Search results for "Econometric"

Are business cycles asymmetric? Some European evidence

1997

Economic thought has ofien regal'ded business cycles as asymmetric. This papel' examines the existence of asymmetries over the business cycle in three European countries: France, Germany and the United Kingdom. To analyze this issue, industrial production in these countries from 1957 to 1994 is examined, and quarterly contractions and expansions in this variable are compared. The results obtained with both parametric and nonparametric methods allow the existence of asymmetries in these countries to be questioned. El pensamiento económico ha considerado frecuentemente que los ciclos económicos son de naturaleza asimétrica. Este trabajo examina la existencia de asimetrías en los ciclos económ…

Visibility of fiscal systems and subsystems in some organization for economic cooperation and development countries

1996

How does seasonality affect water reuse possibilities? An efficiency and cost analysis

2012

Abstract Because of the harsh conditions of water stress and seasonal water demand in many zones, water reuse has emerged as a key alternative for achieving sustainable water management. An efficient performance by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in technical and economic terms favors water reuse. However, seasonality in the flow of wastewater and in the pollutant load may be a determining factor in the efficiency of WWTPs. To evaluate if seasonality affects WWTP efficiency, analytical benchmarking methodology Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is used to obtain an average efficiency score for seasonal and non-seasonal plants. Given the importance of extended aeration (EA) and activated sl…

The cost of market power in banking: Social welfare loss vs. cost inefficiency

2007

Abstract This paper analyses the relationship between market power in the loan and deposit markets and efficiency in the EU-15 countries over 1993–2002. Results show the existence of a positive relationship between market power and cost X-efficiency, allowing rejection of the so-called quiet life hypothesis [Berger, A.N., Hannan, T.H., 1998. The efficiency cost of market power in the banking industry: A test of the ‘quiet life’ and related hypotheses. Review of Economics and Statistics 8 (3), 454–465]. The social welfare loss attributable to market power in 2002 represented 0.54% of the GDP of the EU-15. Results show that the welfare gains associated with a reduction of market power are gre…

The social costs of bank market power: Evidence from Mexico

2008

This paper estimates the social costs of market power (Harberger's triangle) in the Mexican banking system over the period 1993–2005. It also tests the so-called “quiet life” hypothesis which postulates a negative effect of market power on bank management efficiency. The social cost attributable to market power in 2005 is 0.15% of GDP, while that deriving from the cost (profit) inefficiency of banking management is 0.021% (0.075%) of GDP. The results allow us to reject the quiet life hypothesis in the deposits market. However, market power in the setting of the interest rate on loans has a negative effect on cost efficiency. Journal of Comparative Economics 36 (3) (2008) 467–488.

The institutional pillars of management accounting function

2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to theorize the institutional pillars of management accounting function.Design/methodology/approachThe paper adopts a comparative case study approach.FindingsInstitutional pillars of management accounting are explored on the basis of two longitudinal case studies. Competitive/economic forces and three analytical elements of institutional theory are composing institutions: regulative, normative and cultural‐cognitive pillars. Each element is important, and all of them may work in combination, but they operate through distinctive mechanisms and processes. This paper illustrates how they provide the basis for compliance, order and the legitimacy of not the w…

How do employed women perceive the reconciliation of work and family life?

2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze how employed women perceive the reconciliation of work and family life in Denmark, Germany, France, Finland, Great Britain, Sweden and Switzerland. The paper seeks to explore why women in certain countries are more successful in combining family responsibilities with gainful employment.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on data from the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) 2005, the questions are addressed by applying country specific linear regression analysis at the individual level, correlations at the country level as well as policy analysis.FindingsThe analysis shows that the most important factors influencing employed women's perc…

Defamilisation, Dedomestication and Care Policy: Comparing Childcare Service Provisions of Welfare States

2011

PurposeThis paper aims to use perspectives from both mainstream and feminist welfare state research in drafting a conceptual approach for social care research. This approach is then applied empirically to a comparative analysis of childcare provisions of 15 OECD countries.Design/methodology/approachThe concept of dedomestication is developed from a discussion on the notions of decommodification and defamilisation, and it is defined as the degree to which social care policies make it possible for people to participate in society and social life outside their homes and families. In the empirical part of the paper, dedomestication of childcare service provisions of 15 welfare states is measure…

Spain: A Success Story Shadowed Only by a Poor Productivity Performance

2007

Since joining the European Union in 1986, the performance of the Spanish economy has been quite remarkable, acting as a good example for new entrants of what can be accomplished in twenty years. Its ability to generate employment has been astonishing. Departing from an environment of very high unemployment (close to 25 per cent), Spain has become the country of destination most preferred by immigrants. However, it has also had a scant productivity performance. The main burden on productivity growth lies with the construction sector and almost all private service sectors with the unique exception of the financial sector. Most likely, over the next years, the continuity of the Spanish success…

Work places with stipend programme and its impact on poverty risk decrease: Case of Latvia

2012

The aim of the paper is to analyze theoretical concepts of poverty risk and to estimate the impact of the Workplaces with Stipend Programme (hereinafter WWS) on poverty risk decrease in Latvia. In order to assess the effects of the WWS three different surveys were carried out: of households with WWS participants, of experts in Latvian labour market issues, and of municipality representatives. The results were analyzed, together with analysis of statistical data. The paper concludes that in general the WWS has a very positive impact on WWS participants? household budgets (more than 95% of the WWS participants in all Latvian regions noted a significant impact of the WWS on their household bud…