Hourly wages and working time in the Dutch market sector 1962-1995

This paper analyses the joint behaviour of hourly wages and standard hours in the Netherlands. With respect to the development of full-time hours to different hypotheses are suggested: work-sharing or productivity-sharing. Under the work-sharing hypothesis, high unemployment would lead to reduced hours, whereas under productivity-sharing, increased productivity leads to higher wages or reduced hours. The evidence is in favour of the productivity hypothesis. There is no direct impact of unemployment on the evolution of hours. Moreover, although reduced hours tend to increase hourly wages in the short run, this is not the case in the long run.labour economics ;

Overtime and Short-time with Fluctuating Absenteeism and Demand

Even though overtime is a widely observed phenomenon, this paper argues against the view of overtime as a structural cost minimizing labour demand solution. A large part of the observed overtime can be explained by the volatility of demand and absenteeism.The paper''s main contribution is to investigate how stochastic absenteeism and stochastic demand tend to increase average hours per worker. Two distinct mechanisms are identified, independent of the type of uncertainty. The relative sizes of these mechanisms differ between the type of uncertainty, but also between cost minimization and profit maximization models. The profit maximization model has the advantage that it predicts a spike at normal hours.labour economics ;

Land Use Scanner: the continuous cycle of application, evaluation and amelioration in landuse modelling

The Land Use Scanner is a logit model that simulates future land use in a GIS environment. The model uses claims from sectoral models as input, next to physical suitability, distance decay and policy maps. The model has been applied in several planning and decision making processes, such the Fifth Nota on Physical Planning and Nature Outlook. Evaluation of these applications has led to a series of suggestions for further improvement, such as adaption of the suitability maps, fine-tuning of the translation of sectoral claims to land use claims, and refinement of the priority of allocation for different types of land use. This paper discusses briefly the development of the Land Use Scanner, its application, and the current and prospective adaptions of the model and its input.

Public transportation in UK viewed as a complex network

In this paper we investigate the topological and spatial features of public transport networks (PTN) within the UK. Networks investigated include London, Manchester, West Midlands, Bristol, national rail and coach networks during 2011. Using methods in complex network theory and statistical physics we are able to discriminate PTNs with respect to their stability; which is the first of this kind for national networks. Moreover, taking advantage of various fractal properties we gain useful insights into the serviceable area of stations. These features can be employed as key performance indicators in aid of further developing efficient and stable PTNs.Comment: 23 pages, 9 figure

Interpreting Theories without a Spacetime

In this paper we have two aims: first, to draw attention to the close connexion between interpretation and scientific understanding; second, to give a detailed account of how theories without a spacetime can be interpreted, and so of how they can be understood. In order to do so, we of course need an account of what is meant by a theory `without a spacetime': which we also provide in this paper. We describe three tools, used by physicists, aimed at constructing interpretations which are adequate for the goal of understanding. We analyse examples from high-energy physics illustrating how physicists use these tools to construct interpretations and thereby attain understanding. The examples are: the 't Hooft approximation of gauge theories, random matrix models, causal sets, loop quantum gravity, and group field theory

International roaming in the EU : current overview, challenges, opportunities and solutions

As technology evolves and globalization continues, the need for reasonably priced roaming services has never been higher. In 2007, the European Commission (EC) introduced a first set of regulatory decisions to cap the maximal roaming fee end users have to pay for voice services. In the years after, additional price caps have been introduced for SMS and data, initially only for end users, in a later stage also for the wholesale tariff. The final step, Roaming Like at Home (RLAH), will start to take effect in June 2017; from then on end users will pay the same price (for voice, SMS and data) when roaming like in their domestic country. The effect of RLAH on the business case of each mobile operator is hard to predict, as the different national markets are extremely heterogeneous and operators face large discrepancies in terms of roaming usage and network costs due to different travelling patterns and various other reasons that cannot be harmonized (geography, economics, working force, usage history, etc.). Furthermore, competition in the telecom market will no longer be a purely national matter, as the decision to abolish roaming tariffs will fully open up cross-border competition. This paper aims at providing insights in the effect of RLAH for both the end user as well as the mobile operators. Following a literature survey approach, including an overview of the roaming regulation process from 2007 up to now, the paper discusses possible effects the RLAH initiative might trigger, going from lower wholesale prices for mobile operators to higher retail prices for end Users. Additionally, as the European Commission strives for a digital single market, this paper presents a number of technical solutions (carrier portability, software-based SIMs, cross-border IMSI, Roaming like a Local, Wi-Fi offloading) that may pose a - partial or full - alternative for roaming and explains how these may impact cross-border competition both positively and negatively. The solutions are assessed against two axes: (1) generating the best possible outcome for the end customers (in all countries) and (2) ensuring the best level playing field for (virtual) mobile operators in Europe, which will of course involve trade-offs on different levels

A Precipice Below Which Lies Absurdity? Theories without a Spacetime and Scientific Understanding

While the relation between visualization and scientific understanding has been a topic of long-standing discussion, recent developments in physics have pushed the boundaries of this debate to new and still unexplored realms. For it is claimed that, in certain theories of quantum gravity, spacetime ‘disappears’: and this suggests that one may have sensible physical theories in which spacetime is completely absent. This makes the philosophical question whether such theories are intelligible, even more pressing. And if such theories are intelligible, the question then is how they manage to do so. In this paper, we adapt the contextual theory of scientific understanding, developed by one of us, to fit the novel challenges posed by physical theories without spacetime. We construe understanding as a matter of skill rather than just knowledge. The appeal is thus to understanding, rather than explanation, because we will be concerned with the tools that scientists have at their disposal for understanding these theories. Our central thesis is that such physical theories can provide scientific understanding, and that such understanding does not require spacetimes of any sort. Our argument consists of four consecutive steps: (a) We argue, from the general theory of scientific understanding, that although visualization is an oft-used tool for understanding, it is not a necessary condition for it; (b) we criticise certain metaphysical preconceptions which can stand in the way of recognising how intelligibility without spacetime can be had; (c) we catalogue tools for rendering theories without a spacetime intelligible; and (d) we give examples of cases in which understanding is attained without a spacetime, and explain what kind of understanding these examples provide