Yes / Integrating and extending new growth theory and resource-based views, this paper provides a theoretical foundation for the catch-up hypothesis. It examines the role of technology gap, technological capability, and cultural proximity in local firms’ catch-up with MNEs. Hypotheses are developed and tested with a dynamic model on a large firm-level panel dataset from Chinese manufacturing. The results confirm that catch-up is positively related to technology gap and technological capability. Furthermore, in the presence of cultural proximity, the speed of local Chinese firms’ catch-up with MNEs from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan is not significantly lower than that with other MNEs. / The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC: 71302179 and 71240026); the Project of Humanities and Social Sciences, Ministry of Education, China (Project No. 11XJA630001), and the “211 project” of the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics.

This paper gives an overview on the research done in the fields of tax competition, coordination and harmonisation. The survey is divided in two main parts, in the first section we compare the standard tax competition literature that sees tax competition as a bad, to public choice contributions that advocate tax reductions. In the second part we consider theories of endogenous growth, which focus on analysing the taxation question. After introducing the fundamental contributions, we discuss extensions in the line of an open economy, an OLG setting and the transitional dynamics in greater detail. (author's abstract) / Series: Discussion Papers SFB International Tax Coordination

Considering 91 countries with seaports, this study conducted an empirical inquiry into the broader economic contribution of seaborne trade, from a port infrastructure quality and logistics performance perspective. Investment in quality improvement of port infrastructure and its contribution to economy are often questioned by politicians, investors and general public. A structural equation model (SEM) is used to provide empirical evidence of significant economic impacts of port infrastructure quality and logistics performance. Furthermore, analysis of a multi-group SEM is performed by dividing countries into developed and developing economy groups. The results reveal that it is vital for developing countries to continuously improve the quality of port infrastructure as it contributes to better logistics performance, leading to higher seaborne trade, yielding higher economic growth. However, this association weakens as the developing countries become richer.

Ο ρόλος του εμπορίου στην οικονομία και τα οφέλη που επιφέρει είναι σχεδόν τόσο παλιά, όσο και η ίδια η οικονομική επιστήμη. Τις τελευταίες δεκαετίες ο ρόλος της απελευθέρωσης του εμπορίου και τα υποθετικά οφέλη που προκύπτουν από αυτό επεκτάθηκε και θεωρείται ένας από τους επιταχυντές της οικονομικής μεγέθυνσης, αλλά και πρωταρχική πηγή σύγκλισης των οικονομιών των κρατών. Μετά το 2ο παγκόσμιο πόλεμο η σταδιακή απελευθέρωση των αγορών και πρόσφατα το «δόγμα» της παγκοσμιοποίησης άνοιξε νέους ορίζοντες στο διεθνές εμπόριο και προώθησε την δημιουργία εμπορικών συνασπισμών μεταξύ των χωρών παγκοσμίως. Σε μια εν δυνάμει παγκόσμια αρένα συναλλαγών η γνώση για την επιρροή που μπορεί να ασκήσει στην προώθηση της οικονομικής μεγέθυνσης αποτελεί κρίσιμο ζήτημα. Παρά τη μεγάλη προσπάθεια που έχει αφιερωθεί στη μελέτη του ζητήματος, υπάρχουν λίγα πειστικά στοιχεία σχετικά με την επίδραση του εμπορικού ανοίγματος στο εισόδημα των κρατών και στη σύγκλιση της οικονομικής τους μεγέθυνσης. Η παρούσα διατριβή έχει ως θεματικό πυρήνα τη διερεύνηση της επίδρασης που είχε η Σύνοδος της Βαρκελώνης το 1995, στη σύγκλιση της οικονομικής μεγέθυνσης των χωρών της λεκάνης της Μεσογείου. Για τον έλεγχο της ύπαρξης της σύγκλισης αρχικά εφαρμόστηκαν οι έλεγχοι του Dickey-Fuller και Philips-Perron. Κατόπιν στα πλαίσια της ενδογενούς θεωρίας υιοθετήθηκε η ανάλυση με πάνελ παρατηρήσεις. Τα αποτελέσματα ανέδειξαν την παρουσία σύγκλισης μετά τη σύνοδο και με την μεταβλητή του εμπορικού ανοίγματος να συμβάλει σημαντικά. / The role of commerce in economy and the benefits incurred by it, are almost as old as the science of economy itself. Over the last decades, the role of free trade police and the potential benefits of it expanded and this considered to be one of the main factor of economic growth as well as the primary source of convergence of the economies of nations. After the second world war, the gradual free trade policy and recently the “dogma” of globalization opened new horizons in the international commerce and encouraged the establishment of commercial coalitions between countries worldwide. In an existing global arena of transactions, the insight on the influence it can exert in promoting the economic development, remains a crucial matter. In spite of the great effort given on the study of the issue, there is little convincing evidence for the influence of the trade gap concerning the income of nations and the convergence of the economic development. The present dissertation has its thematic core on the study of the influence which the Barcelona summit had in 1985 on the convergence of the economic growth of the Mediterranean countries. To ensure the existence of this convergence initially Dickey – Fuller’ s and Phillips – Perron’s proof techniques were applicable. Then, in the scope of the endogenous theory the analysis through panel observations was adopted. The results proved the existence of convergence after the summit, with the variable of the trade gap contributing significantly.

Det finns stora skillnader i nivån av BNP per capita mellan länder som inte går att förklara med nuvarande teorier om konvergens, det vill säga att fattiga länder kommer att komma ifatt rika länder på lång sikt. I stället verkar skillnaderna i länders inkomstnivå bestå. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka om, och i så fall i vilken utsträckning, en del av skillnaden mellan BNP per capita i olika länder kan förklaras genom demokrati. Studien utgår huvudsakligen från två teorier, endogen tillväxtteori och moderniseringsteori. Som metod kommer multipel regressionsanalys av paneldata att användas med samtliga världens länder mellan 2010 och 2019. Sambandet söks för hela populationen men också uppdelat på världsdel, inkomstnivå och typ av regim. Studien visar att det finns ett positivt samband mellan demokrati och BNP per capita sett till hela populationen men i olika hög grad i urval baserat på världsdel, inkomstnivå och demokratiindex. Endast för gruppen höginkomstländer var sambandet negativt, men när auktoritära höginkomstländer uteslöts fanns ett positivt samband även för den gruppen. / There are big differences in the level of GDP per capita between countries, that cannot be explained by differences in the current capital stock levels or workforce according to theories on convergence. This study aims to examine if, and to what extent, a part of the difference in GDP can be explained by democracy. The study takes its theoretical frame of reference from endogenous growth theory and modernization theory. The method used is multiple regression analysis of panel data with all countries between 2010 and 2019. The regressions analysis is performed on the whole population as well as divided based on continents, income groups and type of regime. The study shows that there is a positive correlation between democracy and GDP per capita, but to different extents in the different samples. Only for high income countries where there a negative correlation, but that turned positive when authoritarian high-income countries were excluded from the sample.

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Health has long been referred to as a contributing development factor for economic growth, and health investments have been implemented as a strategy for achieving economic development. However, several countries have reached economic growth before improving health status, which raises questions of the significance of public health related to economic growth. The economic inequalities between countries tend to increase along with enlarged differences in health status, is there possibly a correlation between these occurrences? The purpose of this essay is to make a theoretical contribution by examining the impact of health on economic growth based on the world’s least developed countries (LDCs). This relationship has not been studied within these countries before and the essay intends to find out if basic health is a prerequisite for economic growth. The hypothesis of the study is a positive correlation between improvement of health status in a population within a country and its economic growth. Quantitative approach through a cross-sectional study of the independent variables health investments, initial GDP per capita, life expectancy and HIV along with the dependent variable of GDP per capita growth. Data from 48 LDCs during the period 1995 – 2015 was obtained. A regression analysis of Ordinary Least Squares, VIF-test and QQ-plot was performed through the computer program Gretl 2016c.  The variation in GDP per capita growth can be explained to 75 % by changes in the health-related variables. Previous theories regarding the positive effect on economic growth from increased health investments, lower initial GDP per capita and increased life expectancy were supported in this study. Health investments and initial GDP per capita showed a statistically significant correlation to economic growth. Life expectancy lacked significance, but was supported by previous research. The variable for HIV showed a positive correlation to economic growth, contrary to previous theories. The relationship can although be explained by insufficient data and low significance. / Hälsa har länge benämnts som en bidragande utvecklingsfaktor för ekonomisk tillväxt och hälsoinvesteringar har använts som en strategi för att uppnå ekonomisk utveckling. Samtidigt har flera länder uppnått ekonomisk tillväxt innan förbättrad hälsostatus vilket leder till funderingar kring vilken roll befolkningens hälsa egentligen spelar för landets ekonomiska tillväxt. De ekonomiska ojämlikheterna länder emellan tenderar att öka och skillnaden i hälsostatusen likaså, finns det möjligtvis ett samband kring detta? Syfte: Uppsatsens syfte är att bringa ett teoretiskt bidrag genom att undersöka hälsans inverkan på ekonomisk tillväxt med utgångspunkt i världens minst utvecklade länder (MUL-länder). Detta samband har tidigare inte studerats inom dessa länder och uppsatsen avser att ta reda på om en grundläggande god hälsa förefaller vara en förutsättning för ekonomisk tillväxt. Hypotesen för uppsatsen är ett positivt samband mellan ett förbättrat hälsotillstånd hos ett lands befolkning och dess ekonomiska tillväxt. Frågeställning: Leder en förbättrad hälsa till ökad ekonomisk tillväxt i världens minst utvecklade länder? Metod: Kvantitativt tillvägagångssätt genom en tvärsnittsstudie av de oberoende variablerna statens hälsoinvesteringar, initial BNP per capita, förväntad livslängd och HIV samt den beroende variabeln tillväxt i BNP per capita. Data från 48 MUL-länder under perioden 1995 – 2015 inhämtades. I dataprogrammet Gretl 2016c utfördes en regressionsanalys av typen Minsta kvadratmetoden, VIF-test samt QQ-plot. Slutsats: Variationen i tillväxten i BNP per capita kan till 75 % förklaras av förändringar i de hälsorelaterade variablerna. Tidigare teorier kring positiva effekter på den ekonomiska tillväxten från ökade hälsoinvesteringar, lägre initialt BNP per capita och ökad livslängd förstärktes i denna undersökning. Hälsoinvesteringar och initialt BNP per capita visade ett statistiskt säkerställt samband till den ekonomiska tillväxten. Förväntad livslängd saknade signifikans, men stöds av tidigare forskning. Variabeln för HIV visade ett positivt samband på ekonomisk tillväxt vilket strider mot tidigare teorier. Sambandet kan dock förklaras av bristfällig data och låg signifikansnivå.

This academic work is based on remarkable works of economists Ramsey, Cass, Koopmans and Kaldor, it brings closer the intertemporal growth theory and its empirical implications on the Czech economy. Simply the purpose of this academic work is to analyse investment and its development in the Czech economy, theoretically identify and empirically study it. Furthermore, to monitor investments by different types and sectors. The study also is committing to better comprehension of mutual effects of capital formation and economic growth.

This dissertation has two main objectives. The first one is to construct historical macroeconomic series for Sweden using a consistent method throughout the relevant periods, and which rely on modern methods of national accounting. The second objective is to investigate patterns of economic growth, accumulation and crisis in Sweden 1800-2000, based on the constructed data series. New annual data series of Gross Domestic Product and its division into activities (type of production) and expenditures (consumption, investment and foreign trade), Net Domestic Product, stocks of produced assets and consumption of fixed assets are constructed for the period 1800-2000; series of employment, wages, imputed labour income of self employed and surplus for the period 1850-2000; and series of worked hours for the period 1950-2000. Summary tables of the main aggregate variables are presented at the end of the dissertation. The intent is to make the data material available online (also at a more disaggregated level) at: http://www.historia.se. Although the present study criticises the somewhat deterministic vision of many long cycle theories, it also demonstrates that the concept of long cycle can be applied when studying long-term fluctuations in GDP per capita, provided that the notion of a fixed periodicity of long cycles is abandoned. Long-term economic fluctuations are irregular, but so is also the short-term business cycle. Different historical tendencies and trends are investigated. The decline of the relative size of industrial activities in the last half of 20th century was not as dramatic, if unpaid household labour is considered and that many services are industry-related. The Marxist theory of a Tendency for the Rate of Profit to Fall is partly confirmed as a secular process up to the 1970s, but profitability has rebounded in the last two decades of the 20th century. During the 1990s, the investment ratio declined to historically low levels and the volume value of the net stock of buildings and structures fell for the first time since the 1830s. A comparison is also made of depressions in Sweden since 1850. During the 19th century, depressions were largely induced by the agricultural sector, and during the 20th century by industrial activities. However, the transition to the modern business cycle was not sudden but rather protracted. Another finding is that the 1990s depression was somewhat deeper than the 1930s depression in terms of GDP contraction.

The aim of this thesis is to gain improved understanding of the income convergence between Finland and Sweden 1950-2000 with a focus on catch-up growth, wage formation, productivity growth, migration and structural change in a setting of structural and institutional differences on the factor markets. Earlier studies of Finnish and Swedish convergence has overlooked the international perspective and therefore missed the general European – US convergence during the period. The results shows that Sweden converged to 80 percent of the US productivity level in the early 1970s and is following US productivity growth thereafter. The Finnish catch-up growth towards the US continues until the beginning of the 1990s. This corresponds well with the convergence of labour productivity between Finland and Sweden which took place around 1970 and the gap was closed in the beginning of the 1990s. The convergence between the countries can therefore be understood from the catch-up growth against the USA and if the countries growth rates are plotted against their income level 1950 one can see that the two countries are well in line with other West European countries. This means that either country is deviating in a positive or negative direction during the period. This is to some extent in contrast with the view that has been put forward in the countries national economic historical writing where Finland is often since as a growth miracle while Sweden especially since 1970s is seen as a case of falling behind.      In order to explain the convergence scenario structural and institutional differences on the countries factor markets is examined. One aspect concerns Barry Eichengreens hypothesis regarding wage moderation as cause of the Post-War European convergence. The wage setting system in Sweden has been put forward by Eichengreen as a raw model for the type of institutional setting that would promote wage moderation. One central finding in this thesis is that we can not find support for wage moderation for Sweden as the labour share of the national income rises during the phase of Swedish catch-up growth while the labour income share was constant and periodically falling in Finland. In contrast with the view of the Finnish low interest rate policy during the post- the actual real interest rate was lower in Sweden.      There has also been a significant migration flow from Finland to Sweden especially from the 1950s to mid 1970s.  In the thesis we find a positive and significant relationship between wage and productivity differences on industry level between the countries. This supports the conclusion that migration was leading towards factor price convergence between the countries.      The shift-share analysis shows that there were higher gains for the productivity growth in reallocating labour on the Finnish labour market than in Sweden. This could be explained by the higher share of the labour in the agricultural sector as predicted by Peter Temin.