Barcelona Graduate School of Economics

N.

Abstract Climate change is having adverse implications for agricultural yields in India, especially in Bihar. Bihar is also less resilient to climate change requiring climate adaptation. Within adaptation, it is important to understand the channels of autonomous adaptation besides planned adaptation. So far, most studies have had the focus on technology-based planned adaptation, while autonomous adaptation has gained eminence for sustainability in agriculture. This research fills the gap to understand the role of autonomous adaptation – through channels of inherent ability and community networks – on agricultural productivity in case of paddy and wheat crops. We use a mix of quantitative perception analysis and survey econometric methods to delineate the role of these two channels. The survey of farmers is based on stratified random sampling for two districts of Bihar, belonging to different agro-climatic zones: Gaya (drought-prone) and Purnia (flood-prone). Our research finds that farming communities are discerning about climate change and rely on adaptation, through planned and autonomous channels. The effectiveness of planned adaptation is rather weak in both districts. The main empirical finding is that ancestral knowledge and community networks have positive impacts on paddy and wheat yields. However, results differ for types of community networks. Formal community networks boost crop yields, while informal community networks dampen paddy yields, but improve wheat yields in both districts.

Purpose: In 2019, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published the first international Management Standard (MS) for innovation management, the ISO 56002:2019, following previous successful MS as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. Within this framework, this paper discusses the relationship between the implementation of MS and the Innovation capabilities (IC) and Innovation Performance (IP) the company. In other words, the article analyses whether the greater degree of standardization (DS) in firms, combined with some IC dimensions, positively influence the IP of firms. Methodology/Approach: As the number of ISO 56002 implementations is still not very high and it is not certifiable yet, a survey has been carried out considering the spanish certifiable homologue standard UNE 166002 combined with other ISO standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO-TS 16949, OHSAS 18001 and/or others. The suvey has been responded by 73 certified companies; and a further fuzzy set Qualitative Analysis (fsQCA) has been performed. Findings: The paper confirms that at least three main dimensions of IC influence positively the IP, namely: strategy, market, and structure and network. It is also confirmed that the DS is clearly a positive contributor to a higher IP. Research Limitation/Implication: The data are gathered in only one specific country, although it is one of the few that had national certifiable standards specifically developed for innovation management. Originality/Value of paper: The main value of the article is to be one of the first ones to analyse, in any way, the impact of the degree of standardization (including or not the innovation MS as for instance the ISO 56002 or the UNE 166002) on the IC and IP of the company.

Retail electricity competition has been introduced for over a decade in many markets, but challenges in having an active retail market remain. Universal smart meters have also emerged as a trend. What is the interaction between competition and smart meters? What role can information via smart meters play in these markets? Has it enabled enhanced competition? Or has it further increased the incumbent's advantage? We present an overview and preliminary exploration using an aggregate data set from the Spanish electricity market. The evidence suggests that competition challenges remain large, although some modest evidence of increased pricing innovation exists.

Este artículo analiza la evolución de la desigualdad de ingresos en España durante la crisis de la COVID-19 en alta frecuencia. Para ello, utilizamos datos anonimizados de registros bancarios de más de 3 millones de titulares de cuentas bancarias entre febrero de 2020 y julio de 2021. Los resultados muestran el fuerte aumento de la desigualdad experimentado en los primeros meses de la COVID-19, así como la recuperación posterior a medida que la economía se ha reactivado. Asimismo, analizamos el crucial papel que han jugado las ayudas públicas para mitigar el impacto de la crisis.

Objective: To describe the capacity of a broad spectrum of cytokines and growth factors to predict ICU admission and/or death in patients with severe COVID-19. Design: An observational, analytical, retrospective cohort study with longitudinal follow-up. Setting: Hospital Universitario Príncipe de Asturias (HUPA). Participants: 287 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 admitted to our hospital from 24 March to 8 May 2020, followed until 31 August 2020. Main outcome measures: Profiles of immune response (IR) mediators were determined using the Luminex Multiplex technique in hospitalized patients within six days of admission by examining serum levels of 62 soluble molecules classified into the three groups: adaptive IR-related cytokines (n = 19), innate inflammatory IR-related cytokines (n = 27), and growth factors (n = 16). Results: A statistically robust link with ICU admission and/or death was detected for increased serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-15, soluble (s) RAGE, IP10, MCP3, sIL1RII, IL-8, GCSF and MCSF and IL-10. The greatest prognostic value was observed for the marker combination IL-10, IL-6 and GCSF. Conclusions: When severe COVID-19 progresses to ICU admission and/or death there is a marked increase in serum levels of several cytokines and chemokines, mainly related to the patient’s inflammatory IR. Serum levels of IL-10, IL-6 and GCSF were most prognostic of the outcome measure.