Electronic gaming machine accessibility and gambling problems: A natural policy experiment

Background: Electronic gaming machines (EGMs) are recognised as one of the most harmful forms of gambling at an individual level. However, it is unclear whether restriction of EGM functions and accessibility results in meaningful reductions in population-level gambling harm. Methods: This study employed a natural policy experiment to compare gambling problems between Australian residents in Western Australia (WA), where EGMs are restricted to a single venue and have different structural features, and residents in other Australian jurisdictions where EGMs are widely accessible in casinos, hotels and clubs. The accessibility of non-EGM forms of gambling is generally similar across all Australian jurisdictions. The study draws on a large (N = 15,000) nationally-representative dataset.Findings: Although gambling participation was slightly higher in WA, EGM participation was approximately half that found in the rest of Australia. Aggregate gambling problems and harm were about one-third lower in WA, and self-reported attribution of harm to EGMs by gamblers and affected others was 2·7x and 4x lower, respectively. Analyses using mediation and moderation determined that the attributable impact of EGMs in WA was 70% lower than elsewhere, and was responsible for the vast majority of the discrepancy in gambling problems (indirect path = -0·055, 95% CI -0·071; -0·038). Attributable problems to casino table games were slightly higher in WA, potentially due to redirection of demand, but this effect size was small relative to the reduction of problems due to EGMs. On an individual level, for a given level of participation in EGMs and other forms, the risk of problems were similar in WA and the rest of Australia. Interpretation: Reduced harm from gambling in WA is due to restricted accessibility of EGMs, and there is little transfer of problems to other gambling forms. These results suggest that restricting the accessibility of EGMs substantially reduces gambling harm.Funding: Gambling Research Australia (GRA) funded this research. GRA is a partnership between the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments to initiate and manage a national program of gambling research.

The Reorientation of Thailand’s National R&D Programmes - Limits and Challenges

<p>Since 2016 Thailand has recognised a significant transition in research and innovation policy, with government increasingly acknowledging the importance of national R&amp;D programmes and favourable institutional conditions as determinants to overcome middle income trap. Drawing a lesson-learned from successful experiences of South Korea and Japan, the Thai government decided to experiment the national large-scaled mission-oriented R&amp;D programme, known as ‘Spearhead R&amp;D Programme’. This novel innovation financing scheme was designed to accelerate the commercialisation and economic impact of R&amp;D outputs. From the outset, it was clear that the outcome and impact of Spearhead R&amp;D Programme was yet to be realized. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the reorientation of Thailand’s research and innovation landscape with the focus on the efficiency of operation in relation to the objective of the Spearhead R&amp;D Programme. It is found that the Spearhead R&amp;D Programme is equipped with four novel conceptual and operational features including strategic national STI agenda, R&amp;D commercialization, multi-year budget allocation and proactive research management. Yet, there were also potential limits and challenges that need to be addressed to move the Programme towards greater sectoral contribution with open innovation and flexibility in policy learning.</p><p> </p><p>Keywords: Research &amp; Innovation Reform, Mission-oriented R&amp;D Programme, Policy Experiment, Catch-up, R&amp;D Commercialisation, Thailand</p>

Spillover Effects of Intellectual Property Protection in the Interwar Aircraft Industry

Can strengthening intellectual property (IP) protection for producers of one good affect innovation in other related goods? To answer this question, we exploit a unique policy experiment in the interwar military aircraft industry. Airframe designs had little IP protection before 1926, but changes passed by Congress in 1926 provided airframe manufacturers with enhanced property rights over new designs. We show that granting property rights to airframe producers increased innovation in airframes, but slowed innovation in aero-engines, a complementary good where there was no change in the availability of IP protection. We propose and test a simple theory that explains these patterns.

Remodeling Street-Level Workers With Quasi-Markets: Comparing Ireland’s Mixed Economy of Welfare-to-Work

Quasi-markets in employment services often follow social policy turns toward activation. Critics see this as no accident, arguing that marketization is intended to raise the odds that workfare policies will be implemented. Drawing on surveys of Irish frontline activation workers, this study harnesses a natural policy experiment whereby Ireland introduced a Payment-by-Results quasi-market alongside a parallel program contracted without outcomes-based contracting. Although the demandingness of activation remains modest in Ireland, the study finds that regulatory approaches are more common under market governance conditions, which in turn has been associated with significant workforce changes and stronger systems of performance monitoring.

Deregulation and pricing of medical services: a policy experiment based in China

Background Price regulation is a common constraint in Chinese hospitals. Based on a policy experiment conducted in China on the price deregulation of private nonprofit hospitals, this study empirically examines the impact of medical service price regulation on the pricing of medical services by hospitals. Methods Using the claim data of insured inpatients residing in a major Chinese city for the period 2010–2015, this study constructs a DID (difference-in-differences) model to compare the impact of price deregulation on medical expenditure and expenditure structure between public and private nonprofit hospitals. Results The empirical results based on micro data reveal that, price deregulated significantly increased the total expenditure per inpatient visit by 10.5%. In the itemized expenditure, the diagnostic test and drug expenditure per inpatient visit of private nonprofit hospitals decreased significantly, whereas the physician service expenditure per inpatient visit increased significantly. For expenditure structure, the proportions of drug expenditure and diagnostic test expenditure per inpatient visit significantly decreased by 5.7 and 3.1%, respectively. Furthermore, this paper also found that hospitals had larger price changes for dominant diseases than for non-dominant diseases. Conclusions Under price regulation, medical service prices generally become lower than their costs. Therefore, after price deregulation, private nonprofit hospitals increase medical service prices above their cost and achieve the service premium increasing physician medical services. Further, although price deregulation causes patient expenditure to increase to a certain level, it optimizes the expenditure structure, as well.

Tax Progressivity and Self-Employment Dynamics

Analysis of the relationship between taxes and self-employment should account for the interplay between responses in self-employment and wage employment. To this end, we estimate a two-state multi-spell duration model which accounts for both observed and unobserved heterogeneity using a large longitudinal administrative dataset for Norway for 1993 to 2011. Our findings confirm theoretical predictions, and are robust to various changes to definitions and sample selections. A policy experiment simulating a atter tax schedule in the year 2000 is found to encourage self-employment, delivering a net increase of predicted inow into self-employment from 2.8% to 5.3%.