Maze Solving by a Quantum Walk with Sinks and Self-Loops: Numerical Analysis

Maze-solving by natural phenomena is a symbolic result of the autonomous optimization induced by a natural system. We present a method for finding the shortest path on a maze consisting of a bipartite graph using a discrete-time quantum walk, which is a toy model of many kinds of quantum systems. By evolving the amplitude distribution according to the quantum walk on a kind of network with sinks, which is the exit of the amplitude, the amplitude distribution remains eternally on the paths between two self-loops indicating the start and the goal of the maze. We performed a numerical analysis of some simple cases and found that the shortest paths were detected by the chain of the maximum trapped densities in most cases of bipartite graphs. The counterintuitive dependence of the convergence steps on the size of the structure of the network was observed in some cases, implying that the asymmetry of the network accelerates or decelerates the convergence process. The relation between the amplitude remaining and distance of the path is also discussed briefly.

Global diffusion of three road safety policies, 1964–2015

Global convergence of public policies has been regarded as a defining feature of the late twentieth century. This study explores the generalizability of this thesis for three road safety measures: (i) road safety agencies; (ii) child restraint laws; and (iii) mandatory use of daytime running lights. This study analyzes cross-national longitudinal data using survival analysis for the years 1964–2015 in 181 countries. The first main finding is that only child restraint laws have globally converged; in contrast, the other two policies exhibit a fractured global convergence process, likely as the result of competing international and national forces. This finding may reflect the lack of necessary conditions, at the regional and national levels, required to accelerate the spread of policies globally, adding further nuance to the global convergence thesis. A second finding is that mechanisms of policy adoption, such as imitation/learning and competition, rather than coercion, explain more consistently global and regional convergence outcomes in the road safety realm. This finding reinforces the idea of specific elective affinities, when explaining why the diffusion of policies may or not result in convergence. Lastly, by recognizing fractured convergence processes, these results call for revisiting the global convergence thesis and reintegrating more consistently regional analyses into policy diffusion and convergence studies.

PERAN PENGELOLAAN ANGGARAN PEMERINTAH DALAM PEMUDARAN KESENJANGAN PENDIDIKAN DI INDONESIA

This study aims to analyze the convergence process of educational outcomes in Indonesia and determine the role of government budget allocation in accelerating convergence by observing all regions from 2010-2019. According to the results of the σ-convergence analysis, it is found that the dispersion explains the convergence process of the educational index gap. Then confirmed by the results of conditional β-convergence analysis by the System-GMM model, it was found that the convergence speed was relatively slow. This is a consequence of the role of government budget management which has not been optimal. In terms of regional revenues, it is found that the specific purpose transfer and the general purpose transfer have a significant negative effect on the convergence of the education index. Then from the expenditure side, it is known that direct expenditure has a significant positive effect on convergence, while indirect expenditure is not significant. Thus, this evidence opens up opportunities for the educational index to become a separate dimension in determining purpose transfer to the regions to accelerate the convergence of educational outcomes.

The Life Cycle of Converging Industries: The Evolution of the Tablet Sector and Its Impact on Competitive Dynamics

Background of the study. In recent years a series of academic research projects in the economic managerial field have investigated the relationship between innovation and industrial evolution, providing new interpretive keys to improve the understanding of one of the most important events in the industries’ transformation in the current economy, that of digital convergence. Purpose of the paper and methodology. This research work provides an original contribution to the question of how market convergence affects industry evolution. The paper analyzes the convergence process that has influenced the evolution of the tablet sector and the dynamics of entry, exit, innovation and competition over the industry life cycle. From a methodological point of view, a historical-longitudinal study was carried out, which was aimed at examining – supported by a qualitative/quantitative analysis – the sequence of events that, over 30 years, influenced the development of the tablet industry. Findings and implications. From the analysis some interesting findings emerged. Firstly, it was found that the life cycle curve of the converging tablet industry defined on the basis of sales data followed the ‘S-shaped pattern’ empirically detected by product and industry life cycle studies. Secondly, we have verified that the evolution of firm population and the level of product innovation in the tablet industry are consistent with two temporal patterns that characterize the evolutionary model, identified by evolutionary economics and technology management studies. It has also been found that the sectoral convergence process has affected the dynamics of competition in the tablet industry. It emerged, in fact, that the leading companies in introductory stages of the development of the tablet market – which came from the personal computer industry – quickly lost their market position in favor to newcomer firms that came from different converging sectors. The analysis has also made it possible to highlight that tablet market leaders tend to compete with each other in multiple sectors within the scope of a broader convergent mobile digital device market. Therefore, a ‘hybrid competition’ seems to have been affirmed between technological devices – smartphones, notebooks, tablets, smartwatches, e-readers – different in shape, but united by satisfying, in different ways, a need for simplified access on the move to a series of advanced digital functions and services.

Examining Diffusion and Convergence Processes of Three Road Safety Policies, 1964-2015

Global convergence of public policies has been regarded as a defining feature of the late twentieth century. This study explores the generalizability of this thesis for three road safety measures: i) road safety agencies; ii) child restraint laws; and iii) mandatory use of daytime running lights. We analyze cross-national longitudinal data using survival analysis for the years 1964-2015 in 181 countries. Our first main finding is that only child restraint laws have globally converged; in contrast, the other two policies exhibit a fractured global convergence process, likely as the result of competing international and national forces. This finding may reflect the lack of necessary conditions, at the regional and national levels, required to accelerate the spread of policies globally, adding further nuance to the global convergence thesis. A second finding is that mechanisms of policy adoption, such as imitation/learning and competition, rather than coercion, explain more consistently global and regional convergence outcomes in the road safety realm. This finding reinforces the idea of specific elective affinities, when explaining why the diffusion of policies may or not result in convergence. Lastly, by recognizing fractured convergence processes, our results call for revisiting the global convergence thesis and reintegrating more consistently regional analyses into policy diffusion and convergence studies.

Inter-Industry Structural Convergence of Bulgaria’s Economy to the Eurozone

The article presents an analysis of the inter-industry structural convergence process of Bulgaria’s economy to the Eurozone for the 2000–2018 period. In order to study the specific characteristics of the process, the article explores the dynamics of the relative shares of separate industries (economic activities) in gross value added and compares them to the reference economy, along with possible explanations and implications. The divergence index is employed as a quantitative measure of the degree of structural similarity, and comparisons to other EU economies with similar characteristics are made as well. Results indicate that the output structure of Bulgaria’s economy is slowly converging towards the Eurozone throughout the period despite some variation in developments before and after the 2009 recession.

The Expectation for Pension Insurance in Funded Schemes: Theoretical Model and Global Implementation

In this study, we derive the financial position of pension actors in the market during pension system transition toward more funded capitalized scheme, mainly via an option benefit model. This is enabled by not considering the economy as a single earning cohort. We analytically demonstrate a socio-economic anomaly in funded pension system, which is in favor of high earning cohorts on the expense of low earning cohorts. This anomaly is realized by lack of insurance and exposure to financial and systemic risks. Furthermore, the anomaly might lead to pension re-reform back to unfunded scheme, mostly due to political pressure. We find that minimum pension guarantee is a rebalance mechanism to this anomaly, which increases the probability to sustainable pension scheme. Specifically, we argue that implementing the guarantee with an intra-generational, risk-sharing mechanism is the most efficient way to reduce the effect of this abnormality. Moreover, we exhibit the convergence process toward implementing minimum pension guarantee in many countries, which have capitalized their pension systems during the last three decades, particularly among Latin America and Central East Europe (CEE) countries. Received: 11 December 2020 / Accepted: 5 August 2021 / Published: 5 September 2021

An Examination of Per Capita Income Convergence in Emerging Market Economies

The study intends to examine the convergence of per capita income in emerging market economies (EMEs) toward a steady state for the post reform period (1999–2019). Cross-sectional regression analysis has been performed for unconditional convergence and a panel data regression to find the conditional convergence in EMEs. Sigma convergence has been applied to find the dispersion of income level in EMEs. In addition, to find the impact of global financial crisis on the convergence process of EMEs, unit root test with one structural break has been applied. The findings indicate that there exists unconditional convergence among EMEs toward a common steady state. Further, the results show a significant role of all control variables except education in the growth process but prove the absence of conditional convergence in selected EMEs. The results of sigma convergence find that the dispersion of per capita income is declining in EMEs, showing the sign of sigma convergence in EMEs. However, this study provides further scope to examine per capita income convergence among EMEs by including other variables and their effect on the convergence process of EMEs.