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Standardized tests intend to reduce information asymmetry by providing a common and objective measure of students' academic performance. The basic assumption underlying standardized testing is that differences in student performance on standardized tests should be attributed primarily to differences in the quality of education received by students. However, there is evidence that environmental factors can affect standardized test scores, which may result in anomalous observations or outliers that show a distortion of student performance. In this regard, the exclusion of Spain from PISA 2018 is particularly interesting as Spanish data met PISA 2018 Technical Standards but showed implausible student-response behavior. The aim of this paper is to complement the OECD's analysis of Spain's exclusion from PISA 2018 by exploring the potential reasons behind the outlier results, focusing on the Madrid region., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 van Grieken et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Although it has been established that population density can contribute to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, there is no evidence to suggest that economic activities, which imply a significant change in mobility, played a causal role in the unfolding of the pandemic. In this paper, we exploit the particular situation of Sardinia (Italy) in 2020 to examine how changes in mobility due to tourism inflows (a proxy of economic activities) influenced the development of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we identify a strong causal relationship between tourism flows and the emergence of COVID-19 cases in Sardinia. We estimate the elasticity of COVID-19 cases in relation to the share of tourists to be 4.1%, which increases to 5.1% when excluding local residents. Our analysis suggests that, in the absence of tools preventing the spread of infection, changes in population density due to economic activities trigger the pandemic spreading in previously unaffected locations. This work contributes to the debate on the complex relationship between COVID-19 and the characteristics of locations by providing helpful evidence for risk-prevention policies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

At the macro-level, it is hard to test the hypothesis that increased schooling in a country will raise labour productivity but sectoral analyses may be tractable. In sports, output is homogenous in that countries' achievements are measurable in the same way. We examine country performances at the Chess Olympiad and the Olympic Games, contrasting tournaments where players in the first use only their minds but most in the second supply substantial physical effort or work with costly physical capital. Modelling success in either leads to a set of results familiar from sports literature: country performance depends on economic resources, represented by population size and per capita income. Supplementary variables capture over-performance by communist/ former communist countries. We then introduce a measure of average years of schooling. This significantly reduces the role of income, especially in chess. It also takes power away from the 'communist' variables, especially at the Olympics. These results suggest that much of any effect from income is mediated through schooling: investment in education is associated with elevated productivity. Increased productivity is observed in both settings, one a knowledge-intensive sub-sector and the other dependent to a significant extent on either raw physical strength or expensive capital input., Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00181-022-02259-9., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose., (© The Author(s) 2022.)

We show that compensation measures aimed at improving the fairness of a crisis policy response can unintendedly nudge compliance with emergency rules. We combine information on the distribution of relief funds across Italian municipalities during the novel coronavirus pandemic with data tracking citizens' movements through mobile devices and navigation systems. To assess the impact of transfers on compliance, we exploit a sharp kink schedule in the allocation of funds. The empirical analysis provides evidence that compliance increased with transfers, suggesting that the observance of emergency rules also depends on the fairness of the pandemic policy response., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

In March 2021, Italian health authorities suspended the Vaxzevria vaccine (VA) for 4 days over reports of very rare blood disorders among recipients. We exploit the quasi-experimental setting arising from this break to study the drivers of vaccine hesitancy. Before the suspension, the VA vaccination trend followed the same pattern as Pfizer-Biontech (PB). After the suspension, VA and PB injections started to diverge, with VA daily decreasing by almost 60 doses per 100,000 inhabitants for the following 3 weeks. The resulting vaccination rate was 60 percent lower than the value that would have stemmed from the VA pre-suspension pattern. We show that the slowdown was weaker and less persistent in regions with higher COVID penetration and steadier and more pronounced in regions displaying greater attention to vaccine side effects as detected through Google searches. The public's interest in vaccine adverse events negatively correlates with COVID cases and deaths across regions., (© 2022 The Authors. Health Economics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

This Data article provides a collection of Data and econometric estimates of the relationship between various forms of external research and Development (R&D) acquisition and product innovation. Specifically, the Data are elaborations on Eurostat (2015) and the EFIGE (2015) survey. Data relate to research acquired by external firms inside the group to which a company belongs, universities and research centres, and other companies. The Data presented here are additional information and analysis to the article of Carboni and Medda [1]. Data derive from econometric applications on the information contained in a survey of 13,621 European manufacturing firms. The econometric framework considers: ( 1 ) Potential non-linear effects of the age of firms on product innovation; ( 2 ) Geographical variation of innovative activity by the inclusion of 137 regional dummies (NUTS-2-level); ( 3 ) Intersectoral differences by the inclusion of 117 industrial dummies (3-digit NACE). We employ systems of equations regressions to take simultaneity end endogeneity into account. For this purpose, the model identification is accomplished through the use of a reduced form equation for R&D with two instrumental variables (IV) aimed at capturing regional technological environment. Specifically, we use an instrumental variable framework to compute the impact of external research on (1) the probability of implementing product innovations and (2) the market success of product innovations. The latter is measured by the share of total turnover of innovative products sales. Special focus is put on the potential role of the regional technological environment. For the computations we used the cmp command in STATA, which builds upon the maximum simulated likelihood analysis. The models are also estimated using the fractional response technique to check the 0-100% bounded nature of this variable. The Data presented here can be useful for companies to better design R&D strategies aimed at improving firms' organization, synergies, and growth. This may help strategic decision making, and a more efficient coordination of the complex process of production. Data are also useful for policy makers for designing public R&D schemes, both at the national and at the European level. Finally, the Data represent a useful starting point for future research concerning the proprietary structure of the firm and the workforce, innovation and R&D, internationalization, finance, and market., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships which have or could be perceived to have influenced the work reported in this article., (© 2021 The Authors.)

Background: Pharmacotherapy for Alcohol Dependence (AD) is underutilized. Barriers preventing the use of AD medications include high prices, lack of access to prescribing physicians, and a limited number of available medications., Objective: The study evaluated the use of AD medications in a sample of Italian outpatients who received these medications free of charge, had access to physicians during office hours, and for whom substitution therapy [gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB)] was available. We also evaluated the rate of patients who received a combination of non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments among participants who were still drinking., Methods: SCID for AD and questionnaire were filled by to AD outpatients during a face-to-face interview., Results & Discussion: 345 AD outpatients were interviewed: 58.8% were currently receiving at least one AD medication (GHB: 34.3%, disulfiram: 29.6%, acamprosate: 5.9%; naltrexone: 2.5%; more than one medication: 16.7%). Less than 30% of participants who were still drinking, received a combination of non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments. Nonetheless, we found higher use of AD medications compared to previous studies conducted in other countries. This higher use of AD medications may be due to access to free medications, prescribing physicians' style, and a larger number of available medications., Conclusion: Our results confirm the underutilization of AD medications, as less than 60% of AD outpatients received medications, and less than 30% of those who were still drinking, received a combination of non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments. These findings may be useful in improving our knowledge of the barriers that prevent the use of AD medications in clinical practice., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

This paper examines the impact of overweight family members on weight outcomes of Italian children aged 6-14 years. We use an original dataset matching the 2012 cross sections of the Italian Multipurpose Household Survey and the Household Budget Survey. Since the identification of within-family peer effects is known to be challenging, we implement our analysis on a partially identified model using inferential procedures recently introduced in the literature and based on standard Bayesian computation methods. We find evidence of a strong, positive effect of both overweight peer children in the family and of overweight adults on children weight outcomes. The impact of overweight peer children in the household is larger than the impact of adults. In particular, the estimated confidence sets associated to the peer children variable is positive with upper bound around one or larger, while the confidence sets for the parameter associated to obese adults often include zero and have upper bound that rarely is larger than one., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Packaging is associated with a high environmental impact. This is also the case in the food industry despite packaging being necessary for maintaining food quality, safety assurance and preventing food waste. The aim of the present study was to identify improvements in food packaging solutions able to minimize environmental externalities while maximizing the economic sustainability. To this end, the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was applied to evaluate the environmental performance of new packaging solutions. The environmental impact of packaging and food losses and the balance between the two were examined in relation to a cheesecake that is normally packaged in low density polyethylene film and has a limited shelf life due to microbial growth. A shelf life extension was sought via application of the well-established modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) technique. Samples for MAP (N 2 /CO 2 : 70/30) were placed inside multilayer gas barrier trays, which were then wrapped with a multilayer gas and water barrier film (i.e. AerPack packaging); control batches were packaged in gas barrier recycled polyethylene terephthalate (XrPet) trays and wrapped with a XrPet film. Samples were then stored at 20°C and inspected at regular intervals for chemical-physical, microbiological and sensory parameters. Results show that the new packaging solution could considerably extend the shelf life of cheesecakes, thereby reducing food waste and decreasing the overall environmental impact. Moreover, the new packaging allows one to minimize transport costs and to generate economies of scale in manufacturing., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This paper estimates the causal impact of investment in information and communication technologies (ICT) on student performances in mathematics as measured in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 for Spain. To do this we apply a new methodology in this context known as Bayesian Additive Regression Trees that has important advantages over more standard parametric specifications. Results indicate that ICT has a moderate positive effect on math scores. In addition, we analyze how this effect interacts with variables related to school features and student socioeconomic status, finding that ICT investment is especially beneficial for students from a low socioeconomic background., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors., (© 2016 Taylor & Francis.)

Many (semi-) arid locations globally, and particularly islands, rely heavily on reservoirs for water supply. Some reservoirs are particularly vulnerable to climate and development changes (e.g. population change, tourist growth, hydropower demands). Irregularities and uncertainties in the fluvial regime associated with climate change and the continuous increase in water demand by different sectors will add new challenges to the management and to the resilience of these reservoirs. The resilience of vulnerable reservoirs must be studied in detail to prepare for and mitigate potential impacts of these changes. In this paper, a reservoir balance model is developed and presented for the Pedra e' Othoni reservoir in Sardinia, Italy, to assess resilience to climate and development changes. The model was first calibrated and validated, then forced with extensive ensemble climate data for representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5, agricultural data, and with four socio-economic development scenarios. Future projections show a reduction in annual reservoir inflow and an increase in demand, mainly in the agricultural sector. Under no scenario is reservoir resilience significantly affected, the reservoir always achieves refill. However, this occurs at the partial expenses of hydropower production with implications for the production of renewable energy. There is also the possibility of conflict between the agricultural sector and hydropower sector for diminishing water supply. Pedra e' Othoni reservoir shows good resilience to future change mostly because of the disproportionately large basin feeding it. However this is not the case of other Sardinian reservoirs and hence a detailed resilience assessment of all reservoirs is needed, where development plans should carefully account for the trade-offs and potential conflicts among sectors. For Sardinia, the option of physical connection between reservoirs is available, as are alternative water supply measures. Those reservoirs at risk to future change should be identified, and mitigating measures investigated., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Jel Classification: C26, C99, D03, I18., Psycinfo Classification: 2360; 3920.

In the current age of commercial and financial openness, remote and poor local economies are becoming increasingly exposed to inflows of external capital. The new investors - enjoying lower credit constraints than local dwellers - might play a propulsive role in local development. At the same time, inflows of external capital can have negative impacts on local natural resource-dependent activities. We analyze a two-sector model where both sectors damage the environment, but only that of domestic producers relies on natural resources. We assess under which conditions the coexistence of the two sectors is compatible with sustainability, defined as convergence to a stationary state characterized by a positive stock of the natural resource. Moreover, we find that capital inflows can be stimulated by an increase in the pollution intensity of incoming activities, but also in the pollution intensity of the domestic sector; in both cases, capital inflows generate environmental degradation and a decrease in welfare for the local population. Finally, we show that a reduction in the cost of capital for external investors and the consequent capital inflows have the effect to increase wages, local investments and welfare of the local populations only if the environmental impact of the external sector is relatively low with respect to that of local activities. Otherwise, an unexpected scenario characterized by a reduction in domestic capital accumulation and the impoverishment of local agents can occur.

This paper investigates long-term home care utilization in Europe. Data from the first wave of the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement (SHARE) on formal (nursing care and paid domestic help) and informal care (support provided by relatives) are used to study the probability and the quantity of both types of care. The overall process is framed in a fully simultaneous equation system that takes the form of a bivariate two-part model where the reciprocal interaction between formal and informal care is estimated. Endogeneity and unobservable heterogeneity are addressed using a common latent factor approach. The analysis of the relative impact of age and disability on home care utilization is enriched by the use of a proximity to death (PtD) indicator built using the second wave of SHARE. All these indicators are important predictors of home care utilization. In particular, a strong significant effect of PtD is found in the paid domestic help and informal care models. The relationship between formal and informal care moves from substitutability to complementarity depending on the type of care considered, and the estimated effects are small in absolute size. This might call for a reconsideration of the effectiveness of incentives for informal care as instruments to reduce public expenditure for home care services., (Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

We evaluate the demand for long-term care (LTC) insurance prospects in a stated preference context, by means of the results of a choice experiment carried out on a representative sample of the Emilia-Romagna population. In this paper, these methods are first of all used in order to assess the relative importance of the characteristics that define hypothetical insurance programmes and to elicit the willingness to pay for some LTC coverage prospects. Moreover, thanks to the application of a nested logit specification with 'partial degeneracy', we are able to model the determinants of the preference for status quo situations where no systematic cover for LTC exists. On the basis of this empirical model, we test for the effects of a series of socio-demographic variables as well as personal and household health-state indicators.