In the postal sector, the net cost of universal service depends on the content of the service, the postal market characteristics and the country’s geographical configuration. These three groups of factors affect both the direct cost of providing the service and the extent of competition on the...

This paper examines the stationary state income level and income growth in an overlapping generations (OLG) model in which production uses three inputs: physical capital, human capital and land. The accumulation of human capital relies on parental funding of education and the past aggregate...

In this paper, we investigate the convergence process within the European Union (27 countries). More particularly, we study the convergence process of the new entrants from Central and Eastern Europe and of the 15 Western countries between 1990 and 2007. Applying a panel approach to the...

This paper examines the conditions for endogenous growth in an overlapping generations (OLG) model with two sectors of production when the returns to scale may be non constant and provides the technological conditions for the highest in- come growth rate.

Universal service obligations impose specific costs on the universal service provider. The measure of these costs and their financing have been studied along two complementary lines of reasoning: is the uni- versal service obligation sustainable? Who should bear its costs? Most often, a two-step...

The paper provides a perspective on the development of the Belgian disability insurance system. Using both survey and administrative data, it sketches a picture of the (changing) factors leading towards disability, as well as the outcomes in terms of program participation. The paper shows the...

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the impact in terms of poverty and cost of the introduction of social (or noncontributory) pensions in Europe. We use data from the household survey EU-SILC and focus on 17 countries. After reviewing the existence of social pensions in Europe and evidence of...

The imposition of universal coverage and uniform pricing constraints, as part of the universal service obligations, makes the universal service provider less aggressive in the price game when it competes with a rm that does not cover the whole set of markets (Valletti et al., 2002). In this...

Les différentes vagues de l’enquête internationale PISA de l’OCDE sur les connaissances et les compétences des jeunes de 15 ans montrent de nettes différences de performance entre la Flandre et la Belgique francophone. La Flandre et la Communauté française ont en commun une forte...

In this paper we use data on five social inclusion indicators (poverty, inequality, unemployment, education and health) to assess and compare the performance of 15 European welfare states (EU15) over a twelve-year period from 1995 to 2006. Aggregate measures of performance are obtained using...