This book explores the economic and social development of the Western Balkan region, a group of six countries that are potential candidates for EU membership. It focuses on the key economic issues facing these countries, including the challenge of promoting economic growth, limiting public deficits and debt, and fostering international trade relations. Given the severe impact of the recent economic crisis on social welfare in the region, it also investigates the nature and extent of social exclusion, a factor likely to produce future political instabilities if not effectively addressed by a return to sustainable economic growth. The contributions explore these issues in light of the major influence of EU policy instruments and advice, which are currently guiding the economies along an accession trajectory to future EU membership.

This book offers a critical perspective on the issues related to women's empowerment, microfinance, and entrepreneurship in India. Written by distinguishing experts in this field, this book highlights women's empowerment, which is a process of entrusting power to an individual on the control over resources and decisions. However, these two factors are less effective in a society where religion and cultural dominance is high. The book sheds light on the social security measures undertaken by the government aiming to the right to work helped women who are bounded by social restrictions. Over time there is a shift in rural occupational structure towards non-farm activities, which is largely distress driven self-employment. Access to credit is a great source to provide self-employment that develops self-esteem among women and uplift their position. The book highlights the discrimination against women entrepreneurs in access to credit led to gender biased entrepreneurial society. Association with self-help groups (SHGs) has made women more socially empowered. SHG members help them to change their life in a positive manner through micro-entrepreneurial activities. The book has emphasized on the role of microfinance, which has served the poor to become financially self-reliant. It is observed that for second generation borrowers, the impact of microfinance seems to fizzle out, where MFIs who are gaining efficiency are diverting their objective of servicing poor, signalling a sign of mission drift.

Although considerable information about China's tax policies on foreign investment have been made available in the West, this book is the first to provide a comprehensive treatment of China's domestic system of taxation. It offers an authoritative analysis of each type of taxation and the tax system as a whole, within the broader context of the nation's economic and fiscal structure. Written by one of the foremost authorities on the subject, it benefits from the author's access to important Chinese materials as well as personal contacts with Chinese government officials and Western lawyers and businessmen working in China.

Tracing the evolution of taxation in China from the early feudal period to the present, the author reviews the long history of various forms of taxation, some of which have been in existence for thousands of years. Jinyan Li next looks at the use of taxation as an instrument of the socialist economy in the years immediately following the Communist revolution, during the period of closed central planning, and in the recent movement toward an open market economy. Current tax policy is analyzed in six chapters, each dealing with a specific form of taxation. Throughout the book, the author explores the relationship of tax policy to other aspects of the Chinese economy, including economic planning, price and wage policies, the state budget and financial system, and government policies regarding property ownership and private enterprise. This book will be an important information source for scholars, students, and tax lawyers concerned with socialist fiscal policy and China's current economic reforms.

This book examines key issues and policy concerns relating to fiscal sustainability and competitiveness in European and Asian economies. In addition to estimating the extent of fiscal capacity or lack thereof for these economies, the authors supplement the empirical analysis with country case studies.

The overall objective of the book is to holistically assess the property tax systems in BRICS megacities. As megacities play a vital role within their respective countries - economically, administratively, and from a human development perspective - they experience the costs and benefits of urbanization simultaneously with major investment needs, rising poverty, and increasing congestion and pollution levels in the context of limited financial resources, raising the question for a suitable decentralized funding source. This book highlights the property tax as a means to help further improve the financial sustainability of megacities, the reliability and quality of their services, and megacities' contribution to supporting economic growth.

This book examines the effect of banking on the real economy and society, focusing on banking supervision as the decisive factor in steering banking activities and determining the social outcome of the game of finance. Banking is like a cardiovascular system for our society. If it functions correctly, it allows the economy to operate smoothly. On the other hand, if it malfunctions it becomes a doomsday device. This creates an asymmetry of risks - the asymmetry between the potential dire consequences and the modest rewards of accepting those risks. Banking was one of the critical technological factors enabling the transition from the middle ages and the creation of modern society. However, while today it contributes little to economic growth, its malfunction has a profound and lasting adverse impact. The book explains why, how and what. Why is it important to keep tight supervision of the banks? How can banking supervision improve stability, not only of the financial system but also of the whole human society? What went wrong with the regulation in the past?

This book provides a historical understanding of current debates over tax reform and offers a comparative framework for discussing the relationship between fiscal policy and the distribution of income and wealth. Topics covered include the evolution of income taxation since World War II; the turn toward value added taxation; the relationship between tax reform and the construction of welfare states; the impact of globalization on tax and fiscal policy; the social forces shaping tax consent; and the political economy of tax and fiscal reform. These topics are covered in case studies that focus on significant episodes in the fiscal history of Denmark, Sweden, France, Greece, the United Kingdom, Spain, Switzerland, the United States, and Japan.

This book explores the role of national fiscal policies in a selected group of Euro-area countries under the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). In particular, the authors characterize the response of output to fiscal consolidations and expansions in the small Euro-area open economies affected by high public and private debt. It is shown that the macroeconomic outcome of fiscal shocks is strongly related to debt levels. The Euro-area countries included in the investigation are Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal, over the sample period 1999-2016, i.e., the EMU period. The main econometric tools used in this research are structural vector autoregressive (VAR) models, including panel VAR models. The available literature relating to the subject is also fully reviewed. A further closely investigated topic is the potential spillover effects of German fiscal policies on the selected small Euro-area economies. Moreover, in the perspective of the evolution of the Euro Area towards a full Monetary and Fiscal Union, the authors study the effects of area-wide government spending shocks on aggregate output and other macroeconomic variables during the EMU period. The closing chapter of the book considers evidence on the consequences of austerity policies for European labour markets during recent years.

This study offers frank evaluations and a pro-and-con analysis of various retrenchment strategies. It focuses specifically on how environmental conditions and administrative and political aspects of cities affect the decisions to implement specific retrenchment strategies during periods of revenue decline or stagnation. The book takes the reader beyond the rationalistic and incremental approach of urban decision-making and demonstrates that decisions requiring fiscal retrenchment can be confusing and ill-planned. It also reveals how any action taken by the city will reflect the chief executive officer's perception of what the situation demands. The first part of the book, The Evolution of Financial Decline, discusses the structural antecedents that have contributed to the decline of financial sources. Here, the major literature that investigates the causes and consequences of urban fiscal strain is reviewed. In Part Two, Reacting Toward Fiscal Stress, the chapters deal specifically with different management techniques available to municipalities to cope with resource decline. The strategic advantages and political ramifications of these approaches are discussed in detail. These chapters also provide an inventory of response techniques for urban managers. Part Three, Retrenchment and the Urban Policy Process, builds upon the garbage can model developed by March and Simon by proposing that the retrenchment process is haphazard and random. The book concludes with some considerations of what happens to the urban policy process during periods of resource scarcity. This book should appeal to anyone interested in public administration, urban studies or political science.

Examining the benefits achieved by deferring income or accelerating deductions, this text refers to the income tax systems of the United States and Japan. The United States has been at the forefront of recognizing the time value of money benefit of tax deferral and of devising methods to prevent tax deferral. Japan, on the other hand, is only gradually placing greater emphasis on tax deferral issues, in light of the activities of foreign companies, and the constant introduction of new financial products which take advantage of the tax deferral allowed under Japanese income tax rules. The book starts with a detailed discussion of the 1948 Cary Brown model and its various interpretations, an understanding of which is key to any analysis of tax deferral issues. The author goes on to provide a comparative analysis of the different tax deferral patterns that can arise under the United States and Japanese income tax systems, and of methods introduced by the United States to eliminate the tax deferral benefit. A history and overview of the Japanese income tax system is included in the appendix. Principles of tax deferral and time value of money are crucial in an era of globalization in commerce and finance. They cut across all areas of taxation and are particularly important in the context of taxation of derivatives and other financial instruments.

Public-Private Partnerships for Infrastructure and Business Funding is ideal for scholars and practitioners who work in the field of public policy design and implementation, finance and banking, and economic development.

Though frequently used interchangeably, the terms tax-exempt organization and nonprofit organization do not carry the same legal definition. Nonprofit enterprises are those that do not distribute earnings in the form of dividends or distributions, so while all tax-exempt organizations are nonprofit, not all nonprofit organizations are necessarily tax-exempt. This work provides a comprehensive look at the federal Internal Revenue code governing tax-exempt status, carefully detailing the criteria specified in the code and related Treasury Regulations. Also outlined are the presribed procedures for filing for tax-exempt status.

Robert N. Sughrue and Michelle L. Kopnski present a thorough discussion of the various types of tax-exempt organizations and the characteristics unique to each. Sections 501(c), 521, 527, and 528 of the Internal Revenue Code are closely analyzed, and the organizational tests of 501(c)(3) institutions are provided. In addition, accounting systems for tax-exempt organizations, internal controls, and reporting requirements are also covered. Among the other topics addressed by Sughrue and Kopnski are unrelated business taxable income, private foundations, financial considerations in tax-exempt and other nonprofit organizations, and financial considerations and practical applications. Students and professionals in the fields of finance, investment, accounting, and law will find this work to be a useful reference tool, and academic, public, and law libraries will consider it a worthwhile addition to their collections.

This book provides a detailed assessment of current approaches to transfer pricing in the context of small- and middle-sized enterprises (SMEs), including the newest update of Transfer Pricing Guidelines from 10 July 2017. It analyzes the transfer pricing rules for SMEs across the European Union (EU) and explores two alternative approaches as suitable solutions for current transfer pricing issues. The authors evaluate and discuss alternative approaches like Safe Harbour and Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB). Taking into account the prominent role of SMEs in the European Union's economy, the book also puts forward policy recommendations to achieve the long-term goals of the EU's 2020 agenda.

Diana Beck beschäftigt sich mit Qualifikationskonflikten, die sich durch Auslegung und Anwendung der Doppelbesteuerungsabkommen ergeben. Die Autorin systematisiert diese Qualifikationskonflikte und zeigt die Folgen auf, welche sich in einer nicht verhinderten Doppelbesteuerung oder in einer Minderbesteuerung konkretisieren. Schließlich entwickelt sie Lösungsvorschläge, um diesen Besteuerungsfolgen entgegenzuwirken.

Despite the globalization of accounting standards occurring through convergence to International Financial Reporting Standards, local accounting systems are deeply intertwined with each country's unique institutions such as its corporate system, disclosure practices and enforcement mechanisms. First, this book empirically analyzes the effects of globalization and localization of accounting rules on corporate behavior such as earnings management, signaling, investment behavior and dividend payout policy. Second, the book unravels the economic consequences of disclosure based on the concept of self-disciplining enforcement such as management forecasts, environmental disclosures and risk disclosures by Japanese firms. This volume is a step forward in understanding the link between accounting and corporate behavior based on a new institutional accounting approach.

During the past decade the issue of a general welfare double dividend (an improvement in environmental quality combined with a positive welfare effect) triggered by a tax shift from labour to energy resources has been extensively debated. In this book, Kurt Kratena studies the employment effects of revenue neutral tax shifts from labour to energy, and measures the impact on theoretical and empirical models of the European labour market. A common theoretical framework is devised to analyse the impact of environmental tax reform. Various 'labour market regimes' (competitive labour markets, union wage bargaining and efficiency wages) are derived and taken as the starting point for different specifications of the labour market. The theoretical outcomes of tax shifts in these different labour market regimes are then analysed and compared. The results reveal that whereas an econometric based multi-sectoral model yields significant double dividend effects, a general equilibrium model only finds employment double dividend effects. The book also highlights the potentially positive economic consequences of environmental tax reform such as a shift in demand from energy to non-energy goods. This book provides a concise appraisal of the general double dividend question combined with an innovative analysis of the employment double dividend effect. It utilises extensive empirical evidence and reveals the sensitivity of the various theoretical concepts surrounding the debate. This book will be of interest and relevance to academics in the fields of environmental economics, labour theory and fiscal studies.

In the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis, there have been many criticisms weighed against private credit rating agencies. Many claim they only exacerbate financial market volatility by issuing faulty public statements, ratings warnings, and downgrades. This instability increases the uncertainty in business environments and weakens the pace of business investment. Their rating changes also prompt national governments to reduce their spending at a time when fiscal expenditures are crucial for economic recovery. Public Credit Rating Agencies argues for the creation of national public credit rating agencies, offering the first in-depth discussion of their implied role and function operating alongside private agencies. Schroeder provides an up-to-date overview of the ratings industry and the government bodies that monitor its activities. She suggests that the proper implementation of public credit rating agencies will promote the stability of lending, further development and adaptation of new technology, and increase labor productivity and the profitability of new investment in businesses. Finally, this book clarifies the inconsistencies that have surfaced between public budgeting and a rating agency's evaluation of national budgets.

The Arab upheaval and the world's biggest financial crisis after the Great Depression were almost simultaneous in their occurrence. The Mediterranean economies now face a dual challenge of a political and financial restructuring in the light of a shaky economic pedestal on which they stand. In light of this socio-political and economic shift in both inland and in world markets, this book offers a thorough analysis on problems, prospects and the way ahead for the financial integration of the South-Mediterranean region. Several perspectives on financial integration and policy recommendations are put forward from a leading group of researchers specializing on the Mediterranean region.

This volume presents selected contributions from the 2018 conference of the International Schumpeter Society (ISS). The selected chapters in this volume reflect the state-of-the-art of Schumpeterian economics dedicated to the three conference topics innovation, catch-up, and sustainability. Innovation is driving catch-up processes and is the condition for a transformation towards higher degrees of sustainability. Therefore, Schumpeterian economics has to play a key role in these most challenging fields of human societies' development in the 21st century. The three topics are well suited to capture the great variety of issues, which have the potential to shape the scientific discussion in economics and related disciplines in the years to come. The presented contributions show the broadness and high standard of Schumpeterian analysis. The ideas of dynamics, heterogeneity, novelty, and innovation as well as transformation are the most attractive fields in economics today and offer the most prolific interdisciplinary connections now and for the years to come when humankind, our global society, has to master the transition towards sustainable economic systems by solving the grand challenges and wicked problems with which we are confronted today. Therefore, the book is a must-read for scholars, researchers, and students, interested in a better understanding of innovation, catch-up, and sustainability, and Schumpeterian economics in general.The chapter "Industrial life cycle: relevance of national markets in the development of new industries for energy technologies - the case of wind energy" is available open access under a CC BY 4.0 License via link.springer.com.

Ever since newspaper companies first turned to their governments for support in the 1950s, print media has been supported by state aid in many parts of the world. Today, the principles and practicalities of these subsidies have been called into question, endangering the secure funding of expensive high-quality press output.

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of today's global challenges in the print news media's struggle for survival. It presents current practices concerning government subsidies to newspapers for political, economic, and socio-cultural purposes against the background of declining readership and revenues, increased inter-media competition, austerity budgets imposed on national economies and shifting audience tastes. Using the insights of theoretical debates in the fields of media economics, media governance, and modern management theory, the book analyses these issues by investigating the power of government subsidies to shape and control newspaper markets. It brings together experts in these fields to combine theory with industry practices, aiming to help all parties involved to understand the complexity of issues and requirements necessary to preserve the social benefits of print media.

This user-friendly book aims to summarize the principal topics of Chinese Taxation and offers readers a general overview of the Chinese Taxation and informative updates on tax changes. The book provides a variety of facts, figures, graphs and data in an easy-to read table format. Firstly, the book proposes an introduction to taxation and to the Chinese tax system, secondly, it focuses on direct taxes, indirect taxes and other taxes and, in the end, it covers international taxation. Moreover, the book offers a quick overview of the Chinese M&A taxation and of the Chinese Free Trade Zones.