Vertical Grants and Local Public Efficiency: The Inference-disturbing Effect of Fiscal Equalization

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 558-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivo Bischoff ◽  
Peter Bönisch ◽  
Peter Haug ◽  
Annette Illy
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
German State ◽  
Service Production ◽  
Public Sector Efficiency ◽  
The Impact

The existing empirical literature on the impact of vertical grants on local public-sector efficiency yields mixed results. Given the fact that vertical financial equalization systems often reduce differences in fiscal capacity, we argue that empirical studies based on cross-sectional data may yield a positive relationship between grants and efficiency of public service production even when the underlying causal effect is not. We provide a simple illustrative theoretical model to show the logic of our argument and illustrate its relevance by an empirical case study for the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. We show that our main argument of an inference-disturbing effect applies to those existing studies that are more optimistic about the impact of vertical grants. Finally, we argue that it may disturb the inference drawn from studies in a number of other countries where vertical grants—intended or not—concentrate in fiscally weak municipalities.

Empirical Literature on Economic Growth, 1991–2020: Uncovering Extant Gaps and Avenues for Future Research

2021 ◽  
pp. 097491012110616
Author(s):  
Natalia I. Doré ◽  
Aurora A. C. Teixeira
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Scientific Attention ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Determinants Of Economic Growth ◽  
Latin American And Caribbean

The factors required to achieve sustainable economic growth in a country are debated for decades, and empirical research in this regard continues to grow. Given the relevance of the topic and the absence of a comprehensive, systematic literature review, we used bibliometric techniques to examine and document several aspects in the empirical literature related to growth, from 1991 to 2020. Five main results are worth highlighting: (a) the share of empirical articles on economic growth show a clear upward trend; (b) among all the groups of countries considered, the emerging economies (EEs) have received the most scientific attention; (c) the economic growth processes of the Latin American and Caribbean EEs have observed negligible scientific attention; (d) the very long-run studies comprise a residual share among the empirical literature on growth; (e) the extant empirical studies on economic growth have addressed mainly the impact of “macroeconomic conditions.” Our findings suggest there is a need to redirect the empirical growth agenda, so as to encourage more scientific attention devoted to the analysis of key determinants of economic growth in the very long run. There should also be increased scrutiny of the processes of economic growth in Latin American and Caribbean EEs

Empirical Studies of Corporate Law and Governance

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Klausner
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
The United States ◽  
Corporate Law ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Related Literature ◽  
Takeover Defenses ◽  
The Us ◽  
Governance Quality ◽  
The Impact

This chapter examines the empirical literature on corporate law and governance in the United States. Four areas of the US corporate governance literature are discussed: (i) state competition to produce corporate law, (ii) independent boards, (iii) takeover defenses, and (iv) the use of corporate governance indices. The chapter concludes that these areas of research reflect varying degrees of success. The literature on state competition has been a major success. We know much more in this area as a result of empirical analysis in this area than we did on the basis of theory alone. At the other extreme is the literature on takeover defenses and the related literature that uses governance indices as measures of governance quality. Those empirical literatures are plagued by misunderstandings of how takeovers and takeover defenses work, and many results are therefore not as informative as they appear to be. In between is the literature on the impact of an independent board. Here, empiricists faced perhaps insurmountable challenges in proving causation, but nonetheless exposed informative associations.

Impact of the Presence of Embassies on Trade: Evidence from Turkey

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-60
Author(s):  
Yusuf Kenan Bagir
Keyword(s):  
Panel Data ◽  
Bilateral Trade ◽  
Panel Data Analysis ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Volume Effect ◽  
Foreign Missions ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Exporting Firms ◽  
Main Driver ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThis paper analyzes the impact of the presence of foreign missions on trade using Turkey's unique expansion in its foreign embassy network (39 new embassies in 8 years) as the source of variation in a panel data setting. A majority of the existing empirical studies use cross-sectional bilateral trade data due to lack of variation over time (Rose, 2007; Moons and Bergeijk, 2013). Employing a panel data analysis, this paper is able to address the endogeneity issues that are associated with a standard cross-sectional analysis. The dependent variable in the paper is the trade between Turkey and 190 countries for 2006 to 2016. The results indicate that presence of an embassy increases export value by 30% and this increase comes mainly from the volume effect. Categorizing goods by the Rauch (1999) classification shows that the increase in differentiated goods exports is the main driver of the export surge. The number of exporting firms increases by about 8%. There is no statistically significant impact on the exports of homogeneous goods. Replication of the analysis for imports suggests no impact on imports.

Using photovoice to explore the impact on a student community after including cross-sectional content on environmental sustainability in a university subject: a case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 1331-1350
Author(s):  
Carmen Coronado ◽  
Carla Freijomil-Vázquez ◽  
Sara Fernández-Basanta ◽  
Elena Andina-Díaz ◽  
María-Jesús Movilla-Fernández
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Sewage Treatment Plant ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Teaching Activity ◽  
Student Community ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Higher education institutions have a significant impact in preparing future generations for the creation of a sustainable society. By formulating appropriate curricula, the university can shape student personality with sustainability concerns. This study aims to present the results of a teaching approach on environmental sustainability using the photovoice methodology. A guided visit to the sewage treatment plant of A Coruña was included as a teaching activity in the “Microbiology and Parasitology” classes of the podiatry degree at University of A Coruña. The teaching objectives were to reinforce contents through observation and to introduce citizen awareness on sustainability and responsible water use in a cross-sectional manner. Design/methodology/approach In this case study, different steps of photovoice as a qualitative participatory action methodology were developed. A total of 43 university students willingly participated with their photographs. Qualitative data were collected from the students’ photovoice visit reports and a subsequent discussion group. Thematic content analysis was performed manually. Findings This study explored the impact of an environmental sustainability teaching activity on the university student community. Six main categories emerged from the qualitative analysis: savings/waste of water, misuse of the water closet, disposing of used oil, solid waste/trash, reuse of clean water and reuse/reduction of the use of plastics. The cross-sectional findings on the needs of education and awareness of sustainability in the community and companies are presented. Originality/value The findings provide evidence of the ability of photovoice method as a pedagogical tool to promote reflection and change in the university community and to introduce sustainability cross-sectional content in green campus curricula. This photovoice experiment is simple and feasible to implement and has a very low economic cost, as long as there are qualified educators.

scholarly journals Unequal and Gendered: Assessing the Impacts of Austerity Cuts on Public Service Users

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Annette Hastings ◽  
Peter Matthews ◽  
Yang Wang
Keyword(s):  
Administrative Data ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Environmental Services ◽  
Service Needs ◽  
Empirical Examination ◽  
The Social ◽  
Public Service Provision ◽  
The Impact

A decade of austerity has amplified concern about who gets what from public services. The article considers the socio-economic and gendered impacts of cuts to local environmental services which have increased the need for citizens to report service needs and effectively ‘co-produce’ services. Via a case study of a UK council’s decade of administrative data on citizen requests and service responses, the article provides one of the first detailed analyses of the unfolding impact of austerity cuts over time on public service provision. It demonstrates the impact of austerity across the social gradient, but disproportionately on the least affluent, especially women. The article argues for the importance of detailed empirical examination of administrative data for making visible, and potentially tackling, long standing inequalities in public service provision.

scholarly journals Trends and Predictors of COVID-19 Information Sources and Their Relationship With Knowledge and Beliefs Related to the Pandemic: Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahmir H Ali ◽  
Joshua Foreman ◽  
Yesim Tozan ◽  
Ariadna Capasso ◽  
Abbey M Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Information Source ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Mainstream Media ◽  
Knowledge And Beliefs ◽  
Government Websites ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Source Of Information

BACKGROUND During the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a heightened need to understand health information seeking behaviors to address disparities in knowledge and beliefs about the crisis. OBJECTIVE This study assessed sociodemographic predictors of the use and trust of different COVID-19 information sources, as well as the association between information sources and knowledge and beliefs about the pandemic. METHODS An online survey was conducted among US adults in two rounds during March and April 2020 using advertisement-based recruitment on social media. Participants were asked about their use of 11 different COVID-19 information sources as well as their most trusted source of information. The selection of COVID-related knowledge and belief questions was based on past empirical literature and salient concerns at the time of survey implementation. RESULTS The sample consisted of 11,242 participants. When combined, traditional media sources (television, radio, podcasts, or newspapers) were the largest sources of COVID-19 information (91.2%). Among those using mainstream media sources for COVID-19 information (n=7811, 69.5%), popular outlets included CNN (24.0%), Fox News (19.3%), and other local or national networks (35.2%). The largest individual information source was government websites (87.6%). They were also the most trusted source of information (43.3%), although the odds of trusting government websites were lower among males (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.58, 95% CI 0.53-0.63) and those aged 40-59 years and ≥60 years compared to those aged 18-39 years (AOR 0.83, 95% CI 0.74-0.92; AOR 0.62, 95% CI 0.54-0.71). Participants used an average of 6.1 sources (SD 2.3). Participants who were male, aged 40-59 years or ≥60 years; not working, unemployed, or retired; or Republican were likely to use fewer sources while those with children and higher educational attainment were likely to use more sources. Participants surveyed in April were markedly less likely to use (AOR 0.41, 95% CI 0.35-0.46) and trust (AOR 0.51, 95% CI 0.47-0.56) government sources. The association between information source and COVID-19 knowledge was mixed, while many COVID-19 beliefs were significantly predicted by information source; similar trends were observed with reliance on different types of mainstream media outlets. CONCLUSIONS COVID-19 information source was significantly determined by participant sociodemographic characteristics and was also associated with both knowledge and beliefs about the pandemic. Study findings can help inform COVID-19 health communication campaigns and highlight the impact of using a variety of different and trusted information sources.

scholarly journals THE ROLE OF THE TEACHER AND EIGHT KEY COMPETENCE FOR LIFELONG LEARNING. CASE STUDY POLISH SCHOOL IN REZEKNE

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 153
Author(s):  
Sylwia Szulc
Keyword(s):  
Lifelong Learning ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
The State ◽  
Grammar School ◽  
Teacher Competences ◽  
Polish School ◽  
The Impact

In this article author present the impact of teacher competences on the role played in school. The object of the research is the role played by the teacher in the State Polish Grammar School in Rezekne. In order to compare theory with practice, empirical studies have been conducted in the two - month practice in State Polish Grammar School in Rezekne, which were completed within the practice of Erasmus+.

scholarly journals The Effect of Job–Education Vertical Mismatch on Wages Among Recent PhD Graduates: Evidence From an Instrumental Variable Analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Lucio Gaeta ◽  
Giuseppe Lubrano Lavadera ◽  
Francesco Pastore
Keyword(s):  
Instrumental Variable ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Micro Data ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Instrumental Variable Analysis ◽  
Wage Effect ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Variable Analysis

Abstract Existing studies suggest that recent PhD graduates with a job vertically mismatched with their education tend to earn lower wages than their matched counterparts. However, by being based on cross-sectional ordinary least squares (OLS) estimates, these studies raise endogeneity concerns and can only be considered evidence of a correlation between vertical mismatch and wages. This paper improves this literature by applying a heteroskedasticity-based instrumental variable estimation approach to analyzing Italian PhD holders’ cross-sectional micro-data. Our analysis suggests that previous empirical studies have provided slightly upward estimates of the impact of vertical mismatch on wages. Nevertheless, our results show that the effect of overeducation on wages is sizeable. However, no wage effect is found for overskilling. The heterogeneity of these findings by field of study and gender are also inspected.

Empirical Analyses of Deterrence

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen L. Quackenbush
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Deterrence Theory ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Quantitative Studies ◽  
Early Case ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Empirical Analyses

Deterrence is an important subject, and its study has spanned more than seven decades. Much research on deterrence has focused on a theoretical understanding of the subject. Particularly important is the distinction between classical deterrence theory and perfect deterrence theory. Other studies have employed empirical analyses. The empirical literature on deterrence developed at different times and took different approaches. The early empirical deterrence literature was highly limited for varying reasons. Much of the early case study literature did not seek to test deterrence theory. Early quantitative studies did seek to do so, but they were hampered by rudimentary methods, poor research design, and/or a disconnect between quantitative studies and formal theories of deterrence. Modern empirical research on deterrence has made great strides toward bridging the formal-quantitative divide in the study of deterrence and conducting theoretically driven case studies. Further, researchers have explored the effect of specific variables on deterrence, such as alliances, reputations and credibility, and nuclear weapons. Future empirical studies of deterrence should build on these modern developments. In addition, they should build on perfect deterrence theory, given its logical consistency and empirical support.

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