Home  About us  Contact
 

Economic Area (economic + area)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Humanities and Social Sciences66%
Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting33%

Kinds of Economic Area

  • european economic area
    		•

    Selected Abstracts

    Interpreting sustainable development and societal utility in Norwegian GMO assessments

    ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 4 2008
    G. Kristin Rosendal
    Abstract This article examines the process of assessing applications for genetically modified (GM) crops or plants for import or commercial planting in Norway. GMO legislation in Norway is closely linked to the EU through the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA), to which Norway is a party. A central difference with the EU processes emanates from specific clauses in the Norwegian Gene Technology Act on ,sustainable development' and ,societal utility', which provide a potentially wider leverage for Norwegian authorities to turn down the applications. Research material indicates evidence of an increasingly restrictive practice in the Norwegian evaluations, raising the question of how this can be explained in the face of increasing global acceptance of GMOs. A related question is to what extent and how this result is affected by the trends in the EU. An increasingly restrictive practice may be explained by changes in the access structure to the evaluating body, or it may be due to learning and a growing acceptance of the precautionary principle in this sector. Third, a higher number of rejections may largely be associated with the interest structure pertaining to GMOs in Norway. Final decisions are pending and there are uncertainties concerning how Norwegian authorities will apply the specific criteria of the Gene Technology Act. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]

    From Policy to Polity: Can the EU's Special Relations with its ,Neighbourhood' be Decentred?

    JCMS: JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES, Issue 3 2010
    DIMITAR BECHEV
    The article investigates the institutional and policy choices regarding the EU's relations with the countries and regions covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). It juxtaposes the notion of special relationship inaugurated by the Lisbon Treaty to three models for organizing relations with proximate countries: pre-accession, the European Economic Area (EEA) and association. The convergence-access paradigm is found to be the basic pillar of the EU approach. The article brings in a series of dilemmas concerning the design and the implementation of the ENP as well as perceptions from selected partner countries. As a potential way to manage tensions and dilemmas inherent in the EU strategy, the article proposes an altogether novel dimension: decentred integration geared towards polity-building that could partially delink convergence and access. The last section maps out four scenarios for the future directions of the ENP that cover the whole continuum from piecemeal enhancement of the policy to the creation of a European Partnership Area underpinned by a new tier of institutions. [source]

    NAFTA-ization: Regionalization and Domestic Political Adjustment in the North American Economic Area

    JCMS: JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES, Issue 1 2009
    MARK ASPINWALL
    Europeanization is an example of initial bargains between states leading to ongoing political adjustment within the states. In this article I apply the concept to NAFTA and look at two of its member states, finding that despite the low level of institutionalization, NAFTA has set in motion new forms of political organization and behaviour, and new demands for political action. This is especially marked in Mexico, and in certain sectors. It is also clearly visible in the changing patterns of cross-border bureaucratic communication. The main conclusions are that: (1) even in a lightly institutionalized regional trade agreement, the institutional, legal and civil society capacity of less-developed members is strengthened; (2) despite the absence of a formal process of policy or institutional development and the lack of legislative instruments, NAFTA has begun a hidden process of domestic adjustment in technical and specialized areas; and (3) like the EU, pressures to expand and strengthen NAFTA have emerged as a result of the initial agreement as well as extraneous factors. These conclusions may offer lessons to the study and practice of regional organizations elsewhere. [source]

    Policies to Reconcile Labor Force Participation and Childbearing in the European Union

    POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW, Issue 2 2006
    Article first published online: 26 JUN 200
    A recently published report commissioned by the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities of the European Commission reviews "reconciliation" policies in 30 European countries. Such policies are defined by the report in its title as measures that foster "reconciliation of work and private life" or, more elaborately in the body of the report, as "policies that directly support the combination of professional, family and private life." In this context work means gainful employment, while private life in effect means childbearing. The countries covered are those of the EU 25, two candidate countries (Bulgaria and Romania), and three countries that are part of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein). The report, not formally endorsed by the Commission, was prepared by the EU Expert Group on Gender, Social Inclusion and Employment. Each of the 30 countries was represented by at least one expert. The 96-page report identifies four types of reconciliation policies: childcare services, leave facilities, flexible working-time arrangements, and financial allowances. Descriptions of these policies from the Executive Summary are reproduced below. The full report is accessible at «http://bookshop.eu.int/eubookshop/FileCache/PUBPDF/KE6905828ENC/KE6905828ENC_002.pdf». Although the report makes passing reference to below-replacement fertility in the EU member countries, its focus is clearly directed to measures that could increase the rate of employment, especially female employment. According to the EU's "Lisbon targets" set in 2000, the female employment rate in the EU should be raised to 60 percent of the working-age population by 2010. Based on data for 2003, only eight EU countries have met or exceeded this target. Childbearing is seen as in part responsible for the shortfall. Reconciliation policies could make the Lisbon target for female employment more easily achievable and "especially stimulate full time participation." Furthermore, the report suggests, such policies, as a byproduct, could also enhance fertility. Financial allowances, paid directly to families with children, the fourth type of policy discussed by the report, include measures reminiscent of the main thrust of the newly announced proposals for increasing fertility in Russia (see the preceding Documents item in this issue). The report, however, makes no reference to differentiation by parity, a distinctive mark of pronatalist intent. Indeed, it specifies that "family-based tax concessions and family allowances are not part of the reconciliation policy per se," noting, with an apparent element of disapproval, that such provisions "are often based on (and may reinforce the notion of) a traditional breadwinner model by reducing the incentive to work for both spouses." [source]

    Fiscal Incentives, European Integration and the Location of Foreign Direct Investment

    THE MANCHESTER SCHOOL, Issue 3 2002
    Florence Hubert
    Foreign direct investment in the European Economic Area (EEA) has grown rapidly in recent years. This paper tests for structural change in the geographical and industrial pattern of foreign direct investment in Europe using a panel data set on outward investment by German companies in the EEA since 1980. There is evidence of significant structural change since 1990, with nearly all locations and industries seeing a higher level of cross,border investment than might have been expected. We also investigate the scope for national governments to affect location choice through the use of fiscal instruments such as corporation taxes, investment in infrastructure and other forms of development grants and subsidies. The findings are mixed. Some measures, such as tax competitiveness, appear important but are sensitive to the specification of the model. However, the level of government fixed investment expenditure relative to that in other economies is found to have a significant positive impact, particularly in locations with less need for EU structural funds. Although the direct marginal impact appears relatively small, an additional finding of significant agglomeration forces suggests that fiscal policies could still have a permanent influence on the location of economic activities. [source]

    Wage Expectations: A Comparison of Swiss and US Students

    KYKLOS INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, Issue 1 2000
    Stefan C. Wolter
    Wage expectations can play a significant role in a variety of economic areas. This study analyses the wage expectations of students who are on the verge of making a decision concerning their educational path or who have already reached such a decision. Since each student in our study has been asked to discuss expectations in relation to various educational scenarios, this data can be used to check certain human capital theory assumptions. It is possible to ascertain the wage effects which students expect from certain educational decisions. Moreover it is possible to assess the expected rates of return on education without asking the students directly. The results of this study make it clear that both in the USA and in Switzerland the wage expectations of students do not differ significantly from the cross-sectional labor market data, despite considerable heterogeneity in some cases. [source]