ALBERT

Notizen: This paper suggests that, while medieval cathedrals served many purposes and, indeed, were some of the greatest technical achievements of their time, they served a rational economic purpose as well. Protestant entry into the market for Christian religion finally materialized in the early sixteenth century. The Roman Catholic Church did not make a ‘mistake’ in failing to forestall entry. We argue that the Church made a conscious rational effort to do so by supplying excess capacity and particular forms of capital in medieval cathedrals. While the attempt to forestall entry was ultimately unsuccessful, the extent of cathedral building helps explain why some areas of Europe remained Catholic and alternative forms of Christianity took hold in other locales.

Notizen: We investigate the possible future of Post-Kyoto climate policies until 2020. Based on a cross-impact analysis, we first evaluate an expert poll to identify the most likely Post-Kyoto climate policy scenarios. We then use a computable general equilibrium model to assess the economic implications of these scenarios. We find that Post-Kyoto agreements will include only small reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions, with abatement duties predominantly assigned to the industrialized countries, while developing countries remain uncommitted, but can sell emission abatement to the industrialized world. Equity rules to allocate abatement duties are mainly based on sovereignty or ability-to-pay. Global adjustment costs to Post-Kyoto policies are very moderate, but regional costs to fuel exporting countries can be substantial because of distinct terms-of-trade effects on fossil fuel markets.

Notizen: Investment incentives targeted at attracting multinational firms have been extensively researched, and empirical evidence has shown them to be influential. The same is not true of exit restrictions. Yet, as recent theory suggests, there may be a trade-off between entry incentives and ease of exit. This paper focuses on that trade-off in the case of US multinationals in 33 host countries. An indicator of labour market regulations is used as a measure of ease of exit. Results suggest that both entry incentives and labour market regulations are important and ignoring the latter neglects an important dimension in firms' location decision.

Notizen: This paper explores the conflict of real and monetary convergence during the EMU run-up of the Central and Eastern European member states. Using a Balassa-Samuelson model of productivity driven inflation, we find a high probability of higher inflation in the new member states. We compare the policy options which make the compliance possible, i.e. fiscal tightening and nominal appreciation within the ERM2 band. Nominal appreciation within ERM2 seems the better option to achieve the compliance with the Maastricht criteria, as no discretionary government intervention is necessary, and losses in terms of real growth are smaller. Having once opted for nominal appreciation by fixing the ERM2 entry rate as the central rate (Irish model), a high degree of flexibility is provided in coping with erratic short-term capital inflows. The strategy of setting the ERM2 entry rate above the central rate (Greek model) implies a clear exchange rate path within ERM2 and thereby less exchange rate volatility. Despite the merits of nominal appreciation, countries committed to hard euro pegs, or with high budget deficits, may choose fiscal contraction as a solution.

Notizen: Are private firms more efficient than public ones? Does privatisation improve performance? In order to answer these questions, it is necessary to disentangle the impact of ownership and competition upon business performance. This paper presents empirical evidence relating to the hypothesis that public ownership and competition are determinants of firms' productivity. It concludes that public ownership has a significant negative effect on productivity and also that privatisation has a positive impact on efficiency. Furthermore, increased competition is found to have a positive effect on productivity. These results are interpreted as confirming that privatisation is effective as a means of increasing firms' efficiency, at least in a non-regulated and relatively competitive sector, such as manufacturing.

Notizen: Theory presents two channels through which profit sharing can cause workers to increase their coworkers' productivity: greater cooperation and increased peer pressure. This paper argues that these generate opposite influences on coworker relations, and that which dominates varies according to circumstances and type of worker. Using German data, we show that, for non-supervisory men, profit sharing increases cooperation, but that for those who highly value success on the job, it has no influence on cooperation, and for supervisors it reduces cooperation. Moreover, the findings show striking gender differences in the effect of profit sharing. We contend these patterns fit with underlying theoretical expectations.

Notizen: The ‘market discipline’ approach to subnational finance requires that moral hazard derived from the possibility of a central government bailout be made insignificantly small. Therefore, governments interested in following this approach and willing to abide by its rules should start by creating the conditions for a default and its resolution to be possible. This article discusses the use of lending ceilings as an instrument to allow the default, without dragging in the central government.

Notizen: A meta-analysis of thirty-four restriction tests from nine studies of the natural rate of unemployment hypothesis (NRU) finds the statistical trace of a false empirical hypothesis. A theme of bias and misspecification among those studies that tend to be more supportive of NRU emerges. When combined with a separate meta-analysis of NRU's falsifying hypothesis, unemployment ‘hysteresis’ (Stanley 2004a), the natural rate hypothesis may be regarded as empirically ‘falsified’ (Popper 1959). Monte Carlo simulations validate the meta-regression methods used here to integrate different restriction tests and to identify their limitations.

Notizen: There is a growing interest in the academic and policy making communities in understanding the effects of sectoral specialisation on labour market performance. The existing empirical evidence, mainly based on US data, generally finds a positive correlation between sectoral specialisation and labour market indicators such as wages and unemployment. The policy implication one can draw from these results is that fostering sectoral diversification may reduce unemployment. However, this lesson may not hold for all countries. In particular, in the case of Europe, the diversity of labour market institutions may play a distinct role in shaping the relationship between sectoral specialisation and labour market performance.In this paper, we investigate the relationship between regional sectoral specialisation and regional unemployment rate in the context of different collective bargaining institutions in the EU countries. We find that collective bargaining institutions do play a role in shaping the unemployment rate differentials across regions belonging to the same country. Furthermore, the relationship between regional specialisation and the regional unemployment rate is stronger in countries with intermediate and decentralised collective bargaining institutions in comparison to countries with centralised collective bargaining institutions.Our results suggest that labour market institutions are likely to influence the outcome of policies aiming at fostering regional diversification. While such policies may result in reducing regional unemployment in countries with decentralised and intermediate levels of collective bargaining, they may not make a big difference in countries with centralised collective bargaining institutions.

Notizen: This paper distinguishes four types of ‘Prisoners’ Dilemma games – provision, the commons, selfishness, and altruism – based on the public character of benefits and costs. Although each of these four games has the same 2 × 2 ordinal game form, each differs in terms of strategic, dynamic, and policy implications. Similar differences characterize the n-person representations of the four games. When paired in 3 × 3 representations, the least-desirable Nash equilibrium of the two embedded 2 × 2 games results. The four types of PD games also have different evolutionary and informational requirements for cooperation. Applications include the environment, biology, counterterrorism, and international relations.

Notizen: Both the economic theory of federalism and international environmental economics are interested in finding conditions under which countries or groups of countries would like to start cooperation with other countries. In the framework of the standard public-good model this paper presents a criterion for individually rational and thus voluntary international cooperation aiming at the provision of an international public good. This basic criterion can be traced back to Wicksell and Rawls and reflects the idea of reciprocity. In a further step, it is used to specify determinants that affect the decision of a group of countries to enter a coalition. It turns out that in this context the adjustment behavior of the original coalition members as well as that of the remaining outsiders is of particular importance. Finally the theoretical considerations are confronted with actual behavior of countries and groups of countries (as the EU, US and the developing countries) in the Kyoto process leading to a discussion of further prospects for global climate-change policy.

Notizen: ‘Policymakers’ efforts to boost trend output growth may be hampered by the presence of a trade-off between productivity gains and job creation. This paper presents empirical evidence that the negative relationship between productivity growth and employment growth that prevailed in the 1960s and 1970s has disappeared since then. This finding is robust to using alternative measures and including other explanatory variables. The improved trade-off may be good news for policymakers who aim at raising the ‘speed limit’ of the economy.

Notizen: The importance of aesthetic considerations is widely acknowledged in mathematics and the natural sciences. Beauty motivates mathematical and scientific discoveries and serves as a criterion for their acceptance by the scientific community. In contrast, there is little attention to beauty in the models, theorems and other objects of economic theory. This holds even though mathematics is an important tool of economic analysis. The pure theory of international trade provides useful examples to discuss the role of aesthetics in economic theory. The central feature of the discipline of economics which distinguishes it from the natural sciences and appears to explain the paucity of beauty in economics is that economic models lack generality.

Notizen: We explore the economic implications of the possible Turkish accession to the European Union. We focus on three main changes associated with Turkish membership: (i) accession to the internal European Market; (ii) institutional reforms in Turkey triggered by EU-membership; and (iii) migration in response to the free movement of workers. Overall, the macroeconomic implications for EU countries are small but positive. European exports increase by around 20%. Turkey experiences larger economic gains than the EU: consumption per capita is estimated to rise by about 4% as a result of accession to the internal market and free movement of labour. If Turkey would succeed in reforming its domestic institutions in response to EU-membership, consumption per capita in Turkey could raise by an additional 9%. These benefits would spill over to the EU.

Notizen: This article shows that therapeutic advice for behavior within the family is to create a functioning property-rights system and to emulate voluntary transactions within a competitive economic market. The optimal organization of the family requires that relations are structured so that non-cooperative game playing is minimized and transaction costs are reduced. The article employs economic analysis to explain why ‘setting limits’ is preferred to punishment (Pigouvian taxes). It also explains why there is conflict between children and their parents even when the parent's utility is the present discounted value of the child's utility function.

Notizen: Books reviewed in this article.Acs, Zoltan J., Bo Carlsson and Charlie Karlsson (1999). Entrepreneurship, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and the Macroeconomy.Ahiakpor, James C.W. (ed.) (1998). Keynes and the Classics Reconsidered.Arestis, Philip (ed.) (1998). Method, Theory and Policy in Keynes.Cencini, Alvaro (1997). Monetary Theory.Almut Oetjen, M.A.Chomsky, Noam (1999). Profit over People.Erber, Georg, Harald Hagemann and Stephan Seiter (1998). Zukunftsperspektiven Deutschlands un internationalen Wettbewerh.Frey, Bruno S. (1997). Ein neuer Föderalismus für Europa.Gentry, Bradford S. (ed.) (1998). Private Capital Flows and the Environment.Maneschi, Andrea (1998). Comparative Advantage in International Trade.Marimon, Ramon and Andrew Scott (eds.) (1999). Computational Methods for the Study of Dynamic Economics.Menkhoff, Lukas and Beate Reszat (eds.) (1998). Asian Financial Markets.Nell, Edward J. (1998). The General Theory of Transformational Growth.Oates, Wallace E. (ed.) (1998). The Economics of Fiscal Federalism and Local Finance.Storchmann, Karl-Heinz (1999). Das Defizit im öffentlichen Personennahverkehr in Theorie und Empiric.Terres, Paul (1999). Die Logik einer wettbewerblichen Geldordnung.Wittschorek, Peter (Hrsg.) (1999). Agenda 2000.

Notizen: Acocella, Nicola (1998). The Foundations of Economic Policy.Apolte, Thomas (1999). Die ökonomische Konstitution eines föderalen Systems.Burtless, Gary, Robert Z. Lawrence, Robert E. Litan and Robert J. Shapiro (1998). Globaphobia.Buti, Marco and Andre Sapir (eds.) (1998). Economic Policy in EMU. A Study by the European Commmission Services. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 256 pp. $ 35.00. ISBN 0-19-829478-6.Held, Martin (Hrsg.) (1997). Normative Grundfragen der Ökonomik.Jänicke, Martin, Philip Kunig and Michael Stitzel (1999). Umweltpolitik.Lemmen, Jan (1998). Integrating Financial Markets in the European Union.Lys, Thomas (ed.) (1997). Monetary Theory and Monetary Policy.Nurmi, Hannu (1998). Rational Behaviour and the Design of Institutions.Pies, Ingo and Martin Leschke (Hrsg.) (1998). Gary Beckers ökonomischer Imperialismus.Preeg, Ernest H. (1998). From Here to Free Trade.Reiner, Sabine (1998). Was ist politisch an der Politischen Ökonomie?Sharma, Soumitra (ed.) (1998). John Maynard Keynes.Visser, Jelle and Anton Hemerijk (1997). A Dutch Miracle.Wagener, Hans-Jurgen (ed.) (1998). Economic Thought in Communist and Post-Communist Europe.Wray, L. Randall (1998). Understanding Modern Money.

Notizen: Although there are many accepted faults with GNP per capita as a measure of the utility gained from wealth, most commentators would still argue that an increase in GNP per capita will have positive effects on total utility outweighing any negative externalities. Taking lessons from a conception of the nature and causes of happiness that harks back to Adam Smith and the original Utilitarians, this paper argues that increases in absolute income should have little effect on happiness in rich countries, and that there might instead be channels linking happiness causally with growth. Using time series evidence from happiness polls in ten wealthy countries, the paper finds no support for a causal link from growth to happiness, weak support for a reverse causation and further (weak) support for links between national equality and happiness and leisure time and happiness. The paper concludes by offering some consequences of this for theory and policy.〈section xml:id="abs1-2"〉〈title type="main"〉ZusammenfassungObwohl das BSP pro Kopf als Mass für den Nutzen von Wohlstand viele allgemein anerkannte Fehler aufweist, würden die meisten Kommentatoren nach wie vor behaupten, dass eine Zunahme des BSP pro Kopf eine positive Wirkung auf den Gesamtnutzen hat, die alle negativen Extemalitäten übersteigt. Aufbauend auf einer Vorstellung von der Natur und den Ursachen von Glück, die bis zu Adam Smith und den ursprünglichen Utilitarismus zurückreicht, argumentiert dieser Artikel, dass eine Zunahme des absoluten Einkommens vvenig Auswirkungen auf Glück in den reichen Ländern hat. Stattdessen könnten aber Kanäle existieren, die Glück kausal mit Wachstum verbinden. Die Auswertung von Zeitreihen aus Umfragen über Glück und Zufriedenheit in zehn reichen Ländern unterstützt diese These nicht, ergibt aber schwache Beweise für den umgekehrten Zusammenhang und weitere (schwache) Beweise für einen Zusammenhang zwischen Gleichheit und Glück bzw. Freizeit und Glück. Der Schluss des Papieres zieht daraus Konsequenzen für Theorie und Politik.〈section xml:id="abs1-3"〉〈title type="main"〉RésuméBien que les défauts de la mesure de l'utilité de la richesse par le PIB par tête soient largement reconnus et acceptés, la plupart des spécialistes soutiennent toujours l'idée selon laquelle les effets positifs d'une augmentation du PIB par tête sur l'utilité totale l'emportent largement sur ses externalités négatives. En se basant sur une conception de la nature et des causes du bien-être qui remonte à Adam Smith et aux premiers utilitaristes, cet article soutient la thèse selon laquelle une augmentation du revenu absolu a peu d'effets sur le bien-être des pays riches, et que, inversement, il existerait peut-être des voies par lesquelles le bien-être a des effets sur la croissance. En mettant en valeur les résultats de l'analyse de séries de données recueillies à travers des sondages sur le bien-être dans dix pays riches, cet article montre qu'il n y a pas de rapport causal entre la croissance et le bienêtre, que le rapport causal entre bien-être et croissance est faible, de même que ceux entre égalité national et bien-être, et loisirs et bien-être. Cet article conclut en offrant quelques conséquences de ces résultats pour la théorie et les politiques à mettre en oeuvre.

Notizen: In this paper I argue that potential Marshallian external economies may be realised through cooperative inter-firm relations. Knowledge spillovers, the use of specialised machinery, the development of a local market for special skills, and the joint provision of sector services are modeled as Prisoner's Dilemma games. The model investigates the impact of changing payoffs and non-random pairing of agents on the viability and stability of the cooperative outcome. This model is then applied to the furniture industries of Italy and London in the 1980s.〈section xml:id="abs1-2"〉〈title type="main"〉ZusammenfassungDiese Studie argumentiert, dass potentielle Marshallianische Extemalitäten realisiert werden können durch kooperative Beziehungen zwischen Firmen. Wissenstransfer, die Benutzung von Spezialmaschinen, die Entwicklung eines lokalen Marktes für spezialisierte Fähigkeiten, und die gemeinsame Erstellung sektoraler Dienstleistungen sind als Prisoner's Dilemma Spiele modelliert. Das Modell untersucht den Effekt von sich ändernden Gewinnen und von nicht-zufälligen Zusammenstellungen von Spielerpaaren auf die Möglichkeit und Stabilität des kooperativen Resultats. Dieses Modell wird dann auf die Möbelindustrien Italiens und Londons während der 1980er Jahre angewendet.〈section xml:id="abs1-3"〉〈title type="main"〉RésuméDans cette article je postule que les economies extemes de Marshall peuvent potentiellement être réalisées à travers des relations de coopération entre compagnies. Les retombées de savoir, I'utilisation de machines spécialisées, le développement d'un marché local pour des competences spécifiques, et l'approvisionnement joint de services de secteur sont conçus comme jeu de Prisoner's Dilemma. Je me sers du modèle pour analyser les effets sur la viabilité et la stabilité du résultat coopératif, produits par la modification de deux suppositions: d'abord, en changeant le gain résultant de la cooperation mutuelle, et ensuite en considérant la situation où les chances qu'un joueur rencontre un autre joueur de même genre sont plus grandes que celles produites par le hasard. Ce modèle est ensuite appliqué aux industries de meubles d'Italie et de Londres dans les années 1980.

Notizen: Review of the more widely discussed saving theories suggests that they are unable to account for the observed positive impact of a country's rate of economic growth on its saving ratio. In particular, the compositional explanation offered by the Life Cycle theory would appear to be based on debatable premises. A more promising explanation is found in the examination of the saving behavior of individual households and the respective motives: their saving ratio tends to vary positively with the percentage change in their income. The importance of the distribution of such changes among the economic agents is obvious. A number of implications for economic growth are discussed, including the roles of direct taxation, the export and agricultural sectors and, especially, domestic and foreign capital.〈section xml:id="abs1-2"〉〈title type="main"〉ZusammenfassungEine Überprüfung der wesentlichen Theorien des Sparens deutet darauf hin, dass sie nicht in der Lage sind, die beobachtete positive Wirkung der Wachstumsrate eines Landes auf die Sparquote zu erklären. Insbesondere die Erklärung der Lebenszyklustheorie scheint auf fraglichen Voraussetzungen aufzubauen. Eine vielversprechendere Erklärung liefert die Untersuchung des Sparverhaltens individueller Haushalte und ihrer jeweiligen Sparmotive: ihre Sparquote variiert positiv mit prozentualen Einkommensveränderungen. Die Bedeutung der Verteilung solcher Veränderungen unter den ökonomischen Agenten ist offensichtlich. Einige Konsequenzen für das Wirtschaftswachstum werden diskutiert, unter anderem die Rolle, die direkte Besteuerung, Export- und Landwirtschaftssektor, sowie in- und ausländisches Kapital spielen.〈section xml:id="abs1-3"〉〈title type="main"〉RésuméUne revue des théories principales de l'épargne nous amène à conclure qu'elles ne peuvent pas expliquer l'effet positif observé du taux d'accroissement d'une économie sur le rapport entre l'épargne et le revenue. En particulier, l'explication compositionelle proposée par la théorie du Cycle de Vie semble être basée sur des prémisses contestables. Une explication plus promettante se révèle en examinant le comportement des families individuelles quant à l'épargne et les motifs correspondants: le rapport entre l'épargne et le revenu tend à changer positivement avec la variation du taux de changement du revenu. L'importance de la distribution de tels taux parmi les agents économiques est évidente. Quelques implications intéressantes à l'égard de la croissance économique sont discutées, y compris les rôles de l'impôt direct, des secteurs exportateurs et agricoles et, en particulier, des capitaux nationaux et étrangers.

Notizen: The 1990s have seen several big currency crises. Some observers argue that the crises show ‘fixed’ exchange rates are unsustainable. Dozens of countries have sustained such exchange rates for years or decades, though. Differences between pegged and fixed exchange rates explain why some exchange rates have lasted while others have succumbed to speculative attacks.〈section xml:id="abs1-2"〉〈title type="main"〉ZusammenfassungDie neunziger Jahre haben mehrcre grosse Währungskrisen erlebt. Einige Beobachter behaupten, solche Krisen zeigen, dass feste Wechselkurse nicht haltbar seien. Dennnoch hat eine Reihe anderer Lander solche Wechselkurse jahre- oder jahrzehntelang aufrechterhalten. Unterschiede zwischen einem Wechselkurs, der in Bandbreiten schwanken darf (‘pegged’) und einem absolut festen Wechsclkurs erklären, warum sich einige Wechselkurse durchgesetzt haben, wührend andere spekulativen Angriffen zum Opfer gefallen sind.〈section xml:id="abs1-3"〉〈title type="main"〉RésuméLes années 1990 ont connu plusieurs crises monétaires importantes. Quelques observateurs affirment que ces crises démontrent que les taux de change ‘fixes’ sont indéfendables. Pourtant, des douzaines de pays ont soutenu des tels taux de change pendant des décennies, même des siècles. Cela s'explique par la différence entre les taux de change vraiment fixes et les taux de change fixes mais ajustables (‘pegged’).

Notizen: Conventional economic theories of population growth build upon the work of Gary Becker and Richard Easterlin. Although different in many important respects, these theories assume that women and men have the same preferences with respect to the target number of children. For this reason, they fail to explain important patterns of demographic change, particularly in less developed regions of the world. In this article, a model of population growth is developed which examines the implications of assuming that women prefer fewer children than men. In this scenario, changes in variables which serve to empower women, such as education and family planning, contribute to the reduction of family size and, thereby, in the rate of population growth, irrespective of relative prices and levels of income. Moreover, modeling the household with differential gender-specific preference functions enriches the traditional models of fertility, allowing for explanations of demographic change which are consistent with the stylized facts of fertility.〈section xml:id="abs1-2"〉〈title type="main"〉ZusammenfassungHerkömmliche volkswirtschaftliche Theorien des Bevölkerungswachstums beruhen auf den Arbeiten von Gary Becker und Richard Easterlin. Obwohl in vieler Beziehung recht unterschiedlich, gehen beide Theorien von der Annahme aus, dass Frauen und Manner die gleichen Ziele im Hinblick auf die Kinderzahl haben. Aus diescm Grund gelingt es diesen Theorien nicht, wichtige Grundzüge demographischer Veränderungen, besonders in weniger entwickelten Gebieten der Welt, zu erklären. Im vorliegenden Artikel wird ein Modell des Bevölkerungswachstums entwickelt, das von der Annahme ausgeht, dass Frauen es vorziehen, weniger Kinder zu haben, und das die Auswirkungen dieser Annahme untersucht. In diesem Modell tragen unterschiedliche Variablen, die den Einfluss der Frauen erhöhen, wie z.B. Ausbildung und Familienplanung, unabhängig von relativen Unterschieden bei Preisen und Einkommenshöhe, zu einer Reduzierung der Kinderzahl und somit der Rate des Bevölkerungswachstums bei. Indem man einen Haushalt anhand von unterschiedlichen geschlechtsspezifischen Präferenzfunktionen darstellt, erreicht man ausserdem eine Bereicherung der traditionellen Fertilitàtsmodelle, die die Erklärung von demographischen Veränderungen in Übereinstimmung mit allgemein bekannten Fertilitätsfakten ermöglichen.〈section xml:id="abs1-3"〉〈title type="main"〉RésuméLes théories économiques conventionnelles au sujet de la croissance démographique reposent sur l'œuvre de Gary Becker et Richard Easterlin. Quoiqu'elles diffèrent à beaucoup d'égards, ces théories supposent que les hommes et les femmes ont les mêmes préférences par rapport au nombrecible d'enfants. C'est pourquoi elles ne peuvent réussir à expliquer certains changements démographiques, particulièrement dans les regions les moins développées du monde. Dans cet article, on se propose d'élaborer un modèle de croissance démographique qui étudie ce qu'implique l'hypothèse que les femmes préférent moins d'enfants que les hommes. Dans ce scénario, les changements de variables qui servent à rendre les femmes autonomes, comme l'éducation et le planning familial, contribuent à la réduction de la taille de la famille, et donc, du taux de croissance démographique, sans tenir compte des rapports de prix et des revenus. En outre, l'établissement d'un modèle de ménage avec des fonctions de satisfaction différentielles propres à chaque sexe enrichit les modèles traditionnels de fertilité, compte tenu des explications des changements démographiques qui sont compatibles avec les faits stylisés de la fertilité.

Notizen: Claus Priesner and Karin Figala, eds., Alchemie. Lexikon einer Hermetischen WissenschuftMilorad MladenoviC, The Dejining Years in Nuclear Physics, 1932–1960s (Bristol: Institute of Physics Publishing.Ivo Schneider, Johannes Faulhaber 1580–1635. Rechenmeister in einer Welt des Umbruchs. Base1 etc.Abraham Pais, Maurice Jacob, David 1. olive, and Michael E Atiyah, Paul Dirac. The Man and His Work. CambridgeKevin Madders, A New Force at a New Frontier. Europe's development in the spacejeld in the light of its main actors, policies, law and activities from the beginning up to the present.Stefan Kirschner, Nicolaus Oresmes Kommentar zur Physik des Aristoteles. Stuttgart (Franz Steiner) 1997, 491 pp.Rudolf Werner Soukup und Helmut Mayer, Alchemistisches Gold - ParacelsistischePharmuka. Laboratoriumstechnik im 16. Jahrhundert.Walter Hauser, Die Wurzeln der Wahrscheinlichkeitsrechnung - Die Verbindung von Gliicksspieltheorie und statistischer Praxis vor Lupluce.Alchemie. Lexikon einer Hermetischen Wissenschaft

Notizen: Book Review in this ArticlesCaveing Maurice, La constitution du type mathématique de l'idealité dans la pensée grecque.Sachiko Kusukawa, The Transformation of Natural Philosophy: The Case of Philin Melanchthon.Frederic Lawrence Holmes, Antoine Lawisier - The Next Cruciul Yeur. Or, The Sources of His Quantitative Method in Chemistry.Marie-Ann Maushart, 'Um mich nicht zu vergessen': Hertha Sponer - Ein Fruuenleben, für die Physik im 20. Juhrhundert

Notizen: This paper is meant to answer the question whether the CMEA countries trade flows have been able to catch up with their trade potential. The gravity equations estimated over a panel of 14 years show that there is a room for an increase in trade, which could compensate for the huge regional trade losses. But, if one takes into account the higher than average transportation costs in East Europe, this potential increase may only he reached through the reduction of these transportation costs and through further liberalisation of regional trade flows. How costly has been the disintegration process? The computation of gross trade destruction (GTD) versus trade creation (TC) minus external trade diversion (ETD) in the framework of the Viner model reflects the decreasing costs of the CMEA break-up: a dramatic trade reorientation has taken place, and it is welfare improving.〈section xml:id="abs1-2"〉〈title type="main"〉ZUSAMMENFASSUNGDieser Artikel untersucht, ob der Aussenhandel der ehemaligen COMECON-Länder sein potentielles Niveau bereits erreicht hat. Ein Gravitltsmodel über einen Zeitraum von 14 Jahren zeigt, dass es noch ein Potential für zusätzlichen internationalen Handel giht, das den Zusammenbruch des regionalen Handels kompensieren könnte. Wenn jedoch die höheren Transportkosten in Mittel- und Osteuropa in Betracht gezogen werden, dürfte dieses Potential nur durch eine Reduzierung dieser Kosten und eine weitergehende Handelsliberalisierung ausgeschöpft werden können. Der Artikel heschäftigt sich ebenfalls mit den Kosten des Zusammenbruchs des COMECON-Handels. Die Berechnung der Bruttohandelszerstörung versus neu entstandenem Handel abzuglich der Handelsahlenkung im Modell von Viner zeigt, dass diese Kosten positiv und ahnehmend sind. Die starke Reorientierung des Aussenhandels hat eine erhöhte Wohlfahrt in der Region zur Folge.〈section xml:id="abs1-3"〉〈title type="main"〉RESUMECet article tente de répondre è la question de savoir si le commerce des pays ex-memhres du CAEM a rattrapé son niveau potentiel. L'équation de gravité estimée sur un panel de 14 ans montre qu'il existe un potentiel d'échanges qui pourrait compenser l'effondrement du commerce régional. Mais la prise en compte des coǔts de transport qui sont plus élevés en Europe de l'Est suggère que ce potentiel ne peut ěre exploité qu' è travers la réduction de ces coǔts en Europe de l'Est et è travers une libéralisation plus poussée des échanges. Le processus de désintégration a t'il été coǔteux? Le calcul de la destruction de commerce (DC) versus création (CC) et destruction extérieure de commerce (DEC) dans le modèle de Viner montre que le coǔt est positif mais décroissant. L'importante réorientation des échanges tend è améliorer le bien-ětre dans la région.