Regional economic integration via detection of circular flow in international value-added network.

Global value chains are formed through value-added trade, and some regions promote economic integration by concluding regional trade agreements to promote these chains. However, it has not been established to quantitatively assess the scope and extent of economic integration involving various sectors in multiple countries. In this study, we used the World Input-Output Database to create a cross-border sector-wise network of trade in value-added (international value-added network) covering the period of 2000-2014 and evaluated them using network science methods. By applying Infomap to the international value-added network, we confirmed two regional communities: Europe and the Pacific Rim. We applied Helmholtz-Hodge decomposition to the value-added flows within the region into potential and circular flows, and clarified the annual evolution of the potential and circular relationships between countries and sectors. The circular flow component of the decomposition was used to define an economic integration index. Findings confirmed that the degree of economic integration in Europe declined sharply after the economic crisis in 2009 to a level lower than that in the Pacific Rim. The European economic integration index recovered in 2011 but again fell below that of the Pacific Rim in 2013. Moreover, sectoral economic integration indices suggest what Europe depends on Russia in natural resources makes the European economic integration index unstable. On the other hand, the indices of the Pacific Rim suggest the steady economic integration index of the Pacific Rim captures the stable global value chains from natural resources to construction and manufactures of motor vehicles and high-tech products.

Macroscopic and microscopic perspectives for adoption of technologies in the USA.

Adoption of a new technology depends on many factors. Marketing, advertising, social interactions, and personal convictions are relevant features when deciding to adopt, or not, a new technology. Thus, it is very important to determine the relative weight of these factors when introducing a new technology. Here we discuss an agent based model to investigate the behavior of agents exposed to advertising and social contacts. Agents may follow the social pressure, or maybe contrarians, acting against the majority, to decide if they adopt or not a new technology. First, we solve analytically the model that relies on the above quoted factors. Then, we compare the theoretical results with empirical data concerning the adoption of innovations by American households during the 20th century. The analysis of the diffusion dynamics process is done either for the whole period, or by periods based on the so-called technical-economic paradigms, according to Freeman and Perez. Three different periods are considered: before 1920, from 1920 to 1970, and after 1970. We study the evolution of the model parameters for each technical-economic period. Finally, by adjusting the key parameters we are able to collapse all the data into a universal curve that describes all the adoption processes.

Development, Innovation and Health: the theoretical and political perspective of the Health Economic-Industrial Complex. / Desenvolvimento, Inovação e Saúde: a perspectiva teórica e política do Complexo Econômico-Industrial da Saúde.

The concept and approach of the Health Economic-Industrial Complex (HEIC) were present in the advancement of the Unified Health System (SUS) in the last decades, contributing to the incorporation of an agenda related to the national pattern of development. The paper reconstructs this approach to capture its dynamics and demarcate the vision developed in this paradigm. It reveals the thinking matrices of the field of political economy that provide the analytical substrate for its development, allowing us to confront the reductionist use of the concept. It highlights, therefore, the logical foundations that guided the public policies resulting from this approach, with emphasis on the systemic approach and the use of state purchasing power, through the Productive Development Partnerships (PDP), marking the effort to articulate the social and economic realms of development. At present, this analytical perspective is even more crucial, showing that well-being not only fits into GDP but can also be a lever for a pattern of development committed to the National Health Universal System (SUS), society and economic and technological sovereignty in health.

O conceito e a abordagem do Complexo Econômico-Industrial da Saúde estiveram presentes no avanço do SUS nas últimas décadas, contribuindo para incorporar uma agenda relacionada ao padrão nacional de desenvolvimento. O artigo reconstitui essa abordagem para captar sua dinâmica e demarcar a visão desenvolvida nesse paradigma. Evidencia as matrizes de pensamento do campo da economia política que fornecem o substrato analítico para o seu desenvolvimento, permitindo fazer frente ao uso reducionista do conceito. Destaca, desse modo, os fundamentos analíticos que nortearam as políticas públicas decorrentes dessa abordagem, com ênfase na abordagem sistêmica e na utilização do poder de compra do Estado, mediante as Parcerias para o Desenvolvimento Produtivo (PDP), marcando o esforço para articular a dimensão social e a econômica do desenvolvimento. No presente, essa perspectiva analítica é ainda mais crucial, evidenciando que o bem-estar não apenas cabe no PIB, mas pode se constituir em uma alavanca de um padrão de desenvolvimento comprometido com o SUS, a sociedade e a soberania econômica e tecnológica em saúde.

Desenvolvimento, Inovação e Saúde: a perspectiva teórica e política do Complexo Econômico-Industrial da Saúde / Development, Innovation and Health: the theoretical and political perspective of the Health Economic-Industrial Complex

Resumo O conceito e a abordagem do Complexo Econômico-Industrial da Saúde estiveram presentes no avanço do SUS nas últimas décadas, contribuindo para incorporar uma agenda relacionada ao padrão nacional de desenvolvimento. O artigo reconstitui essa abordagem para captar sua dinâmica e demarcar a visão desenvolvida nesse paradigma. Evidencia as matrizes de pensamento do campo da economia política que fornecem o substrato analítico para o seu desenvolvimento, permitindo fazer frente ao uso reducionista do conceito. Destaca, desse modo, os fundamentos analíticos que nortearam as políticas públicas decorrentes dessa abordagem, com ênfase na abordagem sistêmica e na utilização do poder de compra do Estado, mediante as Parcerias para o Desenvolvimento Produtivo (PDP), marcando o esforço para articular a dimensão social e a econômica do desenvolvimento. No presente, essa perspectiva analítica é ainda mais crucial, evidenciando que o bem-estar não apenas cabe no PIB, mas pode se constituir em uma alavanca de um padrão de desenvolvimento comprometido com o SUS, a sociedade e a soberania econômica e tecnológica em saúde.

Abstract The concept and approach of the Health Economic-Industrial Complex (HEIC) were present in the advancement of the Unified Health System (SUS) in the last decades, contributing to the incorporation of an agenda related to the national pattern of development. The paper reconstructs this approach to capture its dynamics and demarcate the vision developed in this paradigm. It reveals the thinking matrices of the field of political economy that provide the analytical substrate for its development, allowing us to confront the reductionist use of the concept. It highlights, therefore, the logical foundations that guided the public policies resulting from this approach, with emphasis on the systemic approach and the use of state purchasing power, through the Productive Development Partnerships (PDP), marking the effort to articulate the social and economic realms of development. At present, this analytical perspective is even more crucial, showing that well-being not only fits into GDP but can also be a lever for a pattern of development committed to the National Health Universal System (SUS), society and economic and technological sovereignty in health.

Flexible versus common technology to estimate economies of scale and scope in the water and sewerage industry: an application to England and Wales.

The water industry presents several structures in different countries and also within countries. Hence, several studies have been conducted to evaluate the presence of economies of scope and scale in the water industry leading to inconclusive results. The lack of a common methodology has been identified as an important factor contributing to divergent conclusions. This paper evaluates, for the first time, the presence of economies of scale and scope in the water industry using a flexible technology approach integrating operational and exogenous variables of the water companies in the cost functions. The empirical application carried out for the English and Welsh water industry evidenced that the inclusion of exogenous variables accounts for significant differences in economies of scale and scope. Moreover, completely different results were obtained when the economies of scale and scope were estimated using common and flexible technology methodological approaches. The findings of this study reveal the importance of using an appropriate methodology to support policy decision-making processes to promote sustainable urban water activities.

Comparative techno-economic assessment and LCA of selected integrated sugarcane-based biorefineries.

This work addresses the economic and environmental performance of integrated biorefineries based on sugarcane juice and residues. Four multiproduct scenarios were considered; two from sugar mills and the others from ethanol distilleries. They are integrated biorefineries producing first (1G) and second (2G) generation ethanol, sugar, molasses (for animal feed) and electricity in the context of Brazil. The scenarios were analysed and compared using techno-economic value-based approach and LCA methodology. The results show that the best economic configuration is provided by a scenario with largest ethanol production while the best environmental performance is presented by a scenario with full integration sugar - 1G2G ethanol production.

Controlling urban air pollution caused by households: uncertainty, prices, and income.

We examine the control of air pollution caused by households burning wood for heating and cooking in the developing world. Since the problem is one of controlling emissions from nonpoint sources, regulations are likely to be directed at household choices of wood consumption and combustion technologies. Moreover, these choices are subtractions from, or contributions to, the pure public good of air quality. Consequently, the efficient policy design is not independent of the distribution of household income. Since it is unrealistic to assume that environmental authorities can make lump sum income transfers part of control policies, efficient control of air pollution caused by wood consumption entails a higher tax on wood consumption and a higher subsidy for more efficient combustion technologies for higher income households. Among other difficulties, implementing a policy to promote the adoption of cleaner combustion technologies must overcome the seemingly paradoxical result that efficient control calls for higher technology subsidies for higher income households.

[National Health Innovation System: relations between scientific fields and economic sectors]. / Sistema Nacional de Inovação em Saúde: relações entre áreas da ciência e setores econômicos.

Health Science and Technology is currently the subject matter of government and university actions. Such actions should converge to the establishment of a National Health Innovation System, which still calls for acknowledgment from the economic sector counterpart. A study was carried out with the purpose of describing the relations between scientific fields and economic sectors as a means of learning more about this System. Records from the Brazilian Directory of Research Groups (version 4.1) were examined and selected when Health was a keyword either to field of knowledge or economic sector. Data were compiled into multiresponse variables and analyzed in contingency tables using residual, correspondence, and cluster analyses. It was found that the Brazilian National Health Innovation System constitutes a sectorial system where competitiveness is more socially than economically-oriented, making this System favorably in tandem with the National Unified Health System as well as responsive to public policies focused on social welfare.

The Brazilian investment in science and technology.

An analysis of Brazilian federal expenditures in science and technology is presented is this study. The 1990-1999 data were compiled from records provided by two federal agencies (MCT and CNPq) responsible for managing most of the national budget related to these activities. The results indicate that the federal investments in Brazilian science and technology stagnated during the last decade (US$ 2.32 billion in 1990, US$ 2.39 billion in 1996, and US$ 2.36 billion in 1999). In contrast, a great increase in private investments in research was acknowledged both by industry and by the government during the same period, from US$ 2.12 to US$ 4.64 billion. However, this investment did not result in an increase in invention patents granted to residents (492 in 1990 and only 232 in 1997) or in a reduction of patent costs. Despite this unfavorable scenario, the number of graduate programs in the country has increased two-fold in the last decade and the contribution of Brazilians to the database of the Institute for Scientific Information has increased 4.7-fold from 1990 (2,725 scientific publications) to 2000 (12,686 scientific publications). Unstable federal resources for science, together with the poor returns of private resources in terms of developing new technologies, may jeopardize the future of Brazilian technological development.