Corporate tax and location choice for multinational firms

This article examines the effects of corporate tax on these location decisions of newly established multinational subsidiaries across 26 European countries over an 8-year period. We contribute to the existing literature by examining the effects of a non-linear response of firm location decisions to changes in the tax rate. We also show that there are large variations in the sensitivity to tax rates across sectors and firm size groups. In particular, financial sector firms are more than twice as sensitive to changes in corporation tax rates relative to other sectors. Our baseline result is a finding that a 1% increase in the statutory or policy rate of corporation tax would lead to a reduction in the conditional location probability of 0.68%. Using the effective average tax rate, the marginal effect implies a reduction in the location probability of 1.15% following a 1% increase in the tax rate. Although overall tax has the expected negative effect on location probability, the marginal effect of an increase is lower at higher rates of tax.     

A conceptual framework for developing the curriculum and delivery of technology education in early childhood

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the analysis of the Early Childhood Education (ECE) curriculum in six countries involved in the UPDATE-project, and on that basis, propose a conceptual foundation for technology education in ECE that aims to enhance gender sensitive technology education in the continuum from early years to adulthood. The existing ECE curricula in the participating countries were analysed according to the general pedagogical approach as well as the contents specific to technology education. In many cases technology education was presented generally or implicitly, embedded in various curriculum content areas, and the existing curricula did not offer much support for teachers to figure out the nature, aims and pedagogical means of early childhood technology education. The comparison of the curricula raised some common key-issues which are important to construe more theoretically. In consequence, the article also focuses on the contemporary view of child-centred pedagogy and the conceptualisation of technology education fitting into the scope of ECE. Play is highlighted as a fundamental way of learning seldom studied in the context of technology education. In addition, a gender perspective on technology education deals with equal possibilities of both sexes to acquire knowledge, abilities and attitudes needed in technological agency.     

Technology education for children in primary schools in Finland and Germany: different school systems, similar problems and how to overcome them

Even if the results of international student assessment studies such as PISA or TIMSS show that girls have been catching up in mathematics and natural sciences, there are still remarkable gender differences in the number of males and females studying and working in the technological fields after basic education. Technology is still a male-dominated area. This is true for the German and Finnish societies. Results of the studies conducted in the UPDATE project show that influences on interest in technological themes take place already in early childhood. Therefore, efforts should be put in developing early childhood education and elementary school education, to raise girls’ interests and motivation towards technology. This article reports the results of the UPDATE-WorkPackage3-project mainly in Finland and in Germany. It concentrates on studying elementary school pupils’ (age 6–12), particularly girls’ motivation towards the contents and methods of technology education. Various curriculum documents and national learning conditions are discussed and suggestions for the gender equitable technology education are made.     

Being active when judging risks: bodily states interfere with accurate risk analysis

Research on embodiment shows that bodily states influence affect and cognition, but embodiment theories have hardly been applied to risk research. Understanding how the bodily state of being physically active interferes with accurate risk judgments is especially important in risky activities, such as risk sports or even biking in the city. The present investigation consisted of two field studies (Study 1, N = 45; Study 2, N = 110) and one experimental study (Study 3, N = 44) examining the influence of physical activity on risk judgments. In Study 1, backcountry skiers judged risks of backcountry skiing while on tour and in Study 2 indoor climbers judged climbing risks. In Study 3, participants were riding on a stationary bicycle in the laboratory and judged risks related and unrelated to that activity. It was found that physical activity can decrease the perceived likelihood of risks, both related and unrelated to the activity, and that this effect is moderated by experience.     

The Performance Persistence of Closed-End Funds

The purpose of this study is to extend the research on mutual fund performance persistence to net asset value and market price performance of domestic closed‐end funds. While research has assessed the performance persistence of open‐end mutual funds, it has not assessed the performance persistence of closed‐end funds. Yet, the unique characteristics of closed‐end funds allow stronger arguments for their persistence than the arguments previously submitted for open‐end mutual funds. The results show evidence for risk‐adjusted performance persistence.     

Patterns of trade restrictiveness in online platforms: A first look

This paper develops a digital platform restrictiveness index for 64 countries based on ECIPE’s Digital Trade Estimates database and the Digital Trade Restrictiveness Index. We identify specific restrictions that affect online platforms with a focus on online search, e-commerce and social media. The results show that both OECD and non-OECD countries show high levels of trade restrictions on online platforms. Moreover, some of the most restricted countries are characterised by large markets, signifying that a substantial part of the global economy gravitates towards restricting online platforms. Based on the platform restrictiveness index, we perform an econometric analysis showing that trade restrictions for online platforms are significantly associated with lower contributions of the ICT sector to productivity growth in the entire economy. The results suggest that reducing restrictions on online platforms can increase the ICT’s contribution to overall productivity growth towards a level seen before the global financial crisis. Sectors that would benefit the most are those that make wider use of online platforms and the Internet, including information services, business services and financial services.     

Sixty years of Accounting & Finance: a bibliometric analysis of major research themes and contributions

This article offers a systematic review of the major contributions in the journal Accounting & Finance over the past 60 years. We apply several different bibliographic tools to model highly cited articles and major strands of research that have significantly advanced research in accounting and finance across the Asia-Pacific region. An analysis of bursting (or ‘hot’) topics shows major research trends over time, including recent ‘hot’ topics such as China-related research, corporate social responsibility and sustainable finance. The article concludes by highlighting new research directions - Accounting & Finance has opened towards more interdisciplinary research and greater diversity in methods.     

Measuring the Trade Restrictiveness of Domestic Support using the EU Common Agricultural Policy as an Example

We develop an index that measures the overall trade effects of domestic support payments. Our index is based on the Mercantilist Trade Restrictiveness Index (MTRI) and is capable of analysing the development of the trade restrictiveness of domestic support payments over time and across countries. It facilitates the evaluation of agricultural policy reforms introducing changes in the composition of domestic support payments. We conduct this analysis with a computable general equilibrium model that is extended to depict detailed agricultural policies using the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union (EU) as an example. For the representation of agricultural policies, we updated the underlying database by incorporating detailed EU domestic support payments taken from the OECD Producer Support Estimate (PSE) tables and reconcile PSE data with the WTO classification scheme. Our index confirms a decrease in trade distortion stemming from the implementation of decoupled support in the EU. In addition, the trade-equivalent protection rate shows that the trade restrictiveness of domestic support payments depends on the assumptions made with regard to the degree of decoupling of those payments.     

Unemployment and effects of the first work experience of university graduates on their idea of a job

The financial and subsequent economic crisis caused a sharp deterioration in labour market conditions which particularly affected the youth group. Southern nations were affected the most, while e.g. Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic were less affected. 42.3% of university graduates are registered in the Czech Republic Labour Office for longer than 5 months. This article aims to analyse youth unemployment in the European Union (EU) with an emphasis on the Czech Republic, which is below the EU-28 average. Based on the questionnaire survey, employment of university graduates in the labour market was analysed and the following hypothesis was tested: With a change in the status of a future graduate to an employed graduate, their willingness to retreat from their demands to find the required job, changes’. The result of the survey discovered that after finding the first job, there is reduction in graduates’ demands on a job.