Exploring Convergence in some OECD Public Social Expenditure Trends

Triggered by the phenomenon of globalisation, during recent years there has been a process of State policy rationalisation in the social expenditure domain; hence the debate over the present role and dimension of welfare state has intensified. Following on the extensive multidisciplinary literature on this issue, the purpose of this paper is two-fold 1) to apply a more traditional analysis of convergence (sigma and beta convergence) in public social expenditures and 2) to analyse public social expenditure allocation expressed as a % of GDP and derive a possible classification of the countries by means of a multivariate approach. We conclude by explaining some similarities in the expenditure behaviour of certain countries in terms of the policy transfer process. Our results can be interpreted as a further contribution to the literature on contemporary public policy evaluation in the welfare domain.Policy Making, Welfare Programme, Public social Expenditures, Policy Transfer, principal component analysis, cluster analysis

Quantum control and long-range quantum correlations in dynamical Casimir arrays

The recent observation of the dynamical Casimir effect in a modulated superconducting waveguide, coronating thirty years of world-wide research, empowered the quantum technology community with a powerful tool to create entangled photons on-chip. In this work we show how, going beyond the single waveguide paradigm using a scalable array, it is possible to create multipartite nonclassical states, with the possibility to control the long-range quantum correlations of the emitted photons. In particular, our finite-temperature theory shows how maximally entangled $NOON$ states can be engineered in a realistic setup. The results here presented open the way to new kinds of quantum fluids of light, arising from modulated vacuum fluctuations in linear systems

Exploring public social expenditure trends in the globalization era

Triggered by the phenomenon of globalisation, during recent years there has been a process of State policy rationalisation in the social expenditure domain; hence the debate over the present role and dimension of welfare state has intensified. Following on the extensive multidisciplinary literature on this issue, the purpose of this paper is two-fold 1) to apply a traditional analysis of convergence (sigma and beta convergence) in public social expenditures and 2) to analyse public social expenditure allocation expressed as a % of GDP and derive a possible classification of the countries by means of a multivariate approach. Our results, revealing that some convergence in the expenditure domain occurred for certain Southern and Northern European countries, can be interpreted as a further contribution to the literature on contemporary public policy evaluation in the welfare domain.peer-reviewe

Exploring public social expenditure trends in the globalization era

Triggered by the phenomenon of globalisation, during recent years there has been a process of State policy rationalisation in the social expenditure domain; hence the debate over the present role and dimension of welfare state has intensified. Following on the extensive multidisciplinary literature on this issue, the purpose of this paper is two-fold 1) to apply a traditional analysis of convergence (sigma and beta convergence) in public social expenditures and 2) to analyse public social expenditure allocation expressed as a % of GDP and derive a possible classification of the countries by means of a multivariate approach. Our results, revealing that some convergence in the expenditure domain occurred for certain Southern and Northern European countries, can be interpreted as a further contribution to the literature on contemporary public policy evaluation in the welfare domain.peer-reviewe

Windowed PWM: a Configurable Modulation Scheme for Modular Multilevel Converter Based Traction Drives

This article introduces a modulation technique for modular multilevel converter (MMC) in variable speed traction drives for electrical transportation referred as windowed pulsewidth modulation (W-PWM). The windowed PWM (W-PWM) is derived by blending the principles of operation of conventional modulation schemes for MMC based on the nearest level control (NLC) and on PWM with the aim of combining their inherent strengths and offering a higher degree of flexibility. This can reduce switching losses compared to classical PWM schemes and lower the current harmonic distortion compared to NLC schemes. The window in which the PWM is applied can be seen as an additional degree of freedom that allows a dynamic optimization of the performance of the traction drive depending on its operating characteristics. The performance of the W-PWM technique is assessed in this article for several operating conditions and compared with conventional schemes based on NLC and on the phase opposition disposition PWM with both numerical simulation and experimental verification on a small-scale prototype. Results demonstrate the flexibility of the W-PWM and its potential for applications in electrical traction drives. © 1986-2012 IEEE.acceptedVersio

Design of an underground railway station beneath a historic building in Rome and class A predictions of the induced effects

The railway station Flaminio, currently located at street level, will be relocated underground to connect the railway with the existing line A metro station. This paper describes the technical and technological solutions adopted in the design to minimize tunnelling-induced effects on the surface and, in particular, on an old masonry building, whose foundations are very close to the roof of the new three-tunnel station. To reduce the risks, pre-confinement works and soil improvements were designed; furthermore, a very stiff pre-support system consisting of 36 horizontal steel pipes filled with concrete, located just above the tunnels and installed using a special Micro Tunnel Boring Machine, was devised. The paper also presents the numerical models developed both in 2D and 3D to study the soil-structure interaction and the class A predictions in terms of expected settlements and potential damages induced

l1-Regularization in Portfolio Selection with Machine Learning

In this work, we investigate the application of Deep Learning in Portfolio selection in a Markowitz mean-variance framework. We refer to a l1 regularized multi-period model; the choice of the l1 norm aims at producing sparse solutions. A crucial issue is the choice of the regularization parameter, which must realize a trade-off between fidelity to data and regularization. We propose an algorithm based on neural networks for the automatic selection of the regularization parameter. Once the neural network training is completed, an estimate of the regularization parameter can be computed via forward propagation. Numerical experiments and comparisons performed on real data validate the approach

Una Prima Stima del Residuo Fiscale e del suo Effetto sulla Localizzazione delle Imprese in Cina

In the present work we analyze fiscal differences among Chinese provinces using indexes built on the concept of fiscal residuum. Our analysis help us to verify the role of public transfers in promoting both fiscal equalization and competition among provinces. We further study the impact of the fiscal residua on the localization of foreign enterprises. Our first results show that enterprises are conditioned, in their localization choices, by the general welfare conditions of each jurisdiction. Our results underscore the role of local and central institutions in affecting the productive structures.Public Finance, Fiscal Policy, Revenue, Subsidies, Fiscal residuum