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Radon is the second leading risk factor for lung cancer after smoking. As a public policy, radon mitigation not only involves radon control technology or its cost-benefit analysis, but also includes the decision-making process of local governments. In this study, the evolutionary game theory was used to analyse the interaction between local governments and residents based on the subsidy of the central government. Considering the practical data in China, factors influencing the behaviour of local governments and residents were discussed using numerical simulations. The results indicated that radon mitigation is a fully government-promoted action; thus, its implementation largely depends on the subsidy of the central government and the share of radon control costs borne by the local government. The financial burden for both local governments and residents is a more important determinant than long-term health effects. The relatively poor local economic situation could limit the implementation of radon control. There would be a public policy paradox wherein cities or regions with higher radon risk would have lower willingness for radon control, mainly due to the significantly higher costs of radon control. This work provides reference data for decision-making to implement radon control and is expected to offer some suggestions for local governments.

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Since China entered the aging society, the surging demand for elderly care and the industrial upgrading of "silver economy" has forced the domestic service industry to face endogenous challenges. Among them, the formalization of the domestic service industry can effectively reduce the transaction costs and risks of actors, innovate the endogenous vitality of the industry, and promote the improvement of elderly care quality through a triangular employment relationship. By constructing a tripartite asymmetric evolutionary game model of clients, domestic enterprises and governmental departments, this study uses the stability theorem of differential equations to explore the influencing factors and action paths of the system's evolutionary stable strategies (ESS), and uses the research data collected from China to assign values to models for simulation analysis. This study finds that the ratio of the initial ideal strategy, the difference between profits and costs, subsidies to clients, and subsidies or punishments for breach of contract to domestic enterprises are the key factors affecting the formalization of the domestic service industry. Subsidy policy programs can be divided into long-term and periodic programs, and there are differences in the influence paths and effects of the key factors in different situations. Increasing domestic enterprises' market share with employee management systems, formulating subsidy programs for clients, and setting up evaluation and supervision mechanisms are efficient ways through which to promote the formalization of the domestic service industry in China. Subsidy policy of governmental departments should focus on improving the professional skills and quality of elderly care domestic workers, and also encourage domestic enterprises with employee management systems at the same time, to expand the scope of service beneficiaries by running nutrition restaurants in communities, cooperating with elderly care institutions, etc.

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This paper aims at facilitating the developments of solar photovoltaic (PV) power and wind power generations to reduce carbon emission and achieve the carbon neutralization. The main novelty of this study is developing a new partnership comprised by the green energy investment company (GEIC), solar power plant (SPP), and offshore wind power plant (OWPP) and analyzing the impacts of typical factors on the coordinated development of SPP and OWPP based on the evolutionary game theoretical method. By using a tripartite evolutionary game model, the stability analysis of equilibrium strategy is carried out. The simulation results show that stable states could be realized under different partnerships. Impact investigation results of typical influential factors on all participants indicate that longer annual operation time, higher price of electricity sold to the power grid, and larger government subsidy will lead to more incomes for the SPP and OWPP, which will strengthen the participation willingness of all participants. For this study, the on-grid price of the SPP should be greater than 0.054 $/kWh. A reasonable investment ratio of the SPP and OWPP is the guarantee for the smooth development of the PPP project, which is suggested to be 4:6 in this study. The results of the current study have certain reference value for the policy and strategy formulations for facilitating the developments of solar PV power and offshore wind power generations.

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The development of new energy vehicles (NEVs) cannot be separated from the support of subsidy policies. However, the effectiveness of different subsidy policies remains to be verified. To investigate a more effective way of NEV subsidy and maximize the effect of subsidy policies, this study proposes two subsidy strategies, namely, consistent subsidy and adaptive subsidy, and constructs a network-based evolutionary game model for NEV diffusion. The effects of different subsidy policies are then comprehensively evaluated from the supply and demand sides, and their internal influence mechanisms are further investigated. Results show that: 1) from the supply side, subsidy for both policy achieves the highest NEV diffusion, but subsidy for enterprises is more efficient; 2) from the demand side, NEV diffusion increases NEV sales in the same proportion. Surprisingly, the increase in NEV diffusion rate benefits traditional vehicle manufacturers by expanding their average market demand; 3) from the cost-benefit analysis, the adaptive subsidy is more efficient than consistent subsidy; 4) The higher the initial benefits of NEV enterprises, the higher the level of NEV diffusion. The government should implement the adaptive subsidy and focus on providing subsidies to NEV enterprises to increase the NEV diffusion rate and achieve efficient resource allocation.

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BACKGROUND: Elderly care service projects (ECSPs) aim to provide care services with the help of market forces on the supply side to satisfy the huge demand of the elderly. Subsidies play an important role in motivating the investors to invest in the ECSPs immediately. The optimal subsidy scheme should balance the policy costs and the investors' interests. METHODS: Based on the policy background of China, this study applied the real options theory to compare the effects of construction subsidy and operating subsidy on achieving policy goals from the perspective of uncertain actual demand. It introduced numerical examples to identify the optimal subsidy scheme and embedded the data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) to verify the uncertainty of actual demand. RESULTS: The results showed that in the context of uncertain actual demand, operating subsidy has greater advantages in reducing investment thresholds, saving subsidy costs and increasing spillover values. Moreover, a sound quality supervision system, a differentiated operating subsidy scheme and a sustainable growth market demand environment are conducive to increasing the long-term interests of the government and the investors. CONCLUSIONS: The study emphasized the importance of subsidy selection in the context of uncertain actual demand, and provided a practical reference for policy designers in China and other developing countries to choose the optimal subsidy scheme for the ECSPs.

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Low-value recyclable waste accounts for a large portion of urban waste output in many modern cities. The improper management and disposal of LVRW result in environmental pollution and a waste of resources. Given the characteristics of a high recovery cost and low recovery income of low-value recyclables, it is difficult to obtain a satisfactory waste disposal effect by completely relying on the market mechanism. It is thus necessary for the government to implement effective subsidies for multiple subjects in the urban waste recycling system (UWRS). This study examines the independent roles of four subsidy policies-subsidy to the third-party waste disposal institutions, subsidy to a state-owned waste disposal institution, R&D subsidy for green technology, and subsidy for government publicity-and develops a system dynamics model to verify the performance of the UWRS under different combinations of subsidy-based policies under multiple scenarios. Data on urban waste disposal for Guangzhou from 2019 and 2020 were used to validate and simulate the model. A sensitivity analysis of the main exogenous variables was carried out, and the conclusions are as follows: (1) On the premise of a fixed subsidy capital pool, a mixed subsidy policy produced the best impact on the UWRS. (2) The total subsidy needed to reach a certain threshold; otherwise, the mixed subsidy policy did not improve the UWRS. The total subsidy produced diminishing returns once it had exceeded the threshold. (3) Appropriately reducing subsidies for the third-party waste disposal institutions within a reasonable range does not affect the performance of the UWRS. (4) The effect of government publicity has short-term advantages, while the long-term potential of green technology is greater. Multi-agent coordination and the guidance of the market mechanism are important priorities in the design of subsidy-based policies. In addition, the trade-off between subjects needs attention, and a plan for mixed subsidy policies needs to be designed and implemented according to the response periods of different policies. The research here provides theoretical support for the government for designing subsidy-based policies.

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With the aid of the evolutionary vaccination game on a scale-free network, we design a new subsidy policy, named degree dependent subsidy, where cooperative agents get incentives according to their connectivity or degree. That is, agents, having a greater degree, receive a higher incentive, and vice versa. Here we presume that vaccinators are cooperative agents. The new scheme can be said to an intermediate policy between two previously studies policies, namely free ticket and flat discount policies. The former policy distributes free tickets to cooperative hub agents as a priority, whereas the latter dispenses a fixed discount to every cooperator. We compare the efficiency of each policy in terms of having a less infectious state with a minimum social cost. While investigating the performance of the three policies in terms of average social payoff-which takes into account the cost of vaccination as well as infection-the free ticket scheme is found to be the most appealing policies among the three when the budget for subsidy is quite low. The degree dependent subsidy policy outperforms others for a moderate budget size, while the flat discount policy requires a higher budget to effectively suppress the disease. We further estimate threshold levels of the subsidy budget for each policy beyond which subsidizing results in excessive use of vaccination. As a whole, concerning vaccination coverage and final epidemic size, the degree-dependent subsidy scheme outperforms the flat discount scheme, but is dominated by the free ticket policy.

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Designing and implementing effective new energy vehicle (NEV) policy are policy priorities for policymakers and energy policy scholars. However, the formulation, adoption, and diffusion of the NEV policies have not been fully examined in the extant literature. This article explores the mechanisms driving the diffusion of local financial subsidy policy for NEVs in China. In this context, we aim at analyzing the factors affecting the diffusion of local financial subsidies for NEVs in cities, to explain why some cities have taken the lead in adopting local financial subsidy policies for NEVs, while other cities have lagged behind. Based on a data set of 286 cities in China from 2009 to 2016, and with event history analysis (EHA) to analyze the strategic behaviors of local governments, we found that the number of the city's neighbors that have adopted the NEV policy, the financial incentive policy of the provincial government, the administrative ranking of the city, the city's financial situation and innovation capacity have a direct impact on whether the city adopts a local financial subsidy policy for NEVs. This study has practical implications for policymakers in designing and promoting the spread of NEV policies.

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In China, the number of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) has reached an era of exponential growth because of continuous vehicle sales. The Chinese government has guided trends in the ELV recycling industry by implementing various recycling policies and expects most ELVs to be legally treated by licensed companies. The effects of subsidy policies are remarkable, and it was found that the effective adjustment of the subsidy is beneficial in increasing the recovery rate of ELVs without additional financial burden. Just as objects have their own end-of-life laws, different vehicle types have different life distribution curves and they are slightly influenced by government policies, especially subsidy policies. The aim of the study is to establish the logistics distribution functions for the passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles on the basis of the service years of 220,000 ELVs from 2012 to 2016 in Shanghai, and use a statistical model to predict and analyze the future trend of the number of the ELVs in China. Forecasts show that the number of ELVs in China will surpass 10 million in 2023.

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In order to evaluate policy implementation for yellow-label vehicles (namely, those that fail to meet the Chinese No.1 standard for exhaust emissions), and to compare the policy of an early elimination subsidy with traffic restrictions of these vehicles, the emission factor method was adopted to calculate the emission reduction resulting from the two policies in the Jing-jin-ji Region. The results showed that: ① The policies led to good emission reductions for the Jing-jin-ji Region. Since the implementation of the policies, the cumulative reductions of CO, HC, NOx, PM2.5, and PM10 have been 5003.2 kt, 397.9 kt, 318.2 kt, 9.6 kt, and 10.6 kt, respectively. ② The pollutants reduced most prominently were CO, HC, and NOx, which contributed greatly to the emission reductions and air pollution control. ③ The main motorcycle types for the CO and HC emission reductions were small gasoline-powered passenger vehicles and light duty gasoline-powered vehicles. Heavy duty diesel cars contributed the most to the emission reduction of NOx and particulate matters. ④ The emission reductions for CO, HC, and NOx were greater in densely populated urban areas in the Jing-jin-ji Region. The emission reductions of CO and HC in Beijing, Tianjin, and Shijiazhuang were more obvious than in other cities, and the emission reductions of NOx and particulate matters were more obvious in Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Tangshan, and Handan. ⑤ Comparing the two policies of an early elimination subsidy and traffic restriction, the emission reduction of the former policy is continuous for a few years, and the effectiveness of reduction is significant in several years. However, the effectiveness of the latter policy decreases with time.

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A new trend in the production technology of solid biof uels has appeared. There is a wide consensus that most solid biofuels will be produced according to the new production methods within a few years. Numerous samples were manufactured from agro-residues according to conventional methods as well as new methods. Robust analyses that reviewed the hygienic, environmental, financial and ethical aspects were performed. The hygienic and environmental aspect was assessed by robust chemical and technical analyses. The financial aspect was assessed by energy cost breakdown. The ethical point of view was built on the above stated findings, the survey questionnaire and critical discussion with the literature. It is concluded that the new production methods are significantly favourable from both the hygienic and environmental points of view. Financial indicators do not allow the expressing of any preference. Regarding the ethical aspect, it is concluded that the new methods are beneficial in terms of environmental responsibility. However, it showed that most of the customers that took part in the survey are price oriented and therefore they tend to prefer the cheaper-conventional alternative. In the long term it can be assumed that expansion of the new technology and competition among manufacturers will reduce the costs.

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BACKGROUND: In Sub-Saharan Africa, maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality rates are associated with underutilization of skilled birth attendance (SBA). In 2007, Burkina Faso introduced a subsidy scheme for SBA fees. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Burkina Faso's subsidy policy on SBA rate across socioeconomic status (SES) strata. METHODS: We used a quasi-experimental design. The data sources were two representative surveys (n = 1408 and n = 1403) of women from Houndé and Ziniaré health districts of Burkina Faso, and a survey of health centres assessing structural quality of care. Multilevel Poisson regression models were used with robust variance estimators. We estimated adjusted rate ratios (RR) and rate differences (RD) as a function of time and SES. RESULTS: For lowest-SES women, immediately upon the introduction of the subsidy policy, the rate of SBA was 45% higher (RR = 1.45, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.19-1.77) than expected in the absence of subsidy introduction. The results indicated a sustained effect after introduction of the subsidy policy, based on RR estimate (95% CI) of 1.48 (1.21-1.81) at 2 years. For middle-SES women, the RR estimates were 1.28 (1.09-1.49) immediately after introduction of the subsidy policy and 1.30 (1.11-1.51) at 2 years, respectively. For highest-SES women, the RR estimates were 1.19 (1.02-1.38) immediately after subsidy introduction and 1.21 (1.06-1.38) at 2 years, respectively. The RD (95% CI) was 14% (3-24%) for lowest-SES women immediately after introduction of the policy, and the effect was sustained at 14% (4-25%) at 2 years. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that the introduction of a user-fee subsidy in Burkina Faso resulted in increased rates of SBA across all SES strata. The increase was sustained over time and strongest among the poorest women. These findings have important implications for evidence-informed policy making in Burkina Faso and other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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@# Objective To analyze the relationship between needs of assistive devices and the three other factors (age, disability categories, severity levels of disability) in order to scientifically formulate subsidy policy on assistive devices.MethodsThe assessment of rehabilitation needs for 928 Shenzhen citizens with new disability certificates in its six districts was performed by professionals, and the data was recorded into ACCESS database and analyzed.ResultsThe sequence of demand rates on assistive devices among disability categories was vision disability (78%), hearing disability (76%) and physical disability (74%); but speech, mental retardation and psychological disabilities had a low demand. The demand rates of assistive devices were dissimilar among four age groups for persons with vision, hearing and physical disabilities; for severity levels of three disability categories of vision, hearing and physical disabilities: the milder the vision disability was, the greater demand rates of assistive devices were; the demand rate of those with the second level of hearing disability was the highest; the demand rates of persons with the first and second levels of physical disability were relatively higher.ConclusionWhen drawing up subsidy policy on assistive devices for persons with disability, the disability categories, ages of persons with disability and severity levels of disability should be considered; the different types of assistive devices should be supplied according to rehabilitation goals at different age group; and necessary assistive devices should be provided according to severity levels of disability.