This paper asks whether net trade in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) can be explained by differences in comparative costs and in the exploitation of scale economies. Based on a sample of six countries, it is shown that factor proportions do not significantly affect net trade. In an...

In this paper We investigate whether there is a difference between competition between unemployed and employed job searchers in flexible and rigid labour markets. Comparing the results for the more or less flexible labour market in the UK with the rigid labour market in The Netherlands, we find...

Due to aggregation (Muellbauer, 1978), market frictions (Benassy, 1982) and stochastic manipulable perceived rationing (Weinrich, 1984) it is very likely that the quantity transacted is less than the short side of a market affected by quantity rationing. This is we might observe in a given...

This paper is mainly concerned with measuring absolute and relative roles of diffusion of advanced technology and capital deepening in economic growth. The results obtained suggest an inverse U-shape relationship between productivity growth rates and levels of economic development. These results...

We investigate some characteristics of the underground economy in New Zealand by testing for Granger causality between measured and 'hidden' real GDP in that country. We find clear evidence of causality from measured to hidden economic activity, but only weak evidence of causality in the reverse...

Combining and processing the information in ten previously published studies, we analyse the Lucas variability hypotheses. When adequate account is taken of structural differences between developing and developed countries, the prediction of the Lucas model that higher nominal demand variability...

The accuracy of short-run macroeconomic forecasts for the UK economy is analysed by examining institutional, human capital and model-based factors. It is found that members of the Chancellor's panel of independent forecasters have a superior performance than other institutions, whilst the higher...

This paper presents an international comparison of the quality of life based on two ordinal measures, namely, the Borda and Copeland scores. The data on 11 indicators/attributes of well-being available for 109 countries are used to compute these measures. The study reveals that both the measures...

In this short paper, I show that the characterization of the efficient securities market in Wang (1995) is inconsistent with financial economic theory, and offer a theoretically consistent alternative. By contrast, under this alternative definition of an efficient market, the component...

This paper investigates the relationship between econometric and variable specification in a model of union status determination. In a departure from the union membership literature, it is hypothesized that the industrial characteristics should not affect union status determination directly, but...