In this study we apply cluster analysis techniques, including a novel smoothing method, to detect some basic patterns and trends in the euro area banking sector in terms of the degree of homogeneity of countries. We find that in the period 1998-2004 the banking sectors in the euro area countries...

The paper examines over seventy episodes of current account adjustment in industrial and major emerging market economies. It argues that these episodes were characterised by strongly divergent economic developments. To reduce this divergence, the paper classifies episodes with similar...

In this study we combine clustering techniques with a moving window algorithm in order to filter financial market data outliers. We apply the algorithm to a set of financial market data which consists of 25 series selected from a larger dataset using a cluster analysis technique taking into...

This paper presents information on wage bargaining institutions, collected using a standardised questionnaire. Our data provide information from 1995 and 2006, for four sectors of activity and the aggregate economy, considering 23 European countries, plus the US and Japan. Main findings include...

In modern growth or development theory innovation is a crucial factor which pushes the dynamics of an economy and determines its success in the future. Out of innovations, created in the presence, the potentials for the future of a country are prepared, deciding how its economic fitness and...

Sectoral changes are nowadays an integral feature of economic development in all countries and hence gaining attention of several economists. Structural changes occur in different aggregation levels, from inter-industry change to inter-sectoral change. In this paper we are considering shifts at...

Regional development has been in the centre of interest among both academics but also decision makers in the central and local governments of many European countries. Identifying the key problems that regions face and considering how these findings could be effectively used as a basis for...

The overall objective of this discussion paper is to advance the knowledge on rural livelihoods in Stung Treng, Cambodia. In a cluster analysis, five clusters with very different livelihood strategies are identified based on a sample of 600 rural households. Despite the fact that nearly all...

This paper examines the role of institutional factors in the economic growth of Mexican regions. Assuming an institutional dimension of growth, we will assess the relationships between informal and formal institutional features, infrastructure conditions and growth. Following the approach of the...

EU regional policy is in a challenging and dynamic period of change. Not only are there significant administrative problems to overcome in both the current and the new Member States, but there is also a major ongoing debate about the reform of EU regional policy after 2006. Post 2006, the...