Tax Competition in EU implies EMTR different: some effects on FDI and Economic Growth Rate

Tax base mobility in a globalised economy implies that tax policy influences savings, domestic investments and inter-jurisdictional capital mobility. Assuming the existence of spatial and temporal interdependence, using: a data set of EU countries, after the capital market liberalisation, and a longitudinal data technique for pooling time series of cross section; we test how difference in national tax influence capital inflows and outflows. More, using a cointegration analysis on GDP procapita and FDI time series’, we investigate the link between these two paths.Tax Competition, FDI, Economic Growth, Cointegration analysis

CAN FISCAL POLICY EXPLAIN TECHNICAL INEFFICIENCY OF PRIVATISED FIRMS? A PARAMETRIC AND NONPARAMETRIC APPROACH

The massive interests of economic literature about the privatisation gave a notable impulse to the discussion about this theme in the pre and post privatisation firms performance. Basically in every case after privatisation the level of profit increases. Does this mean that privatisation is certainly able to increase efficiency? In this field a large part of the literature leave out the complex problem that public firms usually are subject to objectives and constraints that differently from private firms can affect the overall economic efficiency. Unfortunately many authors ignore the effects of taxation during the process of privatisation, but in real term there are significant tax issues that must be considered by public and private decision maker. In this paper we concentrate the attention on the efficiency measures with the purpose to identify and measure sources of successful performance that can be used in policy planning and allocation of resources. Several techniques to calculate these frontier functions have been used, some of them parametric, others non-parametric to empirically investigate the relationship between taxation on firm’s income and efficiency in the period pre and post-privatisation. In this work we use both econometric and mathematical programming approaches for measuring efficiency. The econometric tool provide maximum likelihood estimates of a stochastic production and cost functions to distinguish noise from inefficiency. Instead, the mathematical programming approaches are nonstochastic and they do not make strict assumptions on the functional form of production and the statistical properties of the data. The general results obtained from the 3 different tools (Stochastic Frontier, Data Envelopment Analysis and Neural Network) are consistent. In fact, we see that privatization enhanced efficiency in three out of four sample firms.Privatization, Fiscal policy, Data Envelopment Analysis, Stochastic Frontier, Neural Network

Centralization and Decentralization of Public Policy in a Complex Framework

The public economic literature of the past century is characterized by a traditional paradigm that ascribes little attention to the spatial dimension. However, contemporary globalization requires that researchers and economists expand their perspectives to consider space conceptualization. What is required in the 21st century is a richer and more realistic framework that broadens existing concepts of socio-economic analysis while overcoming narrow national borders. Although national governments will remain prominent performers in the global market, regional and local governments cannot be ignored because citizens worldwide are exerting greater self-determination in influencing governmental decisions. This paper is focused on the opportunity to analyze the governance of decentralization by the new optimizing procedures provided by complex system theory. The first section of the paper explores the positive and normative issues related to centralization and decentralization in a globalized framework as well as the increased interdependence in power sharing among different jurisdictional level. In the second section, Kauffman’s (1993) contributions are examined as a means of determining if the fitness landscape allows combining the institutional evolution. Finally, this paper concludes highlighting that complex system theory is one of the possible tools useful to redesign the map of institutional sharing power in an era of globalization, considering that it allows catching Pareto improving in the level of welfare

The role of political competition in the link between electoral systems and corruption: an extension

[Abstract] This work provides an extension to an international context of the analysis made by Alfano, Baraldi and Cantabene (2013) on the role of political competition as a channel through which electoral systems affect corruption. Our result conflicts with that found by empirical literature on that topic that makes plurality rules the most virtuous in terms of corruption. Political scientists must be cautious in designing the degree of proportionality of electoral rules without take into account the variation in political competition that follows

The role of political competition in the link between electoral systems and corruption: an extension

This work provides an extension to an international context of the analysis made by Alfano, Baraldi and Cantabene (2013) on the role of political competition as a channel through which electoral systems affect corruption. Our result conflicts with that found by empirical literature on that topic that makes plurality rules the most virtuous in terms of corruption. Political scientists must be cautious in designing the degree of proportionality of electoral rules without take into account the variation in political competition that follows

A survey study on Industry 4.0 readiness level of Italian small and medium enterprises

Abstract The Industry 4.0 (I4.0) paradigm is considered one of the most trending topics in the academic and industrial context, that involves emerging technologies that can make the processes increasingly integrated and provide digital solutions for supporting companies towards the greater flexibility required by the market. To date, the scientific literature strongly addressed the development of enabling technologies and the assessment of their impacts in different industrial contexts. However, there is a lack of studies providing empirical evidence about how manufacturing companies are facing the digital transformation, in particular for smaller industrial realities. For this reason, this paper aims to study the knowledge, readiness, and dissemination level of the I4.0 paradigm and enabling technologies for Italian Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). A web-based survey was conducted, and 77 companies were interviewed. The survey results underline that MSMEs still have limited knowledge about I4.0 and are not well prepared for its implementation

Electoral Systems and Corruption: the Effect of the Proportionality Degree

This work provides a parametric and semi-parametric analysis of the relationship between the proportionality degree of an electoral system and corruption. This allows us to properly consider mixed electoral systems alongside the two traditional ones, proportional and plurality. Results show that a reduction in the proportionality degree within the same proportional system is not beneficial in fighting corruption because it weakens the monitoring power of opponents (their representativeness reduces) without the introduction of the voters’ monitoring. On the contrary, mixed rules allow both monitors to exercise their power to induce politicians to avoid corrupt behaviour. Increasing plurality elements into mixed systems is beneficial only up to certain proportionality degrees, after which the corresponding level of corruption begins to grow. Therefore, for governors who want to adopt mixed electoral systems, the choice of their proportionality degree becomes fundamental

OltreMare - Un progetto per il futuro della Biodiversità del Mediterraneo

Osservatorio e comunicazione. Questo progetto narra dello sguardo degli artisti dell’Accademia di Belle Arti di Palermo sul lavoro di ricerca portato avanti dall’IAS - CNR (ex IAMC) riguardo all’osservazione e alla tutela della Biodiversità e costituisce uno strumento eccellente di comunicazione per un pubblico quanto mai ampio. La divulgazione della scienza è un’attività complessa e sicuramente necessita di competenze e attitudini multidisciplinari oltreché di motivazione ed entusiasmo. La comunicazione delle tematiche scientifiche, di per sè ostiche nella traduzione al grande pubblico, grazie alla forza e all’immediatezza tipica dell’espressione artistica diventa prodigioso spunto di riflessione e di osservazione, sia per i giovani che per la comunità intera. Grazie al progetto Osservatorio della Biodiversità Siciliana, sono state realizzate da partners con competenze istituzionali complementari , quali l’Accademia di Belle Arti di Palermo e l’IAS - CNR di Capo Granitola, delle azioni didattiche e creative di valore scientifico espresse con straordinaria forza e bellezza. La sinergia creata, nata da un rapporto consolidato ormai da tempo, ha portato ad uno scambio tra ricercatori e professori che si sono messi in gioco in uno sforzo congiunto per avvicinare le proprie competenze. In seguito ad un’intensa attività di coordinamento e pianificazione dei lavori, si è riusciti a portare avanti un progetto ambizioso e imponente, coinvolgendo moltissimi ambiti scientifici e altrettante cattedre, sensibilizzando così gli artisti ai temi della Biodiversità. Le opere prodotte, accompagnate da schede scientifiche, hanno dunque acquisito un valore, oltreché artistico, didattico, e restano come testimonianze oggettive, nel percorso culturale, per i visitatori dell’Osservatorio. Questa collaborazione conferma l’importanza e l’opportunità di unire arte e scienza per esaltare la percezione della ricerca scientifica da parte della comunità e ,ancora una volta, si conferma come, per fare “cose straordinarie”, siano più importanti i rapporti umani piuttosto che le competenze tecniche. A tal proposito, un ringraziamento sentito al Prof. Calogero Piro che, con passione e dedizione, ha reso possibile questa esperienza, e al gruppo di Comunicazione EDU Lab dell’IAS - CNR, che è stato, per me, un supporto indispensabile per la realizzazione di questo complesso progetto

IN "POLPO ... SITION" E ALTRI BREVI RACCONTI

Assalito dalla felicità corsi al mare, guardai l’acqua e fui preso da una forza, non mia, non umana che mi trascinò in acqua. Lì venni rapito da fantastiche sensazioni, l’adrenalina salì a mille, vidi un enorme creatura che suscitò in me delle emozioni mai provate prima, si era avvicinata talmente tanto che stava per toccarmi e, appena lo fece, il mio corpo si illuminò magicamente, le mie mani iniziarono pian piano ad assottigliarsi, il mio petto diventava sempre più piccolo e tondo e da lì a poco, ero diventato un polpo