Competitiveness of the CEE Region in the Global Economy. Book of Abstracts

It gives an overview of the papers of the Competitiveness of the CEE Region in the Global Economy conference. This is a document of the 1st AIB-CEE Chapter Conference and the 2nd Working Conference on Competitiveness. AIB-CEE Chapter and CRC joined to organize an international conference. Actually three organizations supported and influenced the academic content of the conference with their missions, commitments and communities.

A Transzatlanti kereskedelmi és beruházási társulás és a növekedés. Gyakorlati és módszertani kérdések

A Transzatlanti kereskedelmi és beruházási társulással (TTIP) kapcsolatosan számos vita, kampány, elemzés próbálja meggyőzni vagy elriasztani a közvéleményt. E tanulmányban a szerző azt tárja fel, hogy milyen közgazdasági matematikai modelleken alapulnak a TTIP-vel kapcsolatos gazdasági hatásokról szóló becslések. Áttekinti a számszerűsített általános egyensúlyi modellek (CGE) alkalmazási lehetőségét, közgazdasági tartalmát és hogy hogyan adaptálták mindezt a TTIP növekedési hatásaira fókuszáló elemzések. Kritikai szemle alá veszi a CGE modell korlátait. Alternatív megközelítésként értékeli a Global Policy Model alkalmazására tett kísérletet. Összeveti és értékeli a CGE szemléletben készült különböző TTIP elemzéseket

Strukturális egyenletek modelljének alkalmazása a Közös Agrárpolitika 2013-as reformjának elemzésére

A Közös Agrárpolitika az Európai Unió meghatározó szakpolitikáinak egyike, mely a legnagyobb részesedést mondhatja magáénak a közös költségvetésből. Mivel a Lisszaboni Szerződés az együttdöntési eljárást a Közös Agrárpolitika jogalkotására is kiterjesztette, így annak 2013-as reformja során az Európai Parlament első ízben vett részt a Tanáccsal egyenrangú félként a jogalkotási folyamatban. Az elemzés alapjául egy nemrégiben összeállított adatbázis szolgált, mely a 2013-as közös agrárpolitikai reform jogszabálytervezeteinek módosítására benyújtott parlamenti javaslatokat tartalmazza. Ennek elemei 14 magyarázó- és három eredményváltozóval írhatók le. A strukturális egyenletek modelljének alkalmazásával a cikk célja, hogy a Közös Agrárpolitika döntéshozatalára befolyással levő, az elmélet és a kutatói tapasztalat alapján előzetesen létrehozott faktorok meglétét, illetve kapcsolódását a megfigyelt változók tükrében tesztelje. Az eredmények nem igazolják vissza a felállított modell helyességét. Azonban kiemelendő, hogy az Európai Parlament módosító javaslatainak elfogadását leginkább az azok típusát leíró, valamint politikai tényezők határozzák meg.

Grexit

Az euróválság fő oka: az euró hibás konstrukciója és a nemzeti politikák kudarca. Görögország a válság, s benne a szuverénadósság-válság legnagyobb vesztese. A válságot társadalmi és morális tényezők súlyosbítják (adóelkerülés). Külön tényező a görög gazdaság alacsony integráltsági szintje. A pénzpiac az előzetes feltételezésekkel ellentétben nem fegyelmez, sőt csábít, majd utólag kíméletlenül büntet. A választás, hogy az olcsó pénzből egy ország rekonstruál és javítja a versenyképességét vagy politikai célból szavazatokat vásárol, nemzeti döntés. A mentőcsomag kritikus elemei deflációs megszorítások, amelyek késleltetik a kilábalást. 2015 elején talán lehetett volna olyan megoldásokat találni, hogy a görög kormány úgy köt kompromisszumot a hitelezőivel és eurózónabeli partnereivel, hogy a válság szélesebb európai megoldása irányában is sikerül előrelépni (adósságmérséklés), s közben választói várakozásait sem kell figyelmen kívül hagynia. A görög kormány nem ezt, hanem egy konfrontatív, külön nemzeti, görög megoldást választott. Ezzel otthon képes volt a népszerűségét fenntartani, de valamennyi partnerét magára haragította. A kompromiszszum így csak elhalasztotta a tényleges megoldást. A grexit továbbra sem zárható ki, de nem érdeke senkinek.

A monetáris politika globális tendenciái és a stabilitási kockázatok

A pénz- és tőkepiacok globálisan összekapcsolódó rendszerében a fejlett országok monetáris politikája meghatározó szerepet játszik a nemzeti monetáris politika mozgásterének kialakulásában. A szerző ennek a jelenségnek a monetáris transzmisszióra és a stabilitási kockázatokra gyakorolt hatásaival foglalkozik. A szabad tőkeáramlás és a pénzpiacok globalizációja új kihívásokat jelent e téren: a kötvénypiacok globális térnyerésével a befektetési alapok mára meghatározó tényezővé váltak a monetáris politika hatásmechanizmusában, s részben ezzel összefüggésben a monetáris politika közege kitágult, már nem elég a hazai körülményekre korlátozni a figyelmet. A belföldi inflációs tényezők szerepét háttérbe szorította a pénzügyi kockázat nemzetek közötti átterjedése. A fejlett országokban alkalmazott alacsony kamat és mennyiségi lazítás segítette a kockázat globális mérséklődését. A javuló kockázati környezetben a befektetési alapok portfólióikban növelték a nagyobb hozamú hosszabb lejáratú kötvények súlyát, és ezzel ők maguk megnövekedett kamatkockázatot vállaltak. A fejlett országokban a monetáris politika normalizálódása kamatemelkedéssel fog járni. Alacsony kamatok mellett viszonylag kis kamatemelés is nagy veszteségeket okozhat a meghosszabbodott lejáratokon, ami olyan tőkeáramlást (menekülést) indíthat el, amely aláássa a pénzügyi stabilitást. Az ebből adódó stabilitási kockázat független az ország pénzügyi rendszerének likviditásától, nyereségességétől vagy tőkeerejétől. Az ilyen kockázatok makroprudenciális eszközökkel nem kezelhetők.

Should non-euro area countries join the single supervisory mechanism?

Highlights - Irrespective of the euro crisis, a European banking union makes sense, including for non-euro area countries, because of the extent of European Union financial integration. The Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) is the first element of the banking union. - From the point of view of non-euro countries, the draft SSM regulation as amended by the EU Council includes strong safeguards relating to decision-making, accountability, attention to financial stability in small countries and the applicability of national macro-prudential measures. Non-euro countries will also have the right to leave the SSM and thereby exempt themselves from a supervisory decision. - The SSM by itself cannot bring the full benefits of the banking union, but would foster financial integration, improve the supervision of cross-border banks, ensure greater consistency of supervisory practices, increase the quality of supervision, avoid competitive distortions and provide ample supervisory information. - While the decision to join the SSM is made difficult by the uncertainty about other elements of the banking union, including the possible burden sharing, we conclude that non-euro EU members should stand ready to join the SSM and be prepared for the negotiations of the other elements of the banking union.

Assessing the effectiveness of the internationalization process in Higher Education Institutions: A case study of Florida International University

The purpose of this study was to examine a Higher Education Institution’s (HEI) process of internationalization. The theoretical model developed by Van Dijk and Miejer (1997) was used to review Florida International University (FIU)’s policy, support, and implementation dimensions and determine its position on the Internationalization Cube, and assess how FIU’s international activities fit into its different organizational processes. In addition, the study sought to shed light on student and faculty attitudes toward internationalization. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from examining organizational documents, interviews, descriptive data on FIU’s international activities using the International Dimension Index, and the Student and Faculty Survey on Internationalization. FIU’s international activities results were analyzed in relation to a panel of experts’ item relevancy index. The Likert-type survey scales’ frequencies and percentages were calculated as well as Spearman Rho correlations between the survey’s three scales and demographic and experiences variables. The study found that FIU is located on position six of a possible eight positions on the Van Dijk and Meijer Internationalization Cube with the following characteristics: Priority Policy, One-Sided Support, and Structured Implementation toward internationalization. The analysis of FIU’s results on international activities showed that FIU exhibits all the activities considered to be strong indicators of internationalization but for position seven placement special attention is needed in the areas of foreign language study, international students, study abroad, faculty movement and involvement in international projects. The survey indicated students and faculty rated the Benefits of Internationalization highly but didn’t perceive strong institutional Support for Internationalization. Faculty age and offshore programs participation; student gender, race/ethnicity and class status; and for both, study abroad and knowledge of students travel grant had significant positive correlations with student and faculty attitudes. The study concluded that an association exists between FIU’s position on the Internationalization Cube and its international activities. Recommendations for policy, implementation, and future studies were made. It was concluded that advancing FIU’s position on the Cube will require adjustments in FIU’s policy, support and implementation dimensions. Differences in student and faculty views toward internationalization should be taken into account when planning internationalization efforts.

Essays on the political economy of the dominican reform process

This dissertation provides an analytical framework to study the political economy of policy reform in the Dominican Republic during the nineties. Based on a country study, I develop two theoretical models that replicate the mechanisms of policy approval in developing countries with weak democracies. The first model considers a pro-reform President who submits a tariff bill to an anti-reform Congress dominated by the opposition party. In between, two opposing lobbies try to get their favored policy approved. Lobbies act as Stackelberg leaders vis a vis a weak President. The behavior of the Congress is determined exogenously while the lobbies act strategically pursuing the approval of the reform bill and indirectly affecting the President's decision. I show that in such a setting external agents like the Press play an important role in the decision-making process of the political actors. The second model presents a similar framework. However, the President, who is a Stackelberg leader, is allowed only two choices, total reform or status-quo. I show how a lobby reacts to an increase in its rival's or its own size. These reactions depend on the President's level of commitment to the reform. Finally, I discuss the effect of variations in the size of the lobbies on the President's choice. The model suitably explains real events that took place in the Dominican Republic in the mid-nineties.

Organizaciones regionales y diversidad cultural: la diplomacia de la Unión Europea con el Mercosur entre la sombra de Hollywood y la acción intergubernamental

El objetivo de este artículo es doble: por un lado explorar la habilidad de la Unión Europea para llevar a cabo una política audiovisual dirigida al Mercosur y promover las normas de la Convención sobre la diversidad de las expresiones culturales; por otro, analizar el impacto del modelo de política audiovisual de la UE en el desarrollo de la cooperación audiovisual con el Mercosur y centrarse en los principales vectores que configuran el paisaje audiovisual del Mercosur. El texto pretende destacar cómo y por qué la UE persigue una política audiovisual con esa región, cuáles son los propósitos y los límites de actuación. En este sentido, se preocupa por entender cómo la diplomacia audiovisual de la UE interactúa con otros actores, como las acciones gubernamentales llevadas a cabo desde la propia UE y el Mercosur, así como las prácticas del sector privado (Hollywwod y los grandes conglomerados de medios).

Perspectives on gender, migration and transnational work: joint work of social reproduction and care in Southern Europe

This paper presents the "state of the art" and some of the main issues discussed in relation to the topic of transnational migration and reproductive work in southern Europe. We start doing a genealogy of the complex theoretical development leading to the consolidation of the research program, linking consideration of gender with transnational migration and transformation of work and ways of survival, thus making the production aspects as reproductive, in a context of globalization. The analysis of the process of multiscale reconfiguration of social reproduction and care, with particular attention to its present global dimension is presented, pointing to the turning point of this line of research that would have taken place with the beginning of this century, with the rise notions such as "global care chains" (Hochschild, 2001), or "care drain" (Ehrenreich and Hochschild, 2013). Also, the role of this new agency, now composed in many cases women who migrate to other countries or continents, precisely to address these reproductive activities, is recognized. Finally, reference is made to some of the new conceptual and theoretical developments in this area.

Fashioning a city of culture: ‘life and place changing’ or ’12 month party’?

The current trend in public policy is to valorise culture as a tool for social, economic and political transformation. This paper offers a direct contribution to debates that seek to unpack and problematise cities of culture. We adopt a more circumspect approach towards some aspects of the anticipated transformative powers of culture, and in particular the tendency to fetishize the economics of culture. Our empiricism is grounded in a detailed study of Derry~Londonderry as the inaugural UK City of Culture in 2013. We question whether City of Culture was ‘life and place changing’ or a ’12 month party’, and reveal different interpretations of success. In our view there is more potential in viewing culture as a peace resource for overcoming divisions in a socially and culturally segregated city, rather than its ability to tackle entrenched economic problems. Moving beyond the specifics of the case study we also provide lessons for future cities of culture and more generalizable insights for the academic and policy literatures.

The trajectory of social housing policy in Brazil: From the National Housing Bank to the Ministry of the Cities

This paper discusses social housing policy in Brazil since the 1990s by analyzing government programs’ institutional arrangements, their sources of revenues and the formatting of related financial systems. The conclusion suggests that all these arrangements have not constituted a comprehensive housing policy with the clear aim of serving to enhance housing conditions in the country. Housing ‘policies’ since the 1990s – as proposed by Fernando Collor de Mello, Itamar Franco, Fernando Henrique Cardoso and ´ Luis Inacio Lula da Silva’s governments (in the latter case, despite much progress towards subsidized investment programs) – have sought to consolidate financial instruments in line with global markets, restructuring the way private interests operate within the system, a necessary however incomplete course of action. Different from rhetoric, this has resulted in failure as the more fundamental social results for the poor have not yet been achieved.

The trajectory of social housing policy in Brazil: From the National Housing Bank to the Ministry of the Cities

This paper discusses social housing policy in Brazil since the 1990s by analyzing government programs’ institutional arrangements, their sources of revenues and the formatting of related financial systems. The conclusion suggests that all these arrangements have not constituted a comprehensive housing policy with the clear aim of serving to enhance housing conditions in the country. Housing ‘policies’ since the 1990s – as proposed by Fernando Collor de Mello, Itamar Franco, Fernando Henrique Cardoso and ´ Luis Inacio Lula da Silva’s governments (in the latter case, despite much progress towards subsidized investment programs) – have sought to consolidate financial instruments in line with global markets, restructuring the way private interests operate within the system, a necessary however incomplete course of action. Different from rhetoric, this has resulted in failure as the more fundamental social results for the poor have not yet been achieved.

Recommended reporting standards for test accuracy studies of infectious diseases of finfish, amphibians, molluscs and crustaceans: the STRADAS-aquatic checklist

Complete and transparent reporting of key elements of diagnostic accuracy studies for infectious diseases in cultured and wild aquatic animals benefits end-users of these tests, enabling the rational design of surveillance programs, the assessment of test results from clinical cases and comparisons of diagnostic test performance. Based on deficiencies in the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD) guidelines identified in a prior finfish study (Gardner et al. 2014), we adapted the Standards for Reporting of Animal Diagnostic Accuracy Studies—paratuberculosis (STRADAS-paraTB) checklist of 25 reporting items to increase their relevance to finfish, amphibians, molluscs, and crustaceans and provided examples and explanations for each item. The checklist, known as STRADAS-aquatic, was developed and refined by an expert group of 14 transdisciplinary scientists with experience in test evaluation studies using field and experimental samples, in operation of reference laboratories for aquatic animal pathogens, and in development of international aquatic animal health policy. The main changes to the STRADAS-paraTB checklist were to nomenclature related to the species, the addition of guidelines for experimental challenge studies, and the designation of some items as relevant only to experimental studies and ante-mortem tests. We believe that adoption of these guidelines will improve reporting of primary studies of test accuracy for aquatic animal diseases and facilitate assessment of their fitness-for-purpose. Given the importance of diagnostic tests to underpin the Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement of the World Trade Organization, the principles outlined in this paper should be applied to other World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)-relevant species.

Constructing Threat: How Americans Identify Economic Competitors

China’s emergence as an economic powerhouse has often been portrayed as threatening to America’s economic strength and to its very identity as “the global hegemon.” The media’s alarmist response to an economic competitor is familiar to those who remember US-Japanese relations in the 1980s. In order to better understand the basis of American threat perception, this study explores the independent and interactive impact of three variables (perceptions of the Other’s capabilities, perceptions of the Other as a threat versus as an opportunity, and perceptions of the Other’s political culture) on attitudes toward two different economic competitors (Japan 1977-1995 and China 1985-2011). Utilizing four methods (historical process tracing, public polling data analysis, social scientific experimentation, and content analysis), this study demonstrates that increases in the Other’s economic capabilities have a much smaller impact on attitudes than is commonly believed. It further shows that while perceptions of threat/opportunity played a significant role in shaping attitudinal response toward Japan, perceptions of political culture are the most important factor driving attitudes toward China today. This study contributes to a better understanding of how states react to threats and construct negative images of their economic rivals. It also helps to explain the current Sino-American relationship and enables better predictions as to its potential future course. Finally, these findings contribute to cultural explanations of the democratic peace phenomenon and provide a boundary condition (political culture) for the liberal proposition that opportunity ameliorates conflict in the economic realm.