Using International Institutions to Improve Public Procurement

The World Trade Organization's voluntary rules on governmentprocurement are a useful mechanism for ensuring that publicprocurement procedures are efficient. They also provide an opportunityto reduce the uncertainty of participants by increasing transparencyand accountability. Yet most developing countries have chosennot to subject their procurement policies to international disciiplinesand multilateral surveillance. Their reasons may include anunfamiliarity with the government procurement agreement (GPA);a perception that the potential payoffs are small; a desireto discriminate in favor of domestic firms; or the successfulopposition of groups that benefit from the current regimes.Although the economic rationales for abstaining from the GPAare not compelling, a quid pro quo for accession may be neededto overcome opposition by special interests. Developing countryprocurement markets are large enough that governments may beable to make accession to the GPA conditional on temporary exceptionsto multilateral disczplines or on better access to export markets.      

Computers BITE accounting education

The recent establishment of the £20 million Teaching and Learning Technology Programme by the Universities' Funding Council in the UK provides one of the largest boosts for IT and education since PLATO (in the USA) and NDPCAL (in the UK). This note describes the BITE project which is part of the above programme and highlights some of the problems that have affected both the development and evaluation of accounting courseware in the past. By using a strong interdisciplinary team of software, educational and subject specialists, the project hopes to overcome some or all of these problems.     

The transition from products to solutions: External business model fit and dynamics

This article provides empirical evidence and contributes to theory building concerning business model fit and dynamics in the area of solutions business. Business models are seen in this context as going beyond considerations such as offerings and internal processes or even relationships, and as including network and market considerations. Indeed the paper highlights the fact that a business model is not firm-focused, nor dyad-focused, but rather network-, and even market-focused, demonstrating that a business model is not static, but dynamic. Manufacturer and customer continuously shift form and content of their respective business models to adapt both to the needs of the counterpart and to market context. A qualitative case study approach is adopted, with subsequent content analysis. The case study relates to the aerospace industry with focus on a complex engineering firm, one of the largest aircraft manufacturers in the world, its customer — a national airline — and their network partners of various kinds. The data were collected through multiple face-to-face interviews with managers in both companies, as a part and parcel of a network of actors that influences and is influenced by the supplier–buyer relationship. Relationships over time between these firms and network partners are described, highlighting the interplay of products and services related to the provision of solutions. Findings highlight the dynamic nature of business models over the relationship lifecycle between supplier and customer in a complex engineering environment, and the need for reciprocal adjustment of models.     

Credit Constraints in Manufacturing Enterprises in Africa

We investigate the question of whether firms in Africa's manufacturingsector are credit constrained. The fact that few firms obtaincredit is not sufficient to prove constraints, since certainfirms may not have a demand for credit while others may be refusedcredit as part of profit maximising behaviour by banks. To investigatethis question, we use direct evidence on whether firms had ademand of credit and whether their demand was satisfied in theformal credit market, based on panel data on firms in the manufacturingsector from six African countries. Of those firms with a demandfor credit, only a quarter obtained a formal sector loan. Ouranalysis suggests that while banks allocate credit on the basisof expected profits, micro or small firms are much less likelyto get a loan than large firms. We also find that outstandingdebt is positively related with obtaining further lending. Therole of outstanding debt is likely to be a reflection of inefficiencyin credit markets, while the fact that size matters is consistentwith a bias as well, although we cannot totally exclude thatthey reflect transactions costs on the part of banks. We presentan analysis showing how much more profitable small firms mustbe to obtain a loan than large firms.     

LA DÉLÉGATION DES SERVICES PUBLICS AUX ASSOCIATIONS PAR LES COLLECTIVITÉS LOCALES:

RÉSUMÉ ** : Dans le cadre communal français, des biens collectifs locaux sont offerts simultanement par les municipalités et par les associations. Toutefois, l'offre publique ne signifie pas toujours la production publique. Les municipalités peuvent ainsi déléguer la gestion de services collectifs locaux à des entreprises privées ou à des associations. La plupart du temps, les communes se contenteront de subventionner laproduction associative.
Aprés avoir précisé la distinction entre fourniture et production de biens, et le cadre légal et administratif particulier dans lequel s'inscrit la fourniture publique communale des biens et services collectifs locaux, nous soulignons les causes et les formes dupartenariat entre secteur public communal et associations, et les catégories d'actions associatives répondant aux attentes des municipalités.     

Expectations, the business cycle and the Mexican peso crisis

The 1994–95 ‘peso’ crisis did not displaycharacteristics which allow it to be easily captured by traditionalcrisis models. Models based on Minsky's financial fragilityhypothesis offer more persuasive accounts but have been supportedby relatively little direct empirical evidence. This paper providessuch evidence, with particular attention being paid to the roleof domestic financial liberalisation in the process. Minsky'shypotheses about the evolution of expectations over the businesscycle are tracked using business survey data. In addition, crisisindicators are constructed, reflecting the changing vulnerabilityof the economy to shocks. The findings support a Minskyian interpretationof the crisis.