The paper proposes a stochastic frontier model with random coefficients to separate technical inefficiency from technological differences across firms, and free the frontier model from the restrictive assumption that all firms must share exactly the same technological possibilities.

The paper examines wheter the tax changes observed in eleven countries of the European Union during the 1965-1996 period could be attibuted to intended pre-election period actions of incumbent governments seeking their reelection or to traditional stabilizing fiscal policies.

This paper analyses the optimal behaviour of a trade union trying to extract capital rents. It shows that wages can increase or decrease with accumulated investment depending on technology and outside income opportunities.

Consistent specifications of the allocative inefficiency function in cost plus input share equations systems may be difficult, if not impossible, to find because most plausible ones violate certain reasonable a priori conditions. Moreover, the models to which they lead give rise to highly...

The main purpose of this short analysis is to present an overview of the main developments of the CAP and to outline its prospects beyond the turn of the century taking into account the enlargement of the European Union and the negotiations with the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Policy makers in Europe have become increasingly aware of the need to curb the adverse effects of transport externalities, in particular the impact of cars on the environment. In some countries of the European Union, economic instruments have been used to reduce emissions generated by passenger...

The Envelope Theorem is shown to involve comparaisons between the performance of the optimal policy and that of alternative policies, which satisfy the constraints of the problem and may also have other features.

Global warming is expected to increase global mean temperature by 1.5 degree to 4.5 degrees sometime between 2030 et 2010, resulting in changes in the patterns of precipitation, a rise in the sea level, increased natural hazards, and other significant impacts. In this paper, I discuss the major...

The paper develops a two-good, small country, general equilibrium trade model with endogenous labour supply, where trade is restricted by a tariff or an import quota. Within this framework, it is shown that, contrary to Anam (1989), under an import quota domestic and world prices may vary in the...

The paper emphasizes the importance of the qualitative element in the behavior of business firms Qualitative effects generated by suitable interpersonal relations can stimulate the state of operations of an organization, beyond the limits often prescribed by fundamental quantitative variables.