We evaluate potential costs and benefits of Eastern enlargement of the EU. In addressing fiscal costs of enlargement in addition to tariff and non-tariff barriers, we arrive at important conclusions: 1) Overall, extending EU membership to Eastern applicants is more than worth its price to...

In this article we develop a simple analytically solvable model of heterogeneous firms. The heterogeneous firm framework presented in this paper is particularly suitable for the structural estimation of variety gains from trade integration, as all structural equations for empirical estimations...

Climate change and outdoor air pollution are two of the most challenging environmental issues that modern society faces. These challenges are strongly linked through their emission sources, the sectors they affect and the policies that can be implemented to reduce emissions. They also interact...

Expenditure of the German statutory health insurance scheme will increase significantly in the future. In order to keep the system financially sound, current law plans to levy income independent surcharges. These will be complemented by a tax-financed social compensation scheme. In this paper,...

In this article, the virtual water exchange between Mediterranean countries is considered, reference being to the implicit water content of traded goods. Virtual water flows associated with trade in agricultural goods are estimated. Subsequently, a general equilibrium economic model is used to...

This paper uses a dynamic Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model to assess the intertemporal and spatial dimension of technology spillovers embodied in international trade. Three are the main contributions of the study. First, link capital- and energy-productivity to machinery and equipment...

Palestinian workers have been employed in low-skilled jobs in Israel for decades. The second Intifada, from 2000, increased border restrictions severely and sharply reduced employment possibilities in Israel for Palestinians, increased unemployment and reduced income in the West Bank. Israeli...

We present a stylized intertemporal forward-looking model that accommodates key regional economic features, an area where the literature is not well developed. The main difference, from the standard applications, is the role of saving and its implication for the balance of payments. Though...

Computable general equilibrium (CGE) modeling is an attempt to use general equilibrium theory as a tool for analysis of resource allocation and income distribution issues in market economies. Since the beginning of the 1990s, CGE modeling has been widely used for analysis of environmental policy...

The economy implications that climate change holds for agricultural sectors in 2050 are estimated using a static computable general equilibrium model. A peculiar feature of this exercise is the interfacing of the economic model with a climate model forecasting temperature increase in the...