In the first chapter of this chapter we explore the heterogeneity in returns to export promotion across countries using a semi-parametric varying coefficient model. In the second chapter we evaluate the impact of terrorist attacks on economic growth while taking into account the mitigating effect of counter-terrorism through a set of strategies and policies deemed to influence the costs, benefits, and opportunity costs of conducting a terrorist attack. In the last chapter we study export dynamics among firms. In particular we explore the possibility that factors beyond productivity level are relevant for the internationalization process of firms. To answer this question we perform a dimension reduction that we previously adapted to account for endogenous factors.
Cet article analyse l'incidence de la transition des pays de l'Europe de l'Est d'un système d'économie planifiée vers une économie de marché sur leurs performances sportives. Dans la première partie, un modèle, basé sur la théorie du capital humain, est développé afin d'expliquer les choix des individus en matière de pratiques sportives. Cette approche théorique est ensuite testée pour les pays à économie de marché dans le cadre de trois sports particuliers : le tennis, le football et les disciplines olympiques. Finalement, en utilisant les paramètres obtenus dans ces estimations, des prévisions sont émises concernant les performances sportives que les pays de l'Europe de l'Est obtiendront s'ils adoptent un système d'économie de marché. Cette analyse permet également de prévoir les performances sportives que l'Allemagne de l'Est et de l'Ouest réaliseront après leur réunification.
Responding to recent studies that have argued that urban regime analysis (URA) is inappropriate for studying urban politics in Europe or in the 21st century, this article argues that URA is a powerful analytical tool to understand the dynamics of contemporary urban governance. It does so by drawing on evidence from the Swiss cities of Zurich and Bern since the turn of the millennium. In both cities, the realization of major urban projects has relied on strong public-private cooperation structured around the mobilization and exchange of five resources (“land”, “law”, “money”, “expertise” and “democratic support”). Drawing on this empirical evidence, the article concludes by presenting two types of regimes: the PRIVATE-public regime and the PUBLIC-private regime.
Europe has been marked by many profound changes since the 1980s. Among those prominently discussed in the political economy literature are the massive decline in trade union membership, the alarming rise in income inequality, and the increasingly disproportionate distribution of labor market risks. This thesis combines these issues and explores how unionization relates to income and risk inequality by investigating the roles of trade unions and trade union membership in the political arena: One article analyzes if and how unions represent high-risk individuals in the legislative arena by lobbying for labor market outsiders in dualization reforms; three articles examine how union membership shapes electoral demand for policies alleviating income and labor market risk inequality and electoral support for left-wing parties in pursuit of such policies. In doing so, this thesis contributes to our understanding of solidarity in the context of inequality and how union decline might fuel inequality.
