The status of public services is one of the most hotly debated issues surrounding the GATS. There are two approaches to distinguish such services from any other services: an institutional approach that focuses on the legal and institutional conditions governing supply (e.g. ownership status,...

In many countries, especially poor countries, a heavy burden of taxes, bribes, and bureaucratic hassles drives many producers into the informal sector. Is this situation explicable only as a consequence of either the ignorance or the ineptitude of the state authorities? On the contrary this...

Die soziale Lage der Menschen wird nicht nur durch ihr Einkommen bestimmt. Auch die Verfügbarkeit und tatsächliche Nutzung von gesellschaftlich notwendigen Dienstleistungen ist von großer Bedeutung. In aktuellen Sozialberichten, v. a. auch seitens der EU, findet diese Thematik wieder eine...

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the efficiency of the 26 Swiss cantons over the period 2000 to 2004 applying Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). A Total Public Sector Performance (TPSP) indicator for eight local government activities (administration, public safety, education, culture and...

Policies and explicit private incentives designed for self-regarding individuals sometimes are less effective or even counterproductive when they diminish altruism, ethical norms and other social preferences. Evidence from 51 experimental studies indicates that this crowding out effect is...

Die Frage nach der angemessenen Höhe der Staatsausgaben nimmt eine zentrale Stellung in der öffentlichen Diskussion ein. Die Beantwortung der Frage erfordert ein Grundverständnis darüber zu schaffen, welche Aufgaben der Staat übernehmen sollte als auch welche Wirkungen von staatlicher...

The share of bus transport of total passenger transport (as a percentage of total inland passenger-kilometres) is slightly above EU average in Finland. Buses account for around 10% of total passenger transport, compared with the EU average of 9% in 2011. The share of rail in total passenger...