Customer's response to dynamic pricing in utility energy Tariff quality and reliability with the time of use: An Empirical case study of household electricity customers in Indonesia.

Time of Use (ToU) is one of the types of dynamic pricing strategies at which a pricing scheme employs a variable rate rather than a fixed one causing electricity tariffs over a particular consumption period to rise once in high consumer demand at peak times and to fall once the demand is low at off-peak times. Owing to the important factor of perceiving customers' response to the successful implementation of the ToU tariff scheme, this study examines the household electricity customers' response in Indonesia - especially residents of Java Island and Bali Island - to future implementation of this dynamic pricing strategy in utility energy tariff quality and reliability. Data on the behavior of the PLN customers need to be thoroughly gathered and then analyzed quantitatively for well-informed decisions on a set of variable rates based on peak/off-peak times of the day and the season to establish in a board of directors' room. Hence, survey work is conducted, and a questionnaire is carefully designed and developed in this study to help collect and analyze the data on consumer behavior. The results show that customers' response exhibits a promising outcome. At the total number of 451 respondents, 63 % of the survey participants expect to opt into the ToU scheme and the reason for this is their sensitivity to a bargain price of the electricity rate. However, 37 % of the respondents find ToU burdensome to implement and very demanding, as a result they opt out of the ToU scheme. From the results of the survey, it can also be inferred household energy-related activities that customers are quite willing to shift are washing and ironing clothes where a shift in these activities would lead to potential savings in the electricity bills of 26 % off the regular price. From the use of the quantitative method in this study, the total potential daily load reduction of energy consumption with the ToU tariff scheme could reach 3,23 kW for each customer. The findings conclude that customers have presented an encouraging response to future implementation of ToU and express their thoughts ToU seems to bring potential benefits of saving electricity bills and looks as if it is fairly easy for customers to adapt to shifting their energy usage from peak times to off-peak times.

Trade policy reform, retail food prices and access to healthy diets worldwide.

Recent use of least-cost diets as a measure of global food security revealed that over 3 billion people are unable to afford sufficient nutritious food for an active and healthy life, driving demand for policy changes to improve access and affordability. This study quantifies the role of imports in consumer prices, matching retail prices in 144 countries to imports by origin of the item or its main ingredient, resulting in a total of 13,846 pairs of a retail price and its import cost in 2017. We find that 55% of retail items had some active imports supplementing domestic production, and of those around 48% have nonzero tariffs whose average effective rate is around 6.7% of the imported commodity price. Over all countries for which data are available, the share of consumer prices for least-cost healthy diets that is attributable to tariffs and non-tariff measures averages 0.67% and 2.45% globally. The highest restrictions are on nutrient-rich vegetables, fruits and animal-sourced foods. Access to bulk commodities from diverse origins is essential for food and nutrition security, providing a greater diversity of foods and food ingredients at lower and more stable prices than can be grown at any one location. On average over all food products that are imported, 83% of the retail price is domestic value added after arrival. We conclude that food imports are best understood as inputs to the domestic production and distribution of retail items, with consumer prices and growth of the food sector dependent on the cost levels, infrastructure and institutions underlying each product's entire value chain.

Economic review of the tariff liberalization of the import of wood and wood products: Evidence from a developing country.

In recent years, import tariff liberalization of wood and wood products has attracted the attention of developing countries; especially in countries with sharp decrease in the forest green areas. However, due to the increase in demand for wood products in developing countries and the limitation of internal resources in these countries, the import tariff is very important. On the other hand, increasing the import tariff of wood to meet the domestic demand of each country and reducing the pressure on the forests could be effective. Therefore, in this article, the effects of reducing the tariff on wood and wood products on GDP, import of economic sectors and domestic production of wood and wood products, and followed pressure on the forests of a developing country (Iran) is examined based on a computable general equilibrium model. This model is designed based on micro data matrix of 2017 in Iran which faced with reduced forest size. Our results showed that reduction in the import tariff of wood and wood products, cause increases the import in this sector, gross national product, and prosperity. It also reduces the pressure on forests in the country. Therefore, we recommend that other countries that are facing the reduction of forest green areas, reduce the wood import tariff based on a specific time schedule so that help the growth of forest green areas in susceptible and needed areas which in turn help to improve the condition of the planet.

A Scheduler for Smart Home Appliances Based on a Novel Concept of Tariff Space.

The background of this work is related to the scheduling of household appliances, taking into account variations in energy costs during the day from official Brazilian domestic tariffs: constant and white. The white tariff can reach an average price of around 17% lower than the constant, but charges twice its value at peak hours. In addition to cost reduction, we propose a methodology to reduce user discomfort due to time-shifting of controllable devices, presenting a balanced solution through the analytical analysis of a new method referred to as tariff space, derived from white tariff posts. To achieve this goal, we explore the geometric properties of the movement of devices through the tariff space (geometric locus of the load), over which we can define a limited region in which the cost of a load under the white tariff will be equal to or less than the constant tariff. As a trial for the efficiency of this new methodology, we collected some benchmarks (such as execution time and memory usage) against a classic multi-objective algorithm (hierarchical) available in the language portfolio in which the project has been executed (the Julia language). As a result, while both methodologies yield similar results, the approach presented in this article demonstrates a significant reduction in processing time and memory usage, which could lead to the future implementation of the solution in a simple, low-cost embedded system like an ARM cortex M.

A Spanish value set for the SF-6D based on the SF-12 v1.

AIM: This paper reports the first estimation of an SF-6D value set based on the SF-12 for Spain. METHODS: A representative sample (n = 1020) of the Spanish general population valued a selection of 56 hypothetical SF-6D health states by means of a probability lottery equivalent (PLE) method. The value set was derived using both random effects and mean models estimated by ordinary least squares (OLS). The best model was chosen on the basis of its predictive ability assessed in terms of mean absolute error (MAE). RESULTS: The model yielding the lowest MAE (0.075) was that based on main effects using OLS. Pain was the most significant dimension in predicting health state severity. Comparison with the previous SF-6D (SF-36) model estimated for Spain revealed no significant differences, with a similar MAE (0.081). Nevertheless, the new SF-6D (SF-12) model predicted higher utilities than those generated by the SF-6D (SF-36) scoring algorithm (minimum value - 0.071 vs - 0.357). CONCLUSION: A value set for the SF-6D (SF-12) based on Spanish general population preferences elicited by means of a PLE technique is successfully estimated. The new estimated SF-6D (SF-12) preference-based measure provides a valuable tool for researchers and policymakers to assess the cost-effectiveness of new health technologies in Spain.

Modelling trade war between two countries under the international division of Labour.

This study aims to determine the trigger conditions behind trade wars and explore the prerequisites required to institute trade subsidies. Additionally, it investigates the potential effectiveness of both a trade war and a trade subsidy within an economic framework shaped by the international division of labor, particularly focusing on intermediate goods production. The study formulates a theoretical model for trade wars and derives three crucial findings. Firstly, it establishes that a critical condition for triggering a trade war hinges on maintaining a balanced self-price coefficient of demand, neither excessively large nor small relative to the cross-price coefficient of demand. Secondly, failure to meet this condition would preclude the occurrence of a trade war; instead, it would prompt the emergence of trade subsidies and reciprocal actions between the two countries involved. Lastly, the scale of the trade war or a trade subsidy in this study is not influential in the countries of trade war. Therefore, this study recommends that changing the current market structure of the international division of labor would be necessary to make the trade war or trade subsidies effective.

Prosumer solar power and energy storage forecasting in countries with limited data: The case of Thailand.

Forecasts of distributed energy resource deployment are becoming increasingly important in electric power purchase plans and difficult for countries with limited data. This study utilizes the Customer Adoption Model to forecast the deployment of behind-the-meter distributed solar photovoltaics and battery energy storage systems until the year 2050 and Thailand is used as a case study of the countries with limited data. Comparing methods and results from this study with those used in past studies shows that methodological choices can produce diverging results that shape investment plans and the estimated cost of power supplies. Several input variables of the Customer Adoption Model are discussed that will require continuous refinements as more data become available. The results show that pairing solar systems with batteries could in principle accelerate solar deployment and carbon emissions reduction but the high cost of batteries lengthens the payback period, raising questions about forecasting methodologies that rely mainly on the payback period. The methodological contribution points to a "chicken-and-egg" problem between forecasting and policy uncertainties: accurate forecasting depends on policy certainty, but getting policy right depends on accurate forecasting. Integrated scenario construction and the determination of a specific timeframe for achieving the adoption goal can help policymakers understand the impacts of different policy designs on distributed energy resource deployment and overcome this problem.

Demand charges reduction with photovoltaics in industry.

Demand charges are widely used for commercial and industrial consumers. These costs are often not well known, let alone the effects that PV can have on them. This work proposes a methodology to assess the effect of PV on reducing these charges and to optimise the power to be contracted, using techniques taken from exploratory data analysis. This methodology is applied to five case studies of industrial consumers from different sectors in Spain, finding savings between 5 % and 11 % of demand charges in industries with continuous operation and up to 28 % in cases of discontinuous operation. These savings can be even greater if the maximum power that can be contracted is lower than the optimum. The demand charges in Spain consist of a fixed part proportional to the contracted power and a variable part depending on the power peaks exceeding it. Since for the variable part the coincident and non-coincident models coexist, a comparison is made between the two models, finding that in the general case PV users can achieve higher savings with the coincident model.

Trade impacts of external border measures under the European Union's plant health legislation.

BACKGROUND: This article assesses whether the European Union's (EU's) plant health regulations have had an impact on imports. A dynamic modelling approach was applied, using a two-step generalized method of moments estimator for panel data, and covering an 8-year period (2013-2020). The estimated equation includes volumes of trade, economic drivers, the trading partner, and variables capturing categories of import requirements (phytosanitary certificates, exemptions, restrictions) with regards to external border measures for enhanced biosecurity. RESULTS: From the analysis we can conclude that the import regime and its recent changes have had a limited impact, if any, on trade flows of the affected products. The most significant impact is found for products classified as high-risk plants, while the extension of the phytosanitary certificate requirement to new products seems to have had negligible effects on trade. CONCLUSION: Therefore, the plant protection regime for extra-EU trade seems to be not trade distorting while supplying a framework to enhance plant health in the EU. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Food tax policies in Pacific Island Countries and Territories: systematic policy review.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically identify and review food taxation policy changes in Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). DESIGN: Food taxation polices, regarding excise taxes and tariffs applied from 2000 to 2020 in twenty-two PICTs, and their key characteristics were reviewed. The search was conducted using databases, government legal repositories and broad-based search engines. Identified documents for screening included legislation, reports, academic literature, news articles and grey literature. Key informants were contacted from each PICT to retrieve further data and confirm results. Results were analysed by narrative synthesis. SETTING: Noncommunicable diseases (NCD) are the leading cause of premature death in PICTs and in many jurisdictions globally. An NCD crisis has been declared in the Pacific, and food taxation policy has been recommended to address the dietary risk factors associated with. Progress is unclear. RESULTS: Of the twenty-two PICTs included in the study, fourteen had food taxation policies and five introduced excise taxes. Processed foods, sugar and salt were the main target of excise taxes. A total of eighty-four food taxation policy changes were identified across all food groups. There was a total of 279 taxes identified by food group, of which 85 % were tariffs and 15 % were excise taxes. Individual tax rates varied substantially. The predominant tax design was ad valorem, and this was followed by volumetric. CONCLUSIONS: A quarter of PICTs have introduced food excise taxes from 2000 to 2020. Further excise taxes, specifically tiered or nutrient-specific designs, could be introduced and more systematically applied to a broader range of unhealthy foods.

The impact of differentiated feed-in tariffs on the resource misallocation of wind power: From the perspectives of the intensive and extensive margins.

The widespread implementation of feed-in tariff (FIT) policies has played a crucial role in fostering the development of wind power, with their positive effects firmly established in numerous studies. However, the impact of regionally differentiated FIT policies on the misallocation of wind power resources remains a topic of contention, with limited research dedicated to this area. This paper aims to address this gap by examining the implications of such policies on the intensive and extensive margins of wind power installed capacity in China, shedding light on the underlying mechanisms driving resource misallocation. Empirical findings indicate that, concerning the intensive margin, the policy amplifies the concentration of wind power investments in regions characterized by abundant wind resources but low electricity demand. These regions present favorable conditions for large-scale wind farms with cost advantages, consequently exacerbating the misallocation of wind power resources. However, on the extensive margin, the policy promotes the likelihood of locating small and medium-sized wind farms in regions with poor wind resources but higher tariff rates, thus partially mitigating resource misallocation. In summary, China's policy hampers wind power investments in regions characterized by high electricity demand but limited wind resources. This suggests that the negative impact on the intensive margin outweighs the positive impact on the extensive margin. The findings of this study bear significant implications for the development of renewable energy support policies, particularly in countries grappling with substantial regional disparities in renewable energy resources.

Does it reasonable to include grid-side energy storage costs in transmission and distribution tariffs? Benefit evaluation based on economic externality.

Grid-side energy storage has become a crucial part of contemporary power systems as a result of the rapid expansion of renewable energy sources and the rising demand for grid stability. This study aims to investigate the rationality of incorporating grid-side energy storage costs into transmission and distribution (T&D) tariffs, evaluating this approach using economic externality theory. We first develop a comprehensive benefit evaluation framework based on economic externality theory considering system stability, renewable energy integration, end-user, and environmental impacts. Then, using the CPLEX solver, an operating model of grid-side energy storage is constructed with the goal of reducing substation load variations. Through a case study, it is found that grid-side energy storage has significant positive externality benefits, validating the rationale for including grid-side energy storage costs in T&D tariffs. Sensitivity analysis suggests that with cost reduction and market development, the proportion of grid-side energy storage included in the T&D tariff should gradually recede. As a result, this study offers important information about whether it is reasonable to include grid-side energy storage costs in T&D tariffs in China.

Pay-as-you-throw tariff and sustainable urban waste management: An empirical analysis of relevant effects.

Sustainable waste management presents a critical global challenge, necessitating the development of strategies for waste reduction and enhanced recycling. This study explores the impact of pay-as-you-throw tariffs (PAYTT) on promoting sustainable urban waste management. Propensity score matching was employed to analyse data from 7583 Italian municipalities. The study assesses the effects of PAYTT on both total and unsorted urban waste and evaluates their influence on the quantity and quality of separate waste collection. The findings indicate that the implementation of PAYTT effectively aligns with EU waste hierarchy policies. Municipalities adopting PAYTT experience reduced total and unsorted waste generation, along with improved quantity and quality of separate waste collections. Consequently, PAYTT holds significant potential for widespread application throughout the EU, contributing to enhanced separate waste collection efforts.

A stackelberg differential game theoretic approach for analyzing coordination strategies in a supply chain with retailer's premium store brand.

The present study examines a supply chain consisting of a manufacturer and a retailer. The manufacturer produces a product with a national brand (NB) and the retailer selling both the NB product and his own premium store brand (PSB) product. The manufacturer competes with the retailer through improving the quality by using innovation over time. It is assumed that both advertising and enhanced quality play positive roles in customers' loyalty over time for the NB product. We propose four scenarios, including: (1) Decentralized (D), (2) Centralized (C), (3) Coordination with a revenue-sharing contract (RSH), and (4) Coordination with a two-part tariff contract (TPT). A Stackelberg differential game model is developed, and parametric analyses and managerial insights are provided based on a numerical example. Our results show that: (1) Introducing a PSB product alongside selling the NB product is profitable for the retailer, (2) In Scenario D and RSH, the manufacturer tries to increase the quality gap with the PSB product through innovation, (3) Customers' loyalty leads to higher prices, levels of innovation, quality, and advertising for the NB product, (4) The TPT contract can lead to perfect coordination and yield higher profits for the manufacturer and the retailer. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10479-023-05372-9.

[The analysis of application of telemedicine technologies in the Russian Federation in 2019-2022].

Over the past five years, development of telemedicine was accompanied by many changes. Despite the need for remote medical care, development of telemedicine technologies was not uniformly intensive, both in different countries and in regions of a single state (such as Russia). The purpose of the study is to evaluate dynamics of volume of medical care and number of types of services using telemedicine technologies in regions of the Russian Federation. The retrospective analysis was applied to data retrieved from the Form of the Federal Statistical Observation № 30 of 2019-2021, from documentation of territorial programs of state guarantees of free medical care of population and tariff agreements in regions of the Russian Federation in 2021-2022 and from the Federal Telemedicine System in 2021. The study established that total number of telemedicine consultations increased in 2021 by 23% as compared with 2020. The percentage of consultations financed by the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund also increased from 6.95% in 2020 to 11.72% in 2021. The number of patients being on remote monitoring increased in 2021 up to 44% as compared to 2020. In addition, percentage of patients receiving medical care through remote monitoring and financed by the Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund increased from 6.55% in 2021 to 19.96% as compared with 2020. In the territorial programs of state guarantees for seven regions of the Russian Federation the number of types of telemedicine services fixed in tariff agreements increased in 2022 as compared to 2021. However, it decreased in ten regions. The most common medical care profiles for which telemedicine consultations in the "physician-physician" format were provided by Federal medical organizations in 2021 were: oncology (55 regions of Russia requested consultations on this profile), pediatrics (45 regions), and intensive-care medicine (39 regions). The telemedicine solutions are in high demand, as it is demonstrated by increasing both of volume of remote medical care and of percentage of consultations financed by the Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund. The COVID-19 pandemic had rather strong impact on development of telemedicine. The alignment of market for telemedicine services in public health sector began in 2021 and it is confirmed by decreasing of total number of consultation types in tariff agreements in 2022. In terms of remote interaction in "physician-physician" format, situation continues to be stable. In the nearest future one should expect more gradual development of telemedicine in Russia with appearance of individual initiatives in terms of pilot projects and experimental law modes.

A new case-mix based payment system for the psychiatric day care sector in Switzerland: proposed methods for developing the tariff structure.

In many European countries, there has been a shift towards outpatient psychiatric care over the past decades, as it is more cost-effective and resources for health care are limited. Switzerland, however, still has a high number of inpatient psychiatric hospital beds and a comparatively high length of stay. The existence of differing remuneration systems between inpatient and outpatient settings creates a distortion of incentives regarding the choice of treatment setting and an inefficient allocation of resources. To address this issue, a new tariff structure for day care treatment is suggested, based on the development and evaluation of the DRG-based inpatient remuneration system tariff psychiatry (TARPSY), using inpatient data from 2018, 2019, and 2021. The method involves three steps: estimating the day care treatment setting potential by delimiting cases from the inpatient patient data, adjusting the costs of this subset to approximate a day care treatment setting, and calculating daily cost weights based on the existing cost weights. The resulting reimbursements are about half of the inpatient reimbursements. To implement the tariff structure, this paper suggests that a number of framework conditions and regulations must be defined or modified. Additionally, subsequent cost data surveys from the day care setting can be incorporated into the calculation as part of a learning system. The remuneration system outlined in this paper could potentially be applied for day care psychiatry in other countries with DRG systems, especially in countries with conflicting remuneration systems in the inpatient and out patient sector.

The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism will exacerbate the economic-carbon inequality in the plastic trade.

The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is regarded as the world's first carbon tariff regulation. Its consequential impacts on the trades of individual countries/regions at different development stages are crucial for climate justice while remaining unclear. By combining Multi-regional Input-output analysis and scenario analysis, this study analyzed the economic-carbon inequality in national/regional plastic exports and simulated CBAM's short-term impacts on plastic trade inequality under different scenarios. Our analysis shows that the maximum values of total carbon tariffs for all countries/regions levied on plastic exports to the EU will be 497.8, 859.1, and 1564.2 million euros under scenarios covering Scope 1, Scope 1&2, and Scope 1&2&3 emissions, respectively. The corresponding proportions of CBAM costs to national/regional plastic export volumes to the EU will be 0.6%, 1.0%, and 1.8% on average, respectively. China and the rest of Asia and the Pacific will burden the most CBAM costs in all cases, and Russia will be the country most affected. CBAM will exacerbate the economic-carbon inequality in the plastic trade by reducing the trade profits of developing economies with higher ratios than those of developed economies. Our analysis calls for practical initiatives to induce technological advances toward lower carbon technologies, increase trade diversification, exploit the domestic market's potential, and implement domestic carbon pricing mechanisms to alleviate the negative impact of CBAM.

Cutting through the value chain: the long-run effects of decoupling the East from the West.

With ever-increasing political tensions between China and Russia on one side and the EU and the US on the other, it only seems a matter of time until protectionist policies cause a decoupling of global value chains. This paper uses a computable general equilibrium trade model calibrated with the latest version of the GTAP database to simulate the effect of such a decoupling-implemented by doubling non-tariff barriers-between the two blocks on trade and welfare. Imposing import barriers almost completely eliminates bilateral imports. In addition, changes in price levels lead to higher imports and lower exports of the imposing country group from and to the rest of the world. The targeted country group increases exports to the rest of the world and reduces imports. Welfare falls in all countries involved, suggesting that governments should strive to cooperate rather than turn away from each other. By imposing a trade war on Russia, the political West could inflict severe damage on the Russian economy because of the latter's smaller relative economic size.

Decision Analysis of Manufacturer-Led Closed-Loop Supply Chain Considering Corporate Social Responsibility.

With the rapid development of the economy, a growing number of consumers and enterprises are paying attention to corporate social responsibility (CSR). Meanwhile, there exist a variety of conflicts in closed-loop supply chain management. To analyse and deal with the decision problems of the manufacturer-led closed-loop supply chain with CSR, by using the manufacturer Stackelberg game, we construct some basic models considering CSR, and exploit them to analyse the optimal decisions of supply chains with and without CSR under centralized and decentralized decision making and explore the influence of CSR on supply chain, and then we establish a coordination mechanism through two-part tariff.