As the trend in electricity markets is strongly towards deregulation, new players, new rules and new behaviors will continue to emerge. Sellers will range from the traditional utility to the opportunistic broker, and endbuyers will have more possibilities to shop to get the best deal for their different energy needs. If a coalition of buyers can be worth, then it will be constituted. One of the...

We study optimal nonuniform pricing in a setting where a customer's demand at the start of a billing period contains a random variable whose realization becomes known by the end of the billing period. In this context, an optional calling plan is a tariff which the consumer must select based on his/her expectations about the random variable, whereas, under a tapered tariff, the consumer's choice...

This paper uses the gravity-model approach to deal with two issues related to economic integration. The first concern is to analyse the impact on FDI stocks of specific variables denoting the will to integrate, and their relative impact on exports. Variables considered include tariffs, non-tariff barriers and exchange rate variability. The results show that the widespread opinion – and theoreti...

This paper analyzes the relative significance of regional Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) in Asia-Pacific. The economy-wide impacts of tariff removals and reductions in non-tariff measures (NTMs) are estimated by using a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model of global trade. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) are shown to c...

The regulator of a natural monopoly that sets a two-part tariff and whose marginal cost is stochastic will generally want the price to vary less than marginal cost when the lump-sum charge in the tariff is fixed. A trade-off exists between efficient pricing and an optimal allocation of risk. Pricing at marginal cost is only optimal when the consumer’s marginal utility is independent of the pric...

In this paper we propose a layered framework for charging QoS-enhanced IP services with policy based configuration of its layers. As an example architecture we present our implementation Value Added IP Charging and Accounting Service (VIPCAS). We further concentrate on VIPCAS elements for policies and data exchange. As flexible data structure for exchange of accounting information, we propose t...

The traditional model of trade protection against a foreign monopolist suggests that a home country should often impose a tariff on the foreign firm, even though the this introduces an additional distortion. In this paper, I generalize the traditional model to include a basic network externality, e.g., the foreign firm also generates third party advertisement revenue from its product, and I det...

The literature on British economic history presumes that Britain was a free trader after the repeal of the Corn Laws and that her tariff levels were thus below those which were optimal for maximizing utility. Presumably, if the optimal British tariff had been positive and greater than the levels established by mid-century, a reduction to zero of all tariffs that remained would have lowered Brit...

Hip fracture is one of the most serious consequences of falls in the elderly, with a mortality of 10% at one month and 30% at one year. Elderly patients with hip fractures have complex medical, surgical, and rehabilitation needs, and a well-coordinated multidisciplinary team approach is essential for the best outcome. The model of best practice for hip fracture care is set out in the Orthopaedi...

The deregulation of power markets gave origin to a new activity: the retail business. Although it should, together with generation, be opened to competition, its implementation has been usually postponed to the last stages of the liberalization process. The diversity of situations that can be found in the international experience illustrates the lack of consensus about the appropriate design of...