The determinants of public sector size: Theoretical approaches and empirical estimates for local government in the Federal Republic of Germany

The growth of government has become a global phenomenon which, over the years, has attracted a great deal of attention and continues to do so. This growth has not been uniform, neither in time nor in space, and it was the factors underlying these differences interest has focused on. No comprehensive theory, however, has yet emerged from the prolific and varied literature. Instead, a number of approaches was developed, each of them an incomplete explanation of a complex phenomenon. A problem common to all of them when it comes to testing hypotheses empirically, is the measurement of total public sector economic activity. For lack of data, it is usually approximated by public expenditures. Most probably, this understates the role of government in economic life, since many of its activities, while unrecorded in the budget, redirect resources just as taxation and public spending do. Typical examples are consumer and worker safety regulation, public utility price and output regulation in certain industries, and tax expenditures.

Ausgabenkürzungen im öffentlichen Sektor.

Öffentliche Ausgaben; Deutschland; Schweiz;

Regulierungen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt der Bundesrepublik.

Arbeitsmarktpolitik; Arbeitsrecht; Regulierung; Deregulierung; Deutschland; Industriestaaten;

Discrepancy in exchangeable and soluble ammonium-induced effects on aerobic methane oxidation: a microcosm study of a paddy soil

Ammonium-induced stimulatory, inhibitory, and/or neutral effects on soil methane oxidation have been attributable to the ammonium concentration and mineral forms, confounded by other edaphic properties (e.g., pH, salinity), as well as the site-specific composition of the methanotrophic community. We hypothesize that this inconsistency may stem from the discrepancy in the cation adsorption capacity of the soil. We postulate that the effects of ammonium on the methanotrophic activity in soil are more accurately portrayed by relating methane uptake rates to the soluble ammonium (bioavailable), rather than the exchangeable (total) ammonium. To reduce adsorption (exchangeable) sites for ammonium in a paddy soil, two successive pre-incubation steps were introduced resulting in a 1000-fold soil dilution (soil enrichment), to be compared to a soil slurry (tenfold dilution) incubation. Ammonium was supplemented as NH4Cl at 0.5–4.75gL−1 after pre-incubation. While NH4Cl significantly stimulated the methanotrophic activity at all concentrations in the soil slurry incubation, methane uptake showed a dose-dependent effect in the soil enrichment. The trend in methane uptake could be explained by the soluble ammonium concentration, which was proportionate to the supplemented ammonium in the soil enrichment. In the soil slurry incubation, a fraction (36–63%) of the supplemented ammonium was determined to be adsorbed to the soil. Accordingly, Methylosarcina was found to predominate the methanotrophic community after the incubation, suggesting the relevance of this methanotroph at elevated ammonium levels (< 3.25gL−1 NH4Cl). Collectively, our results showed that the soluble, rather than the exchangeable ammonium concentration, is relevant when determining the effects of ammonium on methane oxidation, but this does not exclude other (a)biotic factors concurrently influencing methanotrophic activity

EG-Politik auf dem Prüfstand : Wirkungen auf Wachstum u. Strukturwandel in d. Bundesrepublik.

Wirtschaftspolitische Wirkungsanalyse; EU-Staaten; Deutschland;

Discrepancy in exchangeable and soluble ammonium-induced effects on aerobic methane oxidation: a microcosm study of a paddy soil

Ammonium-induced stimulatory, inhibitory, and/or neutral effects on soil methane oxidation have been attributable to the ammonium concentration and mineral forms, confounded by other edaphic properties (e.g., pH, salinity), as well as the site-specific composition of the methanotrophic community. We hypothesize that this inconsistency may stem from the discrepancy in the cation adsorption capacity of the soil. We postulate that the effects of ammonium on the methanotrophic activity in soil are more accurately portrayed by relating methane uptake rates to the soluble ammonium (bioavailable), rather than the exchangeable (total) ammonium. To reduce adsorption (exchangeable) sites for ammonium in a paddy soil, two successive pre-incubation steps were introduced resulting in a 1000-fold soil dilution (soil enrichment), to be compared to a soil slurry (tenfold dilution) incubation. Ammonium was supplemented as NH4Cl at 0.5–4.75gL−1 after pre-incubation. While NH4Cl significantly stimulated the methanotrophic activity at all concentrations in the soil slurry incubation, methane uptake showed a dose-dependent effect in the soil enrichment. The trend in methane uptake could be explained by the soluble ammonium concentration, which was proportionate to the supplemented ammonium in the soil enrichment. In the soil slurry incubation, a fraction (36–63%) of the supplemented ammonium was determined to be adsorbed to the soil. Accordingly, Methylosarcina was found to predominate the methanotrophic community after the incubation, suggesting the relevance of this methanotroph at elevated ammonium levels (< 3.25gL−1 NH4Cl). Collectively, our results showed that the soluble, rather than the exchangeable ammonium concentration, is relevant when determining the effects of ammonium on methane oxidation, but this does not exclude other (a)biotic factors concurrently influencing methanotrophic activity

The determinants of public sector size: theoretical approaches and empirical estimates for local government in the Federal Republic of Germany

Available from Bibliothek des Instituts fuer Weltwirtschaft, ZBW, Duesternbrook Weg 120, D-24105 Kiel C 140956 / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman

Leistungsanreize und Wachstumsdynamik - die Sozialpolitik in den westlichen Besatzungszonen bzw. der Bundesrepublik Deutschland 1945 - 1957

SIGLEAvailable from Bibliothek des Instituts fuer Weltwirtschaft, ZBW, Duesternbrook Weg 120, D-24105 Kiel C 147112 / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman