1,721,210 research outputs found
Divided by borders, united in healthcare? : regional heterogeneities and technocratic solidarity during the Covid-19 pandemic
No full textPublished online: 23 February 2024It is not only the states of the European Union (EU) that are heterogeneous in many respects, but also the regions existing within them. In this paper, we make use of a conjoint experiment on a particular type of technocratic solidarity – joint procurement of medical countermeasures (JPMC) – to explore how old and new regional-level heterogeneities affect public support for such type of solidarity. To this end, we exploit an experimental dataset, covering five EU countries at different phases of the Covid-19 pandemic in spring 2020. Our experimental results show that a broad policy scope, allocation based on need and EU governance all raise support for JPMC. Moreover, economically weaker regions and areas more severely hit by the pandemic exhibit stronger public backing for JPMC. Turning to the link between regional heterogeneities and specific design features of JPMC, evidence suggests that wealthier regions display greater public backing for a broader scope of the policy. Thus, our results suggest that public preferences for technocratic solidarity are generally strong, but also depend to some extent on regional collective rationalism
Joint defence as a European public good
No full textIn light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this contribution to the special issue Organizing European Security for yet another geopolitical era argues that European defence should be considered a European public good. First, we develop a definition of European public good embedded in the political economy literature on public goods and state-building; then we discuss how to finance defence as a European public good, and we review public support for EU-level defence instruments
Joint public procurement as a tool for European Union industrial policy
No full textJoint procurement is an important tool that is currently under-exploited at European Union level. It can greatly enhance the effectiveness of public spending in Europe, achieving greater coherence between spending across different countries, exploiting monopsony power, producing economies of scale, reducing downward competition between public authorities, improving the single market and producing a degree of solidarity without resulting in redistribution between EU countries. The EU has already implemented several joint-procurement projects, including for COVID-19 vaccines, gas supplies and ammunition for Ukraine.
These previous experiences can work both as a blueprint and as a pilot for larger-scale actions. Joint procurement could be particularly relevant in sectors with substantial economies-of-scale and industry-government ties, such as defence. Despite some degree of political opposition, experimental public opinion studies have shown consistently that joint procurement in such areas can strongly improve public support for EU-level action.
Measures that could expand European joint procurement in a politically sustainable
way include the use of framework contracts, which allow for ad-hoc commitments tailored
to the needs of different EU countries; reporting by countries of their future large public
procurement plans as a part of the European Semester so that the European Commission
could propose coordinated actions if necessary; and the use of staggered contracting and
multiple-award strategies, which can ensure a level playing field among companies of similar
market power, promoting market-building and supporting the entry of new competitors
East African Community: Pre-conditions for an Effective Monetary Union
No full textJEL classification: F15; F5Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda signed the Treaty for the establishment of the East African Community (EAC) in 1999, which entered into force in July 2000. In 2007 it was signed by Burundi and Rwanda. According to the Treaty, EAC should first form a customs union, then a common market and a monetary union, and finally a political union. The Customs Union was formally completed in 2010, and Common Market Protocol was signed in 2009. Currently the intention is to sign the East African Monetary Union protocol 2012, while the date for actual implementation of the common currency is uncertain. The purpose of this note is to discuss preconditions for an effective monetary union among the EAC members, with a focus on Rwanda. It first outlines potential economic benefits and costs of a monetary union, and then discusses political and institutional preconditions. It concludes that although there are potentially substantive economic net-benefits, a monetary union is a risky project for political reasons. The political will among policymakers is key to successful implementation, and it could vanish with a change of government or because of discontent among influential lobby groups. However, the process towards forming are monetary union is appears to be highly beneficial the EAC members, both directly by improving monetary policy and indirectly by contributing to economic integration
Children of the crisis:Fiscal councils in Portugal, Spain and Ireland
Full text linkThe adverse public finance implications of the global crisis spurred a wave of institutional reform in budgetary policy in the European Union. The Irish, Portuguese and Spanish independent fiscal watchdogs were created in circumstances in which the commitment of the national authorities to ensuring sustainability in public finances needed a dose of credibility. In this chapter, I study the strengths and the challenges of these ‘children of the crisis’. Instances of exemplary compliance with the international institutional benchmarks defined in the OECD (2014) principles are highlighted. I argue that improved communication and better access to information, including from the EU level, could enhance the effectiveness of the watchdogs in performing their oversight function. Staff recruitment and retention is not without problems either. Where applicable, the mandates could be independently reviewed to reflect changing fiscal challenges
Essays in pension economics and intergenerational risk sharing
Full text linkEen collectief pensioenstelsel verdeelt de effecten van economische en demografische schokken over meerdere generaties. Van deze risicodeling kunnen alle betrokken generaties voordeel hebben. Of verplichte deelname in het pensioenstelsel noodzakelijk is, hangt onder meer af van de mate waarin deelnemers risico’s mijden en de grootte van de schokken waaraan zij blootgesteld worden. Siert Jan Vos levert met zijn proefschrift een bijdrage aan de vele Nederlandse en Europese discussies over het ontwerp van pensioenstelsels. In Nederland is discussie over herziening van de AOW en aanvullende pensioenen al enkele jaren gaande en nog niet afgerond. Vos onderzocht de voor- en nadelen van verschillende voorstellen bij de herziening van aanvullende pensioencontracten. Ook aan de Europese pensioendiscussie levert hij een interessante bijdrage. Vos biedt gerichte input voor het Witboek Pensioenen van de Europese Commissie, dat suggesties doet voor herziening van pensioenstelsels in Europese lidstaten en bezig is met de herziening van de Europese richtlijn voor pensioenfondsen. Daarnaast biedt hij hulp bij de keuze voor toekomstige inrichting van pensioenstelsels in Europa
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
EU Defense Union: Short-Term Feasibility and Long-Term Coherence
Full text linkKey Messages
• Short-term solutions to European security should not create path dependencies leading to undesirable long-term outcomes
• Intertemporal coherence requires treating defense as a European public good with effective voting arrangements, robust financing mechanisms, long-term strategic autonomy, and tight joint command and control
• Only a Treaty reform or a separate European defense treaty of like-minded
EU countries, with possible association of third countries, can deliver long-run security in Europe
• For the journey toward this outcome to be successful, medium-term goals should align with long-term objectives to avoid institutional incoherenc
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