Why do some countries join the EU earlier than others, why do others wait? In order to answer this question we apply the theory of investment under uncertainty (Dixit and Pindyck, 1994) to the decision on EU-membership. We develop a simplified model of two periods to study how the value of...

Klaus Armingeon criticizes our paper "Distribution Effects of Opening up an Economy and Voting Behaviour: An Analysis Based on the Example of the Swiss Vote on the EEA" published in this journal in 1998. In this reply we argue that his critique is mainly due to a misinterpretation of the goal of...

This paper investigates which variables determine the relative attractiveness of locations for mobile factors of production. The analysis is based on a survey of 1400 Swiss firms. It is found that the availability of human capital as well as the nature of regulations (especially of the procedure...

Case studies indicate that differences in domestic demand among countries are important determinants of the pattern of trade. This paper discusses how the observed relationship between demand and trade is part of and could be integrated into international trade theory. It is argued that the...

This paper analyses the connections between the redistributional effects of an opening up of the economy to foreign markets and individual voting behaviour. Theoretical considerations lead to the hypotheses that the losers will unambiguously vote against an opening of the economy at the polls...

This article challenges the view that a lack of competition and a high level of regulations are the main causes of Switzerland's high prices. First, we point out a number of stylized facts which are inconsistent with this popular view. Second, we econometrically asses the "competition-regulation...