Has the “External Constraint” Contributed to Italy’s Stagnation? A Critical Event Analysis

Has the strategy of the “external constraint” (voluntarily limiting the country’s policy-making discretion by tying it to the European mast) contributed to Italy’s stagnation over the past twenty-five years? The existing literature is divided on this question. The dominant interpretation is that Italy’s stagnation is due to insufficient liberalization, and that the external constraint has had no negative and even a positive influence. An alternative interpretation emphasizes the demand compression and supply-side effects of the external constraint. Based on three case studies of public debt management, privatization, and labor market policy, this paper reconstructs the process by which the external constraint has affected outcomes. It argues that it has had a negative impact, but more as a necessary condition than as a sufficient one. In other words, it would probably have been possible to manage the external constraint differently to produce better outcomes, but without the external constraint, the stagnation would likely have been less deep.Hat die Strategie des „äußeren Zwangs“ (die freiwillige Einschränkung der politischen Gestaltungsmacht eines Landes durch seine Unterwerfung unter europäische Vorgaben) zu Italiens Stagnation in den letzten 25 Jahren beigetragen? Die vorliegende Literatur ist in dieser Frage zwiegespalten. Die vorherrschende Deutung besagt, dass Italiens Stagnation einer unzureichenden Liberalisierung geschuldet ist und der äußere Zwang keinen negativen, sondern im Gegenteil einen positiven Einfluss gehabt hat. Eine alternative Interpretation verweist jedoch auf die einbrechende Nachfrage und die Angebotseffekte, die der äußere Zwang verursacht. Auf der Grundlage dreier Fallstudien zum öffentlichen Schuldenwesen, zur Privatisierung und zur Arbeitsmarktpolitik rekonstruiert dieser Beitrag den Prozess, durch den der äußere Zwang Resultate beeinflusst hat. Er vertritt die These, dass dieser Zwang zwar einen negativen Einfluss ausgeübt hat, dies jedoch eher als notwendige denn als hinreichende Bedingung. Es wäre, anders ausgedrückt, also wahrscheinlich möglich gewesen, anders mit dem äußeren Zwang umzugehen, und zwar so, dass bessere Resultate erzielt worden wären; ohne diesen Zwang wäre die Stagnation allerdings wohl weniger einschneidend verlaufen.Contents 1 Introduction 2 Explanations of the Italian decline 3 External constraint as a critical event 4 Adoption of the external constraint The 1970s The Maastricht Treaty Entry into EMU 5 Consequences of the external constraint Management of public debt Privatization Industrial relations and labor market policy 6 Concluding remarks Appendix A Appendix B Reference

The Irish Social Partnership and the "Celtic Tiger" Phenomenon

Ireland is the miracle economy of the 1990s. In 15 years, it transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in Europe into one of the richest. Ireland’s record compares favorably not just with other, much touted examples of economic success in the last few years, like the Netherlands and the US, but also with Asian “tigers,” even before the latter’s economic setbacks of the late 1990s. Understanding the sources of Ireland’s economic success is therefore relevant for a much wider audience than just the people of the Emerald Isle.Introduction 1. The development of the Irish social partnership 2. Does social partnership matter? 3. Multinationals, social partnership, and the “Irish disease” a) The role of multinationals b) The moral economy of wages and the “Irish disease” c) The effects of social partnership 4. The politics of wage restraint in Ireland a) Pro-partnership coalitions b) The problem of compliance 5. Concluding remarks Reference

Beyond Varieties of Capitalism: A Growth Model Approach

Mark Blyth, Lucio Baccaro and Jonas Pontusson explain the concept of national ‘growth models’, drawn from their recent book Diminishing Returns: The New Politics of Growth and Stagnation, highlighting how the concept can help us make sense of recent UK economic and political developments

Radiation and magnetic field effects on new semiconductor power devices for HL-LHC experiments

The radiation hardness of commercial Silicon Carbide and Gallium Nitride power MOSFETs is presented in this paper, for Total Ionizing Dose effects and Single Event Effects, under gamma, neutrons, protons and heavy ions. Similar tests are discussed for commercial DC-DC converters, also tested in operation under magnetic field

Das deutsche Wachstumsmodell, 1991–2019

This paper analyzes Germany’s export-led growth model in the years 1991 to 2019 and is specifically aimed at readers with an interest in political economy but without prior knowledge of comparative political economy research. Economic policy operates between the conflicting goals of domestic stabilization and export promotion. German economic growth in the period analyzed was primarily driven by foreign demand, suggesting an unusual calibration of economic policy parameters. This calibration is analyzed in three spheres: fiscal and monetary policy, wage policy, and the finance-housing complex. The growth model had two formative phases, one after the end of the reunification boom and one during the first roughly six to eight years after the introduction of the euro. Restrained fiscal policy, subdued wage growth, and conservative credit and housing policies pushed down domestic growth and inflation but gave the export sector competitive advantages against the background of a price-elastic demand for German export goods. By the end of the period under analysis, the extreme export orientation gave way to a more balanced growth model. The paper concludes with an outlook on possible future paths.Dieser Beitrag analysiert Deutschlands exportorientiertes Wachstumsmodell in den Jahren 1991 bis 2019. Er richtet sich speziell an Leserinnen und Leser mit Interesse an politökonomischen Problemstellungen, aber ohne spezielle Vorkenntnisse über Forschungsansätze der Vergleichenden Politischen Ökonomie. Wirtschaftspolitik bewegt sich in einem Zielkonflikt zwischen Binnenstabilisierung und Exportförderung. Das deutsche Wirtschaftswachstum wurde im untersuchten Zeitraum vor allem von der Auslandsnachfrage getragen, was auf eine ungewöhnliche Kalibrierung der wirtschaftspolitischen Parameter hindeutet. Diese Ausrichtung wird in drei Sphären analysiert: in der Fiskal- und Geldpolitik, der Lohnpolitik und im Finanz-Wohnbau-Komplex. Das Wachstumsmodell hatte zwei formative Phasen, eine nach dem Ende des Wiedervereinigungsbooms und eine während der ersten ungefähr sechs bis acht Jahre nach der Eurogründung. Eine zurückhaltende Fiskalpolitik, ein gedämpftes Lohnwachstum und eine konservative Kredit- und Wohnungsbaupolitik hemmten das Binnenwachstum und die Preisauftriebe, verschafften dem Exportsektor vor dem Hintergrund einer preiselastischen Nachfrage nach deutschen Exportgütern aber Wettbewerbsvorteile. Zum Ende des Analysezeitraums wich die extreme Exportorientierung einem stärker ausbalancierten Wachstumsmodell. Der Beitrag schließt mit einem Ausblick auf mögliche zukünftige Entwicklungspfade.1 Die Forschung über Wachstumsmodelle Theoriehintergründe des Wachstumsmodell-Ansatzes Im Zentrum des Interesses: Nachfrageknappheit als latentes Problem Wie wir vorgehen werden 2 Der Export treibt das deutsche Wachstum Die Nachfragekomponenten des deutschen Wirtschaftswachstums Deutschland verfügt über einen großen Industriesektor Die Nachfrage nach deutschen Exportgütern ist preiselastisch Die regionale Struktur der deutschen Exporte 3 Die Fiskal- und Geldpolitik unterdrückte das Binnenwachstum Die beschwerlichen Neunzigerjahre Deutschlands erstes Jahrzehnt im Euro Die Fiskalpolitik nach der Finanzkrise 4 Die Lohnentwicklung stagnierte Flexible Lohnfindung im Industriesektor Die Lohnentwicklung in den Binnensektoren Normalisierung der Lohnentwicklung nach der Finanzkrise 5 Der konservative deutsche Finanz-Wohnbau-Komplex Die Trends der Neunziger setzen sich nicht fort Der Finanz-Wohnbau-Komplex seit der Finanzkrise 6 Fazit Anhang Literatu

Improvement of several properties of lead tungstate crystals with different doping ions

A very good radiation resistance of Lead Tungstate crystals is mandatory for their use in the high precision electromagnetic calorimeter of the CMS experiment at LHC. Since the beginning of 1996 we have organised systematic investigations of the parameters influencing the radiation hardness of this crystal. Two classes of parameters have been particularly studied, the first one related to the control of the stoichiometry and structure associated defects, the second one connected with the suppression and the charge compensation of existing defects with different kinds of doping ions. This paper reports about the second part of this study and complements a first paper where the role of the stoichiometry was already discussed. Results of tests are given on a significant statistical sample of full size crystals ( 23cm) which show a considerable improvement in the optical properties and the radiation resistance of appropriately doped crystals

Aging measurements on triple-GEM detectors operated with CF4-based gas mixtures

We present the results of a global irradiation test of full size triple-GEM detectors operated with CF 4 -based gas mixtures. This study has been performed in the framework of an R&D activity on detectors for the innermost region of the first muon station of the LHCb experiment. The prototypes have been irradiated at the Calliope facility of the ENEA-Casaccia with a high intensity 1.25 MeV γ 60 Co source. After the irradiation test the detectors performances have been measured with X-rays and with a 3 GeV pion beam at CERN. A SEM analysis on several samples of the detectors has been performed to complete the understanding of the physical processes occurring in a GEM detector during a strong irradiation

The CMS ECAL Barrel HV system

The CMS electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL) comprises 75848 scintillating lead tungstate crystals. 61200 crystals are contained in the ECAL Barrel section and are read out by avalanche photodiode (APD) with internal gain of about 50. This gain is achieved with a high voltage (HV) of about 400 Volts. The gain stability requirement implies a supply voltage stable to within 0.01%. We describe our experience with the installed Barrel HV power supply system, which has been used for data taking since 2008

Surgical site infection after caesarean section. Space for post-discharge surveillance improvements and reliable comparisons

Surgical site infections (SSI) after caesarean section (CS) represent a substantial health system concern. Surveying SSI has been associated with a reduction in SSI incidence. We report the findings of three (2008, 2011 and 2013) regional active SSI surveillances after CS in community hospital of the Latium region determining the incidence of SSI. Each CS was surveyed for SSI occurrence by trained staff up to 30 post-operative days, and association of SSI with relevant characteristics was assessed using binomial logistic regression. A total of 3,685 CS were included in the study. A complete 30 day post-operation follow-up was achieved in over 94% of procedures. Overall 145 SSI were observed (3.9% cumulative incidence) of which 131 (90.3%) were superficial and 14 (9.7%) complex (deep or organ/space) SSI; overall 129 SSI (of which 89.9% superficial) were diagnosed post-discharge. Only higher NNIS score was significantly associated with SSI occurrence in the regression analysis. Our work provides the first regional data on CS-associated SSI incidence, highlighting the need for a post-discharge surveillance which should assure 30 days post-operation to not miss data on complex SSI, as well as being less labour intensive

Metal transfer to sediments, invertebrates and fish following waterborne exposure to silver nitrate or silver sulfide nanoparticles in an indoor stream mesocosm.

The fate of engineered nanomaterials in ecosystems is unclear. An aquatic stream mesocosm was explored the fate and bioaccumulation of silver sulfide nanoparticles (Ag2S NPs) compared to silver nitrate (AgNO3). The aims were to determine the total Ag in water, sediment and biota, and to evaluate the bioavailable fractions of silver in the sediment using a serial extraction method. The total Ag in the water column from a nominal daily dose of 10 μg L-1 of Ag for the AgNO3 or Ag2S NP treatments reached a plateau of around 13 and 12 μg L-1, respectively, by the end of the study. Similarly, the sediment of both Ag-treatments reached ~380 μg Ag kg-1, and with most of it being acid-extractable/labile. The biota accumulated 4-59 μg Ag g-1 dw, depending on the type of Ag-treatment and organism. The oligochaete worm, Lumbriculus variegatus, accumulated Ag from the Ag2S exposure over time, which was similar to the AgNO3 treatment by the end of the experiment. The planarian, Girardia tigrina, and the chironomid larva, Chironomus riparius, showed much higher Ag concentrations than the oligochaete worms; and with a clearer time-dependent statistically significant Ag accumulation relative to the untreated controls. For the pulmonated snail, Physa acuta, bioaccumulation of Ag from AgNO3 and Ag2S NP exposures was observed, but was lower from the nano treatment. The AgNO3 exposure caused appreciable Ag accumulation in the water flea, Daphnia magna, but accumulation was higher in the Ag2S NP treatment (reaching 59 μg g-1 dw). In the rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, AgNO3, but not Ag2S NPs, caused total Ag concentrations to increase in the tissues. Overall, the study showed transfer of total Ag from the water column to the sediment, and Ag bioaccumulation in the biota, with Ag from Ag2S NP exposure generally being less bioavailable than that from AgNO3