Certification schemes for credence goods can be binary in structure or have multiple tiers. We present a theory explaining how standard-setting organizations choose between these two forms, and compare the differing incentives of industry trade associations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in setting standards. For either type of scheme in autarky, the choice between a binary and a mul...

In the past 13 years, total expenditures for nursing home care under the Medicaid program have increased drastically. They show no signs of abating. Government, therefore, has become aware of the need to control this rapid increase. Families, who currently provide a large amount of informal, long-term care for their disabled elderly, are seen as a potential resource to maintain people in the co...

With the vast number of government programmes around the world supporting virtually every phase of biofuels, there is a strong commitment towards the development of these fuels. However, our current knowledge base of biofuel production, marketing and environmental impact is filled with uncertainty. To shed light on the uncertainty, especially from a US perspective, this review of the biofuel ec...

Abstract The impact of environmental motivations on the individual’s decisions regarding investments in energy efficiency and adoption energy-saving habits are analyzed for a representative sample Chinese inhabitants from larger Beijing area, replicating comparative study Western Europe. For considered type daily activities similarities discrepancies between two regions discussed regard to thei...

Northeastern Peru is considered a global conservation priority due to high biodiversity and acute threats tonatural habitat. Its non-indigenous migrant populations, known as campesinos, are presented by mainstreamconservation agents as the major threat to this area, as environmentally destructive, apathetic to nature, andonly responsive to economic and material incentives.Bu...

Ð Contribution evasion is a serious problem for social security ®nancing in many countries. A mixture of strategies may be most e€ective in reducing the underpayment and nonpayment of mandatory social security contributions by employers and workers. Contribution evasion can be reduced by changes in: (a) the incentives inherent in the design of social security systems, (b) employer, worker and g...

There are three main areas of our federal system that need reform. The first is the allocation of powers and functions between the levels of government. The allocation made by the framers of the Constitution in the 1890s may no longer be appropriate today. Many of the complaints of unnecessary duplication, cost-shifting and lack of coordination can be traced back to the absence of clear divisio...

This paper examines the causal effects of a major change in the German parental leave benefit scheme on fertility. I use the unanticipated reform in 2007 to assess how a move from a means-tested to an earnings-related benefit affects higher-order births. By using the German Mikrozensus 2010, I find that the reform significantly affected the timing of higher-order births in the first three years...

In addition to the proliferation of private, fee-paying schools in India, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) play an important role in providing educational services, especially in un-served and under-served communities. This paper uses qualitative research to critically examine the nature and potential of NGO provision of primary schooling in India. In particular, it explores the contributio...