Export-driven adjustment in portugal

Macroeconomic imbalances in the eurozone have decreased significantly since the beginning of the financial and economic crisis. In Portugal, the economic adjustment process is strongly being driven by growth in export activity. The recent improvement in price competitiveness has supported the positive export trend. However, there are structural challenges that limit the potential for growth in the tradable sector. To ensure that the adjustment process is sustainable, it needs to be backed up by targeted structural reforms. This article aims to contribute to the discussion about the reduction of macroeconomic imbalances in the eurozone by analysing the determinants of export growth in Portugal and the role played by the adjustment policies contained in the macroeconomic programme.     

Analysis of Environmental Efficiency Variation

In this article, we develop and implement a methodology for analyzing the sources of variation in environmental efficiency across producers. We formulate a two–stage model. In the first stage, we use stochastic frontier analysis to estimate both technical and environmental efficiency. In the second stage, we again use stochastic frontier analysis to regress estimated environmental efficiency scores against a variety of technology, physical environment, and management variables. In this stage we estimate the impact of each explanatory variable on environmental efficiency, and we derive conditional estimates of environmental efficiency from the one–sided error component. We illustrate our methodology with an empirical application to a panel of Dutch dairy farms. We find evidence of relatively low levels of environmental efficiency, and we find that environmental efficiency can be improved through a number of policy options, including the provision of farmers with more insight into the nutrient balance of their farms.     

Perceptions of Equity across Cultures and over Time: A Questionnaire-Experimental Approach

We discuss the results of investigations where students from several countries were confronted with questionnaires describing hypothetical situations. All situations start from the preference structure which underlies an equity axiom based on Rawls’s difference principle. We ask whether respondents satisfy the equity axiom by supporting the worst-offs and how often they revise their initial decision when more people join the side of the more advantaged. Moreover, we control for context-dependency and investigate whether there are major differences across countries and cultures. The available data also allow us to consider changes of justice evaluations over time.     

A young EU member’s ageing: budgetary and macroeconomic consequences of Slovenia’s demographic prospects

In this paper, we simulate a macroeconometric model of Slovenia over the period 2012–2060, using the projected demographic development as input, and determine time paths for budgetary and macroeconomic variables under alternative assumptions about Slovenian policy instruments so as to limit budgetary pressures stemming from population ageing. The main macroeconomic indicators (growth, employment, price stability, sustainable public finances) are shown to depend on the assumed long-run policy options followed. It is demonstrated that the ageing of the Slovenian population projected in the demographic forecast leads to severe budgetary problems unless increases of the retirement age, rising social security contributions or reductions of state financed pensions are implemented. A reduction of the pension replacement rate turns out to be the most effective measure to cope with the budgetary implications of population ageing. However, none of the analysed policy measures is sufficient to stabilise the debt ratio.     

Von schweren Jungs und leichten Mädchen

Zusammenfassung  Krankenpflege im Justizvollzugsdienst — Das Team des Medizinischen Dienstes in der Justizvollzugsanstalt Halle I begegnet den Gefangenen ohne Vorbehalte mit Empathie und professioneller Distanz. Für jeden Patienten ist die bestm?gliche Behandlung gew?hrleistet und für viele verbessert sich dadurch die Lebensqualit?t. Doch wie erlebt das Pflegepersonal den Alltag im Gef?ngnis?     

What remains of the popularity function? The case of Austria

In this paper, the effects of changes in economic conditions on the popularity of political parties in Austria are investigated. According to the traditional theory of the popularity function, economic variables such as the rate of unemployment, the rate of inflation, and the growth rate of real disposable income exert direct influence upon voters' evaluations of political parties. Estimations of such popularity functions for Austria show that some effects of this kind can be found, but they seem to be unstable over time. On the other hand, models of political popularity based on the assumption of voters' rational expectations predict that only unexpected changes in economic conditions affect political popularity. One of these models seems to have favorable predictive properties for Austria.The authors are grateful to A. Kirschhofer-Bozenhardt (IMAS Linz) for providing the Austrian popularity data and to G. Kirchgässner for valuable comments on an earlier version of this paper. Financial support from the Ludwig Boltzmann-Institut zur Analyse wirtschaftspolitischer Aktivitäten is gratefully acknowledge. Sohbet Karbuz acknowledges support from the Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna.     

Keynesian and monetarist models of unemployment and inflation: A simulation study for Austria

Zusammenfassung In dieser Arbeit wird versucht, durch Simulationen makroökonomischer Modelle für Österreich Aufschluß über die Erklärungskraft monetaristischer und keynesianischer Ansätze zu gewinnen. Zu diesem Zweck werden mit einer gemeinsamen Datenbasis über eine gemeinsame Schätzperiode (1957 bis 1982) drei monetaristische Modelle und ein keynesianisches Modell geschätzt, die möglichst viele gemeinsame Elemente enthalten, zugleich aber die wesentlichen theoretischen Unterschiede (insbesondere bezüglich struktureller Modelleigenschaften) zum Ausdruck bringen sollen. Untersucht werden ein von Stein vorgeschlagenes monetaristisches Modell und zwei Modelle, die die Hypothese der natürlichen Arbeitslosenrate enthalten, wobei das eine auf der Annahme adaptiver und das andere, das weitgehend einer Spezifikation von Sargent folgt, auf jener rationaler Erwartungen (also auf der Neuen Klassischen Makroökonomik) beruht; daneben wird ein keynesianisches Modell geschätzt, in dem die Arbeitslosenrate durch die gesamtwirtschaftliche Nachfrage und die Inflationsrate durch Kostenfaktoren und einen auch langfristig existierenden Phillips-Kurven-trade-off erklärt wird. Alle vier Modelle werden über die Schätzperiode mit den historischen Werten der jeweiligen exogenen Variablen simuliert; als Grundlage für eine Bewertung der Modelle dienen dabei Vergleiche der durch diese Simulation gewonnenen Schätzwerte für Arbeitslosenrate und Inflationsrate mit deren historischen Werten. Fehler- und Prädiktoranalysen zeigen, daß das keynesianische Modell den monetaristischen in bezug auf die meisten verwendeten Kriterien überlegen ist. Daher wird vermutet, daß die derzeit vorliegenden monetaristischen Ansätze weniger zur Erklärung der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Entwicklungen Österreichs und der Zusammenhänge zwischen den wichtigsten Aggregaten beitragen können als keynesianische Ansätze.

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For many valuable comments and suggestions for improvement I am indebted to the anonymous referees of this journal and to A. Wörgötter. Any remaining shortcomings are my own responsibility.