Global Innovation Policy Index

Ranks fifty-five nations' strategies to boost innovation capacity: policies on trade, scientific research, information and communications technologies, tax, intellectual property, domestic competition, government procurement, and high-skill immigration

On Tax Competition: The (Un-)Expected Advantages of Decentralized Fiscal Autonomy

Tax competition is much discussed in the political arena these days. Although it is not a new phenomenon, the political pressure has increased to restrict tax competition by intensifying tax coordination and accomplishing tax harmonization. This particularly holds for the EU which has established a Code of Conduct for business taxation in 1997 and is about to establish a system of information exchange with respect to capital income taxation (allowing Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg a minimum source tax on capital income as an alternative). In 2001, the Commission has additionally released the so called ‚Ruding II‘-report in which a uniform corporate tax base with formulary apportionment is proposed for the EU. In addition, the OECD (1998) aims at stronger tax coordination among its members also favoring a system of information exchange. Such a system would necessarily involve the abolishment of (or the reduction of the strictness of) bank secrecy laws around the world (Feld 2002).

FinTech ecosystem as an instrument of sustainable development provision

Purpose: The article aims to determine the relationship between the FinTech ecosystem and ensuring a stable path of economic growth in the context of digitalization. The transition to digitalization of the financial sector is accompanied by a fundamentally new, qualitative transformation of socioeconomic relations in society. Design/Methodology/Approach: As part of the study, the concept of FinTech was considered both in the context of technological innovation and in the context of companies utilizing these innovations in business, as well as the systematization of business models of the FinTech industry. The classification of horizontal and vertical innovations of the financial industry is given. The authors presented the structure of the FinTech ecosystem as an instrument for ensuring sustainable. Findings: For the successful development of the FinTech ecosystem, the authors of the study presented a number of initiatives, the implementation of which will ensure the maintenance of the financial system stability, protection of consumer rights, as well as the digital innovations’ development and implementation. Practical Implications: The formation of a sustainable digital financial infrastructure tends to ensure the effective provision of services in the financial market, including for small and medium-sized companies, which will increase the availability of financial services and promote competition in the financial sector. Originality/Value: The key contribution of the study is the ecosystem approach, which allowed determining the possibilities of safe sustainable development of the financial sector.peer-reviewe

Near field communication: an assessment for future payment systems

In this paper, we present an assessment of near field communication (NFC) in the context of a payment market. During these past years, we have been witnessing a number of mobile payment trials based on NFC. Early experiences are already quite encouraging and many expect NFC to become a highly efficient and effective technology for mobile payments. The objective of our research is to evaluate in a systematic manner the potential of NFC as an upcoming technology for mobile payments. In order to ensure the rigor of our research, we used a formal and structured approach based on multi-actor multi-criteria methods. Our research provides one of the first assessment of NFC and a realistic picture of the current Swiss situation as we involved numerous mobile payment experts. Our findings show that Swiss industry experts are quite enthusiastic about the future of NFC

Business model requirements and challenges in the mobile telecommunication sector

The telecommunications business is undergoing a critical revolution, driven by innovative technologies, globalization, and deregulation. Cellular networks and telecommunications bring radical changes to the way telecom businesses are conducted. Globalization, on the other hand, is tearing down legacy barriers and forcing monopolistic national carriers to compete internationally. Moreover, the noticeable progress of many countries towards deregulation coupled with liberalization is significantly increasing telecom market power and allowing severe competition. The implications of this transition have changed the business rules of the telecom industry. In addition, entrants into the cellular industry have had severe difficulties due to inexistent or weak Business Models (BMs). Designing a BM for a mobile network operator is complex and requires multiple actors to balance different and often conflicting design requirements. Hence, there is a need to enhance operators’ ability in determining what constitutes the most viable business model to meet their strategic objectives within this turbulent environment. In this paper, the authors identify the main mobile BM dimensions along with their interdependencies and further analysis provides mobile network operators with insights to improve their business models in this new ‘boundary-less’ landscape

The Federal Reserve's role in retail payments: adapting to a new environment

The U.S. retail payments system is in the midst of a transformation. The shift from paper to electronics, the emergence of new instruments and payments channels, the rise in nonbank participation, the change in risk profiles—all are elements of this new landscape. The Federal Reserve takes as one of its mandates fostering a payments system that is safe, efficient, and accessible. How does the Federal Reserve fulfill this mandate in this new environment? ; Since its beginning, the Federal Reserve has played a crucial role in the U.S. retail payments system. From time to time, that role has been reevaluated The current environment suggests the time may be right for another examination. Other central banks are facing similar issues. ; Weiner reexamines the Federal Reserve’s role in retail payments in light of the evolving payments system. The Federal Reserve will likely continue to play an important role in retail payments. However, given the evolution of the payments system, the role the Federal Reserve plays and the rationale for this role may be different than they have been in the past.

Why Mobile Payments Fail? Towards a Dynamic and Multi-Perspective Explanation

Despite optimistic expectations fast diffusion of mobile payments has not taken place after a decade of trials. Several explanations to this situation have been put forward using several theories and levels of analysis. Due to the complexity and dynamism of the diffusion we need multiple perspectives to account for diffusion challenge. We juxtapose three frameworks into a dynamic analysis framework. We apply the proposed framework to explain three failed introductions of mobile payments in the Swiss market. In particular, a recent ambitious trial is confronted with the proposed framework to detect roots of its failure. Our analysis suggests that market-level and behavioral facets need more attention in future in explaining mobile payment diffusion. To guide future efforts we propose several avenues for further research

Entrepreneurship, innovation and inequality : exploring territorial dynamics and development

The ongoing advances in technology have brought significant improvements in the processing speed and storage of large volumes of data. Tech-savvy organisations have already started using big data with a goal to improve their decision making, agility and customer-centric approaches. Today, many tourism marketers are hyper-targeting consumers with real-time mobile ad campaigns to drive conversions. They use analytics to identify how exogenous variables, including the broader economy, competitive offerings and even the weather can affect their organisational performance. Similarly, the smaller enterprises are economically gathering and storing data from each and every customer transaction. They use analytics to customise their offerings and improve their customer engagement. Therefore, this chapter builds on the previous theoretical underpinnings on smart tourism. It clarifies how smart, disruptive technologies have led to endless opportunities for tourism and hospitality marketers to gain a competitive advantage. It explains how they are leveraging themselves by utilising contemporary marketing strategies and tactics that are customer-focused. The researcher examines the use of big data, analytics, programmatic advertising and blockchain technologies in the realms of tourism and hospitality.peer-reviewe

How Europe can deliver: Optimising the division of competences among the EU and its member states

This study aims to give guidance for a better-performing EU through an improved allocation of competences between the European Union and its member states. The study analyses eight specific policies from a wide range of fields with respect to their preferable assignment. The analysis applies a unified quantified approach and is precise in its definition of ‘counterfactuals’. These counterfactuals are understood as conceptual alternatives to the allocation of competences under the status quo. As such, they either relate to a new European competence (if the policy is currently a national responsibility) or a new national competence (if the policy is currently assigned to the EU). The comprehensive, quantification-based assessments indicate that it would be preferable to have responsibility for higher education and providing farmers with income support at the national level. Conversely, a shift of competences to the EU level would be advantageous when it comes to asylum policies, defence, corporate taxation, development aid and a (complementary) unemployment insurance scheme in the euro area. For one policy – railway freight transport – the findings are indeterminate. Overall, the study recommends a differentiated integration strategy comprising both new European policies and a roll-back of EU competences in other fields

Nonbanks and risk in retail payments

This paper documents the importance of nonbanks in retail payments in the United States and in 15 European countries and analyzes the implications of the importance and multiple roles played by nonbanks on retail payment risks. This paper also reviews the main regulatory safeguards in place, and concludes that there may be a need to reconsider some of them in view of the growing role of nonbanks and of the global reach of risks in the electronic era.