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The authors examine the Taiwanese government's budgetary responses to COVID-19, with a focus on the special budgets created for containing the virus, undertaking bailouts and providing economic stimulus. The authors assess the short-term and long-term fiscal implications of the budgetary measures and discuss how Taiwan's experiences could provide lessons for other countries for future emergencies.

The authors collect data from Taiwan's official documents and news reports and compare the special budgets proposed by the Taiwanese government during the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors discuss lessons learned from the 2008–09 special budget and possible concerns of the 2020 special budgets. In the conclusions, the authors discuss potential long-term implications for Taiwan's budgetary system as well as possible lessons for other countries based on Taiwan's experiences

The authors found that the 2008–09 special budgets focused only on economic stimulus, whereas the 2020 special budgets covered COVID-19 treatments, bailouts and economic stimulus. In 2020, the Taiwanese government devised targeted bailout plans for industries and individuals most affected by the pandemic and created the Triple Stimulus Vouchers to boost the economy. Since the special budgets were largely funded through borrowing, the authors pointed out concerns for fiscal sustainability and intergenerational equity.

COVID-19 has changed how the world functions massively. This work adds to the literature on COVID-19 by providing Taiwan's budgetary responses to the pandemic. This work also identifies ways for Taiwan to improve the existing budgetary system and discusses lessons for other countries.

This study aims to present a novel topology optimization method for effectively minimizing the frequency response over a given frequency interval considering anisotropic features and fiber angles simultaneously.

The variable thickness sheet (VTS) method is used to obtain a free material distribution under the specified volume constraint. The anisotropic equivalent stiffness matrix based on the material fiber angles is considered in the orthotropic material properties model, which ensures a sufficiently large design space to minimize the frequency response. To lessen the computational burden, the quasi-static Ritz vector (QSRV) method is integrated to approximate the structural response.

Compared to considering only one element, the optimization process simultaneously considers the spatially-varying fiber angles and the material distribution, allowing for a broader design space to minimize the frequency response of additive manufacturing (AM) structures. The orthotropic properties play an important role in determining optimal material distribution of the structure. Moreover, the QSRV method makes the frequency response analysis more efficient.

The anisotropic stiffness and spatially-varying angles of the fiber materials induced by the layer-by-layer printing process of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) are simultaneously considered to further minimize the frequency response of AM structures, which improves the performance of AM-CFRP structures.

This study aims to investigate the corrosion behavior of Cu-containing 3Ni steel in simulated marine environments and to provide basic guidance for improving the corrosion resistance of marine high-strength steels.

The corrosion properties of Cu-containing 3Ni steel were evaluated in five different NaCl concentrations by alternating wet and dry cycling method. The corrosion behavior was investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The mechanism of the influence of Cl ion concentrations on the corrosion behavior of Cu-containing 3Ni steel in marine environments was analyzed.

The results showed that the corrosion resistance of Cu-containing 3Ni steel decreased with NaCl concentration increasing. With the increase of NaCl concentration, the number of FeOOH particles decreased and their size increased, resulting in an increase in the porosity and a decrease in the density of corrosion products. High NaCl concentration could inhibit the formation of NiFe₂O₄ and disrupt the electronegativity of the inner film of corrosion products, which further weakened the enrichment of Ni and Cu, and enhanced the permeability of Cl ions.

The influence of NaCl concentrations on the corrosion behavior of Cu-containing 3Ni steel was systematically studied and the influence laws of corrosion behavior were obtained in this paper, providing basic data for the optimal design of Cu-containing 3Ni steels.

This study investigates the motivations for and compensation structure changes behind $1 CEO salary decisions.

Using a hand-collected sample, we relied on an event study framework and regression analysis to decipher the informational content of $1 CEO salary announcements.

The results show that the market reacts positively to $1 CEO salary announcements that indicate aligning the interests of CEOs and shareholders.

A lot of academic and professional attention has been given to the components of executive compensation packages as tools for incentivizing managers. Our findings will help executive board members tasked with determining CEO compensation packages.

This study adds to the literature on CEO compensation by deciphering the market reaction to $1 salary decision announcements. Our study contributes to the literature on executive compensation by providing evidence consistent with efficient contracting.

This study investigates factors that motivate social media users to retransmit rumors. We focus on everyday rumors rather than catastrophic rumors and develop a model of everyday rumor retransmission based on the uses and gratification theory, the rumor retransmission model, and the basic law of rumor.

An Internet survey is conducted to collect data and test the proposed model. This study’s hypotheses are tested through partial least squares regression analysis.

The results show that socializing, information seeking and status seeking increase the intention to retransmit rumors. Perceived rumor credibility has a moderating effect on the impacts of socializing and status seeking on retransmission intention.

Our research model provides a theoretical foundation for future studies that want to explore motivations or values that determine rumor-sharing intention on social media. The findings can help government agencies and businesses to manage rumor retransmission on social media.

Identifying tools for predicting fiscally distressed local governments has received heightened attention following the Great Recession of 2007–2009. Despite the recent expansion of research, measuring fiscal distress is challenging because of the operational complexity associated with the term. Furthermore, many local governments are too small to produce a Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), upon which many empirical studies of fiscal condition or fiscal distress are based. This study designs a parsimonious tool for identifying fiscally distressed entities based on existing literature. The authors examine Nebraska's 93 counties over a nine-year period (from 2010 to 2018). In order to ensure the validity of our tool, we replicate two well-known empirical approaches of assessing local fiscal condition and compare the results with ours. The authors find nearly all counties in Nebraska to be free from fiscal distress in the past decade. However, since most counties in Nebraska have small populations and are far from urban centers, they may still be vulnerable to future fiscal shocks and may need to closely monitor their fiscal condition.

The authors offer a parsimonious method for assessing the existence of fiscally distressed counties. They select predictors of fiscal distress based on two criteria. First, for the purpose of this study, the authors use financial information that is uniform, easily accessible and does not rely on CAFRs. In order to make their model parsimonious and replicable, the authors only consider factors that have the most decisive effects on local fiscal conditions. Second, the authors draw on indicators that have been consistently supported by previous studies (e.g., Kloha et al., 2005; Gorina et al., 2018). The authors test the validity of this approach using correlation analysis and regression modeling, similar to Wang et al. (2007).

The authors’ fiscal distress measure shows encouraging signs. Results show that all but Brown's model are highly correlated. The decile and standard deviation models have the strongest correlation (r = 0.955, p < 0.01). These two models are also significantly associated with Kloha et al.'s model. Their correlation coefficients are 0.812 and 0.830, respectively. Consistent with Wang et al. (2007), the authors find modest associations between our fiscal measures and socioeconomic measures.

Limitations include questions of generalizability – we are only studying Nebraska counties. The extent to which the findings are generalizable to counties in other states remains to be seen. We advise readers and policymakers to bear in mind that at this point, there is no perfect way to measure local fiscal condition or fiscal distress. Specifically, with our model, the foremost advantages of parsimony are data accessibility and replicability. However, unlike other existing tools that consider dozens of indicators, our tool bears the cost of not employing a more comprehensive perspective that may be required to capture a full picture of local fiscal condition.

The purpose of this research was to construct and present a parsimonious way of identifying local fiscal distress that is easily replicated and applied in practice. The challenges were operational – both in terms of definition and measurement. Fiscal distress is a nebulous concept that can vary based on the researcher's intent. Our chosen set of indicators have two characteristics: accessibility of financial information and consistency with past studies. Thus, we assess two of the four dimensions of solvency: budgetary solvency and long-run solvency. The authors suggest that this effort should not be used as a tool by state lawmakers to accuse and judge local governments. Instead, it should be used to assist local governments as Iowa and Colorado do. The findings could be the beginning of a conversation between the state and local governments to determine the best course(s) of action. As previously mentioned, there are many causes of fiscal distress and poor decision-making is not very common. Looking into the future, the authors expect more local governments to become fiscally distressed and the primary cause would be economic/demographic change. Since many local governments in Nebraska have very small populations and are far from the urban centers of Omaha and Lincoln, they might be vulnerable to future fiscal shocks. Thus, state lawmakers need to begin considering strategies to deal with local fiscal distress. The authors do have limitations in measurement. However, if used appropriately, this research can add value to the discussion of managing local government fiscal distress in Nebraska and other similar states.

While the analysis finds little fiscal distress currently in Nebraska, there is concern that with population migration to the urban areas and the “graying” of the state, local governments in rural areas (the vast majority in Nebraska) could face more serious issues in future years. A recent study showed that local fiscal condition is negatively associated with the distance from the municipality to the urban centers of Omaha and Lincoln (Maher et al., 2019). These spatial effects could be further exacerbated in a state that ranks near the bottom in financial support of local governments and policy makers are committed to “controlling” property taxes.

This study, while building on prior work, is unique in that it focuses on counties as opposed to municipalities, which are the most common units of analysis. The authors also offer a model for assessing fiscal distress in a state that currently does not have state-level systems to monitor local finances. Finally, rather than relying on audited annual financial reports which would disqualify many smaller local governments, the authors offer a parsimonious tool that is easily replicated and can be used by all local governments that submit uniform financial reports to their states.

Employment law recognised the value of whistleblowing with the enactment of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, protecting a ‘worker’ against dismissal and victimisation. Whistleblowers are particularly vulnerable in the gig economy as they may fall outside the statutory definition of ‘worker’ for the purposes of the whistleblowing legislation. This makes a study of whistleblowing in the gig economy pertinent. This chapter explores the statutory definition of ‘worker’ with regard to the current whistleblowing provisions and considers the barriers it presents for gig workers. Judicial interpretation of the definition is examined through an analysis of recent case law that shows much inconsistency and a conflict of judicial approach. The resulting blurred boundaries of the legal term leave a gig worker uncertain as to the level of their protection for blowing the whistle. The need for reform to protect individuals in a wide range of working relationships is clear. It is argued that the new EU Whistleblowing Directive, in protecting ‘work-related activity’, provides better protection for all whistleblowers. The role of human rights in extending the status of work is also advanced. Finally, the implications of developments in this area for key stakeholders in the gig economy are considered highlighting the importance of creative new approaches to give voice to all workers.