Vocational training for unemployed youth in Latvia

We analyze the effectiveness of a vocational training (VT) programme targeting unemployed youth in Latvia, contributing to the scant literature on active labour market policies in transition countries. The programme we analyse is part of the Youth Guarantee scheme (2014–2020), the largest action launched by the European Union to combat youth unemployment after the 2008 financial crisis. Although the programme was targeted to youths aged between 15 and 29, priority was given to those younger than 25 years of age. We exploit this eligibility rule in a fuzzy regression discontinuity design framework to estimate the impact of VT participation on the probability of being employed and gross monthly labour income at given dates after the training. Using rich administrative data, we find that the age priority rule increased programme participation for the youngest group by about 10 percentage points. However, participation in the programme did not lead to statistically significant positive effects in labour market outcomes. We argue that this result could be due to some specific characteristics of the programme, namely the voucher system (potentially inducing lock-in effects) and the type of training (classroom instead of on-the-job training). Moreover, the programme was targeted at ex-ante low-employable individuals (e.g. without vocational qualifications), a fact that is confirmed by our analysis of the characteristics of the population of compliers with the age priority rule.

Performance of Heuristic Priority Rule for Multiskilled Resource-Constrained Scheduling

Nowadays, without a classification system that helps the project manager to decide which heuristic applies when mitigating the multiskilled resource-constrainedscheduling, they must try several of rules until they find one that compares favorably (shortest duration) with the results of the other heuristic priority rules. This study explored the twenty-three existing heuristics’ performance for multiskilled resource-constrained scheduling. The results found that the heuristics with good performance are TIMROS, TIMRES, ACROS, WCS ACS and ACTRES. Overall, they outperform the others in shortening the project duration. It should be pointed out that the heuristics dealing with the use of several information are likely better to get shorter project duration. There are enough statistical evidences to conclude that their criterions have a significant effect on reducing project duration by approximately 1-2 times of the standard deviation. The top four heuristics: TIMROS, TIMRES, ACROS and ACTRESS classified into the composite rule produced the lowest average of project duration. It is also found that Serial Schedule Scheme (SSS) underperformthe Partial Schedule Scheme (PSS). This study has the contribution for the project managers to decide which heuristic applies when mitigating the multiskilled resource overallocation problem in term of minimum project duration

Extension of some project scheduling heuristics and their comparison at low and high levels of resource requirement

Some of the most frequently used scheduling heuristics for resource constrained projects are Activity Time (ACTIM), Activity Resource (ACTRES) and Resource Over Time (ROT) which are based on Brook's Algorithm (BAG). These heuristics assign resources based upon the priority values of the activities that can be scheduled. In the first part of this study, these heuristics have been modified such that when more than two activities are allowed to be assigned, depending upon the priority rule, that activity is assigned first overriding the priority rule, which, if assigned, will result in minimum resource idle time (MRIT). MRIT is found to improve the performance of these existing heuristics. The second part of the study investigates the performance of these heuristics at high and low levels of resource requirement by each activity. ACTIM was found to perform better than other heuristics at the low level. At the high level, all the heuristics performed equally well.

Extension of some project scheduling heuristics and their comparison at low and high levels of resource requirement

Some of the most frequently used scheduling heuristics for resource constrained projects are Activity Time (ACTIM), Activity Resource (ACTRES) and Resource Over Time (ROT) which are based on Brook's Algorithm (BAG). These heuristics assign resources based upon the priority values of the activities that can be scheduled. In the first part of this study, these heuristics have been modified such that when more than two activities are allowed to be assigned, depending upon the priority rule, that activity is assigned first overriding the priority rule, which, if assigned, will result in minimum resource idle time (MRIT). MRIT is found to improve the performance of these existing heuristics. The second part of the study investigates the performance of these heuristics at high and low levels of resource requirement by each activity. ACTIM was found to perform better than other heuristics at the low level. At the high level, all the heuristics performed equally well.

Multi-Criteria Optimization in Operations Scheduling Applying Selected Priority Rules

The utilization of a specific priority rule in scheduling operations in flexible job shop systems strongly influences production goals. In a context of production control in real practice, production performance indicators are evaluated always en bloc. This paper addresses the multi-criteria evaluating five selected conflicting production objectives via scalar simulation-based optimization related to applied priority rule. It is connected to the discrete-event simulation model of a flexible job shop system with partially interchangeable workplaces, and it investigates the impact of three selected priority rules—FIFO (First In First Out), EDD (Earliest Due Date), and STR (Slack Time Remaining). In the definition of the multi-criteria objective function, two scalarization methods—Weighted Sum Method and Weighted Product Method—are employed in the optimization model. According to the observations, EDD and STR priority rules outperformed the FIFO rule regardless of the type of applied multi-criteria method for the investigated flexible job shop system. The results of the optimization experiments also indicate that the evaluation via applying multi-criteria optimization is relevant for identifying effective solutions in the design space when the specific priority rule is applied in the scheduling operations.

Priority of Uses in International Water Law

The raison d’être of international water law is that it provides States with a toolkit to equip them to deal with complex problems relating to the joint use and sustainable management of transboundary freshwater resources. The principle of equitable and reasonable utilization is one such tool in this toolkit. When applying the equitable and reasonable utilization principle to a specific transboundary watercourse, States sharing that watercourse must decide which water uses are more important than others. But the general rule is that no water use takes a priori priority over others (this is the so-called no-inherent-priority rule). This paper examines three ways in which this no-inherent-priority rule can be relativized, by recognizing a certain degree of priority to certain categories of water uses. Based on an assessment of previous State practice, it is suggested that (1) existing uses enjoy a certain degree of priority over new uses; that water uses that are (2) more beneficial to a greater number of people and are less damaging to other uses and the freshwater ecosystems, enjoy priority; and that water uses that (3) immediately satisfy vital human water needs enjoy priority. States need some general guidance in identifying which water uses normally take priority in defined circumstances, and this paper provides such guidance, thereby making the tool more effective. States can decide to derogate from these general rules if the circumstances so require; they are, of course, not legally binding on them.

The Role of Deposit Guarantee Schemes in Preventing and Managing Banking Crises: Governance and Least Cost Principle

The Deposit Guarantee Directive enlarges the role of DGSs in supporting and financing with alternative interventions the early research of “market solutions”, that may avoid the failure of a bank. Despite the broad mandate formally set out in the Directive, the feasibility of the failure prevention measures by a DGS is restricted according to the current legal framework. More specifically, constraints to the use of alternative interventions could derive both from State aid rules and the super priority rule coupled with the least cost criterion. As regards the first point, the European Commission ruled that the Italian DGS’s alternative measures in favour of a bank named ‘Tercas’ constituted an illegal State aid, claiming that intervention was attributable to the Italian government and that the resources employed were subject to public control. With reference to the second point, according to the BRRD, within the creditor insolvency hierarchy, depositors are preferred to any of the bank’s other unsecured creditors. As the DGS, after the payout, is subrogated to the preferred claims of covered depositors, it will have a big recovery rate in the bank liquidation. This effect might hamper the DGS’s ability to undertake alternative interventions, since under the least cost criterion these could be more expensive than a depositor payout. Given the importance of the role of DGSs in preventing and minimizing the overall cost of a banking crisis, this paper aims at analysing the two issues above, in order firstly to suggest a governance model which allows a national DGS to intervene in a banking crisis without breaking State aid rules. Secondly, regarding the least cost principle, the paper suggests the adoption of some criteria, extrapolated by the DGSD, which may allow DGSs to overcome the problems arising from the combination of the above criterion with the super priority rule.