Re-booting the local economy: Information and communication technologies in local economic strategy

Many local economic strategies today include reference to a communications infrastructure that involves electronic networks alongside that of roads and railways. Information and communication technologies (ICTs), often referred to as the “information superhighway” or informatics, are considered useful to stimulate local economic activity. This paper, based on a North East case study, suggests that the importance of ICTs to local economic strategy lies in the rationale of key local strategy makers, while the use of ICTs for local economic development means that the local governance of ICTs will become a salient feature in future economic development.     

The demand for money in a small open economy: The case of Switzerland

The paper uses cointegration analysis to investigate the demand for money in Switzerland in the context of an open economy. It considers the general process of financial asset substitution and tests for the relevance of an exchange rate and a foreign interest rate variable in a conventional money demand equation. The results show that the variables entering into the demand for either monetary base or narrow money equation may not form a cointegrated system unless the exchange rate or foreign interest rate variable is included. This provides support to both the currency substitution and capital mobility hypotheses.     

经济激励与循环经济的制度构建

循环经济是遏制生态环境破坏的必然选择,是实施可持续发展战略的重要途径。但从传统经济到循环经济模式的转换并非易事。构建相应的制度框架,则是实现循环经济的一项根本措施。循环经济制度安排的内容十分丰富,本文仅讨论不同经济激励方式对于建立循环经济体系的作用。一、循环经济及其制度构建循环经济是一种以资源的高效利用和循环利用为核心,以“减量化、再利用、资源化”为原则,以低消耗、低排放、高效率为基本特征,符合可持续发展理念的经济增长模式。作为一种全新的经济形态,循环经济坚持“资源-产品-废弃物-再生资源”的反馈式循环过…     

The state of construction training and employment in the local economy of Jersey

There is a crisis in the training and skills provision of the Channel Island of Jersey's construction industry that has similarities with the situation in Britain. The main problems relate to the unavailability, inappropriateness and narrow focus of skills, the demand-driven and task- or job-specific nature of training, the Jersey-born and male focus of recruitment, and the uncoordinated, traditional and short-term approach of the local construction firms towards promotion and financing of training provision. It is argued that a structured training policy incorporating the needs of both education and industry and holding a long-term vision should enable the construction industry of Jersey to reverse the downward spiral.     

Tourism and local economic development: The case of the Highlands Meander

Local economic development (LED) planning is of major policy importance in post-apartheid South Africa. Although issues surrounding LED have attracted considerable policy attention, one neglected theme has been the role of tourism as a lead sector for LED. The aim of this article is to examine the planning and workings of one tourism-led LED initiative in South Africa. The case study is that of the Highlands Meander in Mpumalanga province, where five towns are collaborating in their LED initiatives in order to promote the area's tourism products. A key finding is that this growing tourism initiative is currently not benefiting local black communities. Recommendations are offered for developing a pro-poor tourism initiative.     

The impact of local authorities on labour party economic policy

This article questions to what extent the Labour Party is prepared to build on local authority experience in its policy statements and in practice. With the demise of the AES, Labour has been searching for a new political economy, publishing three policy statements in March this year. The author argues that while the impact of local authorities on these documents is unmistakable, the Labour Party has yet to take all their ideas on board.     

Developers, property cycles and local economic development: The case of Sheffield

The interaction between the property market cycle and the development industry at the local level is examined. The Sheffield office market is used as an example. Market trends result in limited periods of development profitability. Developers therefore face a difficult operational environment and adopt different tactics to cope with it. Some are more successful than others. The implications for the development sector and for the local economic development process are considered.     

Wage structure effects of international trade in a small open economy: the case of Belgium

This paper investigates the impact of international trade on wage dispersion in a small open economy, Belgium. It is one of the few to: (i) use detailed, matched employer-employee data to compute industry wage premia and disaggregated industry-level panel data to examine the impact of changes in international trade on changes in wage differentials, (ii) simultaneously analyse both imports and exports, and (iii) examine the impact of imports according to the country of origin. Looking at the export side, we find (on the basis of the system generalized method of moments estimator) a positive effect of exports on industry wage premia. The results also show that import penetration has a significant and negative impact on industry wage differentials. However, the detrimental effect of imports on wages is found to be significantly greater when imports originate from low- and middle-income countries than from high-income countries.     

Structural changes in a developing economy: The case of Israel

Conclusions We have shown that the structural changes in the economy of Israel are deeper and more significant than they might appear from superficial examination of the data.     

The impact of affinity on world economic integration: The case of Japanese foreign direct investment

This paper finds that a country's affinity with a foreign country has a positive effect on foreign direct investment flows from it to that country, by analyzing Japanese foreign direct investment outflows during the period of 1995–2009. A rise in a country's affinity with a foreign country is thought to enhance its trust in that country and as a result lower the transaction costs of its economic activities with it, thereby helping to promote its foreign direct investment flows to the country. These findings imply that a rise in affinity among countries is likely to facilitate international economic integration.     

The effectiveness of stabilization policy in a small open economy

Zusammenfassung Die Wirksamkeit der Stabilit?tspolitik in einer kleinen offenen Volkswirtschaft. — Der Aufsatz bietet eine überprüfung der Mundelischen Analyse einer Stabilit?tspolitik bei festen und flexiblen Wechselkursen. Mundell stellte fest, da\ in kleinen offenen Volkswirtschaften mit vollst?ndiger Mobilit?t des Kapitals die Geldpolitik bei festen Wechselkursen unwirksam ist, w?hrend die Fiskalpolitik bei flexiblen Wechselkursen wirkungslos bleibt. Der Aufsatz beginnt mit einer Diskussion der wichtigsten charakteristischen Merkmale einer kleinen offenen Volkswirtschaft. Anschlie\end wird ein statisches Gleichgewichtsmodell entwickelt, das die Folgerung aus der Annahme eines kleinen Landes für die laufenden Posten der Zahlungsbilanz zieht und voraussetzt, da\ sich die heimische Wirtschaft in bezug auf die international handelbaren Güter, die aus exportierbaren und importierbaren Gütern bestehen, als ?Preisanpasser? (price taker) verh?lt. Durch Einbeziehung der Preise von international handelbaren und nichthandelbaren Gütern in die Untersuchung und durch Hinweis auf die Bedeutung des Wechselkurses für die Bestimmung des heimischen Preisniveaus kann gezeigt werden, da\ eine angemessene Kombination von Geld- und Fiskalpolitik Produktion und Besch?ftigung ohne inflatorischen Druck erh?ht, wenn es sich um eine Volkswirtschaft mit flexiblen Wechselkursen handelt. Das gleiche gilt aber nicht für den Fall der festen Wechselkurse.

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Résumé L’efficacité de la politique de stabilisation dans une petite économie ouverte. — Cet article présente un réexamen de l’analyse Mundell d’une politique de stabilisation à cours des changes fixes et flexibles. Mundell constata que, dans les petites économies ouvertes, où il y a mobilité parfaite du capital, la politique monétaire est inefficace comme instrument de stabilisation, si les cours des changes sont fixes, tandis que la politique fiscale est inefficace, si les cours des changes sont flexibles. L’article que voici commence par une discussion des caractéristiques importantes d’une petite économie ouverte. Puis, un modèle d’équilibre statique est formulé qui étend la supposition d’un petit pays au compte courant de sa balance des paiements, en postulant que l’économie du pays soit celle qui accepte les prix (?price taker?) en ce qui concerne les marchandises exportables et importables. En introduisant dans l’analyse les prix des biens négociables et non-négociables, et en indiquant le r?le que jouent les cours des changes dans la détermination du niveau des prix nationaux, on peut démontrer qu’une combinaison juste de politique monétaire et politique fiscale fera augmenter la production et l’emploi sans tension inflationniste, si l’économie travaille sous un régime de cours des changes flexibles. Il n’en est pas de même si les cours des changes sont fixes.

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Resumen La eficacia de una politica de estabilización en una economía peque?a y abierta. — El presente artículo ofrece un repaso del análisis de Mundell acerca de una política de estabilización bajo tipos de cambio fijos y flexibles. Mundell constató que en economias peque?as y abiertas, en las que existe movilidad absoluta de capital, la política monetaria es ineficaz bajo un régimen de tipos de cambio fijos y la politica fiscal es otro tanto cuando el tipo de cambio es flexible. El artículo comienza con una discusión de los rasgos característicos de una economía peque?a y abierta. A continuación se elabora un modelo de equilibrio estático, en el cual el supuesto de la economía peque?a se aplica a las partidas corrientes de la balanza de pagos, ésto es, suponiendo que para la economía doméstica los precios de los productos de exportación e importación son datos. Si se consideran productos comercializados internacionalmente y aquellos no comercializables internacionalmente y si se tiene en cuenta la importancia del tipo de cambio para la determinación del nivel de precios doméstico, se puede demostrar que una combinación adecuada de politíca monetaria y fiscal puede aumentar la produccíon y el empleo libre de presiones inflacionarias, siempre y cuando que la economía opère bajo tipos de cambio flexibles. Lo mismo no ocurre en el caso de tipos de cambio fijos.

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Riassunto L’efficacia della politica di stabilità in una piccola economia aperta. — L’articolo offre una verifica dell’analisi di Mundell di una politica di stabilità con cambi fissi e flessibili. Mundell constata che in piccole economie aperte, in cui è data prevalentemente compléta mobilità del capitale, la politica monetaria con cambi fissi è inefficace, mentre la politica fiscale rimane senza efficacia con cambi flessibili. L’articolo inizia con una discussione dei segni caratteristici più importanti di una piccola economia aperta. Successivamente viene sviluppato un modello di equilibrio statico che amplia l’ipotesi del piccolo Paese sulle partite correnti della bilancia dei pagamenti mediante il presupposto che l’economia nazionale in relazione ai beni di commercio, che sono composti di beni di esportazioni e importazioni, si comporta come ?price taker?. Con l’inclusione dei prezzi di beni commerciabili e non commerciabili nella ricerca e col richiamo al significato del cambio per la determinazione del livello nazionale dei prezzi, può essere mostrato che un’adeguata combinazione di politica monetaria e fiscale eleverà produzione e occupazione senza pressione inflazionistica se l’economia ha cambi flessibili. Lo stesso non vale, peró, nel caso di cambi fissi.

     

External shocks and stabilization policy in a small open economy: The Australian experience

Zusammenfassung Externe Schocks und Stabilisierungspolitik in einer kleinen offenen Volkswirtschaft: Die Erfahrung Australiens. — Wir untersuchen die übertragung des international verursachten monet?ren Zyklus, von wirtschaftspolitischen Reaktionen und anderen Rückkoppelungs-Mechanismen. Ver?nderungen der Terms of Trade und die Entdeckung von Rohstoffvorkommen stellen reale Linkages her. Versp?tete Aufwertung (1972) führte zu einem überm?\igen Anwachsen der Geldmenge, wobei deren Neutralisierung die Inflation und das au\enwirtschaftliche Ungleichgewicht zwar verz?gerte, aber schlie\lich sogar verst?rkte. Die Kombination von Aufwertung, Zollsenkungen, Preissteigerungen, Lohndruck und ver?nderten komparativen Vorteilen trug zum Entstehen von Inflation, Arbeitslosigkeit und Zahlungsbilanzdefiziten bei. Die Abwertungen von 1974 und 1976 und ein Regierungswechsel im Jahre 1976 führten den politisch-?konomischen Zyklus fort. Zum Schlu\ interpretieren wir die Ereignisse unter Verwendung gew?hnlicher Au\enhandelsmodelle, die durch Berücksichtigung der Wertpapierm?rkte erg?nzt werden.

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Résumé Les chocs externes et la politique de stabilisation dans une petite économie ouverte: l’expérience australienne. — Nous analysons la transmission du cycle monétaire résultant international, les réponses de politique, et les autres mécanismes de réaction. Les changes en termes d’échange et les découvertes des minéraux introduisent des connexions réelles. La revalorisation tardive (1972) permettait une croissance monétaire excessive dont sa stérilisation en effet retardait l’inflation et le déséquilibre externe, mais les intensifiait définitivement. La combinaison de la revalorisation, des réductions tarifaires, de l’inflation, du pressage de salaire, et d’avantage comparatif qui changeait, tous ces facteurs contribuaient à l’inflation subséquente, au ch?mage et aux déficits externes. La dévalorisation en 1974 et 1976 et une change du gouvernement en 1976 continuaient le cycle politiqueéconomique. Finalement nous interprétons des événements qui utilisent des modèles conventionnels de commerce extérieurs augmentés par des considérations de marché d’actif.

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Resumen Impulsos externos y política de estabilización en una economía abierta peque?a. La experiencia australiana. — Se analiza la transmisión de los ciclos monetarios de origen internacional, respuestas de política y otros mecanismos de ?feedback?. Cambios en los términos del intercambio y descubrimientos de yacimientos mineros introducen vinculaciones verdaderas. Una revaluacíon tardía (1972) permitió un crecimiento monetario excesivo con una estirilización retrasada, agravando por último la inflación y el desequilibrio externo. La combinación de revaluación, rebaja de aranceles, inflación, presión de salarios y ventajas comparativas cambiantes ha contribuido a una inflación persistente, desempleo y deficits externos. Devaluaciones en los a?os 1974 y 1976 y un cambio de gobierno en 1976 continuaron el ciclo politico/económico. Finalmente, interpretamos sucesos usando modelos de intercambio convencional ampliados por consideraciones de mercado de activos.

     

The impact of circular migration on a village economy

The author examines the economy of a rural village in Indonesia in which a high proportion of households rely on remittances from urban informal sector earnings. Household income and per capita income are analyzed according to whether or not households have at least one temporary migrant, and by the sex and age of the household head. Findings indicate that "remittances from short-term circular migration push many households into the middle and upper income ranges. However, the wealthiest households continue to rely on traditional high earning activities and do not depend on remittances. The poorest households are scattered among those who rely on remittances and those still totally dependent upon traditional low earning village activities, regardless of the sex and age of the household head."     

The response of a small open economy to a disturbance

Zusammenfassung Die Reaktion einer kleinen offenen Volkswirtschaft auf eine St?rung. — Die moderne Au\enhandelstheorie besteht im wesentlichen aus zwei voneinander unabh?ngigen Teilen : die Tauschtheorie besch?ftigt sich mit den langfristigen Handels- und Investitionsstr?men, die monet?re Theorie mit den kurzfristigen Ver?nderungen in der Zahlungsbilanz. Es fehlt eine Theorie, in der reale und monet?re Faktoren wirklich miteinander verknüpft sind. In dieser Arbeit wird versucht, diesem Ziel ein wenig n?her zu kommen. Wir betrachten eine kleine offene Volkswirtschaft, ursprünglich in einem langfristigen Gleichgewicht, die einer einmaligen und unerwarteten St?rung unterworfen ist. Die daraus sich ergebenden ?nderungen der Faktorallokation und des Realeinkommens werden als gegeben angesehen, und es wird untersucht, welche induzierten Anpassungen in der Zahlungsbilanz oder dem Wechselkurs erfolgen. Unter anderem werden hinreichende Bedingungen für monotone Anpassungspfade und für ein “überschie\en” abgeleitet.

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Résumé La réponse d’une petite économie ouverte à une perturbation. — La théorie du commerce international moderne comprend deux parties essentiellement indépendantes: une partie de troc qui s’occupe avec les structures de commerce et d’investissement à long terme, et une partie monétaire qui s’occupe avec la conduitea à court terme de la balance des paiements. Ce qui manque est une théorie par laquelle les facteurs réels et monétaires sont véritablement entremêlés. Cet article prend un petit pas envers ce but. Nous analysons une petite économie ouverte, d’abord en équilibre à long terme, qui est touchée par une perturbation abrupte, unique et imprévue d’une sorte quelconque. Nous regardons la conséquente réallocation des facteurs et la variation du revenu réel comme donnée et analysons l’ajustement induit de la balance des paiements ou du taux de change. Inter alia, nous dérivons les conditions suffisantes pour les voies d’ajustement monotones et pour les phénomènes ?d ’overshooting?.

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Resumen Reacción a un ?shock? en una economía peque?a y abierta. — La teoría moderna del comercio internacional está compuesta de dos partes esencialmente diferentes: un componente de intercambio real que se ocupa de la estructura a largo plazo del comercio y de la inversión y un componente monetario que trata de la conducta a corto plazo de la balanza de pagos. Lo que falta, es una teoría en la que se encuentre una genuina fusión de factures reales y monetarios. Con este objetivo se estudia una pequefia economia abierta, inicialmente en equilibrio a largo plazo y que se ve de repente sometida a un ?shock? inesperado de cualquier tipo. Considerando como dados la consecuente realocación de recursos y los cambios en la renta real, se estudia el ajuste inducido de la balanza de pagos y del tipo de cambio. Entre otros aspectos, se derivan condiciones suficientes para la existencia de funciones monótonas de ajuste y de ?overshooting?.

     

Sectoral labor employment in a Caribbean economy: The case of Barbados

This study examines the demand for labor in five major sectors of the Caribbean economy of Barbados. While the demand for labor function in the nontradable sectors appears well-defined in terms of real wages and real aggregate output, the inclusion of a variable to capture the effects of capital-deepening appears important to the specification of labor demand in the tradable sectors—agriculture and manufacturing. Low estimates of real wage elasticities and real output elasticities in the vicinity of unity suggest that employers in the major sectors are more likely to alter their demand for labor based on expectations of the economy’s performance than in response to labor cost factors denominated in producer prices.     

The limited role of small stock exchanges in economic development: A case study of Mozambique and Swaziland

The establishment of a successful stock market in a developing economy can provide a major source of development finance, both channelling domestic savings and attracting foreign investment. But small markets generally fail. Two micro-markets, Mozambique and Swaziland, provide an interesting case study to examine the features of new markets in sub-Saharan Africa that differ in a number of ways, including colonial legacy, membership of the Common Monetary Area and the dynamics of the political economy that defines the links between the citizens, the local elite and the state. In both countries, the operational aspects of the stock exchange are clearly inadequate as a means of promoting international investment. Thus, gains from regional integration initiatives or foreign investment are unlikely, as the market's small size and incomplete institutions currently offer limited potential for either domestic or international risk diversification. However, the political economy in both countries is the real barrier to growth.     

Government budget,public-sector wages and capital taxes in a small open economy: A Hong Kong case

This paper examines the welfare implications of adjustments in public-sector wages and capital tax rates for a small open economy in a general equilibrium setting. The individually and jointly optimal wage and tax policies are derived and interpreted. Facing reductions in land sales and falls in foreign interest rates, a cut in public workers' pay is needed to make their wage comparable to the private sector and a hike in capital taxes is recommended for a budgetary consideration. Using a computable general equilibrium model for Hong Kong, we numerically evaluate the various optimal policies which not only confirm the theoretical results but also provide quantitative estimates of the optimal policy variables.