Too tall to be smart? The relationship between height and cognitive abilities

Recent research suggests for height–wage premiums because of differentials in cognitive abilities. This note adds to the discussion and examines whether verbal and non-verbal competencies are related to height. The results indicate that height is non-linearly associated to males' abilities.     

The mediterranean policy of the EC— The case of industry

The European Community faces the task of reformulating its Mediterranean policy in the light of the rather disappointing experience with the “Global Mediterranean Policy” adopted in 1972, the effects of the southward enlargement of the Community and the changed world economic climate. The article that follows discusses the experiences to date, the scope for action and possible guidelines for a future Mediterranean policy in the industrial sphere.     

Price/Wage Staggering and Persistence: A Unifying Framework

Abstract.  In this paper, we provide a general unified framework to clarify the issue of persistence of real effects of money shocks in staggered wage/price models. We mainly aim to: (i) highlight which features of the underlying economy, and particularly of the labour market, are crucial for generating output persistence; (ii) analyse the differences between price and wage staggering.     

Ancora sul processo stocastico nascite-morti

Si determinano direttamente le probabilità di stato del processo nascite-morti cumulativo per ricorrenza. Si dà un suggerimento per il calcolo e si confrontano i risultati con quanto già ricavato da D. G. Kendall.     

Una successione di approssimanti per difetto della probabilita' di rovina

In[1] abbiamo stabilito un confine inferiore della probabilità di rovina ψ (u) cioè, psstoR=1-ψ si è mostrato che (*) $$R(u) \leqslant \frac{{1 - \tfrac{a}{c}}}{{1 - \tfrac{{a\mu }}{c}\int_0^u {(1 - F(x)) d x} }} = R(0)k_1 (u), u \geqslant 0$$ dovele costantia, c e μ e la funzioneF hanno il significato che è precisato nel seguito. Noi mostreremo l'esistenza, nella classeC _b delle funzioni continue e limitate, della soluzione dell'equazione integrale (2), cui soddisfa la funzioneR, prescindendo dalla continuità dell'operatore associato all'equazione, ma facendo ricorso soltanto a condizioni di monotonia e alla scelta diR(0)k ₁ quale funzione da cui fare partire il processo iterativo; processo che, ad ogni stadio, porge un confine superiore diR migliore del precedente, e che converge uniformemente sui limitati di [0,+∞) verso la soluzione di (2).     

Exploring Growth Trajectories

In this article we try an exploration, by means of afew simple exercises, of the consequences of introducing intoa standard endogenous-growth model with expanding product varietythe possibility that the invention process of the new blueprintsmay follow more than one single predetermined trajectory. Themain motivations are a slightly more realistic formalizationof entrepreneurial creativity with spillovers and the greaterflexibility of the economic results.     

Public Credit Guarantee Schemes and SMEs’ Profitability: Evidence from Italy

The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of the Italian State Credit Guarantee Scheme (Central Guarantee Fund). The paper analyzes the impact of the program on SMEs’ profitability considering the firm size and sector. The analysis is performed using propensity‐score matching estimators and the Difference in Differences regressions on a proprietary sample of about 38,000 SMEs in the period 2007–2009. Overall, the Central Guarantee Fund generated an increase in the profitability of guaranteed firms during the period of economic downturn. However, significant differences emerged across firms by size and sector. The effect is positive and robust only for micro‐ and small‐sized firms, and the most relevant improvement in the profitability is recorded for firms operating in the manufacturing sector. This implies that more customized programs are necessary to reach a higher value for money in entrepreneurial policies.     

Creation and Pursuit of Entrepreneurial Opportunities: An Evolutionary Economics Perspective

Considerable debate surrounds the concept of entrepreneurial opportunities. This paper approaches the opportunity concept from an evolutionary market process perspective. It argues that new opportunities for entrepreneurial activity frequently emerge as by-products of market competition. Agents may deliberately or unwittingly create opportunities. Organizational development and the evolution of industries are additional sources of new entrepreneurial opportunities. At the same time, they enable agents to acquire the skills required to exploit these opportunities.