Determinants of Trade Specialization in the New EU Member States

European integration brings about major impulses for structural change in industry within the enlarged European Union. Underlying paper aims at explaining trade specialization patterns of the new EU member states as suppliers on the EU 15 market. The analysis is based on the key shifts in sectoral developments as shown via changing RCA indicators of relative export shares to the EU15. A dynamic panel analysis displays that the most important factors driving comparative advantages in trade are industrial production, export unit values, FDI, R&D, and low relative wages as compared to the EU 15 countries. The impact of these variables varies considerably when dealing either with total manufacturing, with labour intensive or with high-tech industries.trade specialization, comparative advantage, dynamic panel analysis

REM sleep deprivation during 5 hours leads to an immediate REM sleep rebound and to suppression of non-REM sleep intensity

Nine healthy male subjects were deprived of REM sleep during the first 5 h after sleep onset. Afterwards recovery sleep was undisturbed. During the deprivation period the non-REM EEG power spectrum was reduced when compared to baseline for the frequencies up to 7 Hz, despite the fact that non-REM sleep was not experimentally disturbed. During the recovery interval a significant rebound of REM sleep was observed, which was only accompanied by a very slight increase of power in the lower non-REM EEG frequencies. In order to control for intermittent wakefulness, the same subjects were subjected to non-REM sleep interruption during the first 5 h after sleep onset 2 weeks later. Again subsequent recovery sleep was undisturbed. The interventions resulted in a similar amount of wakefulness in both conditions. During the intervention period, the non-REM EEG power spectrum was only marginally reduced in the delta frequency range. REM sleep duration was only slightly reduced. During the recovery interval, however, a substantial increase in EEG power in the delta frequency range was noted, without notable changes in REM time. It is concluded that an increased pressure for REM sleep results in longer REM episodes and a reduced intensity of non-REM sleep.

Work-based learning and lifelong guidance policies

This Concept Note discusses the relationship between lifelong guidance and work-based learning. While these are distinct activities, they are often advanced as approaches to answering similar broad policy challenges, such as developing a skilled and socially inclusive population, ensuring engagement with education and work, and helping people to progress and live happy and useful lives. This paper argues that lifelong guidance can be particularly useful in relation to work-based learning in three main ways: • Engagement. Increasing citizens’ understanding of work-based learning, the routes into it and the rewards of participation. • Achievement. Helping participants (learners, employers and learning providers) in workbased learning to remain engaged and consider how best to enhance their skills and employability. • Transition. Assisting the effective utilisation of the skills developed within work-based learning by supporting individuals in transitions from work-based learning programmes to sustainable employment

The Youth Guarantee and lifelong guidance

The European Youth Guarantee is an initiative to help link young people aged 16 - 14 to the labour market across all member states. The paper is a Concept Note commissioned by the policy network to explore how guidance activities are being implemented in a range of ways across national youth support programmes and includes practical evidence from 17 member countries. The paper contends that successful and sustainable implementation of the Youth Guarantee Initiative can only be secured through effective integration of lifelong guidance practice into national programmes.European Lifelong Policy Guidance Networ

Exchange Rate Developments and Stock Market Dynamics in Transition Countries: Theory and Empirical Analysis

We present new theoretical approaches to exchange rate determination and stock market price dynamics as well as first empirical results for selected transition countries. The exchange rate is considered as reflecting both the interest parity - with a specific formulation for exchange rate expectations - and impulses from purchasing power parity which in turn is related to a modified monetary approach to exchange rate determination; the modification concerns the role of stock market prices in the demand for money. Our main focus is on the nominal exchange rate. The empirical results for the dollar exchange rate presented, based on quarterly data, are two-stage and three-stage least squares estimations. The three stage estimation reflects - which is a superior approach to the two-stage estimates in terms of exploiting the information in the data of the sample - the theoretical basis, namely that exchange rate dynamics and stock market prices are interdependent. The estimations for Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland show significant coefficients for the lagged exchange rate, the stock market price and US GDP as well as other variables which are significant only in some of the countries considered. The in-sample forecast is excellent for all three countries so that anticipation of future exchange rate changes seems to be possible: this is not only relevant for economic actors but also for the issue of Euro area membership. Moreover, the considerable impact of stock market prices on the nominal exchange rate suggest that problems of stock market bubbles in the US might strongly contribute to unstable exchange rates in Europe.Transition Countries, Exchange Rate Determination, Stock Markets.

Structural Change, Growth and Bazaar Effects in the Single EU Market

This paper analyzes the link between structural change, growth and bazaar effects in the context of open economies. At first we consider the theoretical basis of structural change and discuss the interdependencies between trade, foreign direct investment and innovation dynamics. The empirical analysis puts the focus on traits of innovation and structural change in selected countries. As regards the hypothesis of a bazaar effect we distinguish between gross effects and net effects. The statistics and the analysis of input-output-tables does not provide evidence that bazaar effects would be a critical problem for Germany or other EU countries.Economic Growth, Innovation Dynamics, Structural Change, Open Economies

Structural Change, Innovation and Growth in the Single EU Market

An analysis of structural change along its main dimensions (relative goods and factor prices, shifts in sectoral output and employment shares, and the respective contributions of process and product innovation) is first presented. Next, capital mobility is introduced as well as Sinn's controversial characterization of the large German trade surplus against the backdrop of the increase in international outsourcing. The authors then flesh out the model to show that growth, at least in the medium term, hinges on both demand and supply-side dynamics, with the structure of output and the intensity of trade contributing to growth. Finally, in this exegesis on structural change, innovation, and growth, some dynamic Schumpeterian considerations are offered. The bottom line is that the ability of firms from EU15 countries to rely on imported intermediate products from EU accession countries is the basis for gaining competitiveness in both the global economy and vis-à-vis the United States. It enables them to become more price competitive while restructuring domestic outsourcing in the EU15, making it more focused on producing technologically advanced intermediate products than heretofore. A detailed set of empirical regularities are investigated along two main dimensions: innovation traits and structural change, and Sinn's bazaar effect. International competitiveness is evaluated on the basis of revealed comparative advantage indicators (RCAs) and export unit values (EUVs).Open Economy Macroeconomics, Innovation Dynamics, Structural Change

Crystallite size distribution and dislocation structure determined by diffraction profile analysis: principles and practical application to cubic and hexagonal crystals

Two different methods of diffraction profile analysis are presented. In the first, the breadths and the first few Fourier coefficients of diffraction profiles are analysed by modified Williamson-Hall and Warren-Averbach procedures. A simple and pragmatic method is suggested to determine the crystallite size distribution in the presence of strain. In the second, the Fourier coefficients of the measured physical profiles are fitted by Fourier coefficients of well established ab initio functions of size and strain profiles. In both procedures, strain anisotropy is rationalized by the dislocation model of the mean square strain. The procedures are applied and tested on a nanocrystalline powder of silicon nitride and a severely plastically deformed bulk copper specimen. The X-ray crystallite size distributions are compared with size distributions obtained from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrographs. There is good agreement between X-ray and TEM data for nanocrystalline loose powders. In bulk materials, a deeper insight into the microstructure is needed to correlate the X-ray and TEM results

Covering theorems for Artinian rings

The covering properties of Artinian rings which depend on their additive structure only, are investigated