Dr Bobae Choi

Using data on carbon emissions reported by Australian companies from 2009 to 2015, we examine the effect of carbon emissions on firm value. We investigate how the introduction of an Australian emissions pricing scheme, the Clean Energy Bill, affects this relationship. Results show that the level of direct emissions is negatively associated with a firm¿s market value. The negative effect becomes stronger during the period when the Clean Energy Bill became effective. When firms are separated according to whether they provide voluntary carbon information in addition to their mandatory disclosures, negative effects of direct emissions are found in the group with low disclosure scores and in the group with poor carbon management performance. Overall, the results indicate that the market penalizes firms based on their direct carbon emissions and that this penalty is imposed only on firms that have low disclosure scores or poor carbon management performance. JEL Classification: M48, G32

Objectives: To describe how health care crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea has led to innovation and changes to government policy. This paper presents the significant cluster events, relevant developments of innovation, and economical impact in Korea that could inform policy makers on how to respond to health crises in the future. Methods: Health care, economy, epidemiological data are collected from various sources including the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) or other government sources. Results: The KCDC jointly with medical professionals developed a series of innovations such as 1) Full contact tracing and rapid testing with a 12 h turnaround and 10 min movement tracking systems, 2) transparent disclosure of all contract tracing data to the public through a central database, 3) Drive-Through and Walk-Through testing methods, and 4) a 4 tier patient severity index and community treatment isolation centers. Korea moved from the 4th in the world for total confirmed cases in March down to 76th in August. Conclusions: Expedited enforcement of amended legislation acts to protect the healthcare workforce resulted in only 10 healthcare professionals contracting the virus while caring for Covid-19 patients. This has resulted in minimal human capital loss and the government was able to re-direct existing medical workforce to areas in need. The quarantine strategies implemented resulted in little need to lock down the whole economy but also limited the cost spent to gain a year of life to 193,848 Won (US$163).