In a model with a unionised immobile labour force we analyse how labour taxes and transfers towards unemployed workers are optimally chosen when a welfare maximising government faces oligopolistic and partly mobile firms. We consider two polar types of government: one whose objective consists of...

In oligopolistic industries, increased cost saving opportunities via offshoring have a moderating effect on trade unions. In order to discourage mobile firms from leaving the country, unions accept lower sector wages. In effect, the negotiated wage becomes independent of workers’ bargaining...

This paper discusses the costs and benefits of welfare state intervention in the labour market, and argues that many forms of intervention can be justified for efficiency reasons. The paper reviews recent evidence on income inequality and income mobility, and it discusses labour market reforms...

In oligopolistic industries that are unionised and may be affected by offshoring, falling offshoring costs have a moderating effect on trade unions. They will accept lower sector wages in order to discourage mobile forms from leaving the country. Since such wages are independent of the workers'...

This paper focuses on how structural funds from the EU might alleviate the credit crunch on Italian SMEs. We found that resources directly available to SMEs represent only 0.19% of 2013 loan facilities: moreover, the allotted resources for SMEs in 2014-2020 programs is expected to be even less....

The Hungarian system of local governments is an important part of the public finance system. The share of the local government system within general government spending was around 20% in 2010 and is still 11–12% following the recent reallocation of responsibilities. From 2012 to date,...