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on Project, Program and Portfolio Management |
| By: | Phoebe Koundouri; Laura Airoldi; Arjen Boon; Amerissa Giannouli; Eleftherios Levantis; Aris Moussoulides; Marian Stuiver; Stella Tsani (Athens University of Economics and Business) |
| Abstract: | This chapter provides an introduction to the MERMAID project. MERMAID focused on developing concepts for offshore platforms which can be used for multiple purposes, such as energy and aquaculture production. These concepts were developed with input from experts as well as societal stakeholders. MERMAID consortium comprised of 28 partner institutes, including Universities, Research institutes, Industries and Small and Medium Enterprises from several EU countries. Consortium members brought a range of expertise in hydraulics, wind engineering, aquaculture, renewable energy, marine environment, project management, as well as socioeconomics and governance. Within the scope of MERMAID it has been developed and applied an Integrated Socio-Economic Assessment of the sustainability of Multi-Use Offshore Platforms, using the results from the natural and engineering sciences as inputs, boundaries and constraints to the analysis |
| Keywords: | Mermaid, Marine spatial planning, Multi use offshore platforms, Socio-economic assessment, Marine infrastructure, EU, Energy, Aquaculture |
| Date: | 2019–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aue:wpaper:1914&r= |
| By: | Laura Jaramillo; Olivier Bizimana; Mr. Saji Thomas |
| Abstract: | South Asia needs large infrastructure investments to achieve its development goals, and public investment can also support the Covid-19 recovery. Regression estimates that account for the quantity and quality of investment suggest that public infrastructure was a key driver of productivity growth in South Asia. Going forward, higher public infrastructure spending can raise growth, but its benefits depend on how it is financed and managed. Model simulations show that tax financing, concessional lending, or private sector financing through public private partnerships (PPPs) are more advantageous than government borrowing through financial markets because they support growth while containing the impact on public debt. However, the optimal choice also depends on available fiscal space, taxation capacity, implementation risks, and public investment efficiency. To reap the most benefits from higher infrastructure investment, South Asian countries need to manage fiscal risks carefully, including from PPPs and state-owned enterprises, and improve public investment efficiency. |
| Keywords: | infrastructure investment; tax financing; quality of investment; PPP financing; efficiency gap; multiyear investment planning; Public investment spending; Infrastructure; Capital budget; South Asia; Asia and Pacific; Caribbean |
| Date: | 2021–04–30 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2021/117&r= |
| By: | R. Quentin Grafton (Australian National University); Hoang Long Chu (Australian National University); Harry Nelson (University of British Columbia); Gérard Bonnis (OECD) |
| Abstract: | This paper proposes a ranking of the countries where forest carbon sequestration is the most cost-efficient among 166 countries for which data are available. Taking into account the main cost factors leads to a more nuanced ranking of the countries to be favoured for cost-efficient forest carbon sequestration compared to the assumption that these would always be in tropical areas with high rainfall. The ranking reflects the differences in the opportunity cost of land use and labour cost (production costs), the quality of the business environment (transaction costs), natural conditions (forest productivity), wildfire risk and the avoided GHG emissions from alternative land use. Cost-efficiency also depends on the type of forest project (afforestation, reforestation or forest conservation) and how private (wood harvest) and non-private (environmental and social) co-benefits are counted. A sensitivity analysis is undertaken to examine the robustness of the results with respect to uncertainties in values of the cost and quantity factors of forest carbon sequestration. The results support the view that forests can be a cost-efficient way to offset GHG emissions and that significant cost reductions are possible by targeting the country and sub-national regions in which to locate forest carbon sequestration projects. The report also reviews the literature on the significance and cost of forest carbon sequestration and provides an overview of forest carbon offset schemes. |
| Keywords: | carbon offsets, climate change mitigation, forest carbon capture, forest co-benefits, forest cost-efficiency |
| JEL: | Q23 Q54 Q57 Q58 |
| Date: | 2021–11–30 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:envaaa:185-en&r= |
| By: | Liss, Erik (Linköping University); Wennberg, Karl (Stockholm School of Economics) |
| Abstract: | Research suggest that tutoring initiatives sometimes, but not always, improve academic performance and help induce interest in the pursuit of higher education. We investigate whether mentorship can improve academic performance and aspirations among lower secondary school students from underprivileged backgrounds by evaluating a collaborative project where three cohorts of ninth graders engaged in weekly meetings with university students during a one-year period. The purpose of the Mentorship Project was to offer study support and to inspire students to pursue higher education. The results indicate that participation in the project led to higher grades in the subjects English, social studies, science, and ‘Swedish as a second language’ relative to a control group of ninth-graders who did not participate in the project. The participants also accumulated higher grade point averages and were more likely to choose university prep high school programs. Our statistical analysis combined with survey data and interviews with project participants and organizers indicate that clear expectations, which encourage students to commit to regular attendance, coupled with a direct connection to the school, seem to have contributed to the Mentorship Project's success. |
| Keywords: | Mentorship; Academic performance; Aspirations; Lower secondary school students |
| Date: | 2021–11–30 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhb:hastel:2021_002&r= |
| By: | Arnault Morisson, David Bole, Jani Kozina, Maruša Goluža, Clara Turner, Heike Mayer |
| Abstract: | This report is the result of the first phase of the SNF Project on Industrial Towns titled “Places that don’t matter? Socio-economic transformation of industrial towns in Switzerland and Slovenia”, SNF grant number 192764. The report explores industrial transformation in small- and medium-sized towns (SMSTs) using six case-study towns—namely Biel/Bienne, Glarus and Mendrisio in Switzerland and Idrija, Kocevje, and Trbovlje in Slovenia. It provides a general overview of the institutional contexts of the case-study towns in their respective countries and regional profiles. The report describes the process of industrial transformations in different towns’ contexts. |
| Keywords: | entrepreneurship, industrial culture, new industrial path development, institutional context, regional innovation system, local policy |
| JEL: | L26 R58 Z18 P48 P25 P16 O38 |
| Date: | 2021–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rdv:wpaper:credresearchpaper34&r= |
| By: | Aditya Kuvalekar; Jo\~ao Ramos; Johannes Schneider |
| Abstract: | An agent decides whether to approve a project based on his information, some of which is verified by a court. An unbiased agent wants to implement projects that are likely to succeed; a biased agent wants to implement any project. If the project fails, the court examines the verifiable information and decides the punishment. The court seeks to deter ill-intentioned agents from implementing projects likely to fail while incentivizing the use of the unverifiable information. We show how information of different kinds affects welfare. Improving the verifiable information can reduce welfare, whereas improving the unverifiable information always increases welfare. |
| Date: | 2021–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2111.04172&r= |