European Attempt Research Articles

THE WELFARE EFFECTS OF IMPERFECT HARMONISATION OF TRADE AND INDUSTRIAL POLICY

In recent years several countries have made major efforts to coordinate trade and industrial policies. Examples include the United States-Canada Free Trade Agreement and the European attempt to complete the E.C. internal market by the year I992. The design of welfare-improving policy reform is complicated by the presence of a large number of policy-induced distortions and by the imperfectly competitive nature of many industries. It is well known that the nominal reduction of a set of distortions, holding other distortions fixed, does not necessarily improve welfare. This conclusion, which arises because the reform occurs in a second-best environment, certainly survives the introduction of imperfect competition. We examine additional complications that arise when reform is carried out under conditions of imperfect competition. This subject, which is of general theoretical interest, is also of immediate practical interest due to the current attempts to harmonise European trade and industrial policies. The principal conclusion is that limited cooperation, as occurs in customs unions, may be worse for members of the union than no cooperation. This possibility arises because comparison of welfare under the two situations (no cooperation and partial cooperation) amounts to a comparison of two second- best equilibria. Such a comparison is, in general, ambiguous. An alternative explanation of the result is that different degrees of cooperation induce different games. A comparison of the equilibria of these different games is, in general, ambiguous. In view of this, the possibility of disadvantageous cooperation is not surprising.' This paper identifies circumstances under which the possibility is likely. We study the case where countries that form the union (i.e. cooperate) coordinate trade policy in an attempt to alter the incentives faced by imperfectly competitive domestic industries. For simplicity we assume that these industries, each of which is treated as a single firm, produce for export only. We analyse three variations of a partial equilibrium trading model, which illustrate different reasons why limited cooperation may be worse than no cooperation for members of a union. We study complete information subgame- perfect equilibria. Section I considers the case where n firms, each identified with a different

The Welfare Effects of Imperfect Harmonisation of Trade and Industrial Policy

In recent years several countries have made major efforts to coordinate trade and industrial policies. Examples include the United States-Canada Free Trade Agreement and the European attempt to complete the E.C. internal market by the year I992. The design of welfare-improving policy reform is complicated by the presence of a large number of policy-induced distortions and by the imperfectly competitive nature of many industries. It is well known that the nominal reduction of a set of distortions, holding other distortions fixed, does not necessarily improve welfare. This conclusion, which arises because the reform occurs in a second-best environment, certainly survives the introduction of imperfect competition. We examine additional complications that arise when reform is carried out under conditions of imperfect competition. This subject, which is of general theoretical interest, is also of immediate practical interest due to the current attempts to harmonise European trade and industrial policies. The principal conclusion is that limited cooperation, as occurs in customs unions, may be worse for members of the union than no cooperation. This possibility arises because comparison of welfare under the two situations (no cooperation and partial cooperation) amounts to a comparison of two second- best equilibria. Such a comparison is, in general, ambiguous. An alternative explanation of the result is that different degrees of cooperation induce different games. A comparison of the equilibria of these different games is, in general, ambiguous. In view of this, the possibility of disadvantageous cooperation is not surprising.' This paper identifies circumstances under which the possibility is likely. We study the case where countries that form the union (i.e. cooperate) coordinate trade policy in an attempt to alter the incentives faced by imperfectly competitive domestic industries. For simplicity we assume that these industries, each of which is treated as a single firm, produce for export only. We analyse three variations of a partial equilibrium trading model, which illustrate different reasons why limited cooperation may be worse than no cooperation for members of a union. We study complete information subgame- perfect equilibria. Section I considers the case where n firms, each identified with a different

On the Solar Model and the Precession of the Equinoxes in the Alphonsine Zīj and its Arabic Sources

Alphonse X, King of Castille (1252-1284), sponsored astronomical work previous to the compilation of the Alphonsine Tables, carried out by his two Jewish collaborators Yehudah ben Mosheh and Isaac ben Sid. On the one hand, these tables can be considered the first European attempt to develop original research in astronomy, but on the other hand, an analysis of this work should be concerned, first of all, with its Islamic precedents. This is why I tend to consider the Alphonsine Tables as another zīj which should be studied in the light of what we know concerning the development of Islamic zījes in Medieval Spain. Of these, two seem to be well documented as having been known and used by the Alphonsine collaborators. One of them is al-Battānī’s zīj, the canons of which were translated into Spanish (Bossong, 1978), and which may have been used to compute the solar positions for the end of each month appearing in four Alphonsine works (Astrolabio redondo, Cuadrante para rectificer, Relogio dell agua, and Lámina Universal). These positions have been computed, however, with the Alphonsine Tables themselves. The second zīj known in the Alphonsine circle was al-Zarqalluh’s Toledan Tables, used — as O. Gingerich has established — to compute the solar and planetary positions in the horoscope which was cast to establish the propitious moment to start the Latin translation of Ibn Abī-l-Rijāl’s Kitāb al-bāric fī ahkām al-nujūm (Hilty, 1954, lxii-lxiii).

The Concert of Europe-An Attempt at World Organization

The Concert of Europe-An Attempt at World Organization

De Expugnatione Lyxbonensi (The Conquest of Lisbon)

Although the Crusades are generally thought of in terms of the European attempt to conquer and colonize the Holy Land, from the twelfth century onward crusading also involved the reconquest of the Iberian peninsula from the Muslims. This eyewitness account of the capture of Lisbon in 1147 by the combined forces of King Alfonso Henriques of Portugal and a fleet of crusaders from the Anglo-Norman realm, Flanders, and the Rhineland is one of the richest and most exciting sources to survive from this period. Far more than just a narrative, De expugnatione Lyxbonensi vividly conveys the tensions between the secular and spiritual motives of a crusading army, as well as revealing a wealth of information on medieval warfare, the development of crusading ideology and holy war, and Muslim views of the crusaders. The new foreword by Jonathan Phillips provides insight to the latest scholarship on the integral place of the Lisbon expedition in the Second Crusade, the identity of the text's author, and his message for crusaders.

The Present Linguistic Situation in Ibo Country

Opening ParagraphA Bird's eye view of the present Ibo linguistic situation is not in one sense an inspiriting prospect. A rich profusion of dialects makes intercommunication a problem both for the 3 1/4 million Ibo-speaking people themselves and for the Europeans who live among them. The European attempt—a gallant effort in the face of extreme difficulty—to produce a lingua franca known as Union Ibo will be regarded either as a mitigating factor or an added complication according to the onlooker's point of view. In any case it has become to some extent a bone of contention as has also the question of orthography. Two different scripts are at present in use in the country, adding thus to the difficulty of the Ibo who wants to read and write his own language and of the European who wishes to learn it. And the lot of the Europeans faced by a difficult tonal and dialect-riven language is made harder by the fact that few if any of them get adequate linguistic training before going to the country or enough time to work at the language after arriving in it.

Bernadotte and the Throne of France, 1814

Previous articleNext article No AccessBernadotte and the Throne of France, 1814Franklin D. ScottFranklin D. Scott Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Journal of Modern History Volume 5, Number 4Dec., 1933 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/236060 Views: 3Total views on this site Citations: 1Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright 1933 The University of Chicago PressPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Phyllis Sears The Concert of Europe-An Attempt at World Organization, The Social Studies 35, no.77 (Feb 2015): 308–312.https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.1937.11016987