Search Results (14)

Divergences in tax policies are evident among European OECD economies, due to varying priorities of efficiency vs. equity, influenced by the forms of direct vs. indirect taxation. The special interest of this paper is to identify how different tax forms (direct—corporate and personal income taxes (CIT, PIT); and indirect—value added tax (VAT)) affect inequality in European OECD economies in the period 2003–2020. Using heterogeneous non-stationary panel models and the (Pooled) Mean Group (PMG/MG) methods of estimation, a long-run negative relationship between direct tax forms (CIT, PIT) and the Gini coefficient was discovered, meaning that utilizing progressive direct tax forms resulted in more equity. The error-correction terms are heterogeneous, showing that developed economies decrease income inequality by using direct taxes more efficiently than emerging European OECD economies. The short-run statistically significant relationships between VAT and the Gini coefficient are discovered, meaning that certain European OECD economies effectively use VAT revenue to achieve greater equity in society. This study demonstrates that the use of indirect tax forms may be beneficial in terms of collecting more tax revenues, and that using them for redistributive programs can reduce inequality while maintaining economic efficiency. Full article

Türkiye is making great efforts to generate new projects within the scope of the “Türkiye Century” strategy, with the aim of increasing its effectiveness in the international community and the welfare of its citizens. In this respect, it is of great importance to conduct new studies and develop suggestions to further increase the effectiveness of new projects. This study seeks to provide a solution to the problems in politics, education, economy, public administration, justice, and corruption identified and reported by international organizations such as the OECD, the European Union, and the public institutions of the Republic of Türkiye, by associating them with the Society 5.0 strategy. The study aims to test the applicability of Society 5.0 in solving these problems through structural equation modeling using niche innovation and convergent stakeholder theories. In the light of the data obtained, it is realized that Society 5.0 has an effect on all the other variables except for one and the policy variable mediates this situation. In this regard, in accordance with the findings, it can be stated that Society 5.0 can be regarded as a significant alternative for solving the problems experienced on a suitable political basis. Full article

This research thoroughly examines the dynamic relationship between the European Union’s economic growth and rapid advancements in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Specifically, it assesses how certain ICT indicators are associated with significant economic growth. Utilizing an extensive dataset from the Digital Economy and Society Index 2022 (DESI), the Statistical Office of the European Union (EUROSTAT), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), this study encompasses data from all 27 European Union member states. Employing structural equation modelling, our analysis illustrates the positive correlation between ICT development and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) index. Our findings highlight the critical role of swiftly evolving technological landscapes, emphasizing the growing influence of new Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in business sectors. Furthermore, this study showcases the need to enhance human capital and expedite the growth of e-government technologies. These advancements are pivotal in strengthening the infrastructure supporting citizens and public enterprises across European countries, thereby contributing to their economic vitality. Full article

The global trends in taxation have generated a “race to the bottom” in capital income taxation, which is intended to be stopped by OECD through the introduction of a global minimum tax rate (15% of effective average tax rate—EATR). The question is whether the defined tax competition floor would have heterogeneous implications in different economies. The aim of this paper is to examine the long-term relationship between the EATR and FDI, and between the EATR and budget balance (BB) in European OECD economies in the period 1998–2021, using non-stationary, heterogeneous panels. According to the linear PMG model, a significant negative long-term relationship was revealed between the EATR and FDI and between the EATR and BB, while the error-correction parameters are significant and heterogeneous, showing that the speed of adjustments towards equilibrium is different across the analyzed economies. However, the nonlinear PMG results revealed asymmetry as the magnitude of the influence of an EATR reduction has a greater effect on FDI attraction and deficit deepening than an increase in the EATR on the opposite tendencies of FDI and deficit. Policymakers are facing a trade-off related to FDI attraction/budget deficit deepening when making decisions in relation to the EATR, and they are mostly oriented toward FDI inflow using EATR reduction in the analyzed economies. Full article

The goal of this paper is to use the variable returns to scale (VRS)-slacks-based measure (SBM)-data envelopment analysis (DEA) method to compare the energy resilience of different economies and areas. This study looks at the energy resilience scores of 26 economies from Europe, the Americas, and the Asia-Pacific area. It does this by looking at twelve sub-indicators in three dimensions: society, the economy, and the environment. According to the computational results, seventeen of these economies’ total energy resilience achieved top-tier performance. South Korea, ranked 18th, is only second to these seventeen economies and is followed by, among others, Turkey, Luxembourg, Poland, Italy, Belgium, the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. Twelve of the twenty European economies, all three American economies, and two Asia-Pacific economies are relatively energy-resilient. There are sixteen economies in society dimensions, seventeen economies in economy dimensions, and seventeen economies in environment dimensions that are relatively energy-resilient. Sub-dimensional improvement suggestions for relatively less energy-resilient economies are provided according to empirical results. The outcome of the research provides policymakers with a benchmark for future policy planning. Due to data limitations, this study cannot benchmark all OECD economies and does not account for sub-dimensional resource inputs. Full article

Water pollution caused by microplastics represents an important challenge for the environment and people’s health. The weak international regulations and standards in this domain support increased water pollution with microplastics. The literature is unsuccessful in establishing a common approach regarding this subject. The main objective of this research is to develop a new approach to necessary policies and ways of action to decrease water pollution caused by microplastics. In this context, we quantified the impact of European water pollution caused by microplastics in the circular economy. The main research methods used in the paper are meta-analysis, statistical analysis and an econometric approach. A new econometric model is developed in order to assist the decision makers in increasing efficiency of public policies regarding water pollution elimination. The main result of this study relies on combining, in an integrated way, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) data on microplastic water pollution and identifying relevant policies to combat this type of pollution. Full article

The aim of the study is to present the concept of green economy and other notions and concepts related to it and to assess their significance for the formation of development policy and practical solution of problems of socio-economic development. In the part focusing on information and definitions, the premises for the emergence of the issue of the greening of economic processes as a new phenomenon of contemporary development have been presented, as well as various definitions of green economy, green growth, the principles of implementing green economy, and the implementation of green transformation processes. In the further part of the study, measures and indicators of green economy and green growth are presented, as well as the connection of these concepts with the idea and objectives of sustainable development. The review of green economy and green growth indicators includes indicators prepared by specialised agencies of the United Nations, UNEP, UNCTAD, UN ESCAP, UN FGG, OECD, the European Union, and the World Bank. Selected indicators of individual authors and countries have also been presented. The last part of the study presents the concept of the New European Green Deal and its link to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted for the current decade. In conclusion, an attempt has been made to present both the expectations and opportunities of emphasising the issue of the greening of the economy, as well as the weaknesses and threats resulting from the excessive confidence in this concept. Full article

The Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor (CCCM) is a valuable tool to measure and compare European cities’ cultural and creative vitality. It addresses three dimensions: the presence of cultural venues and facilities (i.e., Cultural Vibrancy); the jobs and innovations connected to the so-called creative industries (i.e., the Creative Economy); and the enabling conditions for culture and creativity diffusion: human capital, diversity, trust and openness, international accessibility, and connectivity (i.e., an Enabling Environment). Comparing and ranking cities on these different dimensions offer policymakers the possibility of developing strategies related to their development (Montalto et al. 2019). However, as is recognized in the report presenting the CCCM, significant methodological limitations exist. They are related to both the tool and the potential behavioral implications it generates (JRC-OECD Handbook, 2008) and to the difficulties with addressing a multifaceted phenomenon with scant data, which offer limited opportunities to adequately measure cultural and creative cities (Van Puyenbroeck et al. 2021). In this paper, we integrate the CCCM framework to propose a spatially contextualized application at the city level as a tool to support policymakers’ understanding of the potential role of cultural and creative organizations in city development (Soini and Dessein, 2016). We, therefore, build our arguments on a recent stream of research showing the importance of the spatial dimension to understand the relevance of cultural and creative industries within a context and inform decision-makers (Boal-San Miguel and Herrero-Prieto, 2020). This spatial dimension is even more important at the city level, where public, private, and non-profit organizations interact to execute culture-led policies (Bonet and Négrier, 2018). In this case, the location of specific organizations may be critical in offering opportunities at the neighborhood level, paving the way to space-driven local level policies (e.g., the 15 min walking strategy; see e.g., Pisano, 2020). Full article

The main purpose of this paper is to assess energy consumption with a breakdown into main sectors of the countries that belong to the Visegrad Group. The specific objectives aim to determine changes in energy absorption, its productivity, structure by sectors and to show the similarities of the Visegrad Group countries to the other EU states in terms of the sectoral energy absorption structure. All members of the Visegrad group, i.e., Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, were purposefully selected for the study as of 31 December 2018. The research period covered the years 1990–2018. The sources of gathered information were the literature on the subject and OECD data. The following methods were used for the analysis and presentation of materials: explanations, tabular and graphical depictions, descriptive statistics, dynamics indicators, and cluster analysis performed with the following methods: k-means, hierarchical agglomerative clusters and DIvisive ANAlysis (DIANA). There is a limited number of previous studies on the relationship between the national level of economic development and energy consumption in different sectors of industry. Additionally, there are no such analytical projects concerning EU states. The article fills the research gap in this area. It was established that the dynamics of productivity growth over the nine years (2010–2018) was similar in the countries of the Visegrad group and on average for the EU. This means that the members of the Visegrad group did not actually improve their energy efficiency as compared to the EU average. The reason may be the increasingly faster implementation of modern technologies in developed economies of Western Europe as compared to the developing countries, which include the members of the Visegrad group. The conversion of the economy had a very large impact on changing the structure of energy absorption by sector. Industry and agriculture lost their importance. On the other hand, the transport and service sectors benefited. As a result of the cluster analysis, all EU (European Union) states were divided into four groups. Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary found themselves in one group, along with most Western European countries. This may mean that the economies of these states have become unified with highly developed economic systems. Slovakia found itself in the group of states with a greater importance of industry. The study complements the contribution to the theory. From a practical point of view, it shows the impact of economic transformation on changes in energy consumption in individual sectors, which may be a model of transition in this area. Full article

The transition to a circular economy with an emphasis on eco-innovation is just beginning both in Europe and in Romania, as a member country of the European Union. The whole economic system in which people operate must be circular, which means that it must eliminate conflicting aspects related to regulation, collaboration, governance, supply chain dynamics, and data transparency. However, the barriers to the transition to a circular economy are substantial, and it is up to states to work together to find innovative solutions to society’s problems. This article focuses on aspects related to eco-innovation in the field of drinking water quality in all administrative regions of Romania. In this regard, a study was undertaken, and the main objective pursued in was to identify and highlight the degree of eco-innovation of drinking water suppliers in seven underdeveloped regions of Romania. Starting from an analysis of the water management framework through the OECD Principles on Water Governance, it was possible to develop a study on drinking water supply companies in Romania. This study was performed based on specific indicators grouped by categories, and it aimed in two directions: on the one hand, the identification of drinking water distributors with a high degree of eco-innovation, which leads to quality certification of the drinking water supplied and which has the impact of encouraging household consumers to mainly use this type of supplied water to the detriment of PET bottled water (which has well-known major disadvantages in relation to environmental pollution and user health); on the other hand, the identification of drinking water supply companies with a low degree of eco-innovation, which is proof of the need for mandatory measures to improve drinking water quality, measures that can be taken at the supplier level but especially with support from the administrative and political environment. Full article

Energy innovation is critical for addressing climate change and the ecological transitions of both developed and emerging economies. The present paper aims at the identification and assessment of patterns in energy innovation convergence across a sample of 27 European countries over the period 2000–2018. The research is based on data covering a broad category of patents related to climate change mitigation technologies in the energy sector, including combustion inventions with mitigation potential (e.g., using biomass), extracted from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Statistical Database. Using a nonlinear time-varying factor model, the paper demonstrates that energy innovation efforts in the examined sample follow a pattern of club convergence. The findings allow the identification of three convergence clubs characterised by distinct disparities in energy patent intensity, as measured by the number of patent applications per 10 million inhabitants. Moreover, the results of an ordered logit model demonstrate that the emergence of the identified convergence clubs might be attributable to initial differences in per capita environmental research and development (R&D) expenditure, human resources in science and technology (HRST), and environmental policy stringency. The findings have important policy implications as they suggest the need for more tailored policies based on smart development and specialization frameworks designed to boost the energy innovation performance of the laggard countries, more fully exploiting the potential of their less technologically advanced sectors, such as agriculture. Full article

Food waste originating in households in the Czech Republic is an important but unknown issue. Due to the country’s membership among the most developed economies (European Union, OECD) and its commitments towards UN Sustainable Development Goals, the government must, inter alia, significantly reduce household food waste. However, reliable data and indicators based on internationally agreed approaches and methods have been missing so far. This article brings original results from a survey comprising over 400 Czech households based on the kitchen diaries method showing that, on average, surveyed households discarded 2.6 kg (1.1 kg per capita) weekly. After extrapolation, the total food waste was estimated to be 135.7 kg per household or 57.1 kg per capita annually. Half of the total food waste from surveyed households was thrown into municipal bins for mixed waste. Despite a relatively low total food waste stream, its disposal needs substantial improvement to meet national and international regulations as well as sustainability criteria. Full article

This paper aims to analyze the economic dimension and environmental impact of intra-EU value-added generation linked to global value chains (GVCs) through input-output analysis. For this purpose, information has been collected from TiVA (Trade in Value Added, OECD) and Eora databases for the years 2005 and 2015. From an economic perspective, the results point to a strengthening of the value-added generated within Factory Europe. From an environmental perspective, all EU28 members have reduced their exports-related impacts in intensity-emissions terms, but not all of them in the same degree. An approach to the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) has also been carried out through a panel data model. The results show a positive impact of the participation in intra-EU value chain (Factory Europe) on CO₂ emissions per capita. Further, an inverted U-shaped curve for CO₂ emissions is found for the period 2005–15. In this sense, European economies with lower development levels (many Eastern and Southern countries) seem to be still on the rising segment of the curve, while the more developed ones seem to be on the decreasing segment. These results highlight the need to design global monitoring and prevention mechanisms to tackle growing environmental challenges and the need to incorporate specific actions associated with the GVCs activity. Full article

Maritime transport and ports are among the most important linkages between global economies, handling more than 90% of internationally traded goods. Economic importance of maritime transport imposes significant implications on the social and environmental performance of port regions. The paper aims to create composite indices as relevant, scientific-based tools used in comparing and monitoring various aspects of sustainability across 37 sea port regions in seven countries on the European side of the Mediterranean, covering a five-year period from 2014 to 2018. The model encompasses Eurostat and OECD annual NUTS2 level data covering economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability. Two important indicators of maritime transport activity, maritime transport of freight and maritime transport of passengers, are included within the group of economic indicators. To create composite indices, the multicriteria decision making (MCDM) framework was used as an integrated approach of entropy in the weighting segment, and the Preference Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment of Evaluations (PROMETHEE) as an aggregation method. The results highlight GDP per capita and population density as indicators of the greatest relative importance when it comes to port regions sustainability. The ranking results indicate that, despite the fact that Attica is the best ranked region in terms of overall sustainability, the largest number of top rated port regions are in Italy, Spain and France. Full article