Suchergebnisse

Governments both in developed and developing countries are facing the problem of value added tax (VAT) and retail sales tax (RST) evasion. This explains a growing interest in policies alternative to the traditional methods of deterrence. This paper describes the achievements resulting from a zero cost policy against VAT and RST evasion based on rewards. Customers are encouraged to request an invoice by changing the invoice into a lottery ticket, thereby making VAT and RST fraud and evasion more difficult for suppliers. Such a policy has, for example, been introduced in some Asian countries. After having characterized VAT and RST evasion as a special kind of public good situation, a theoretical explanation based on behavioral Economics models of the success empirically registered by this policy will be discussed. Given this theoretical framework, we then introduce an empirical test in order to verify the ex-ante applicability of the policy described in different socio-economic contexts. Finally we discuss the possible countervailing effects as well as the positive long-term side-effects of the introduction of the policy.

[EN] The occurrence of creative service industries (CSI) is a strong determinant of differences in wealth amongst European regions. However, it is unknown if the strong effects are limited to occurring within regional boundaries or whether there are spillover effects into neighbouring regions. The purpose of this paper is to assess the existence of CSI spillover effects on the wealth of neighbouring regions. CSI and spillovers are integrated into both an empirical model and an endogenous growth model. Both models are estimated for a sample of 250 regions in the European Union in 2008. We find that most of the effects of CSI take place within regions, although there is also evidence that CSI has indirect spillovers across regions. ; The authors would like to thank the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain) for financially supporting this research (ECO2010-17318 MICINN Project and Research Project n. 2677-UPV). ; Boix, R.; Hervás Oliver, JL.; Miguel Molina, MBD. (2013). I want creative neighbors. Do creative service spillovers cross regional boundaries?. Working Papers in Applied Economics. 15:1-49. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/61379 ; S ; 1 ; 49 ; 15

This paper makes the case for a political theory of African integration through a case study of the Union économique et monétaire ouest-africaine, a West African regional integration block based on a currency union and a common market. While economic theories have been widely used to analyze and advise on regional integration, this paper seeks to demonstrate that politics in fact takes precedence over economics in explaining their achievements, and posits the need for a political theory of regional integration in Africa. The case for this argument is made through a historical and technical analysis of the complex position of UEMOA and its commitment to two very different integration contexts, the Franc Zone and West African regional integration. The paper claims that UEMOA is trapped into a detrimental relationship with France through the currency mechanisms of the Franc Zone, but balances this with achievements, in the context of West African integration, that enable the conception of policies that may further advance and strengthen the integration project. Such policies would be best formulated as we develop a comprehensive political understanding of such processes.

Existing work on the economics of well-being suggests that a person's subjective well-being depends to a large degree on his relative standing within his social environment. In this paper, we examine whether access to modern information and telecommunication technologies has an impact on relative concerns by raising material aspirations. We use cross-sectional data from the fifth wave of the World Values Survey and provide empirical evidence that people who regularly use the internet as a source of information derive relatively less life satisfaction from the same level of income. Using panel data from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions, we show that households in possession of a computer report needing significantly higher levels of income to make 'ends meet', given their actual level of income and a wide range of socio-economic characteristics. Our results corroborate the hypothesis that modern information technologies raise material aspirations via fostering relative concerns in the society. The empirical findings shed further light on the income-happiness paradox and identify a non-negligible channel how globalization might impact on subjective well-being.

This paper offers an appraisal of the relationship between sociology and philosophy grounded in a critique of the former discipline's failure to contend with the dominance of neoliberalism in the run up to the financial crisis. In the first instance, it considers the prevailing philosophical ethos after the end of the Cold War and what Francis Fukuyama (1992) called the 'End of History'. It observes the emergence of an increasingly unchallenged political monad around the conjoined principles of liberal democracy and neoliberal economics and its ascendance to the status of socio-historical universality despite becoming increasingly problematic. The second half of the essay then carries this political-philosophical analysis into an exploration of contemporary sociology and its approach to the intellectual critique of dominant ideas and structures. It proposes that an emergent strain of philosophical relativism has inadvertently moved us away from some of the critical responsibilities of the traditional intellectual and eroded our capacity to offer practical alternatives to overwhelmingly neoliberal governance. The article ends on the hopeful note that a slight change in tack might push us toward reclaiming responsibilities and revitalising the debate on social transformation.

Part 1: Themes and Issues ; International audience ; During the early days of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, the Mubarak regime shut down all Egyptian Internet access with the exception of one service provider, Noor ADSL. Analysts have noted that President Mubarak, in attempting to restrict Internet access, suffered from the dictator's digital dilemma, and have speculated that Noor's exceptional treatment was due to its role as a telecommunications provider for the Egyptian Stock Exchange. This paper shows, through an analysis of events, that stock exchange connectivity could not have been the rationale for Noor's continued services and that transaction cost economics, as described by North's theory of the state, provides a more thorough explanation for Mubarak's selective intervention with regard to Internet service. Decisions made during this series of events have implications beyond the Arab Spring. Insights are drawn from the particular case of Noor's role in the Egyptian Revolution and, in the process, a model is developed for future examination of the general case of the potential for loss of critical Internet infrastructure service under authoritarian governments.

Publicação desenvolvida no âmbito e em resultado de uma prestação de serviços pelo IPBeja - ADRAL - Agência de Desenvolvimento Regional do Alentejo, S.A. ; Project Partners The Responsible Med project brings together 9 partners from 6 countries in the Med area: ADRAL S.A. – Regional Development Agency of Alentejo Athens University of Economics and Business -Research Centre Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Marseille Provence Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Terrassa Cyprus University of Technology Region of Thessaly Regional Government of Tuscany – Project Coordinator Regional Government of Umbria University of Girona ; Methodology: Considering the various practices of CRS undertaken by the companies of Alentejo, we have tried to answer a number of important issues: What are the objectives associated with the implementation of CSR policies and actions? What motivates companies to contribute to social responsibility? Are there evaluation tools used in the implementation of social responsibility? What are the obstacles to the actions and policies of CSR? What have companies learned? ; Projeto cofinanciado pelo Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) e pelo Fundo de Desenvolvimento Europeu Regional (ERDF).

Cities and urban has being studied not only by architecture, city planning, but also politics, sociology, economics, and geography; therefore, urban studies is an interdisciplinary area that aims to understand the process of urbanization and cities as characteristics of 20th and 21st centuries. Different fields recognize that urbanization is not only physical process occurring on space, but a social and economic process that affects the social behaviors of people. Higher population density and higher buildings are not only indicators of urbanization, but also there are some other indicators of social behavior that show us urbanization. To being urbanized, scholars are expecting some behavior habits and patterns from the living people. Around the theoretical arguments of social phenomenon of urbanization, the case of Konya will be analyzed. While, Konya is being accepted as metropolitan city including service and industrial sectors and population density, living people in Konya is still having traditional patterns regarding to rural. The study will be strengthened with the researches on social patterns of people living in Konya, conducted by the Konya Metropolitan Municipality. DOI:10.5901/ajis.2013.v2n8p260

This thesis is talking about the government role in the economic development of a country. From different literature we will establish how a government can theoretically influence economic growth and how the Albanian government has specifically influenced economic growth in Albania. What goals and objectives have the government set and how has the government used the tools at its disposal in order to achieve these goals and objectives. The two main players that make the development and economic growth of a country a reality are the government, with its ministry of economics and ministry of finance, and the central bank. The main focus on this thesis will be the government. We will looking at what type of fiscal budgetary and administrative policies has the Albanian government undertaken over the last decade, and which of these have contributed to our country's economic growth or have contributed to the growth of economical factors. According to the statistical figures, these factors and the real GDP have increased over the last decade. This shows their effectiveness and explains the role that the government has on economic growth. DOI:10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n2p267

This editorial introduces the Focus Section on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) as a worldwide problem, which brings together six papers that are truly international and interdisciplinary. They provide insights into IPV from nine different cultures – China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Northern Ireland, Sweden, Turkey, and the United States – from scholars in the fields of psychology, gender studies, political science, and economics. The first three papers look at how widespread the experience of IPV is among different groups of women, examine selected risk factors associated with heightened vulnerability to victimization, and discuss consequences of intimate partner victimization. Another two papers place the problem of IPV in the wider context of societal perceptions and attitudes about victims and perpetrators of IPV in different countries, whereas the last paper examines the role of individual differences in the management of emotions in the escalation or de-escalation of relationship conflict. In combination, the papers highlight the interplay between the macro level of social and cultural norms condoning the use of violence, the micro level of family relations and construction of couple relationships, and the individual level of attitudes and behaviors that precipitate IPV.

In the last decades there has been a growing interest towards the concept of "Quality of Life" (QoL), not only in the bio-medical field, but also in other areas, such as sociology, psychology, economics, philosophy, architecture, journalism, politics, environment, sports, recreation, advertisements. Nevertheless QoL does turn out to be an ambiguous and elusive concept – a precise, clear and shared definition appears to be a long way off. In this article an analysis of how QoL is interpreted and defined in various scientific articles published in the last two decades, is offered. In addition, an illustration of how widespread the use of this concept is in different fields of knowledge, the difficulties in reaching a shared understanding of QoL, the problems involved in stating clearly the construct, and a presentation of some of its conceptualizations, are provided. The importance of subjectivity in the definition of what QoL is, emerges as a key aspect. This personal and subjective dimension could be the starting point for a more thorough and holistic understanding of this concept, in which standardized sets of valid, reliable and evidence-based measures of, e.g., psychological and spiritual dimensions, are encompassed in the person's quality of life evaluation.

China's rise in global politics and economics has further fueled perceptions of an East Asian dominance of global institutions. From a power-shift perspective, the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) provides a window of opportunity for a rising power to change existing norms and organizations and to push for the creation of new ones. Although the PRC reluctantly took center stage in the global efforts to contain the crisis and provide better institutions for future crisis prevention and management, its contributions to the G20 have been rather limited. This gap between high expectations due to a fundamental shift in opportunities and relatively low policy outcomes can be explained through an analysis of domestic expectations, intra-elite role prescriptions, and the difficulty in agreeing on a new national role conception in China. At the same time, the PRC has become very active in specific policy areas. The country follows its own pattern of incrementally extending its influence and building up long-term resources. Bearing all this in mind, we argue that the PRC has adopted the role of providing focused leadership in a new era of global economic governance. (Asien/GIGA)

This report reviews how the Nordic countries can develop a strategy for renewable energy that delivers efficiently on the two underlying policy objectives of climate change and energy security challenges. The overarching elements in the evaluation of existing polices and the policy recommendations that follows from the analysis falls into three main parts: • Expanding renewable energy is not an end in itself, but a tool to deliver on the two real policy targets: climate change and energy security. • Too much policy focus at the Nordic and EU level is dedicated to boost renewable energy share of energy production in the near term, and insufficient resources are allocated to develop future low carbon technologies, which are required when CO2 abatement targets become more ambitious. • The long term nature of the challenges and huge investments in low carbon technologies required to deliver on long term targets puts a very high premium on policies that reduces policy risks as perceived by investors. The report was commissioned by the Nordic Council of Ministers and written by Copenhagen Economics.

While the doubling of life expectancy in developed countries during the 20th century can be attributed mostly to decreases in child mortality, the trillions of dollars spent on biomedical research by governments, foundations and corporations over the past sixty years are also yielding longevity dividends in both working and retired population. Biomedical progress will likely increase the healthy productive lifespan and the number of years of government support in the old age. In this paper we introduce several new parameters that can be applied to established models of economic growth: the biomedical progress rate, the rate of clinical adoption and the rate of change in retirement age. The biomedical progress rate is comprised of the rejuvenation rate (extending the productive lifespan) and the non-rejuvenating rate (extending the lifespan beyond the age at which the net contribution to the economy becomes negative). While staying within the neoclassical economics framework and extending the overlapping generations (OLG) growth model and assumptions from the life cycle theory of saving behavior, we provide an example of the relations between these new parameters in the context of demographics, labor, households and the firm.

This paper offers an appraisal of the relationship between sociology and philosophy grounded in a critique of the former discipline's failure to contend with the dominance of neoliberalism in the run up to the financial crisis. In the first instance, it considers the prevailing philosophical ethos after the end of the Cold War and what Francis Fukuyama (1992) called the 'End of History'. It observes the emergence of an increasingly unchallenged political monad around the conjoined principles of liberal democracy and neoliberal economics and its ascendance to the status of socio-historical universality despite becoming increasingly problematic. The second half of the essay then carries this political-philosophical analysis into an exploration of contemporary sociology and its approach to the intellectual critique of dominant ideas and structures. It proposes that an emergent strain of philosophical relativism has inadvertently moved us away from some of the critical responsibilities of the traditional intellectual and eroded our capacity to offer practical alternatives to overwhelmingly neoliberal governance. The article ends on the hopeful note that a slight change in tack might push us toward reclaiming responsibilities and revitalising the debate on social transformation.