JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT (THE ECONOMIC RESEARCH)
Year:2005 | Volume:5 | Issue:3|Papers Count:7

Precise estimation of gasoline demand is important in order to obtain price elasticities to determine the effect of gasoline price related policies. In this paper, by introducing the underlying trend concept in modeling and applying structural time series model, gasoline demand function is estimated using annual time series data. It is found that the nature of trend is stochastic for demand. Demand is inelastic with respect to price in short run and long run, but with greater response in long run. Furthermore, demand with respect to income is inelastic in short run but elastic in long run. Therefore, reducing consumption through higher price policy in short run is not much effective but it is effective in long run. Finally, gasoline price increase policy is suggested and non- pricing policies such as increasing efficiency of vehicles and efficiency standards and increase in public transportation services could be effective for controlling and reducing consumption.

To cope with the transportation problems in metropolitans, authorities and managers of these cities are inclined to use public transportation systems as a solution. Due to the variety of such systems, a permanent problem is the selection of the most appropriate system for a special urban corridor. Calculating the annual costs and benefits of various systems in an urban corridor, the present research introduces the most suitable benefit-cost method to determine the optimized system based on economical considerations. In this case, costs consisted of construction, rolling stock and system operation costs. Travel time saving of users and non-users of the public transportation system and saving in the costs of other transportation modes were included in benefits. To verify the above mentioned method, study of an urban corridor in Tehran city has been presented as the case study. Finally, to determine the effects of various parameters in this method, sensitivity analysis has been used for these parameters.

Empirical Research on financial repression focused initially on its saving and investment effects. The results imply that Gaps between controlled and free-market interest rates widened, and institutional interest rates became negative in real terms almost everywhere.In evaluating the experience of negative real institutional interest rates, Millard Long (1983, 22) enumerates the following effects: reduced national saving, more capital flight, worse rnisallocation of resources, excessive lending to prime borrowers, resurgence of noninstitutional money markets, increased use of foreign fmancial institutions, and increased problems of monetary control. Since then potential effects of financial conditions have been tested on numerous groups of countries with an array of alternative techniques. While few would disagree that financial development occurs in conjunction with rising per capita incomes, the issue of causality is hotly disputed. Does financial development cause economic growth or does it follow passively in the wake of economic growth.This paper surveys the available quantitative empirical evidence on the effects of financial conditions (specially interest rate) on the volume of saving, the quantity and efficiency of investment, and the rate of economic growth in developing countries and Iran. Also we investigate factors affect on those variables in Iranian economics.

With the intensification of globalization debates, some economists contend that globalization of world markets will be detrimental to developing countries. Among possible measures taken by some countries to safeguard against the phenomenon of globalization is leaning on regional integrations. In fact concurrent with globalization efforts the idea of regional integration has gained momentum in all continents. By utilizing their comparative advantages in different areas, the Islamic countries can ward off against the ill impacts of the globalization era and use these advantages to attract more foreign direct investments and hence achieve higher rates of economic growth.In this article an effort is made to evaluate the impact of regional integration on boosting economic growth and bilateral FDI among the member countries of MENA by using the Adjusted Gravity Model. The results indicate that regional integration among the above countries has increased the level of bilateral FDI‘s and economic growth among them. This fact calls for further cooperation among the MENA4 member countries.

Most input-output tables use technical coefficients which are interpreted in physical terms. However, the input-output tables from which the technical coefficients are obtained are prepared in money terms or values. Deflating of input-output table is for three reasons. Firstly, most technical coefficients are interpreted in physical terms. Secondly these tables are part of national statistics system. The third justification relates to empirical analysis of such tables, using techniques such as structure analysis, accounting growth resources, technical changes, productivity changes and others.This paper considers the method of deflating of input-output tables the traditional approach for this purpose is based on the double deflation (DD) method. An alternative approach for this purpose is based on the biporportional projection method (RAS).However; this study considers the empirical aspects of deflating input-output tables. Our calculations are based on one input-output table for the Iran for the year 1984.An empirical evaluation indicates that RAS approach clearly performs better.

There are some goods and services in the economy for which it is the supplier who determines the amount of demand. Those who provide specialized services to the customers are among such categories of suppliers since due to their skill and specialty they have more information than their customers. Physicians, lawyers, seller of complex and specialized commodities and repairmen are among such groups. In some cases the action of the skilled workers is observable to the client, and due to the asymmetry of information, it is possible that the skilled man conducts extra (unnecessary) work and demands money for it (for some medical services, for example). And in some other cases, the action of skilled man is not observable and hence it is possible for the service provider to charge money for something he has not done. In this article a distinction is made between “skilled” and “frauds” and the equilibrium under which the latter can cheat has been derived. It also has been shown that religious teachings in which dishonesty and fraud are strongly condemned can reduce the extra negative effects of asymmetry of information at no extra cost.

It is possible to prevent wasting resources and unreasonable increase of costs by measuring efficiency of various sections of economy, especially servicing and nonprofit units. In addition to this, we can strengthen competitive spirit in these units, which can result in optimal use of available facilities and increased quality and quantity of goods.This research attempts to measure and compare technical efficiency value of 20 municipalities of Hamadan province (Iran) in urban construction expenditure during 1998-2002.The aim of this research is to recognize efficient and inefficient municipalities and it can determine reference sets of inefficient units. Furthermore, value of increase in construction expenditure could be calculated in constant conditions of inputs for total income, personal numbers and the areas of services.Technical efficiency of Hamadan Province has been measured by nonparametric method of DEA by models of constant returns to scale and variable returns to scale and it assumes both input and output oriented DEA method do not need any special function of form and include the whole data and information.The results indicated in each 5 years, less than 50% of municipalities were fully technically efficient that could be referred as inefficient units. Thus, the following municipalities have been fully efficient consistently by using BCC model and output-oriented: Damagh, Firoozan, Ghahavand and Malayer. These municipalities do not need any change in their input and output values. Vis-à-vis, municipalities of Asadabad, Bahar, toyserkan, Samen, Serkan and Kabothar Ahang were always inefficient; in other words they have never been fully efficient.