Climate policy challenges after the Kyoto Protocol enters into force

The Kyoto Protocol on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions can finally come into force now that Russia has signed it. What has been the trend of emissions in the individual industrial countries in recent years? What options do the countries have? What EU strategy should be chosen for the coming negotiations on the climate regime after 2012?     

“Good governance”, democracy and development paradigms

“Good governance” has become a central term in the international discussion on development co-operation. What is actually meant by “good governance”? By which yardstick can it be measured? How is governance related to development, political participation and democracy? What implications does this have for bilateral and multilateral donors?     

Net gain: Expanding markets through virtual communities

What are virtual communities? How do they operate? How can they help expand markets, increase visibility, and improve profitability? What effects have they had on business models and marketing strategies? John Hagel discussed these issues in his keynote speech at the Direct Marketing Association's 1998 net.marketing Conference held April 1998.     

Options in foreign economic relations for Central and Eastern Europe

Following the collapse of the CMEA, the foreign trade of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe declined drastically with dire consequences for output, incomes and employment in these countries. What options do the former CMEA members have for revitalizing their foreign trade? What impediments will have to be surmounted in each case?     

Bank ethics: An exploratory study of ethical behaviors and perceptions in small,local banks

This article addresses five research questions: What specific behaviors are described in the literature as ethical or unethical? What percentage of business people are believed to be guilty of unethical behavior? What specific unethical behaviors have been observed by bank employees? How serious are the behaviors? Are experiences and attitudes affected by demographics? Conclusions suggest: There are seventeen categories of behavior, and that they are heavily skewed toward internal behaviors. Younger employees have a higher level of ethical consciousness than older employees. The longer one works for a company, the more one may look to job security as a priority; this can lead to rationalizing or overlooking apparently unethical behaviors. More emphasis is needed on internal behaviors with particular attention on the impact that external behaviors have on internal behaviors.     

The hard ECU — A substitute for the D-Mark or a trojan horse?

The British Government?s proposal to develop the ECU gradually into a “hard” European currency has begun to be viewed in a more positive light. What principles are at the heart of this proposal? Does a “hard” ECU have advantages over the existing ECU? What are its chances as a parallel currency?     

The road to European Economic and Monetary Union

The debate on the concrete shape of the second stage of European economic and monetary union ist in full swing. What are the benefits that may be expected from EMU? What risks have to be avoided?     

Massive transfers of resources

What lies behind the call for massive transfers of resources from the rich to the poor countries? What proposals for such transfers have been made? Do these proposals represent an application of Keynesianism to the problems of international development and, if so, is this application legitimate?     

Structural changes in EC trade intensities

The European Economic Community has now been in existence for about 20 years. Five years have elapsed since it was enlarged. What progress have the member countries made in the integration of their foreign trade? What would be the repercussions of a southward extension of the EC to take in Greece, Portugal and Spain?     

How to Get the Lisbon Strategy Back on Track

Halfway through the Lisbon process, achievements have in many respects fallen distinctly behind the ambitious aims set by EU heads of state and government in March 2000. What has gone wrong? What changes are required to get the process back on track? Is a Lisbon strategy, even a reformed one, really needed?     

The mediterranean policy of the EC—The case of agriculture

The production structures of the majority of Mediterranean countries have traditionally been oriented towards the West European market. What effects will the southward enlargement of the EC have on the agricultural sector of the non-candidate Mediterranean countries? What can the EC do to alleviate the problems?     

Privatisation policy in Russia

Since Russia’s process of privatisation got under way in 1992 a large proportion of the country’s state-owned enterprises have been turned into private legal entities and have been transferred into private property. However, the desired economic success has so far largely remained elusive. What deficiencies in the privatisation policy have caused this? What can be done to solve the problems?     

Monetary co-operation in Europe

The decisions of the EC conference in Nyborg last autumn were designed to consolidate and expand monetary integration in Europe. What degree of integration have the many years of effort achieved? What are the prospects for the future of the European Monetary System?     

The GATS negotiations: Implications for health and social services

Health and social services have so far attracted fewer commitments than virtually all other large sectors covered by the GATS. What are the reasons behind the low level of negotiating interest? What impact would GATS-bound reforms have on the provision of health and social services?     

Structural changes in EC trade intensities

The European Economic Community has now been in existence for about 20 years. Five years have elapsed since it was enlarged. What progress have the member countries made in the integration of their foreign trade? What would be the repercussions of a southward extension of the EC to take in Greece, Portugal and Spain?

     

Alternative methods of reducing government expenditure

In recent years spectacular attempts by various major industrialized countries to reduce government expenditure have met with limited success and given rise to heavy controversies. What are the lessons to be learnt? What are the principles to be followed in cutting government expenditure?     

Adjustment policy and interest groups in developing countries

Adjustment programmes promoted by the IMF and the World Bank have met with mixed success in recent years. What part has the interaction of interest groups in the countries concerned played in this connection? What lessons are to be learnt for future adjustment programmes?     

The White Stone: Six Choices

What sort of jobs? What sort of companies? What sort of capitalism? What sort of society? What sort of education? What sort of life? Starting with mundane statistics of GDP growth and job creation, this article moves on to explore the relationship between business and some of the major issues of human life. It is based on a speech to London Business School Alumni.     

International competition between stock exchanges

Stock exchanges are increasingly competing with one another internationally as a result of the globalisation of securities markets. What effect is this trend having on the stock exchanges? What consequences does it have for economic policy?     

The drugs economy and anti-drug policy in developing countries

The drugs economy has now developed into a major factor in many developing countries. What effects on the economies of the countries concerned do drugs production and the drugs trade have? How should the prospects of success for substitution policies be judged? What strategy to curb the demand for drugs in the industrial countries might carry the promise of success?