Comparative Economic Systems and the New Comparative Economics: Foes, Competitors, or Complementary?

The field of comparative economic systems has been recently enriched by the arrival of the new comparative economics. This approach is in the line of the law and finance tradition and presents an important contribution under different perspectives. In the paper I present the most important propositions of this new approach and I evaluate them in the light of the problems that the comparative study of economic systems traditionally considers. The conclusion is that this new approach can give important contributions to the development of the discipline in particular fields, but falls short of its pretended general validity.Comparative Economic Systems, Comparative Economics, New Comparative Economics

Analysis, interpretation, and the local dimension of economic transformation: What went wrong and why?

Transformation has been put in motion by a variety of both endogenous and exogenous forces. Although not any process was under the control of those countries, their choice of goals and instruments was anyway particularly great, at least theoretically. However, transformation was implemented as a rather narrowly defined and technically circumscribed problem-solving process aiming at applying sound general principles of economics and management to reach well-defined goals. It turned out to generate new problems and resulted in different outcomes in different countries and, within individual countries, in different territories. This paper treats transformation as innovation and considers that it had to deal with different dimensions, including both general principles and local features, opportunities, and constraints, and both analysis based on problem-solving, and interpretation of the new situation. These dimensions should have been managed simultaneously, but failed to do so. The paper provides a general explanation for the failure in managing simultaneously the various components of transformation and considers what the 2008 international crisis has revealed of the implementation of 20 years of transformation.Transformation, Local development, Reform, Analysis, Interpretation, Crisis, Washington Consensus, Innovation

The Eurozone Crisis: Institutional Setting, Structural Vulnerability, and Policies

The unfolding of the crisis in the Eurozone can be explained by the interaction of institutional features and policy failures, and by their interconnection with real and financial imbalances. The crisis has shown that internal divergence in the EZ is based on important structural components which are unsustainable in the long run. Indeed, the crisis has magnified the gap between the vulnerable peripheral member countries and a more resilient core. The paper analyses those factors that opened the way to the diffusion of the financial and economic crisis in the Eurozone. It also discusses the structural consequences of these events and critically analyses the institutional and political reforms which the Eurozone is facing in order to enhance its capability to cope with external shocks.Eurozone; European Union; European Monetary Union; euro; Common fiscal parameters; Real convergence; Productivity

The role of universities in local development

The paper deals with the role that universities can have in promoting innovation in general and at local and regional level in particular. In doing this, the nature of universities and the quality of their relations to industry and governments is of paramount importance. During the last three decades university-industry relationships and the supportive role of governments moved from more general, upstream approaches in line with the traditional public role of universities to more specific, downstream focused approaches. The latter approaches lead to universities playing directly an economically useful role. This move is complementary to the move in the dominant relationship between universities and industry from large transnational companies and few large and prestigious universities to mostly small and medium size enterprises and regional universities. Universities contribution to local development is thus increasingly important, although not without dangers for the integrity of universities. Yet it turns out that producing knowledge is not enough and also the absorptive capacity of the local context and its actors is necessary. The concept of learning regions is aimed to stress this relationship and is therefore particularly useful and productive to analyze and understand the role of universities in innovation

The Future of the Eurozone: Towards a European Benchmark*

The European sovereign debt crisis has demonstrated the need for a rethinking of the European Integration Project. The strong variety between member countries prevented the Eurozone to become a fiscal and political union and the asymmetric architecture of the European Monetary Union (EMU) revealed different weaknesses. The outbreak of the Covid-19 emergency may represent a turning point for the EU and makes even more evident that the future of the Eurozone will depend also on the ability of member countries to make their institutional frameworks coexist. Helping member countries to achieve sustainable and stable outcomes, although in idiosyncratic ways, is the task of the European benchmark. It is a framework, inspired by European treaties, that aims to identify inefficiencies in terms of market, state and social failures and negative externalities inside economic, social, and political institutions. This benchmark represents a new tool for a correct evaluation of the economic, social, and political performance of the European member countries.   Note: * A non peer-reviewed version of this article was published as TIGER Working Paper Series No. 143, Warsaw, February 2021).   Cite this paper: Casagrande, Sara; & Dallago, Bruno (2022). "The Future of the Eurozone: Towards a European Benchmark" Journal of World Economy: Transformations & Transitions (JOWETT) 1(03):14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52459/jowett1314012

effect of the geometrical defectiveness on the mechanical properties of slm biomedical ti6al4v lattices

Abstract Metallic lattice biomaterials can be very complex structures that are often impossible to be fabricated with other manufacturing technologies than additive manufacturing (AM). Residual stresses and geometric defects such as severe notches and distorted struts are inevitably introduced into the printed structures and these can affect the mechanical and biological properties. Micro X-ray Computed Tomography (µCT) has been proven to be a very powerful tool for accurately measuring the mismatch between the as-designed CAD model and the SLM structure. In this work, selective laser melting (SLM) Ti6Al4V lattices were measured using a metrological µCT system to identify and classify the geometrical distortions introduced by the printing process. The µCT measurements have also been used to build Finite Element (FE) models based on beam elements that make possible a quantification of the effect of these defects on the elastic modulus of the lattice by comparison with FE models based on the ideal geometry. Moreover, solid FE models of the junctions between the struts have been built by importing the CT data in Ansys® to calculate the stress concentrations caused by the severe notches

Predicting right-wing authoritarianism via personality and dangerous world beliefs: Direct, indirect, and interactive effects.

In an Italian sample (N=483, 78.23% women, mean age = 27.61 years old), we used structural equation modeling with latent variables and interactions to analyze the direct, indirect, and interactive effects exerted on right-wing authoritarianism by the Big Five factors of personality and by dangerous world beliefs. Openness, Neuroticism, and Conscientiousness exerted direct effects on right-wing authoritarianism; the first two relationships were partially mediated by dangerous world beliefs. Most importantly, the relationship between dangerous world beliefs and right-wing authoritarianism was moderated by Openness: dangerous world beliefs significantly influenced right-wing authoritarianism solely for participants high in Openness. Limitations and possible developments of this research are discussed. \ua9 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

Statistical significance of notch fatigue prognoses based on the strain-energy-density method: Application to conventionally and additively manufactured materials

The inverse search determination of the strain-energy–density (SED) control radius R1 devised in Benedetti et al. Int J Fatigue 2019;126:306–318 and based on the knowledge of the notch fatigue factor estimated using an optimal V-notch specimen geometry is here reformulated to take into account the statistical properties of the input fatigue properties. It was found that R1 exhibits a non-symmetric probability density function that is well represented by a skew-normal distribution. The uncertainty in R1 can be attributed to the uncertainty in the inverse search procedure and to the material variability in notch sensitivity. By applying the devised procedure to real experimental data, it was found that the former contribution is preponderant in the assessment of very sharp notches, while the latter dictates the fatigue strength of blunt notches, especially in the case of intrinsically flawed materials, such as those additively manufactured