The non-equivalence of tariffs and quotas under retaliation

This note shows the non-equivalence of tariffs and quotas when foreign retaliation is allowed for. Using a Cournot-Johnson type of retaliation mechanism it is shown that, contrary to the case of tariffs, quota retaliation will lead to the elimination of international trade between the countries involved.     

The Ability and Willingness Paradox in Family Firm Innovation

We present a framework of how family involvement influences innovation management based on ability (discretion to act) and willingness (disposition to act), two drivers that distinguish family firms from nonfamily firms and lead to heterogeneity among family firms. Paradoxically, family firms have superior ability yet lower willingness to engage in technological innovation. Resolving this paradox should yield new insights about innovation management in general. We summarize and position the papers in this special issue according to these drivers and set out an agenda for further research that will contribute to a better understanding of family firms' heterogeneous and paradoxical behaviors.     

Public Capital Formation and Regional Development in Spain

This paper uses a vector autoregression (VAR) approach to evaluate the effects of public investment on private sector performance in Spain. Empirical results suggest that public investment positively affected private investment, employment, and output at both aggregate and regional levels. The regions that benefited the most from public investment in the last two decades were Cataluña, Madrid, and Pais Vasco. These regions are among the largest economic areas in the country and among the ones with the highest GDP per capita. Accordingly, public investment, while an important factor for aggregate economic growth, has also been a source of increasing regional asymmetries.     

Outward FDI and Local Employment Growth in Italy

Using several data sources, we assess the impact of Italy’s outward foreign direct investment (FDI) on local employment growth between 1996 and 2001 for 12 manufacturing industries and 103 administrative provinces. Our main result is that, controlling for the local industrial structure and area fixed effects, FDI is associated with faster local employment growth, relatively to the national industry average. We also find that employment in small plants is not negatively influenced by higher levels of FDI. Our findings do not support therefore the idea that FDI is detrimental to local employment growth in the home country. JEL no.  C21, F21, F23     

The Argentine stabilization plan of December 20th

In this paper an analytical model is developed to incorporate the essential characteristics of the stabilization plan implemented in Argentina in January 1979. The model is based upon a set of simplifying assumptions that only approximate the complexity of the real world. It is assumed that the expectations of inflation and the degree of excess demand or supply in the non-traded goods market are the main intermediate determinants of the rate of inflation in that market, the rate of change of prices of traded goods being determined by the external inflation together with the rate of devaluation. Treating thus the external rate of inflation as exogenous, the only instrument available for influencing the rate of inflation in the long run is the rate of devaluation. Since the model assumes a fixed exchange rate regime, the money supply is endogenous and hence unsuitable as an instrument of economic policy.     

Brain drain and economic growth: A dynamic model

The problem of the international migration of educated people is analyzed in the context of a dynamic economy where individuals are faced with three basic decisions: education, acquisition of physical capital and migration. The paper discusses the transitional and steady-state behaviour of such an economy, and in addition incorporates a detailed dynamic analysis of the effects of minimum wages and of the implementation of a migration tax.     

Search Cost and Price Dispersion in Vertically Related Markets: The Case of Bank Loans and Deposits

Using data on marginal interest rates of loan and deposit products by Spanish banks, we find that the level of interest rates on loans (deposits) across geographic markets decrease (increase) with the number of banks in each market, and that the level of interest rates on loans increases with the level of interest rates of deposits. We also find that the dispersion of interest rates of both loans and deposits increase with the number of banks. This evidence is interpreted as evidence of customer’s search costs in retail banking, consistent with predictions from the Carlson and McAfee (J Polit Econ 91:480–493, 1983) model of market competition with search costs.     

The Impact of Culture on the Efficacy and Fairness of Whistleblowing: A Contrast Between Brazil and the United States

The possibility of denouncing malpractice at corporations listed on the US stock exchange is a relatively recent requirement as promoted by the US Sarbanes‐Oxley 2002 Act. This organizational alert mechanism acts as a tool for fostering the exercise of control within a structured entity. However, a study in Brazil revealed that the anonymous whistleblowing mechanisms were occasionally utilized for maligning someone when use of the instruments was significantly restrained. This article examines the critical decisions made by the top‐level executives (headquarters) to effectively control subsidiaries and particularly with regard to hotlines that allow whistleblowing and its overall impact on organizational climate using Brazil as a case study. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Strategies for Fiscal Reform in the Context of the EMU: the Case of Portugal

The authors use an endogenous growth dynamic general‐equilibrium model, which accommodates the institutional constraints of the Stability and Growth Pact, to study tax reform in Portugal. Simulation results suggest that tax cuts financed in a nondistortionary way increase long‐term GDP; i.e., they are efficiency improving, but do not always increase welfare. The tradeoff between efficiency and welfare is alleviated when reductions in public spending or increased public indebtedness finance the tax cuts. Since these mechanisms are not realistic under the institutional setting of the Stability and Growth Pact, tax reform in Portugal must involve trading off distortionary tax margins. In this case, the best strategy to increase both efficiency and welfare is to increase investment tax credits and finance them either through personal income taxes or through employers’ social security contributions.