Transparency in the Pork Supply Chain: Comparing China and The Netherlands

We present a research plan to assess the value of transparency by comparing pork supply chains in The Netherlands and China.We assume that chain performance depends on chain configuration, which depends on societal context and its associated quality control institutions. We define chain configuration in terms of structure and transparency. In order to be able to assess the influence of societal context and its quality control institutions on chain configuration and performance, we compare two countries that have very different societies. Ultimately, our goal is to be able to indicate whether a certain chain configuration suits all, or whether chain configuration should be tailored to societal context.Pork supply chain, societal context, transparency, information exchange, chain configuration, Agribusiness, Industrial Organization,

Boundary Management in Projects: Antecedents, Activities and Performance

Despite increasing interest among practitioners and the recent scientific explo-rations on the dynamics of boundary management in project and team contexts, the existing studies seems to lack empirical understanding on the factors that explain the boundary management behavior of project managers. The purpose of this study is to analyze how the three antecedent factors - cross-functional participation, embeddedness and top management control - are related to four different types of boundary management activities practiced by project managers, namely coordinating, enabling, reporting and guarding. Based on the sample of 236 projects, the results show that embeddedness and top-management control have positive influence on boundary-management activities and cross-functional participation has both positive and negative contribution to boundary management activities. Furthermore, the results reveal that boundary management activities have both positive and negative influence on project performance. Contributions of the research are discussed, as well as practical implications, limitations, and directions for future research.Boundary management, project team, embeddedness, cross-functional participation, top-management control

Love Thy Neighbor: Bonding versus Bridging Trust

We study how trust is generated in society. In a two-sector model, we analyze two communities. In the bonding community people do not trust people outside their regular networks. In the bridging community people choose to trust strangers when they meet them. The hypothesis is that when trust is only bonding, it cannot accumulate. Our theoretical contribution is to show that when trust is only bonding then the economy’s level of trust moves to an unstable equilibrium that may under certain conditions ‡uctuate forever. If, however, trust is also bridging, then trust will accumulate. Future research should seek to establish the appropriate institutional framework for establishing the optimal mix between both bonding and bridging social capital in society.Trust; two-sector model; chaos

Monetary Transmission Mechanism in Central & Eastern Europe: Gliding on a Wind of Change

This paper surveys recent advances in empirical studies of the monetary transmission mechanism (MTM), with special attention to Central and Eastern Europe. In particular, while laying out the functioning of the separate channels in the MTM, it explores possible interrelations between different channels and their impact on prices and the real economy. The empirical findings for Central and Eastern Europe are then briefly compared with results for industrialized countries, especially for the euro area. We highlight potential pitfalls in the literature and assess the relative importance, and potential development, of the different channels, emphasizing the relevant asymmetries between Central and Eastern European countries and the euro area.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/57230/1/wp850 .pd

Innovation surveys: A researcher's perspective

An earlier version of this paper was prepared for the joint OECD/Eurostat workshop on innovation surveys, OECD, Paris, June 30th 1999. The paper addresses some issues about the nature of innovation surveys (particularly the new Community Innovation Surveys) and how they might be improved to take on board several crucial developments in contemporary advanced economies. In particular the following topics are discussed: the increased distribution of innovative activity across firms and networks; the problems of service sector innovation and the comparability of services and manufacturing firms; and the problems of labour in the innovation process.survey; service; innovation

25 Waves of the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP): An Asset to Inter-disciplinary Research

The German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) has been providing representative data records on the population in Germany in annual surveys since 1984, i.e., for almost 25 years. With the 2008's fieldwork, 25 waves have been completed. The SOEP expanded to include a sample from East Germany in 1990 as well as to include special samples on immigration and high-income households. Looking back over 25 years of scientific activity is, for an institution, which is what SOEP has become, also an opportunity to examine its original purpose and resources, the development steps and results that followed, and its current aims.

Measuring social capital – Is there a single underlying explanation?

Social capital has not been measured in any general way yet as previous surveys have used their own ad hoc methodologies. This fact is due to the heterogeneity of the very definition of social capital. Therefore, consensus concerning measurement has not yet been reached. Based on ten existing empirical approaches at the macro, meso and micro level, we inductively identify the four main variables observed this far. By applying principal components analysis, we show that four indicators measuring elements of social capital at the micro, meso and macro levels all powerfully load onto one single underlying component. However, the results from the analyses also show that Putnam’s Instrument is the variable that has the weakest association with the unitary measure of social capital and may constitute a second component.Social capital; measurement; public policy; corruption; civic participation; generalised trust; principal component analysis

How Many Danish Jobs Can (Potentially) Be Done Elsewhere?

This paper employs a new survey technique to arrive at estimates of the proportion of jobs with the characteristic that they can be performed elsewhere than currently, in particular in other countries. The results from the survey which was carried out in November 2008 indicate that the proportion of current jobs with offshorability characteristics in Denmark is in the 20 to 30 percent range. Danish jobs that could potentially be carried out elsewhere are primarily found in the services sector (financial and business services) and they are typically performed by employees from the middle of the wage distributionJobs; offshorability; outsourcing

Monetary Transmission Mechanism in Central & Eastern Europe: Gliding on a Wind of Change

This paper surveys recent advances in empirical studies of the monetary transmission mechanism (MTM), with special attention to Central and Eastern Europe. In particular, while laying out the functioning of the separate channels in the MTM, it explores possible interrelations between different channels and their impact on prices and the real economy. The empirical ndings for Central and Eastern Europe are then briey compared with results for industrialized countries, especially for the euro area. We highlight potential pitfalls in the literature and assess the relative importance, and potential development, of the different channels, emphasizing the relevant asymmetries between Central and Eastern European countries and the euro area.Monetary transmission, transition, Central and Eastern Europe, credit channel, interest rate channel, interest-rate pass-through, exchange rate channel, exchange rate pass-through, asset price channel

Technoligical Life Cycles Regional Clusters Facing Disruption

The phenomenon of technological life cycles is argued to be of great importance in the development of regional clusters. New 'disruptive' technologies may initiate the emergence of new regional industrial clusters and/or create new opportunities for further development of existing ones. However, they may also result in stagnation and decline of the latter. The term disruptive refers to such significant changes in the basic technologies that may change the industrial landscape, even in the shorter run. The paper examines the key features of a regional cluster, where the economic development patterns are quite closely related to the emergence of new key technologies.Technological life cycles, regional clusters, communication technology