This book deals with foundation law in various European countries. It sums up contributions from the most outstanding experts in foundation law in fourteen countries. These are either civil law or common law, and their socio-economical situation is considerably different.
Despite the outstanding differences in each country, foundations have been growing in number and importance all over Europe in the last decades. Political, economical and social changes occurred in various European countries increased foundations' role. The need to focus on foundations' laws and regulations arose in many States for different reasons.
The contributions in this book focus in particular on the recent development of foundation law, on the evolution foundations have undergone in recent years and on trends in law.

The corporate-tax policy of the European Commission has proved one of the major failures in the history of the European Community. Despite efforts by the Commission throughout the 30 years of its existence, and pressure from the business community, little progress has been made in harmonizing corporate taxation in the EU; the Commission's proposals have almost always been turned down at the Council level. Yet harmonization is a crucial step in establishing a common market in Europe. This examination of the efforts of the European Commission to achieve harmonization bases its analysis on the study of theoretical economic models of corporate-tax systems which meet the requirements of a common market and avoid economic inefficiencies, and on an examination of the US federal tax system. Through the examination of theoretical models as well as practical examples, the author studies why repeated attempts at harmonization have failed and concludes that they must take into account not only economic aspects, but also political and legal factors. Harmonization of corporate taxation is not only a legislative exercise; other institutions, such as the EC Court, have an important role to play in the harmonization process, as the US federal experience suggests. The book concludes with a model for corporate-tax harmonization which takes into account both economic theory and the realities of the political and legal process.

This book provides a complete analysis of educational production and costs using the nonparametric technique known as Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The book focuses on estimation of technical, allocative and scale efficiency in the public sector characterized by the influence of exogenous socio-economic variables. State of the art DEA models will be presented and fully discussed. Specific education topics important to policy makers including adequacy, efficiency, productivity, environmental costs and equity will be analyzed. To illustrate how these techniques can be applied to school systems worldwide, the authors use data on Australian elementary and high schools to develop nonparametric measures that will help inform current policy debate in Australia. They also discuss the applicability of these analysis techniques and methodologies to certain related scenarios.

The purpose of the book is to provide a comprehensive analysis of educational production using numerous DEA models that have been developed. Chapters 3 7 and 9 were developed in the literature as extensions to the basic DEA models. Each chapter explains why new advances in DEA were needed in order to carry out accurate analysis of educational production, and then presents the use of these new techniques within the context of educational performance, productivity, and cost. These extensions were based on public sector production in general, and educational production in particular. The models showed that traditional DEA improperly controlled for exogenous factors of production like the socioeconomic conditions prevalent in the education setting. In addition, models of educational funding typically use ad hoc and simple approaches that often assume that schools operate efficiently. This book uses economic and mathematical models to further our understanding of educational production while providing various measures of economic performance. The authors use current data on Australian schools to highlight important policy questions related to efficiency, economies of size and how scarce resources can best be spent to improve performance.

This research focus comes at an important watershed moment in the Australian Federal Governments current involvement in designing new nationally consistent funding models for both government and non-government schooling sectors with effect from 2014. A new National School Resourcing Standard is proposed to be implemented signaling a move to resource adequacy, school efficiency and value for money dimensions. These proposed innovative schooling resourcing developments will enable the Australian school efficiency and productivity studies to serve as the basis to evaluate the funding changes, in order to determine whether there have been significantly different student performance outcomes in the transition from a centralized to a new decentralized set of school funding arrangements."

The People s Republic of China s tax policies and international obligations are as multifaceted and dynamic as they are complex, developing closely with the nation s rise to the world s fastest-growing major economy. Today, after decades of reform and the entry into the World Trade Organization, China has developed regulatory systems that enable it to provide stable administration, including a tax structure. China s main tax reform can be attributed to the enactment of the Enterprise Income Tax Law, which came into effect on January 1, 2008. Chinese tax regulations include direct taxes, indirect taxes, other taxes, and custom duties and from a collection point of view, China s tax administration adopts a very devolved system, with revenue collected and shared between different levels of government in accordance with contracts between the different levels of the tax administration system. With respect to international treaties, China has established a network of bilateral tax treaties and regional free trade agreements. This publication describes in detail China s complex tax system and policies, as well as major bilateral treaties in which China has entered into using country-by-country analysis.

Lorenzo Riccardi is Tax Advisor and Certified Public Accountant specialized in international taxation. He is based in Shanghai, where he focuses on business and tax law, assisting foreign investments in East Asia. He is an auditor and an advisor for several corporate groups and he is partner and Head of Tax of the consulting firm GWA, specializing in emerging markets.

This book is a compilation of contributions exploring the impact of the European Treaty provisions regarding state aid on Member States' legislation and administrative practice in the area of business taxation. Starting from a detailed analysis of the European Courts' jurisprudence on Art.107 TFEU the authors lay out fundamental issues - e.g. on legal concepts like "advantage", "selectivity" and "discrimination" - and explore current problems - in particular policy and practice regarding "harmful" tax competition within the European Union. This includes the Member States' Code of Conduct on business taxation, the limits to anti-avoidance legislation and the options for legislation on patent boxes. The European Commission's recent findings on preferential "rulings" are discussed as well as the general relationship between international tax law, transfer pricing standards and the European prohibition on selective fiscal aids.

Budget deficits, gas prices, health care costs, social security, job security.... Anxiety over the economy pervades our daily lives-from reports on the early morning newscasts to gossip around the water cooler to dinner table debate. Yet most citizens are woefully ignorant when it comes to understanding how the economy works and how to interpret the impact of policies and business decisions. It's easy to slip into generalities: government spending is wasteful, taxes are too high, good-paying jobs are being shipped overseas, Americans don't save enough. Other issues become hijacked by political partisans to advance their agendas: trade must be fair!, tax cuts will pay for themselves!, there will be no money left in the social security till after the baby boomers loot it! In Smart Economics, Michael Walden provides an antidote: take 50 of today's top economic issues and explain their meaning, implications, and potential solutions in a logical, straightforward, commonsense, and non-partisan way. Has Government Spending Been Out of Control? Is Profit Bad? Walden applies basic economic concepts and logical argumentation to help readers get their bearings-to separate fact from fiction and ultimately make better economic decisions themselves. The result is an entertaining and highly informative introduction to economic principles and their influence on our behavior. In Smart Economics, Michael Walden provides an antidote: take 50 of today's top economic issues and explain their meaning, implications, and potential solutions in a logical, straightforward, commonsense, and non-partisan way. From Has Government Spending Been out of Control? to Is Profit Bad? to Why Are Pro Sports Stars Paid So Much? Walden demystifies the dismal science, using basic concepts and logical argumentation to help readers get their bearings-to separate fact from fiction and ultimately make better decisions, when it comes to spending, investing, saving, and voting. The result is an entertaining and informative introduction to economic principles and their influence on our behavior.

This book gathers selected papers from the 28th Eurasia Business and Economics Society (EBES) Conference, held in Coventry, United Kingdom. While the theoretical and empirical papers presented cover diverse areas of economics and finance in various geographic regions, the main focus is on the latest research concerning the economics of innovation, finance and macroeconomics. The book also includes regional studies.

As a result of the financial crisis, the weaknesses of the Eurozone, including the public debt crisis, materialized in severe depressions in certain of its country members. In this monograph, the author analyzes structural weaknesses of the Eurozone and argues that they can be traced to (i) institutional differences, (ii) differences in the economic structures, (iii) the fundamental inability of European Bureaucracy to deal with crises, and (iv) the extreme rigidity of markets which prevents a general equilibrium in product and credit markets. He concludes that whether the Eurozone is sustainable, depends on future monetary and credit policies, and discusses the implications of reforming it in the best interest of the international banking and financial system. The recent policies of the ECB of "cheap" credit expansion are examined in detail. The approach of the work is along the lines of von Mises' and Hayek's Austrian tradition; additionally, substantive international empirical evidence supporting this Austrian approach is presented.

Within an environment made difficult by the continuing economic crisis, the Italian model for crisis management and resolution has helped to avoid many difficulties faced by intermediaries across the globe. However, the Italian model for crisis management will be forced to adapt to the new EU Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive, which introduces a unified regime for such events in all EU countries. This book explores the various methods for crisis management employed in Italian finance. The authors discuss procedures used in the banking and insurance sectors, such as deposit guarantee schemes and alternative dispute resolution systems. They also explore the evolution of the administrative sanctioning systems, and the roles of tax rules and credit rating agencies in Italian finance. This book analyses the evolution of the various crisis management processes, and discusses potential goals and improvements within the context of recent measures suggested by the European Commission.

This book firstly analyzes the status and characteristics of rural long tail public service and its unbalance in detail. In all, based on the long tail theory, mechanism design theory and resource dependence theory, this book makes an empirical study and basic judgment on the matching of supply and demand of rural long tail public services in China and explores the mechanism of the efficiency of supply and demand affecting the imbalance. This book presents a correction mechanism of rural long tail public demand based on the division of different response subjects and puts forward corresponding policy suggestions. By putting the rural public demand in the "embedded" economic and social system and the development process, this book analyzes its future trend and response path. Then, based on the difference of governance efficiency, this book analyzes the general causes of the unbalance of supply and demand of rural long tail public service. Especially for the representative field of rural public service (e.g., special education, old-age caring, medical care), this book carries out empirical studies (seemingly unrelated regression) to analyze the factors, internal mechanism and basic path of the imbalance of rural long tail public service. Thirdly, through the construction of the imbalance index of rural long tail public service, this book makes an empirical calculation of the severity of this imbalance. This book further puts forward the design of the correction mechanism for the imbalance of rural long tail public service and carries on the reasonable and orderly division for different supply subjects. In the end, this book puts forward the balanced "Internet + NGO" model for rural long tail public service and takes JD.com as an example to expound the operation of the network platform of the correction mechanism.

Economic growth continues to transform the economic and political landscape of Asia. Equally the policies now being adopted to promote private sector participation, re-structure state entities, and reduce the presence of the state in the provision of public goods and services, are tied to fundamental transformations in Asia's state-society relations. The global cast of contributors present a timely analysis of the impact of neo-liberalism on Asia's developmental policies and the organisation of Asian states and markets. Ironically, the "developmental state" that has historically driven Asia's rapid economic transformation is now threatened by an increasingly dominant neoliberal agenda that aims to roll back the state in the name of market fundamentalism.

This book develops a number of analytical models and presents empirical analyses of the equity and efficiency effects of existing indirect taxes from New Zealand. Potential tax reforms including environmental taxes are also examined and the methods presented can easily be adapted to deal with other countries. Policy debates are inevitably influenced by value judgements, which are seldom made explicit either by governments or those engaging in public discussion. By concentrating on the empirical orders of magnitude, and by examining the implications of adopting alternative value judgements, the findings of this book contribute towards rational policy debate, rather than relying on guesswork and rhetoric. The equity and efficiency effects of indirect taxes are examined in detail, using the central concepts of welfare changes, the excess burden of taxation, and money metric utility measures. The indirect taxes examined include a carbon tax designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The Distributional Effects of Indirect Taxes develops widely applicable models and will therefore appeal to economists interested in public economics, tax policy, inequality measurement, welfare economics and tax modelling. Economists in government departments and international agencies interested in public finance and inequality and poverty measurement will also find much to engage them in this book, as will policymakers concerned with indirect and environmental tax policy, inequality, and welfare economics.

This book critically analyses the role of the United Arab Emirates Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) in the Suspicious Activities Reports regime. The author pays particular attention to its functions and powers in dealing with Suspicious Activities Reports and relevant requirements imposed upon the reporting entities. In the analysis, the author also compares the United Arab Emirates FIU model to the United Kingdom FIU model. In addition, the book investigates whether the current United Arab Emirates FIU model complies with the relevant international recommendations developed by the Financial Action Task Force in relation to the establishment of the unit, as well as its powers and functions. This book suggests that more can be done to improve the current functions and powers of the United Arab Emirates FIU in an international context. Furthermore, the author suggests that the functions and powers of the United FIU model both comply with the international requirements and beneficially extend beyond their directives.

John Levy's text presents microeconomic theory for use in analyzing and formulating public policy. It couples a direct and non-intimidating approach to essential theory with a presentation that is sophisticated at the policy level. It does not attempt to cover the entire body of economic theory, but rather presents those elements of theory most relevant to courses in public economics and public policy in such programs as public administration, policy analysis, health planning, environmental management, urban affairs, and urban planning. The text is divided into two parts. The first introduces basic concepts with an emphasis on their philosophical underpinnings and policy uses; the second consists of six essays on policy-related subjects, selected to make use of concepts presented in the first part. Among the unusual features of the book are the discussion of the tax expenditure concept, benefit cost analysis with numerical example, substantial discussions of the origins and philosophical implications of economic man as a behavioral model, and an entire chapter devoted to public choice.

Central banks have a profound impact on financial markets, and investors struggle to keep informed about their complex policy decisions. Technological and financial developments have transformed the US Federal Reserve Bank from a financial black box into a vocal, increasingly transparent institution-and the result is such a wealth of textual data that clues to future policy decisions may be lost among the details. This book presents a solution to this problem by keeping track of those details. Schnidman and MacMillan demonstrate how the latest advances in automated text analysis, combined with the precision of domain expertise, are the keys to understanding how central banks move markets with their words. The authors outline a method to not only examine every piece of every central bank communication, but to do it in a way that is completely comprehensive and unbiased while quickly yielding hard, quantitative data that can be put to work in modern financial models.

This book provides a thorough legal analysis of sovereign indebtedness, examining four typologies of sovereign debt bilateral debt, multilateral debt, syndicated debt and bonded debt in relation to three crucial contexts: genesis, restructuring and litigation. Its treatise-style approach makes it possible to capture in a systematic manner a phenomenon characterized by high complexity and unclear boundaries. Though the analysis is mainly conducted on the basis of international law, the breadth of this topical subject has made it necessary to include other sources, such as private international law, domestic law and financial practice; moreover, references are made to international financial relations and international financial history so as to provide a more complete understanding. Although it follows the structure of a continental "tractatus, "the work strikes a balance between consideration of doctrinal and jurisprudential sources, making it a valuable reference work for scholars and practitioners alike."

The book examines the status of public service in developing countries, in the sectors of health, infrastructure, labour and marginalized populations, rural economy and public administration. The last decade has witnessed significant government focus on service delivery in developing nations like South Africa, Philippines, India and Malaysia. At the forefront of this movement has been the public sector reforms significantly driven by two broad factors: public sector inefficiencies and liberal economic ideology. This move towards efficient public service delivery in developing nations (versus developed nations) has required a significant shift in institutional thinking and institutional capacity for the governments. It is therefore no surprise that while economic liberalization has been relatively easy to implement, governance reforms towards public service delivery has been significantly more challenging. In this background, the chapters of the book, with sector themes, examine the three basic foundations of public policy-courses of action, regulatory measures and issues, and funding structures and priorities-in public service delivery. The book is a multi country, multi sector, perspective since it includes studies from Russian Federation, India, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Fiji, South Africa, Columbia, Philippines, Macedonia and India. This perspective lends itself to the investigation for a comprehensive overall development model.

This book integrates corporate governance, corporate finance and accounting to formulate sound financial management strategies. It offers practical steps for managers using an integrated optimisation financial model to achieve good corporate governance practices which lead to lower risks and higher firm value.

From its origins in Porto Alegre, Brazil, the diffusion of participatory budgeting to other parts of the world has been met with varying degrees of success despite its label as a product of democratic innovation. Drawing on in-depth empirical and theoretical analysis, this book sheds light on the diffusion dynamics of participatory budgeting and the processes of its framing and adaptation in France, Germany and the United Kingdom. It explores the question of participatory budgeting's national characteristics and potential for realising a more democratic society. Thus, the volume engages in a theoretically innovative and empirically grounded overview and critical assessment of participatory budgeting initiatives in three European countries. The double focus on frames in the diffusion and implementation of single cases and the systematic evaluation of their results offers a deeper understanding of "success factors" and results of participatory budgeting and other institutional processes of citizen participation.

A qualified expert provides leaders in government and business a much-needed primer for accomplishing their most vital task: transforming a purpose into policy through the appropriate acquisition and use of power. At a time when corporations are reeling from mismanagement, a large proportion of homeowners are being forced to default on mortgages and the federal government is rapidly extending its formidable reach into the private sector, it is understandable that many Americans no longer trust big business and government institutions. To get the United States back on track and to preclude the same kinds of disasters in the future, it is imperative for corporate and government leaders as well as private citizens to understand the commonality in all of these events-the use and abuse of power. This text examines these critical events within a framework of power to explain what motivated our leaders in business and government to make the policies that resulted in these outcomes, providing valuable insights on the nature and use of power. It then draws lessons today's leaders can use to improve their use of power. Examples from current affairs and modern business are discussed in a lively, compelling way. Cites examples and case studies from current affairs, modern business, and recent history Explains how and why some corporate leaders abused their power and erased the wealth of their companies and the savings of private individuals Provides tables, charts, and other figures for supporting documentation

This volume deals with both a new theoretical framework and the application of new economics in a number of issues that test the capability of new economics to tackle a number of economic problems. It offers detailed analysis and informed comment on the type of new economics in the aftermath of the financial crisis and the '"great recession."

This book explores the formation and evolution of Scandinavian central banks. It begins by defining the nature of "central banking" in general, before moving on to investigate how and when it became meaningful to regard today's Scandinavian central banks as such. It also explores how Scandinavian central banks have conformed to the defined ideals of "central banks" over the last 100 years, clarifying the distinctions between commercial banks and central banks, and between central banks and departments of governments. The author shows how the outbreak of the Great War was the catalyst which fundamentally transformed the originally purely commercial banks into "central banks". The book also analyses how different the three Scandinavian central banks are, how these differences can be explained by the different political and economic circumstances surrounding their original formation, and the differences in the political environments in which they later developed.

Legislative initiative, in response to public demands for more accountability, require public agencies at all levels of government to measure organizational performance and to report on service efforts and accomplishments (SEA). What considerations should managers use in developing performance measurement protocols? What is the experience to date in the U.S. and abroad? This collection of original articles does not represent a consensus about the one best way for developing an SEA reporting system. Rather, it aims to put performance measurement in perspective by relating it to the budgeting, auditing, and policy making processes. Towards that end, the issues managers need to consider are examined in a critical way and from various points of view.

This book addresses the issues involved in developing Service Effort and Accomplishment (SEA) reports from various points of view. It addresses the context of SEA reporting and relates performance measurement to the budgeting process, auditing process, and policy making. It provides examples of successful performance measurement protocols from the U.S. and abroad.

This book offers an in-depth analysis of China's contemporary securities markets regulatory system, with a focus on regulation in practice. Examining the roles of both the China Securities Regulatory Commission and local governments, He argues that the government has built and developed markets from scratch to address the needs of the state and the economy at large. This book describes the workings of national and sub-national securities markets, and such a comprehensive approach gives insight into the ability of state regulation to guide a financial system. This book also provides a unique practical perspective, explaining of the dynamics of regulation in relation to the operation of the Chinese political system. Finally, it incorporates original empirical studies, including semi-structured interviews of professionals and a survey of retail investors. This book is an unparalleled resource for anyone interested in the regulation of securities markets, as well as finance in China in general.