Increases in core inflation owing to the VAT hike were smaller than expected, initially constituting a puzzle and leading to speculation about delayed increases or competitive pressures. Given Germany’s large size and openness, spillover interactions appear to have increased over time. In...

This paper proposes that publicly funded arts and cultural organisations should aspire to, and be funded to, engage in Research and Experimental Development (R&D), particularly that which aims at innovation, that is, new social application. Not confined to novel products or processes, arts and...

This is a pre-publication version of London’s Creative Sector: 2004 Update, which was published by the Greater London Authority (GLA) in 2002 and can be found, at the time of this report, at http://london.gov.uk/mayor/economic_unit/docs/creative_sector2004.pdf. It should be cited as Freeman,...

This is a pre-publication version of the working paper of the same name, published by the Greater London Authority and available at http://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/business-economy/publications/working-paper-40-londons-creative-workforce-2010-update. It should be cited as “Freeman, A....

In recent years, the IMF has released a growing number of reports and other documents covering economic and financial developments and trends in member countries. Each report, prepared by a staff team after discussions with government officials, is published at the option of the member country.

Conventional wisdom has it that the value-added tax is not a suitable instrument for lower-level jurisdictions (‘provinces’) in a federal system. The problems that arise when it is so used have become a serious constraint on the development of the VAT—and closer economic integration—in...

This paper provides an assessment of the poverty and social impact of replacing Ethiopia's sales tax with a value-added tax (VAT). The results indicate that this reform has not had a major adverse effect on the poorest 40 percent of the population. The VAT is progressive in its incidence, and...

Increases in German core inflation following the 2007 VAT hike were smaller than expected, leading to speculation about delayed inflationary effects. This paper argues to the contrary that price increases in advance of the VAT hike explain the small increase upon implementation. We find that...