The German Telecommunications Reform – Where did it come from, Where is it, and Where is it Going?

Author(s):  
Ingo Vogelsang

AbstractGerman telecommunications reform came late because of high institutional constraints, powerful beneficiaries and reasonable functioning of the old system. It finally occurred because (1) the beneficiaries had less to lose, (2) Germany was falling behind, (3) reform was proven to work abroad and (4) the EC exerted pressure. The reform, particularly separation of posts from telecommunications, privatization of Deutsche Telekom and the creation of the RegTP, brought radical changes and the formation of new beneficiaries. The current sector crisis should spur research in the stability of competition in network industries and a reevaluation of the current reforms. Further reforms are required by new EC rules that will provide a more unified framework for the entire telecommunications sector. In the long run, privatization and liberalization will be completed, while some kinds of telecommunications-specific regulation will continue. Dominant firm regulation of end-user services is likely to be abolished down the road, while bottleneck regulation may persist. The remaining amount of dominant firm regulation and the pace of deregulation will depend heavily on market boundaries between (a) wireless and fixed networks, (b) high and low capacity subscriber access and (c) high-density and lowdensity networks. Assessing the interaction between market boundaries and market power requires economic research of intermodal competition and market power.

Games ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Roberto Rozzi

We consider an evolutionary model of social coordination in a 2 × 2 game where two groups of players prefer to coordinate on different actions. Players can pay a cost to learn their opponent’s group: if they pay it, they can condition their actions concerning the groups. We assess the stability of outcomes in the long run using stochastic stability analysis. We find that three elements matter for the equilibrium selection: the group size, the strength of preferences, and the information’s cost. If the cost is too high, players never learn the group of their opponents in the long run. If one group is stronger in preferences for its favorite action than the other, or its size is sufficiently large compared to the other group, every player plays that group’s favorite action. If both groups are strong enough in preferences, or if none of the groups’ sizes is large enough, players play their favorite actions and miscoordinate in inter-group interactions. Lower levels of the cost favor coordination. Indeed, when the cost is low, in inside-group interactions, players always coordinate on their favorite action, while in inter-group interactions, they coordinate on the favorite action of the group that is stronger in preferences or large enough.


2004 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carsten Hefeker ◽  
Friedrich Heinemann ◽  
Klaus F. Zimmermann

AbstractIn his contribution Carsten Hefeker points out that most of the official arguments concerning the necessity of the Stability and Growth Pact are not convincing. Nevertheless, a mechanism that credibly avoids excessive debts and deficits is needed in most member states. It would be more useful, however, if such rules would focus on overall debt rather than on deficits. In addition, he advocates to create an external control for such fiscal rules, independent from the Commission and ECOFIN. He concludes that the Pact does not need to become more flexible, but more credible.Friedrich Heinemann states that much of the recent reform debate on the Stability Pact is based on a fundamental misconception: The Pact has not been established as a guiding tool for welfare - maximising politicians, but in order to limit detrimental incentives from fiscal short-sightedness. “Stupid” elements like the three-per-cent deficit ceiling have a clear and beneficial strategic function as boundary within the national budgetary process. Furthermore, simple rules are superior to smart ones in increasing the political costs of high deficits in terms of public awareness. The critique on the pact′s missing flexibility is correct mainly regarding its lose logical link to long-run sustainability. Increasing flexibility in a cyclical sense, however, is not a reform priority. Already today the Pact leaves sufficient leeway for responsible politicians. Instead, the reform focus must be on depoliticising the pact in the sense of limiting Council power in the deficit procedure. More flexibility must not come without depoliticising. He recommends that any reform should only be carried into effect with a significant time lag in order to limit the reputation damage which would be the consequence of any quick institutional response to the Pact′s recent crisis.In his paper Klaus F. Zimmermann argues that the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) has been subject to criticism ever since its inception. He points out that it overlooks business cycle developments within the framework of the consolidation process; it adopts a too short-term view of the stabilisation target which is also hardly under control of policy-makers; and it deals with policy imperfections in a sub-optimal way. Therefore, a reform of the SGP is urgent. The author suggests that the rules must be handled more flexibly. In his opinion, a mediumterm budgetary target and a focus on public expenditures to tackle the pro-cyclical bias is needed. To restore credibility, the task of supervision should be transferred to an independent European institution.


2013 ◽  
Vol 353-356 ◽  
pp. 436-439
Author(s):  
De Sen Kong ◽  
Yong Po Chen

In order to forecast the stability of deep roadway and optimize the parameters of bolts, the complex stress environment and the multivariate surrounding rocks characteristics of deep roadway were analyzed. Then the classification prediction method and the numerical simulation method were simultaneously used to analysis the stability of surrounding rocks. Furthermore, the supporting parameters of bolts were also designed optimally. It was shown that the characteristics of stress distribution, deformation and failure zone of surrounding rocks are not ideal. So it is necessary to optimize the supporting parameters of deep roadway. All these research findings will provide the theory basis for bolts of deep roadway and will ensure the optimization of bolts and the stability of deep roadway in the long run.


Author(s):  
JE-AN GU

We discuss the stability of the general-relativity (GR) limit in modified theories of gravity, particularly the f(R) theory. The problem of approximating the higher-order differential equations in modified gravity with the Einstein equations (2nd-order differential equations) in GR is elaborated. We demonstrate this problem with a heuristic example involving a simple ordinary differential equation. With this example we further present the iteration method that may serve as a better approximation for solving the equation, meanwhile providing a criterion for assessing the validity of the approximation. We then discuss our previous numerical analyses of the early-time evolution of the cosmological perturbations in f(R) gravity, following the similar ideas demonstrated by the heuristic example. The results of the analyses indicated the possible instability of the GR limit that might make the GR approximation inaccurate in describing the evolution of the cosmological perturbations in the long run.


2013 ◽  
Vol 859 ◽  
pp. 222-227
Author(s):  
Hong Jun Liu ◽  
Jin Hua Tan ◽  
Xue Wen Su ◽  
Hao Wu

Two typical monitoring sections are selected for obtaining the change law of the surface subsidence and the settlement after construction of soft soil foundations, and determining the reasonable unloading time. The research results show that the surface settlement rate is large during the filling stage, the rate decreases after the loading and gradually stabilized. The embankment midline settlement is larger than the settlement of the road shoulder which is concluded from the fact that the subsidence of the middle settlement plate is larger than those of the left and right plate. The surface subsidence rate is less than 5mm per month during the two month before unloading according to the data in the tables. The settlement after construction presumed from the middle plate is more significantly larger than that of left and right sides, hence, as the unloading basis of preloading drainage method in soft soil foundation treatment the settlement after construction which is calculated from the midline monitoring data of the road is appropriate. After 6 months the calculated post-construction settlements of the two sections are in the scope of the design requirement since they decrease with preloading time. The reliable basis is provided for the future design and construction of soft foundation in this area through the research results.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 2867-2884 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Wooldridge

Abstract. That corals skeletons are built of aragonite crystals with taxonomy-linked ultrastructure has been well understood since the 19th century. Yet, the way by which corals control this crystallization process remains an unsolved question. Here, I outline a new conceptual model of coral biomineralisation that endeavours to relate known skeletal features with homeostatic functions beyond traditional growth (structural) determinants. In particular, I propose that the dominant physiological driver of skeletal extension is night-time hypoxia, which is exacerbated by the respiratory oxygen demands of the coral's algal symbionts (= zooxanthellae). The model thus provides a new narrative to explain the high growth rate of symbiotic corals, by equating skeletal deposition with the "work-rate" of the coral host needed to maintain a stable and beneficial symbiosis. In this way, coral skeletons are interpreted as a continuous (long-run) recording unit of the stability and functioning of the coral–algae endosymbiosis. After providing supportive evidence for the model across multiple scales of observation, I use coral core data from the Great Barrier Reef (Australia) to highlight the disturbed nature of the symbiosis in recent decades, but suggest that its onset is consistent with a trajectory that has been followed since at least the start of the 1900s. In concluding, I outline how the proposed capacity of cnidarians (which includes modern reef corals) to overcome the metabolic limitation of hypoxia via skeletogenesis also provides a new hypothesis to explain the sudden appearance in the fossil record of calcified skeletons at the Precambrian–Cambrian transition – and the ensuing rapid appearance of most major animal phyla.


2011 ◽  
Vol 243-249 ◽  
pp. 3530-3537
Author(s):  
Zu Song Wu ◽  
Guang Qi Chen ◽  
Kou Ki Zen ◽  
Xin Rong Liu

When the road tunnel is excavated, the multi lining is used to being applied. In order to keep the surrounding rock stabilize and arouse the self-stability of the surrounding rock, building the first support is essential. But the slabbing often occurs near the spring line on the surface of the first lining, and because the slabbling is a common failing and not attracted our most attentions, it will develop to the crack and threaten the stability of the structure finally. This paper uses the line elastic method to analyze the mechanics that causes this slabbing phenomenon via the interaction between the surrounding rock and the first lining, and suggests the measure that escape the slabbing.


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 20170049
Author(s):  
Bibhuti Ranjan Mishra ◽  
Asit Mohanty

This paper examines the behaviour of Indian aggregate imports during the period 1980–81 to 2013–14. The stability of aggregate import demand function is examined using five types of cointegration tests including the ARDL bounds test. In order to estimate the long-run elasticities, we have applied three alternative fully efficient cointegrating regressions, autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model and Johansen maximum likelihood method. Our results reveal cointegration relationship between import demand, relative prices of import, domestic activity and foreign exchange reserves. Results evince that, in the long-run, the response of import demand to relative import prices is negative and less than unity, whereas it’s response to domestic activity/income is positive and more than unity. The foreign exchange reserve has a positive effect on imports.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Alvarez ◽  
Francesco Lippi

We present a monetary model with segmented asset markets that implies a persistent fall in interest rates after a once-and-for-all increase in liquidity. The gradual propagation mechanism produced by our model is novel in the literature. We provide an analytical characterization of this mechanism, showing that the magnitude of the liquidity effect on impact, and its persistence, depend on the ratio of two parameters: the long-run interest rate elasticity of money demand and the intertemporal substitution elasticity. The model simultaneously explains the short-run “instability” of money demand estimates as well as the stability of long-run interest-elastic money demand. (JEL E13, E31, E41, E43, E52, E62)


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (8) ◽  
pp. 1015-1028 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Falk ◽  
Xiang Lin

This article provides new evidence on the stability of the long-run income elasticity of tourism and travel demand by use of the recently developed smooth time-varying cointegration regression model. The estimations control for relative purchasing power parity of the source country and make use of a specific country dataset where domestic and foreign overnight stays are available over a longer period of time (Switzerland, 1934–2015). Results show that the income elasticity of foreign overnight stays peaks at approximately two in the early 1960s, drops to around one in the early 1980s and from then on remains stable until the end of the sample. Domestic income elasticity reaches its highest levels in the 1930s, then steadily falls towards one in the mid-1960s, and therefrom remains stable until 2015. Different phases in the tourism area life cycle might be a major explanatory factor for variation in income elasticities over time.


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