infonet-economy

Based on survey data for Switzerland, new empirical findings on direct democracy are presented. In the first part, we show that, on average, public employees receive lower financial compensation under more direct democratic institutions. However, top bureaucrats are more constrained in direct democracies and have to be compensated by higher wages for that loss of power. In the second...

We consider a three-location duopoly model such that (i) firms choose production and innovation locations before (Bertrand) competition takes place and (ii) there are internal and external knowledge spillovers. We show: (1) agglomerations where firms earn negative profits may exist when there are both external and internal knowledge spillovers; (2) greater external spillovers do not...

Die direkte Demokratie ist in den Kantonen der Schweiz unterschiedlich stark ausgeprägt. Die Beteiligung der Bürger im politischen Prozess via Verfassungs- und Gesetzesinitiative, Gesetzesreferendum und Finanzreferendum ist durch verschieden hohe Hürden eingeschränkt. Unterschiede bestehen beispielsweise bei der Anzahl Unterschriften, die verlangt werden, um ein Instrument zu...

Die Verhandlungen innerhalb der OECD zu einem multilateralen Abkommen ueber Investitionen (MAI) sind gescheitert. Damit werden Direktinvestitionen gegenwaertig weiterhin durch bilaterale Vertraege und durch einige wenige multilaterale Abkommen geregelt. In Zukunft ist jedoch weiterhin damit zu rechnen, daß diese durch ein allgemeines Rahmenwerk nach Vorlage des MAI ersetzt werden....

This paper studies the relationship between health care expenditure (HCE) and age, using longitudinal rather than cross-sectional data. The econometric analysis of HCE in the last eight quarters of life of individuals who died during the period 1983-1992 indicates that HCE depends on remaining lifetime but not on calendar age, at least beyond 65+. The positive relationship between...

"This manual explains the use of z-Tree, the ""Zurich Toolbox for Readymade Economic Experiments"". No programming knowledge is necessary to use z-Tree. This software allows to program and to conduct a wide range of experiments. This includes simultaneous and sequential games as well as market experiments and posted offer markets or double auctions. Because...

Command-and-control measures, despite their inefficiencies, are still the standard in environmental policy. This might be due to the fact that command-and-control instruments prevent monetary redistribution between sectors and households and leave property rights on remaining pollution with the emittents. The present paper interprets the no-redistribution policy as a political...

"A cross-regional econometric analysis is conducted suggesting that institutional factors in the form of direct democracy (via initiatives and referenda) and of federal structure (local autonomy) systematically and sizeably raise self-reported individual well-being. This positive effect can be attributed to political outcomes closer to voters preferences as well as to the...

In the models of Young (1993, Econometrica61, 57–84; 1993, J. Econ. Theory 59, 145–168), boundedly rational individuals are recurrently matched to play a game, and they play myopic best replies to the recent history of play. It could therefore be an advantage to instead play a myopic best reply to the myopic best reply, something boundedly rational players might conceivably also do....