1,882 research outputs found
The Informal Politics of Legislation: Explaining Secluded Decision-Making in the European Union
This article investigates a widespread yet understudied trend in EU politics: the shift of legislative decision making from public inclusive to informal se- cluded arenas and the subsequent adoption of legislation as “early agree- ments.” Since its introduction in 1999, “fast-track legislation” has increased dramatically, accounting for 72% of codecision files in the Sixth European Parliament. Drawing from functionalist institutionalism, distributive bargain- ing theory, and sociological institutionalism, this article explains under what conditions informal decision making is likely to occur. The authors test their hypotheses on an original data set of all 797 codecision files negotiated between mid-1999 and mid-2009. Their analysis suggests that fast-track leg- islation is systematically related to the number of participants, legislative workload, and complexity. These findings back a functionalist argument, emphasizing the transaction costs of intraorganizational coordination and in- formation gathering. However, redistributive and salient acts are regularly decided informally, and the Council presidency’s priorities have no significant effect on fast-track legislation. Hence, the authors cannot confirm explana- tions based on issue properties or actors’ privileged institutional positions. Finally, they find a strong effect for the time fast-track legislation has been used, suggesting socialization into interorganizational norms of cooperation
Re-examining the consumption-wealth relationship : the role of model uncertainty
This paper discusses the consumption-wealth relationship. Following the recent influential workof Lettau and Ludvigson [e.g. Lettau and Ludvigson (2001), (2004)], we use data on consumption, assets andlabor income and a vector error correction framework. Key …ndings of their work are that consumption doesrespond to permanent changes in wealth in the expected manner, but that most changes in wealth are transitoryand have no e¤ect on consumption. We investigate the robustness of these results to model uncertainty andargue for the use of Bayesian model averaging. We …nd that there is model uncertainty with regards to thenumber of cointegrating vectors, the form of deterministic components, lag length and whether the cointegratingresiduals a¤ect consumption and income directly. Whether this uncertainty has important empirical implicationsdepends on the researcher's attitude towards the economic theory used by Lettau and Ludvigson. If we workwith their model, our findings are very similar to theirs. However, if we work with a broader set of models andlet the data speak, we obtain somewhat di¤erent results. In the latter case, we …nd that the exact magnitudeof the role of permanent shocks is hard to estimate precisely. Thus, although some support exists for the viewthat their role is small, we cannot rule out the possibility that they have a substantive role to play
Spin accumulation and spin relaxation in a large open quantum dot
We report electronic control and measurement of an imbalance between spin-up and spin-down electrons in micron-scale open quantum dots. Spin injection and detection were achieved with quantum point contacts tuned to have spin-selective transport, with four contacts per dot for realizing a nonlocal spin-valve circuit. This provides an interesting system for studies of spintronic effects since the contacts to reservoirs can be controlled and characterized with high accuracy. We show how this can be used to extract in a single measurement the relaxation time for electron spins inside a ballistic dot (tau(sf) approximate to 300 ps) and the degree of spin polarization of the contacts (P approximate to 0.8).</p
New Young Star Candidates in BRC 27 and BRC 34
We used archival Spitzer Space Telescope mid-infrared data to search for
young stellar objects (YSOs) in the immediate vicinity of two bright-rimmed
clouds, BRC 27 (part of CMa R1) and BRC 34 (part of the IC 1396 complex). These
regions both appear to be actively forming young stars, perhaps triggered by
the proximate OB stars. In BRC 27, we find clear infrared excesses around 22 of
the 26 YSOs or YSO candidates identified in the literature, and identify 16 new
YSO candidates that appear to have IR excesses. In BRC 34, the one
literature-identified YSO has an IR excess, and we suggest 13 new YSO
candidates in this region, including a new Class I object. Considering the
entire ensemble, both BRCs are likely of comparable ages, within the
uncertainties of small number statistics and without spectroscopy to confirm or
refute the YSO candidates. Similarly, no clear conclusions can yet be drawn
about any possible age gradients that may be present across the BRCs.Comment: 54 pages, 19 figures, accepted by A
Ethanol Oxidation and Toxicity: Role of Alcohol P-450 Oxygenase
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66172/1/j.1530-0277.1986.tb05179.x.pd
Evidence on a Real Business Cycle Model with Neutral and Investment-Specific Technology Shocks Using Bayesian Model Averaging
The empirical support for a real business cycle model with two technology shocks is evaluated using a Bayesian model averaging procedure. This procedure makes use of a finite mixture of many models within the class ofvector autoregressive (VAR) processes. The linear VAR model is extendedto permit cointegration, a range of deterministic processes, equilibrium restrictions and restrictions on long-run responses to technology shocks. Wefind support for a number of the features implied by the real business cyclemodel. For example, restricting long run responses to identify technologyshocks has reasonable support and important implications for the short runresponses to these shocks. Further, there is evidence that savings and investment ratios form stable relationships, but technology shocks do not accountfor all stochastic trends in our system. There is uncertainty as to the mostappropriate model for our data, with thirteen models receiving similar support, and the model or model set used has signficant implications for theresults obtained
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