Drivers Of Convergence Research Articles

The evolution of EU–US cybersecurity law and policy: on drivers of convergence

ABSTRACT The digitalisation of the economy increases the vulnerability of both economies in the EU and the US, as does its transborder dimension. Cyber policy has evolved over time on both sides of the Atlantic. The EU began initially to emphasise cybercrime regulation but its focus upon cybersecurity now dominates, similar to the US. The internal market has evolved as a rationale for regulation in the EU and to similar effect a market-led approach dominates in the US. While in the EU a comprehensive cybersecurity law has been adopted, the US lacks a uniform federal cybersecurity law. Despite many domestic divergences, there is considerable similarity between the US and the EU. Substantively, these divergences have not inhibited convergence. Geopolitical considerations as to cyber have accelerated an ongoing process, driven by the transborder nature of cyber security and the global leadership of the EU and the US.

Birds of a feather speak together: Understanding the different dialects of animals can help to decipher their communication.

As humans, many animal species that communicate via vocalization show a wide range of accents and dialects driven by environmental and social factors.

Drivers of convergence: The role of first- and second-nature geography

The analysis of regional convergence often stays at the level of documentation, with limited attention placed on the drivers of convergence/divergence dynamics. This article offers a systematic analysis of this, examining the role of first-nature (location, proximity, physical geography) and second-nature geography (economic structure, agglomeration, economic potential) in accounting for regional synchronicity in growth trajectories (stochastic convergence). Utilising historical data for Greece at the prefectural level and up-to-date time-series econometric techniques, we test for the presence of stochastic convergence in the country over three decades prior to the crisis; identify the pairs of regions which exhibit co-movement in their growth dynamics; and examine the covariates of this. Our results unveil a picture of limited-only and cluster-like convergence, driven predominantly by factors related to accessibility, sectoral specialisations, labour market dynamism, market potential and selected locational characteristics. This supports two propositions: (a) convergence is an endogenous process, related to shared and incongruent characteristics of regions; and, by implication, (b) regional disparities are structural (in the sense that they are linked to economic and spatial structure) and thus require targeted policies in order to be addressed.

Demystifying the Charging Challenge - A Driver for Convergence and New Business Opportunities

Demystifying the Charging Challenge - A Driver for Convergence and New Business Opportunities

Determinants of Conditional Convergence of the MENA Region Towards the Euro Zone: The Institutional Effect

The question of convergence between poor and rich countries is a central issue in economic growth debate in the last years. This paper investigates the β-conditional convergence of the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region towards the Euro Zone using a set of macroeconomic, institutional and government performance variables. We estimate a panel data with instrumental variables using the Hausman and Taylor method over the period 1980-2011. Our main findings highlight on the one hand, research and development and government consumption are the most important variables determinant of convergence. On the other hand, we emphasize the role of institutional quality like socio-economic conditions, investment profile and regulatory quality are relevant drivers of convergence of the MENA region towards the Euro Zone.

‘Differentiation by design’ as a determinant of convergence: comparing early EU selection policies in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States

This article seeks external determinants of patterns of convergence or non‐convergence in EU’s periphery by considering the selection strategies of the EU for the inclusion of various countries in different sets of policies as a powerful and understudied driver of convergence. The existing sets of policies form two different EU policy tracks, loosely termed ‘proactive’ and ‘reactive’ – their main difference being that only the former leads to EU membership, thus offering strong incentives for compliance that result in convergence. The question that is, therefore, posed is: What drives the selection by the EU of countries for inclusion in the proactive track? The article contrasts two different answers to this key question: the ‘differentiation by performance’ theory, and that of ‘differentiation by design’. The former argues that selection and inclusion of transition countries in the intensive ‘proactive’ policy track, and therefore in more expensive policies, followed their transformation efforts. The comparison of EU policies towards countries in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, however, supports the rival and less established differentiation‐by‐design thesis. The conclusion is that EU selection and inclusion practices seem to have largely reflected the EU’s own preferences and were therefore selectively responsive to transformation efforts from different groups of countries, thus providing evidence in support of the differentiation‐by‐design thesis.

Operational, technological and economic drivers for convergence of the electric power and gas industries

The economically recoverable natural gas resource base continues to grow as a result of exploration and production technology advances, and improvements in gas storage and delivery. As a result, the convergence of the electric power and gas industries and the parallel development of distributed generation will benefit consumers and minimize environmental impacts cost-effectively.