Unemployment insurance in Bulgaria and other East European countries: The transition to a market economy

Unemployment places those it affects in a situation of dependency on unemployment benefits. The regulation of that dependency and the measures necessary to avert it, in Bulgaria (and also in other East European countries) during the period of transition to a market economy, forms the subject of labour and social insurance legislation relating to unemployment and introduced on a temporary basis. Unemployment insurance benefits (unemployment benefits in cash, unemployment assistance, social assistance) are provided for limited periods fixed in the light of the nature of the benefit, the causes of unemployment, the number of years of service, age, gender and other factors. The degree of dependency of unemployed persons on such benefits is also determined by the level of those benefits. The principal categories of legal instruments by which that dependency can be averted or reduced are (1) contributions by the State to the establishment of labour law relationships by providing information to unemployed persons on job vacancies, vocational training and retraining measures, job creation measures and placement; (2) incentives to employers to maintain existing jobs and to create new ones (credits, exemption from interest payments, etc.).     

Debt management in a small open economy: A theoretical and an empirical study for Belgium

This article analyzes the effects of debt management and its consequence for the control of base money in a small open economy (Belgium). The study compares the effects obtained from a small theoretical model with the results of a larger empirical model.The theoretical model focuses on the financing of government by money operation, on the bond rate, and on the international reserve of the Central Bank.The empirical model is a medium-term one, including the demand and the supply sectors of the economy and permitting simultaneous analysis of real and financial variables.The effects of an endogeneous or exogenous debt management have been studied by numerical simulation of modification in the public expenditure, the world trade, and the discount rate.     

Preferences of the Central Bank of Brazil under the inflation targeting regime: Estimation using a DSGE model for a small open economy

The main objective of this paper is to estimate the preferences of the Central Bank of Brazil after the inflation targeting regime (January 2000 to December 2013), using a DSGE model with microeconomic foundations for a small open economy, based especially on the work of Kam et al. (2009). The model used in this study considers that the Central Bank minimizes a loss function, taking into account the deviation of inflation from its target, output stabilization, the interest rate smoothing and, unlike the previous works, the exchange rate. The results show that the major concern of the monetary authority in the period was the stabilization of inflation, followed by interest rate smoothing, exchange stabilization and, finally, output stabilization. The large value for the exchange rate smoothing parameter suggests the presence of fear of floating in the Brazilian case. An improved inflation targeting strategy should allow for less Central Bank intervention in the exchange rate market.     

The impact of adult and non-adult mortality on development: Two centuries evidence from a panel of industrial countries

This study examines the effects of adult and non-adult mortality on the long-run level of income in a heterogeneous dynamic and cross-sectionally dependent panel. Employing data for 20 countries between 1800 and 2010, it is found that (i) while non-adult mortality has no long-run effect on GDP per capita, reductions in adult mortality lead to statistically and economically significant increases in the long-run level of per capita income; (ii) there are no significant differences in the long-run effects of adult mortality and non-adult mortality on GDP per capita before and after the onset of the demographic transition; and (iii) mortality in middle adulthood has the greatest impact on economic development, whereas early adulthood mortality and mortality in later adulthood have little to no impact on the long-run level of per capita income.     

The impact of microcredit on small firms in Brazil: A potential to promote investment,growth and inclusion

Over the past decades, microfinance has become a pillar of economic development policies. However, despite the great popularity of micro-credit programs, the results of empirical studies are mixed. Thus, more research is needed to help us understand how effective microfinance is in achieving poverty reduction, economic development, and financial inclusion. This paper contributes to the literature by relying on a unique dataset from one of the biggest Fintech companies in Brazil to study the impact of microcredit on small firms’ outcomes. Using a difference-in-difference approach, we find that access to credit increases monthly revenues and profits by nearly 4.5%. We show that the effects are stronger for women-led businesses and less experienced entrepreneurs. In addition, we find that credit renewal strengthens the benefits of credit access. We discuss several policy implications from our results. In particular, the permanent availability of credit – as opposed to one-time/short-term interventions -- has greater potential to generate virtuous cycles of ever more reinvestment and growth, indicating larger gains from relaxing borrowing constraints in the long run.     

Cars,carbon, and Kyoto: Evaluating an emission charge and other policy instruments as incentives for a transition to hybrid cars in New Zealand

Abstract

Transition to hybrid petrol/electric vehicles (HEVs) is one means among many of reducing carbon emissions pursuant to the New Zealand emissions reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol. The potential financial incentive value of an emissions charge was evaluated by comparing purchase and running costs of an HEV with an equivalent petrol‐fuelled car. Had a carbon tax of $15/tonne CO₂ operated in January 2006, the net fuel efficiency saving on the basis of the emissions charge and the inbuilt fuel efficiency of the HEV amounted to $655.50 annually for an HEV. When compared with a $7000 purchase price differential in favour of petrol‐fuelled vehicles, it can be concluded the proposed carbon tax would not have provided a sufficient incentive to bring about any significant change in the distribution of HEVs across the market. Shifting the norm to a higher proportion of fuel‐efficient cars will therefore require other incentives and/or policy mechanisms. We explore alternative policy options for bringing about such a shift, including the option of a tradable vehicle emission permit system.     

The impact of prison hospice: collaboration among social workers and other professionals in a criminal justice setting that promotes care for the dying

This study reports on a qualitative national telephone survey with coordinators of 14 prison hospice programs in 11 states. The rationale behind the survey was to learn about interdisciplinary collaboration between social work and criminal justice, using prison hospice as an exemplar of this collaboration. In addition to learning that all prison hospices in the study operate using an interdisciplinary team model and that most report high quality collaboration on the hospice team, the following additional five themes emerged: administrators and wardens are very supportive while correctional staff provides mixed support to team and program; greater collaboration with those outside prison hospice is critical; collaboration through prison hospice has a positive impact on dying prisoners; collaboration through prison hospice has a positive impact on prisoner volunteers; and, collaboration through prison hospice has a positive impact on the entire culture of the prison.     

从荒岛贼穴到聚落街庄——以涠洲岛为例看明清时期华南海岛之开发

明清时期华南海岛开发中权力和利益的纠葛错综复杂,显示了国家政权扩张与地方社会之间长期调适过程的实态。涠洲岛所在北部湾海域自古盛产珍珠,民间以采珠和渔捞为业。明代先后在涠洲岛和沿海地区添设采珠内监衙门、游击将军和守海水寨,竭力垄断珠池,打击民众非法私采。涠洲岛及其周边海域成为明政府与珠盗周旋角力的舞台。清代以后,涠洲岛上偷渡私垦活动屡禁不止;同时多股洋盗在粤西和安南之间出没,冲击海防秩序,使官府的海岛经营策略长期处于封禁和开放的两难境地。至清末法国传教士协助大批广东客民移居岛上,迫使清政府放弃封禁政策,涠洲岛稍具规模的聚落街庄得以逐渐形成,国家行政构架构最终在岛上稳固起来。基于这个漫长的历史过程,促成了涠洲岛生本土信仰与外来宗教、渔民村庄与客家聚落混融共处的独特的历史遗存和社会文化结构。     

Rights to special services for people with developmental disabilities in Sweden: The risks and benefits of a legislative approach

Several major pieces of legislation in Sweden have been developed and enacted during the twentieth century to enable people with disabilities to live as normal a life as possible. The legal instrument is not supposed to depend on political economic trends. Important changes in the new Act on Special Services for Developmentally Disabled Persons from 1986 include qualitative demands and the right to self-determination for these individuals. The special services covered by the law are called social rights. The implementation of these rights is under the jurisdiction of politically appointed councils in counties or municipalities. The decisions made by these authorities can be appealed in administrative courts. Judicial review is supposed to be an instrument for the protection of citizens from the authorities responsible for services. In theory, at least, when one disabled person wins a case in court, the precedent should trickle down to all individuals in similar predicaments. But this does not always occur. One problem is that the law has no sanctions to force local authorities to follow the precedents or to execute court decisions. This article focuses on the Act and on the interplay between court cases and precedents and the decisions made by local authorities.     

The Reaction of the Family to the Institutionalization of an Elderly Member: Factors Influencing Adjustment and Suggestions for Easing the Transition to a New Life Phase

The institutionalization of an elderly person is a crisis for the family. Using case illustrations, this article presents three major factors affecting family reactions and adjustment (the expectations of society, family roles and expectations, and the impact of the move upon daily family life), suggests that nursing home placement be viewed as a step in the normal family life cycle, and discusses ways in which rituals could be used to ease the tradition to the post-placement phase of the family.     

Assessing the Barriers to Achieving Genuine Housing Choice for Adults with a Learning Disability: The Views of Family Carers and Professionals

It has been reported that the capability of adults with a learningdisability to choose their housing is too often impeded by theviews and actions of their family carers and involved professionals(McGlaughlin and Gorfin, with Saul, in press). This study furtherexplores these apparent barriers to providing genuine housingchoice for adults with learning disabilities. It discusses findingsfrom a series of focus groups which explored family and professionalviews about housing and choice. The views expressed indicatethat risk is a fundamental concern for both professionals andfamilies when considering more independent housing for thisgroup. Although opportunities for choice were generally supported,many argued for the need to assess the ability to make informeddecisions. There were also examples of problematic relationshipsbetween professionals and carers, creating a barrier to choice.Carers need involvement, information and support during thedevelopment of housing plans if the needs of the primary serviceusersare to be met. The barriers identified have to be removed ifservice-users are to truly become the focus of decisions andbe enabled to make genuine informed choices.