Are there free rides out of a recession? The case of Switzerland

During the 2008/2009 recession, most countries resorted to discretionary fiscal policy measures. In this paper, we run two simulations with the KOF Swiss Economic Institute’s macroeconomic model to assess how both the Swiss stimulus measures, and the measures taken by Switzerland’s major trading partners, have affected the Swiss economy. The KOF baseline estimate incorporates fiscal stimulus packages in Switzerland and abroad. We re-run the model, modifying the exogenous variables to represent situations in which no fiscal action was taken (a) in Switzerland and (b) elsewhere. We find that the spillover from the foreign efforts to curb the recession dwarfs the effect of the domestic stimulus packages. In addition to making its own (rather limited) efforts to fight the recession, Switzerland also took a long free-ride that far exceeded the short one it paid for.     

Unintended Consequence of Centralized Public School Funding in Michigan Education

As part of the movement to create greater spending equity among school districts, states have centralized funding for public education and instituted funding formulas where high-spending districts are often constrained in their operational expenditures. However, these school districts often maintain local discretion over capital expenditures financed by the sale of bonds. In this study, we find that Michigan's high-spending school districts have a greater probability of issuing bonds after centralizing public school funding, indicating that debt financing of capital expenditures may have become a mechanism to allow these school districts to circumvent the policy's intent for greater spending equity.     

Project management: break through or bust

Making a wrong choice can severely affect even the best-managed implementation (and project manager's careers). There is simply no margin for error, so getting it right the first time is not merely an option--it is a prerequisite for success. This article will first review why projects fail, then highlight the project management process used by McInnes Steel to specify, choose, and implement MRP II software that was "right" for them. Insights and experiences will also be shared to assist others in their project management activities. Project ultimate measurement is the successful integration of new technology into the culture of the organization. The first and most crucial step in any implementation is the specification and subsequent selection of the equipment or technology. It is important to make the right choice--one where the technology provides value-added services to the users to help them do their jobs better, now and into the future.     

The political economy of agriculture for development today: the “small versus large” scale debate revisited

The role of agriculture in economic development and the development politics of promoting smallholder versus large‐scale agriculture have both been at the center of a long‐lasting and controversial debate. Using an innovative methodology which combines a value chain approach with input‐output‐analysis, the growth multipliers and productivity of both farm types in Guatemala are analyzed. Results show that smallholder agriculture has the same potential to stimulate output growth as large‐scale agriculture. Smallholder value chains include mainly informal sectors and create more jobs than commercial agriculture. Therefore, a reorientation of agricultural and land policies toward small‐scale food producers and within a comprehensive policy of integrated rural development is not only necessary in terms of social equity but also for boosting economic development.     

IPOs and IFRS in European exchange-regulated markets: A research note

This research note aims to enrich our understanding of reporting incentives of firms listed in European exchange-regulated markets. Many initial public offerings (IPOs) in Europe are within exchange-regulated markets where firms are allowed to choose between local GAAP and IFRS. Therefore, this research note describes the regulatory environment and investigates the choice to voluntarily adopt IFRS within European exchange-regulated markets. Overall, less than 20% of the firms voluntarily adopt IFRS and voluntary IFRS adoption upon IPO is positively associated with firm size, foreign firms, stocks offered to institutional investors prior to the IPO, and a future migration to an EU-regulated market.     

Der Einfluss des Versicherungskapitalanlagen-Bewertungsgesetzes (VersKapAG) auf Überschüsse und Überschussbeteiligung in der Lebensversicherung — Eine empirische Untersuchung —

On March 26, 2002 the valuation rules for securities of German insurance companies were amended. From the reporting year ending later than September 29, 2001, firms no longer need to apply the strict rules of short-term investment securities. If assets are classified as held-to-maturity or available-for-sale, temporary impairments need not be recognised in the profit and loss accounts. The legislator wanted to create a level playing field for financial institutions as similar rules were already applicable to banks. As an effect with-profits policies were expected to show a more stable pattern of profit sharing. Analysing data from 1998 to 2003 for German life insurers, no different picture of surplus-sharing emerges. This may be due to the fact that valuation rules are only one mechanism of surplus sharing, and other mechanisms that were well established already serve the insurance industry well enough to compete with other providers of financial products.