The productivity of the public sector in OECD countries: eGovernment as driver of efficiency and efficacy

This article aims at illustrating a theoretical approach to the analysis of the dynamics of productivity in the public sector, and at presenting a preliminary application of it to the estimation of the impact on productivity of the recent development of e-Government processes in a number of OECD countries. Our analysis serves a twofold purpose: at the microeconomic level, we set out to provide individual public administrations (PAs) with an instrument to evaluate the benefits, in terms of output, of alternative projects, particularly through a more efficient organisation of the relevant information. At the macroeconomic level, the aim is to highlight a significant relationship between e-Government and economic growth, as an indicator of social wellbeing.e-Government, ICT, public sector, productivity growth

Pluralism at Risk? Heterodox Economic Approaches and the Evaluation of Economic Research in Italy

We analyze Italy's recent research evaluation exercise (VTR) as a salient example in discussing some internationally relevant issues emerging from the evaluation of research in economics. We claim that evaluation and its criteria, together with its linkage to research institutions' financing, are likely to affect the direction of research in a problematic way. As the Italian case documents, it is specifically economists who adopt unorthodox paradigms or pursue less diffused topics of research that should be concerned about research evaluation and its criteria. After outlining the recent practice of economic research in Italy and highlighting the relevant scope for pluralism that traditionally characterizes it, we analyze the publications submitted for evaluation to the VTR. By comparing these publications to all the entries in the EconLit database authored by economists located in Italy, we find a risk that the adopted ranking criteria may lead to disregarding historical methods in favor of quantitative and econometric methods, and heterodox schools in favor of mainstream approaches. Finally, by summarizing the current debate in Italy, we claim that evaluation should not be refused by heterodox economists, but rather that a reflection on the criteria of evaluation should be put forward at an international level in order to establish fair competition among research paradigms, thus, preserving pluralism in the discipline. © 2010 American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Inc

Infrared: A Key Technology for Security Systems

Infrared science and technology has been, since the first applications, mainly dedicated to security and surveillance especially in military field, besides specialized techniques in thermal imaging for medical diagnostic and building structures and recently in energy savings and aerospace context. Till recently the security applications were mainly based on thermal imaging as surveillance and warning military systems. In all these applications the advent of room temperature, more reliable due to the coolers avoidance, low cost, and, overall, completely integrable with Silicon technology FPAs, especially designed and tailored for specific applications, smart sensors, has really been impacted with revolutionary and new ideas and system concepts in all the infrared fields, especially for security applications. Lastly, the advent of reliable Infrared Solid State Laser Sources, operating up to the Long Infrared Wavelength Band and the new emerging techniques in Far Infrared Submillimeter Terahertz Bands, has opened wide and new areas for developing new, advanced security systems. A review of all the items with evidence of the weak and the strong points of each item, especially considering possible future developments, will be reported and discussed

Gender mainstreaming active inclusion policies

The aim of this report therefore is to inform and help develop gender mainstreaming in active inclusion policies. In order to do this, the report at first reviews gender differences and inequalities in the risks of poverty and social exclusion and it provides a close look at the connections between active inclusion policies and gender equality strategies (Chapters 2 and 3). It then analyses examples of concrete gender mainstreaming in each of the three pillars of active inclusion, i.e. income support (Chapter 4), labour inclusion (Chapter 5) and access to services (Chapter 6). Under each heading, the report summarises available information on the actual policy developments and looks at the results of the policies in terms of gender equality. Finally, Chapter 7 draws some conclusions. The information in this report is mainly provided by the national experts of the EGGSI network of experts in gender equality, social inclusion, healthcare and long-term care and covers 30 European countries (the EU-27 Member States) and the three EEA–EFTA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway)

EUROPEAN HOUSEHOLDS' INCOMES SINCE THE CRISIS

Abstract: We explore the link between personal and functional income distribution at the micro level. We focus on the European experience over the crisis, comparing European households' incomes in 2007, 2012 and 2014. Throughout the period, most households earned income from more than one source, and a positive relation exists between both the capital and labour shares of incomes and total household incomes. We find that functional distribution, i.e. what kind of income a household earns, significantly affects both its position in the income distribution and its chances of mobility within it, and such impact is magnified by the crisis. However, the geography of European house-holds' incomes is much more complex than frequently suggested. In general, the more households depend on labour incomes the more likely they were to move downwards in the income distribution. However, this does not imply that capital incomes made households more likely to move upwards. Resumen: En este artículo exploramos el vínculo entre la distribución personal y funcional de los ingresos a nivel micro. Nos centramos en la crisis económica europea, comparando los ingresos de los hogares europeos en 2007, 2012 y 2014. A lo largo del periodo, la mayoría de los hogares obtuvo ingresos de más de una fuente, existiendo una relación positiva entre ingresos de capital, salario y los ingresos totales del hogar. Encontramos que la distribución funcional, es decir, el tipo de ingreso que un hogar gana, afecta significativamente tanto su posición en la distribución del ingreso como sus posibilidades de movilidad dentro de ella, y ese impacto es amplificado por la crisis. Sin embargo, la geografía de los ingresos de los hogares europeos es mucho más compleja de lo que se suele sugerir. En general, cuanto más dependen de los ingresos laborales, más probable es que los hogares se muevan hacia abajo en la distribución del ingreso. No obstante, esto no implica que los ingresos de capital hicieran más probable la movilidad hacia arriba de los hogares

A package for analytic simulation of econometric models

Some analytic simulation techniques for the analysis of the reduced form and of the dynamic properties of econometric models are described. Comparisons are made with analytical methods available for linear models.Econometric models; structural form; reduced form; analytic simulation; stochastic simulation; impact multipliers; dynamic multipliers; forecast errors; asymptotic standard errors

Simulation properties of alternative methods of estimation: an application to a model of the Italian economy

In this paper the results of six different estimation methods appliead to a linear aggregated model of the Italian economy are at first displayed. Afterwards, the inherent dynamic characteristics and the simulation properties of the six sets of estimates are analyzed. In no case the obtained results show a clear cut prevalence of one estimation method on the others, at least as far as the used indicators are concerned.Econometric models; estimation methods; simulation

Monte Carlo methods in econometrics: a package for the stochastic simulation

In this paper, a package implemented at the Scientific Center of IBM Italy in Pisa for the stochastic simulation of linear and non-linear econometric models is presented. After a survey on the adopted methodologies, the input requirements and the produced output are described in some details, using as a sample the Klein model-l. To finish, the performances of the program are analyzed in terms of storage requirements and computation time.Monte Carlo; econometric models; stochastic simulation

Interactive management of time series

The main purpose of this data base is to offer the researcher a supply of information which can be analyzed, revised and updated in a repetitive way. This can be accomplished by an interactive approach. It is possible to use data from the central file (official data) and from a private single user file. It is possible to write regression equations, as well as algebraic expressions defining transformations of the economic variables.Economic data base; interactive access; transformation of variables; regression analysis

Divergences in the results of stochastic and deterministic simulation of an Italian non linear econometric model

The importance of the simulation (both deterministic and stochastic) in the validation process of a non linear econometric model is underlined. Synthetic results of a large set of simulations on a non linear model of the Italian economy are presented. The benefits and the risks of the stochastic simulation are discussed, with particular emphasis on the problem of the existence of divergences in the results of the two methods of simulation.Stochastic simulation; nonlinear econometric model; divergences of results; model of the Italian economy