Do Texas groundwater conservation districts matter?

Water Policy ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 379-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Foster

Texas faces a number of issues in an attempt to balance the water needs of a growing population while at the same time trying to conserve its water resources. Some of these issues include infrastructure improvements and provision of new supplies, changing patterns of use, water marketing and aquifer depletion. With aquifers providing 60% of all the water used in Texas, protecting and keeping these sources viable in the future is a key priority in addressing the state's water issues. With the state's emphasis on local control and the existence of between 80 and 90 groundwater districts state-wide, this research seeks to answer the question “Do groundwater districts in the State of Texas make a difference in groundwater depletion?” We use panel data from a set of 8,110 observations in a fixed effects regression to help us answer this question. We find evidence to suggest that groundwater districts do make a difference. After taking into consideration a couple of potential threats to validity, we run our model on a per district basis and by groundwater management areas. We also run it on a per aquifer basis and compare results with recommendations in the 2007 Texas Water Plan as a reality check. If we successfully answer the question that districts do in fact matter, the next logical step is to investigate what it is that districts do that makes a difference.

2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2098556
Author(s):  
Karsten Hank

Despite the important role of adult parent–child and sibling relations in the family system, only few studies have investigated yet, how the common adult experience of parental death impacts sibling relations. Estimating fixed-effects regression models using four waves of data from the German Family Panel (pairfam; n = 4,123 respondents), the present note focused on changes in three dimensions of adult siblings’ relationship qualities following the first parent’s death. Our analysis revealed a short-term positive effect of parental death on sibling contacts as well as longer-lasting increases in emotional closeness and conflicts. Next to an intensification of sibling relations following the first parent’s death, we also detected significant spillover effects from respondents’ relationship with the surviving parent to their sibling relations. Our analysis thus provided evidence for adult parent–child and sibling relations to be “linked in life and death,” underlining the benefits of jointly analyzing intra- and intergenerational family relationships.


Author(s):  
Cody A Drolc ◽  
Lael R Keiser

Abstract Government agencies often encounter problems in service delivery when implementing public programs. This undermines effectiveness and raise questions about accountability. A central component of responsiveness and performance management is that agencies correct course when problems are identified. However, public agencies have an uneven record in responding to problems. In this paper we investigate whether, and to what extent, capacity both within the agency and within institutions performing oversight, improves agency responsiveness to poor performance indicators. Using panel data on eligibility determinations in the Social Security Disability program from U.S. state agencies from 1991-2015 and fixed effects regression, we find that indicators of agency and oversight capacity moderate the relationship between poor performance and improvement. Our results suggest that investments in building capacity not only within agencies, but also within elected institutions, are important for successful policy implementation. However, we find evidence that while agency capacity alone can improve responsiveness to poor performance, the effect of oversight capacity on improving performance requires high agency capacity.


2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (12) ◽  
pp. 1110-1136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Kipkirong Tarus ◽  
Federico Aime

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of boards’ demographic diversity on firms’ strategic change and the interaction effect of firm performance. Design/methodology/approach – This paper used secondary data derived from publicly listed firms in Kenya during 2002-2010 and analyzed the data using fixed effects regression model to test the effect of board demographic and strategic change, while moderated regression analysis was used to test the moderating effect of firm performance. Findings – The results partially supported board demographic diversity–strategic change hypothesis. In particular, results indicate that age diversity produces less strategic change, while functional diversity is associated with greater levels of strategic change. The moderated regression results do not support our general logic that high firm performance enhances board demographic diversity–strategic change relationship. In effect, the results reveal that at high level of firm performance, board demographic diversity produces less strategic change. Originality/value – Despite few studies that have examined board demographic diversity and firm performance, this paper introduces strategic change as an outcome variable. This paper also explores the moderating role of firm performance in board demographic diversity–strategic change relationship, and finally, the study uses Kenyan dataset which in itself is unique because most governance and strategy research uses data from developed countries.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 128-145
Author(s):  
Woosik Yu

This paper analyzes the effect of the so-called ‘brain drain’ on economic growth through the channel of growth in total factor productivity. We analyze panel data that measure the severity of brain drain, which are from IMD and the U.S. National Science Foundation. Our analysis shows that middle-income countries have more brain drain compared to the group of high-income countries. Also, emerging economies that grow fast tend to experience more brain drain. Our results from fixed effects regression models show that that brain drain has a significant and positive impact on economic growth, and the main channel is productivity growth. This can be considered as evidence of the positive effects of ‘brain circulation’, which is one of the brain drain phenomena that settlement of the talents in advanced countries can eventually help improve the productivity of home country by the sharing of advanced technologies and skills around them with colleagues in motherland. Therefore, a strategy of utilizing overseas resident talents should also be considered, alongside the brain-attraction policy.


2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saganga Mussa Kapaya ◽  
Gwahula Raphael

The study analyzed effects of bank-specific, industry-specific and macroeconomic determinants on banks profitability. It used a maximum of 350 firm-years, from 52 banks from 1998 to 2010 in Tanzania. It did proxy profitability using return on asset (ROA), return on equity (ROE) and net interest margin (NIM). The static fixed effects regression model indicated that; credit facilities (CFA), capital adequacy (TEA), credit risk (CFR), diversification ratio (DIV), bank risk (BAR) and financial market development (MCAd) were significantly influencing ROA. The dynamic fixed effects regression model indicated that lagged ROA, TEA, loan losses provisions (PLT) and BAR, were significantly influencing ROA.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Daly ◽  
Eric Robinson

BackgroundIn late 2020 a second wave of COVID-19 infections occurred in many countries and resulted in a national lockdown in the UK including stay at home orders and school closures. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of psychological distress before and during the second COVID-19 wave in the UK. MethodsThis study drew on data from 10,657 participants from the nationally representative probability-based UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS). The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) assessment measure was used to detect the proportion of UK adults experiencing clinically significant psychological distress. Changes in distress levels associated with the second pandemic wave were examined between September 2020 and January 2021 using logistic regression and linear fixed-effects regression models. ResultsLongitudinal analyses showed that the prevalence of clinically significant distress rose by 5.8% (95% CI:4.4-7.2) from 21.3% in September 2020 to 27.1% in January 2021, compared with a 2019 pre-pandemic estimate of 21% in this cohort. Fixed effects analyses confirmed that the second COVID-19 wave was associated with a significant within-person increase in distress (d =0.15, p<.001). Increases were particularly pronounced among those with school-age children in the home. LimitationsA non-specific measure of mental health symptoms was utilized and it was not possible to separate the potential impact of the pandemic from other changes occurring in tandem within the study period. ConclusionClinically significant distress rose during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and reached levels similar to those observed in the immediate aftermath of the first pandemic wave.


2019 ◽  
pp. tobaccocontrol-2019-054923 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Hone ◽  
Andre Salem Szklo ◽  
Filippos T Filippidis ◽  
Anthony A Laverty ◽  
Isabela Sattamini ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo examine the associations of partial and comprehensive smoke-free legislation with neonatal and infant mortality in Brazil using a quasi-experimental study design.DesignMonthly longitudinal (panel) ecological study from January 2000 to December 2016.SettingAll Brazilian municipalities (n=5565).ParticipantsInfant populations.InterventionSmoke-free legislation in effect in each municipality and month. Legislation was encoded as basic (allowing smoking areas), partial (segregated smoking rooms) or comprehensive (no smoking in public buildings). Associations were quantified by immediate step and longer term slope/trend changes in outcomes.Statistical analysesMunicipal-level linear fixed-effects regression models.Main outcomes measuresInfant and neonatal mortality.ResultsImplementation of partial smoke-free legislation was associated with a −3.3 % (95% CI −6.2% to −0.4%) step reduction in the municipal infant mortality rate, but no step change in neonatal mortality. Comprehensive smoke-free legislation implementation was associated with −5.2 % (95% CI −8.3% to −2.1%) and −3.4 % (95% CI −6.7% to −0.1%) step reductions in infant and neonatal mortality, respectively, and a −0.36 (95% CI −0.66 to−0.06) annual decline in the infant mortality rate. We estimated that had all smoke-free legislation introduced since 2004 been comprehensive, an additional 10 091 infant deaths (95% CI 1196 to 21 761) could have been averted.ConclusionsStrengthening smoke-free legislation in Brazil is associated with improvements in infant health outcomes—particularly under comprehensive legislation. Governments should accelerate implementation of comprehensive smoke-free legislation to protect infant health and achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal three.


2020 ◽  
pp. 004912412091493
Author(s):  
Marco Giesselmann ◽  
Alexander W. Schmidt-Catran

An interaction in a fixed effects (FE) regression is usually specified by demeaning the product term. However, algebraic transformations reveal that this strategy does not yield a within-unit estimator. Instead, the standard FE interaction estimator reflects unit-level differences of the interacted variables. This property allows interactions of a time-constant variable and a time-varying variable in FE to be estimated but may yield unwanted results if both variables vary within units. In such cases, Monte Carlo experiments confirm that the standard FE estimator of x ⋅ z is biased if x is correlated with an unobserved unit-specific moderator of z (or vice versa). A within estimator of an interaction can be obtained by first demeaning each variable and then demeaning their product. This “double-demeaned” estimator is not subject to bias caused by unobserved effect heterogeneity. It is, however, less efficient than standard FE and only works with T > 2.


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