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In order to better understand why some nations are more innovative than others, this paper considers the influence of socio-historic dimensions of colonialism and income inequality. Using data from...

Using data on U.S. states, this paper studies the factors driving lottery-related crimes, focusing on spillovers from other gambling and corruption. Although state-sponsored lotteries have become q...

In humid regions, surface runoff is often generated by saturation-excess runoff mechanisms from relatively small variable source areas (VSAs). However, the majority of the current hydrologic models...

Adding specific firm-level insights into the factors driving firms to subcontract operations to the informal sector, this article uses data from garment exporters in Pakistan. Nesting the analysis ...

Using data on more than 125 countries, this article attempts to add to the research linking corruption and the shadow economy by examining the effect of variability (uncertainty) in one white-collar crime on the prevalence of the other. Measuring variability alternately via a 3-year and a 5-year moving SD, the following main points emerge from the econometric analysis that accounts for bi-directional causality. First, with shadow economy as the dependent variable, shadow economy and corruption are substitutes, and greater variability in corruption increases the shadow economy. Second, the effect of corruption variability is stronger in the short run than the long run. Third, with corruption as the dependent variable, corruption and shadow economy again turn out to be substitutes. Fourth, the effect of shadow economy variability has no statistically significant influence on corruption. Fifth, the findings are somewhat sensitive to an alternate measure of the shadow economy that covers a longer period.

This article employs quarterly U.S. state-level data from 2009 to 2015 to estimate the demand for beer. Other contributions of this work involve the incorporation of demographic factors and wine prices. Results show beer demand to be inelastic, and beer and wine to be substitutes. Further, males, whites, and blacks were, ceteris paribus, likely to have greater beer demand. The income effects, however, were mixed, showing some support for beer being a normal good.

Adding to the body of research on cross-country determinants of the informal economy, this article studies how unemployment differences across gender drive the propensities to work in the informal sector. Results, accounting for possible simultaneity between unemployment and the shadow economy, show that unemployed males, rather than unemployed females, were more likely to operate underground. These findings about greater male propensities are generally robust to alternative considerations.

This article uniquely considers influences of political uncertainty on corruption. Political uncertainty disturbs existing corrupt (and legal) contractual relations inducing greater corrupt activity to strengthen existing alliances and foster new ones. Results across two measures of cross-national corruption show that political assassinations increase corruption in different variations and time periods, and a general index of political instability mostly has the same effect. The influences of other factors on corruption are in general accord with the literature. These findings are generally robust to consideration of alternate dimensions of political uncertainty.

Employing recent data on the prevalence of the underground economy across states in the United States, this article uniquely studies the nexus between health insurance coverage and the underground economy. We find a positive effect of health insurance coverage on the spread of the underground sector. Upon disaggregation, while private health coverage promotes the underground sector, government health insurance has the opposite effect.

This article examines the determinants of private-sector bribes, focusing on the relative effectiveness of anti-corruption policies. Using survey data on Croatian firms, results show that, of the different anti-corruption policies (including internal and external policies), firms’ internal code of ethics proved to be an effective deterrent. Firms might also be engaging in corruption among themselves to strategically counter perceived bureaucratic power. In other findings, male employees were more likely to engage in private-sector bribery, while firms located in the capital were less likely to do so. Policy implications are discussed.

Pedicle screw-based dynamic constructs either benefit from a dynamic (flexible) interconnecting rod or a dynamic (hinged) screw. Both types of systems have been reported in the literature. However, reports where the dynamic system is composed of two dynamic components, i.e. a dynamic (hinged) screw and a dynamic rod, are sparse. In this study, the biomechanical characteristics of a novel pedicle screw-based dynamic stabilisation system were investigated and compared with equivalent rigid and semi-rigid systems using in vitro testing and finite element modelling analysis. All stabilisation systems restored stability after decompression. A significant decrease in the range of motion was observed for the rigid system in all loadings. In the semi-rigid construct the range of motion was significantly less than the intact in extension, lateral bending and axial rotation loadings. There were no significant differences in motion between the intact spine and the spine treated with the dynamic system (P0.05). The peak stress in screws was decreased when the stabilisation construct was equipped with dynamic rod and/or dynamic screws.

This research creates a unique internet-based measure of awareness about state-level whistleblower laws and provisions to examine their effects on observed corruption in the United States. Are whistleblower laws complementary or substitutes for other, more direct, corruption control measures? Placing the analysis within the corruption literature, the findings show that greater whistleblower awareness results in more observed corruption and this finding holds across specifications. Internet awareness about whistleblower laws seems relatively more effective at exposing corruption than the quantity and quality of state whistleblower laws themselves.

Political Action Committees (PACs) are unique and prominent players in American politics. Yet, formal research on some aspects of PACs is lacking. Using US data over the period 1970 to 2009, this research demonstrates that the growth in PACs is positively associated with greater corruption. A 10% increase in the number of PACs per capita would increase corruption by about 8%. Upon disaggregation, corporate PACs, rather than labour PACs, are positively associated with corruption. The effects of economic prosperity, government size and population on US corruption are generally in line with the literature.

Using cross-sectional data for US states, this article examines the determinants of insurance fraud, focusing especially on the nexus between convictions for corruption and for insurance fraud. Results show that corruption convictions tend to crowd out insurance fraud convictions – i.e., increases in convictions for corruption result in lower fraud convictions. In other findings, more crime fighting and prosecutorial resources increase fraud convictions, while the effects of specific insurance regulations are statistically insignificant. These findings are generally robust to simultaneity between corruption and insurance fraud. Policy implications are discussed.

Using a unique survey of scientists at a large public research organization, this paper examines the effects of industry interactions on academic patenting. Two types of collaborations, industrial cooperation and consulting, are considered. Results show that both cooperation and consultancy increase the likelihood of patenting. However, only the positive influence of industrial cooperation stands up to robustness checks. Effects of personal, professional and institutional factors are in line with the literature, yet with some differences across cooperation and consultancy. Implications for research policy concerning academic patenting and challenges that industry may experience are discussed.

A vast amount of research has considered numerous causes and correlates of corruption. Also, there have been many studies of the consequences of various forms of uncertainty. However, exploration of the nexus between economic uncertainty and corruption appears scarce. After providing an intuitive and heuristic linkage between general economic uncertainty and corruption, this article uses a large cross-country data set to augment a fairly standard model with simple proxies for uncertainty and to investigate how economic uncertainty might affect the prevalence of corruption. In addition, a quantile-regression framework is used to judge how the strength of various covariates may differ with the level of corruption. Seven main points emerge from the estimates. First, economic uncertainty is associated positively with corruption, and the relation seems to be robust across measures of uncertainty and corruption. Second, quantile-regression estimates indicate considerable parametric heterogeneity across the dist...

The small size of the HCTs, vast search regions, and rugged terrain make mapping them in the field difficult and costly. In this article, a detection algorithm is described and quantitatively evaluated and establishes the feasibility of automatically detecting these tombs in satellite imagery. By narrowing the search to a smaller set of candidate locations, wide area discovery and mapping can be performed much more effectively.

Characterization of the seasonal and inter-annual spatial and temporal variability of rainfall in a changing climate is vital to assess climate-induced changes and suggest adequate future water resources management strategies. Trends in annual, seasonal and maximum 30-day extreme rainfall over Ethiopia are investigated using 0.5° latitude × 0.5° longitude gridded monthly precipitation data. The spatial coherence of annual rainfall among contiguous rainfall grid points is also assessed for possible spatial similarity across the country. The correlation between temporally coinciding North Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) index and annual rainfall variability is examined to understand the underlying coherence. In total 381 precipitation grid points covering the whole of Ethiopia with five decades (1951–2000) of precipitation data are analysed using the Mann-Kendall test and Moran spatial autocorrelation method. Summer (July–September) seasonal and annual rainfall data exhibit significant decr...

The aim of this extended editorial is to offer a perspective on design creativity and innovation research on the occasion of launching the International Journal of Design Creativity and Innovation. Thirty six members of the editorial board present their expectations, views, or opinions on the topics of the journal. All of these articles are presented in Section 2. In Section 3, summaries of the 36 articles are consolidated. This editorial also analyzes keywords from each of the articles, and the results are visualized in Section 4. The keyword analysis covers not only those words taken directly from each of the articles but also the implicit keywords that are suggested by the explicit ones. We believe this extended editorial will help the researchers, in particular young researchers, comprehend the essence of design creativity and innovation research and obtain a clue to tackle the new discipline.

This article uses pooled data over the period 2004–2007 on about 100 nations to examine the impact of the shadow economy on the piracy of computer software. Results support the main hypothesis that a larger shadow economy leads to higher rates of software piracy. This claim is supported by various robustness checks. A 10% increase in the shadow sector increases software piracy about 1.4%. In other findings, greater economic prosperity and greater internet diffusion check piracy, while some legal institutional measures have statistically insignificant effects. Policy implications are discussed.

This paper adds to the literature on the government-corruption nexus by examining the effects of taxation and various business regulations on cross-country corruption. Regulations considered include the number of procedures and related costs for business startup, licensing and property registrations. Results show that regulation, not taxation, generally positively impacts corruption and the effects of non-monetary regulatory costs are more significant than monetary costs. Findings are generally robust to an alternate corruption measure and to simultaneity between corruption and regulation. Results for ‘standard’ determinants of corruption largely support the literature. Policy implications are discussed.

Using data from a large survey of German researchers in public science and based on a formal structure, this paper examines determinants of academic entrepreneurship. The key contribution is to discern factors driving research-driven entrepreneurship versus overall academic entrepreneurship. The extant literature has almost exclusively focused on the latter and implicitly assumed academic entrepreneurs to commercialize their research. Results show that, despite some plausible similarities in the determinants, there are significant differences. In particular, while both entrepreneurship categories benefit from greater patent applications, more time spent on consulting by the researcher and from participation in European conferences, research leaders and engineering science disciplines are more likely to lead to research-driven entrepreneurs. However, the positive influences of university employment (compared with being employed at a public research organization) on overall academic entrepreneurship fail to show up in research-driven entrepreneurship. One implication is that universities may be unduly patting themselves on the back – they might yield more entrepreneurs, but not necessarily research-driven entrepreneurs.

Using recent pooled data from a number of developed nations, this research uniquely examines whether the composition of payment instruments has a bearing on the prevalence of corruption in a country. Our results suggest that the choice of instruments matters. Paper credit transfer transactions consistently add to corrupt activities, while credit card transactions check such endeavours. Cheques mostly increase corruption, the results with respect to nonpaper credit transfers are mixed, while direct debits fail to show significant effects on corruption. These findings hold using alternate corruption measures and when allowance is made for endogeneity of payment instruments.

Using state-level data for the United States, this study uniquely examines the effects of cigarette prices and income on seven dimensions of smoking behaviour. Results show that income-based policies are relatively more effective than price- or tax-based policies. Smokers considering quitting smoking respond in expected ways to changing cigarette prices and income. Strong habit effects in most cases stress the need for early intervention programmes.

This article uses state-level US panel data to examine the effects of cigarette advertising on smoking. We disaggregate cigarette advertising into (1) print, (2) outdoor, (3) entertainment and (4) store. How does advertising persist over time across advertising media? Are there differences in effectiveness of advertising across different smoking rates? Results show that the price elasticity of cigarette demand is negative and within the range of recent estimates, whereas border price elasticities and income elasticities are positive. All elasticities, however, are uniquely sensitive to smoking rates, as is the effectiveness of the Master Settlement Agreement. Current aggregate advertising increases cigarette demand, whereas accompanying negative advertising takes hold in the third year. Upon disaggregation, current store advertising increases smoking in most cases. However, store advertising has a negative effect by the third year, especially in states with smoking rates at or above the median. Other adve...

This article provides a new look at radial basis function regression that reveals striking similarities with the traditional optimal experimental design framework. We show theoretically and computationally that the so-called relevant vectors derived through the relevance vector machine (RVM) and corresponding to the centers of the radial basis function network, are very similar and often identical to the support points obtained through various optimal experimental design criteria like D-optimality. This allows us to provide a statistical meaning to the relevant centers in the context of radial basis function regression, but also opens the door to a variety of ways of approach optimal experimental design in multivariate settings.

This study investigates the effects of economy-wide corruption on bad loans across a large sample of countries. The evidence reveals that greater corruption is associated with more bad loans. Loan defaults are lower in faster growing economies, in economies with higher lending rates and in nations in the Euro zone, ceteris paribus. However, other institutional controls, including central bank autonomy, financial underdevelopment, bank-based economies and transition nations fail to show appreciable effects on the incidence of bad loans. The findings are robust to an alternate corruption measure and to endogeneity of corruption. Policy implications are discussed.

We employ a three-stage game model with cost-reducing research and development (R&D) that is subject to spillovers to consider the problem of excess entry under free-entry equilibrium relative to the social optimum. Firms choose to enter or exit a market in the first stage, choose R&D in the second stage and output in the final stage. Results show that there is socially inefficient or excessive entry in equilibrium. However, we uniquely demonstrate that research spillovers hold the key to whether established results regarding socially inefficient entry hold. Specifically, excessive entry occurs as long as research spillovers are relatively small, but this is not necessarily the case with large spillovers. Some policy implications are discussed.

In this article, flame liftoff height predictions have been carried out for diluted methane jet flames with high temperature and vitiated coflow. Three-dimensional mass, momentum, energy, and species equations are solved with modified k–ϵ and modified k–ω turbulence models to predict the behavior of lifted jet flames. The effect of turbulence model parameters, fuel jet velocity and coflow velocity has been investigated for jet flames. The flame is assumed to be quenched when the fluid time scale is less than the chemical time scale (Da = τ f /τ ch

There is enormous literature on the determinants of consumption of cigarettes and other tobacco products, and on the magnitude of the impact of a wide variety of economic and noneconomic factors. Also, a huge amount of research has been done on the association between income inequality and health for which numerous proxies have been used. We seek to link these two strands of scholarship by treating smoking as a major health hazard and considering the association between income inequality and smoking. Using US state-level data for the year 2004, we estimate an augmented model of cigarette consumption in which income inequality is added to a fairly standard specification. Subject to the caveats appropriate for such studies, there is little indication of a significant association between income inequality and the health-retarding behaviour in the form of cigarette smoking. Estimates for other variables are broadly consistent with similar studies.

This article deals with an autonomous wind energy conversion system employing a permanent magnet synchronous generator feeding three-phase four-wire local loads in stand-alone mode without using a mechanical position sensor. The proposed autonomous wind energy conversion system utilizes two back-to-back connected pulse width modulated insulated gate bipolar transistors based voltage source converters with a battery energy storage system at their DC link. The main objectives of the control algorithm for voltage source converters are to achieve a maximum power tracking through the rotor speed control of a permanent magnet synchronous generator under varying wind speeds and control of the magnitude and frequency of the load voltage. The proposed system is capable of bidirectional active and reactive power flows, by which it controls the magnitude and the frequency of the load voltage. The proposed electro-mechanical system, consisting of a permanent magnet synchronous generator, a maximum power trac...

We use state-level data to estimate the demand for cigarettes and the determinants of smoking prevalence in the United States. The main contribution lies in considering spillovers from geographic smoking restrictions. Results show that price affects cigarette demand, but not smoking prevalence. Cigarette demand turns out be unit elastic and similar in magnitude to the border-price elasticity. Home-based smoking restrictions lower both cigarette demand and participation, while work restrictions only lower participation. Border home restrictions seem inconsequential, whereas border work restrictions have a marginally positive effect, especially on cigarette demand. Policy implications are discussed.

Based on a cross-section of US states for 2004, this article estimates a demand function for cigarettes after including a proxy for prices in the bordering states and simple proxies for contiguity with Mexico and Canada and for being a major tobacco producer. One major point seems to be that the negative elasticity for within-state price is similar in magnitude to the positive elasticity for the (lowest) price in bordering states. Several additional points also seem noteworthy. First, having a border with Mexico lowers sales in the state sizably. Second, the share of Hispanic/Latino population in the state also lowers sales significantly. Third, contiguity with Canada appears to have no significant effect. Fourth, partial impact of the state being a major tobacco producer appears minor even though consumption in these states is considerably higher. Fifth, education shows the expected negative association with cigarette consumption, but its statistical significance is low. Last, income carries a weak negat...

Using cross-sectional data from the United States, this study examines the effects of cigarette prices on the use of marijuana and illicit drugs (including marijuana, cocaine, heroin, inhalants, hallucinogens or any prescription drugs for nonmedical use). Five primary contributions of this work are: First, it provides evidence on the cross-relation between cigarettes and marijuana and illicit drugs. Second, besides the ‘standard’ control variables used in demand studies (namely, price, education and income), we also control for the influence of employment status and health insurance coverage. Third, this research provides new evidence on the price elasticity of cigarette demand for a recent time period. Fourth, the data used in this study are the latest available. Five, based on our results, implications for drug use policy are provided. Several key points may be noted from our results: (i) Cigarette demand seems to have become elastic in recent years. This is in contrast to findings in earlier years; (ii...

Glutathione S transferase (GST) gene polymorphism examined among north Indians and correlated with hydroquinone (HQ) genotoxicity to help in clinical prediction of susceptibility of HQ toxicity. Lymphocytes of individuals with/without GSTM1, GSTT1, and GSTP1 (ile/ile or val/val) were exposed to HQ (20, 40, or 80 microM) and examined chromosomal aberrations (CA) or cytokinesis-block micronucleus assays. Among north Indians the frequencies of GSTM1 (null), GSTT1 (null), and both null were found to be 41.1, 21.9, and 12.7%, whereas frequencies of GSTP1 with (ile/ile) or (ile/val), or (val/val) were 52, 42.1, or 5.9%, respectively. Individuals with null GSTM1, GSTT1, and GSTP1 (val/val) showed inhibition of mitotic index (MI) and significant (p0.01) induction of CA as compared to individuals with GSTM1, GSTT1, and GSTP1 (ile/ile). Micronucleus formation was found to be significant (p0.05 or 0.01) in both the genotypes. Results indicate that GSTM1, GSTT1 (null), and GSTP1 (val/val) are sensitive to HQ genotoxicity.

Using recent state-level data from the United States, this article examines new influences on cigarette demand. In particular, we uniquely focus on the effects of unemployment and health insurance coverage on smoking. Results show that higher cigarette prices, a lack of health insurance and restrictions on smoking at home, all lead to reduced smoking. On the other hand, literacy, income, unemployment, workplace smoking restrictions, smokeless tobacco taxes and tobacco-producing states do not seem to have an appreciable impact. The magnitude of the price elasticity of demand is greater than that found in the pre-MSA era. Policy implications are discussed.

This article uses recent US state level data to estimate the demand for cigarettes. The main contribution of this work is that, unlike previous studies, it takes into account both price and nonprice incentives behind the smuggling of cigarettes. The results show the demand for cigarettes to be elastic and greater than that found in the previous literature. The effects of greater literacy and income on smoking are insignificant. Also, the magnitude of own price elasticity seems affected by whether a correction is made for border prices. Comparing the price and nonprice influences on cigarette smuggling, it seems that price inducements remain the main force behind smuggling. Policy implications are discussed.

In India, a large number of ceramicware manufacturers are actively engaged in small/medium sectors with production capacities varying from 500 to 1500 tons per annum. These units are largely located in northern and western India. Average oil consumption of these industries are in the range of 170–250 L.ton−1 of product. Initial study conducted in some of these industries reveals that there is large temperature gradient across the height of the kiln and excess oxygen in all zones. Kiln shell temperature also is very high in all of these kilns. Also, the insulation system of kiln car lining is very erratic and often leads to failure and consequent loss of production. Based on the findings, it was decided to incorporate changes in design concepts in some of the kilns and optimize temperature, pressure and combustion regimes of the furnaces. Implementation of all the modifications in two kilns has resulted in increase in productivity by 30–35% and reduction in specific fuel consumption by 15–20%.

Many practical problems in water resources require knowledge of the sediment load carried by the rivers, or of the load the rivers can carry without danger of aggragadation or degradation. Hence, the measurement of sediments being transported by a river is of vital interest for planning and designing of various water resources projects. The conventional methods available for sediment load estimation are largely empirical, with sediment rating curves being the most widely used. The rating relationships based on regression techniques are generally not adequate in view of the inherent complexity of the problem. In this study, a fuzzy logic technique is applied to model the stage–discharge–sediment concentration relationship. The technique has been applied to two gauging sites in the Narmada basin in India. Performance of the conventional sediment rating curves, neural networks and fuzzy rule-based models was evaluated using the coefficient of correlation, root mean square error and pooled average re...

Using recent cross-sectional state-level data for the US, this article examines smoking quitting behaviour by smokers. In particular, we uniquely focus on how the costs of smoking, both direct and indirect costs, induce smokers to quit. Results show that the price of cigarettes and home smoking restrictions are the primary thrusts behind smokers' quit decision. The indirect costs due to workplace smoking restrictions, medical costs and a lack of insurance do not seem to significantly matter. The habit-forming effect of cigarettes is shown to lead to greater quit attempts. Policy implications are discussed.

Reservoir management involves allocating available water among multiple uses and users, minimizing the risks of water shortages and flooding and optimizing the beneficial use of water. Irrigation demands from a reservoir, which are generally computed by using the design cropping pattern and average rainfall conditions, may vary over the years depending on the actual cropping pattern and meteorological conditions. This study demonstrates the utility of remote sensing inputs and geographic information system (GIS) environment for determining realistic irrigation demands from a reservoir. Remote sensing data are used to map the actual cropping pattern in the command area while the GIS is used for integrating the field-level irrigation demands up to the canal system head. Ten daily irrigation demands in the command area of Samrat Ashok Sagar Reservoir in Madhya Pradesh, India have been estimated and the reservoir operation policy has been derived. Through the simulation analysis with 29 years of inflow data, rule curves have been derived for the operation of reservoir so that water deficit (if any) can be distributed in time much in advance and severe crop failure can be avoided. Inferences drawn from the analysis can guide the system operator in using the available water in a scientific and judicious manner.

This paper uses a simple two-period model to examine the behaviour of a monopolist who produces a durable good and engages in advertising that is also somewhat durable. It is found that changes in product durability and advertising durability have opposite effects on profit-maximizing output and advertising. Policy implications for antitrust and health regulation are discussed.

This paper adds to two strands of the economics literature, the literature on product durability and on technical change, in a small way by introducing the possibility that an uncertain invention may be exogenously durable. Durability makes otherwise fully appropriable innovation porous. We consider a duopoly where firms maximize the present discounted rewards from innovation that might turn out to be a durable good or a non-durable good. Comparative-static results show that greater appropriability of rewards from the durable good innovation induces the firm to increase its profit-maximizing research spending. The effect of a change in the probability of the durable innovation is shown to depend on the degree of appropriability. The consideration of the effect of changes in the probability of durable innovation is unique to the literature. The effects of change in R&D competition are ambiguous and in line with earlier findings. Two special cases are considered and policy implications discussed.

Insurance intermediaries provide a useful link between insurers and the insured in commercial insurance markets. However, recent revelations of improprieties by some intermediaries have cast a shadow on insurance markets. This has led to calls for reforming the workings of these markets. This study provides a theoretical framework to understand the impact on contractual relationships if some of the proposed changes are implemented. Specifically, it examines the impact of a change in the number of insurance brokers on the preferred type of compensation contracts between insurance providers and intermediaries. Two key questions addressed are: Will the widely prevalent flat fee contracts still be preferred in the face of greater intermediary competition?; and Will there be an increase in the number of projects insured when there is greater competition among insurance intermediaries?

Noting the phenomenal growth of the Internet during the last few years, the spectacular nature of the information technology revolution represented by it, and lack of direct studies of demand for Internet services, this paper makes a beginning toward providing price- and income-elasticity estimates by using a simple model and cross-country OECD data for the year 2000. Seven main points are noted. First, the demand seems price-inelastic in all variants estimated by us. Second, the income elasticity appears to be unity or larger, indicating Internet services may not constitute a ‘necessity’. Third, the absolute price elasticity seems lower, particularly for the broader price measure, in the group of users than for subscribers. Fourth, the income elasticity also seems smaller for users than for subscribers. Fifth, the income-elasticity estimates suggest that measures to encourage Internet usage through subscriptions might not seem equity enhancing, but encouragement of usage through increased access to non-s...

An experiment was undertaken at the McGill University experiment station at Ste-Anne de Bellevue, Canada, to study the effect of different fertilizers on green pepper yield as it is influenced by saline water supplied through a subirrigation system, which was used to supplement water stored in the soil. Green peppers (Capsicum annuum L.), cv. Bellboy, were grown in field lysimeters filled with a sandy loam soil. The lysimeters were covered with plastic sheets to prevent rainfall/surface water entry. Water having salinities of 1, 3, 5, and 7.5 dS·m−1, was applied through the bottoms of the lysimeters, and steady-state water tables were maintained at 0.45 or 0.9 m from the surface. The soil solution salinity in the soil profile remained less than 3.5 dS·m−1 during the growing season, and there was no appreciable increase in soil solution salinity in the root zone. Five rates of fertilizers were applied on the soil surface. The highest yield was obtained when all three nutrients, N, P, and K were ap...

Using annual data from Canadian provinces, this paper studies the effects of a drastic reduction in Canadian cigarette taxes in 1994 on cross-border smuggling. The results show that the policy was successful in that the border prices seem to not have had a statistically significant impact on cigarette sales. The own price elasticity of cigarette demand in Canada is estimated to be around −0.7. The elasticity is slightly lower when the border-price effects are taken into account and is larger than the corresponding estimates for the USA, implying that dollar-for-dollar there might be greater opportunities for reducing smoking in Canada through higher taxes than the USA.