Academic patenting: the importance of industry support

This paper provides evidence that university-industry collaboration is important for turning commercial opportunities into patents. The results suggest that researchers who receive a large share of research grants from industry have a higher propensity to file a patent. Small dissemination grants generally exert a positive effect, whether they come from industry or not. It also finds that these interactions do not increase the number of industry owned patents alone but benefit universities’ commercialisation efforts in general.     

When trade liberalization turns into regulatory reform: The impact on business–government relations in international trade politics

Business–government relations on trade issues are generally characterized as protectionist lobbying or – less often – lobbying for the liberalization of markets. However, with the evolution of the trading system, negotiations today concern not just market opening, but also the regulatory frameworks that structure international trade. This transformation has important consequences for the ways in which private interests can contribute to trade negotiations. Instead of simply trying to exert pressure, businesses and other private actors now form working relationships with governments based on expertise, learning, and information exchange. This article illustrates these new forms of public–private interactions with examples from the USA, the European Union, and Brazil.     

Zwischen Disziplin und Expressivität.

Creativity, flexibility and authenticity have become important virtues in modern industrialized countries. Employers demand from their employees continuously more autonomy and initiative. Likewise many employees want to gain self-realization through their work. Taking advertising as a case in point, the article sketches the outlines of a new creative working ethos. Prototypes of this ethos are the experts in the culture and media industries. These occupational fields are very much more than others by current economic changes resulting in insecure career prospects, competition and the ?project logics“ of employment. The analysis shows what kind of identity this ethos offers, how it meets the new economic requirements and how it is anchored in the institutional settings of the occupational group. Finally, the article discusses the question how this type of creative expert is fabricated in the tension between professionalism and market.     

Discounting the benefits and costs of environmental regulations

This paper develops a two-stage procedure for discounting the benefits and costs of environmental regulations that is a variant of the shadow price of capital approach. Under this approach, the capital costs imposed by a regulation are annualized using the marginal rate of return on capital and then both benefits and costs are discounted using the social rate of time preference. This approach yields results that differ significantly from those of conventional discounting when benefits occur with a substantial lag or when benefits are long term.     

The Potential of Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) and Gas Chromatography‐IRMS Analysis of Triacetone Triperoxide in Forensic Explosives Investigations

Studying links between triacetone triperoxide (TATP) samples from crime scenes and suspects can assist in criminal investigations. Isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) and gas chromatography (GC)‐IRMS were used to measure the isotopic compositions of TATP and its precursors acetone and hydrogen peroxide. In total, 31 TATP samples were synthesized with different raw material combinations and reaction conditions. For carbon, a good differentiation and a linear relationship were observed for acetone–TATP combinations. The extent of negative (δ¹³C) fractionation depended on the reaction yield. Limited enrichment was observed for the hydrogen isotope (δ²H) values of the TATP samples probably due to a constant exchange of hydrogen atoms in aqueous solution. For oxygen (δ¹⁸O), the small isotopic range and excess of water in hydrogen peroxide resulted in poor differentiation. GC‐IRMS and IRMS data were comparable except for one TATP sample prepared with high acid concentration demonstrating the potential of compound‐specific isotope analysis. Carbon IRMS has practical use in forensic TATP investigations.