We provide a normative analysis of endogenous student and worker mobility in the presence of diverging interests between universities and governments. Student mobility generates a university competition effect which induces them to overinvest in education, whereas worker mobility generates a...

Environmental federalism refers to the debate over the "optimal" level of government at which to delegate environmental policymaking. Although this issue receives widespread attention across the globe, opinions run the gamut. The diversity of views plays out in practice as well as different...

A growing literature documents the existence of strategic political reactions to public expenditure in one jurisdiction on either neighboring or reference jurisdictions. The latter might give raise to downward expenditure spiral, or "race to the bottom". However, in ascertaining the empirical...

Krugman's verdict that competitiveness of countries is a largely meaningless concept is a serious misjudgement of the economics profession. Countries compete for the mobile factors of production, most importantly for capital and technology. The exit-option of these factors and of firms changes...

The literature on the effect of globalization national regulatory standards tends to focus on one of two patterns, regulatory races to the bottom or upwards harmonization of regulatory standards. Neither pattern is well supported by empirical findings, particularly with respect to industries...

Die Zunahme des internationalen Handels und der internationalen Kapitalbewegungen wird oft für einen Abbau sozialstaatlicher Umverteilung verantwortlich gemacht. In dieser Arbeit wird die Frage untersucht, ob die wachsende Internationalisierung der Wirtschaft zu einer Einschränkung der...