bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Comparative Economics of EU ‘Subsidiarity’: Lessons from development/regional economic debates
Authors: Cameron John , Ndhlovu Tidings P. 
Published: March 2003

The term ‘substantive subsidiarity’ characterizes a radical position in the major debate in the European Union (EU) on how to structure territorially‐based power in a closely interlinked economy. A similar debate took place in the period between the 1950s and the early 1990s over the need for radical reform of spatial economic and power structures in Canada and less developed countries. The difficulty in constructing supporting arguments from economics for both these positions can be better understood by looking at the whole range of economic thought on spatial structures. A characterization of this range into three models reveals how economics generally supports centralizing tendencies. The assumptions required to make a case for stronger, more local authorities in the EU, Canada or less developed economies are shown to be restrictive. The article concludes that the case for substantive subsidiarity in the EU, which calls for radical decentralization to more local levels of government, claiming efficiency and equity gains, faces a similar challenge to that faced by earlier economists writing on less developed economies.L’expression ‘subsidiarité rélle’ définit une position radicale dans le grand débat qui anime l’Union Européenne sur la manière de structurer un pouvoir sur un territoire, dans une économie interdépendante. Entre les années 1950 et le début des années 1990, des discussions similaires se sont déroulées sur la nécessité de réformer profondément les structures spatiales du pouvoir et de l’économie au Canada et dans des pays sous‐développés. Dans les deux cas, on peut plus aisément appréhender la difficulté de trouver dans l’économie une source d’arguments favorables, si on observe l’éventail des pensées économiques sur les structures spatiales; en ramenant cette palette à trois modèles caractéristiques, on peut établir que l’économie penche généralement vers la centralisation. Par ailleurs, l’article démontre la nature restrictive des hypothèses permettant de dépeindre des autorités à la fois plus fortes et plus locales dans l’UE, au Canada ou dans des économies en développement. L’article conclut que la défense d’une subsidiarité réelle au sein de l’UE – appelant à une décentralisation radicale à des niveaux plus locaux de gouvernement, tout en revendiquant des gains d’efficacité et d’équité– est confrontée à un défi similaire à celui qu’ont rencontré les économistes passés quand ils écrivaient sur les économies en développement.
VW’s modular system and workers’ organization in Resende, Brazil
Authors: Ramalho José Ricardo , Santana Marco Aurélio 
Published: March 2003

This article discusses the changes taking place in the Brazilian vehicle assembly industry of the 1990s with particular reference to the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It focuses upon a case study of Volkswagen’s bus and truck assembly plant, opened in 1996, and its workers at Resende. The experience of the `modular system’ of production has been presented as a major development in vehicle assembly. The article analyses the originality of VW’s new form of organization of production and the strategy of the firm to look for localities with weak labour unionism. It also argues that despite the difficulties the local union faced in its attempts to intervene in the process of wage bargaining and to influence the management of aspects of production, there has been a rapid process of mobilizing the new workers for effective labour union action.L’article traite des transformations intervenues dans l’industrie automobile brésilienne dans les années quatre–vingt dix, avec une attention particulière pour l’Etat de Rio de Janeiro. Il s’attache à l’usine d’assemblage que Volkswagen ouverte en 1996 à Resende pour y assembler des véhicules industriels. Cette expérience de production modulaire a été présentée comme une innovation organisationnelle majeure dans l’industrie automobile mondiale. Le texte met en évidence les spécificités de la nouvelle organisation de la production et la stratégie de localisation de la firme fondée sur la recherche d’espaces d’implantation à faible activisme syndical. Il montre que malgré sa faiblesse initiale et une intervention réduite dans la négociation salariale et l’organisation du travail, une mobilisation rapide des nouveaux travailleurs a permis la reconstitution d’un mouvement syndical actif.
Metropolitan Labour Markets, Peripheral Labour Markets and Socio‐economic Outcomes among Immigrants to Israel
Authors: Semyonov Moshe , Lewin‐Epstein Noah , Yom‐Tov Anat 
Published: March 2003

This article focuses on the impact of the local opportunity structure on socio‐economic outcomes of recent immigrants to Israel. Specifically, it examines the extent to which metropolitan labour markets versus peripheral labour markets differentially affect socio‐economic incorporation of recent “Russian” immigrants who arrived in Israel after the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1989.Using the 1995 Israeli Census of Population, the analyses address the following questions: (1) were recent immigrants differentially sorted to local labour markets; (2) do local labour markets differentially affect socio‐economic attainment; and (3) do modes of socio‐economic attainment and patterns of ethnic inequality differ across metropolitan and peripheral labour markets?The analyses reveal that immigrants from the European republics and of lower education are more likely to settle in peripheral labour markets than in metropolitan labour markets. Peripheral labour markets, compared with metropolitan labour markets, have detrimental consequences for the socio‐economic outcomes of immigrants.The data do not provide strong support for the thesis that patterns of socio‐economic attainment and inequality differ much across labour markets. The rules according to which socio‐economic attainment of immigrants is determined are, for the most part, similar across labour markets. In general, occupational status and earnings of immigrants are likely to increase with the passage of time, education, European origin; and to decline with age regardless of type of the local labour market. However, the socio‐economic outcomes of immigrants are considerably higher in the metropolis than in the periphery.The findings suggest that the local labour market plays a major role in the determination of immigrants' socio‐economic rewards and outcomes.
Perspektiven der Alterssicherungspolitik in Deutschland – Über Konzeptionen, Vorschläge und einen angestrebten Paradigmenwechsel
Authors: Schmähl Winfried 
Published: March 2003

Abstract The paper outlines different concepts for designing pension policies linked to current reform proposals in Germany. The role of the state, mandatory or voluntary savings for old age and the primary objectives and types of income redistribution aimed at by the design of pension schemes are central. In contrast to the economic debate which is dominated by the topic pay-as-you-go (PAYG) versus funding, the author argues that it is especially important to deal with changes within the major German PAYG-financed scheme in order to realize positive economic and social effects, especially by a close contribution±benefit link as part of a broader reform concept. There are, however, limits to an overall reduction of the pension level in such a pension scheme, if a close contribution±benefit link is to remain politically acceptable. Here this is demonstrated by current reform proposals for substituting a major part of PAYG pensions by funded pensions in Germany. The paper also points out some hidden, implicit and long-term effects of such a strategy. Finally, the author refers to some often neglected effects in mainstream proposals for a major shift towards funding. 430
Alternativen der parlamentarischen Demokratie
Authors: Blankart Charles B. , Mueller Dennis C. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractIt is often said that the parliament should represent the opinions found in the population and that the government should be held accountable for its political program. It is shown in the paper that these two functions rely on two different basic models of democracy which are not fully compatible with each other: the model of a pure representative democracy and the model of a pure two party competition. Unaccountable governments, voter alienation, strategic voting, and governmental instability are shown to be consequences of this institutional mix. These problems may be avoided with reforms towards one or the other basic model.
Welfare Economics bei endogenen Präferenzen: Thünen–Vorlesung 2001
Authors: Weizsäcker C. Christian von 
Published: March 2003

Abstract The lecture develops a theory which provides a basis for welfare economics after we give up the assumption of fixed preferences. It formulates a mathematical theorem by which the following can be developed. The concept of „progress“ can be maintained even in a world of endogenous preferences, i.e. in a world in which the measuring rod changes with the object to be measured. It is then shown that under the assumption of „adaptive preferences“ and certain other assumptions a complete ordering of the commodity space is possible according to the concept of progress. In other words: despite the endogenously changing normative measuring rod for states of the economy it is still possible to maintain the concept of progress. It is then shown how such welfare economics can be used in „evolutionary“ environments. Generalisations of the theory are discussed as well as the empirical validity of adaptive preferences in view of the new empirical and experimental findings concerning human behaviour. Finally it is shown that all modern social philosophy implicitly rests on an assumption which is basically identical to the assumption of adaptive preferences.
The effects of preexposure‐test and conditioning‐test intervals on the magnitude of latent inhibition
Authors: Ishii Kiyoshi , Yamada Yuko , Hishimura Yutaka , Haga Yasuaki 
Published: March 2003

Abstract:Using the conditioned taste aversion paradigm, two experiments were conducted to examine the effects of the interval between preexposure and test and that between conditioning and test on the magnitude of latent inhibition. Experiment 1 revealed that the degree of latent inhibition was attenuated when rats were given a 21‐day interval between preexposure and test. It was also found that this attenuation was more marked in subjects which were given conditioning immediately after preexposure than those which were conditioned shortly before the test. Retention interval between preexposure and test was reduced to 12 days in Experiment 2, and exactly the same pattern of results as those found in Experiment 1 was obtained. These findings suggest that the memory of conditioning as well as that of preexposure decreases its retrievability after a long retention interval, although the former is more retainable than the latter.
The role of state self‐esteem in positive mood effects on person impression: When does a positive mood lead to a favorable view of others?
Authors: Ikegami Tomoko 
Published: March 2003

Abstract:Subjects in a positive or a neutral mood were engaged in an impression formation task (Experiment 1), and in a word fragment completion task (Experiment 2). A self‐referent versus other‐referent sentence completion task was used to induce a positive mood state. As a result, the subjects exhibited mood congruent effects on impression ratings in the self‐referent but not in the other‐referent mood induction condition. Word completion data, however, indicated that relevant traits (i.e., friendly traits) had been equally activated across the two mood induction conditions. It was also demonstrated that the self‐referent induction procedure was effective in enhancing the level of self‐esteem, whereas the other‐referent one was not. The results converged to suggest that the enhancement in state self‐esteem accompanying the self‐referent procedure might be relevant to positive mood effects on person impression. This indicates the limitation of the mood priming model.
Afterimage oscillation after a brief light flash
Authors: Taya Raiten , Ohinata Satoko 
Published: March 2003

Abstract: To investigate whether oscillation might appear not only in brightness but also in color dimension, we performed the following two experiments. In Experiment 1 subjects were asked to observe a moving dim light slit in the darkness with their right eye focused on a fixation point, which resulted in an afterimage appearing like a comet’s trail after the slit. The trail oscillated rapidly in brightness (four/five times), and soon disappeared. In Experiment 2, an afterimage generated by an intense color disc (S1) was projected onto a dim white disc (S2) after a controlled period of interstimulus interval. The white disc appeared oscillating slowly between the similar color and the complementary color, at least twice in approximately 40 s. The results of these experiments led us to infer that afterimage oscillations occur in both brightness and in color dimension. These oscillations are closely correlated with those caused by two physiological mechanisms: the magnosystem generating the brightness oscillation, and the opponent‐color site of the parvosystem generating the color oscillation.
The Caterpillar’s Question: Contesting Anti‐Humanism’s Contestations
Authors: Porpora Douglas 
Published: March 2003

The caterpillar’s question is the question Wonderland’s caterpillar posed to Alice: Who are you? This is a question Alice finds she cannot answer. According to postmodernist anti‐humanism, Alice cannot answer the question because there is no coherent Alice there to answer it, no unitary subject of consciousness.This paper contests the anti‐humanist denial of a coherent subject of experience. While it is conceded that phenomenologically, we may have difficulty today identifying who we are essentially, it is argued that, conceptually, we cannot do without the ontological category of the person as a unified center of consciousness.
Theoretical and Methodological Problems in Cross‐Cultural Psychology
Authors: Ratner Carl , Hui Lumei 
Published: March 2003

Carl Ratner and Lumei Hui, Theoretical and Methodological Problems in Cross‐Cultural Psychology, pp. 67–93. Although cross‐cultural psychology has advanced our understanding of cultural aspects of psychology, it is marred by theoretical and methodological flaws. These flaws include misunderstanding cultural issues and the manner in which they bear on psychology; obscuring the relation between biology, culture, and psychology; inadequately defining and measuring cultural factors and psychological phenomena; erroneously analysing data and drawing faulty conclusions about the cultural character of psychology. This article identifies fundamental theoretical and methodological errors that have appeared in prominent cross‐cultural psychological research. Suggestions for overcoming them are then outlined.
Chances, Individuals and Toxic Torts
Authors: Parascandola Mark 
Published: March 2003

We currently live in a world of silent risks caused by invisible agents acting through mechanisms poorly understood. It is not surprising that the resulting harms have led to litigation. Playing a visible role in all these cases is the ‘causation problem’; plaintiffs face sometimes insurmountable hurdles in providing evidence for causation. However, the fact that mechanisms are hidden does not mean that one cannot have reliable evidence and information about them.In this paper I argue that the law has taken an ill‐founded, skeptical stance towards statistical evidence for causation in toxic tort cases, making the task of plaintiffs unjustly difficult. I address two frequently cited skeptical claims about statistical evidence and argue that they are unfounded as applied in tort law. I conclude that the skeptical stance results from a failure to distinguish physical chances from epistemic probabilities, and that such a distinction is necessary if plaintiffs are to have a chance of prevailing.
Public Art: The Problems and Potential of Multiple Meanings
Authors: Holman Valerie 
Published: March 2003

Public art is not just sculpture and mural painting: it can take the form of stained–glass windows, textile wall–hangings, mosaic pavements and works of art that are not even designed to be long–lasting or permanent. It is found in city squares, and secluded countryside; in National Health Service hospitals and the national headquarters of major companies. Public art can now be studied at any level from primary to postgraduate, and because art and its context are so closely related in these settings beyond the gallery, it affords a particularly rich object of analysis for all age groups.What has so far received relatively little attention is the way in which public art is read. An examination of works of art from France and America reveals that visual literacy cannot be seen in isolation, for how we read depends as much on what we bring to our reading as it does on the text or image we seek to understand.
Born Again or ‘Dumbing Down’? Cultural Trends in the 1990s
Authors: Selwood Sara 
Published: March 2003

A person who everyday looks upon a beautiful picture, reads a page from some good book, and hears a beautiful piece of music will soon become a transformed person – one born again [Labour, 1997].Across the world, music audiences are being eroded by an array of domestic electronic attractions. Habitual concertgoers fear to venture into the inner city after dark, or get deterred by traffic jams and parking restrictions. A new generation raised on television soundbites and instant hamburgers has been jaggedly desensitised to the stately magniloquence of an hour‐long symphony. The sharing of music within families has been blighted by the decline of the nuclear family. Music teaching, insofar as it is still provided in public school systems, has been rendered almost worthless by a politically correct tendency to treat all musics as equal – the primitive with the refined, the commercial with the spiritual [Lebrecht, 1996].
The Body Frontier
Authors: Barron Marjukka , Kastinen Mirka 
Published: March 2003

The Finnish Art Teachers’ Society celebrated its 90th anniversary in 1996 with an exhibition `Picturing a Century’. In connection with this occasion, four students of the University of Art and Design Helsinki (Marjukka Barron, Mirka Kastinen, Iris Kärner‐Kupiainen and Elina Heikkilä) organised a course ‘The Body Frontier’ involving 25 upper secondary school pupils from four Helsinki schools. One of the aims of the course was to bring forth the many possibilities art education offers, another was to expand the anniversary exhibition outside the museum walls, reaching people who do not usually go to museums. The course first examined different views of the body and studied historical and philosophical aspects as well as contemporary media images, and secondly the study of one’s own body; e.g. its form and the space it holds. The pupils made paper sculptures using their own body as a mould. The sculptures and a short video about their making were exhibited in the central shopping arcade Forum, adjacent to the museum with the main exhibition. The course instructors approached people in the arcade and discussed feelings and ideas evoked by the work. The process itself and the pupils’ ideas were documented in the museum with the main exhibition.The course was a successful experiment in co‐operation between schools and a university, financing itself largely through commercial sponsorship. The exhibition provoked discussion about the dividing line between art education and `art proper’, and the public presentation of pupils’ work.
Who are EU? Ambiguities in the Concept of Competitiveness
Authors: Strange Susan 
Published: March 2003

Borrowing the title from Robert Reich’s 1990 article, ‘Who is US?’, I argue that it is first necessary to clear up some of the ambiguities in the current debate about European competitiveness if we are to develop a coherent and effective industrial and macroeconomic policy for Europe. Reich was adamant that the foreign‐owned firms (FOFs) that located production – and increasingly their research and design teams – in America were doing more for the American people (and, in the long run, for the American economy) than firms registered and headquartered in the US but whose output, and employees, were largely located elsewhere. Now that Asian firms as well as American ones are increasingly locating production in Europe rather than at home, the same argument holds good for Europe.Second, in order to determine and adopt the policies appropriate to making national societies, rather than national firms, competitive and viable, it is necessary to clear up some of the confusion concerning the causes of increased competition among states and among firms. It is argued that these causes are structural and (since the end of the Cold War) global. The most important of these are the accelerating rate of technological change and its escalating capital costs and, as auxiliary factors, the added opportunities for internationalizing production opened up by the increased mobility of capital, the improved efficiency of transport and communications and the general liberalization of the global trading system.Third, if the conclusions of the first and second part are accepted, the crucial political issue concerns the choice of means appropriate in a world market economy to the chosen end of European competitiveness in terms of societies rather than of firms. The third part of the argument therefore discusses some of the relevant policy issues: trade and investment policies, EU enlargement, the common currency, social rules and charters, and welfare issues like health and education.
Rational Momentum Effects
Authors: Johnson Timothy C. 
Published: March 2003

ABSTRACTMomentum effects in stock returns need not imply investor irrationality, heterogeneous information, or market frictions. A simple, single‐firm model with a standard pricing kernel can produce such effects when expected dividend growth rates vary over time. An enhanced model, under which persistent growth rate shocks occur episodically, can match many of the features documented by the empirical research. The same basic mechanism could potentially account for underreaction anomalies in general.
The Equity Premium
Authors: Fama Eugene F. , French Kenneth R. 
Published: March 2003

ABSTRACTWe estimate the equity premium using dividend and earnings growth rates to measure the expected rate of capital gain. Our estimates for 1951 to 2000, 2.55 percent and 4.32 percent, are much lower than the equity premium produced by the average stock return, 7.43 percent. Our evidence suggests that the high average return for 1951 to 2000 is due to a decline in discount rates that produces a large unexpected capital gain. Our main conclusion is that the average stock return of the last half‐century is a lot higher than expected.
Do Firms Hedge in Response to Tax Incentives?
Authors: Graham John R. , Rogers Daniel A. 
Published: March 2003

ABSTRACTThere are two tax incentives for corporations to hedge: to increase debt capacity and interest tax deductions, and to reduce expected tax liability if the tax function is convex. We test whether these incentives affect the extent of corporate hedging with derivatives. Using an explicit measure of tax function convexity, we find no evidence that firms hedge in response to tax convexity. Our analysis does, however, indicate that firms hedge to increase debt capacity, with increased tax benefits averaging 1.1 percent of firm value. Our results also indicate that firms hedge because of expected financial distress costs and firm size.