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Purpose: This paper aims to explore the existence of convergence in non-monetary working conditions in Europe resorting to widely used definitions of this phenomenon and composite indexes of job quality. Design/methodology/approach: The analysis relies on composite indexes, widely used in previous literature, for 207 regions in six different areas of job quality drawing on the microdata of the European Working Conditions Survey from 1995 to 2015. This study assesses the occurrence of convergence both in terms of dispersion of job quality outcomes (sigma-convergence) and, especially, regarding the existence of a catch-up process (beta-convergence). Findings: This study finds evidence of both types of convergences in all the domains, with the exception of skills and discretion and prospects dimensions according to the sigma-convergence approach. The results do not suggest substantial differences between the 15 European Union countries before the 2004 enlargement and the new Member States and are robust to a wide range of changes in the sample and different econometric specifications. Originality/value: Tot he best of the authors' knowledge, this paper represents the first rigorous and systematic attempt of addressing the existence of convergence in non-monetary working conditions, applying formal and widely accepted definitions of this phenomenon. It contributes to our knowledge on this topic providing strong evidence of convergence in job quality. Those results can be of interest for scholars in Economics and other Social Sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims at assessing whether party organizational profiles and policy issue saliency converged in 7 European democracies (Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, UK), from the 1970s to the 2010s. Building on the theoretical premises of the cartel party thesis and historical new-institutionalism, the paper argues that general tendencies in party policy issue saliency and organizational evolution driven by contextual factors have been taken for granted by party literature based on ideal-typical models. We maintain that party convergence is mainly associated to higher levels of socialization to government. Our empirical analysis shows that patterns of cross-country convergence among parties actually emerge concerning the saliency of the issues placed on the classical left-right divide, as well as party resources, while higher variance characterizes all the other organizational dimensions and post-materialist/value-based policy issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research background: Digitalization in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated significantly across Europe, including in regions that are at the stage of catch-up development. However, as innovative technologies are intensively integrated into everyday life, the digital gap between the EU countries is increasing. The widening digital gap is becoming a serious threat to achieving the EU's sustainable development goals and building a sustainable European society. Purpose of the article: The purpose of the article was to empirically substantiate the inclusiveness and convergence of the digital strategy in the EU countries. Methods: Using the method of fuzzy sets, the level of asymmetry in access to transactional (e-commerce), information (cloud computing), operational (artificial intelligence) technologies in the EU countries was assessed. The negative impact of the digital gap within the countries (the gap between small, medium, large companies) and the global digital gap (the gap between EU countries) on the competitiveness of countries was established, for which correlation analysis and the Granger causality test were used. Findings & value added: The findings of this study contribute to the literature of digital transformation and digital gap of European countries. The impact of the digital gap in transactional, information, operational technologies on the competitiveness of countries is differentiated depending on the level of digitalization of the country. Cluster groups of countries are determined by the convergence of digitalization and ways to ensure long-term competitiveness. The directions for reducing the digital gap in the EU countries are substantiated by changing the priorities of spending on innovation and increasing productivity, diversifying the digital technologies used. The empirical results obtained can serve as a basis for improving the effectiveness of the digitalization policy in the EU countries in accordance with individual convergence goals. The main added value of the paper is related to the presented research procedure, which can be used in analyses of digital technologies development also for other countries. The results provide valuable insights into evaluating the digital technologies in European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union is interested in ensuring that each national administration offers comparable administrative capacity through quality of public services and professionalism from the civil servants. At the same time, the European states are characterised by long and varied institutional histories, with different trajectories in their evolution. That is why, public administration structures and regulations vary among the Member States and a set of common principles can guide them towards administrative convergence and performance. This paper aims to analyze the shared principles of a common European Administrative Space and also to address the link between these principles and the performance of public institutions from a managerial point of view. The study is based on review and analysis of academic research, government documents and personal perspectives, extracting and linking key findings from existing research and practice. The paper argues that managerial theories on performance are compatible with public administration organizations and some of the criteria are common to those promoted by the principles of the European Administrative Space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic convergence has long been a declared objective of the EU and has been considered the fundamental mechanism for achieving socioeconomic cohesion. Even so, the empirical literature finds a lack of real convergence as geographical clusters have emerged. In this paper, we contribute to the literature on income convergence in the EU by analysing convergence in real disposable income across European countries. In contrast to the previous results on real convergence in the EU, we find that most of the countries are converging to the same equilibrium level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically engages with State/Space theory by interrogating the soundness of its fundamental assumptions regarding the rescaling of capitalism and by questioning the validity of its proposition about ever-rising spatial imbalances and economic divergence in post-1970s' Europe. The paper employs descriptive, cartographic and econometric analysis of the regional and urban growth data covering 28 European Union countries and 11 major OECD and BRICS economies. The vast volume of multi-scalar evidence presented here cannot substantiate the central rescaling hypothesis about Europe's increasing spatial disparities. A set of alternative explanations is proposed to account for the reported European economic convergence trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper asks what insights the literature provides on divergence versus convergence of innovation paths in Europe and Asia. It contrasts the abundant literature on determinants of innovation paths with the scarcity of studies that are explicitly comparative across countries or continents. Implicit conclusions however emerge from several lines of work including evolutionary perspectives which stress differences in national conditions, and other perspectives which stress latecomer and globalisation effects. This paper distils and draws together the main conclusions on why innovation paths can be expected to diverge or converge. Its contribution lies in spelling out and bringing together implicit and explicit insights from a wide range of literatures. It also provides an analytical backdrop for some of the other papers in this special issue of Science and Public Policy which provide comparative empirical analyses of low carbon innovation paths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The state of food security in the world, including that of Europe and Central Asia (ECA), was highlighted in 2020 by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the fact that the food security status of millions of people in ECA, particularly the most vulnerable and those living in fragile contexts, would deteriorate if swift action was not taken as soon as possible became apparent. Improving cereal yield is the key for the ECA to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 2.1 to end hunger by 2030. Impressive cereal yield growth has been witnessed within the ECA from 1991 to 2020, but there is still significant variation across the five sub-regions. This paper aimed to analyze the evolutionary trends and convergence of cereal yield in countries of the ECA from 1991 to 2020 for four major cereals: wheat, maize, barley and oats. The findings show that there is strong evidence of σ-convergence and absolute and conditional β-convergence for cereal yield in the ECA, which indicates that countries with low yield in the initial stages have totally experienced higher growth rate, and yield in countries farther away from the steady-state have to have faster growth rate to converge to the steady-state. The presence of club convergence is also identified in terms of geographic location and income level, simultaneously. Therefore, cereal yield in the ECA has converged to the whole and to different groups at the same time, which provides some evidence of agricultural technology spillover effect in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the appropriate econometric methodology and statistical tests to evaluate the spatial and sectoral stability of the labour productivity convergence process of 145 European regions over 1975–2000. Our results display significant σ-convergence only in aggregate labour productivity and in the services sectors among peripheral regions. We also show that omitting spatial effects leads to biased measures of σ-convergence. We then estimate a pooled β-convergence model including spatial autocorrelation and sectoral differentiation. Spatial and sectoral stability tests reveal which sectors display a convergence process and in which regime they are located. Resumen Este artículo presenta los test estadísticos y la metodología econométrica apropiados para evaluar la estabilidad espacial y sectorial del proceso de convergencia de la productividad laboral de 145 regiones europeas del 1975–2000. Nuestros resultados muestran una sigma-convergencia significativa solamente en la productividad laboral agregada y en el sector servicios entre regiones periféricas. También mostramos que la omisión de efectos espaciales resulta en medidas sesgadas de la sigma-convergencia. A continuación estimamos un modelo de beta-convergencia combinada que incluye autocorrelación espacial y diferenciación sectorial. Los test de estabilidad espacial y sectorial revelan los sectores que muestran un proceso de convergencia y en qué régimen se hallan ubicados. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses insights and data gained from 15 years of involvement in a research network studying HRM developments in Europe to explore the notion of ‘European HRM’ and the meanings of convergence and divergence in HRM Using data from the last decade of the Cranet research, the paper puts forward a more nuanced view of the notions of convergence and divergence, finding evidence of directional convergence, but little evidence of final convergence: whilst there are trends which point in similar directions, national differences remain a key factor in HRM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In March 2010, the European Commission launched the Europe 2020 strategy 'for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth' in the EU. Education is a major pillar of the Europe 2020 strategy due to its long-run impact on economic growth, productivity, and social cohesion. The Europe 2020 strategy established two headline targets on early leavers from education and training and tertiary educational attainment at the EU level. This paper attempts to assess the Europe 2020 strategy for the education pillar in terms of convergence across countries. Despite the fact that every country in the EU has its own national targets in these two headline indicators, progress on the achievement of the Europe 2020 strategy requires convergence. Thus, even if the EU as a whole meets its targets in 2020, the existence of a growing divide between the best and worst performing countries would cast doubt on the prospects of real economic convergence and the sustainability of the process. Our empirical findings reveal the existence of convergence clubs in educational attainment and the early leavers rate, and points towards the idea of multi-speed transitional dynamics in Europe, calling into question the convergence in educational performance in the EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, we explore whether higher corporate tax rates, because they lower the after‐tax returns to productivity‐enhancing investments, reduce the speed with which small firms converge to the productivity frontier. Using data for 11 European countries, we find evidence that their productivity catch‐up is slower when the statutory corporate tax rates are higher. In contrast, we find that large firms are instead affected by effective marginal rates. Using the reduced‐form model of productivity convergence of Griffith et al. (2009, Journal of Regional Science 49, 689–720), our results are robust to a host of robustness checks and a natural experiment that exploits the 2001 German tax reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes an extension of the methodology for measuring productivity change based on the Malmquist index that now affords consistent comparisons of productivity change and productivity levels in situations when there are groups of several units monitored in periods of several years. The extended measurement of productivity change is handled in the framework of data envelopment analysis and is applied in two respects in order to analyze productivity patterns of 17 European countries divided into two groups: higher-productivity economies and lower-productivity economies. First, their group-wise productivity changes and productivity differences are examined for the periods 2003–2008 and 2010–2015 divided by the critical crisis year 2009. Second, their absolute and conditional convergence is studied accommodating several specifications of growth regressions. The results confirm that higher-productivity economies preserved their lead in productivity despite the crisis, albeit the productivity differential between higher-productivity and lower productivity economies slightly waned. This is obviously owing to the fact that lower-productivity economies display faster convergence tendencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synchronization of growth rates are an important feature of international business cycles, particularly in relation to regional integration projects such as the single currency in Europe. Synchronization of growth rates clearly enhances the effectiveness of European Central Bank monetary policy, ensuring that policy changes are attuned to the dynamics of growth and business cycles in the majority of member states. In this paper, a dissimilarity metric is constructed by measuring the topological differences between the GDP growth patterns in recurrence plots for individual countries. The results show that synchronization of growth rates were higher among the euro area member states during the second half of the 1980s and from 1997 to roughly 2002. Apart from these two time periods, euro area member states do not appear to be more synchronized than a group of major international countries, suggesting that apart from specific times when European integration initiatives were being implemented, globalization was likely the dominant factor behind international business cycle synchronization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The supra-national level has become increasingly important in educational policy formulation. This paper describes and compares two settings in which growth in these supra-national policies is evident—in Europe and in Africa. Key themes arising in policy documents in each context are examined. A distinction is drawn in analysis between themes classified as ‘global means’, such as qualification frameworks and quality assurance mechanisms, which are becoming international norms and which show close similarity across contexts, and regional goals or ‘themes’ in supra-national policy. The paper argues that although there are apparent similarities between the policy goals espoused in ‘regional themes’, context plays an important part in understanding the meanings of these policy goals. In closer analysis, there are differences both in the underlying problems which the policy goals are intended to address, and in the prioritisation given to these goals. This finding is examined in the light of debates regarding policy convergence, specifically drawing on Vaira’s () framework for institutional analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Research Papers of the Wroclaw University of Economics / Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego we Wroclawiu is the property of Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny we Wroclawiu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Regional Studies is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper investigates the current state of market integration among European electricity day-ahead spot prices. In our empirical analysis we utilize a large sample of hourly spot prices of 25 European markets for the period 2010Jan01/01h- 2015Jun30/24h and combine it with other relevant data such as hourly interconnector capacities and the existence of market coupling. Firstly, empirical results from cointegration analysis indicate that market integration increased from 2010 to 2012 but then declined until 2015, despite the introduction of market coupling in many markets. Secondly, we empirically assess error correction after price shocks and reach the conclusion that markets' strength of the error correction mechanism is rather modest. In general, our findings suggest that the integration among European electricity markets has a large potential for improvements from additional capacity investments and further promotion of market coupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the significant international exposure of its economy, Ireland was one of the countries suffering the greatest losses stemming from the 2007-2008 financial crisis. After a brief presentation of the nature of the subprime crisis, the study describes the economic conditions of the country before the crisis and the impact of the crisis on the Irish economy. This part of the study provides a detailed analysis of the changes triggered by the crisis in the national budget, in sovereign debt and in tax centralisation. The chapter to follow gives an insight into the economic cornerstones and instruments of the Irish contingency measures before presenting an overview of the results of the structural reforms. The study concludes that Ireland's resolute efforts to restore the budget and to increase the flexibility of the economic structure played a key role in the success of crisis management and in conjunction, these measures resulted in regaining the confidence of the international capital market. In addition, it should not be overlooked that the country recognised the need for and did not hesitate to take recourse to external help in its crisis management. Finally, it is pointed out in the paper that today Ireland is in a position where the economy is well prepared to commence converging to the vanguard of European Union Member States. However, the Irish society will have to pay a steep price for the opportunity of this economic convergence in future, and should also reckon with a number of risk factors in this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to examine the relationship between the emerging European activation policies and the evolution of domestic activation policies and its governance. Drawing on the emerging Europeanization debate and comparative literature on activation, the crucial research question will be the following: is there a European Union (EU)-induced convergence in domestic activation policies in the EU? Design/methodology/approach – Following Bonoli's work, the article unpacks activation in two dimensions (human capital investment and employment market orientation) and looks at the trajectories of seven Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries using OECD active labour market policy (ALMP) expenditure data. Findings – The article argues that there is only limited EU-induced convergence towards the employment assistance component of the EU hybrid model and similarly limited convergence can be seen with respect to the governance of activation policies. Although fully-fledged explanations of such limited convergence go beyond the scope of this article, the paper puts forward two tentative explanations which should be tested with further research: first, the lack of convergence may lie primarily in the overall "softness" of the European Employment Strategy (which means, among other things, limited resources), but the lack of convergence may also lie in the lack of administrative capacities enabling member state governments to fully implement innovative activation policies. Originality/value – The paper is innovative since it empirically tests the role of European policies and ideas in shaping domestic reforms of activation policies. Contrary to other findings, the article shows that there is a limited degree of convergence and that the role is particularly negligible with respect to implementation capacities of reformed activation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid economic convergence in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries has not been matched by a similarly rapid increase in life satisfaction. This paper sets out to address this conundrum, by looking at the individual and macro-level determinants of individual life satisfaction in 10 CEE countries. The results highlight that macroeconomic and institutional differences are the key factors behind the lack of convergence in life satisfaction. On the macroeconomic side, Gross Domestic Product growth is still a source of increasing well-being, but the happiness bonus associated with it is becoming smaller. The different levels of individual happiness in CEE are therefore mostly determined by institutional factors such as corruption, government spending and decentralization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intention of the following paper is to present some stylized features of the financial integration of the four basin regions composed by the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea and Mediterranean Sea regions. It discusses the developments, trends and features of the International Investment Position (IIP) in the regions. Using volume based indicators we compare and identify the gaps in them, whilst distinguishing between the EU e non-EU members and providing an overview of the asymmetries and the convergence as a result of the integration in the different financial markets. After reviewing the trends, the final chapter points to those areas that need further efforts to achieve greater regional integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper re-examines the role of the euro in enhancing the convergence among stock markets of Germany, France and Italy. The VAR-framework is implemented with a dummy variable. A pre- and post-euro analysis is also performed with an exclusion of the dummy variable. Monthly data on stock market returns from February 1994 through December 2007 are employed. The empirical results reveal evidence of significant convergence among the above markets during the post-euro era relative to the pre-euro era with net positive short-run causal effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses recent corporate governance codes issued by 20 countries for evidence of convergence in corporate governance systems in Europe. The analysis shows that there has been a degree of convergence towards an Anglo-Saxon model of corporate governance as the audit committee concept is widely accepted in countries with both unitary and two-tier governance systems. Further, the latest audit committee recommendations in countries that have issued several governance codes show a strengthening of the recommendations for an audit committee over time in line with the Anglo-Saxon audit committee concept and convergence with the debate in the US and UK on issues such as the independence and financial expertise of members. However, consistent with the literature on the convergence of European corporate governance systems, at an operational level there is limited consistency in the recommended structure and role of audit committees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalization is widely held to circumscribe the parameters of political and economic choice in contemporary Europe, just as it has come to circumscribe the parameters of debate on the future of European models of capitalism. Yet opinions on the question of convergence nonetheless vary markedly, with proponents of the hyperglobalization thesis pointing to a simple and inexorable process of neoliberal convergence while an increasingly influential school of neo-institutionalists point to a rather more complex process of 'dual' or 'co-convergence', reinforcing the distinctiveness of liberal and coordinated market economies. In both accounts, the exhibited pattern of convergence (dual or otherwise) is seen to be driven by globalization. In this paper I provide a theoretical and empirical critique of this important literature, challenging the contextualization of the question of convergence with respect to globalization which both perspectives share. I advance a distinctive variant of the new institutionalism which emphasizes: (i) the contingency of any process of convergence observed; (ii) the frequently political as opposed to economic nature of convergent tendencies; (iii) the counter-tendencies which might be mobilized to such tendencies; and (iv) the invariably far greater significance, in the establishment of common trajectories, of regional rather than genuinely global processes of integration. Though common trajectories are discernible within contemporary Europe, associated in particular with the institutional architecture of EMU and an accelerating process of European economic integration, they have been embraced more or less enthusiastically and at variable paces, leading not to convergent but to divergent outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines some implications for cultural policy in the context of globalisation of trade and convergence of technologies. Issues are specifically examined in the aftermath of the inconclusive World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Seattle in 1999. The paper argues for the relevance of Australian experiences in the formulation of a cultural response and cites examples which may be relevant to Europe and elsewhere. It asserts that the concepts of ‘creative infrastructure’ and ‘communications platform’ offer a particularly effective formulation of the necessary resource base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the extent to which, and the ways in which, it might be justified in talking of a movement towards convergence of social policy within Europe. It reviews definitions and typologies of the welfare state as a prelude to discussion of the different theoretical types and possibilities of social policy integration, which itself leads into consideration of supranational EU developments. The empirical data presented in respect of "social protection" expenditures (and taxation regimes) in general and of "active" and "passive" labour market expenditures in particular, lend support to the notion not merely that the welfare state is not yet over in Europe, but that forms of social policy convergence are in evidence already. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes several indicators for the degree of convergence in the internationalization of European higher education, based on previous research on the topic and on the availability of data in the large repositories, such as Eurostat. Starting from longitudinal data series built using the values of the selected indicators in 2015; we have grouped European higher education systems in clusters, based on their similarity, that is, potential for medium term convergence. These findings may serve as a guiding methodology for further, more detailed investigations on convergence and divergence of higher education systems in Europe. The main limitations arise from the availability of data, more specifically from the lack of in-depth data collection at the European level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at assessing the extent to which M&As in European banking sector over the period 1996-2003 result in two simultaneous catching up and convergence processes of consolidating groups. First, do the M&As significantly contribute to the consolidating banks to catch-up with the productivity benchmark? Second, in terms of synergies or complementarities among business lines, is there a convergence process of output mixes among the individual banks of the M&A operations? Our sample is made up of 42 M&A transactions and 587 non-merging banks in Europe. The main conclusion is that M&A operations in the European banking industry appear to be essentially motivated by an objective of improving complementarities among lines of work from each component of M&As rather than increasing productivity at the merged banks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Biomass is one of the major sources of renewable energy in the World. This paper aims at observing primary biomass energy supply in some EU countries within periods1971–2009 and 1982–2009. Following related two panel data sets for biomass in EU, this work employs linear models and nonlinear threshold autoregression (TAR) models to test linearity against nonlinearity and nonstationarity against stationarity. If nonlinearity is found, then, the next step is to search transition variable and threshold value of the panel data sets. This paper eventually has the purpose to reveal if EU countries converge in the production of biomass in a linear form or nonlinear form. Findings show that panel of Austria, Denmark, Finland, France and Portugal follows nonlinear process and reaches partial convergence in per million primary solid biomass energy supply. However, the involvement of Belgium, Greece, Norway, Poland and Sweden to the panel yields linearity and divergence. One may suggest policy makers of EU and/or OECD, upon conclusion of this paper, to revise their energy policies to stimulate both production and consumption of biomass energy source. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This special issue of JEMS deals with the challenges of migration for citizenship attribution in Western Europe. In this introductory paper we analyse recent developments in citizenship attribution across Western Europe over the past 25 years. Despite the contradictory impact of the instrumentalisation and politicisation of citizenship policies, and the fact that countries have different citizenship traditions and migration experiences, we observe six broad trends. These relate to the descent-based transmission of citizenship by women, men and emigrants; ius soli provisions for second- and third-generation immigrants; the acceptance of multiple citizenship; the introduction of language and integration requirements for naturalisation; the avoidance of statelessness; and the increasing relevance of EU membership. We describe the background and core features of each of these six trends and provide empirical examples from citizenship policies in 18 West European countries since the early 1980s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines some of the ways in which the problematic of activation is put into play in the European Employment Strategy (EES) and Danish employment policies. The limitations of causal analysis and convergence approaches are discussed and a different analytical framework based on the concept of normalization is proposed. It is argued that while various forms of activation were present in Denmark well before the launching of the EES in 1997/1998, the latter has contributed to the normalization of the Danish employment policies by sustaining activation as the key element of such policies and by disregarding political interventions based on alternative problematizations of labour and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The market-enhancing regulations of the European Union (EU) place political and economic constraints on the Member States. This has been expected to induce convergence of social policies, generally in a downward direction. At the same time the notion of a European Social Model has been launched as a strategy to make marketization socially acceptable, pointing to a development in a different direction. This paper examines key aspects of the development of the main social insurance programs during the period 1980-2000 in 14 EU Member States. Are there significant signs of convergence in the replacement rates of social insurance programs and do broader development trends of the social insurance systems indicate converging institutional models? The results indicate divergence rather than convergence of social insurance replacement rates. In terms of institutional models there is no evidence of a common European Social Model in the area of social insurance over the past decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article a semiparametric spatial Durbin model is employed to analyse the growth behaviour of 155 European regions in the period 1988–2000. This specification combines the semiparametric approach with the usual parametric spatial econometric technique to accommodate both spatial dependence and nonlinearities as suggested by recent neoclassical growth models with spatial technological interdependence. The results provide evidence of nonlinearities in the effect of initial per capita incomes and human capital investments. Moreover, the specification used allows identifying the effect of the interaction between the characteristics (initial conditions and structural variables) of each region and those of its neighbours. Finally, it shows some indication of global spillovers across-country and local spatial spillovers from domestic neighbours. Resumen En este artículo se emplea un modelo semiparamétrico espacial de Durbin para analizar el comportamiento del crecimiento de 155 regiones europeas durante el periodo 1988–2000. Esta especificación combina el enfoque semiparamétrico con técnicas econométricas espaciales paramétricas habituales para reconciliar la dependencia espacial y las no linealidades, tal y como sugieren los modelos de crecimiento neoclásicos recientes con interdependencia tecnológica espacial. Los resultados ofrecen pruebas de no linealidades en el efecto de ingresos per capita iniciales e inversiones en capital humano. Además, la especificación utilizada permite utilizar el efecto de la interacción entre las características (condiciones iniciales y variables estructurales) de cada región y las de sus vecinos. Finalmente, da una idea de spillovers (efectos de derrame) globales entre países y spillovers espaciales locales de regiones vecinas dentro del país. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pressures from global market forces along with austerity and retrenchment have generated predictions of converging welfare state institutions. The purpose of this paper is to examine the development of social insurance programs among 18 of the economically most advanced democracies during 1980–2000. Have social insurance rights converged and have changes been of such a character that we can discern converging trends of social insurance models? The results indicate convergence in the replacement rates, coverage and employer financing of social insurance benefits up to 1980, after which these signs of convergence tend to disappear or transform into divergence. Rather than countries becoming reclassified, changes implemented in social insurance rights appear to have strengthened the distinctive characteristics of social insurance models identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an overview of modern newsroom models in Central European countries, especially Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Editorial job divisions, as well as routines and work practices, in newspaper and news agency newsrooms, have experienced revolutionary changes in these countries—not only through the global trend towards convergence, but also by bridging traditional barriers between departments and by introducing more flexible structures. Large and open newsrooms, for example, are now becoming increasingly popular. Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative data drawn from a case study of the innovations process of the news agency Austria Presse Agentur in Vienna, it is suggested that modernized newsrooms can increase speed and journalistic quality. At the same time building structure and space play an important role in the innovations process of a newsroom. There are significant correlations between satisfaction with the work site and the assessment of rising quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the waves of corporate scandals and the increasing attention to corporate governance, the transparency of reporting on director-level pay has increased across Europe. This article examines the extent of convergence in laws, codes and corporate reporting practices in regard to director-level pay in France, Germany, Switzerland and the UK. The paper analyses annual reports and the web sites of 23 companies, using institutional theory to discuss the coercive, normative and mimetic pressures for convergence that are revealed, not just in the laws and codes in each country, but also in the standardized wording in the relevant sections of reports which have become clichés. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article looks at the impact of digitization on television. Early treatments of digital television (DTV) have become outdated by technical and market developments. This paper reviews these developments and reconsiders the public policy and regulatory issues surrounding DTV, particularly with respect to public service broadcasting in Europe. Convergence trends are examined and we find that it happens, but differently than expected. This raises serious doubts concerning whether current models and conceptualizations of public service broadcasting can address future challenges of pluralism and diversity if they remain constrained by traditional understandings of broadcasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Regional Studies is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Across Europe mass home ownership has been based on financial arrangements that have provided individual buyers with loans that can be repaid over long periods of time. These arrangements vary in their detail, and their integrity is subject to the risk of default. This paper focuses on the probability of households in different European countries experiencing repayment difficulties, and seeks to identify some of the macro factors that lead to this happening. It shows that national levels of repayment risk can be attributed to the nature of labour markets, social security systems, housing markets and financial markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decades disability has emerged as a key area for European social policy. So far there have been few indications of a general trend towards greater similarity in the disability policies of member states. This paper argues that attempts to promote common approaches and patterns of effort between member states are more likely to succeed in “vacant” sub-areas of disability policy than in more “crowded” ones. Existing redistributive provisions within income maintenance, employment and independent living are examples of crowded sub-areas. By contrast, the emerging anti-discrimination legislation and other forms of market regulation recently introduced by the EU may point towards more vacant policy areas within member states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history of the social welfare systems in Europe in the postwar period appears as autonomous national processes because the construction of Europe which imposed common rules in many areas was equally consistent with the national development of social welfare systems, within each national culture. However, the idea of a common system of social protection has always remained linked to political and economic European construction which would create a more cohesive society. Many studies have analysed the trend of specific social policies and their convergence or divergence in Europe. Therefore, global convergence is often conceived as resulting from the domestic dynamics of each social risk. The paper focuses on one specific topic: the quantitative evaluation of convergence among the EU and OECD countries at the macroeconomic level. In the first part we explain the construction of social indicators which can assess the convergence or divergence of social expenditure in EU and OECD countries. In the second part we show many methodological problems and difficulties of interpretation of the social indicators. Then we see that the analysis of national trajectories of social expenditure and the link with economic development can enrich the analysis of convergence in social protection. Finally, the empirical analysis supports the idea of “adjustment” reforms rather than radical changes in a transitional period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GIANNIAS D., LIARGOVAS P. and MANOLAS G. (1999) Quality of life indices for analysing convergence in the European Union, Reg. Studies 33, 27-35. This paper investigates convergence and tests it empirically across countries of the European Union between 1970 and 1990. Convergence is defined not only in terms of economic indicators, but also in terms of social and quality of life indicators. Real convergence is computed by evaluating a weighted average coefficient of variation based on economic and quality of life variables. The weights are based on an experts' opinion survey. Country rankings, based on the values of a composite quality of life index, are also constructed. The results confirm that real convergence was achieved between 1970-75 for most of the countries. Convergence stagnated between 1980-85 and then it increased. Southern European Member States did not exhibit similar patterns. GIANNIAS D., LIARGOVAS P. et MANOLAS G. (1999) L'analyse de la convergence au sein de l'Union européenne à partir des indices de la qualité de la vie, Reg. Studies 33, 27-35. Cet article cherche à examiner la notion de convergence et à l'évaluer empiriquement quant aux pays membres de l'Union européenne entre 1970 et 1990. La notion de convergence s'exprime non seulement en fonction des clignotants économiques, mais aussi à partir des indices sociales et de la qualité de la vie. On calcule la convergence réelle en évaluant un coefficient de variation de la moyenne pondérée fondé sur des variables économiques et relatives à la qualité de la vie. Les pondérations proviennent d'une enquête des opinions des experts. Les pays sont classés en fonction des valeurs d'une indice composée de la qualité de la vie. Les résultats confirment que la convergence réelle avait été atteinte entre 1970 et 1975 pour la plupart des pays. La convergence stagnait entre 1980 et 1985 pour redémarrer. Les pays-membres du sud de l'Europe n'ont pas fait preuve des tendances similaires. GIANNIAS D., LIARGOVAS P. und MANOLAS G. (1999) Lebensqualitätsindexe zur Analyse der Konvergenz in der EU, Reg. Studies 33, 27-35. Dieser Aufsatz untersucht Konvergenz und überprüft sie empirisch in Ländern der ganzen EU für den Zeitraum 1970-1990. Konvergenz wird nicht nur unter dem Aspekt wirtschaftlicher Indikatoren, sondern auch dem der Lebensqualität- und Sozialindikatoren definiert. Wirkliche Konvergenz wird duch Bewertung gewichteter durchschnittlicher Koeffizienten der Unterschiede berechnet, die sich wirtschaftlichen und Lebensqualitätsvariablen beruhen. Gewichtung stützt sich auf Untersuchung von Expertenansichten. Darüberhinaus werden Länderranglisten aufgestellt, die auf Werten eines zusammengesetzten Lebensqualitätsindex beruhen. Die Ergebnisse bestätigen, daß wahre Konvergenz in den meisten Ländernim Zeitraum 1970-75 erreicht wurde, im Zeitraum 1980-85 jedoch stagnierte und danach zunahm. Südeuropäische Mitgliedstaaten weisen keine derartigen Muster auf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]