Tag: R11

EMPLOYMENT IMPACT OF FIRMS’ INNOVATION: WHAT IS THE ROLE OF REGIONAL INSTITUTIONS? EVIDENCE FROM ITALY

Luca VOTA

Ph.D student, Department of Economics and Statistics (DISES) of the University of Salerno, Italy

lvota@unisa.it

Abstract

Employment effect of firms’ innovation is a widely studied topic at both cross-country and national level, while still few contributions deals with the local dimension. Moreover, the role of the institutional factors is still unexplored. In this manuscript, the author estimates the impact of private firms’ R&D spending, institutional quality and their interaction on the employment rate of the Italian regions. To accomplish his task, the author proposes two dynamic panel models and computes them through the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), Fixed effects (FE) and System Generalized Method of Moments (GMM-SYS) regression tecniques. The obtained results suggest that the employment impact of firms’ innovation is negative, while the ability of the regional institutions to attract, support and cooperate with the innovative companies and the R&D investment programs jointly financed by regional governments and private firms positively affect the employment rate. The author has deduced appropriate policy implications from the provided evidence.

Keywords: Employment impact of firms’ innovation, R&D activity, Regional Economics

JEL classification: O30,R10, R11

 pp. 11-24

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DOES EUROPEAN UNION MEMBERSHIP RESULT IN QUALITY-OF-LIFE CONVERGENCE?

Joel I. DEICHMANN*¹

Professor of Global Studies

jdeichmann@bentley.edu

Dominique HAUGHTON¹

Professor of Mathematical Sciences

dhaughton@bentley.edu

Mingfei LI¹

Professor of Mathematical Sciences

mli@bentley.edu

Heyao WANG¹

Graduate Research Assistant

wang_heya@bentley.edu

*Corresponding Author

¹Members of the Data Analytic Research Team (DART)

Bentley University Waltham, MA 02452 USA

Abstract

This paper employs European Quality-of-life Survey (EQLS) responses from 2003, 2008, 2012, and 2016 to examine whether European Union (EU) enlargement helps meet the objectives of improved living standards and overall quality-of-life across the continent. The data set includes responses to forty questions across nine dimensions for all twenty-eight pre-Brexit EU member states, along with eight non-member states. Insights are captured through the systematic comparison of self-reported perceptions pooled at the country level before and after accession, as well as between member states and non-member states. Special attention is paid to the eleven post-communist countries that joined the EU in 2004, 2007, and 2013, which together represent the addition of one hundred million EU citizens. These include Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Croatia. Based upon these findings, the paper concludes with speculation upon popular support for further enlargement in the wake of the 2007-08 Global Financial Crisis, the 2016-2020 Brexit process, and ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: European Union, Central and Eastern Europe, economic integration, European convergence

JEL classification: O10, O47, P20, P48, R11

 pp. 31-46

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ADDRESSING SPATIAL JUSTICE AT LOWER TERRITORIAL LEVELS. SOME INSIGHTS FROM THE CENTRAL AND EAST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES’ PERSPECTIVE

Daniela- Luminița CONSTANTIN

Professor at the Department of Administration and Public Management, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies; Bucharest; Romania

danielaconstantin_2005@yahoo.com

Abstract

The current approaches of territorial inequalities from the perspective of territorial cohesion in relation to the European Social Model bring into discussion the concept of spatial justice, which combines place-based with people-based prosperity and points to adequate social and spatial integration models.  It has been supported by the “Europe 2020” strategy and will get even stronger emphasis in the new programme period, 2021-2027. In this context, the analysis of territorial inequalities at deeper level of spatial disaggregation gets a special significance for the design of the future regional policies, which will incorporate an important spatial justice component. It will entail a growing need for data at NUTS3 and LAU levels as well as for microdata (usually obtained on the occasion of population censuses). At international level there is already a growing interest in doing research at these levels by both institutions that support cohesion policy and individual authors. Starting from these overall considerations this paper proposes an overarching review of selected relevant studies undertaken in Central and Eastern Europe in order to highlight significant aspects of deeper territorial inequalities, as useful hints for the prioritisation of the EU funds allocation to less developed areas and for laying good foundations for the regional policies in these countries. The paper brings about a twofold contribution, namely a discussion of the difficulties that have to be faced for the construction of appropriate databases and proper methodologies as well as the emphasis on those territorial inequalities that are better captured at deeper disaggregation levels.

Keywords: territorial cohesion, spatial justice, overarching review, territorial inequalities, disaggregation level,

JEL classification: R11, R12, R19

 pp. 315-326

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