Avoiding responsibility: The politics and discourse of European development policy

This book deals with an important subject. Regrettably, it doesnot do so in a wholly successful way. The author's general purposeis to steer a path between a normative–ethical approachto the topic and a political–scientific one, and the mainmethodological stance adopted is a version of discourse analysis.Drawing, in particular, on the work of Laclau and Mouffe, sheexamines two discursive ‘moments’ in European developmentdiscourse, or two different ways of justifying European developmentpolicy – responsibility and efficiency. The first, atleast in the early stages of European policy, entailed a paternalisticsense of European concern for its former colonial possessions,while the latter legitimizes     

Measuring and explaining tax evasion: Improving self-reports using the crosswise model

Due to its sensitive nature, tax compliance is difficult to study empirically, and valid information on tax evasion is rare. More specifically, when directly asked on surveys, respondents are likely to underreport their evasion behavior. Such invalid responses not only bias prevalence estimates but may also obscure associations with individual predictors. To generate more valid estimates of tax evasion, we used a new method of data collection for sensitive questions, the crosswise model (CM). The CM is conceptually based on the randomized response technique (RRT), but due to its advanced design, it is better suited for large surveys than classical RRTs. In an experimental online survey, we compared the CM (N = 862) to standard direct questioning (DQ; N = 305). First, our results showed that the CM was able to elicit a higher proportion of self-stigmatizing reports of tax evasion by increasing privacy in the data collection process. Second, on average, we found stronger effects of our predictor variables on tax evasion in the CM condition compared with the DQ condition such that an egoistic personality and the opportunity for tax evasion predicted actual tax evasion only in the CM condition.     

Results of the European thematic network ageing and disability: improving the quality of life of elderly persons through more physical activity

Experts in Adapted Physical Activity (APA) for elderly persons from 66 higher education institutions of 29 European countries worked during 3 years together (2004–2007) in producing education materials to promote an active lifestyle, the content of an APA programme for the elderly at master and bachelor level, a motivational DVD (Never too old to be Active: The Joy of Movement and practical active ageing activity cards and a brochure with a European survey and recommendations. During the dissemination year (2009–2010) these materials were translated from English into 15 European languages and disseminated in all countries in institutions of Higher Education (physical education, physiotherapy, sport science), nursing homes for elderly persons and caregivers). In each country, as many as possible elderly persons were approached as well as the concerned ministries, sports organizations and the press. A consortium was created between the universities of Amiens (France), Groningen (The Netherlands) and Verona (Italy), to start up the European Masters programme in APA for the elderly and the motivating products disseminated the urgent message of the Thematic Network for all elderly persons with and without disabilities in Europe “Save yourself by more physical activity” This same approach applied in all European countries at the same time during these 4 years, gave a boost to the better education of students in this matter: stimulating the responsibility and motivation of elderly persons for bringing more physical activity in their daily schedule, during at least 30 min each day. The established cooperation between the actors of the network should however be continued through the European Master in APA for the elderly and further dissemination of the products through the website     

Subjective well-being in European countries��on the age-specific impact of physical activity

As an attempt to measure the ‘experienced’ utility of individuals in economics, the investigation of individuals’ subjective well-being (SWB) was pioneered by Van Praag and Frijters (1999) and Kahneman et al. (1999). Since then, a number of studies has analysed the factors associated with SWB and policy makers are now recognising the importance of SWB as a policy target, with the implication being that one could target its factors associated with increase in the overall SWB in countries. However, despite its significance to economies, and increasing policy relevance, investigations on the impact of sport and physical activity on SWB are relatively rare [e.g. Rasciute and Downward in Kyklos 63(2):256–270, 2010]. More specifically, despite sports participation and engagement in physical activity having a strong age-specific profile (Breuer et al. in Eur Rev Aging Phys Act 7:61–70, 2010; Hinrichs et al. in Eur J Sport Soc 6(1):49–57, 2010; Mechling and Netz in European Rev Aging Physical Activity 6(2):89–97, 2009), there is no study that investigates whether the magnitude of this impact is age-specific. Consequently, this paper seeks to make a unique contribution to the existing literature by exploring the age-specific effects of physical activity on SWB for a broad cross-section of 19 European countries. Overall, the results suggest that engagement in physical activity generally contributes to the SWB of individuals on a European level but that significant age-specific differences exist.     

Does more knowledge about the European Union lead to a stronger European identity? A comparative analysis among adolescents in 21 European member states

Strengthening European identity is often considered as one of the mechanisms to address the perceived lack of legitimacy of the European Union (EU). In this study we test the explanatory power of cognitive mobilization for the development of European identity (more knowledge about the EU leads to a stronger European identity) and we challenge this model by the inclusion of both an economic utilitarian explanation for European identity (benefiting more from EU integration leads to a stronger European identity) and a political trust approach (having more political trust leads to a stronger European identity). The multilevel regression analysis on the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study 2009 data, which is collected among adolescents in 21 member states, shows that knowledge about the EU has a significant but limited effect on European identity. Personal economic benefits because of EU membership and having trust in national political institutions, in contrast, are more important determinants for the development of European identity.     

Infants' Perception of Intonation: Is It a Statement or a Question?

The ability to distinguish phonetic variations in speech that are relevant to meaning is essential for infants' language development. Previous studies into the acquisition of prosodic categories have focused on lexical stress, lexical pitch accent, or lexical tone. However, very little is known about the developmental course of infants' perception of linguistic intonation. In this study, we investigate infants' perception of the correlates of the statement/yes–no question contrast in a language that marks this sentence type distinction only by prosodic means, European Portuguese (EP). Using a modified version of the visual habituation paradigm, EP‐learning infants at 5–6 and 8–9 months were able to successfully discriminate segmentally varied, single‐prosodic word intonational phrases presented with statement or yes–no question intonation, demonstrating that they are sensitive to the prosodic cues marking this distinction as early as 5 months and maintain this sensitivity throughout the first year. These results suggest the presence of precocious discrimination abilities for intonation across segmental variation, similarly to previous reports for lexical pitch accent, but unlike previous findings for word stress.     

Optimal voting rules for two-member tenure committees

A tenure committee first votes on whether to hire a candidate; if it does, it receives an informative performance signal, and then votes on whether to tenure the candidate; rejection at either stage returns the committee to a candidate pool, endogenising the value of the outside option. A candidate’s fate depends only on the behaviour of two ‘weather-vane’ committee members. Committee members may vote against favoured candidates if the weather-vane is opposed; enthusiastic assessments by one of these weather-vanes may harm a candidate’s chances by increasing others’ thresholds for hiring him; sunk time costs may lead voters who voted against hiring to vote for tenuring him, even after a poor probationary performance. For two member committees that are patient and perceptive, the optimal voting rule is a (weak) majority at the hiring stage and unanimity at the tenure stage; when such committees are impatient or imperceptive, the double (weak) majority rule is optimal. Perversely, the performance of a patient, imperceptive committee improves as its perceptiveness further declines. Consistent with practice, falling threshold rules are not optimal. Results on optimal voting rules are also presented in limit cases as committee members’ beliefs become more correlated. Finally, we compare the model to a discrete-time European options model.     

Integrating or Setting the Agenda? Gender Mainstreaming in the European Constitution-Making Process

The European Union (EU) constitution-making process has adoptedan "integrating" rather than an "agenda-setting" approach togender mainstreaming. This argument draws on analysis of boththe European Constitutional Convention and its product—theConstitutional Treaty. Five indicators of application of mainstreamingserve as reference points for exploring how it has been appliedin the EU Constitutional Convention: a broader concept of genderequality, the incorporation of a gender perspective into themainstream, equal representation of women, the prioritizationof gender policy objectives, and a shift in institutional andorganizational culture. The article provides a tentative explanationfor the failure of the EU constitution-making process to adoptan "agenda-setting" approach to gender mainstreaming.     

Activism and Willingness to Help in Union Organizing: Who Are the Activists?

Research on union renewal often cites a critical role for lay activism. This study examines determinants of activism and activism intentions among a broadly representative sample of U.S. union members. Hypotheses are developed from theory and previous research on union commitment and participation. Results for current activism are generally consistent with prior work. Extending the model to future intentions to help with organizing, an interesting contrast is that pro-union attitude influences appear much more important than do union instrumentality perceptions. This suggests that “covenant” rather than “exchange” concerns are more salient for this form of activism. Findings for ideological orientation support this interpretation.     

Can (and Should) We Construct an Evolutionary Psychological Theory of Institutions?

This article considers the question of whether, as a number of scholars have suggested, we can (or should) develop a theory of institutions from the perspective of evolutionary psychology (EP), construed broadly. To do so, the article reviews EP's core explanatory strategy and the main claims that have been made by proponents of an EP institutional theory, focusing on arguments about (1) welfare states and (2) “honor cultures” and the institutions associated with them. On the one hand, the article argues, there are both logical and empirical problems with current efforts to develop EP theories of these institutional domains. On the other hand, sociology's relative absence from the development of such theories contributes to these problems, and sociologists can learn from EP. Above all, insights drawn from EP may help us to construct better accounts of various institutions’ micro‐foundations. To this end, collaboration and exchange between EP scholars and sociologists is called for, and some suggestions are made about how this might be done most fruitfully.     

A ``European Consensus' on the Growth Agenda? A Discussion of the Sapir Report

This paper offers a discussion of An Agenda for a Growing Europe: Making the Economic System Deliver, a report to the President of the European Commission prepared by a group of independent experts. The paper reflects the results of the 3rd Milan European Economy Workshop (May 28–29, 2004) and my personal views. The workshop was organised by the Department of Economics, University of Milan and the Jean Monnet Chair of Economics of European Integration, with the participation of more than twenty distinguished speakers from several institutions across the European Union.     

Italy and ‘Balkan Greece’: Albanian Immigration in the 90s

The article proposes an interview with Mr. M. Baldwin Edwards—director of the Mediterranean migration observatory (MMO) based in Athens—made in January 2007. Interview object was the analysis of the way Greece faced the Albanian migration flow in the 90s. Critically he points out the actors, the strategies, the historical and sociological reasons of this response. The protection of human rights and the role of the European Union are also pointed out. The overall picture gives the impression of a Greek answer that makes a confusion between a ‘border policy’ and a ‘migration policy’ leading to a (more or less conscious) ‘non immigration policy’.     

Measuring the Role of Central and Eastern European Countries in World Drug Research

This paper explores the sociological behavior of firms in the pharmaceutical industry in Central and Eastern Europe as measured by funding linkages. Using the ISI Web of Science data-base, the number of research papers funded by top American and European pharmaceuticals with at least one author from Central and Eastern Europe are identified. Results indicate that Poland leads in the region by both the number of papers funded and by percentage of a firm’s total papers funded, followed closely by Hungary, Greece and the Czech Republic. Though the percentages of any firm’s linkages with a Central and Eastern European author are small (upper limit being 6.6%), this percentage is skewed due to the fact that the US is cited for 50% of papers for most firms. Roche Corporation is the top funder of papers among both US and European firms. Incidentally, zero top American pharmaceuticals were found to have an R&D center located in Central and Eastern Europe whereas European firms: GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi-Aventis do—possibly indicating a difference in business strategy between European and American pharmaceuticals.     

Trends in the Albanian Labour Market: Who are Albania’s Unemployed?

Albania’s experience with transition is unlike most Eastern European countries. In particular, transition started from a deeply impoverished state, proceeded faster than other countries in the region, and was disrupted by financial sector crises. In addition, Albania experienced extreme population movements both abroad (to as many as twenty different countries) and within the country (from rural areas to major cities). All these changes combined have altered the composition of the local labour force in unknown ways. Understanding who Albania’s unemployed are at present is important for policy decisions, especially given the double-digit unemployment rates of the last decade. In addition, employment stabilization policies in Albania are important from an international perspective, since Albania exports about 15–20% of its labour force to neighbouring countries. This paper uses administrative data from one of the largest, recently established labour offices, to gain insights into the composition and characteristics of Albania’s unemployed.     

Strategic versus non-strategic voting power in the EU Council of Ministers: the consultation procedure

This article evaluates the distribution of power within the Council of the European Union from the a priori perspective of constitutional design using two distinct approaches: (1) applying traditional voting power indices; (2) carrying out strategic equilibrium analysis of the EU’s consultation procedure. It clarifies why both approaches lead to different power indications, and investigates the determinants of the differences’ magnitudes. Depending on one’s assumptions about behavior of the consultation procedure’s agenda setter, the European Commission, traditional indices turn out to deliver a good approximation also of relative strategic power in the Council.     

A Critical View of the Institutional Solution in Economics

Institutionalism is the solution at hand when the expected correlations fail to work. The analytical framework is henceforth enriched with institutional pillars such as stable political structures, lack of corrupt practices, well-specified property rights, low-cost enforcement of contracts, etc. This paper’s thesis is that institutionalism has its own limits circumscribed by the original view of the logic of economic inquiry based on causation. Ignoring the external circumstances of the social whole by virtue of ceteris paribus postulation creates an epistemic vacuum as regards the most part of our understanding of economic evolutions. In guise of a practical corollary, the paper ends with a casuistic illustration from Eastern European transition economies and concludes that the uncertainties of transition, neither more obscured, nor more difficult than of any other historical system, are left as much puzzling in orthodox as in institutional recipes.     

Les normes comptables comme institution du capitalisme. Une analyse du passage aux normes IFRS en Europe à partir de 2005

In 2002, the European Union changed direction from its past efforts to harmonise European accounting systems and turned instead to a subcontractor, requiring listed European companies to adopt accounting standards drawn up by a private London-based organisation, the IASB (International Accounting Standards Board), which had until then had no public mandate. This decision was all the more significant because the EU has no institutional means of control over the IASB, although it was the first geographical group to decide to impose these standards on its businesses. IASB standards are rooted in the “anglo-saxon” tradition of standardisation for the financial markets, and the view of the enterprise they promote diverges from the accounting traditions of continental European capitalism. This article shows how the new standards are transforming the concept of enterprise, and examines the span of factors that brought about what is a major institutional change for European capitalism. — Special issue: New patterns of institutions.     

From Transition to Innovation: Policy Issues in a Knowledge-based Economy

This paper contains a general vision of the main issues on innovation policies in East European new member countries and candidate countries. It is based both on the data taken from the main European benchmarking studies on innovation perspectives, and on the direct experience of advisors who worked in East European pilot countries (Slovenia). This paper focuses on the problems arising from the encounter of European innovation policies and local culture and governance structures in these countries. This situation shows that the innovation phase, following transition, generally calls for a further tuning of EU innovation policies in these countries. In order to develop effective market spin-offs from innovation policies, greater attention should be given to triggering bottom-up policies at regional level by reducing decision-making centralism; lowering the risk of imitative and trend-oriented policies; supporting the birth of new enterprises besides backing the existing ones; developing mostly software rather than hardware policy components. All of this should fit in a general framework recognising the central role of individuals – and thus of culture, starting from entrepreneurial culture – within a knowledge-based innovation process. The recent Slovenian action plan for innovation is included as an example of a strategic plan able to spotlight these main issues.