The European Union has not defined its limits in geographical terms. Each enlargement has led and will lead to a decrease of the European Union’s per capita GDP. After the collapse of the Soviet Union the transition countries went through a long and deep recession. However, they have reached a...

The Dutch social protection system has been under reconstruction from the early 1980s. After describing the structure of the current system and addressing recent developments as to the treatment of families and individuals, the paper presents three scenarios that could develop in future years....

The policy that has led from the ‘Dutch disease’ (in the 1980s) to the ‘Dutch miracle’ (in the 1990s) consists of three tracks: 1) wage moderation, 2) retrenching public expenditure and reducing the tax burden, 3) slimming the welfare system. The wage moderation track seems to have been...

Traditionally, governments used to deploy input-based budgeting systems and cash-based accounting systems. However, these systems do not provide the information that is necessary for a government to operate efficiently and effectively. Therefore, a growing number of countries have already...

The Dutch social protection system has been under reconstruction from the early 1980s. After describing the structure of the current system and addressing recent developments as to the treatment of families and individuals, the paper presents three scenarios that could develop in future years....

This paper analyzes the economic developments in countries bordering the Black Sea. Of the three former soviet republics bordering the Black Sea, Georgia showed the best economic per-formance, in particular in the late 1990s. The economic performance of Russia and Ukraine is poor. Their...

This paper looks at the position of Romania in the run-up to European Union membership. It starts by comparing the EU’s 2004 Eastern enlargement with previous enlargements. It ap-pears that the EU became poorer by every single enlargement. The EU’s GDP per capita decreased each time relative...

Globalization is not a new phenomenon, but already occurred centuries ago. The first half of the 20th century seems an interruption of the move towards free trade. After World War II, however, the move to free trade resumed and gave rise to a sustained period of high economic growth in most...

In the early 1990s, Europe changed considerably in a short space of time. In Central and Eastern Europe Communism collapsed, while in Western Europe the European Union was changing more gradually. It was broadened by the accession of more and more member states and by the growing number of...

Budgets have to meet a number of principles in order to fulfil their functions properly. This paper focuses on two of these budget principles. First, it addresses the principle of unity and universalism. More in particular, it discusses the issue of earmarking receipts. It is concluded that most...