Since the National Constitution of 1988, state governments are responsible for defining their own metropolitan areas in Brazil. However, the criteria for boundaries delimitation are not clearly defined as a rule. As a consequence, it is not possible to weigh the pros and cons of the employed...

Das ökonomische Potential des Einsatzes von Ausschreibungen für Umweltleistungen konnte nunmehr auch in Europa aufgezeigt werden. Jedoch stellen diese Modellprojekte bislang nur einen ersten Schritt auf dem Weg zur Implementierung von Ausschreibungen in europäische Politikmaßnahmen dar. Dies...

We investigate the effects of restricting locations of firms into Hotelling duopoly models. In the standard location-price models, the equilibrium distance between firms is too large from the viewpoint of consumer welfare. Thus, restricting locations of firms and reducing the distance between...

Restrictions on new constructions and modernisations occur in almost all countries and numerous regulations apply in Germany. This article outlines regulations regarding the protection of historical buildings, restoration law and preservation statutes and describes compensatory subsidies...

We study whether local land use policies are modified in response to enhanced demand for building generated by a new highway, and examine the extent to which this effect of land use regulations affects building activity. We focus on the case of Spain during the last housing boom (1995-2007). We...

This paper examines the causal effect of a change in the nomination scheme of the city manager from appointment by the local council to election by the citizens on urban development policies. Using the fact that the timing of the reform was as good as random in municipalities of the German state...

We argue that the system of seigneurial tenure used in the province of Quebec until the mid-nineteenth centurya system which allowed significant market power in the establishment of plants, factories and mills, combined with restrictions on the mobility of the labor force within each seigneurial...

While Greece's poor record on investment and exports predates the crisis, the deep economic recession has made addressing long-standing weaknesses a priority. This paper takes a closer look at selected structural reforms that are critical for bolstering investments and exports in Greece. We...

Die Bekämpfung der chronischen Schwächen Griechenlands bei Investitionen und Ausfuhren ist essenziell für die Überwindung der schweren Wirtschaftskrise. Um hier Erfolge zu erzielen, sind die Strukturreformen in den Bereichen Gewerbezulassungen und Unternehmensgründungen, Wettbewerb,...

This paper analyzes the housing markets and housing policies in Hong Kong, China and the People's Republic of China (PRC). Both markets face housing affordability problems due to limited land supply, for which the solutions vary considerably. Hong Kong, China has adopted a railway and property...