The JRC Statistical Audit of the Restrictiveness Index for seven regulated professions

The European Commission highlights the role of regulation in creating obstacles to the functioning of the single market and holding back the potential for growth and job creation in the EU economies. Removing such barriers opens up opportunities and has a positive impact on the productivity and competitiveness of the EU economy. In this context, the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs has developed the Restrictiveness Index, which aims to measure the intensity of the national regulations in the 28 Member States of the European Union with regard to entering and exercising seven professions: accountant, architect, civil engineer, lawyer, patent agent, real estate agent and tourist guide. In so doing, it raises some conceptual and practical challenges, which are discussed in the Restrictiveness Index report. The goal of this Joint Research Centre audit report is to assess the statistical coherence of the Restrictiveness Index and the impact of its modelling assumptions. These analyses lead to the following key findings. First, the statistical coherence of the Restrictiveness Index is confirmed. The more the conceptual framework embraces the statistical structure, the greater the reliability of the indicator will be. In our case, different degrees of alignment are identified between the conceptual framework and the statistical framework, with the greatest alignment for the profession of real estate agent, and the least alignment for the profession of lawyer. Second, the Restrictiveness Index’s country rankings and scores are relatively robust to methodological assumptions. Hence, it is not sensitive to perturbations in the weights and in the aggregation formula. Third, exclusive or shared reserved activities, educational requirements and title protection have high impacts on the Restrictiveness Index. Fourth, quantitative restrictions seem to be the least restricted indicator given that it provides the least information in terms of regulation intensity. In addition, it records the least influence on the indicator framework and the weakest association with it. Future editions of the Restrictiveness Index should carefully reconsider the profession of lawyer, because the restrictions related to compulsory registration in professional bodies are negatively associated with the overall index. This shows that it moves in the opposite direction within the conceptual and statistical framework.JRC.I.1-Modelling, Indicators and Impact Evaluatio

The Determinants of Population Growth

This report studies population dynamics in Europe. Its purpose is threefold. First, the report offers a literature review of the main drivers of population growth. Second, an empirical analysis is carried out in order to unveil the determinants of population growth in EU sub-regions (NUTS3 level) over the period 2000-2010. Spatial econometrics is employed to account for spatial dependence among neighbouring regions. Third, the existing evidence on the long-run relationship between economic and population growth is discussed, followed by an empirical assessment of the relationship between these two aggregates in Europe over the period 1960-2010. Time-series econometric tools are used for this analysis. The main findings of both the litterature reviews and empirical analyses are discussed, along with their implications and future extensions.JRC.I.1-Modelling, Indicators and Impact Evaluatio

JRC Statistical Audit of Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index 2018

Eradicating poverty is one of the global challenges defined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. However, this goal cannot be achieved without reducing the gap between the rich and the poor. Development Finance International and Oxfam have developed an international monitoring framework — the Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) index — that measures the commitment of 157 countries to reducing inequality through the fiscal policies (public spending and taxes) and labour market policies implemented by their governments. The CRI index builds on three pillars: progressivity of spending, progressivity of tax, and progressivity of labour policy. These pillars are used to organise and aggregate nine indicators into a single summary measure. This framework involves both conceptual and practical challenges. The statistical audit presented here was performed by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, and it aims to contribute to ensuring the transparency and reliability of the CRI index 2018. It should enable policymakers to derive more accurate and meaningful conclusions, and to potentially guide choices on priority setting and policy formulation. Overall, the main conclusions of the present audit can be summarised as follows: the CRI index 2018 is representative of a plurality of scenarios, is reliable and has a statistically coherent framework. The uncertainty analysis shows that country ranks are robust for most countries. For a number of countries, in particular countries that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), ranks should be analysed within their expected confidence intervals instead of being taken at face value. The statistical assessment also shows that the CRI index has a good statistical reliability and measures one single latent phenomenon capturing the main components of the index: the ‘progressivity of labour policies’, and the interaction between the ‘progressivity of tax’ and the ‘progressivity of spending’. Notwithstanding the good statistical properties of the CRI index, some suggestions are made for possible refinements of the CRI index in future editions.JRC.I.1-Modelling, Indicators and Impact Evaluatio

Joint Research Centre Statistical Audit of the 2018 Global Attractiveness Index

Attractiveness is a prerequisite and a symptom for competitiveness and it is valued both because it implies a nation’s ability to attract talent, capital and assets (know-how, technologies, and other), and because more in general it stimulates the whole process of economic and social development. The European House - Ambrosetti has developed an international monitoring framework – the Global Attractiveness Index (GAI) – that measures a country’s attractiveness as determining element of its ability to be competitive and to grow. The GAI builds on four attributes of attractiveness: Openness, Innovation, Efficiency, and Endowment. These pillars are used to organise and aggregate 21 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) into a single summary measure for 144 countries that altogether cover approximately 93% of the world’s population and 99% of Gross Domestic Product (in US$) worldwide. This framework inevitably entails both conceptual and practical challenges. The statistical audit discussed in this note was conducted by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, and it aims at maximising the reliability and transparency of the Global Attractiveness Index. It should enable policy analysts and researchers alike to draw more relevant, meaningful and useful conclusions on good practices and challenges that countries face in today’s competitive game to business and job creation.JRC.I.1-Modelling, Indicators and Impact Evaluatio

Replication stress caused by low MCM expression limits fetal erythropoiesis and hematopoietic stem cell functionality

Replicative stress during embryonic development influences ageing and predisposition to disease in adults. A protective mechanism against replicative stress is provided by the licensing of thousands of origins in G1 that are not necessarily activated in the subsequent S-phase. These `dormant' origins provide a backup in the presence of stalled forks and may confer flexibility to the replication program in specific cell types during differentiation, a role that has remained unexplored. Here we show, using a mouse strain with hypomorphic expression of the origin licensing factor mini-chromosome maintenance (MCM)3 that limiting origin licensing in vivo affects the functionality of hematopoietic stem cells and the differentiation of rapidly-dividing erythrocyte precursors. Mcm3-deficient erythroblasts display aberrant DNA replication patterns and fail to complete maturation, causing lethal anemia. Our results indicate that hematopoietic progenitors are particularly sensitive to replication stress, and full origin licensing ensures their correct differentiation and functionality.We thank members of our laboratories for helpful discussions, Marcos Malumbres (CNIO) for advice on the design of the Mcm3-Lox allele, Isabel Blanco for her administrative help with mouse work and Soraya Ruiz for excellent handling of the mouse colony in J.M.'s group. Research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (grants BFU2013-49153-P and Consolider-Ingenio CSD2007-00015 to J.M., SAF2011-23753 to O.F.-C., BFU2012-35892 to J.I.) and RO1 HL092471 to E.P., S.A. was the recipient of an EMBO short-term fellowship to visit E.P.'s laboratory at UCSF. We are grateful to Manuel Serrano (CNIO), Almudena Ramiro (CNIC) and Arkaitz Ibarra (The Salk Institute, USA) for useful comments on the manuscript.S

Ibero-American Consensus on Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners: Safety, Nutritional Aspects and Benefits in Food and Beverages

International scientific experts in food, nutrition, dietetics, endocrinology, physical activity, paediatrics, nursing, toxicology and public health met in Lisbon on 2-4 July 2017 to develop a Consensus on the use of low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) as substitutes for sugars and other caloric sweeteners. LNCS are food additives that are broadly used as sugar substitutes to sweeten foods and beverages with the addition of fewer or no calories. They are also used in medicines, health-care products, such as toothpaste, and food supplements. The goal of this Consensus was to provide a useful, evidence-based, point of reference to assist in efforts to reduce free sugars consumption in line with current international public health recommendations. Participating experts in the Lisbon Consensus analysed and evaluated the evidence in relation to the role of LNCS in food safety, their regulation and the nutritional and dietary aspects of their use in foods and beverages. The conclusions of this Consensus were: (1) LNCS are some of the most extensively evaluated dietary constituents, and their safety has been reviewed and confirmed by regulatory bodies globally including the World Health Organisation, the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Food Safety Authority; (2) Consumer education, which is based on the most robust scientific evidence and regulatory processes, on the use of products containing LNCS should be strengthened in a comprehensive and objective way; (3) The use of LNCS in weight reduction programmes that involve replacing caloric sweeteners with LNCS in the context of structured diet plans may favour sustainable weight reduction. Furthermore, their use in diabetes management programmes may contribute to a better glycaemic control in patients, albeit with modest results. LNCS also provide dental health benefits when used in place of free sugars; (4) It is proposed that foods and beverages with LNCS could be included in dietary guidelines as alternative options to products sweetened with free sugars; (5) Continued education of health professionals is required, since they are a key source of information on issues related to food and health for both the general population and patients. With this in mind, the publication of position statements and consensus documents in the academic literature are extremely desirable

A GRFa2/Prop1/Stem (GPS) Cell Niche in the Pituitary

BACKGROUND: The adult endocrine pituitary is known to host several hormone-producing cells regulating major physiological processes during life. Some candidates to progenitor/stem cells have been proposed. However, not much is known about pituitary cell renewal throughout life and its homeostatic regulation during specific physiological changes, such as puberty or pregnancy, or in pathological conditions such as tumor development. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We have identified in rodents and humans a niche of non-endocrine cells characterized by the expression of GFRa2, a Ret co-receptor for Neurturin. These cells also express b-Catenin and E-cadherin in an oriented manner suggesting a planar polarity organization for the niche. In addition, cells in the niche uniquely express the pituitary-specific transcription factor Prop1, as well as known progenitor/stem markers such as Sox2, Sox9 and Oct4. Half of these GPS (GFRa2/Prop1/Stem) cells express S-100 whereas surrounding elongated cells in contact with GPS cells express Vimentin. GFRa2+-cells form non-endocrine spheroids in culture. These spheroids can be differentiated to hormone-producing cells or neurons outlining the neuroectoderm potential of these progenitors. In vivo, GPSs cells display slow proliferation after birth, retain BrdU label and show long telomeres in its nuclei, indicating progenitor/stem cell properties in vivo. SIGNIFICANCE: Our results suggest the presence in the adult pituitary of a specific niche of cells characterized by the expression of GFRa2, the pituitary-specific protein Prop1 and stem cell markers. These GPS cells are able to produce different hormone-producing and neuron-like cells and they may therefore contribute to postnatal pituitary homeostasis. Indeed, the relative abundance of GPS numbers is altered in Cdk4-deficient mice, a model of hypopituitarism induced by the lack of this cyclin-dependent kinase. Thus, GPS cells may display functional relevance in the physiological expansion of the pituitary gland throughout life as well as protection from pituitary disease

The number of tree species on Earth.

One of the most fundamental questions in ecology is how many species inhabit the Earth. However, due to massive logistical and financial challenges and taxonomic difficulties connected to the species concept definition, the global numbers of species, including those of important and well-studied life forms such as trees, still remain largely unknown. Here, based on global ground-sourced data, we estimate the total tree species richness at global, continental, and biome levels. Our results indicate that there are ∼73,000 tree species globally, among which ∼9,000 tree species are yet to be discovered. Roughly 40% of undiscovered tree species are in South America. Moreover, almost one-third of all tree species to be discovered may be rare, with very low populations and limited spatial distribution (likely in remote tropical lowlands and mountains). These findings highlight the vulnerability of global forest biodiversity to anthropogenic changes in land use and climate, which disproportionately threaten rare species and thus, global tree richness

Evenness mediates the global relationship between forest productivity and richness

1. Biodiversity is an important component of natural ecosystems, with higher species richness often correlating with an increase in ecosystem productivity. Yet, this relationship varies substantially across environments, typically becoming less pronounced at high levels of species richness. However, species richness alone cannot reflect all important properties of a community, including community evenness, which may mediate the relationship between biodiversity and productivity. If the evenness of a community correlates negatively with richness across forests globally, then a greater number of species may not always increase overall diversity and productivity of the system. Theoretical work and local empirical studies have shown that the effect of evenness on ecosystem functioning may be especially strong at high richness levels, yet the consistency of this remains untested at a global scale. 2. Here, we used a dataset of forests from across the globe, which includes composition, biomass accumulation and net primary productivity, to explore whether productivity correlates with community evenness and richness in a way that evenness appears to buffer the effect of richness. Specifically, we evaluated whether low levels of evenness in speciose communities correlate with the attenuation of the richness–productivity relationship. 3. We found that tree species richness and evenness are negatively correlated across forests globally, with highly speciose forests typically comprising a few dominant and many rare species. Furthermore, we found that the correlation between diversity and productivity changes with evenness: at low richness, uneven communities are more productive, while at high richness, even communities are more productive. 4. Synthesis. Collectively, these results demonstrate that evenness is an integral component of the relationship between biodiversity and productivity, and that the attenuating effect of richness on forest productivity might be partly explained by low evenness in speciose communities. Productivity generally increases with species richness, until reduced evenness limits the overall increases in community diversity. Our research suggests that evenness is a fundamental component of biodiversity–ecosystem function relationships, and is of critical importance for guiding conservation and sustainable ecosystem management decisions