Suchergebnisse

In the article, the authors show that the main institutions of scientific efficiency are the institutions that publish scientific articles in Russian and international journals as well as monographs, scientific conference abstracts, pre-prints, reviews, reports, and also the institutions that register patents. The purpose of the research is the development of the indicator for the evaluation of the dysfunction of the institutions of scientific efficiency depending on different types of transaction coasts; and verification of the authors' indicator of scientific efficiency by the empirical study of the scientific organizations' activities. In the research, we applied the methods of the system, logical and economic analysis. The empirical information was processed using the methods of statistical analysis and correlation analysis. On the basis of different scientific efficiency of the central and regional institutions confirmed by Scopus data, the authors have proved that the scientific efficiency of regional scientific institutions and central ones need to be analysed separately. We have determined the dysfunctions of these institutions depending on different types of transaction coasts. We have developed the indicator for the assessment of the dysfunction of scientific efficiency institutions depending on different types of transaction coasts. The authors have introduced the indicator of scientific efficiency equal to the ratio of the dynamics of the increment of scientific results to the dynamics of the increase of transaction coasts. Depending on a type of the analyzed transaction coasts, the indicator of scientific efficiency illustrates the efficiency of various economic institutions. On the basis of the analysis of the research findings of the middle Urals' scientific organizations, we have arrived at the conclusion that the institutions that publish articles in the Russian and foreign scientific journals are efficient. We defined the dysfunctions of the institutions that publish articles in the Russian and foreign scientific journals depending on different types of transaction coasts. The authors conclude that it is efficient to increase certain types of transaction coasts. The received results can be applied by regional scientific institutions to increase the efficiency of their scientific activity. ; Russian Science Foundation, RSF: 14–18–00574, 14–18–00574, 14–18–00574, 14–18–00574 ; Russian Foundation for Basic Research, RFBR: 16–36–00097 ; Russian Science Foundation, RSF: 14–18–00574, 14–18–00574, 14–18–00574, 14–18–00574 ; Russian Foundation for Basic Research, RFBR: 16–36–00369, 17–06– 00537, 15–06–090994 ; Russian Humanitarian Foundation, RHF: 16–12–34015 ; Russian Foundation for Basic Research, RFBR: 16–32–01081 ; Government Council on Grants, Russian Federation ; Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, Minobrnauka: RFMEFI57216X0004 ; Council on grants of the President of the Russian Federation: MK-2752.2015.4 ; The research has been supported by the Grant of the Russian Science Foundation (the Project № 14–18–00574 "The information-analytical system "Anticrisis:" diagnostics of the regions, threat assessment and scenario forecasting for the preservation and strengthening of economic security and well-being of Russia). ; The article has been prepared with the support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research № 16–36–00097 «Economic and mathematical modelling of the regional metallurgical complex repositioning process in the conditions of new industrialization of the economy». ; The research has been supported by the Grant of Russian Science Foundation (Project № 14–18–00574 "Information and analytical "Anticrisis" system: diagnostics of regions, threat assessments and scenario forecasting for the purpose to preserve and strengthen the economic security and improve the well-being of Russia"). ; The article has been supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research № 15–06–090994, 16–36–00369, 17–06– 00537. ; The article has been supported by the Russian Foundation for Humanities (Project № 16–12–34015). ; The article has been prepared with the support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, the Project № 16–32–01081. ; The article has been supported by the Government of the Russian Federation (Resolution No. 211 of 16 March, 2013), Agreement No. 02.A03.21.0011. ; The article has been supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation within the project «Development of a set of measures and mechanisms for the increase in the efficiency of the international cooperation in new production technologies» (the unique identifier of the project RFMEFI57216X0004). ; The authors of the articles thank for the support the Council for Grants of the President of the Russian Federation for the state support of the young Russian PhD scientists (Grant No MK-2752.2015.4).

AbstractThe Environmental Protection Agency classifies healthcare as one of the leading energy-consuming industries. Extensive energy is needed around the clock in healthcare institutions for lighting, ventilation, and operating medical equipment. However, there is a growing concern over the sustainability of energy utilization by healthcare institutions worldwide. This narrative review thus seeks to examine energy efficiency and utilization in healthcare institutions and energy management and conservation techniques and make recommendations for future optimal usage. The paper notes that healthcare institutions use different quantities of energy from diverse sources, including hydropower, biomass, solar energy, and wind power. However, energy consumption varies from one institution to another, with the number of beds and intensity of healthcare operations, with an average of 0.27 MWh m−2. Moreover, this review also identified various techniques and measures to enhance energy efficiency, such as the variant refrigerant flow technology and the combination of renewable energy sources with diesel generators to reduce the cost of electricity. Overall, healthcare institutions need energy management systems such as automated energy monitoring technologies, to check the systems' efficiency. The same techniques can also help Middle Eastern healthcare institutions with efficient energy utilization. Ultimately, the literature review aims to introduce an approach that focuses on reducing site-level consumption of energy while increasing the quality of the energy used and hence, helping reduce energy costs while conserving the environment.

Strengthening elements of direct democracy has become a hotly debated issue especially in purely representative democracies where distrust in political institutions and policymakers has been continually growing in recent years. We develop a compensation model of interest groups seeking a majority for their projects by compensating potential losers. Assuming a centre-left government backed by a parliamentary majority, we apply the model to interest groups of varying size and ideology acting in democratic systems with and without faction discipline. With faction discipline in a representative system, direct democracy is comparatively advantageous and efficiency-enhancing if a leftist interest group initiates a project. For rightist project proposals, direct democracy performs better only if the winning group is small; this obeservation that indirect democracy has a comparative efficiency advantage for medium-sized and large winning groups can be seen as a demonstration of Olson's encompassing group effect. With faction discipline removed, direct and indirect democracy are generally equivalent. The case in which all members of the governing faction have to be compensated constitutes the only exception for which indirect democracy is superior.

Strengthening elements of direct democracy has become a hotly debated issue especially in purely representative democracies where distrust in political institutions and policymakers has been continually growing in recent years. We develop a compensation model of interest groups seeking a majority for their projects by compensating potential losers. Assuming a centre-left government backed by a parliamentary majority, we apply the model to interest groups of varying size and ideology acting in democratic systems with and without faction discipline. With faction discipline in a representative system, direct democracy is comparatively advantageous and efficiency-enhancing if a leftist interest group initiates a project. For rightist project proposals, direct democracy performs better only if the winning group is small; this obeservation that indirect democracy has a comparative efficiency advantage for medium-sized and large winning groups can be seen as a demonstration of Olson�s encompassing group effect. With faction discipline removed, direct and indirect democracy are generally equivalent. The case in which all members of the governing faction have to be compensated constitutes the only exception for which indirect democracy is superior.

Little is known about the efficiency of health care in correction settings. This article reports an efficiency analysis of health care in state correctional institutions (SCIs) in a single, mid-Atlantic state from 2003 to 2006. A two-stage data envelopment analysis was used to estimate the technical efficiency of prison health care and determine inmate and institutional characteristics that were associated with efficiency. Our output variable was the number of infirmary inpatient days for each year of study. The input variable for the first stage was the sum of personnel medical staff costs and other medical operating costs. SCIs with more white prisoners, older prisoners, and higher proportions of inmates with parole violations were significantly less efficient in their provision of health care than other SCIs. There were no SCI characteristics that were predictive of efficiency. These results suggest that healthcare efficiency in corrections may decline as the prison population continues to age.

International financing institutions (IFIs) spend more than US$50 billion each year, most of it for development, but also some for environmental and other purposes. Yet the question which of the IFIs spend a given amount in the most efficient way seems not to have been researched. Such information would help donor and recipient countries to put pressure on badly performing IFIs and to farther the better ones. The authors therefore discuss the subject of the efficient use of financial resources by IFIs. They develop a set of determinants of spending efficiency, structured by (1) the general features of an institution, such as being public or private; (2) the organisational elements of an institution; and (3) the type of problem an institution deals with. This set of determinants also constitute a research design for the comparative analysis of the spending efficiency of IFIs.