Property rights in Kosovo - Analyzing the impact on access to credit

After the war in Kosovo in 1999 there was much confusion over property ownerships. This essay examines the importance of increased property rights for economic development in the region since then. The link in focus is that between the decisions over property disputes after 1999 and the access to bank credit. Because of the short time frame, no data can with accuracy reveal the connection between the juridical efforts to solve the property rights situation in Kosovo and bank lending. In addition therefore, other macroeconomical data are used to analyze the effects of other factors on lending. Showing a significant causality is difficult without field studies or larger amounts of data. In this essay, signs of a connection between property rights and bank lending are however observed, where the influence of other factors can be deemed excluded. The connection is attributed to the increased access to credit when bank customers can use their legally owned property as collateral security. When looking at the broader macroeconomical landscape, there are strong indications that credit rationing has been prevalent on the credit market. The interplay between property rights and credit access and how it relates to credit rationing is explained as well. The attention of economists is increasingly turning to the role of well functioning institutions. This essay provides a method by which to study a phenomenon like property rights, even as access to and reliance on the data is severely limited. No previous study found can be closely related to this analysis. There are quantitative examinations of legal ownership in relation to access to credit, but not in any context similar to that of Kosovo

Cartelizing Taxes: Understanding the OECD’s Campaign against “Harmful Tax Competition”

Formed in 1961 to promote global economic and social well-being, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has become the collective voice of rich countries on international tax issues. After an initial focus on improving commerce through addressing double taxation issues, the organization shifted to a focus on restricting tax competition and increasing automatic exchanges of tax information. In this paper we analyze the reasons for this shift in policy focus. After describing the history of the OECD’s work on taxation, we examine the OECD’s project against "harmful tax competition" as it has played out since its launch in the 1990s. We analyze the mechanisms behind the project from a public choice perspective. While typical economic models portray tax competition as a prisoner’s dilemma between governments, a more powerful perspective is of the incentives of politicians and bureaucrats. We conclude that the project against tax competition is an example of the interplay between the interests of politicians and international bureaucrats. The OECD project illustrates the role that international organizations play in competition among interest groups

The Political Economy of Special Economic Zones

Abstract. This paper is a first attempt to apply a robust political economy framework to explain when Special Economic Zones (SEZs) can contribute to economic development. A robust political economy is one that channels the actions of self-interested individuals with limited information to promote economic progress. In the right institutional context, SEZs tend to promote economic growth. In the wrong institutional context, they can cause resource misallocation and rent-seeking. Policy makers introducing SEZs must overcome the knowledge problem to avoid misdirected economic planning. Yet, the scheme can only fulfill its purpose if it also prevents destructive rent-seeking behavior, both from businesses and from government authorities. The political economy framework of SEZs can be applied to judge their potential efficacy, something that orthodox studies of country features such as natural resources, infrastructure and zone location fail to do. The Indian and Chinese experiences with SEZs illustrate these points.

Special economic zones and liberalization avalanches

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to show under what conditions a special economic zone will succeed at spurring development and at sparking broader liberalization. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use a combination of formal modeling and case studies. Findings: Most special economic zones fail because of rent-seeking. Successful zones create positive economic and political externalities to other regions. Credible reforms are associated with turning the opposition to the zones into supporters, as a consequence to the positive externalities. Originality/value: The authors add heterogeneity to the model of political elite dynamics, which leads to significant enhancements of the model and removes the pro-centralization bias of the Blanchard and Shleifer's (2001) model. They also criticize Weingast's federalism model as applied to China. Success of China is explained by a different mechanism, which we put forth in this paper. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

" Det kan vara grönt och ha taggar som är mjuka" : Språkstimulerande aktiviteter i utomhusmiljö

Syftet med det här utvecklingsarbetet var att planera och genomföra språkstimulerande aktiviteter i utomhusmiljö för att se om det främjade barns lärande i språk, samt se vilken roll lärarens arbete hade. Vi planerade och genomförde tio aktiviteter i en förskoleklass och i en årskurs fyra med totalt 32 elever. Aktiviteterna genomfördes i växelverkan mellan inomhusmiljö och utomhusmiljö. De metoder som användes för dokumentation var observationer och loggbok samt studerande av tidigare forskning och litteratur. Resultatet visade att utemiljön var en språkstimulerande miljö för eleverna vilket synliggjordes under arbetsprocessen samt i elevernas slutprodukter. De elever som deltog visade ett engagemang och nyfikenhet inför aktiviteterna. Vår slutsats är att vi kommer att använda oss av utemiljön som ett komplement till det traditionella klassrummet eftersom vi anser att det gav både oss och eleverna inspiration. Vi har insett vikten av att våga använda varierande lärandemilj

Cartelizing Taxes: Understanding the OECD\u27s Campaign against Harmful Tax Competition

Formed in 1961 to promote global economic and social well-being, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has become the collective voice of rich countries on international tax issues. After an initial focus on improving commerce through addressing double taxation issues, the organization shifted to a focus on restricting tax competition and increasing automatic exchanges of tax information. In this paper we analyze the reasons for this shift in policy focus. After describing the history of the OECD\u27s work on taxation, we examine the OECD\u27s project against harmful tax competition as it has played out since its launch in the 1990s. We analyze the mechanisms behind the project from a public choice perspective. While typical economic models portray tax competition as a prisoner\u27s dilemma between governments, a more powerful perspective is of the incentives of politicians and bureaucrats. We conclude that the project against tax competition is an example of the interplay between the interests of politicians and international bureaucrats. The OECD project illustrates the role that international organizations play in competition among interest group

Klimathistorisk databas för Sverige 1500-1870

Information about weather-related conditions in Sweden during the period 1500-1870 has been extracted from various historical documents. The information is presented as cited text, together with the date and geographical region for which the information is relevant. Since the database essentially consists of excerpts from different historical documentary sources of various kinds (Institutional chronicles, accountings, private weather diaries etc) the language is Swedish, though citations of original texts are occasionally given in other languages whenever relevant and when other languages were originally used. See the Swedish description for more information. The database contains a large number of contemporary descriptions for the period 1500–1870 from various types of documents — direct observations in diaries, administrative notes on activities that have been affected by weather conditions, letter collections, newspaper articles, etc. — of weather conditions in Sweden within current borders. ** Database file structure and content: The database is collected in a spreadsheet (xlsx). The same information is also presented in a semicolon-separated text file (csv) (character set: Western Europe, ISO-8859-15 / EURO). File size: 1.6 MB (xlsx) and 4.1 MB (csv). The number of file rows, including the title row, is 20896. In addition to the data file itself, the dataset also contains a source list in xlsx format. The file has two pages: "Otryckta källor" (unprinted sources) and "Bibliografi" (bibliography). The same information is also presented in two comma-separated csv files (character set: Western Europe, ISO-8859-15 / EURO). The main database file contains information in eight columns with the following headings (here also translated to English): * År (year) * Månad (month) * Dag (day) * Annan tidsangivelse (other time indication) * Område (area) * Väder (weather) * Källa (source) * Ytterligare hänvisning/information (additional reference / information) The database main language is Swedish. Quotations of writings in old language are generally preserved as in their original spellings. For a more detailed description of the database content, please see the Swedish data description. ** Main sources and collection method: The data collection was performed by systematically reading through available archive material and literature relevant to the subject. Information that was considered to be of value for climate history was entered into the database, either as a quotation or in the form of comments, together with an indication of the source material for each individual item (row) in the database. Each such item refers to a more or less specified geographical location and either a specific date or an approximate time period. Data have been collected along three main channels: unprinted archive material, printed sources and literature. Unprinted archive material has been retrieved mainly from the National Archives. For the period 1500–1540, data comes mainly from the database of the "Svenskt diplomatariums huvudkartotek" (Sdhk) (Swedish diplomatarium's main file). For the time thereafter, data from, among others, the "Riksregistraturet" (national registry), a collection of copies of letters issued by the "kungliga kansliet" (royal chancellery), has been used. Several unprinted letters, diaries, accounts and reports have also been searched. A particularly extensive individual source is Märta Helena Reenstierna's (known as the Årsta lady) diaries from Årsta Gård in Stockholm, written during the period 1793–1839 and kept in the Nordic Museum's archives. These diaries contain a large number of notes on local weather conditions. More than half of all individual entries in the database originate from the Årsta diaries. Printed sources include editions of source publications such as Gustav Vasa's (King Gustav I of Sweden) letters in 29 volumes. There are also the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences' Transactions which, among other things, contain meteorological observations. The category literature contains a number of local historical presentations. There are also early attempts at climate historical overviews and interpretations. Corporate history and military history literature have also been used. ** The roles of primary researchers during the construction of the database The main part of the work with building up the database was done during the period 2006–2010 by Johan Söderberg, Lotta Leijonhufvud, Dag Retsö and Ulrica Söderlind at the Department of Economic History, Stockholm University, under the leadership of Johan Söderberg. Curation of the database prior to publication in SND was carried out during 2019–2020 by Lotta Leijonhufvud in collaboration with Anders Moberg, Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University. Previous, unpublished, versions of the database have been used in the following studies (see list of publications): - Edvinsson et al. (2009). Väder, skördar och priser i Sverige. - Leijonhufuvud et al. (2010). Five centuries of Stockholm winter/spring temperatures reconstructed from documentary evidence and instrumental observations. - Wetter et al. (2014). The year-long unprecedented European heat and drought of 1540 – a worst case. - Retsö (2015). Documentary evidence of historical floods and extreme rainfall events in Sweden 1400–1800.Databasen innehåller ett stort antal samtida beskrivningar från olika typer av dokument - direkta observationer i dagböcker, kamerala notiser om verksamheter som har påverkats av väderförhållanden, brevsamlingar, tidningsartiklar etc. - av väderförhållanden i Sverige inom nuvarande gränser. Tidsramen begränsas till perioden 1500-1870, men huvuddelen av arbetsinsatsen för datainsamling lades på tiden före de instrumentella temperaturmätningarnas början på 1700-talet. Databasen kan användas exempelvis för att belysa hur vädret påverkade en rad aktiviteter i det förindustriella samhället, såsom jordbruk, krigföring, sjöfart och bergshantering. Kartläggningar av extrema väderförhållanden kan vara ett annat användningsområde, liksom regionala jämförelser. Databasen skapades för projektet ”En svensk klimathistoria för nya tiden”, finansierat av Vetenskapsrådet 2006-2008, med fortsättning i projektet ”European climate of the last millennium (MILLENNIUM)”, finansierat av EU FP6 år 2006-2010. Professor Johan Söderberg, Ekonomisk-historiska institutionen, Stockholms universitet, var initiativtagare. Övriga medverkande var Lotta Leijonhufvud, Dag Retsö, Ulrica Söderlind och Anders Moberg. Databasen innehåller ett stort antal samtida beskrivningar för perioden 1500–1870 från olika typer av dokument — direkta observationer i dagböcker, kamerala notiser om verksamheter som har påverkats av väderförhållanden, brevsamlingar, tidningsartiklar etc. — av väderförhållanden i Sverige inom nuvarande gränser. ** Databasens filstruktur och innehåll: Databasen är samlad i ett kalkylark (xlsx). Samma information presenteras också i en semikolon-separerad textfil (csv) (teckenuppsättning: Western Europe, ISO-8859-15/EURO). Filstorlek: 1,6 MB (xlsx) och 4,1 MB (csv). Antalet filrader, inklusive rubrikrad, är 20896. Utöver själva datafilen innehåller datasetet också en källförteckning i xlsx-format. Filen har två blad: "Otryckta källor" och "Bibliografi". Samma information presenteras också i två komma-separerade csv-filer (teckenuppsättning: Western Europe, ISO-8859-15/EURO). Den huvudsakliga filen med databasen innehåller information i åtta kolumner med följande rubriker: * År * Månad * Dag * Annan tidsangivelse * Område * Väder * Källa * Ytterligare hänvisning/information Tidpunkten för en väderobservation anges i kolumnerna "År", "Månad" och "Dag". När informationen inte finns tillgänglig i detta format används kolumnen "Annan tidsangivelse", t ex "Hösten" eller "Mellan 19/2 och 2/3". I vissa av dessa fall har koden 99 använts i kolumnen "Månad". Datumangivelserna för hela tidsperioden 1500-1870 är återgivna i enlighet med den gregorianska kalendern och kan därför avvika från ursprungskällornas för tiden före år 1753, då den gregorianska kalendern infördes i Sverige. Kolumnen "Område" anger ett ortsnamn eller annat geografiskt område som en observation avser. Beskrivningarna av vädret, och annan information som är relaterad till vädret, återfinns i kolumnen "Väder". Dessa beskrivningar bygger på såväl samtida otryckta och tryckta källor som på äldre eller modern litteratur. Information om konsekvenserna av olika slags väderförhållanden för människorna har tagits med så långt det varit möjligt. Det kan exempelvis handla om skördeutfall, torka, översvämningar mm. Kolumnen "Källa" anger en referens till det dokument där informationen om vädret finns. Det kan vara antingen i en originalkälla från den tid då väderhändelsen skedde eller en senare källa. Om det senare finns ofta originalkällan angiven i kolumnen ”Ytterligare hänvisning/information”. I vissa fall ges viss ytterligare relevant information från aktuell källa i denna kolumn. Kolumnen "Ytterligare hänvisning/information" används i de fall då relevant kompletterande källhänvisning eller annan information utöver det som står i kolumnen "Källa" finns tillgänglig. ** Huvudsakliga källor och insamlingsmetod: Datainsamlingen utfördes genom att systematiskt läsa igenom tillgängligt arkivmaterial och för ämnet relevant litteratur. Information som ansågs vara av klimathistoriskt värde infördes i databasen, antingen som ett citat eller i form av kommentarer, tillsammans med angivande av källmaterialet till varje enskild post (rad) i databasen. Varje sådan post avser en mer eller mindre specifikt angiven geografisk plats och antingen ett specifikt datum eller en ungefärlig tidsrymd. Data har insamlats längs tre huvudfåror: otryckt arkivmaterial, tryckta källor samt litteratur. Otryckt arkivmaterial har hämtats främst från Riksarkivet. För tiden 1500–1540 kommer data huvudsakligen från databasen Svenskt diplomatariums huvudkartotek (Sdhk). För tiden därefter har data från bland annat Riksregistraturet, en samling kopior av skrivelser som utgått från det kungliga kansliet, utnyttjats. Åtskilliga otryckta brev, dagböcker, räkenskaper och rapporter har också genomsökts. En särskilt omfattande enskild källa är Märta Helena Reenstiernas (känd som Årstafrun) dagböcker från Årsta Gård i Stockholm, skrivna under perioden 1793–1839 och förvarade i Nordiska museets arkiv. Dagböckerna innehåller ett stort antal anteckningar om lokala väderförhållanden. Mer än hälften av alla enskilda poster i databasen härrör från Årstadagböckerna. Tryckta källor innefattar utgåvor av källskrifter som Gustav Vasas brev i 29 volymer. Där finns också Vetenskapsakademiens handlingar som bland annat innehåller meteorologiska observationer. Kategorin litteratur rymmer en mängd lokalhistoriska framställningar. Här finns också tidiga försök till klimathistoriska översikter och tolkningar. Även företagshistorisk och militärhistorisk litteratur har använts. ** Primärforskarnas roller under databasens uppbyggnad Huvuddelen av arbetet med uppbyggnad av databasen gjordes under perioden 2006–2010 av Johan Söderberg, Lotta Leijonhufvud, Dag Retsö och Ulrica Söderlind vid ekonomisk-historiska institutionen, Stockholms universitet, under ledning av Johan Söderberg. Kurering av databasen inför publicering i SND utfördes under 2019–2020 av Lotta Leijonhufvud i samarbete med Anders Moberg, institutionen för naturgeografi, Stockholms universitet. Tidigare, opublicerade, versioner av databasen har använts i följande studier (se publikationslistan): - Edvinsson et al. (2009). Väder, skördar och priser i Sverige. - Leijonhufuvud et al. (2010). Five centuries of Stockholm winter/spring temperatures reconstructed from documentary evidence and instrumental observations. - Wetter et al. (2014). The year-long unprecedented European heat and drought of 1540 – a worst case. - Retsö (2015). Documentary evidence of historical floods and extreme rainfall events in Sweden 1400–1800

Five centuries of Stockholm winter/spring temperatures reconstructed from documentary evidence and instrumental observations

Historical documentary sources, reflecting different port activities in Stockholm, are utilised to derive a 500-year winter/spring temperature reconstruction for the region. These documentary sources reflect sea ice conditions in the harbour inlet and those series that overlap with the instrumental data correlate well with winter/spring temperatures. By refining dendroclimatological methods, the time-series were composited to a mean series and calibrated (1756-1841; r (2) = 66%) against Stockholm January-April temperatures. Strong verification was confirmed (1842-1892; r (2) = 60%; RE/CE = 0.55). By including the instrumental data, the quantified (QUAN) reconstruction indicates that recent two decades have been the warmest period for the last 500 years. Coldest conditions occurred during the 16th/17th and early 19th centuries. An independent qualitative (QUAL) historical index was also derived for the Stockholm region. Comparison between QUAN and QUAL shows good coherence at inter-annual time-scales, but QUAL distinctly appears to lack low frequency information. Comparison is also made to other winter temperature based annually resolved records for the Baltic region. Between proxy coherence is generally good although it decreases going back in time with the 1500-1550 period being the weakest period-possibly reflecting data quality issues in the different reconstructions.</p