AN IMPROVEMENT OF THE TANZI METHOD FOR THE ESTIMATION OF ITALIAN UNGERGROUND ECONOMY

This paper deals with the Tanzi method for the estimation of underground economy. The approach is discussed and modified. Refinements on the variables and on the econometric technique are proposed. The “adjusted” Tanzi method is then used to estimate the shadow economy in Italy along twenty-eight years. Despite the difficulty to obtain point estimates, interpretations of the results are nevertheless possible, trustworthy and interesting. For instance, the model detects the presence of underground economy, an expected finding. On the other hand the model shows no positive trend in the recent period. A very puzzling result, given the mainstream literature and the policymakers claims.Shadow economy, cointegration

Le théâtre féministe des années 80 en Angleterre : une dramaturgie transgressive

Les années 80 en Angleterre représentent un âge d’or pour le théâtre féministe, qui vise à briser les tabous. L’article tente de cerner les qualités dramaturgiques et théâtrales nécessaires à la problématisation des enjeux. Il explore parallèlement les différents aspects du féminisme, comment ils sont représentés dans les exemples choisis, en prenant le monologue et le travail du corps pour fils conducteurs.The 1980s were a golden age for feminist taboo-breaking drama in England. The article attempts to define the specific dramaturgical and theatrical qualities necessary to problematize the issues. It tackles concurrently the way the different strands of feminism appear in the examples that have been selected, concentrating on the use of dramatic monologue and on gender-crossing

Revaluating the Tanzi-Model to Estimate the Underground Economy

Since the early 1980s, the interest in the nature and size of the non-measured economy (both the informal and the illegal one) was born among researchers in the US. Since then, several models to estimate the shadow and/or the underground economy appeared in the literature, each with its own theoretical pros and cons. In this paper we show that it is possible to overcome earlier expressed criticism of the Tanzi-model (1983). Its lack of a base year without any underground economy can be overcome, by using the natural experiment of the introduction of the Euro. However, this paper also comes up with new criticism. It shows that the crucial relationship of the Tanzi-model between taxes and the demand for cash money is not time robust, hence the model is not useful for estimating the underground economy nowadays. We believe that the change in financial conditions could partially explain the decline in the relevance of taxes as a means to evaluate the underground economy. We build a revised Tanzi model and try to find variables apart from tax evasion incentives in order to explain the underground economy.Underground Economy Estimation, Shadow Economy, Tax Evasion

beta-amyloid modulation of synaptic transmission and plasticity

The sequencing of β amyloid protein (Aβ) in 1984 led to the formulation of the “amyloid hypothesis” of Alzheimer's disease (AD) (Glenner and Wong, 1984). The hypothesis proposed that accumulation of Aβ is responsible for AD-related pathology, including Aβ deposits, neurofibrillary tangles, and eventual neuronal cell death (Tanzi and Bertram, 2005). Within a few years, four groups cloned the amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene from which Aβ is processed (Goldgaber et al., 1987; Kang et al., 1987; Robakis et al., 1987; Tanzi et al., 1987). Linkage analysis mapped the gene to chromosome 21, and mutations in APP were found that led to the inappropriate processing of APP into the Aβ1–42 peptide (Goate et al., 1991; Mullan et al., 1992) (for review, see Tanzi and Bertram, 2005). However, these mutations are responsible for only a small fraction of the early-onset familial AD, and the search began for other genes that might also influence the processing of Aβ. Several novel mutations were identified in the presenilins (Levy-Lahad et al., 1995; Rogaev et al., 1995; Sherrington et al., 1995), and apolipoprotein E4 was identified as a major risk factor for the most frequent form of AD (Strittmatter et al., 1993; Mahley et al., 2006)

Delocalization of weakly interacting bosons in a 1D quasiperiodic potential

We consider weakly interacting bosons in a 1D quasiperiodic potential (Aubry-Azbel-Harper model) in the regime where all single-particle states are localized. We show that the interparticle interaction may lead to the many-body delocalization and we obtain the finite-temperature phase diagram. Counterintuitively, in a wide range of parameters the delocalization requires stronger cou- pling as the temperature increases. This means that the system of bosons can undergo a transition from a fluid to insulator (glass) state under heating

Personal Income Tax Elasticity in Turkey: 1975-2005

The estimation of tax elasticity; the response of tax revenues to changes in income, is important for at least three reasons: i) formulating government budgets and monitoring tax collections (Sen, 2002), ii) the specification of tax functions, iii) the automatic stabilizing properties of the tax system and the public sector deficit (Hutton, Lambert; 1980, 1982). Among the various approaches to tax elasticity calculation in literature (Tanzi, 1969, 1976; Greytak and McHugh, 1978; Hutton and Lambert, 1980; Ehdaie, 1990), the most famous approach is Tanzi’s Method due to its simplicity and the consensus about its correctness of elasticity estimates. Johansen cointegration tests for the period 1975 - 2005 show that personal income tax elasticity in Turkey is around 0.95, indicating almost unit elasticity. Increasing income can be considered as insurance to maintain an equivalent increase in tax revenue; however it doesn’t seem to be the way to obtain higher tax revenues.Personal income tax, tax elasticity, Tanzi method

Women Prefer Larger Governments: Female Labor Supply and Public Spending

The increase in income per capita is accompanied, in virtually all countries, by two changes in the structure of the economy: an increase in the share of government spending in GDP and an increase in female labor force participation. This paper suggests that the changes in female labor force participation and government size are not just coincident in time, they are causally related. We develop a growth model with endogenous fertility, labor force participation and government size to illustrate this causal link. When government consumption and/or subsidies decrease the cost of performing household chores - including, but not limited to child rearing and child care - an increase in the female market wage leads to an increase in labor force participation by women and a demand for higher government spending. As women make the decision to work outside the home, they increase their demand for services typically provided by the government, such as education and health care, which, in turn, decrease the cost of home and family activities that are overwhelmingly performed by women. We show, for a wide cross-section of developed and developing countries, that higher female participation rates in the labor market are positively associated with larger governments. We investigate the causal link by instrumenting for female labor force participation with the prevalence of contraceptive methods and the relative price of household appliances. Female labor force participation is found to cause an increase in government size, with a 10 percent rise in the former leading to a 6.5 to 9 percent rise in the latter. This e.ect is stronger for government consumption than for government subsidies and is robust to the country sample, time period, and a set of controls in the spirit of Rodrik (1998).Economic Development, Female Labor Supply, Government Size, Home Activities

Finite-Temperature Fluid-Insulator Transition of Strongly Interacting 1D Disordered Bosons

We consider the many-body localization-delocalization transition for strongly interacting one- dimensional disordered bosons and construct the full picture of finite temperature behavior of this system. This picture shows two insulator-fluid transitions at any finite temperature when varying the interaction strength. At weak interactions an increase in the interaction strength leads to insulator->fluid transition, and for large interactions one has a reentrance to the insulator regime

Handle with Care: Umbrella Clauses and MFN Treatment in Investment Arbitration

A large number of BITs concluded by France contain quite a peculiar clause (for instance Article 10 BIT with Argentina), which has been recently the object of questionable interpretations and applications in EDF International S.A. et al. v. Argentina and Mr. Franck Charles Arif v. Moldova. Both tribunals allowed the claimants to benefit, through the MNF clause, from umbrella clauses contained in BITs with third States. It is argued that neither tribunal has rigorously interpreted the relevant provisions in the basic treaty, nor ensured compliance with the ejusdem generis principle. The legal uncertainty that surrounds these provisions is detrimental for foreign investors and States alike. Concerned States should consider taking the measures necessary to clarify, jointly or individually, the content of these provisions and of the obligations stemming from them

The Underground Economy: An Overview and Estimates for Cyprus

The paper begins by describing three important macroeconomic approaches to the measurement of the underground economy. Estimates of the size of the underground economy in Cyprus are then discussed. The estimates are derived using a method first applied by Tanzi to data for the United States. Using annual times series data for the period 1960-1990 the size of the underground economy in Cyprus is estimated to be, approximately, between 3% and 10% of GNP.