Search results for "Economy"

Quantifying the Potential Economic Benefits of Flexible Industrial Demand in the European Power System

2018

The envisaged decarbonization of the European power system introduces complex techno-economic challenges to its operation and development. Demand flexibility can significantly contribute in addressing these challenges and enable a cost-effective transition to the low-carbon future. Although extensive previous work has analyzed the impacts of residential and commercial demand flexibility, the respective potential of the industrial sector has not yet been thoroughly investigated despite its large size. This paper presents a novel, whole-system modeling framework to comprehensively quantify the potential economic benefits of flexible industrial demand (FID) for the European power system. This …

Horizon scanning the European bio‐based economy: a novel approach to the identification of barriers and key policy interventions from stakeholders in…

2016

There is international recognition that developing a climate-smart bioeconomy is essential to the continuation of economic development, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and adaptation to climatic change; Bio-based products have an important role in making this transition happen. Supporting policy interventions have been put forward at European and national levels to support innovation and development of bio-based products and services. This study asks whether suggested policy interventions reflect the needs of stakeholders and examines how these needs vary between European regions. This consultation was performed through an online survey of 447 experts actively involved in bio-based r…

The conversion of the atom : nuclear science and ideology in Francoist Spain

2016

At the beginning of the atomic age, Francoist Spain launched an expensive project to develop, research and use nuclear energy. Scientists, the military and high-ranking officials in the administration mobilised to materialise a technoscientific dream with an international scope. The modernity of nuclear science contrasts with the reactionary ideology of the regime, but the paradox is only apparent because until now there has not necessarily been any historical relationship between science and democracy. The drive towards nuclear technoscience reveals the mutual construction of science and politics during the Cold War era and the different ways to appropriate and exploit the atom during the …

Robots as intelligent assistants to face COVID-19 pandemic

2020

AbstractMotivationThe epidemic at the beginning of this year, due to a new virus in the coronavirus family, is causing many deaths and is bringing the world economy to its knees. Moreover, situations of this kind are historically cyclical. The symptoms and treatment of infected patients are, for better or worse even for new viruses, always the same: more or less severe flu symptoms, isolation and full hygiene. By now man has learned how to manage epidemic situations, but deaths and negative effects continue to occur. What about technology? What effect has the actual technological progress we have achieved? In this review, we wonder about the role of robotics in the fight against COVID. It p…

Analysis of the Russian and World Marker of Telemedicine and Biochipping: Features and Development Prospects

2019

The paper considers the telemedicine and biochipping market and studies the peculiarities of its development and problems in different countries. The purpose is to study the experience of telemedicine and biochipping in the world, and its features and prospects of development. The authors used methods of generalization, comparison, sampling, regression analysis, scientific articles and expert opinions to make a comparative analysis of the experience and results of the implementation of biochipping and telemedicine. The following conclusion was made: with the introduction of biochipping, the problem of a large number of long-term hospital and false ambulance calls will be solved, and the bod…

Whitewater sports: An innovation conducive to regional development? The case of the Ubaye Valley

2015

The Ubaye Valley in the French Alps became a center of tourism and outdoor sports in the twentieth century. It is named after the river which became a site for the practice of whitewater sports (canoeing/kayaking, rafting, etc.). Various structures were created there to disseminate these practices (associations, clubs and finally companies). The marketing of products combining these activities was able to take off thanks to the promotion of events undertaken by elected officials and area companies. But how was this offer able to foster innovation, understood as the adaptation of practices to current needs? Reconstructing the perspectives of ordinary innovation, this article examines the tec…

The Dynamic Evolution of the Proximity Effect in the Textile Industry

2011

This paper tests the evolution of the relationship between localization and proximity and their effect on firm performance for a sample of 10,490 Spanish textile firms in the period 2001–2006. Using coefficients of specialization two levels of geographical disaggregation are distinguished: (i) the provincial cluster and (ii) the industrial district. The results obtained show a positive and significant impact of the specialization level on productivity, both for industrial districts and provincial clusters (in this case only when the levels of specialization are high enough). In general, the effect is higher for industrial districts than for provincial clusters, although in both cases it dec…

Sun & sea tourism: Fantasy and finance of the all-inclusive industry

2016

The evolution of technological inequalities: country effect vs industry composition

2013

PurposeUsing the EU‐KLEMS database for 12 countries and 16 industries, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the differences in technological capital intensity (R&D capital stock as a percentage of GVA) between industries and the evolution of inequalities between the EU‐11 and the USA, as well as between EU countries.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use shift‐share analysis and a Theil inequality index to break down these inequalities and to quantify the importance of either a country or a specialization effect.FindingsResults from the shift‐share analysis show that there was a technological gap in favor of the USA until the mid‐1990s linked to the greater accumulation of techno…

Explaining Contagion: Tactical, Ideological, or Geographical Impulses?

2021

Elections are a zero-sum game, and the gain of one party equals the loss of another party. Likewise, the vote gains of some groups of parties have parallel losses among other party groups or party families. Political Parties do not operate in isolation. When Eurosceptic parties are successful, pro-European parties tend to lose votes as a consequence. Would a political party decide to adjust its position every time a Eurosceptic Party gains votes? The assumption here is that if a political party gains votes from one election to another (or at least does not lose votes), the information that the election result is communicating to it is that it is doing something right. A party might take not…