Agglomeration and Growth: Evidence from the Regions of Central and Eastern Europe

This paper examines the empirical relationship between agglomeration and economic growth for a panel of 48 Central and Eastern European regions from 1995 to 2006. By agglomeration, we mean the within-regional concentration of aggregate economic activity, which we measure using the 'topographic' Theil index developed by Bruelhart and Traeger (2005). A transitional growth specification à la Mankiw, Romer and Weil (1992) is augmented with this index and estimated using panel data methods that account for endogeneity and spatial dependence. Our empirical analysis provides evidence of a positive effect of agglomeration as measured by the topographic Theil index on long-run income levels. A one standard-deviation increase in agglomeration is estimated to raise steady-state income per capita by 15%. While this effect is sizeable, it may also imply a trade-off between regional development and within-regional equality for Central and Eastern Europe

Médiation numérique : qu’est-ce que les bibliothèques peuvent apporter au Web ?

Mémoire de fin d\u27étude du diplôme de conservateur, promotion DCB19, portant sur les modalités d\u27implication des bibliothèques françaises sur Internet

Competitiveness of EU vs. US: Part 1, 2, 7, 9 of the study Competitiveness under new perspectives

This paper aims to redefine the term competitiveness to enhance its usefulness for the evaluation of country performance and for policy conclusions. We attempt to establish a definition that is adequate if economic policy strives for a new growth path that is more dynamic, socially inclusive and ecologically sustainable. We tentatively apply the proposed definition to evaluate the "competitiveness" of EU member states as well as to compare Europe's "competitiveness" with that of the US (and, where possible, with Switzerland, Japan and China). In the first part of the paper, we examine the evolution of the concept from a focus on "inputs" at the firm level (price or cost competitiveness) to economic structure and capabilities at the country level and finally to "outcome" competitiveness, where outcomes are defined in a broad sense and in the context of the WWWforEurope project. We propose to define competitiveness as the "ability of a country (region, location) to deliver the beyond-GDP goals for its citizens". In the second part of the paper, the performance of the EU-27 countries is assessed along the dimensions described above. We begin with price competitiveness and then proceed to economic structure and countries' capabilities regarding innovation, education, the social system, institutions and environmental ambition. We conclude with outcome competitiveness in terms of economic, social and ecological outcomes. Overall, we compile a database of 68 indicators that describe these different aspects of competitiveness. In the third part of the paper, we investigate empirically the relationship between "outcome" and "input" competitiveness for the EU-27 using panel data analysis for the period from 2000 to 2010. We construct a composite indicator for outcome competitiveness consisting of income, social and ecological pillars, following the beyond-GDP literature. This measure is then econometrically related to composite indicators of the three groups of input indicators: price competitiveness, economic structure, and capabilities. The results of panel OLS regressions suggest that both economic structure and capabilities on aggregate are positively related to our measure of outcome competitiveness, while a negative relationship is found for the wage component of price competitiveness. Among the different dimensions of capabilities, ecological preferences and - less robustly - institutions appear to be positively associated with outcome competitiveness

Regional Convergence in Europe: A Dynamic Heterogeneous Panel Approach

This paper studies the effects of allowing for heterogeneous slope coefficients in the Mankiw, Romer and Weil (1992) model, based on panel data for 193 EU-15 regions from 1980 to 2005. We first estimate the model using conventional pooled panel data estimators, based on data at five-year intervals, allowing at most intercepts to differ across regions. Then we relax the restriction of homogeneous slope coefficients by estimating separate time-series models for each region based on annual data, using Pesaran and Smith's (1995) mean group estimator. To account for spatial dependence, we employ the common correlated effects approach of Pesaran (2006). Our empirical analysis indicates important differences across regions in the speed of adjustment to region-specific long-run paths for the level of income per capita. Allowing for heterogeneous coefficients doubles the speed of adjustment to 22% per year on average compared to the homogenous case, which suggests downward bias in the latter. We also find a positive and significant effect of the rate of investment, although the implied capital elasticity and the estimated long-run effect of investment are smaller than expected

Regional Convergence in Europe: A Dynamic Heterogeneous Panel Approach

This paper studies the effects of allowing for heterogeneous slope coefficients in the Mankiw, Romer and Weil (1992) model, based on panel data for 193 EU-15 regions from 1980 to 2005. We first estimate the model using conventional pooled panel data estimators, based on data at five-year intervals, allowing at most intercepts to differ across regions. Then we relax the restriction of homogeneous slope coefficients by estimating separate time-series models for each region based on annual data, using Pesaran and Smith's (1995) mean group estimator. To account for spatial dependence, we employ the common correlated effects approach of Pesaran (2006). Our empirical analysis indicates important differences across regions in the speed of adjustment to region-specific long-run paths for the level of income per capita. Allowing for heterogeneous coefficients doubles the speed of adjustment to 22% per year on average compared to the homogenous case, which suggests downward bias in the latter. We also find a positive and significant effect of the rate of investment, although the implied capital elasticity and the estimated long-run effect of investment are smaller than expected

Competitiveness under New Perspectives

This paper aims to redefine the term competitiveness to enhance its usefulness for the evaluation of country performance and for policy conclusions. We attempt to establish a definition that is adequate if economic policy strives for a new growth path that is more dynamic, socially inclusive and ecologically sustainable. We tentatively apply the proposed definition to evaluate the "competitiveness" of EU member states as well as to compare Europe's competitiveness with that of the US, Switzerland, Japan and China, where possible. In the first part of the paper, we examine the evolution of the concept from a focus on "inputs" at the firm level (price or cost competitiveness) to economic structure and capabilities at the country level and finally to "outcome" competitiveness, where outcomes are defined in a broad sense and in the context of the WWWforEurope project. We propose to define competitiveness as the "ability of a country (region, location) to deliver the beyond-GDP goals for its citizens". In the second part of the paper, the performance of the EU-27 countries is assessed along the dimensions described above. We begin with price competitiveness and then proceed to economic structure and countries’ capabilities regarding innovation, education, the social system, institutions and environmental ambition. We conclude with outcome competitiveness in terms of economic, social and ecological outcomes. Overall, we compile a database of 68 indicators that describe these different aspects of competitiveness. In the third part of the paper, we investigate empirically the relationship between "outcome" and "input" competitiveness for the EU-27 using panel data analysis for the period from 2000 to 2010. We construct a composite indicator for outcome competitiveness consisting of income, social and ecological pillars, following the beyond-GDP literature. This measure is then econometrically related to composite indicators of the three groups of input indicators: price competitiveness, economic structure, and capabilities. The results of panel regressions suggest that both economic structure and capabilities on aggregate are positively related to our measure of outcome competitiveness, while a negative relationship is found for the wage component of price competitiveness. Among the different dimensions of capabilities, ecological ambition and institutions are positively associated with outcome competitiveness. Overall, we conclude that a narrow focus on the price component of competitiveness neglects other aspects of the concept that are likely to be particularly important for high-income economies like the EU-27

Immer nur die zweitbeste Lösung? Protokolle als Dokumentationsmethode für qualitative Interviews

In der methodischen Literatur zu qualitativen Interviews wird als Standardverfahren oft die Aufzeichnung mit einem Aufnahmegerät und anschließende wortgetreue Verschriftlichung (Transkription) empfohlen. Protokolle werden als Mittel der Interviewdokumentation zumeist als zweitbeste Lösung für den Fall dargestellt, dass Mitschnitte nicht möglich sind. Diese Position stellen wir in diesem Beitrag aufgrund theoretischer Überlegungen und empirischer Erfahrungen infrage. Vor- und Nachteile der Dokumentationsformen "Audiomitschnitt + Transkription" und "Notizen + Protokollierung" werden systematisch gegenübergestellt. Anschließend wird anhand von zwei Studien exemplarisch verdeutlicht, dass die Protokollierung die beste Lösung zur Dokumentation der Interviewdaten sein kann. In beiden Studien wurden in Interviews sensible Themen behandelt und die Erhebung grundlegender Informationen über Prozesse und Routinen bezweckt.Grundsätzlich kann Protokollierung angezeigt sein, wenn weniger die Interpretation des Gesagten als vielmehr dessen Intention im Fokus der Forschung ist. Außerdem sollte eine Protokollierung erwogen werden, wenn eine Aufnahme besonders interessante InterviewpartnerInnen von der Teilnahme abhalten oder ein offenes Gespräch verhindern könnte.Mit diesem Beitrag wollen wir zu einer Auseinandersetzung darüber anregen, wann Protokollieren angemessen ist und wie es methodisch angelegt sein sollte.Qualitative interviews should be audio recorded and transcribed word by word. This is what most methodology texts recommend. Taking interview reports as a means of interview documentation is typically described as a second-best solution if audio recording is not possible. In this contribution, we question this position on the basis of theoretical considerations and research experiences.Advantages and disadvantages of "audio recording + transcription" versus "minute-taking + reporting" are systematically compared. Two studies are presented as exemplary cases in which interview reports have been chosen as the most suitable means of interview documentation. In both studies, interviews dealt with sensitive topics and aimed at reconstructing routines and procedures.Generally, reports can be adequate when researchers are less interested in the interpretation of what was exactly said and more interested in what interviewees intended to say. In addition, minute-taking should be considered if audio recording could prevent the participation of particularly interesting interviewees or if it could prevent an open conversation. With this contribution, we aim at stimulating further debate about when interview reports are appropriate and how they should be designed

Haploinsufficiency for BRCA1 is associated with normal levels of DNA nucleotide excision repair in breast tissue and blood lymphocytes

BACKGROUND: Screening mammography has had a positive impact on breast cancer mortality but cannot detect all breast tumors. In a small study, we confirmed that low power magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could identify mammographically undetectable tumors by applying it to a high risk population. Tumors detected by this new technology could have unique etiologies and/or presentations, and may represent an increasing proportion of clinical practice as new screening methods are validated and applied A very important aspect of this etiology is genomic instability, which is associated with the loss of activity of the breast cancer-predisposing genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. In sporadic breast cancer, however, there is evidence for the involvement of a different pathway of DNA repair, nucleotide excision repair (NER), which remediates lesions that cause a distortion of the DNA helix, including DNA cross-links. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a breast cancer patient with a mammographically undetectable stage I tumor identified in our MRI screening study. She was originally considered to be at high risk due to the familial occurrence of breast and other types of cancer, and after diagnosis was confirmed as a carrier of a Q1200X mutation in the BRCA1 gene. In vitro analysis of her normal breast tissue showed no differences in growth rate or differentiation potential from disease-free controls. Analysis of cultured blood lymphocyte and breast epithelial cell samples with the unscheduled DNA synthesis assay (UDS) revealed no deficiency in nucleotide excision repair (NER). CONCLUSION: As new breast cancer screening methods become available and cost effective, patients such as this one will constitute an increasing proportion of the incident population, so it is important to determine whether they differ from current patients in any clinically important ways. Despite her status as a BRCA1 mutation carrier, and her mammographically dense breast tissue, we did not find increased cell proliferation or deficient differentiation potential in her breast epithelial cells, which might have contributed to her cancer susceptibility. Although NER deficiency has been demonstrated repeatedly in blood samples from sporadic breast cancer patients, analysis of blood cultured lymphocytes and breast epithelial cells for this patient proves definitively that heterozygosity for inactivation of BRCA1 does not intrinsically confer this type of genetic instability. These data suggest that the mechanism of genomic instability driving the carcinogenic process may be fundamentally different in hereditary and sporadic breast cancer, resulting in different genotoxic susceptibilities, oncogene mutations, and a different molecular pathogenesis