Using data from the Italian Institute of Statistics, I examine the cyclical properties of three labor inputs - regular employees, regular self-employed, and underground workers. Results support the widespread view that, in Italy, the shadow employment functions as an improper tool for increasing...

Open Source software, developed by a community of mostly volunteers programmers and available on the web free of charge, offers important opportunities to software firms. The availability of such free productive factor, in fact, cuts the development costs and, consequently, lowers the barriers...

Since February 2003 ISAE collects quantitative inflation opinions, within its monthly survey on Italian consumers. Data confirms the severe overestimation of inflation already emerged in previous studies. Quantitative replies are in line with more traditional qualitative evaluations, indicating...

This paper presents unambiguous evidence that trading European government securities on EuroMTS contributes to determine their (unobservable) efficient price. Using twenty-seven months of daily transaction prices data for 107 bonds issued by eleven European governments, the estimated EuroMTS...

According to the Commission recommendations, ISAE has recently restructured the methodological framework of its survey on firms operating in the Italian construction sector and in retail trade. The innovations specifically regard the sampling design and the weight system for both sectors; this...

This paper provides an update of de Nardis and Vicarelli (2003) estimates of the euro effect on trade integration of EMU economies, taking into account aggregate bilateral exports of 23 OECD countries for the sample period 1988-2003. In this paper we utilize the dynamic panel data estimator...

The object of this paper is to estimate the effect of European Union eastwards enlargement process on trade patterns in the Union. In particular, we intend to investigate whether and how the EU Free Trade agreements with CEECs have exerted a different impact on centre-periphery and...

This paper aims at verifying the impact of fiscal variables in the multinational firms' localisation choices within the European Union Member States. In particular, the sensitivity of bilateral foreign direct investments towards EU member countries to the receiving country's fiscal...

Underground activities affect crucial fiscal ratios generating quot;gapsquot; both in government revenues and in national accounts. I address this topic exploiting the peculiarities of the Italian situation. First, I describe the pros and cons of the Italian method to estimate the (non trivial...

The aim of this work is to explain and assess the results of the application of the TRAMO-SEATS seasonal adjustment method on the data of the ISAE manufacturing and consumer surveys. In particular, the study begins by focusing on the description of some of the typical problems of the seasonal...