We develop a game theory model for supply chain network competition in time-sensitive markets in which consumers respond to the average delivery time associated with the various firms’ products. The firms’ behavior is captured, along with the supply chain network topologies, with the...

Electrical and electronic equipment waste (e-waste) is growing fast. Due to its potential economic value as well as its possible negative impacts on the environment, tracing e-waste flow is a major concern for stakeholders of e-waste management. Especially, whether or not adequate amounts of...

This paper presents Portugal’s third review under the extended arrangement and request for waiver of applicability of end-March performance criteria. The government has initiated labor market reforms, privatizations, telecom sector liberalization, and improved competition framework....

Fiscal decentralization is likely to entail a bias in the budget process toward higher public expenses and deficits. The paper reviews lessons drawn from the theoretical literature and international experience on the design of intergovernmental relations. The institutional setup should address...

This paper describes the institutional changes that have induced a decline in the vertical fiscal imbalance (VFI) - defined as the share of sub-national own spending not financed through own revenues - in four European countries: Belgium, Italy, Norway, and Spain. The decline in VFI was achieved...

Qatar has recently taken steps toward introducing a medium-term budget framework (MTBF) to enhance the predictability of spending decisions in the country. However, implementing medium-term fiscal planning requires formal procedural fiscal rules and parallel efforts to enhance the credibility of...

This report provides an assessment of fiscal transparency practices in El Salvador. Many of the code standards are followed by the country. In addition, fiscal data dissemination and monthly updating will be improved with the recent incorporation of the Finance Ministry’s Fiscal...

This paper develops a game theory model of a service-oriented Internet in which profit-maximizing service providers provide substitutable (but not identical) services and compete with the quantities of services in a Cournot–Nash manner, whereas the network transport providers, which transport...

In this paper, we construct a supply chain network model with information asymmetry in product quality. The competing, profit-maximizing firms with, possibly, multiple manufacturing plants, which may be located on-shore or off-shore, are aware of the quality of the product that they produce but...

This paper develops a new dynamic model of Cournot–Nash oligopolistic competition that includes production and transportation costs, product differentiation, and quality levels in a network framework. The production costs capture the total quality cost, which, in turn, can also represent the...