The impact of association agreements on trade flows and the trade balance: Evidence from the CEEC-4

In this paper we focus on the trade balance effects of free trade agreements between the EU-15 and the CEEC-4 countries using a dynamic panel data approach. Our theoretical framework is the gravity model, and the econometric method used to analyse the effect of the agreement variable is the system generalized method of moments (GMM). Our estimation results indicate a positive and significant impact of FTAs on trade flows. However, exports and imports are affected in different ways, leading to some disparity in trade flow performance between countries. Therefore, there is an asymmetric impact on the trade balance, the agreement variable resulting in a trade balance deficit in the CEEC-4

Determinants of pollution abatement and control expenditure: Evidence from Romania

The aim of the present study is to shed some light on the factors affecting Pollution Abatement and Control Expenditure (PACE) in the context of a transition economy such as Romania, in contrast to the existing literature which mostly focuses on developed economies. Specifically, we use survey data of the Romanian National Institute of Statistics and estimate Multilevel Regression Model (MRM) to investigate the determinants of environmental behaviour at plant level. Our results reveal some important differences vis-à-vis the developed countries, such as a less significant role for collective action and environmental taxes, which suggests some possible policy changes to achieve better environmental outcomes

Trade specialisation, and economic convergence: Evidence from two eastern european countries

This paper analyses trade specialisation dynamics in two Eastern European countries (Romania and Bulgaria – EEC-2) vis-à-vis the core EU member states (EU-15) over the period 1990-2006. Specifically, we focus on whether there is a shift towards intra-industry trade leading to economic convergence and technological catch-up. We use recently developed static (FEM, REM and FEVD) and dynamic (GMM) panel data methods which take into account possible heterogeneity. Our empirical results indicate that intra-industry trade has indeed increased, but it is of the vertical rather than the horizontal type, resulting in complementary rather than competitive production patterns

Financial development and economic growth: Evidence from ten new EU members

This paper reviews the main features of the banking and financial sector in ten new EU members, and then examines the relationship between financial development and economic growth in these countries by estimating a dynamic panel model over the period 1994-2007. The evidence suggests that the stock and credit markets are still underdeveloped in these economies, and that their contribution to economic growth is limited owing to a lack of financial depth. By contrast, a more efficient banking sector is found to have accelerated growth. Furthermore, Granger causality test indicate that causality runs from financial development to economic growth, but not in the opposite direction

Environmental regulation and competitiveness: Evidence from Romania

According to the pollution haven hypotheses differences in environmental regulation affect trade flows and plant location. Specifically, environmental stringency should decrease exports and increase imports of “dirty” goods. This paper estimates a gravity model to establish whether the implementation of more stringent regulations in Romania has indeed affected its competitiveness and decreased exports towards its European trading partners. Our findings do not provide empirical support to the pollution haven hypothesis, i.e. environmental stringency is not found to affect significantly total trade, or its components (pollution intensive trade and pollution intensive trade related to non-resource-based trade)

Coherent and incoherent bands in La and Rh doped Sr3Ir2O7

In Sr2IrO4 and Sr3Ir2O7, correlations, magnetism and spin-orbit coupling compete on similar energy scales, creating a new context to study metal-insulator transitions (MIT). We use here Angle-Resolved photoemission to investigate the MIT as a function of hole and electron doping in Sr3Ir2O7, obtained respectively by Ir/Rh and Sr/La substitutions. We show that there is a clear reduction as a function of doping of the gap between a lower and upper band on both sides of the Fermi level, from 0.2eV to 0.05eV. Although these two bands have a counterpart in band structure calculations, they are characterized by a very different degree of coherence. The upper band exhibits clear quasiparticle peaks, while the lower band is very broad and loses weight as a function of doping. Moreover, their ARPES spectral weights obey different periodicities, reinforcing the idea of their different nature. We argue that a very similar situation occurs in Sr2IrO4 and conclude that the physics of the two families is essentially the same

Thermal analysis of water in reinforced plasma-polymerised poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylate) hydrogels

Thermal analysis of water in reinforce hydrogels of plasma-polymerised poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylate) (plPHEA) grafted onto macroporous poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) are explained in a simple thermodynamic framework based on the transition diagram. Water in bulk PHEA was also analysed for comparison with plPHEA. These two hydrophilic polymers were prepared with a broad range of water mass fractions from 0.05 to 0.72. Thermal transition diagrams of water/PHEA and water/plPHEA were determined showing less undercooling of water crystallisation in plPHEA than in PHEA. Kinetics of water crystallisation for high and low water contents were studied in both hydrophilic systems following several thermal treatments. Water crystallises much faster in plPHEA than in PHEA for high water contents. For low water contents, crystallisation becomes possible holding at 30 degrees C for some time due to water segregation in both PHEA systems. However, much less water is segregated from the water/plPHEA mixture due to the influence of the hydrophobic component.This work was supported by a Marie Curie Host Fellowship and by the Spanish Science and Technology Ministry through the MAT2001-2678-C02-01 and MAT2002-04239-C03-03 projects. CIBER-BBN is an initiative funded by the VI National R&D&i Plan 2008-2011, Iniciativa Ingenio 2010, Consolider Program, CIBER Actions and financed by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III with assistance from the European Regional Development Fund.Serrano Aroca, Á.; Monleón Pradas, M.; Gómez Ribelles, JL.; Rault, J. (2015). Thermal analysis of water in reinforced plasma-polymerised poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylate) hydrogels. European Polymer Journal. 72:523-534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2015.05.032S5235347