Performance,Representation and the Economics of Border Control in Uzbekistan

This article explores the contradictions and intersections between the performative and economic aspects of state boundary control. From 1999 onwards, Uzbekistan's formal trade with its neighbours declined dramatically, whilst cross-border smuggling mushroomed. This article examines these developments, using both an economic analysis, and a theoretical approach to the study of international boundaries derived from political geography, anthropology and ‘borders theory’. Methodologically, it employs trade-flow analysis, discourse study and ethnography to construct an account of how an apparently economically counterproductive policy has symbolic and performative value to the state. The changes in trade patterns were largely due to the unilateral introduction of a new and highly disruptive border and customs control policy, which dramatically increased transportation costs, precipitating a growth in smuggling in which some state officials themselves colluded. Economically, whilst this policy would thus appear harmful to the state, the article suggests that border control policies also had a theatrical function related to the performance of national identity and the perpetuation of the incumbent regime. It concludes with policy recommendations addressed to both Central Asian states and international donors.     

Getting Started with PATSTAT Register

This article provides a technical introduction to the PATSTAT Register database, which contains bibliographical, procedural and legal status data on patent applications handled by the European Patent Office. It presents eight MySQL queries that cover some of the most relevant aspects of the database for research purposes. It targets academic researchers and practitioners who are familiar with the PATSTAT database and the MySQL language.     

Corporate tax policy and incorporation in the EU

In Europe, declining corporate tax rates have come along with rising tax-to-GDP ratios. This paper explores to what extent income shifting from the personal to the corporate tax base can explain these diverging developments. We exploit a panel of European data on legal form of business to analyze income shifting via incorporation. The results suggest that the effect is significant and large. It implies that the revenue effects of lower corporate tax rates—possibly induced by tax competition—will partly show up in lower personal tax revenues rather than lower corporate tax revenues. Simulations suggest that between 12% and 21% of corporate tax revenue can be attributed to income shifting. Income shifting is found to have raised the corporate tax-to-GDP ratio by some 0.25% points since the early 1990s. This research was carried out while Ruud de Mooij was a visiting fellow at DG ECFIN in October 2006. The views expressed in this Article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Commission.     

Policymakers and the R&D-patent relationship

Patent-based indicators at the country level are frequently used to assess countries’ innovation performances or efforts. Yet they are often said to reflect the propensity to patent rather than actual research productivity. The authors of this article argue that patent-based indicators can rightfully be used to measure research productivity, as witnessed by the influence of several policy tools on the R&D-patent relationship. They also put forward a new counting methodology, less subject to “home” bias. ECARES and CEB, member of ECORE, Senior Fellow at Bruegel and CEPR Fellow. ECARES and CEB, member of ECORE, FNRS Research Fellow.     

Multi‐Factor Effective Corporate Taxation,Firms’ Mark‐Ups and Tax Incidence: Evidence from OECD Countries

This paper provides novel evidence on the multi‐factor effective marginal tax rates (EMTRs) for a sample of 17 OECD countries and 11 manufacturing sectors. We use a single framework encompassing capital, labour and energy taxes. Our cross‐country/cross‐sector approach allows us to analyse the contributions of these input factors to the effective tax borne by firms, taking explicitly into account their degree of substitution, their tax incidence and the role of mark‐ups. We find that the labour tax plays a particularly important role in the overall level of the EMTR and that the presence of mark‐ups can significantly alter the levels of the multi‐factor EMTR, although without significantly altering the ranking of countries. We also find that the bulk of the variation in EMTRs is across countries, rather than across sectors (within countries).     

我国私募基金行业发展SWOT分析

我国私募基金行业的发展正经历着曲折的历程,在其发展过程中暴露了不少问题。采用SWOT分析法来分析我国私募基金行业发展中的优势、劣势、机会、威胁,有助于更好地探索如何使私募基金在我国经济发展过程中发挥其应有的作用。     

Geographic Proximity of Products and Preference: A Forced-Choice Evaluation

It has been reported that information about the country of origin or the method of cultivating a food product influences individuals’ judgment. However, the effect of informing people that a product is produced locally has never been examined. A taste study was conducted in Brittany on the West Atlantic coast in France, a part of the country with a strong regional identity. Two identical products were presented in two numbered jars for a taste test. Participants were instructed to designate which of the two products they liked better. One product was presented as made in Brittany. It was reported that the made in Brittany product was preferred by the Breton participants, whereas this information had no effect on non-Breton participants. The importance of local product labels is discussed.     

How SMEs exploit their intellectual property assets: evidence from survey data

This paper seeks to understand how motives to patent affect the use of the patent portfolio with a particular focus on motives aimed at the monetization of intellectual property. The analysis relies on data from an international survey conducted by the European Patent Office. There are three main results. First, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) exhibit a much stronger reliance on ??monetary patents?? than large companies and nearly half of the SMEs in the sample patent for monetary reasons. Second, SMEs tend to use their patents more actively than large firms. Third, smaller companies generally have a higher proportion of their portfolio that is licensed, but the licensing rate is significantly higher in the USA. An American SME is twice as likely as a European SME to have a high share of its portfolio that is actually licensed, witnessing a fragmented market for technology in Europe.     

开放的城市与开放的艺术(2005年)

当代的大城市都是开放的表达,实际上在他们地理扩张与拓扑波动中,都表达了他们拥抱与吸纳的愿望。当代的大城市拒绝在吸收众多文化时划分群类。当在物质与心理两方面都以光速推翻或重建时,他们拒绝地域化。他们的开放是发自内心的,而且是混乱的。当世界缩成城市中心时,当全球资源的聚集物放大着玻璃塔的眩目与人群的层级分化时,都市显著地标明着当代的生