Economists generally assume the existence of sufficient institutions to sustain a market economy and tax the citizens. However, this starting point cannot easily be taken for granted in many states, neither in history nor in the developing world of today. This paper develops a framework where...

Summary for non-specialistsAs a result of the financial crisis, cyclically corrected indicators have taken on a greater degree of significance and are firmly back at the forefront of economic policy making. This heightened level of policy interest not only reflects the anxiousness of policy...

This paper empirically analyzes the size of the underground economy in Japan. The results show that (i) the size of the underground GDP peaked in the early 1990s but has been declining since; (ii) the underground economy reached its peak in around 1992, approximating 25% of nominal GDP; and (iii)...

Le processus de la mondialisation, ses paradoxes et ses enjeux, ont revitalisé les polémiques autour du statut et du rôle de l’Etat et les ont posées avec une grande acuité dans la littérature et les discours politico-économiques. Tandis que certains y voient une récusation des...

This work is focused on identifying the relationship an economic system and its policies have with the environment. The biosphere is chosen in particular as object of analysis but this can be extended by means of an ecosystem recursive properties. The common factor involved in the relationship...

Indonesia’s growth performance is improving, following a slow recovery from the 1997-98 financial crisis. Investment is picking up, despite considerable business-climate obstacles to entrepreneurship. Unemployment remains high, and labour informality is pervasive. Fiscal policy has been...

This paper examines the possibilities of EU member countries to pursue individual trade policies after implementation of the single market. Having reviewed the relevant changes in the institutional framework formed by GATT and EU legistlation, we examine the car market as a special case. We find...

This paper reviews the macroeconomic performance of the so called Nordic welfare states, especially in terms of growth and employment. In the post-war years the Nordic economies enjoyed rapid growth and full employment. At the same time, under the rule of Social Democratic governments they also...

Finland has recently got much admiration due to economic success reflected in rankings of competitiveness, technology, education and economic growth. This success has largely been embodied in the growth of Nokia group and ICT sector. Yet the economic boom and the success of the Finnish high tech...

There has been a revival of interest in small scale industries and their linkages with a nation's institutional arrangements, among both academicians and policy makers. Extending the definition of institutions to include formal and informal rules, this paper attempts to identify these lingages...