In sickness and in health: protecting and supporting public investment in Europe. Bruegel Policy Contribution 2014/02, February 2014

The long-term decline in gross public investment in European Union countries mirrors the trend in other advanced economies, but recent developments have been different: public investment has increased elsewhere, but in the EU it has declined and even collapsed in the most vulnerable countries, exaggerating the output fall. The provisions in the EU fiscal framework to support public investment are very weak.The recently inserted ‘investment clause’ is almost no help. In the short term, exclusion of national co-funding of EU-supported investments from the fiscal indicators considered in the Stability and Growth Pact would be sensible. In the medium term, the EU fiscal framework should be extended with an asymmetric ‘golden rule’ to further protect public investment in bad times, while limiting adverse incentives in good times. During a downturn, a European investment programme is needed and the European Semester should encourage greater investment by member states with healthy public finances and low public investment rates. Reform and harmonisation of budgeting, accounting, transparency and project assessment is also needed to improve the quality of public investment.

Key Issues in Agricultural Labour Markets: A Review of Major Studies and Project Reports on Agriculture and Rural Labour Markets. Factor Markets Working Paper No. 20, February 2012

This paper provides a synthesis of the empirical literature on the key issues in agricultural and rural labour markets since 1960s, drawing mainly upon studies from the United States and the European Union, but also including relevant material from developing countries. The contribution of this meta-analysis lies in its unique structure as it covers the main research questions which have been addressed in the literature and includes the most cited papers from the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Journal of Agricultural Economics, European Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Economics as well as other reports and EU funded projects. Each research question is accompanied by tabular summaries which classify the individual studies according to the methodology and the variables employed. The heterogeneous conditions across countries, the different research questions and methodologies, and the type of data employed, have sometimes led to conflicting results. Nonetheless, by comparing the results it is possible to assess the significance and the direction of the determinants of rural labour allocation and its adjustments, and thus contribute to a better understanding on the functioning of rural labour markets. Lastly, by recognising the importance of the institutional framework, the paper provides useful policy insights.