Between European Precaution and National Compensation : The Disourses of Risk Management A Critical Analysis of Giovanni Pesce and Others v. Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri – Dipartimento della Protezione Civile and Others

E-print/Working paper (2018)

Contemporary society can undisputably be characterized, following Ulrich Beck, as a risk society. Indeed, catastrophic risks multiply themselves, and hence also need to be managed. This paper addresses ... [more ▼]

Contemporary society can undisputably be characterized, following Ulrich Beck, as a risk society. Indeed, catastrophic risks multiply themselves, and hence also need to be managed. This paper addresses more generally the question of how and by whom decision making regarding risk management is made in the European Union. More precisely, it provides a critical analysis of the legal discourse, on the one hand, on the use of the precautionary principle in risk management, and, on the other hand, on compensation of individuals that suffer financial losses related to decisions that are taken on the behalf of this principle. This critic will here be illustrated through an analysis of the Giovanni Pesce and Others v. Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri – Dipartimento della Protezione Civile and Others case. [less ▲]

Wozu Mittelalterforschung? Zum 30. Jubiläum des CLUDEM

E-print/Working paper (2018)

WWI: Kosakenmütze und roter Stern: Russische Gefangene in Luxemburg 1918

E-print/Working paper (2018)

Die vorliegende Teiluntersuchung beschäftigt sich mit den 3.100 russischen Kriegsgefangenen, die 1918 Luxemburg passierten. Etwa 300 blieben nachweislich in Luxemburg, da die sowjetische Ideologie in ... [more ▼]

Die vorliegende Teiluntersuchung beschäftigt sich mit den 3.100 russischen Kriegsgefangenen, die 1918 Luxemburg passierten. Etwa 300 blieben nachweislich in Luxemburg, da die sowjetische Ideologie in ihrer neuen Heimat, die nun Russische Sowjetische Föderative Sozialistische Republik hieß, sie nicht ansprach. In einer mikrohistorischen Perspektive werden mehrere Schicksale vorgeführt, anhand derer man zum einen die Bedingungen dieser Emigration versteht, die sich zwar auf neutralen Boden vollzog, jedoch unter der stetigen Verfolgung durch die deutsche Armee, die die Unabhängigkeit Luxemburgs wenig kümmerte. Zum anderen wird gezeigt, wie “Russisch” immer mehr mit “Kommunistisch” assoziiert wurde und alle Russen unter Verdacht standen, “rot” zu sein. [less ▲]

Le régime d’Etat providence joue un rôle dans le bien-être

E-print/Working paper (2018)

The Global Triumph of the Research University: A Driving Force of Science Production

E-print/Working paper (2018)

The demand for higher education in countries around the world has never been higher. This increase in education levels has generated many benefits to society, including more knowledgeable citizens ... [more ▼]

The demand for higher education in countries around the world has never been higher. This increase in education levels has generated many benefits to society, including more knowledgeable citizens, advanced economies, and enhanced longevity. We have also seen countries and universities invest heavily in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), including health (STEM+) research and scientific output. This has resulted in unexpected pure exponential growth in science production around the world. Increased competition, as well as boundary-spanning collaborations, drive unprecedented scientific advancement and technological innovation. In a book entitled The Century of Science: The Global Triumph of the Research University, we explore global scientific developments from the early 20th century to today. University-based research, especially, has risen globally to become the driving force of science production in STEM+ fields. Universities, with their multiple missions of research, teaching, and public service, are uniquely positioned to contribute to scientific output while simultaneously producing the next generation of scientists. [less ▲]

Connecting Personal Data of Third Country Nationals: Interoperability of EU Databases in the Light of the CJEU's Case Law on Data Retention

E-print/Working paper (2018)

On 12 December 2017, the EU Commission presented a proposal on the interoperability of EU large-scale Information Systems. The proposal seeks to enable all centralised EU databases for security, border ... [more ▼]

On 12 December 2017, the EU Commission presented a proposal on the interoperability of EU large-scale Information Systems. The proposal seeks to enable all centralised EU databases for security, border and migration management to be interconnected by 2020. The underlying IT systems retain data of Third Country Nationals (TCNs), namely travellers, applicants for international protection, information relating to visa applications or data on missing persons and criminals. With the proposal, the Commission seeks to create new possibilities to exchange information, manage migration challenges and to enhance the Union’s internal security. The interconnectivity of databases would introduce fundamental changes to the current structure of EU IT-systems and requires careful consideration and assessment of compliance with EU data protection standards. This also means that access to information in an interoperable system must be strictly aligned to the access rights of the underlying databases and that requesting authorities only obtain the data that they are authorized to access. With interoperability, data once held in silos would be retained in three new centralized databases and would be more easily accessible, also for the prevention, investigation and prosecution of crime. Where criminal investigations previously required multiple searches in separate databases, this cascading safeguard shall progressively be abandoned to streamline access to personal data by law enforcement authorities. Despite simplified access conditions, this would require new types of processing operations for which the interoperability proposal does not provide a legal basis. During recent years, several judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) have highlighted the difficulty of striking a proper balance between the fundamental rights to privacy and data protection, enshrined in Article 7 and 8 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (EU Charter) with an increased demand for security and the surveillance of potential criminals. The Court repeatedly pointed out the need to strike a fair balance between these (allegedly) competing interests and emphasised that law enforcement authorities should not be granted access to personal data without prior authorization. Using the CJEU’s judgments as vehicle and considering the assumption that TCNs risk to become subject to data retention measures in a disproportionate manner, the following analysis seeks to assess both existing EU databases and their foreseen interoperability against the requirements established by the Court in order to evaluate their (in)-compatibility with the fundamental rights standards enshrined in the EU Charter. [less ▲]

Bayesian variable selection in linear dynamical systems

E-print/Working paper (2018)

We develop a method for reconstructing regulatory interconnection networks between variables evolving according to a linear dynamical system. The work is motivated by the problem of gene regulatory ... [more ▼]

We develop a method for reconstructing regulatory interconnection networks between variables evolving according to a linear dynamical system. The work is motivated by the problem of gene regulatory network inference, that is, finding causal effects between genes from gene expression time series data. In biological applications, the typical problem is that the sampling frequency is low, and consequentially the system identification problem is ill-posed. The low sampling frequency also makes it impossible to estimate derivatives directly from the data. We take a Bayesian approach to the problem, as it offers a natural way to incorporate prior information to deal with the ill-posedness, through the introduction of sparsity promoting prior for the underlying dynamics matrix. It also provides a framework for modelling both the process and measurement noises. We develop Markov Chain Monte Carlo samplers for the discrete-valued zero-structure of the dynamics matrix, and for the continuous-time trajectory of the system. [less ▲]

Fitting national social security benefits into European categories: Are long-term care benefits exportable within the framework of Regulation 883/2004?

E-print/Working paper (2018)

Digitalisierung der Arbeit in Luxemburg - Teil 3

E-print/Working paper (2018)

Arbeitnehmer unterscheiden sich hinsichtlich dem Grad durch den ihre Arbeit von der Digitalisierung betroffen ist sowie durch die Auswirkungen, die die Digitalisierung auf ihre Arbeit und ihr Arbeits(er ... [more ▼]

Arbeitnehmer unterscheiden sich hinsichtlich dem Grad durch den ihre Arbeit von der Digitalisierung betroffen ist sowie durch die Auswirkungen, die die Digitalisierung auf ihre Arbeit und ihr Arbeits(er)leben haben. Arbeitnehmer, deren Arbeit stärker durch die Digitalisierung beeinflusst ist, erleben tendenziell mehr Partizipation, Feedback und Autonomie auf ihrer Arbeit. Gleichzeitig weisen sie auch mehr emotionale und mentale Anforderungen, sowie mehr Zeitdruck auf. Arbeitnehmer, deren Arbeit nur in geringem Maß von der Digitalisierung betroffen ist, sind dagegen weniger von emotionalen und mentalen Anforderungen, sowie von Zeitdruck, Konkurrenz und Mobbing betroffen. Insbesondere die geringere Planbarkeit von Arbeitszeit und Freizeit sowie die stärkere Überwachung und Kontrolle der Arbeitsleistung sind negative Konsequenzen der Digitalisierung, die zu einem verstärkten Erleben von emotionalen und mentalen Anforderungen sowie von Zeitdruck, Konkurrenz und Mobbing führt. Die Möglichkeit durch die Digitalisierung auch von zuhause oder von unterwegs arbeiten zu können führt einerseits zu mehr wahrgenommener Autonomie, andererseits ist dieses Potenzial der Digitalisierung auch mit negativen Konsequenzen verknüpft (z.B. erhöhter Zeitdruck). [less ▲]

A test of the Modigliani Miller Invariance Theorem and Arbitrage in Experimental Asset Markets

E-print/Working paper (2018)

Modigliani and Miller (1958) show that a repackaging of asset return streams to equity and debt has no impact on the total market value of the firm if pricing is arbitrage-free. We test the empirical ... [more ▼]

Modigliani and Miller (1958) show that a repackaging of asset return streams to equity and debt has no impact on the total market value of the firm if pricing is arbitrage-free. We test the empirical validity of this invariance theorem in experimental asset markets with simultaneous trading in two shares of perfectly-correlated returns. Our data support value invariance for assets of identical risks when returns are perfectly correlated. However, exploiting price discrepancies has risk when returns have the same expected value but are uncorrelated, and we find that the law of one price is violated in this case. Discrepancies shrink in consecutive markets, but seem to persist even with experienced traders. In markets where overall trader acuity is high, assets trade closer to parity. [less ▲]

Brexit Seen from Luxembourg

E-print/Working paper (2018)

Demographics and FDI: Lessons from China's One-Child Policy

E-print/Working paper (2018)

Lucas (1990) argues that the neoclassical adjustment process fails to explain the relative paucity of FDI inflows from rich to poor countries. In this paper we consider a natural experiment: using China ... [more ▼]

Lucas (1990) argues that the neoclassical adjustment process fails to explain the relative paucity of FDI inflows from rich to poor countries. In this paper we consider a natural experiment: using China as the treated country and India as the control, we show that the dynamics of the relative FDI flows subsequent to the implementation of China's one-child policy, as seen in the data, are consistent with neoclassical fundamentals. In particular, following the introduction of the one-child policy in China, the capital-labor (K/L) ratio of China increased relative to that of India, and, simultaneously, relative FDI inflows into China vs. India declined. These observations are explained in the context of a simple neoclassical OLG paradigm. The adjustment mechanism works as follows: the reduction in the (urban) labor force due to the one-child policy increases the savings per capita. This increases the K/L ratio and reduces the marginal product of capital (MPK). The reduction in MPK (relative to India) reduces the relative attractiveness of investment in China and is thus associated with lower FDI/GDP ratios. Our paper contributes to the nascent literature exploring demographic transitions and their effects on FDI flows. [less ▲]

Alonso and the scaling of urban profiles

E-print/Working paper (2018)

Urban characteristics scaling with total population has become an important urban research field since one needs to better understand the benefits and disadvantages of urban growth and fur- ther ... [more ▼]

Urban characteristics scaling with total population has become an important urban research field since one needs to better understand the benefits and disadvantages of urban growth and fur- ther population concentration. Urban scaling research, however, is largely disconnected from the empirics and theory of intra-urban structure for it considers averaged attributes and ignores resi- dential choice trade-offs between transport and housing costs within cities. Using this fundamental trade-off, the monocentric model of Alonso provides theory to urban density profiles. However, it is silent about how these profiles scale with population, thus preventing empirical scaling studies to anchor in a strong micro-economic theory. This paper fixes this gap by introducing power laws for land and for population density in the Alonso model. From an augmented model with land use, we derive the conditions at which equilibrium profiles match recent empirical findings about the scaling of urban land and population density profiles in European cities. We find that the Alonso model is theoretically compatible with the observed scaling of population density profiles and leads to a satisfactory representation of European cities. The conditions for this compatibility refine current understanding of wage and transport costs elasticities with population. Although they require a scaling power of the profile of the share of urbanised land that is different from what is observed, it is argued that alternatives specifications of transport cost functions could solve this issue. Thus our results call for revisiting theories about land development and housing processes as well as the empirics of agglomeration benefits and transport costs. [less ▲]

Increasing taxes after a financial crisis: Not a bad idea after all

E-print/Working paper (2018)

Based on OECD evidence, equity/housing-price busts and credit crunches are followed by substantial increases in public consumption. These increases in unproductive public spending lead to increases in ... [more ▼]

Based on OECD evidence, equity/housing-price busts and credit crunches are followed by substantial increases in public consumption. These increases in unproductive public spending lead to increases in distortionary marginal taxes, a policy in sharp contrast with presumably optimal Keynesian fiscal stimulus after a crisis. Here we claim that this seemingly adverse policy selection is optimal under rational learning about the frequency of rare capital-value busts. Bayesian updating after a bust implies massive belief jumps toward pessimism, with investors and policymakers believing that busts will be arriving more frequently in the future. Lowering taxes would be as if trying to kick a sick horse in order to stand up and run, since pessimistic markets would be unwilling to invest enough under any temporarily generous tax regime. [less ▲]

The Persistence of the Gender Earnings Gap: Cohort Trends and the Role of Education in Twelve Countries

E-print/Working paper (2018)

Are Capital Requirements on Small Business Loans Flawed?

E-print/Working paper (2018)

Heterogeneity in Conformism, Firm Selection, and Home Bias

E-print/Working paper (2018)

This paper discusses the impact of conformism on product quality, firm selection, and trade patterns. It shows that when consumers have a higher degree of conformism and/or their distribution of ... [more ▼]

This paper discusses the impact of conformism on product quality, firm selection, and trade patterns. It shows that when consumers have a higher degree of conformism and/or their distribution of conformism becomes more concentrated, the equilibrium average demand falls while product quality rises in a closed economy. In an international trade context, this strengthens the home consumption bias when consumers conform to the behavior of local people. The home bias is mitigated under globalization where individuals tend to conform to people worldwide. The paper also discusses the conditions under which conformism and conspicuousness are reconciled. [less ▲]

On the Hilbert eigenvariety at exotic and CM classical weight 1 points

E-print/Working paper (2018)

Newforms mod p in squarefree level with applications to Monsky's Hecke-stable filtrations (with an appendix by Alexandru Ghitza)

E-print/Working paper (2018)

L’industrie textile dans la Grande Région SaarLorLux

E-print/Working paper (2018)

The textile industry has had a long time to transform the industrial landscape of the Greater Region SaarLorLux, as it is one of the earliest industrialised economic activities. Often born on a proto ... [more ▼]

The textile industry has had a long time to transform the industrial landscape of the Greater Region SaarLorLux, as it is one of the earliest industrialised economic activities. Often born on a proto-industrial basis, it was mechanised very early on in most of its branches (from spinning to weaving, dyeing, bleaching and printing to clothing) and thus formed, sometimes, vast industrial concentrations, which imposed themselves alongside more modest establishments. However, this pioneering industry is now often presented in Europe as an activity of the past, the bulk of which has been relocated to low labour cost countries in the South. [less ▲]

Dra' Abu el-Naga, Ägypten. Untersuchungen zu Formation und Entwicklung einer oberägyptischen Residenznekropole. Die Arbeiten der Jahre 2017 und 2018

E-print/Working paper (2018)

Positiv desintegriert: Krise als Chance

E-print/Working paper (2018)

Le développement du trafic ferroviaire dans la Grande Région SaarLorLux

E-print/Working paper (2018)

The first railways are mentioned in connection with the mining of Agricola in 1556. From the end of the 18th century onwards, the first long-distance horse-drawn railways were built, some of which created ... [more ▼]

The first railways are mentioned in connection with the mining of Agricola in 1556. From the end of the 18th century onwards, the first long-distance horse-drawn railways were built, some of which created real networks. The first railway line to use steam locomotives was the Stockton and Darlington Railway, 40 kilometres long, commissioned in 1825 in England. On the continent, the first steam railway line was opened on 5 May 1835 in Belgium, between Brussels and Mechelen, while the line opened in 1831 in France, from Saint-Etienne to Lyon, as well as the one in December 1835 in Germany, between Nürnberg and Fürth, were only rarely used by locomotives, but rather by horse-drawn vehicles. This article deals with the first railway connections in the various regions of the Greater Region SaarLorLux. [less ▲]

Accounting for Differences in Income Inequality across Countries: Ireland and the United Kingdom

E-print/Working paper (2018)

This paper proposes a framework for studying international differences in the distribution of household income. Integrating micro-econometric and micro-simulation approaches in a decomposition analysis it ... [more ▼]

This paper proposes a framework for studying international differences in the distribution of household income. Integrating micro-econometric and micro-simulation approaches in a decomposition analysis it quantifies the role of tax-benefit systems, employment and occupational structures, labour prices and market returns, and demographic composition in accounting for differences in income inequality across countries. Building upon EUROMOD (the European tax-benefit calculator) and its harmonized datasets, the model is portable and can be implemented for any cross-country comparisons within the EU. An application to the UK and Ireland--two countries that have much in common while displaying different levels of inequality--shows that differences in tax-benefit rules between the two countries account for roughly half of the observed difference in disposable household income inequality. Demographic differences play negligible roles. The Irish tax-benefit system is more redistributive than UK's due to a higher tax progressivity and higher average transfer rates. These are largely attributable to policy parameter differences, but also to differences in pre-tax, pre-transfer income distributions. [less ▲]

Technological Progress, the Supply ofHours Worked, and the Consumption-Leisure Complementarity

E-print/Working paper (2018)

At least since 1870 hours worked per worker declined and real wages increased in many of today’s industrialized countries. The dual nature of technological progress in conjunction with a consumption ... [more ▼]

At least since 1870 hours worked per worker declined and real wages increased in many of today’s industrialized countries. The dual nature of technological progress in conjunction with a consumption-leisure complementarity explains these stylized facts. Technological progress drives real wages up and expands the amount of available consumption goods. Enjoying consumption goods increases the value of leisure. Therefore, individuals demand more leisure and supply less labor. This mechanism appears in an OLG-model with two-period lived individuals equipped with per-period utility functions of the generalized log-log type proposed by Boppart-Krusell (2016). The optimal plan is piecewise defined and hinges on the wage level. Technological progress moves a poor economy out of a regime with low wages and an inelastic supply of hours worked into a regime where wages increase further and hours worked continuously decline. [less ▲]

Le découpage administratif de la Grande Région SaarLorLux

E-print/Working paper (2018)

The administrative division of the Greater Region (2008: 65,398 km², 11.4 million inhabitants) is not homogeneous. The different areas of the Grande Région have different statuses: The Grand Duchy of ... [more ▼]

The administrative division of the Greater Region (2008: 65,398 km², 11.4 million inhabitants) is not homogeneous. The different areas of the Grande Région have different statuses: The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a sovereign state, Wallonia is a region of Belgium, Lorraine was until the end of 2015 one of the 26 regions of France, is from 1.10.2016 part of the new region Grand Est, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland are German Länder. The size and number of inhabitants of the municipalities as well as their competences differ significantly from each other, not least because there has been no municipal reform in France, but also because of the different political and economic structures. [less ▲]

« Aus dem Wartezimmer des Krieges »: The Non-Experience of World War One in Luxembourg

E-print/Working paper (2018)

This article aims to contribute to the reconstruction of Luxembourg’s war experience and to analyse Weber’s literary and theoretical renditions of these events. It will investigate Weber’s experience of ... [more ▼]

This article aims to contribute to the reconstruction of Luxembourg’s war experience and to analyse Weber’s literary and theoretical renditions of these events. It will investigate Weber’s experience of non-experience and highlight the ways in which he sought to describe and overcome the sense of ineffectuality and uselessness that came with being ‘put on hold’ by the war as a nation and as a human being. Weber’s reflections mix physical, mental, and intellectual pain, creating a sense of absurdist, non-productive suffering, which he, with wavering conviction, seeks to counteract by drawing on the physicality of the personal and collective body. [less ▲]

The low-dimensional algebraic cohomology of the Virasoro algebra

E-print/Working paper (2018)

Démographie et migration: Attractivité versus contraction

E-print/Working paper (2018)

This working paper includes analyses of demography and migration in the Greater region. It has a special view on cross-border mobility, ageing and health infrastructure in rural areas.

TASKS, TECHNOLOGY, AND FACTOR PRICES IN THE NEOCLASSICAL PRODUCTION SECTOR

E-print/Working paper (2018)

This paper introduces tasks into the neoclassical production sector. Competitive firms choose the profit-maximizing amounts of factor-specific tasks that determine their factor demands and output supplies ... [more ▼]

This paper introduces tasks into the neoclassical production sector. Competitive firms choose the profit-maximizing amounts of factor-specific tasks that determine their factor demands and output supplies. We show that the effect of factor-augmenting technical change on relative and absolute factor prices can be decomposed into a productivity effect and a market size effect of opposite sign. These effects appear since the novel task-based approach distinguishes between the demands for tasks and the demands for factors. This perspective provides a new intuition for the emergence of relative and absolute factor biases and the role of the elasticity of substitution. [less ▲]

Systembasierte Analyse von Wirkstoffresistenzen bei Melanom

E-print/Working paper (2017)

Isolation of nucleic acids from low biomass samples: detection and removal of sRNA contaminants

E-print/Working paper (2017)

Sequencing-based analyses of low-biomass samples are known to be prone to misinterpretation due to the potential presence of contaminating molecules derived from laboratory reagents and environments. Due ... [more ▼]

Sequencing-based analyses of low-biomass samples are known to be prone to misinterpretation due to the potential presence of contaminating molecules derived from laboratory reagents and environments. Due to its inherent instability, contamination with RNA is usually considered to be unlikely. Here we report the presence of small RNA (sRNA) contaminants in widely used microRNA extraction kits and means for their depletion. Sequencing of sRNAs extracted from human plasma samples was performed and significant levels of non-human (exogenous) sequences were detected. The source of the most abundant of these sequences could be traced to the microRNA extraction columns by qPCR-based analysis of laboratory reagents. The presence of artefactual sequences originating from the confirmed contaminants were furthermore replicated in a range of published datasets. To avoid artefacts in future experiments, several protocols for the removal of the contaminants were elaborated, minimal amounts of starting material for artefact-free analyses were defined, and the reduction of contaminant levels for identification of bona fide sequences using 'ultra-clean' extraction kits was confirmed. In conclusion, this is the first report of the presence of RNA molecules as contaminants in laboratory reagents. The described protocols should be applied in the future to avoid confounding sRNA studies. [less ▲]

Lifting trianguline Galois representations

E-print/Working paper (2017)

For a central isogeny $H^\prime\to H$ of group schemes over a $p$-adic field $E$ and a continuous representation $\rho\colon\mathr{Gal}(\overline F/F)\to H(E)$ of the absolute Galois group of a number ... [more ▼]

For a central isogeny $H^\prime\to H$ of group schemes over a $p$-adic field $E$ and a continuous representation $\rho\colon\mathr{Gal}(\overline F/F)\to H(E)$ of the absolute Galois group of a number field $F$, trianguline at the $p$-adic places, we give sufficient conditions for the existence of a lift of $\rho$ to a continuous representation $\mathrm{Gal}(\overline F/F)\to H^\prime(E)$ that is also trianguline at the $p$-adic places. This is an analogue in the world of non-de Rham representations of results of Wintenberger, Conrad, Patrikis, and Hoang Duc for $p$-adic Hodge-theoretic properties of $\rho$. Our main tool for studying $p$-adic Galois representation locally at $p$ is an abstract Tannakian construction combined with the theory of $B$-pairs; our result and concrete manipulation of the $B$-pairs are inspired by recent work of Berger and Di Matteo. [less ▲]

Mechanizing Principia Logico-Metaphysica in Functional Type Theory

E-print/Working paper (2017)

Principia Logico-Metaphysica proposes a foundational logical theory for metaphysics, mathematics, and the sciences. It contains a canonical development of Abstract Object Theory [AOT], a metaphysical ... [more ▼]

Principia Logico-Metaphysica proposes a foundational logical theory for metaphysics, mathematics, and the sciences. It contains a canonical development of Abstract Object Theory [AOT], a metaphysical theory (inspired by ideas of Ernst Mally, formalized by Zalta) that differentiates between ordinary and abstract objects. This article reports on recent work in which AOT has been successfully represented and partly automated in the proof assistant system Isabelle/HOL. [less ▲]

Time Averages of Markov Processes and Applications to Two-Timescale Problems

E-print/Working paper (2017)

Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa [biography]

E-print/Working paper (2017)

Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa (1940-2010) was an Italian banker, economist, and politician. He was one of the "architects of the euro" and helped to push forward the financial, monetary, and economic integration ... [more ▼]

Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa (1940-2010) was an Italian banker, economist, and politician. He was one of the "architects of the euro" and helped to push forward the financial, monetary, and economic integration of Europe. [less ▲]

Towards a Quantitative Averaging Principle for Stochastic Differential Equations

E-print/Working paper (2017)

Democratic legitimacy [glossary]

E-print/Working paper (2017)

A political institution is legitimate when it succeeds in persuading people of the normative necessity of its existence. In a democratic system, this can be based both on various forms of popular consent ... [more ▼]

A political institution is legitimate when it succeeds in persuading people of the normative necessity of its existence. In a democratic system, this can be based both on various forms of popular consent (democratic legitimacy) and on other kinds of foundations (generic legitimacy). With reference to the European Union, debates have focused on empirical support for the EU, the nature of its "democratic deficit", and the potential conflict between European integration and national democratic sovereignty. [less ▲]

Arbeitsmotivation von Arbeitnehmern in Luxemburg

E-print/Working paper (2017)

Die europäische Studie EWCS (Eurofund, 2016a, 2016b) zeigt auf, dass sich die Arbeitsmotivation der Arbeitnehmer in Luxemburg eher im mittleren Bereich wiederfindet. Die nationale Studie Quality of Work ... [more ▼]

Die europäische Studie EWCS (Eurofund, 2016a, 2016b) zeigt auf, dass sich die Arbeitsmotivation der Arbeitnehmer in Luxemburg eher im mittleren Bereich wiederfindet. Die nationale Studie Quality of Work Index belegt nur geringfügige Unterschiede der Arbeitsmotivation sowohl zwischen männlichen und weiblichen Arbeitnehmern als auch zwischen den verschiedenen Altersgruppen. Arbeitnehmer in einer Vorgesetztenposition, Manager und Führungskräfte zeigen im Durchschnitt eine höhere, Hilfsarbeitskräfte dagegen im Durchschnitt eine geringere Arbeitsmotivation. Überdurchschnittlich motiviert erweisen sich Arbeitnehmer in Nichtregierungsorganisationen (NGO). Die Arbeitsmotivation ist dabei mit verschiedenen psychosozialen Abeitsbedingungen sowie Arbeitsrahmenbedingungen korreliert. Parizipation an Entscheidungen, Feedback von Kollegen und Vorgesetzten, Kooperation unter Kollegen sowie Rollenklarheit sind positiv mit Arbeitsmotivation assoziert, das Erleben von Konkurrenz und Mobbing sind hingegen negativ assoziiert. Hinsichtlich Arbeitsrahmenbedingungen weist vor allem Arbeitsplatzsicherheit einen hohen Zusammenhang mit der Arbeitsmotivation auf, gefolgt von Einkommenszufriedenheit und Ausbildungsmöglichkeiten. [less ▲]

Wolfgang Schäuble [biography]

E-print/Working paper (2017)

Wolfgang Schäuble (b. 1942) is an active German politician. He played a key role in the German reunification process (1989-90) and in the management of the Eurozone crisis (since 2009).

Localisation résidentielle de la population étrangère selon la nationalité et la structure urbaine au Luxembourg

E-print/Working paper (2017)

The number of foreigners living in Luxembourg is still rising and represents today about 48% of the inhabitants. This study focuses on the description and mapping of the place of residence for the ... [more ▼]

The number of foreigners living in Luxembourg is still rising and represents today about 48% of the inhabitants. This study focuses on the description and mapping of the place of residence for the different nationalities living in Luxembourg. It seeks to underline differences through indicators built from the 2011 census data. We focus on the territorial distribution of the different nationalities by taking into account the urban structure and distance to jobs. If differences according to nationalities in the residential behavior of households can be empirically identified they may raise issues of spatial equity and (un)equal accessibility to job market. We analyse whether the geographic location of different nationalities in Luxembourg is linked to urbanisation level, the distance to the “poles d´emploi” or general accessibility to jobs. [less ▲]

3. Forschungsbericht zur Weiterentwicklung des Arbeitsqualitätsindexes in Luxemburg

E-print/Working paper (2017)

Der Survey zu dem „Quality of Work Index Luxembourg“ (QoW), der von der Universität Luxemburg und der luxemburgischen Chambre des Salariés entwickelt wurde (Steffgen, Kohl, 2013; Sischka, Steffgen, 2015 ... [more ▼]

Der Survey zu dem „Quality of Work Index Luxembourg“ (QoW), der von der Universität Luxemburg und der luxemburgischen Chambre des Salariés entwickelt wurde (Steffgen, Kohl, 2013; Sischka, Steffgen, 2015, 2016), wurde 2016 bereits zum vierten Mal mittels einer telefonischen Befragung durchgeführt. Ziel des Index ist es, die erlebte Arbeitssituation und -qualität luxemburgischer Arbeitnehmer zu erfassen. Der vorliegende Bericht dokumentiert die psychometrische Testung der Güte des aktuellen Erhebungsinstruments. Dazu erfolgt zunächst eine Beschreibung der für die Skalen genutzten Items, die Überprüfung der internen Konsistenz der jeweiligen Skala mittels verschiedener Reliabilitätsstatistiken (Cronbach’s Alpha, Korrelationsanalysen der Items) sowie Koeffizienten zur Beschreibung der Skalenverteilung. Explorative und konfirmatorische Faktorenanalysen dienen dazu, zu testen, ob die Items auf den a priori festgelegten Faktoren laden und ob sich die unterstellte Faktorenstruktur auch in den Daten zeigt. Außerdem werden die Zusammenhänge der Skalen mittels Korrelationsanalysen überprüft. Die QoW-Skalen werden außerdem auf verschiedene Well-Being-Skalen regressiert, um deren Relevanz für den QoW-Index zu prüfen. Da der QoW Survey teilweise als Panelbefragung durchgeführt wird, wird außerdem geklärt, ob es hinsichtlich demographischer Eigenschaften der Befragten, hinsichtlich der QoW-Skalen oder hinsichtlich verschiedener Well-Being-Maße zu systematischen Ausfällen seit der letzten Welle gekommen ist. Ebenso werden einige Längsschnitt-Regressionsanalysen gerechnet, um zu überprüfen, ob einige Arbeitsbedingungen längerfristige Effekte auf das Well-Being der Arbeitnehmer aufweisen. Abschließend wird das gesamte Erhebungsinstrument zusammenfassend diskutiert und Empfehlungen bezüglich der weiteren Entwicklung der Skalen gegeben. [less ▲]

La restructuration des dettes publiques saisie par le droit de l'Union européenne

E-print/Working paper (2017)

En juillet 2015, le sommet de la zone euro fait part de l'existence de "sérieux doutes" sur le caractère soutenable de la dette grecque. La possibilité d'un reprofilage de la dette est envisagé et sa ... [more ▼]

En juillet 2015, le sommet de la zone euro fait part de l'existence de "sérieux doutes" sur le caractère soutenable de la dette grecque. La possibilité d'un reprofilage de la dette est envisagé et sa discussion reportée à la réalisation de la première évaluation des mesures d'ajustement mises en oeuvre par la Grèce. Toute décote nominale est cependant formellement exclue, car contraire au droit de l'Union. Les discussions se sont ouvertes au printemps 2016 sur les modalités d'allègement de la dette publique de la Grèce. Le sujet a été au coeur de la réunion de l'Eurogroupe du 22 mai. Aucun accord n'a été trouvé, mais les discussions continuent. Dans ce contexte, Frédéric Allemand a présenté le 17 mai dernier une communication sur la saisine des opérations de restructuration par le droit de l'Union lors du séminaire de recherche pluridisciplinaire "Les administrations publiques à l'épreuve de leur dette" organisé par Jean-François Boudet (Université Paris II) et Caroline Lequesne-Roth (Université de Nice). L'auteur conclut à la compétence de l'Union pour encadrer la restructuration des dettes publiques des États membres. [less ▲]

Gesundheitsverhalten von Arbeitnehmern in Luxemburg

E-print/Working paper (2017)

Insbesonders unter den jüngeren Arbeitnehmern und unter den Arbeitnehmern mit geringer Bildung ist der Anteil der Raucher vergleichsweise hoch. Männliche und ältere Arbeitnehmer weisen wieder einen ... [more ▼]

Insbesonders unter den jüngeren Arbeitnehmern und unter den Arbeitnehmern mit geringer Bildung ist der Anteil der Raucher vergleichsweise hoch. Männliche und ältere Arbeitnehmer weisen wieder einen vergleichsweise hohen Alkoholkonsum auf. Differenziert nach Berufsgruppen zeigen vor allem Arbeitnehmer in Handwerksberufen sowie Manager und Führungskräfte einen hohen Alkoholkonsum. Die Arbeitnehmer in der jüngsten Altersgruppe (16 bis 24 Jährige) schlafen durchschnittlich etwas länger, im Vergleich zu den älteren Arbeitnehmern. Außerdem ist die Sporthäufigkeit in der jüngsten Altersgruppe am höchsten. Männliche Arbeitnehmer sowie Arbeitnehmer ohne Partner oder ohne Kinder treiben ebenfalls überduchschnittlich häufig Sport. Etwa 17% der Arbeitnehmer leidet unter Adipositas. Knapp 30% der Arbeitnehmer leidet manchmal oder häufiger an gesundheitlichen Problemen. Unter den gesundheitlichen Problemen sind Rückenprobleme besonders häufig, gefolgt von Schlafschwierigkeiten und Kopfschmerzen. Herzprobleme sind dagegen eher selten ausgeprägt. Arbeitnehmer mit Hochschulabschluss sowie Manager und Führungskräfte sind seltener von Gesundheitsproblemen betroffen. Gesundheitliche Probleme sind insgesamt mit Zigarettenkonsum, Schlafstunden pro Tag, Sporthäufigkeit und Body Mass Index assoziiert: Je weniger geraucht wird, je mehr geschlafen und Sport getrieben wird und je geringer das körperliche Gewicht der Arbeitnehmer, desto weniger Gesundheitsprobleme liegen tendenziell vor. [less ▲]

Scaling evidence of the homothetic nature of cities

E-print/Working paper (2017)

In this paper we analyse the profile of land use and population density with respect to the distance to the city centre for the European city. In addition to providing the radial population density and ... [more ▼]

In this paper we analyse the profile of land use and population density with respect to the distance to the city centre for the European city. In addition to providing the radial population density and soil-sealing profiles for a large set of cities, we demonstrate a remarkable constancy of the profiles across city size. Our analysis combines the GMES/Copernicus Urban Atlas 2006 land use database at 5m resolu- tion for 300 European cities with more than 100.000 inhabitants and the Geostat population grid at 1km resolution. Population is allocated proportionally to surface and weighted by soil sealing and density classes of the Urban Atlas. We analyse the profile of each artificial land use and population with distance to the town hall. In line with earlier literature, we confirm the strong monocentricity of the European city and the negative exponential curve for population density. Moreover, we find that land use curves, in particular the share of housing and roads, scale along the two horizontal dimensions with the square root of city population, while population curves scale in three dimensions with the cubic root of city population. In short, European cities of different sizes are homothetic in terms of land use and population density. While earlier literature documented the scaling of average densities (total surface and population) with city size, we document the scaling of the whole radial distance profile with city size, thus liaising intra-urban radial analysis and systems of cities. In addition to providing a new empirical view of the European city, our scaling offers a set of practical and coherent definitions of a city, independent of its population, from which we can re-question urban scaling laws and Zipf’s law for cities. [less ▲]

Universal Reasoning, Rational Argumentation and Human-Machine Interaction

E-print/Working paper (2017)

Classical higher-order logic, when utilized as a meta-logic in which various other (classical and non-classical) logics can be shallowly embedded, is well suited for realising a universal logic reasoning ... [more ▼]

Classical higher-order logic, when utilized as a meta-logic in which various other (classical and non-classical) logics can be shallowly embedded, is well suited for realising a universal logic reasoning approach. Universal logic reasoning in turn, as envisioned already by Leibniz, may support the rigorous formalisation and deep logical analysis of rational arguments within machines. A respective universal logic reasoning framework is described and a range of exemplary applications are discussed. In the future, universal logic reasoning in combination with appropriate, controlled forms of rational argumentation may serve as a communication layer between humans and intelligent machines. [less ▲]

Tempered subanalytic topology on algebraic varieties

E-print/Working paper (2017)

On a smooth complex algebraic variety, we build the tempered subanalytic and Stein tempered subanalytic sites. We construct the sheaf of holomorphic functions tempered at infinity over these sites and ... [more ▼]

On a smooth complex algebraic variety, we build the tempered subanalytic and Stein tempered subanalytic sites. We construct the sheaf of holomorphic functions tempered at infinity over these sites and study their relations with the sheaf of regular functions, proving in particular that these sheaves are isomorphic on Zariski open subsets. We show that these data allow to define the functors of tempered and Stein tempered analytifications. We study the relations between these two functors and the usual analytification functor. We also obtain algebraization results in the non-proper case and flatness results. [less ▲]

Images of Galois representations in mod p Hecke algebras

E-print/Working paper (2017)

Wohlbefinden von Arbeitnehmern in Luxemburg

E-print/Working paper (2017)

Vergleicht man die Teilnehmer der Quality of Work Index Luxembourg Umfrage mit anderen europäischen Arbeitnehmern, zeigen die Teilnehmer aus Luxemburg im Durchschnitt ein geringeres Wohlbefinden ... [more ▼]

Vergleicht man die Teilnehmer der Quality of Work Index Luxembourg Umfrage mit anderen europäischen Arbeitnehmern, zeigen die Teilnehmer aus Luxemburg im Durchschnitt ein geringeres Wohlbefinden. Insbesondere jüngere Arbeitnehmer weisen ein tendenziell geringeres Wohlbefinden auf. Differenziert man die Arbeitnehmer nach Berufsgruppen, zeigen Manager und Führungskräfte, Arbeitnehmer in Dienstleistungsberufen sowie Hilfsarbeitskräfte das höchste Wohlbefinden. Arbeitnehmer mit geringeren faktischen Wochenstundenzahlen sowie Arbeitnehmer, die in kleinen Betrieben (1-4 Beschäftigte) arbeiten, berichten über ein höheres Wohlbefinden. Das Wohlbefinden ist hierbei nachweislich mit unterschiedlichen Arbeitsbedingungen assoziiert. So weisen Arbeitnehmer, je höher ihre Partizipation, ihre Rollenklarheit bei der Arbeit sowie ihre Arbeitsplatzsicherheit ist umso ein höheres Wohlbefinden auf. Das Wohlbefinden ist außerdem positiv mit Arbeitszufriedenheit, wahrgenommenem Respekt bei der Arbeit und negativ mit Stress und Burnout korreliert. [less ▲]

Evaluating How Child Allowances and Daycare Subsidies Affect Fertility

E-print/Working paper (2017)

We compare the cost effectiveness of two pronatalist policies: (a) child allowances; and (b) daycare subsidies. We pay special attention to estimating how intended fertility (fertility before children are ... [more ▼]

We compare the cost effectiveness of two pronatalist policies: (a) child allowances; and (b) daycare subsidies. We pay special attention to estimating how intended fertility (fertility before children are born) responds to these policies. We use two evaluation tools: (i) a dynamic model on fertility, labor supply, outsourced childcare time, parental time, asset accumulation and consumption; and (ii) randomized vignette-survey policy experiments. We implement both tools in the United States and Germany, finding consistent evidence that daycare subsidies are more cost effective. Nevertheless, the required public expenditure to increase fertility to the replacement level might be viewed as prohibitively high. [less ▲]