Economic Policy Evaluation

La valutazione economica dei progetti di protezione e lotta agli incendi boschivi

by marcucci edoardo

Sub-national economic development: Where do we go from here?

by Lee Pugalis

A new regional competitiveness index: theory, methods and findings

by Kornelia Kozovska

Co-authored with P.Annoni and L.Dijkstra, Working Paper, Directorate-General for Regional Policy, European Commission

POLITICI PUBLICE ÎN DOMENIUL PRIVATIZĂRII: ABORDĂRI ŞI PERSPECTIVE

by viorel girbu

În condiţiile în care actualul Guvern al Republicii Moldova şi-a propus administrarea eficientă şi deetatizarea... more În condiţiile în care actualul Guvern al Republicii Moldova şi-a propus administrarea eficientă şi deetatizarea proprietăţii publice, autorităţile au de ales dintre două abordări posibile ţărilor în tranziţie. Prima cale este cea a liberalizării totale şi a limitării rolului statului în economie. Cea de-a doua are în vizor un rol activ al Guvernului în economie, prin implicarea sa în dezvoltarea unor sectoare considerate strategice. Până acum, se pare că autorităţile nu s-au decis pentru niciuna din aceste două posibilităţi.

Deşi liberalizarea economiei este principiul-cheie pentru politicile economice aplicate în Republica Moldova de o perioadă îndelungată, Guvernul menţine încă o ponderea înaltă a întreprinderilor aflate în proprietate publică în sectorul real al economiei. Pe de altă parte, nu poate fi vorba nici de o politică intervenţionistă a statului aplicată în economie prin intermediul întreprinderilor aflate în proprietatea sa.

Studiul recomandă sprijinirea agenţilor economici din sectorul privat, pentru ca aceştia să poată prelua activele aflate acum în proprietate publică: „Până la urmă, statul nu este cel mai eficient agent economic. Iată de ce ar fi utilă crearea unui fond de finanţare care să fortifice capacităţile agenţilor economici privaţi, pe lângă programe de atragere a remitenţelor în economia naţională, pentru a creşte rata investiţiilor în economia reală”.

Potrivit datelor oferite de ministrul Economiei la începutul lui 2011, aproximativ 36% din totalul patrimoniului public reprezintă activele statului în sectorul real al economiei. Dat fiind obiectivul anunţat de a reduce la jumătate prezenţa statului în sectorul real al economiei, valoarea activelor care urmează a fi privatizate se estimează la aproximativ 12 mlrd. de lei. Dar dacă este să ne orientăm după încasările medii anuale realizate în ultimii 5-6 ani din privatizarea patrimoniului public, acest obiectiv ar fi realizabil în 30 de ani.

Or, deşi numărul întreprinderilor aflate în proprietate publică a crescut de la 825 în 2006 la 876 în 2010, indicatorii cantitativi rămân constanţi de-a lungul timpului: 2% pondere din totalul formelor de proprietate, 3% rată angajaţi şi 12% din volumul veniturilor din vânzări. Indicatorii calitativi au suferit însă o înrăutăţire substanţială.

Astfel, rezultatul financiar până la impozitare sau cifra de afaceri exprimate pe salariat în întreprinderile de stat înregistrează cele mai mici valori din economie, ceea ce denotă că aceste companii sunt de o relevanţă scăzută atât pentru sectorul privat, cât şi pentru bugetul de stat.

The Gender Wage Gap in Belarus

by Francesco Pastore

Co-authored with Alina Verashchagina.
Transition Studies Review, 12(3): 497-511.

A new release of the Belarusian Household Survey on Incomes and Expenditures provides the unique opportunity for an... more A new release of the Belarusian Household Survey on Incomes and Expenditures provides the unique opportunity for an in-depth study of the gender pay gap in Belarus. The econometric analysis involves estimates of augmented earnings equations, also corrected for sample selection bias, as well as for least absolute deviations estimates at different quantiles of the wage distribution. The results suggest that the gender wage gap is smaller than in other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States and Central and Eastern European countries, as one would expect considering the slow transition process, and is reduced after controlling for unobservable characteristics. Moreover, the gap increases as one moves from the 10th to the 90th quantile. This means that having jobs providing generally higher levels of wages for a woman, it is more and more difficult to get the same wage as that of a man.

Park location affects forest protection: Land characteristics cause differences in park impacts across Costa Rica

by Juan Robalino

The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy. 9 (2) (Contributions), Article 5. 2009. Co-authored with Alexander Pfaff, G. Arturo Sanchez-Azofeifa, Kwaw S. Andam, and Paul J. Ferraro. Shared leading authorship.

To support conservation planning, we ask whether a park’s impact on deforestation rates varies with observable land... more To support conservation planning, we ask whether a park’s impact on deforestation rates varies with observable land characteristics that planners could use to prioritize sites. Using matching methods to address bias fromnon-randomlocation, we find deforestation impacts vary greatly due to park lands’ characteristics. Avoided deforestation is greater if parks are closer to the capital city, in sites closer to national roads, and on lower slopes. In allocating scarce conservation resources, policy makers may consider many factors such as the ecosystem services provided by a site and the costs of acquiring the site. Pfaff and Sanchez 2004 claimimpact can rise with a focus upon threatened land, all else equal. We provide empirical support in the context of Costa Rica’s
renowned park system. This insight, alongside information on eco-services and land costs, should guide investments.

'Why New Labour Wants the Euro', Political Quarterly 75(1), 2004.

by Steven Kettell

This article argues that membership of the single European currency would provide New Labour with a means of enhancing... more This article argues that membership of the single European currency would provide New Labour with a means of enhancing its rules-based and depoliticised approach to macroeconomic policy management. The move would enable the government to strengthen its anti-inflationary credibility and to impose further competitive discipline on business and labour, while at the same time also enabling it to increase its governing autonomy by placing core areas of economic policy outside the sphere of democratic control. Despite these advantages, however, formidable obstacles, most notably a high level of public antipathy towards the project, mean that New Labour's euro-vision is unlikely to be realised.

Targeting youth employment policy in Bulgaria

by Francesco Pastore

Co-authored with Iskra Beleva, Andrej Ivanov and Niall O’Higgins,
Economic and Business Review, 2001, 3(2): 113-135.

Youth unemployment and in particular long-term youth unemployment in Bulgaria is much higher than the EU average. Low... more Youth unemployment and in particular long-term youth unemployment in Bulgaria is much higher than the EU average. Low flows out of unemployment into a job, especially for the least educated and qualified young people residing in peripheral regions, are the principal source of long-term unemployment amongst young people. Evidence based on various data sources suggests on one hand that the most disadvantaged segments of the young population are left with two equally unsatisfactory alternatives: working in the informal sector and thus, in practice, often permanently withdrawing from the labour force, or emigrating. On the other hand, employment policies face significant financial and institutional constraints. Increasingly, with rising overall unemployment, passive policy is absorbing an increasing proportion of expenditure on labour market policy to the detriment of active policies. Moreover, important segments of young people are being bypassed by those active measures that do exist. An appropriate response requires action at the level of the education system as well as a more extensive and more effective active labour market policy. This paper concludes with some suggestions as to the way in which such policies might be developed.

Forecasting Eu-Romania Trade By Gravity Analysis

by Francesco Pastore

Co-authored with Anna Maria Ferragina and Giorgia Giovannetti,
Romanian Journal of Economic Forecasting, 2005, 6(4): 83-93.

This paper attempts to forecast EU-Romania trade using the gravity approach developed in Ferragina, Giovannetti and... more This paper attempts to forecast EU-Romania trade using the gravity approach developed in Ferragina, Giovannetti and Pastore (2005). The trade potential of Romania with five EU members (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and UK) is computed using an “out-of-sample” methodology for the period 1995-‘01. The coefficients are taken from panel estimators of the gravity equation relative to intra-EU15 trade. The analysis suggests the existence of an important unexploited trade potential with Romania, which, nonetheless, is not much greater in size than that of the new EU members of Eastern Europe. The potential to actual trade ratio ranges from 2.2 to 2.7 and is sharply declining, suggesting that further dramatic economic integration is to be expected in the near future. Romania’s accession is likely to further push the process of economic integration.

Economic Policies, Political Considerations and Overall Health

by Stavros Drakopoulos

Economic Analysis and Policy, vol.41, No3, 2011

Socioeconomic factors play a crucial role in determining physiological and psychological health levels of the... more Socioeconomic factors play a crucial role in determining physiological and psychological health levels of the population. The level of unemployment, income inequality and poverty levels are largely affected by economic policies and the economic cycles. Economic policies can also influence the occurrence of economic cycles which in turn influence socioeconomic factors and therefore health inequalities. Economic policies are influenced by political considerations as the historical record of many countries indicates. The paper discusses the conduct and the effects of economic policy on health inequalities. It starts with a discussion of the need and of the instruments of economic policy and also its effectiveness in smoothing the economic cycle. It also examines the interplay between main policy targets such as unemployment and inflation with political considerations. Finally, it concentrates on the effects of economic policies for health inequalities in view of economic recessions

The youth experience gap: explaining differences across EU countries

by Francesco Pastore

Co-authored with Floro Ernesto Caroleo

This note aims to provide a theoretical framework to think of the youth unemployment problem and a classification of... more This note aims to provide a theoretical framework to think of the youth unemployment problem and a classification of EU countries according to the way they address it. The key factor to explain youth unemployment is what we call the youth experience gap. To help young people fill it in and ease school-to-work transitions, every EU country provides a mix of policy instruments, including different degrees and types of labour market flexibility, of educational and training systems, of passive income support schemes and fiscal incentives. Five different
country groups are detected whose outcomes in terms of youth unemployment are dramatically different: a) the North-European; b) the Continental European; c) the Anglo-Saxon; d) the South-
European; e) New Member States. The Lisbon strategy provides guidelines in line with the theoretical framework discussed here, but it is costly and hard to implement.

THE GENERAL THEORY AND POLICIES FOR GLOBAL PROSPERITY

by Brendan Sheehan

Paper presented as part of the Keynes Seminar Series 25th February 2009
Robinson College, University of Cambridge, UK

Keynes constructs the General Theory model to consider the condition of capitalism and to address the big policy... more Keynes constructs the General Theory model to consider the condition of capitalism and to address the big policy issues of the day. In peacetime conditions the leitmotiv of Keynes’ proposals is the call for an expansionary rather than a contractionist cure for economic ills. This paper demonstrates this contention with reference to the policies Keynes proposes to promote global prosperity. The paper indicates Keynes’ theoretical justification for his opposition to international wage cuts as a contractionist cure for global depression. Once wage cutting is set aside it is easy to appreciate the wisdom of Keynes’ proposals for globally coordinated expansionary policies to cure a worldwide downturn.

EVALUATION OF MOLDOVA’S ABSORPTION CAPACITY OF EXTERNAL ASSISTANCE

by Valentin Lozovanu

Viorel Girbu, Leonid Litra, Corina Gaibu

This discussion paper examines the current structure and mechanisms in the management of the Official Development... more This discussion paper examines the current structure and mechanisms in the management of the Official Development Assistance in Moldova together with the analysis of its efficiency, effectiveness and impact over the development process in Moldova. Currently, even if information is widely disseminated to the public (usually at the stage when ODA is delivered or the projects/programs are finished) the subject of official development assistance is in general poorly understood and debated (especially, evaluation and monitoring aspects). In Moldova no evaluation was carried our on the efficiency and impact of the development assistance over the development targets set by the Government in its strategic planning documents – Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EGPRS) and the National Development Strategy (NDS).

GLOBALIZAÇÃO, DESEMPREGO E DESIGUALDADE: Evidências, Mitos e Desafios do Mercado de Trabalho Brasileiro

by Silverio Zebral

Published in Brazil as a book (same title) by Brazilian Council of University Deans in September 1997. Awarded  with Senator Milton Campos Prize for Young Researchers on Public Policy in 1997).

A Discursive Dominance Theory of Economic Reform Sustainability: The Case of India

by Chanchal Sharma

Published in India Review ( Taylor and Francis, U.K) Vol 10, No.2. 2011

The Automated Payment Transaction Tax

by Edgar Feige

From: Economic Policy, 2000. vol.15(31) PP.473-531

RCI 2010: Some in-depth analysis

by Kornelia Kozovska

co-authored with P.Annoni

This report is the final delivery of a two-year joint project between DG Joint Research Centre and DG Regional Policy... more This report is the final delivery of a two-year joint project between DG Joint Research Centre and DG Regional Policy on the measurement of the level of regional competitiveness, launched in November 2008. Within this project, the European Commission has recently published the first edition of the Regional Competitiveness Index (RCI). The index provides a tool to improve the understanding of competitiveness at the regional level by showing the strengths and weaknesses of each of the European regions at the NUTS2 level in a number of dimensions related to competitiveness. The analysis offered by the first edition of the RCI is a snapshot of regional competitiveness as it is in 2010 and is based upon data mostly spanning between 2007 and 2009. The present document takes a step further and offers a two-fold analysis based on the RCI indices: an exploratory spatial data analysis and an analysis of possible relationships between exogenous indicators and the RCI index and sub-indices.

Substitution of a Nursing-Led Inpatient Unit for Acute Services: Randomized Controlled Trial of Outcomes and Cost of Nursing-Led Intermediate Care

by Peter Griffiths

Ways of assessing the economic value or impact of research: is it a step too far for nursing research ?

by Peter Griffiths

Co-authored with Steve Hanney

To identify lessons that could be applied to nursing research, this paper draws on some reviews of the increasing,... more To identify lessons that could be applied to nursing research, this paper draws on some reviews of the increasing, although apparently still relatively small, number of studies that attempt to assess economic impacts from health research. One review describes several important steps, including identifying the health and other outcomes from specific bodies of research and then valuing the outcomes. We describe major studies in fields such as cardiovascular research that show how the economic value of health research can be demonstrated. In addition, we examine various nursing studies, including ones showing the benefits (especially economic) from nursing itself (as opposed to from nursing research), and also studies describing economic evaluations of new devices and techniques used by nurses, which have the potential to be used when trying to value the research. Currently, such studies rarely go on and demonstrate how the nursing research has had a wider impact on nursing policies and practice, and hence led to outcomes that could be valued. There is, nevertheless, scope to build on these existing nursing studies. Conducting impact assessments could potentially result in a portfolio of examples of nursing research that have informed policies and practices and led to economic impacts in terms of cost savings, and possibly also in terms of health gains that could be valued.

The "Cassa per il Mezzogiorno" in the Abruzzi. A successful regional economic policy

by Emanuele Felice

Global & Local Economic Review, 10 (2007), pp. 9-33.

This paper aims to give a contribution to the debate about Italian regional policies and development, considering the... more This paper aims to give a contribution to the debate about Italian regional policies and development, considering the role played in the Abruzzi by the «Cassa per il Mezzogiorno». Founded in 1950 in order to facilitate the development of Southern Italy, the Cassa was engaged in a wide set of tasks for more than thirty years, distributing large sums of money towards both infrastructural works and
industrial enterprises. In the rest of Southern Italy the outcomes were disappointing, but not in the Abruzzi, where indeed the Cassa’s strategy was different: in the early years it focused on infrastructural networks, then from the sixties onward it tried to back local entrepreneurship and lighter sectors, while avoiding top-down interventions which
instead were common in the rest of the Mezzogiorno.
It is argued that, due to this different strategy, in the Abruzzi the Cassa effectively acted as an engine of growth, so much so that this region, once one of the most backward Italian areas, could be the first Southern one to enjoy a steady and significant catching-up with the
rest of Italy, as well as to leave the European «Objective 1» area by the mid-1990s.