Unemployment as a determinant of local service-oriented entrepreneurship: a case study of Poland

Motivation: Unemployment is an important entrepreneurship determinant which is captured by the unemployment push/pull hypotheses. Those issues remain underexplored, with only few studies investigating the relationship between unemployment and the sector structure of entrepreneurship, while considering the specificity of the local economy. Aim: The main goal of the study is to assess the impact of local unemployment rate on the number of newly registered service businesses in Poland, taking into account both the heterogeneity of that sector and the specificities of local economies in 2003–2018. Results: The research results show that in Poland growing unemployment contributed to the increasing registration of new service businesses, which empirically supports the unemployment-push hypothesis. Both the occurrence and the intensity of the unemployment-push effect were conditioned by territorial factors, with the higher elasticity of entrepreneurship in relation to unemployment changes in lagged local units.

Comment on “Identification of the IMF sector structure in near-real time by ground magnetic data” by Janzhura and Troshichev (2011)

The only published description of the solar wind sector (SS) term used for the reference level in the post-event and real-time derivation of the Polar Cap (PC) indices, PCN (Polar Cap North) and PCS (Polar Cap South), in the version endorsed by the International Association for Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA) is found in the commented publication, Janzhura and Troshichev: Identification of the IMF sector structure in near-real time by ground magnetic data, Annales Geophysicae, 29, 1491–1500, 2011. Actually, the publication has served as a basis for the index endorsement by IAGA in 2013. However, neither the illustrations nor the results presented there have been derived by the specified near real-time method. Figures 1, 6, 7, and 8 display values derived by post-event calculations based on daily medians smoothed over 7 d centred on the day of interest. Figures 2, 3, and 4 display observed values smoothed over 7 d, while the remaining Fig. 5 displays averages over 4 months. In summary, there are strong disagreements between indications in the title, abstract, and statements in the text compared to the actual results and their illustrations.

The Far Eastern resource projects in the context of modernization of the mechanisms of the Russian-Chinese cooperation: new assessments

Some elements of modernization of the key mechanisms of the Russian-Chinese investment cooperation in 2014–2020 are investigated in the context of the prospects for the development of resource industries in the Far Eastern federal district (mineral and forest complexes). The priorities and directions of bilateral cooperation in the investment sphere, due to the institutional changes, have been identified. The structural drift of investment interests in the sectoral and spatial aspects, determined by the improvement of the mechanisms of the Russian-Chinese cooperation, is shown. The article examines the characteristics of bilateral investment cooperation in the resource sector of the Far-Eastern federal district in the context of combination of simultaneously implemented models of its stimulation at the state (new model of development of the Far East) and interstate (activation of the Russian-Chinese economic relations) levels. Different trends in the formation of sector structure of investment interests of the Russian-Chinese cooperation for the national (RF) and regional (the Far-Eastern federal district) levels are revealed. The predominance of priorities for implementation of the resource-transit scenario for the development of the East of Russia, including through the modernization of the Russian-Chinese cooperation, is shown.

Comment on Identification of the IMF sector structure in near-real time by ground magnetic data by Janzhura and Troshichev (2011)

The only published description of the solar wind sector (SS) term used for the reference level in the post-event and real-time derivation of the Polar Cap (PC) indices, PCN (North) and PCS (South), in the version endorsed by the International Association for Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA) is found in the commented publication, Janzhura and Troshichev (2011): Identification of the IMF sector structure in near-real time by ground magnetic data, Annales Geophysicae, 29, 1491–1500. Actually, the publication has served as basis for the index endorsement by IAGA in 2013. However, neither the illustrations nor the results presented there have been derived by the specified near-real time method. Figs. 1, 6, 7, and 8 display values derived by post-event calculations based on daily medians smoothed over 7 days centred on the day of interest. Figs. 2, 3, and 4 display observed values smoothed over 7 days, while the remaining Fig. 5 displays averages over 4 months. In summary, there are strong disagreements between indications in the title, abstract, and statements in the text compared to the actual results and their illustrations.

Competitive Conditions in Global Value Chain Networks: An Assessment Using Entropy and Network Analysis

We investigated competitive conditions in global value chains (GVCs) for a period of fifteen years (2000–2014), focusing on sector structure, countries’ dominance and diversification. For this purpose, we used data from the World Input–Output Database (WIOD) and examined GVCs as weighted directed networks, where countries are the nodes and value added flows are the edges. We compared the in-and out-weighted degree centralization of the sectoral GVC networks in order to detect the most centralized, on the import or export side, respectively (oligopsonies and oligopolies). Moreover, we examined the in- and out-weighted degree centrality and the in- and out-weight entropy in order to determine whether dominant countries are also diversified. The empirical results reveal that diversification (entropy) and dominance (degree) are not correlated. Dominant countries (rich) become more dominant (richer). Diversification is not conditioned by competitiveness.

Unreliable IAGA-endorsed Polar Cap (PC) index series and a different approach

<p>The Polar Cap (PC) indices are derived from the magnetic variations generated by the transpolar convection of magnetospheric plasma and embedded magnetic fields driven by the interaction with the solar wind. The PC indices are potentially very useful for Space Weather monitoring and forecasts and for related research. However, the PC index series in the near-real time and final versions endorsed by the International Association for Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA) have been proven unreliable (Stauning, 2013, 2015, 2018a,b,c, 2020). Both versions include solar wind sector (SWS) effects in the calculation of the reference levels from which magnetic disturbances are measured. The SWS effects are caused by current systems in the dayside Cusp region related to the Y-component, BY, of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF). However, the IAGA-endorsed handling of SWS effects may generate unfounded PC index changes of up to 3 mV/m at the nightside away from the Cusp. For the real-time PCN and PCS indices, their cubic spline-based reference level construction may cause additional unjustified index excursions of more than 3 mV/m with respect to the corresponding final index values. Noting that PC index values above 2 mV/m indicate geomagnetic storm conditions, such unjustified contributions are considered to invalidate the IAGA-endorsed PC index series. The presentation shall include a description of alternative derivation methods shown to provide more consistent index reference levels for both final and real-time PC indices, to reduce their unfounded excursions, and to significantly increase their reliability (Stauning, 2016, 2018b,c).</p><p><strong>References. </strong>Stauning, P. (2020): The Polar Cap (PC) index: invalid index series and a different approach. Space Weather, 2020SW002442 (submitted).</p><p>Stauning, P. (2013). Comments on quiet daily variation derivation in “Identification of the IMF sector structure in near-real time by ground magnetic data” by Janzhura and Troshichev (2011). Annales Geophysicae, 31, 1221-1225. https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-31-1221-2013 .</p><p>Stauning, P. (2015). A critical note on the IAGA-endorsed Polar Cap index procedure: effects of solar wind sector structure and reverse polar convection. Annales Geophysicae, 33<strong>, </strong>1443-1455. https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-33-1443-2015 .</p><p>Stauning, P. (2016). The Polar Cap (PC) Index.: Derivation Procedures and Quality Control. DMI Scientific Report SR-16-22. Available at: https://www.dmi.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/Rapporter/TR/2016/SR-16-22-PCindex.pdf .</p><p>Stauning, P. (2018a). A critical note on the IAGA-endorsed Polar Cap (PC) indices: excessive excursions in the real-time index values. Annales Geophysicae, 36, 621–631. https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-36-621-2018 .</p><p>Stauning, P. (2018b): Multi-station basis for Polar Cap (PC) indices: ensuring credibility and operational reliability. Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate, 8, A07. https://doi.org/10.1051/swsc/2017036 .</p><p>Stauning, P. (2018c). Reliable Polar Cap (PC) indices for space weather monitoring and forecast</p>