-skilled administration.","PeriodicalId":149553,"journal":{"name":"Political Economy - Development: Public Service Delivery eJournal","volume":"22 7 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125686026","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Railroads and the Development of Fish Culture in the United States","authors":"R. Hafer","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3908152","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3908152","url":null,"abstract":"The railroad industry was critical to several aspects in the development of fish culture in the Unites States. Without the assistance of railroad companies across the country, the U.S. Fish Commission and their state equivalents would not have succeeded in their efforts to save many species in the nation’s fish stock from total destruction. Railroads also instrumentally affected the development of sport angling. By making travel comparatively inexpensive, anglers from nearly all parts of the country were able to travel to locales that only a few years earlier they only read about. This promoted the public’s interest in fishing, helped build the industry that arose around this increasingly popular pastime, and by encouraging a larger segment of the population to discover and enjoy the outdoor sports, promoted the nascent conservation movement in the latter part of the 1800s.","PeriodicalId":149553,"journal":{"name":"Political Economy - Development: Public Service Delivery eJournal","volume":"85 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124144398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ramesh Bollapragada, Venoo Kakar, J. Goodwin, Andrew Fremier
{"title":"Adoption of FasTrak on San Francisco Bay Area Bridges: Impact of OR Models in Relieving Congestion","authors":"Ramesh Bollapragada, Venoo Kakar, J. Goodwin, Andrew Fremier","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3945148","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3945148","url":null,"abstract":"Bay Area toll bridges are the main transportation link across the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. These bridges experience extreme congestion and become bottlenecks during peak hours, with long backups at the toll plazas. A solution to ensure vehicle throughput at toll plazas is widespread adoption of the electronic toll collection system called FasTrak. However, the FasTrak System has experienced low usage rates since its inception relative to other toll collections systems in the country. We utilized forecasting, marketing, and operations research models to make recommendations and collaborate with transportation authorities to increase FasTrak usage during peak hours (5 am to 10 am and 3 pm to 7 pm) as a way of addressing traffic congestion. After implementing these recommendations, FasTrak usage increased from 40% in 2006 to the long-term target of 70% by 2016. A synthesis of the challenges and the implementation of the FasTrak strategic plan is presented. Further, econometric models that capture the effect on traffic volumes of increased FasTrak usage achieved through congestion pricing are estimated. We estimate productivity gains of approximately $569 million per year due to savings in travel time. Our research contributes to an understanding of the role of effective transportation policies in reducing congestion and improving productivity.","PeriodicalId":149553,"journal":{"name":"Political Economy - Development: Public Service Delivery eJournal","volume":"22 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127381115","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Case Study on Bid Rigging in Centralized Procurement of Audit Consulting Services in Italy","authors":"G. Albano, Maria Grazia Santocchia","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3905749","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3905749","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000The aim of this case study is to review the in-depth (and successful) investigation carried out in 2016 by the Italian Competition Authority [Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM)] on a nation-wide (multi-lot) framework agreement for consulting services. We also critically assess the tender design and emphasize which dimensions may have facilitated the uncovered anticompetitive agreement.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The case study borrows from the official Antitrust Authorities’ findings and from the tender documents to paint a comprehensive picture of the cartel’s strategy.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The case study emphasizes that AGCM’s the “conjectured logic” of the cartel’s behaviour (endogenous evidence) did coincide with those pieces of evidence seized by police forces for criminal crimes at the cartel members’ premises (exogeneous evidence). This infrequent feature of bidding rings investigations underlines the importance of theoretical as well as practical analyses of cartels’ behaviour in public procurement markets.\u0000\u0000\u0000Social implications\u0000As the antitrust investigation was triggered by a confidential report sent by the awarding authority (Consip, the Italian national central purchasing body), the case study also emphasizes the importance of informal as well as formal co-operation between awarding authorities, especially central purchasing bodies, and competition authorities.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000The case study belongs to a small set of applied research papers attempting at building a bridge between public procurement design, particularly of sizeable framework agreements, and the mechanisms devised by cartels to “game” procurement procedures. All this is accomplished by looking at all design dimensions that were exploited by cartel’s members.\u0000","PeriodicalId":149553,"journal":{"name":"Political Economy - Development: Public Service Delivery eJournal","volume":"3 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114566076","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Spillover Effects of Oxycontin's Introduction on Crime","authors":"Yongbo Sim","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3900229","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3900229","url":null,"abstract":"Since the late 1990s, the U.S. has experienced a substantial rise in drug overdose and overdose deaths due to the increased use of opioid drugs. This study estimates the effects of the opioid epidemic on crime relying for identification on geographic variation in the distribution of OxyContin, which in turn was driven by initial state drug prescription policies. Using the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) data, I find that compared to states with stringent prescription policies, the rate of property and violent crimes in states exposed to OxyContin increased by 12% and 25%, respectively. Thus, the supply shock of opioids combined with loose policies on prescription drugs can create unintended and negative consequences in non-health issues, such as crime. This conclusion is supported by suggestive evidence on mechanisms of mental health conditions, alcohol abuse, and illegal drug markets.","PeriodicalId":149553,"journal":{"name":"Political Economy - Development: Public Service Delivery eJournal","volume":"2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132097368","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Keith N. Hampton, Craig T. Robertson, Laleah Fernandez, Inyoung Shin, J. Bauer
{"title":"How Variation in Internet Access, Digital Skills, and Media Use are Related to Rural Student Outcomes: GPA, SAT, and Educational Aspirations","authors":"Keith N. Hampton, Craig T. Robertson, Laleah Fernandez, Inyoung Shin, J. Bauer","doi":"10.1016/J.TELE.2021.101666","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TELE.2021.101666","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":149553,"journal":{"name":"Political Economy - Development: Public Service Delivery eJournal","volume":"205 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"119016228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Henri Njangang, S. Asongu, Sosson Tadadjeu, Yann Nounamo, Brice Kamguia
{"title":"Governance in mitigating the effect of oil wealth on wealth inequality: a cross-country analysis of policy thresholds","authors":"Henri Njangang, S. Asongu, Sosson Tadadjeu, Yann Nounamo, Brice Kamguia","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3897976","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3897976","url":null,"abstract":"The study assesses the role of governance in modulating the effect of oil wealth on wealth inequality in 45 countries in the world. The empirical evidence is based on Pooled Ordinary Least Squares and the Generalised Method of Moments. The findings show that oil rents unconditionally increase wealth inequality while govenance dyanmics (in terms of rule of law, corruption-control, government effectiveness, regulatory quality) moderate oil rents for an overall net negative effect on wealth inequality. Good governance thresholds at which the unconditional effect of oil rents on the wealth inequality changes from positive to negative are computed and discussed. It follows that while governance is a necessary condition for improving the redistributive effects of oil wealth, it becomes a sufficient condition for net positive improvements in wealth distribution only when some critical levels of good governance have been reached. Other policy implications are discussed.","PeriodicalId":149553,"journal":{"name":"Political Economy - Development: Public Service Delivery eJournal","volume":"82 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115829945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"South African Residential Electricity Price Increase Between 2013 and 2020: An Online Desktop Study","authors":"J. Bruwer","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3896552","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3896552","url":null,"abstract":"Eskom Limited Holdings (EHL), South Africa’s primary electricity supplier, is mandated to provide electricity to the country and its citizens. After South Africa moved into an era of Democracy, the demand for electricity exponentially increased. To keep up with the increased demand for electricity, EHL embarked on various projects to expand and maintain infrastructure. Unfortunately, the demand for electricity outgrew the supply thereof. This led to the establishment of the National Energy Regulator (NERSA); a body responsible for, inter alia, considering applications of Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and regulating prices and tariffs of electricity. Due to socio-economic reasons, IPPs could not provide additional electricity supplies, resulting in EHL implementing load shedding. In addition, EHL, over the years, accumulated an astronomical debt that has not significantly decreased over the past decade. To sustain itself, and fund its relevant projects, it has successfully applied at NERSA to increase electricity prices on numerous occasions. Considering that EHL charges among the highest prices for electricity in the world, this study placed emphasis on theoretically investigating these electricity price increases, from a residential perspective. This study was non-empirical, exploratory and entailed qualitative research in the form of online desktop research. Stemming from the research conducted, it becomes apparent that further residential electricity price increases enforced by EHL will have dire consequences for the South African economy.","PeriodicalId":149553,"journal":{"name":"Political Economy - Development: Public Service Delivery eJournal","volume":"16 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123328124","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Brad J. Hershbein, I. McMullen, Brian Pittelko, Bridget F. Timmeney
{"title":"Beyond degrees: Longer term outcomes of the Kalamazoo Promise","authors":"Brad J. Hershbein, I. McMullen, Brian Pittelko, Bridget F. Timmeney","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3889447","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3889447","url":null,"abstract":"We estimate the effects on workforce and location outcomes of the Kalamazoo Promise, a generous, place-based college scholarship. Drawing upon administrative unemployment insurance wage records merged with individual-level education data, we identify Promise effects by comparing eligible to ineligible graduates before and after the Promise’s initiation. We supplement this quantitative analysis with surveys and interviews. Despite earlier research showing that the Kalamazoo Promise substantially increased degree attainment, we find little evidence that the program affected average earnings within 10 years of high school graduation. However, the Kalamazoo Promise may have increased the likelihood of eligible graduates having earnings, within Michigan, in the middle of the distribution. We discuss the possible role of job availability in understanding these patterns and the implications for free-tuition college programs as a workforce development tool.","PeriodicalId":149553,"journal":{"name":"Political Economy - Development: Public Service Delivery eJournal","volume":"24 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116158648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}