Showing papers by "Tilburg University published in 2023"

Energy Justice and the Principles of Article 194(1) TFEU Governing EU Energy Policy

Abstract: Abstract Recent geopolitical and environmental events have created a new urgency for a just energy transition and a socially inclusive modernization of the energy sector. This article critically evaluates the extent to which Article 194(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), as the competence provision of EU energy law, is congruent with the energy justice framework emerging from social sciences. It establishes the substantive scope and justiciability of Article 194(1) TFEU, including the legal principles and so-called ‘guiding principles’ of the provision relating to the internal market, environmental protection, and energy solidarity. The article analyzes the potential and shortcomings of Article 194(1) TFEU in contributing to more equitable decision-making processes in EU energy law. It concludes by evaluating the provision as a regulatory instrument that facilitates the (re)balancing of competing interests of the energy sector. This research further concludes that social considerations of energy justice cannot be sufficiently addressed through Article 194(1) TFEU.

Paper Meets Plastic: The Perceived Environmental Friendliness of Product Packaging

Abstract: Abstract Packaging waste makes up more than 10% of the landfilled waste in the United States. While consumers often want to make environmentally friendly product choices, we find that their perceptions of the environmental friendliness of product packaging may systematically deviate from its objective environmental friendliness. Eight studies (N = 4,103) document the perceived environmental friendliness (PEF) bias whereby consumers judge plastic packaging with additional paper to be more environmentally friendly than identical plastic packaging without the paper. The PEF bias is driven by consumers’ “paper = good, plastic = bad” beliefs and by proportional reasoning, wherein packaging with a greater paper-to-plastic proportion is judged as more environmentally friendly. We further show that the PEF bias impacts consumers’ willingness to pay and product choice. Importantly, this bias can be mitigated by a “minimal packaging sticker” intervention, which increases the environmental friendliness perceptions of plastic-only packaging, rendering plastic-packaged products to be preferable to their plastic-plus-paper-packaged counterparts. This research contributes to the packaging literature in marketing and to research on sustainability while offering practical implications for managers and public policy officials.

Membership, governance, and lobbying in standard-setting organizations

Abstract: Standard-setting organizations (SSOs) are collectively self-governed industry associations, formed by innovators and implementers. They are a key organizational form to agree on and manage technical standards, and form the foundation for many technological and economic sectors. We develop a model of endogeneous SSO participation that highlights different incentives for joining (namely licensing, learning, and implementation). We analyze equilibrium selection and conduct comparative statics for a policy parameter that is related to implementer-friendly Intellectual Property Rights policies, or alternatively, minimum viable implementation. The results can reconcile existing evidence, including that many SSO member firms are small. The extent of statutory participation of implementers in SSO control has an inverted U-shape effect on industry profits and welfare.

Fatigue during acute systemic inflammation is associated with reduced mental effort expenditure while task accuracy is preserved

Abstract: Abstract Background Earlier work within the physical domain showed that acute inflammation changes motivational prioritization and effort allocation rather than physical abilities. It is currently unclear whether a similar motivational framework accounts for the mental fatigue and cognitive symptoms of acute sickness. Accordingly, this study aimed to assess the relationship between fatigue, cytokines and mental effort-based decision making during acute systemic inflammation. Methods Eighty-five participants (41 males; 18-30 years (M=23.0, SD=2.4)) performed a mental effort-based decision-making task before, 2 hours after, and 5 hours after intravenous administration of 1 ng/kg bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce systemic inflammation. Plasma concentrations of cytokines (interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)) and fatigue levels were assessed at similar timepoints. In the task, participants decided whether they wanted to perform (i.e., ‘accepted’) arithmetic calculations of varying difficulty (3 levels: easy, medium, hard) in order to obtain rewards (3 levels: 5, 6 or 7 points). Acceptance rates were analyzed using a binomial generalized estimated equation (GEE) approach with effort, reward and time as independent variables. Arithmetic performance was measured per effort level prior to the decisions and included as a covariate. Associations between acceptance rates, fatigue (self-reported) and cytokine concentrations levels were analyzed using partial correlation analyses. Results Plasma cytokine concentrations and fatigue were increased at 2 hours post-LPS compared to baseline and 5 hours post-LPS administration. Acceptance rates decreased for medium, but not for easy or hard effort levels at 2 hours post-LPS versus baseline and 5 hours post-LPS administration, irrespective of reward level. This reduction in acceptance rates occurred despite improved accuracy on the arithmetic calculations itself. Reduced acceptance rates for medium effort were associated with increased fatigue, but not with increased cytokines. Conclusion Fatigue during acute systemic inflammation is associated with alterations in mental effort allocation, similarly as observed previously for physical effort-based choice. Specifically, willingness to exert mental effort depended on effort and not reward information, while task accuracy was preserved. These results extend the motivational account of inflammation to the mental domain and suggest that inflammation may not necessarily affect domain-specific mental abilities, but rather affects domain-general effort-allocation processes.

The future of refusals to deal and margin squeezes in the face of sector-specific regulation

Abstract: The relationship between refusals to deal and margin squeezes in EU competition law is complex and controversial. Although the underlying competition concerns are often similar, the legal standards to hold the two practices abusive under Article 102 TFEU are different - unlike the situation in US antitrust law. The chapter submits that the distinction between refusals to deal and margin squeezes is increasingly difficult to make in relation to newer practices, such as self-preferencing and preferential access to data. Instead of letting the applicable legal test under Article 102 TFEU depend on whether the conduct qualifies as an outright or constructive refusal to deal, the chapter suggests using the existence of a regulatory duty as the main determining factor for whether the strict Bronner criteria apply. To provide a more nuanced approach towards the assessment of indispensability, the chapter proposes to tailor its application to the market situation at stake.

The Changed Role and Position of Professionals in the Welfare State Across Europe

Abstract: Abstract This chapter offers a broad overview of the changing role and position of professionals in European welfare states, where successive reforms have made professionals’ jobs more diverse, dynamic, and demanding. The resulting multifaceted job of professionals goes beyond combining professional work and management tasks and includes at least three different roles—being an expert, a service provider, and a network partner. Simultaneously, with growing expectations, professionals’ authority and dominance have declined against a background of growing economic and social pressures. Overall, professionals can rely less on traditional status but increasingly need to convince clients, managers, politicians, and the wider public of their expertise and contribution. Within the limits of this brief chapter, current experiences of key professions in selected European countries are presented. The chapter discusses variations between professional groups due to diverse relationships with the state and differences between welfare state regimes.

Public Sector Contracting

Abstract: This chapter zooms in on contracting in a public sector context. The relationship and exchange between public buyers and suppliers are usually governed by formal contracts as well as by more relational mechanisms such as trust. This chapter explains that contract design choices and characteristics of the relationship together shape how contracts are subsequently implemented and managed, and hence the success of the ongoing exchange. It discusses considerations for contract design and subsequent management in light of relationship characteristics and its effects. Specific topics in this chapter include contract specification, remuneration and incentive schemes, and how learning from deviations and noncompliance may foster post-formation adjustments to contractual governance.

Reliability

Abstract: Reliability of test scores is discussed for four different approaches: classical test theory, generalizability theory, factor analysis, and item response theory. For each approach, we discuss the test design, the model on which the approach is based, methods for estimating reliability, measurement precision for assessing individual test performance, and we provide comments. The four approaches are compared, and merits and drawbacks are discussed. We emphasize the difference between reliability and validity: For each model, validity—the question whether the test covers the attribute of interest well—must be studied separately from the estimation of test-score reliability.

Scientific Knowledge: Its Impacts on Judicial Decision-Making and International Law in the Era of Sustainability

Abstract: Abstract Science has become a tool for taking decisions in international (as well as domestic) disputes and acts to ensure the relevance of global ecological responsibility. This role of science has become particularly relevant as the sustainable development narrative has grown into a predominant form of global cooperation. The following contribution looks specifically at the role of decision-makers, including judges and arbitrators, and their interaction with scientific knowledge during the decision-making process in international (economic) disputes. Beginning with early cross-border environmental disputes and tracing the increasing inclusion of scientific inputs over the past decades, the contribution critically examines the role of judges in integrating expert inputs into legal decisions and its impact on achieving a more ecologically aware application of the law.

Leena Grover, Review of Emmanuel H.D. De Groof and Micha Wiebusch, International Law and Transitional Governance: Critical Perspectives

Abstract: Journal Article Leena Grover, Review of Emmanuel H.D. De Groof and Micha Wiebusch, International Law and Transitional Governance: Critical Perspectives Get access Emmanuel H.D. De Groof and Micha Wiebusch, eds. International Law and Transitional Governance: Critical Perspectives. Routledge, 2020. Pp. 186. £96.00. ISBN: 9780367178109. Leena Grover Leena Grover Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands Email:L.K.Grover@tilburguniversity.edu Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar International Journal of Constitutional Law, moad059, https://doi.org/10.1093/icon/moad059 Published: 20 June 2023

Interactions Between Chinese Tax Incentives and WTO’s Subsidy Rules Against the Background of EU State Aid

Abstract: This book provides insights to the alleviation of tensions between Chinese tax incentives and the WTO’s subsidy rules

Overview of Tax Incentives as Subsidies in the Context of International Trade and Competition: Rationale for Granting and Regulating Tax Incentives

Abstract: This chapter starts with the basic economic theories on market, trade, and competition. Afterwards, it defines subsidies and tax incentives as subsidies. Subsequently, according to the benchmarks of efficiency and equity, it analyzes how tax incentives as subsidies work in the international trade context and their effects for each participant in the market. Based on the effects, the chapter analyzes the rationale behind using tax incentives from a government’s perspective and, more importantly, the rationale behind regulating them. Moreover, it emphasizes the legal regulation of the harmful effects of tax incentives and the necessity for international regulation.

Latent class analysis

Abstract: A statistical model can be called a latent class (LC) or mixture model if it assumes that some of its parameters differ across unobserved subgroups, latent classes, or mixture components. This rather general idea has several seemingly unrelated applications, the most important of which are clustering, scaling, density estimation, and random-effects modeling. This article describes simple LC models for clustering, restricted LC models for scaling, and mixture regression models for nonparametric random-effects modeling, as well as gives an overview of recent developments in the field of LC analysis. Moreover, attention is paid to topics such as maximum likelihood estimation, identification issues, model selection, and software.

Manuscript accepted for publication

Abstract: Type D personality individual patient data meta-analysis: manuscript accepted for publication in psychosomatic medicine

Introduction

Abstract: This research starts with the aim of analyzing the relationship between Chinese tax incentives and the subsidy rules of the WTO against the background of EU State aid law. This chapter introduces the research background, the state of the art, research questions and sub-questions, limitations, and the structure of the research.

Netherlands: Teachers’ Perspectives and Practices in Chinese and Polish Language and Culture Teaching

Abstract: Abstract The Netherlands has a long history of immigration. One of the oldest groups are the Chinese and one of the most recent ones are migrants from Poland. Both groups have created clear infrastructures for functioning in the Netherlands. One element thereof are complementary schools, i.e., community run schools that teach Chinese/Polish language and culture to Chinese/Polish students with a migration background, mainly on Saturdays. The teachers in these schools are generally community members who are not necessarily qualified as language or culture teachers. An ethnographic approach to these teachers’ classroom practices and perspectives shows that their professional practical knowledge as reflected in the operational and perceived curriculum domain are oriented more toward highlighting and promoting their home country’s national history, identity, ideology and values than to preparing their students for living in the superdiverse society of the Netherlands in which Dutch language and culture, also for many Chinese-Dutch and Polish-Dutch students are dominant.

Subsidy Rules of the WTO and State Aid Law in the EU

Abstract: This chapter first analyzes the objects and purposes of the two systems and the objectives of the WTO’s subsidy rules and EU State aid law. It subsequently develops a benchmark based on the common objects and purposes of the two legal regimes with respect to the efficiency and equity considerations established in the previous chapter. Afterwards, it introduces the WTO subsidy rules and EU State aid law respectively and compares the two legal systems to discover similarities and differences under their common objectives. The common benchmark and the introduction to the rules of the two systems are the basis for testing the compatibility of Chinese tax incentives in the following chapters.

The Origins of the Differences in the Testing Results

Abstract: This chapter first analyzes the tensions between China and the West in relation to granting tax incentives. Subsequently, it explores the origins of the differences between China and the West from a historical, economic, and cultural perspective. Afterwards, it looks for the possibilities of creating a common platform for both China and the West under the WTO’s subsidy framework.

An Illustration of Local Structural Equation Modeling for Longitudinal Data: Examining Differences in Competence Development in Secondary Schools

Abstract: Abstract In this chapter, we discuss how a combination of longitudinal modeling and local structural equation modeling (LSEM) can be used to study how students’ context influence their growth in educational achievement. LSEM is a nonparametric approach that allows for the moderation of a structural equation model over a continuous variable (e.g., socio-economic status; cultural identity; age). Thus, it does not require the categorization of continuous moderators as applied in multi-group approaches. In contrast to regression-based approaches, it does not impose a particular functional form (e.g., linear) on the mean-level differences and can spot differences in the variance-covariance structure. LSEM can be used to detect nonlinear moderation effects, to examine sources of measurement invariance violations, and to study moderation effects on all parameters in the model. We showcase how LSEM can be implemented with longitudinal of the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) using the R-package sirt . In more detail, we examine the effect of parental education on math and reading competence in secondary school across three measurement occasions, comparing LSEM to regression based approaches and multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. Results provide further evidence of the strong influence of the educational background of the family. This chapter offers a new approach to study inter-individual differences in educational development.

Tailored support for preparing employees with cancer to return to work: Recognition and gaining new insights in an open atmosphere

Abstract: A considerable number of cancer survivors face difficulties in returning to work (RTW). More insight is needed on how to support employees shortly after cancer treatment and help them make the transition back to work.To gain an in-depth understanding of how and under what circumstances a Cancer & Work Support (CWS) program, which assists sick-listed employees with cancer in preparing their RTW, works.A qualitative design was used, inspired by Grounded Theory and Realist Evaluation components. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with RTW professionals (N = 8) and employees with cancer (N = 14). Interview themes covered experiences with CWS, active elements, and impeding and facilitating factors. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed by multiple researchers for contextual factors, active mechanisms, and the outcomes experienced.Respondents experienced the support as human centered, identifying two characteristics: 'Involvement' ('how' the support was offered), and 'Approach' ('what' was offered). Four themes were perceived as important active elements: 1) open connection and communication, 2) recognition and attention, 3) guiding awareness and reflection, and 4) providing strategies for coping with the situation. Variation in the experiences and RTW outcomes, appeared to be related to the personal, medical and environmental context.Both professionals and employees really appreciated the CWS because it contributed to RTW after cancer. This research shows that not only 'what' RTW professionals do, but also 'how' they do it, is important for meaningful RTW support. A good relationship in an open and understanding atmosphere can contribute to the receptiveness (of employees) for cancer support.

Disentangling the effect of measures, variants, and vaccines on SARS-CoV-2 infections in England: A dynamic intensity model

Abstract: Summary In this paper, we estimate the path of daily SARS-CoV-2 infections in England from the beginning of the pandemic until the end of 2021. We employ a dynamic intensity model, where the mean intensity conditional on the past depends both on past intensity of infections and past realized infections. The model parameters are time-varying, and we employ a multiplicative specification along with logistic transition functions to disentangle the time-varying effects of nonpharmaceutical policy interventions, of different variants, and of protection (waning) of vaccines/boosters. Our model results indicate that earlier interventions and vaccinations are key to containing an infection wave. We consider several scenarios that account for more infectious variants and different protection levels of vaccines/boosters. These scenarios suggest that, as vaccine protection wanes, containing a new wave in infections and an associated increase in hospitalizations in the near future may require further booster campaigns and/or nonpharmaceutical interventions.

Recommendations for Chinese Tax Incentives and the Future for the WTO’s Subsidy Rules

Abstract: This chapter provides answers to the research questions. Firstly, it makes recommendations for China in relation to granting tax incentives to adapt to a proper position in the international trade and investment domain. In addition, it provides insight into the WTO and its subsidy regime with respect to the role of taxation. Based on a previous analysis, the EU State aid law acts as a reference for both China and the WTO for the improvement of the legal framework for the control of tax subsidies in certain aspects. In order to make recommendations for the Chinese tax incentives, the chapter returns to the benchmarks first, which serves as the starting point and basis for recommendations. The recommendations for the WTO also take these benchmarks as the basis.