30,269 research outputs found
Capital Steps: The Lighter Side of Politics
No full textThe Capitol Steps, a musical political satire group composed of Congressional staffers-turned-comedians, satirizes the people and places that once employed them.
The Capitol Steps are a troupe of Congressional staffers-turned-comedians who travel the country satirizing the very people and places that once employed them. The Steps perform over 500 shows a year all over the country.
Since they began, the Capitol Steps have recorded 25 albums, including their latest, Four More Years in the Bush Leagues. They\u27ve been featured on NBC, ABC, CBS and PBS, and can be heard 4 times a year on National Public Radio stations nationwide during their Politics Takes a Holiday radio specials.
The Capitol Steps were born in December 1981. Since then, the Steps have had over 5,000 performances in 49 states. The group now has 22 cast members, 5 of whom are on stage for any one show.
The material is updated constantly whether to include George Bush\u27s latest geography lesson Korea (to West Side Story\u27s Maria ) or their own patriotic American in God Bless My SUV. Whether it\u27s politicians or the Supreme Court, the Capitol Steps are equal opportunity offenders
Taxing capital income in Hungary and the European Union
No full textCountries seeking membership in the European Union (EU) cannot look to the EU for a blueprint for reforming their system for taxing capital income. Indeed, it is hard to generalize about tax systems in the EU. Most member states apply fairly low tax rates to interest payments and discriminate against profit distributions. But tax rates, exemption levels, and methods of tax integration differ greatly within and across countries, and there is almost no harmonization of methods for taxing capital income. Approaches to taxing capital gains vary greatly, and distortions arise from the treatment of various sources of capital income. In 1993, when the EU began efforts to integrate capital markets, member countries proposed various ways to harmonize capital income taxes, including a proposal to introduce a withholding tax on interest income of residents of member states, with a minimum rate of 15 percent (revised to 10 percent). Under this scheme all interest on bank deposits and government and private bonds would be taxed and there might also be a final withholding tax on residents interest income. But the proposal was not accepted and the EU Commission decided to maintain the status quo, not to pressure member countries to harmonize company taxes. But Hungary could look for models in the Nordic countries (especially Norway and Sweden), Austria, and Finland, which have undertaken far-reaching reforms of capital income taxation. In most EU countries capital gains are either not (directly) taxed or are not taxed systematically. In Finland and Norway identical tax rates are applied to all types of capital income, including capital gains. The centerpiece of the"Scandinavian model"is a dual income tax, combining a progressive tax on personal income with a flat-rate tax on all types of capital income. The"Scandinavian model"contrasts sharply with the"comprehensive income taxation"model, under which a single (progressive) tax schedule is applied to income from all sources. In Austria the treatment of different types of capital income is relatively uniform but the composite tax burden on capital income resembles the highest personal income tax rate rather than a reduced rate. Austria's rate of tax evasion was high, but a 10 percent withholdingtax applied to all interest-bearing assets has reduced discrimination against honest taxpayers.Economic Theory&Research,Public Sector Economics&Finance,International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Environmental Economics&Policies,Payment Systems&Infrastructure,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Public Sector Economics&Finance,International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Banks&Banking Reform
Financing rural innovation with community development venture capital: models, options and obstacles
No full textGrowing local companies is essential to the economic prosperity for many rural regions and residents. Rural economies, however, rarely attract traditional venture capital. Given the important role that patient capital plays in entrepreneurial development, the future economic vitality of rural communities rests, at least in part, on their ability to access such capital. Community development venture capital (CDVC) is a particularly adept model for overcoming the structural obstacles that rural geographies present for venture capital investors. Rubin explores some of the obstacles this model faces, along with options for sources of funding.Community development ; Venture capital
Author Co-Citation Analysis (ACA): a powerful tool for representing implicit knowledge of scholar knowledge workers
No full textIn the last decade, knowledge has emerged as one of the most important and valuable organizational assets. Gradually this importance caused to emergence of new discipline entitled ―knowledge management‖. However one of the major challenges of knowledge management is conversion implicit or tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge. Thus Making knowledge visible so that it can be better accessed, discussed, valued or generally managed is a long-standing objective in knowledge management. Accordingly in this paper author co- citation analysis (ACA) will be proposed as an efficient technique of knowledge visualization in academia (Scholar knowledge workers)
The Indirect Costs of Venture Capital in Canada
No full textSome analysts and policy makers consider that the growth of New Technology Based Firms (NTBF) is impeded by an insufficient supply of capital. In Canada, as in other jurisdictions, the public authorities have interceded to fill this equity gap by increasing the supply of funds. However, several researchers contend that this gap is mainly associated with information asymmetry that particularly affects technological firms. Agency and moral hazard problems explain why it can be time consuming and costly to get outside equity. We propose the first analysis of these indirect costs of financing. These costs are partially intangible and can be determined only through a field survey and case analyses. In this study, we identify the elements that generate indirect costs of financing and estimate the costs and time frames associated with 18 financing rounds undertaken by 12 NTBF in Quebec, where the supply of venture capital is very abundant. We show that these costs are indeed substantial and heavily penalize small companies, especially during the initial financing round and prior to the commercialization phase. Thus, the classic government intervention policies intended to increase the supply of funds may be largely ineffectual. More specific training and support actions would likely be more effective. Certains analystes et décideurs politiques considèrent que la croissance des nouvelles entreprises technologiques est contrainte par une offre insuffisante de capital. Au Canada, comme dans d’autres juridictions, les pouvoirs publics sont intervenus pour corriger cette lacune des marchés en augmentant l’offre de capital. Toutefois, la plupart des chercheurs défendent que cette lacune est essentiellement due aux problèmes d’asymétrie informationnelle, qui touchent particulièrement les entreprises technologiques. Les problèmes d’agence et d’anti-sélection qui en découlent rendent l’obtention de capital longue et coûteuse. Dans la présente étude, nous étudions les coûts et délais associés à l’obtention de capital de risque par douze entreprises technologiques, au cours de 18 rondes de financement distinctes. L’étude est menée au Québec, où l’offre de capital de risque est particulièrement abondante. Nous observons que les coûts associés à l’obtention du capital sont considérables et de nature à pénaliser les entreprises, notamment au cours des rondes initiales de financement. L’intervention gouvernementale classique, qui consiste à augmenter l’offre de capital, semble donc largement inefficace. D’autres types d’intervention, qui viseraient à encadrer et aider les dirigeants dans la recherche de fonds, devraient être étudiés.financing, indirect costs, public policy, SME, venture capital, capital de risque, coûts indirects, financement, PME, politique publique
Subordinated debt as bank capital: a proposal for regulatory reform
No full textIndustry observes have proposed increasing the role of subordinated debt in bank capital requirements as a means to increase market discipline. A recent Federal Reserve System Task Force evaluated the characteristics of such proposals. Here, the authors take the next step and offer a specific sub-debt proposal. They describe how it would operate and what changes it would require in the regulatory framework.Bank capital ; Debt ; Bank supervision
Public Debts and Private Assets: Explaining Capital Flight from Sub-Saharan African Countries
No full textWe investigate the determinants of capital flight from 30 sub-Saharan African countries, including 24 countries classified as severely indebted low-income countries, for the period 1970-1996. The econometric analysis reveals that external borrowing is positively and significantly related to capital flight, suggesting that to a large extent capital flight is debt-fueled. We estimate that for every dollar of external borrowing in the region, roughly 80 cents flowed back as capital flight in the same year. Capital flight also exhibits a high degree of persistence in the sense that past capital flight is correlated with current and future capital flight. The growth rate differential between the African country and its OECD trading partners is negatively related to capital flight. We also explore the effects of several other factors - inflation, fiscal policy indicators, the interest rate differential, exchange rate appreciation, financial development, and indicators of the political environment and governance. We discuss the implications of the results for debt relief and for policies aimed at preventing capital flight and attracting private capital held abroad.capital flight; debt; sub-Saharan Africa; debt relief; capital control
Intellectual capital management and reporting in European higher education institutions
No full textPurpose: This paper analyses the importance of intellectual capital management as instruments to face the new challenges in European universities. The aim of this paper is to provide assistance initiating universities in the process of developing their ability to identify, measure and manage their intangible assets.
Design/methodology/approach: A review of the most important intellectual capital management initiatives at European universities is shown.
Findings: The experience gained from the case studies provides a basis to understand how European universities are measuring and managing their intellectual capital.
Practical implications: This study helps to define the steps to follow in developing a model of intellectual capital management at universities. In this sense, a necessary starting point would be the definition and diffusion of the organisation’s strategic objectives. Then, critical intangibles related to these objectives should be identified and the causal network of relationship among them should be established. Afterwards, a set of indicators is defined and developed for each intangible. Finally, a periodic review of the model to adapt to new challenges should be carried out.
Originality/value: The intellectual capital approach becomes critical at universities, mainly due to the fact that “knowledge” is the main output as well as input in these institutions. Despite its importance, intellectual capital at universities is scarcely dealt with in a specific manner. This paper offers practical help to universities to develop means to identify, measure, manage and report on their intangible assets.Peer Reviewe
Explorations of structure and choice in taxing capital gains: New Zealand tax experts' perspectives
No full textThis study explores the key issues, aspects, and attributes concerning capital gains tax (CGT) to enable the formulation of policy guidelines that might be used if a CGT were considered in New Zealand. It contends that the development of the New Zealand’s policy on taxing capital gains has continued in a somewhat ad hoc and inconsistent fashion. The lack of a uniform approach to capital gains taxation has resulted in detailed, but complex, legislation which leads to “policy inconsistencies and unintended incentives built into the tax structure” (Oliver, 2001, pp. 80 – 81). The study bridges the divide between theoretical analysis of CGT and implementation issues on operating a CGT. It attempts to address one primary research question and an associated secondary question. The primary research question is: should capital gains be taxed more comprehensively than at present? As a start, it examines the two important issues surrounding income definition and the capital/income distinction. In this regard, the research first attempts to identify the definition(s) of capital gains from the New Zealand perspective(s). This is followed by investigating the key areas of the tax system in order to seek the best way of taxing capital gains. This study also attempts to address the secondary research question, i.e., why (or why not) do the tax experts favour (or oppose) a comprehensive CGT? In this respect, this study identifies 23 factors/issues that are related to the tax experts’ attitudes towards a particular form of a CGT model (i.e., current hybrid approach, a realisation-based CGT or an accrual-based CGT). A mixed-methods design has been adopted in this study involving both a quantitative (survey) and a qualitative (interview) method in analysing the data to determine the tax experts’ overall perceptions of a CGT in New Zealand and the CGT adoption factors which influenced them. One important finding of the comparative analyses was that all tax experts generally agreed that the lack of a comprehensive CGT could provide more significant tax planning opportunities. However, many tax experts did not support the comprehensive income concept as they disagreed with the benefits derived from the gains in horizontal equity through adopting a CGT. This study has identified several important policy issues and reviewed their implication for the adoption of a CGT in New Zealand. The finding of the study revealed that the tax experts strongly supported the exemption of the gains on disposal of a taxpayer’s main residence and the tax preference for inflation adjustment. Another important policy issue is the implementation of an accrual-based CGT. Most tax experts considered a realisation-based CGT would be better than an accrual one. In particular, they were concerned about the liquidity problems and the compliance costs involved in an accrual-based CGT regime i.e., the annual valuation of all assets. These findings represent a first step towards a theoretical CGT framework. It is hoped that the knowledge gained in this study would give a greater understanding into the practical decision-making process that could result in a better public acceptance for a tax reform
Human Capital and Knowledge Emergence. Induced Effects of the Global Crisis on Human capital and Innovation
No full textIn the global crisis context crossed by organizations and countries in the past six years we assist also at conflicting measures in which regards knowledge, innovation and human capital; for example, countries such as England and France have reduced their costs for education, while Germany and other countries (Australia, Austria, Canada and Norway) maintained the same allocations for education. What will be the effects of such measures on human capital in the near future? What are the best human resources policies in companies in the crisis context?
Given that the subject of the research is "knowledge and human capital", in this paper we refer to the induced effects of the crisis on human capital and innovation. We will also identify the key steps that can be taken during crisis, and not only, to stimulate human capital
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