Economics
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Item The relationship between climate conditions and consumption of bottled water: A potential link between climate change and plastic pollution(Elsevier, 2021) Zapata, OscarThe solution to the challenges that society currently faces, for example climate change and global pollution, requires the understanding of the linkages between these problems. One of these linkages relates changes in climate conditions to consumption of bottled water, which constitutes a source of plastic pollution worldwide. Using information from the labour and households' environmental behaviour surveys and climate records of Ecuador, a geographically fragmented country, we determine how climate conditions affect the decision to consume bottled water and the volume consumed. We methodologically address the problem of selection when households make decisions about this type of consumption, and find that climate variables are important to explain whether and how much bottled water households consume. The temperature-elasticity of the demand for bottled water ranges from inelastic to elastic depending on the model specification. An increase of 1 °C in average temperature is associated, on average, with an increase of almost one-fifth of a water bottle. Temperature increases the consumption of bottled water even more in rural areas and among occupations exposed to climate conditions.Item Ice roads and income in remote indigenous communities of Canada(Elsevier, 2025-02-01) Ahmed, FatmaI estimate the effects of ice road length deviation on the level of income in the Northwest Territories communities. The harsh weather conditions and extreme climates in the NWT magnify the challenges associated with maintaining infrastructure, often undermining its long-term benefits. I find that the disruptions in ice roads, which serve as vital links for northern Canadian communities, exacerbate income inequality by placing a greater burden on low-income households while disproportionately favoring higher-income groups. Education is a critical factor in driving income growth and reducing inequality. Conversely, reliance on social assistance notably reduces income for higher-income families, while it provides a boost for those in need. Larger communities, however, experience more severe economic challenges, especially within lower-income groups.Item Sustainability in the Arctic: A Bibliometric Analysis(Discover Sustainability, 2024-05) Ahmed, Fatma; Zapata, Oscar; Poelzer, GregThis paper examines the literature on the Sustainability in the Arctic region, using a bibliometric analysis of 213 English- language articles published between 1980 and 2022 exploiting Bibliometrix, an R package. To find relevant literature using the Web of Science (WOS) database, we searched for documents using mesh terms based on the query of two terms, “Arctic & Sustainability”. We used the Boolean operator “AND” to combine the two terms and the Boolean operator “OR” to include synonyms of the terms. The articles retrieved were authored by 724 researchers, published in 98 journals, representing 132 countries, and growing at 5.08% annually. The findings reveal that a substantial portion of the Arctic sustainability literature placed significant emphasis on the examination of climate change, adaptation, and vulnerabilities affecting local communities. Furthermore, the more recent publications in this field concentrate predominantly on exploring perceptions and governance.Item Miner competition and transaction fees(Elsevier, 2024-08-23) Shao, Enchuan; Rajapaksa, DanushaIn order to maintain the function of a decentralized financial system like Bitcoin, transaction fees are offered to engage miners in the transaction confirmation process. This paper investigates the effect of miner competition on the equilibrium transaction fees. We develop a game-theoretic model with costly entry into mining activities. We find that miners may strategically assemble fewer transactions into a block to reduce total fees, and as a result, to deter entry. Equilibrium transaction fees also depend on block rewards as a rise in total fees is accompanied by a drop in rewards. Our empirical analysis supports the model’s predictions. We provide evidence on the existence of excess capacity in a block, taking into account the random confirmation process. The empirical findings demonstrate that heightened competition tends to increase the block size and total fees. Furthermore, the halving of rewards correlates to a fee hike.