On April 14, 2000 the New York stock exchange experienced one of the more strong falls of the last ten years. The abrupt crumbling of the NASDAQ Composite Index, index that groups the so called New Technologies companies, after two years of important earnings of capital gave origin to a current...

The vast majority of spatial econometric research relies on the assumption that the spatial network structure is known a priori. This study considers a two-step estimation strategy for estimating the <em>n(n-1)</em> interaction effects in a spatial autoregressive panel model where the spatial dimension...

The differences in transition performance among the former socialist countries in Central and Eastern Europe have sometimes been traced back to specific historical or cultural legacies without sufficiently taking into account the impact of EU conditionality. In this context the cases of Bulgaria...

By January 1, 2005, Switzerland reduced the legal level of blood–alcohol concentration while driving from 0.8h to 0.5h. This happend on basis of the assumptions that more restrictive per mil levels increase road safety. The benefit of lower blood–alcohol levels, however, depends on whether...

We use a credible regression discontinuity design to estimate causal education effects. Pupils in the Swiss education system had to pass a centrally organized exam that classified them into different levels of secondary school, and that ultimately determined their educational degree. A major...

Why do some people go to the polling station, sometimes up to several times a year, while others always prefer to stay at home? This question has launched a wide theoretical debate in both economics and political science, but convincing empirical support for the different models proposed is...