Do municipal unions improve cost efficiency for the social function? A quasi-experimental endogenous stochastic frontier approach

Homogeneous national policies can generate heterogeneous effects on the territory. This paper aims to verify the impact of the entry of single Italian municipalities into an inter-municipal association on the unitary costs of the social services supplied to the local communities. Panel cost stochastic frontier model in the presence of endogeneity has been introduced based on two pillars: a counterfactual setting to verify the aggregation effects concerning a set of similar municipalities and the use of a cost efficiency estimation methodology which considers the endogeneity of output with respect to cost. The results of our analysis show that the effects of adopting associated forms of service delivery can be very multifaceted and diversified according to the typology and the degree of implementation of the Municipal Union itself. The analysis sheds light on the effects of municipalities' organisational choices, addressing the consolidation of small municipalities not in binary terms but also—and above all—suggesting that it is the type of union that impacts the possibility of convergence towards greater cost efficiency.     

Täuschend ähnlich – Bemerkungen zur Geschichte des Modellexperiments

Deceptively Similar. Remarks on the History of Model Experiments. The article argues for a reconsideration of what has been called ‘model experiments’ or ‘mimetic experiments’. After providing a short overview of the historical developments and the occurences of such types of experiments, three aspects pertaining to their practical functions are discussed. First, the aspect of control: Model experiments are often employed to get a grasp on phenomena that are otherwise beyond the control of human actors. Second, their aesthetic dimension: Model experiments often employ aesthetic strategies that, far from being epistemic obstacles, establish their function as models and may generate new areas of research. Third, meta‐theories: The practice of experimenting on models is often accompanied by discussions about their representativeness. Albeit triggered by problems in local contexts, this self‐reflective discourse did acquire a more general relevance with the formulation of scaling laws in the 19th century.     

教师素质决定语文教学效率

语文教学效率包括知识的数量、能力的训练、思想教育的效果等。决定教学效率的因素是多方面的,如学生因素、教材因素、教法因素等,但教师因素是影响教学效率的主要因素,因为教师在教学中起主导作用。在中学各门学科中,语文课的综合性最强,内容覆盖面广,所以语文教师应成为一个“杂”家。     

Stories of suburbia (Bournville,UK): from planning to people tales

In this paper we show that the avoidance or reduction of difference found in the popular history of Bournville was the result of storytellers situated in specific institutional contexts. During the initial development of Bournville a particular (sub)urban future was imagined and mediated by these storytellers, through processes of simplification and choice, which served to reduce the past to an imposed and arbitrary simplicity or organised saga. In this saga the voices of residents are silenced. Our approach is, first, to explore ways of conceptualising the construction of urban history and, second, to construct two different and deliberately conflicting representations of Bournville. The first account provides a critique of the common representation or town planning account of Bournville. In contrast, the second account works through the voices of residents providing an opportunity for them to construct a lived account of Bournville with specific reference to temperance and the consumption of alcohol. Our first story is about the construction of a particular urban space whilst the second is about the ways in which the space was partially ‘colonised’ by residents. By constructing conflicting accounts of the same place we aim to open the dominant discourses associated with Bournville to complexity and heterogeneity.     

The Service Sector in the Chinese Economy: A Geographic Appraisal

A U.S.-based economic geographer and observer of China's economy examines the rapid expansion of the country's largely overlooked service sector, at both the national and regional levels. A particular focus of the author's research is on identifying regional variations in the development of services within the country and exploring some of the more important contributing factors. Based on the findings, the paper also discusses structural shifts that occurred in China's regional economies, disclosing inter alia that inequality in the contribution of services to GDP did not follow the same trajectory as that of employment in services. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: L800, O180, P230. 6 figures, 4 tables, 82 references.     

旅游目的地忠诚度：一个历时态的概念模型

本文在对国外相关文献中旅游目的地忠诚度概念及其测量维度进行系统梳理的基础上,从目的地忠诚度形成的阶段性和动态性出发,构建了一个基于历时态视角的旅游目的地忠诚度概念模型。在厘清了态度、意向、行为和累积行为忠诚度的概念、形成过程及影响关系后,本文认为,旅游目的地忠诚度是一个由多个忠诚度维度构成的阶段性变量,在时间上呈现为一个周期性的连续演进过程。     

基于多层次灰色方法的旅游地产项目开发风险评价模型及实证研究

旅游地产是将旅游业和房地产两大产业融合而衍生出的一种新型地产开发模式,目前已经引起各地政府的高度重视,但在实际的开发与运行中存在着很大的风险性。因此本文对于旅游地产项目的开发风险从量化的角度进行分析评价,通过构建旅游地产项目开发风险的评价指标体系,以及采用主观的层次分析法与客观的变异系数法相结合的方法确定综合权重,以此建立起基于多层次灰色模型的旅游地产项目开发风险评价模型。并以A企业为例进行了实证研究,结果显示A企业的旅游地产项目开发风险处于一般风险与较低风险之间,适合进行项目的开发与投资。     

The Holocaust in Italian Collective Memory: Il giorno della memoria , 27 January 2001

The article examines the first official, national Holocaust memorial day in Italy, the so-called Giorno della memoria (Day of memory), marked on the 56th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on 27 January 2001. It looks at the ways in which the day acted as a filter for issues of national collective memory and identity, in particular state and public negotiation of the legacy of Fascism, as well as addressing broader issues of Holocaust remembrance. The article looks first at the origins of the Giorno della memoria in political and in legislative terms. Then it sketches in the events of the day itself, at national and local levels, in political, educational and cultural terms. This is followed by an analysis of media coverage and contemporary commentary, showing how various lines of interpretation addressed general issues related to the Holocaust and specifically Italian historical, ideological and contemporary questions.     

STRUCTURAL CONTROL ALGORITHMS IN EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT DESIGN

The dynamic finite element equations of a two-dimensional structure made of axial-flexural frame elements with tendon-driven actuators have been derived. A critical review of classical optimal control theory is made with respect to its application to the control of structure under seismic excitations. Seven control algorithms, including two newly proposed algorithms, have been described, investigated and discussed. The need of an optimal observer, Kalman filter, is discussed. The validity of separation theorem applicable to the optimal stochastic control of structure for earthquake resistance is shown. How the control system perform under the circumstances of actuator saturation is also shown. Several numerical examples are worked out to demonstrate and compare the efficiency and limitations of those control algorithms.     

MODELLING OF STRUCTURAL ACCELERATIONS AND APPLICATION TO CONTROLLER DESIGN

In this paper a method for the identification of simplified linear models for building structures is applied to the case when acceleration, rather than displacement, is measured. A frame from benchmark structural controller studies is simulated, and from the input-output data of these simulations, simplified models for the acceleration response of the frame are obtained that have far fewer degrees of freedom. One of these simplified models is used to design a controller, which is tested using an evaluation model from the benchmark controller studies and found to be effective.