Group Strategyproofness in Queueing Models

We examine the tradeoffs between two variants of group strategyproofness, efficiency and budget balance in queueing models. In general, group strategyproofness is incompatible with efficiency and budget balance. Weakening budget balance to feasibility, we show that the incompatibility persists with strong group strategyproofness. We then identify a necessary condition for weak group strategyproofness and efficiency and use it to show that these two requirements are incompatible with budget balance unless there are exactly three agents. We also demonstrate the compatibility when there are three agents. Finally, we identify a class of efficient and weak group strategyproof mechanisms that we call k-pivotal mechanisms and identify the complete subclass of these mechanisms that are feasible

Improving the Efficiency of the State Budget Balance in Vietnam

The state budget balance is always an extremely important issue for each government. In 2020, Vietnam has a relatively small-scale economy. Its economic scale and GDP per capita reached 271.2 billion USD and 2,779 USD respectively. Budget revenue is still limited, but the need for recurrent spending and development investment is still very large now and in many years to come. In the past time, budget revenue and expenditure are in a situation of not having the necessary balance, the state budget deficit has been still around 4.5 percent of GDP. The actual state budget revenue and expenditure balance have been revealing several disadvantages. Faced to such a situation, the author would like to present some important issues about the state budget revenue and expenditure and propose key solutions to increase the efficiency of state budget revenue and expenditure in Vietnam

The European Union Budget: The European Cup of Economic Affairs- UK vs France. Jean Monnet/Robert Schuman Paper Series. Vol. 1, No. 3, December 2005

[From the Introduction] The first EU budget was drafted in 1988 under the so-called “Delors Package I.” Its budgetary headings and monetary distribution have remained unchanged until 14th July 2004, when the Commission adjusted its traditional model to a new system of headings to adapt the budget to an evolutionary economical environment. The budget of the European Union distinguishes itself from other international bodies by its exclusive system of the so-called “own resources.” This system is composed of the revenues obtained by (1) the Common Customs duties collected under the external tariff; (2) the levies in imported agricultural products; (3) the Value Added Tax revenue; and (4) the Gross National Income based resources. The EU budget sets out and authorizes the total amount of revenues and expenditures annually deemed necessary by the European Community and the European Atomic Energy Community. However, the EU budget is a seven-year multi-annual spending plan articulated around a ¨financial framework¨ that ensures the control of the evolution of the budget expenditure. The budget is drafted and implemented under the ¨Financial Programming and Budget¨ Directorate General and is supervised by the European Parliament and the Court of Auditors. The EU budget not only rests on the three basic accounting principles: unity, annuality and balance, which guarantee its economic efficiency, but also on the composition of its revenues, the so-called “own resources.

The European Union Budget

The first EU budget was drafted in 1988 under the so-called “Delors Package I.” Its budgetary headings and monetary distribution have remained unchanged until 14th July 2004, when the Commission adjusted its traditional model to a new system of headings to adapt the budget to an evolutionary economical environment. The budget of the European Union distinguishes itself from other international bodies by its exclusive system of the so-called “own resources.” This system is composed of the revenues obtained by (1) the Common Customs duties collected under the external tariff; (2) the levies in imported agricultural products; (3) the Value Added Tax revenue; and (4) the Gross National Income based resources. The EU budget sets out and authorizes the total amount of revenues and expenditures annually deemed necessary by the European Community and the European Atomic Energy Community. However, the EU budget is a seven-year multi-annual spending plan articulated around a ¨financial framework¨ that ensures the control of the evolution of the budget expenditure. The budget is drafted and implemented under the ¨Financial Programming and Budget¨ Directorate General and is supervised by the European Parliament and the Court of Auditors. The EU budget not only rests on the three basic accounting principles: unity, annuality and balance, which guarantee its economic efficiency, but also on the composition of its revenues, the so-called “own resources.”EU budget

The EU budget – how much scope for institutional reform?

This paper reviews current discussions on reforming the European Union (EU) budgetary procedure and assesses the main reform proposals that have been suggested thus far. It argues that prospects for reforms are presently hampered by the complex interplay between supranational and intergovernmental decision modes and the requirement of any budgetary procedure to strike a balance between efficiency and legitimacy. The paper reviews the main criticisms of the present budgetary procedure and the related reform proposals, which are assessed on the basis of relevant theoretical literature as well as brief comparisons with the federal budget of the United States. The paper argues that the current EU budgetary procedure matches by-and-large the current equilibrium between all actors involved, given the present state of political integration in the EU. Significant modifications to the budgetary procedure would depart from that equilibrium.European Union, EU budget, budget process

Strategy-proof assignment with a vanishing budget surplus

A VCG mechanism to assign p identical objects is feasible is cash transfers yield no deficit. The efficiency loss of such a mechanism is the worst ratio of budget surplus to efficient surplus. We compute the optimal efficiency loss for all n and p, when we also require Voluntary Participation as well as when we do not. Without the VP requirement, the optimal efficiency loss converges to zero uniformly in p, and exponentially fast if p is fixed. With the VP requirement asymptotic budget balance is only true is p is not larger than n/2

Public finance and economic development

This paper reports on tests of alternative hypotheses as to the effects of a budget deficit, examines the influence of the size of the government on economic growth, and investigates the impact of public investment on private investment, total investment, and economic growth. The findings have important implications for the developing countries. They show that budget deficits have adverse effects on the balance of payments as well as on domestic investment. It further appears that increases in government consumption adversely affect economic growth. Finally, increases in public investment not only crowd out private investment but tend to lower the efficiency of investment, with adverse effects on economic growth. The conclusions point to the need for reducing budget deficits in developing countries. They further favor lowering government consumption as well as public investment in these countries.Economic Stabilization,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Macroeconomic Management,Achieving Shared Growth

Fiscal consolidation strategy: An update for the budget reform proposal of march 2013

Recently, we evaluated a fiscal consolidation strategy for the United States that would bring the government budget into balance by gradually reducing government spending relative to GDP to the ratio that prevailed prior to the crisis (Cogan et al, JEDC 2013). Specifically, we published an analysis of the macroeconomic consequences of the 2013 Budget Resolution that was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in March 2012. In this note, we provide an update of our research that evaluates this year’s budget reform proposal that is to be discussed and voted on in the House of Representative in March 2013. Contrary to the views voiced by critics of fiscal consolidation, we show that such a reduction in government purchases and transfer payments can increase GDP immediately and permanently relative to a policy without spending restraint. Our research makes use of a modern structural model of the economy that incorporates the long-standing essential features of economics: opportunity costs, efficiency, foresight and incentives. GDP rises because households take into account that spending restraint helps avoid future increases in tax rates. Lower taxes imply less distorted incentives for work, investment and production relative to a scenario without fiscal consolidation and lead to higher growth

Analysis of soil and species composition

Measurements were made during May to October, 1987 and June to August, 1989 over a tallgrass prairie near Manhattan, Kansas. Soil at the experimental site is predominantly Dwight silty clay loam. The prairie was burned on 16 April 1987 and on 28 April 1989 to improve the mix of grasses and forbs. The experimental area was not grazed during 1986 - 1989. A summary of results are given for soil moisture and plant growth; momentum flux and canopy aerodynamic characteristics; evapotranspiration, components of energy balance and canopy conductance; modeling canopy stomatal conductance; canopy photosynthesis, photosynthetic efficiency and water use efficiency; modeling canopy photosynthesis; the carbon dioxide budget in a temperate grassland ecosystem; and photosynthesis and stomatal conductance related to reflectance on the canopy scale