Do countries falsify economic data strategically? Some evidence that they might.

Using Benford's Law, we find evidence supporting the hypothesis that countries at times misreport their economic data strategically. We group countries with similar economic conditions and find that for countries with fixed exchange rate regimes, high negative net foreign asset positions, negative current account balances or more vulnerable to capital flow reversals we reject the first-digit law for the balance of payments data. This corroborates the intuition of a simple economic model. The main results do not seem to be driven by countries in Sub-Saharan Africa or those with low institutional quality ratings.capital flows; public information provision; misinformation; Benford's Law; transparency

Uwarunkowania rozwoju rolnictwa w obwodzie kaliningradzkim

The paper attempts to analyze determinants of agriculture in the Kaliningrad Oblast after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Natural and non-natural determinants were analyzed on a macro and a mezo scale. It was found out that the overall impact on the weak level of development of agriculture is exerted by the all-Russian determinants (economic collapse in Russia which took place after the disintegration of the former USSR; continuing by authorities in Moscow of the “raw material”; direction of the development of the country; ineptly conducted decollectivization). On the other hand, the mezoscale determinants (converting the Kaliningrad Oblast into an enclave as a result of the collapse of the former Soviet Union; giving too great weight to the exogenous determinants of the development of the oblast at the cost of the endogenous ones by central and district authorities; assigning superior role to the special economic zone in the development of the oblast) additionally influence negatively, worsening the already bad condition of agriculture in the oblast.W opracowaniu podjęto próbę analizy uwarunkowań rolnictwa w obwodzie kaliningradzkim po rozpadzie Związku Radzieckiego. Poddano analizie uwarunkowania przyrodnicze oraz pozaprzyrodnicze w dwóch skalach przestrzennych: makro i mezo. Stwierdzono, że ogólny wpływ na słaby poziom rozwoju rolnictwa mają uwarunkowania ogólnorosyjskie (zapaść gospodarcza w Rosji, jaka miała miejsce po rozpadzie byłego ZSRR; kontynuowanie przez władze w Moskwie „surowcowej” orientacji rozwoju kraju; nieudolnie przeprowadzana dekolektywizacja). Natomiast uwarunkowania mezoskalowe (przekształcenie obwodu kaliningradzkiego w eksklawę w następstwie rozpadu byłego Związku Radzieckiego; nadanie przez władze centralne i obwodowe zbyt dużej wagi egzogennym uwarunkowaniom rozwoju obwodu kosztem endogennych; przypisanie nadrzędnej roli specjalnej strefie ekonomicznej w rozwoju obwodu) dodatkowo oddziałują negatywnie, pogarszając i tak niekorzystną sytuację rolnictwa w obwodzie. W efekcie poziom rozwoju rolnictwa w obwodzie jest dużo niższy niż na sąsiednich terenach Litwy oraz województwa warmińsko-mazurskiego

The differentiation of the health situation in European post-Communist countries after 1990

The objective of the study is to evaluate changes in the health situation in European post-Communist countries in the period of 1990–2012. The spatial range covers the European part of the former Warsaw Pact (within the limits from 1956) plus the former Yugoslavia, but without the former German Democratic Republic and Russia. Five variables were analysed: crude death rate per 1,000 population; estimated infant deaths per 1,000 live births; difference between life expectancy at birth between males and females (in years); incidence of tuberculosis per 100,000 population; incidence of syphilis and gonorrhoea infections per 100,000 population. Four groups of countries differing from one another in the health situation in the analysed period. The first two groups (with a relatively good or average health situation) include the former Communist countries that in the past did not belong to the former Soviet Union. All post-Soviet countries plus Bulgaria and Romania qualified as countries with a poor or very poor health situation. Belonging or not to the former USSR in the past and fast and efficient system reforms were considered to be the main factors differentiating the situation. Of secondary importance are regional factors, such as: substantial demographic age in some societies, the status of women as a result of historical circumstances, civil wars and a different diet.The objective of the study is to evaluate changes in the health situation in European post-Communist countries in the period of 1990–2012. The spatial range covers the European part of the former Warsaw Pact (within the limits from 1956) plus the former Yugoslavia, but without the former German Democratic Republic and Russia. Five variables were analysed: crude death rate per 1,000 population; estimated infant deaths per 1,000 live births; difference between life expectancy at birth between males and females (in years); incidence of tuberculosis per 100,000 population; incidence of syphilis and gonorrhoea infections per 100,000 population. Four groups of countries differing from one another in the health situation in the analysed period. The first two groups (with a relatively good or average health situation) include the former Communist countries that in the past did not belong to the former Soviet Union. All post-Soviet countries plus Bulgaria and Romania qualified as countries with a poor or very poor health situation. Belonging or not to the former USSR in the past and fast and efficient system reforms were considered to be the main factors differentiating the situation. Of secondary importance are regional factors, such as: substantial demographic age in some societies, the status of women as a result of historical circumstances, civil wars and a different diet

Problems with monitoring the social situation at the local and regional level arising from temporary availability of data

In monitoring the social situation at the regional and the local level there are 5 groups of problems arising from: (1) temporal conditions, (2) low frequency or clear specificity of the process, (3) impossibility to clearly define indicators, (4) difficulty in delimitation units, (5) the so-called human factor. The article focuses on the first of these groups of problems and discusses risks arising from: (1a) a very long delay in accessing data and (1b) collecting data in periods rarer than one year. These problems are illustrated with examples from the Pomeranian Voivodeship. For both discussed issues, ways to partly avoid them are also proposed. In the case of processes of a deterministic character, taking older data is suggested. In the case of processes of a stochastic character and while monitoring of a relatively small number of local government units, some data can be collected directly from these units. In the case of processes of a stochastic character and a large number of units, no viable solution has been found.Monitorując sytuację społeczną na szczeblu regionalnym i lokalnym spotykamy się z pięcioma grupami problemów wynikających z: (1) uwarunkowań czasowych, (2) małej częstotliwości lub wyraźnej specyfiki procesu, (3) niemożności jednoznacznego zdefiniowania wskaźników, (4) trudności z delimitacją jednostek, (5) tzw. czynnika ludzkiego. Główne cele artykułu są dwa. Pierwszym jest omówienie jednej z grup problemów – związanej z czasową dostępnością danych. Drugim celem jest przedstawienie propozycji radzenia sobie (tam, gdzie to jest możliwe) z tą grupą problemów. W ramach omawianej grupy problemów wyróżniono te wynikające z dużego opóźnienia w dostępie do danych oraz będące rezultatem gromadzenia danych w okresie rzadszym niż roczny

Borders, Endogenous Market Access and Growth

We discuss the role of contracting impediments created by the existence of national borders on open economy growth. In a two-good neoclassical Ramsey growth model with lack of enforcement on international trade contracts we show that endogenous trading constraints with positive trade may arise on the transition path towards an open-economy steady state. These constraints may bind more severely low-income economies. Dynamic incentives to fulfill international contracts are easier to provide to high-income agents that have a stronger love-of-variety and investment motives to trade internationally. Investment in capital serves thus as a commitment device. The extent of the impediments may render countries unable to engage in international exchange at all, in effect keeping them in a poverty trap. Countries with dissimilar initial capital per capita may converge to different steady states. Contracting problems in international exchange may block the channel through which, as many researchers believe, international trade affects growth by increasing investment rates. The model provides a new explanation for the correlations observed in the data, for example that the trade/GDP ratio across countries is positively related with income per capita. Our model and its extensions add to the understanding of a number of puzzles (inter alia "the missing trade") in international economics. Using new data on trade credit in international transactions we provide correlations supporting the view that collection risks hinder international exchange. Policy implications stress the role of promoting contract enforcement and trade liberalization.trade, growth, limited commitment, borders, poverty trap

High efficiency sensorless fault tolerant control of permanent magnet assisted synchronous reluctance motor

In the last decades, the development trends of high efficiency and compact electric drives on the motor side focused on Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines (PMSMs) equipped with magnets based on the rare-earth elements. The permanent magnet components, however, dramatically impact the overall bill of materials of motor construction. This aspect has become even more critical due to the price instability of the rare-earth elements. This is why the Permanent Magnet Assisted Synchronous Reluctance Motor (PMaSynRM) concept was brought to the spotlight as it gives comparable torque density and similar efficiencies as PMSM although at a lower price accredited for the use of magnets built with ferrite composites. Despite these advantages, PMaSynRM drive design is much more challenging because of nonlinear inductances resulting from deep cross saturation effects. It is also true for multi-phase PMSM motors that have gained a lot of attention as they proportionally split power by the increased number of phases. Furthermore, they offer fault-tolerant operation while one or more phases are down due to machine, inverter, or sensor fault. The number of phases further increases the overall complexity for modeling and control design. It is clear then that a combination of multi-phase with PMaSynRM concept brings potential benefits but confronts standard modeling methods and drive development techniques. This Thesis consists of detailed modeling, control design, and implementation of a five-phase PMaSynRM drive for normal healthy and open phase fault-tolerant applications. Special emphasis is put on motor modeling that comprises saturation and space harmonics together with axial asymmetry introduced by rotor skewing. Control strategies focused on high efficiency are developed and the position estimation based on the observer technique is derived. The proposed models are validated through Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and experimental campaign. The results show the effectiveness of the elaborated algorithms and methods that are viable for further industrialization in PMaSynRM drives with fault-tolerant capabilities.En últimas décadas, las tendencias de desarrollo de accionamientos eléctricos compactos y de alta eficiencia en el lado del motor se centraron en las maquinas síncronas de imanes permanentes (PMSM) equipadas con imanes basados en elementos de tierras raras. Sin embargo, los componentes de imán permanente impactan dramáticamente en el coste de construcción del motor. Este aspecto se ha vuelto aún más crítico debido a la inestabilidad de precios de los elementos de tierras raras. Esta es la razón por la que el concepto de motor de reluctancia síncrona asistido por imán permanente (PMaSynRM) se ha tomado en consideración, ya que ofrece una densidad de par comparable y eficiencias similares a las de PMSM, aunque a un precio más bajo acreditado para el uso de imanes construidos con compuestos de ferritas. A pesar de drive PMaSynRM resulta muy complejo debido a las inductancias no lineales que resultan de los efectos de saturación cruzada profunda. Esto también es cierto para los motores PMSM polifásicos que han ganado mucha atención en los últimos años, en los que se divide proporcionalmente la potencia por el mayor número de fases. Además, ofrecen operación tolerante a fallas mientras una o más fases están inactivas debido a fallas en la máquina, el inversor o el sensor. Sin embargo, el número de fases aumenta aún más la complejidad general del diseño de modelado y control. Está claro entonces que una combinación de multifase con el concepto PMaSynRM tiene beneficios potenciales, pero dificulta los métodos de modelado estándar y las técnicas de desarrollo del sistema de accionamiento. Esta tesis consiste en el modelado detallado, el diseño de control y la implementación de un drive PMaSynRM de cinco fases para aplicaciones normales en buen estado y tolerantes a fallas de fase abierta. Se pone especial énfasis en el modelado del motor que comprende la saturación y los armónicos espaciales junto con la asimetría axial introducida por la inclinación del rotor. Se desarrollan estrategias de control enfocadas a la alta eficiencia y se deriva la estimación de posición basada en la técnica del observador. Los modelos propuestos se validan mediante Análisis de Elementos Finitos (FEA) y resultados experimentales. Los resultados muestran la efectividad de los algoritmos y métodos elaborados, que resultan viables para la industrialización de unidades PMaSynRM con capacidades tolerantes a fallas.Postprint (published version

IMPORTANCE OF A DIALOGUE BETWEEN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS FOR URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Aim: The following article determines the importance of the dialogue between the municipal government and  local business. It also describes its influence on the city’s development and its inhabitants’ lives. The authors have verified the hypothesis that the dialogue between the municipal government and local business brings multilateral advantages for the former and the later as well as for the local community. It also creates a positive image of the town where well sustained cooperation becomes extremely helpful in creating long-term town strategy.Methodology: The research has mainly been based on the literature analysis concerning intersegmental cooperation and economic development as well as a case study. The case study concerns the municipal district of Lubawa which is considered to be one of the most dynamically developing towns in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. The data has been obtained from the City Council of Lubawa and covers the range between 2007 and 2017.Genuity/quality: The article is of great value for people responsible for creating a positive image of the city and establishing its development strategy based on accessible resources as well as for enterpreneurs interested in investing in small municipalities

Ukrainian post-communist transformation: Causes, consequences and threats

The post-communist transformation of Ukraine differs significantly from that of other countries of Central and Eastern Europe. First of all, Ukraine’s transition from totalitarianism to democracy has been long and still remains uncompleted. The process of the democratic transformation in Ukraine is non-linear and can be described by frequent changes in transformation phases. The ultimate result of the country’s transformation determines to a considerable extent the geopolitical stability in entire Central and Eastern Europe