Gazdasági versenyképességet támogató pályázatok eredményessége az NFT és az ÚMFT keretében = The effectiveness of grants supporting economic development under hungary's national development plans

A Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem kutatócsoportja által végzett kutatás során arra a kérdésre kerestük a választ, hogy a Nemzeti Fejlesztési Terv (NFT) és az Új Magyarország Fejlesztési Terv (ÚMFT) keretében létrehozott, kis- és középvállalatok számára kialakított gazdaságfejlesztési pályázatok milyen hatékonysággal működnek. Hogyan volt képes a rendszer beépíteni az NFT Gazdasági Versenyképesség Operatív Program (GVOP) tapasztalatait az ÚMFT Gazdaságfejlesztési Operatív Programba (GOP). Továbbá, hogy maguk a kis- és középvállalatok miként értékelik ezen kiírásokat és milyen javaslatokat tennének az ilyen típusú pályázatok "felhasználóbaráttá" tételéhez. A kutatás 2009 márciusától 2009 decemberéig tartott. A kéziratot 2010 áprilisában zártuk. / === / In a research group of the Corvinus University of Budapest we aimed to answer the questions of efficiency and effectiveness of the economic development grants of the National Development Plan (2004-2006) and the New Hungarian Development Plan (2007-13) with the focus of small and medium sized enterprises (SME's). We tried to highlight the results of learning by doing of the first National Development Plan and how this practice was built into the second development plan. An emphasis was placed on the opinion of the SME's, how they evaluate the grants and what are their proposals to make the grant system more "user friendly".

Europe’s Growth Emergency

Highlights: • The European Union growth agenda has become even more pressing because growth is needed to support public and private sector deleveraging, reduce the fragility of the banking sector, counter the falling behind of southern European countries and prove that Europe is still a worthwhile place to invest. • The crisis has had a similar impact on most European countries and the US: a persistent drop in output level and a growth slowdown. This contrasts sharply with the experience of the emerging countries of Asia and Latin America. • Productivity improvement was immediate in the US, but Europe hoarded labour and productivity improvements were in general delayed. Southern European countries have hardly adjusted so far. • There is a negative feedback loop between the crisis and growth, and without effective solutions to deal with the crisis, growth is unlikely to resume. National and EU-level policies should aim to foster reforms and adjustment and should not risk medium-term objectives under the pressure of events. A more hands-on approach, including industrial policies, should be considered.

Versenyképesség haloptikával – Helyi gazdaságfejlesztési problémák fejlődő városokban = Competitiveness at short range - Local problems of economic development in medium-sized towns

The aim of our research in the first half of 2011 was to find out what were the administrative, regulative and other problems that were specific obstacles to local economic development and what best practices can be found in local economies. During our research we carried out interviews with leaders and local professionals in five medium size towns of Hungary. We stated that the most obstructive factors were the imperfection of vocational training, the excessively bureaucratic administrative proceedings (supplying of data, acquisition of authority permits, the attitude of the authorities, etc.) and the system of application and finding sources of funds. We think that the most innovative solutions are the good examples of the institutionalized co-operation between local governments and local businesses. We've come to the conclusion that there is a need for reducing administrative burdens for the sake of local economic development.

International environmental and development policy cooperation and the transition process of the Central and Eastern European countries

The political and economic changes in countries of the Central and Eastern European region during the recent two decades had significant implications on their participation in international environmental policy-making. These changes were motivated by the changing international political priorities and economic interests, realization of their part in the "common but differentiated responsibility" for the global environmental processes and the relatively modest capacities for international development cooperation. The situation of these countries was acknowledged by the international community by granting specific provisions to these "economies in transition" in international environmental policy mechanisms. In spite of the rapidly diverging external relations of the various groups of these countries, to some extent and in different forms the transition phase is still prevailing and has its effect on the ongoing international environmental negotiations. The paper describes the background of these changes, demonstrates the specific provisions for these countries that made possible their participation in the common efforts to tackle the emerging global and regional environmental problems by acceding to the relevant international mechanisms.

The economic approach of advertising and the problem of allocating advertising budgets during a recession

The importance of advertising has changed in many aspects in the last decade, and mainly during the last years of the economic crisis. Economics traditionally did not find advertising a valuable factor until empirical studies demonstrated that advertisement affects consumer perception by means of indicating the quality of the underlying product. Consequently, products that are advertised more frequently, are more likely to be associated with a higher quality. Nevertheless, advertising is a strong tool in competition, which statement is confirmed by the recognition that increasing consumer knowledge contributes to the diffusion of innovation and to the reduction of research and development (R&D) costs. This contribution can be achieved nowadays by consumer interactivity, where companies deliberately rely on the involvement of their consumers. Recently, when companies were confronted to the global economic crisis, brand managers realized that allocating advertising budgets in a recession (considering the actual state of the economic conditions) is a highly important decision factor beside competition, consumer behaviour, trends or industrial conditions. Companies have to realize that their communication budgets are planned substantially in a different way in times of crisis than during an upsurge. Moreover, should a company make the best of maintaining their advertising budgets in recession times, it will indicate more trust towards their consumers and show a more favorable image towards their investors. This study assembles different approaches from the economics of advertising to draw conclusions for the subsequent analyses of advertising in times of a crisis. The main objective with the literature review is to show, that pro-cyclical actions (reducing advertising budgets in times of crisis and overspending during upsurge) of companies can lead to problems of profitability, consumer trust and competitiveness in the long run.

The applied computer science of economic analyses: Internet prioritization and Internet pricing, and software engineering and software pricing for the mass market

This research examines evolving issues in applied computer science and applies economic and business analyses as well. There are two main areas. The first is internetwork communications as embodied by the Internet. The goal of the research is to devise an efficient pricing, prioritization, and incentivization plan that could be realistically implemented on the existing infrastructure. Criteria include practical and economic efficiency, and proper incentives for both users and providers. Background information on the evolution and functional operation of the Internet is given, and relevant literature is surveyed and analyzed. Economic analysis is performed on the incentive implications of the current pricing structure and organization. The problems are identified, and minimally disruptive solutions are proposed for all levels of implementation to the lowest level protocol. Practical issues are considered and performance analyses are done. The second area of research is mass market software engineering, and how this differs from classical software engineering. Software life-cycle revenues are analyzed and software pricing and timing implications are derived. A profit maximizing methodology is developed to select or defer the development of software features for inclusion in a given release. An iterative model of the stages of the software development process is developed, taking into account new communications capabilities as well as profitability. ^

Hydrologic processes on tree islands in the Everglades (Florida, USA): tracking the effects of tree establishment and growth

The hydrodynamics of tree islands during the growth of newly planted trees has been found to be influenced by both vegetation biomass and geologic conditions. From July 2007 through June 2009, groundwater and surface-water levels were monitored on eight recently planted tree islands at the Loxahatchee Impoundment Landscape Assessment (LILA) facility in Boynton Beach, Florida, USA. Over the 2-year study, stand development coincided with the development of a water-table depression in the center of each of the islands that was bounded by a hydraulic divide along the edges. The water-table depression was greater in islands composed of limestone as compared to those composed of peat. The findings of this study suggest that groundwater evapotranspiration by trees on tree islands creates complex hydrologic interactions between the shallow groundwater in tree islands and the surrounding surface water and groundwater bodies.

An analysis of the factors that influence regional economic development cooperation

This dissertation is a comparative case study of regional cooperation in the field of economic development. In the 21st century global economy, proponents of regionalism have put forth fresh arguments for collective action. A regional approach to economic development activity presents a classic social dilemma: How can local officials collectively improve the economic prospects of a region, and remain autonomous to act in the best interest of the local community? This research examines the role of social capital in overcoming this social dilemma. ^ Three (3) comparable Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) form the empirical basis of this research. The Houston MSA, the Atlanta MSA and the Miami MSA present distinct variations of regionalized economic development activity. This dissertation seeks to explain this disparity in the dependent variable. The hypothesis is that accrued social capital is crucial to obtaining economic development cooperative agreements.^ This qualitative research utilized secondary demographic and economic databases, survey instruments, interviews, field observations, and a review of legislative and administrative decisions to formulate a clear understanding of the factors influencing the current state of regional economic development cooperation within each region. The study concludes that the legislative and executive decisions of state government exert inordinate influence on the capacity of local officials to cooperate regionally for economic development purposes.^

The effect of domestic credit in the economic *development process

A commonly held view is that creation of excessive domestic credit may lead to inflation problems, however, many economists uphold the possibility that, generous domestic credit under appropriate conditions will result in increases of output. This hypothesis is examined for Japan and Colombia for the period 1950-1993.^ Domestic credit theories are reviewed since the times of Thornton and Smith, until the recent times of Lewis, McKinnon, Stiglitz and of Japanese economists like K. Emi, Tachi R. and others. It is found that in Japan of the Post-War period, efficient financial markets and the decisive role of the government in orienting investment decisions seem to have influenced positively the effectiveness of domestic credit as an output-stimulating variable. On the contrary, in Colombia the absence of the above features seems to explain why domestic credit is not very effective as an output-stimulating variable.^ Multiple regression analyses show that domestic credit is a strong explanatory variable for output increases in Japan and a weak one for Colombia's case in the studied period. For Japan the correlation depicts a positive relationship between the two variables with a decreasing rate very similar to a typical production function. Moreover, the positive decreasing rate is confirmed if net domestic credit is used in the correlations. For Colombia a positive relationship is also found when accumulated domestic credit is used, but, if net domestic credit is the source of correlations, the positive decreasing rate is not obtained.^ Granger causality tests determined causality from domestic credit to output for Japan and no-causality for Colombia at the 1% significance level; the differences are explained by: (1) The low development level of the financial system in Colombia. (2) The nonexistence of consistent domestic credit policy to foster economic development. (3) The lack of an authoritative orientation in the allocation of financial resources and the nonexistence of long range industrialization programs in Colombia that could channel productively credit resources. For the system of equations relating domestic credit and exports, the Granger causality tests determined no-causality between domestic credit and exports for both Japan and Colombia also at the 1% significance level. ^

Shoot architecture and growth in the south Florida wet prairie macrophyte, Eleocharis cellulosa

Eleocharis cellulosa is a dominant macrophyte in Everglades wet prairie communities. The development of the shoot system in the genus has been described as sympodial but with an unusual adnation of the horizontal and vertical shoots. The growth pattern of E. cellulosa was studied from field collected plants and plants grown in the greenhouse. Plants were extracted and measurements of horizontal and vertical shoot were taken. Dissections, paraffin sectioning and SEM's were used to examine shoot structure in early developmental stages. E. cellulosa was transplanted from the field to the greenhouse and different levels of Nitrogen and Phosphorus were added to determine how it responded phenotypically. Dissections and microscopy showed that growth of the vertical shoots of E. cellulosa is sympodial, while growth of the horizontal shoots is mixed, beginning monopodially then transforming to sympodial growth. Additions of nutrients did not have any effect on the morphology of E. cellulosa.

Effects of in situ CO2 enrichment on structural characteristics, photosynthesis, and growth of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica

Seagrass is expected to benefit from increased carbon availability under future ocean acidification. This hypothesis has been little tested by in situ manipulation. To test for ocean acidification effects on seagrass meadows under controlled CO2/pH conditions, we used a Free Ocean Carbon Dioxide Enrichment (FOCE) system which allows for the manipulation of pH as continuous offset from ambient. It was deployed in a Posidonia oceanica meadow at 11 m depth in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea. It consisted of two benthic enclosures, an experimental and a control unit both 1.7 m**3, and an additional reference plot in the ambient environment (2 m**2) to account for structural artifacts. The meadow was monitored from April to November 2014. The pH of the experimental enclosure was lowered by 0.26 pH units for the second half of the 8-month study. The greatest magnitude of change in P. oceanica leaf biometrics, photosynthesis, and leaf growth accompanied seasonal changes recorded in the environment and values were similar between the two enclosures. Leaf thickness may change in response to lower pH but this requires further testing. Results are congruent with other short-term and natural studies that have investigated the response of P. oceanica over a wide range of pH. They suggest any benefit from ocean acidification, over the next century (at a pH of 7.7 on the total scale), on Posidonia physiology and growth may be minimal and difficult to detect without increased replication or longer experimental duration. The limited stimulation, which did not surpass any enclosure or seasonal effect, casts doubts on speculations that elevated CO2 would confer resistance to thermal stress and increase the buffering capacity of meadows.

Seawater carbonate chemistry and growth rate of Emiliania huxleyi in lab experiment

Predicting the impacts of environmental change on marine organisms, food webs, and biogeochemical cycles presently relies almost exclusively on short-term physiological studies, while the possibility of adaptive evolution is often ignored. Here, we assess adaptive evolution in the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi, a well-established model species in biological oceanography, in response to ocean acidification. We previously demonstrated that this globally important marine phytoplankton species adapts within 500 generations to elevated CO2. After 750 and 1000 generations, no further fitness increase occurred, and we observed phenotypic convergence between replicate populations. We then exposed adapted populations to two novel environments to investigate whether or not the underlying basis for high CO2-adaptation involves functional genetic divergence, assuming that different novel mutations become apparent via divergent pleiotropic effects. The novel environment "high light" did not reveal such genetic divergence whereas growth in a low-salinity environment revealed strong pleiotropic effects in high CO2 adapted populations, indicating divergent genetic bases for adaptation to high CO2. This suggests that pleiotropy plays an important role in adaptation of natural E. huxleyi populations to ocean acidification. Our study highlights the potential mutual benefits for oceanography and evolutionary biology of using ecologically important marine phytoplankton for microbial evolution experiments.

The Influence of Creative Tourism on Sustainable Development of Tourism and Reduction of Seasonality – Case Study of Óbidos

Tourism remains one of the most fast growing and important industries in the world. It is hard to underestimate the importance and the spectrum of the benefits that tourism provides. On the other hand, nowadays, the increasing growth of tourism poses a range of challenges and problems that need to be solved. These challenges resonate in the emergence of the so called 'alternative' or sustainable forms of tourism, which deem to be an antidote against the harms the traditional forms of tourism cause to the environment and local communities. These new forms of tourism, among which is creative tourism, are reinforced by the new breed of tourists, who are no longer satisfied with the static offer of tourism but rather prefer the dynamic one. The present research shows on the case of Óbidos the potential of creative tourism to meet these new needs of modern tourists while also solving number of problems that many destinations face, namely seasonality in tourism, as well as how creative tourism contributes to the sustainable development of tourism.

Rwanda's Miracle: From Genocide and Poverty to Peace and Economic Prosperity

The purpose of this thesis was to examine how liberalization and the introduction of pro-poor policies can be successful in post-conflict countries using the Rwanda coffee market as a case study. My research supports the notion that economic development, political stability and peace can be a result of liberalization when policies that are pro-poor and focus on the largest sector of the population are created. The study examines why and how Rwanda chose to liberalize their economy in the way they did by focusing on the intentions of the actors and the effects their actions have had on the coffee market and country as a whole. The findings suggest that Rwanda’s coffee market liberalization has been successful and has contributed to stability and economic development in Rwanda. The conclusion indicates that pro-poor liberalization policies with the assistance from a variety of actors and institutions can lead developing countries on the path to development in ways the international community has not seen before.