As a part of agricultural negotiations, the WTO members have agreed to phase out all forms of export subsidies. This study evaluates the current level and commitments of subsidised export quantities and subsidy expenditures of the EU, which is by far the largest user of export subsidies. The...

The ongoing trade negotiations, unilateral trade concessions and obligations under the WTO are pushing the EU sugar regime to undertake reforms. These reforms will alter the positions of developing countries in the global sugar markets. This paper will describe the trade preferences granted to...

The study concerns an assessment of the effectiveness of car purchase tax differentiation according to the CO2-emission performance of newly sold cars as implemented in Finland. This policy instrument came into force as of 1 January 2008. The effectiveness of the instrument is assessed by means...

This study examines the extent of direct tax avoidance through income-shifting between wages and dividends, and approximates the deadweight loss due to this behavior for the owners of privately held corporations. The dual income tax system in Finland offers noticeable incentives for...

Computable general equilibrium (CGE) models require external parameters for proper estimations and can be relatively sensitive to the elasticity estimates used in them. We estimate LES demand elasticities and Frisch parameters for all Finnish household income deciles. These estimates will be...

This paper uses extensive Finnish panel data from 1995?2007 to analyze the elasticity of taxable income (ETI). I use individual changes in flat municipal income tax rates as an instrument for the overall changes in marginal tax rates. This instrument is not a function of individual income, which...

This paper studies the impact of increased price information on the functioning of the housing market. We first study the implications of new information for market outcomes in a theoretical framework so as to disentangle the potential channels through which information may be important. The...

Applied general equilibrium models have become a standard tool for the analysis of structural policies in many countries and international research organisations. Their use has been prompted by both developments in economics, but also on the growing need for quantitative policy analysis. The...

The present paper evaluates the quantitative impact of a pharmaceutical reform on pharmaceutical prices. A generic substitution policy was introduced in Finland in 2003 to contain rising pharmaceutical expenditure. After the reform pharmacists were obliged to propose a cheaper alternative to a...

Regional structural change is currently among the greatest challenges facing the public sector in many EU countries. In countries like Finland, where the public sectors have a large role in providing educational, health and social services, structural change rapidly becomes a fiscal problem....