Union Member Research Articles

When the Dragon comes Home to Roost: Chinese Investments in the EU, National Security, and Investor–State Arbitration

Abstract The gradual rise of China as an economic, normative, and lending power has resulted in more protectionist measures in areas of the world that traditionally championed economic liberalization. Currently, 21 out of 27 European Union (EU) Member States have national laws or measures in place for the screening or review of foreign investments. However, such restrictive national measures can result in investment treaty-based arbitration under the existing bilateral investment treaties concluded by 26 EU Member States with China, as evidenced by the recent arbitration initiated by Huawei against Sweden. Therefore, this article assesses whether EU Member States are likely to see a spike in investor–State arbitral claims initiated by Chinese investors as a result of the former’s investment screening measures. To achieve this aim, the article first looks at the bilateral investment treaties (BIT)-level variables that can influence the initiation of arbitration against EU Member States, such as the presence and type of investor–State arbitration (ISA) clauses, the types of investments being made, the coverage of the pre- and/or post-establishment phases, or the inclusion of ‘non-precluded measures’ clauses. This is then followed by a look at other variables, such as the decreasing number of Chinese foreign direct investment into EU countries, the treatment of Chinese investors in recent high-profile cases, and the importance of security alliances. The article concludes that those EU States are at a higher risk of being respondents in arbitrations initiated by Chinese investors whose BITs with China include modern ISA clauses, cover the pre-establishment phase, and lack non-precluded measures clauses. However, EU States should wait for the outcome of the Huawei v Sweden arbitration before deciding whether the amendment or termination of the existing BITs with China is needed.

Determinants of Aggregated Embodied Carbon Intensity in Global Bilateral Exports by Firm Heterogeneity

Reduction of carbon emissions embodied in trade is essential in the context of economic globalization. However, studies have not yet measured the aggregated embodied carbon intensity (AEI) in global bilateral exports from the perspective of heterogeneous ownership firms and its key determinants such as environmental and trade policies. Using the hypothesis extraction method and gravity model, the study examines these issues with the data of domestic and multinational firms from 44 regions throughout the world between 2005 and 2016. The findings indicate the following: (1) The AEI in global bilateral exports of multinational firms generally outperforms domestic firms around the world, with the exception of some European Union member states. (2) Carbon pricing policy can better improve the bilateral AEI of domestic and multinational firms than environmental tax policy. Moreover, compared with multinational firms, carbon pricing policy can better reduce the carbon emissions of domestic firms but bring them much greater economic loss. (3) A common language favors domestic and multinational firms' environmental surplus in global bilateral exports, while a colonial relationship leads to their environmental deficit. (4) Compared with bilateral tariffs policy, improving economic growth is more helpful to reduce the bilateral AEI of domestic and multinational firms.

Empirical assessment of methane emissions, socioeconomic factors, and infant mortality in Europe

AbstractThe 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Target 3.9 aims to “reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination.” Methane belongs to the class of greenhouse gases and it is a harmful ambient atmospheric pollutant with adverse effects on human health. Hence, this paper aligns with SDG 3 and 11 to analyze the impact of methane emissions on infant mortality rate in Europe. Using an unbalanced panel data on 53 European countries from 1990 to 2018, we probe if the impact differs by union membership. Consistent findings from static and dynamic panel data techniques reveal that: methane emissions exhibit mortality‐inducing properties on the full sample, European Union (EU) and non‐EU countries by 0.041%, 0.037%, and 0.047%, respectively; EU countries show lower mortality rates relative to non‐EU countries by −0.164%; and mortality rate is persistent. Additional sensitivity checks by including nitrous oxide as a regressor indicates that it picks up the mortality effects of methane emissions due to collinearity (in the static analysis) but the aggravating impact of methane is upheld in the dynamic model. Likewise, the results are sustained when we control for outliers by excluding Russia (the largest emitter in Europe) and robustness checks using under‐5 mortality rate uphold the mortality‐increasing effect of methane emissions. Based on our empirical investigations, adequate policy recommendations are provided to help in stemming the harmful effects of methane emissions on the environment such that it reduces its adverse effect on infant mortality rate in Europe. These outcomes enrich the health economics and child health literature, and policy recommendations are discussed.

A Novel Approach to Determine Multi-Tiered Nearly Zero-Energy Performance Benchmarks Using Probabilistic Reference Buildings and Risk Analysis Approaches

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) mandates European Union Member States (MS) to conduct cost-optimal studies using the national calculation methodology (NCM), typically through non-calibrated asset-rating software. Nearly zero-energy building (NZEB) levels must be derived for each chosen Reference Building (RB), which are generally defined using deterministic parameters. Previous research proposed an innovative cost-optimal method that replaces ‘non-calibrated deterministic RBs’ with ‘probabilistically Bayesian calibrated reference building (RB)’ to better handle building stock uncertainties and diversities when deriving benchmarks. This paper aims to develop a framework to address two research gaps necessary for the successful application of the innovative cost optimal method: (1) providing objective criteria for defining NZEB benchmarks and (2) propagating uncertainties and financial risk for each defined benchmark. A robust approach for defining NZEB benchmarks according to four different ambition levels (low, medium, high, and highest) was developed by objectively considering distinct points from multiple cost-optimal plots employing different financial perspectives. Risk analysis is then performed for each defined benchmark by propagating risk from the posterior calibration parameter distributions to visualize and statistically quantify the financial risk, including robust risk, that the private investor could face for reaching each derived benchmark ambition level. The innovative cost-optimal methodology that incorporates the developed framework was applied to a hotel RB case study. The results showed that the developed framework is capable of deriving distinct benchmarks and quantitatively uncovering the full financial risk levels for the four different renovation ambition levels. The current cost-optimal method was also performed for the hotel case study with the RB defined determinitically and using the non-calibrated NCM software, SBEM-mt v4.2c. It was found that the financial feasibility and energy-saving results per benchmark are significantly more realistic and transparent for the proposed innovative cost-optimal method including a better match between the simulated and metered energy consumption with a difference of less than 1% in annual performance. Thus, the performance gap between calculated and actual energy performance that is synonymous with the EPBD methodology, as reported in the literature, is bridged. The case study also showed the importance of the risk analysis. Performing the cost-optimal analysis for a Bayesian calibrated RB using the mean value of the posterior calibrated parameter distributions without propagating uncertainty produced highly optimistic results that obscured the real financial risk for achieving the higher ambition levels of the NZEB benchmarks. Consequently, the developed framework demonstrated a time-bound tightening approach to achieve higher energy performance ambitions, improve risk transparency to private investors, and facilitate more targeted policies towards a net zero-carbon status. Thus, the proposed method considering parameter uncertainty and calibrated RBs is instrumental for devising robust policy measures for the EPBD, to achieve a realistic and long-lasting sustainable energy goal for European buildings.

The future of research on sustainable food systems: Building an early‐career network of agricultural economists in Europe

AbstractThe agricultural economics profession plays an essential role in the transition towards more sustainable and resilient food systems. The interdisciplinary perspective of the profession, the rapidly evolving methods and new data, as well as the diverse agricultural, climatic, and political and cultural landscapes of the European Union member states and associated countries pose specific challenges. In this study, we summarize what this implies for Early‐Career researchers and how the European Network of Early Career Agricultural Economists (AgEconMeet) tries to support these youngsters in their career development. Finally, we introduce the articles of this special issue that represent the diverse landscape of agricultural economics in Europe. [EconLit Citations: A11, Q1, Q18].

Determinants of open membership in brazilian credit unions

Purpose: To identify the determining factors of Open Membership in Brazilian credit unions between 2016 and 2020.
 Methodology: A logistic regression model was used to estimate these factors. The analysis considered both specific internal variables of the cooperatives (age, asset size, number of members, and affiliation to systems) and variables representing the macroeconomic environment in which these institutions operate (municipal development index, population size in municipalities with service points (PACs) and cooperative headquarters).
 Results: The main results indicate that a lower population size in the municipalities containing the cooperative headquarters and PACs increases the probability of Open Membership. Additionally, cooperatives with a larger number of members and assets also have a higher likelihood of adopting Open Membership.
 Contributions of the Study: The study highlights the predominance of cooperatives with Open Membership in smaller and less developed municipalities, reinforcing the role of these cooperatives in social inclusion, reduction of inequalities, and provision of financial services and credit to the population in these locations. Moreover, the results provide valuable insights for policymakers, financial institutions, and cooperatives interested in promoting socio-economic development and equity in underserved communities by the financial system.

Engagement against All Odds? Navigating Member States’ Contestation of EU Policy on Kosovo

ABSTRACT Disagreements between European Union (EU) member states constrain the Union’s capacity to manage conflicts such as Kosovo-Serbia. While Kosovo has long received EU support, five EU member states do not recognise its independence. How does the EU manage to work around member states’ vetoes and mitigate contestation? In contrast to previous scholarship, the analysis of the EU enlargement process and visa liberalisation, the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and the EULEX mission illustrate how institutional, technical and diplomatic solutions have allowed the provision of support to Kosovo, despite internal disagreements. EU member states have delegated to EU institutions the responsibility of overseeing day-to-day conflict management and integration policies concerning Kosovo and Serbia. EU institutions also use technical and constructively ambiguous language to manage conflicts and navigate the absence of political consensus regarding Kosovo’s statehood. Additionally, the EU has fostered diplomatic collaboration with the United States (US) and with actors from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to navigate through the Kosovo-Serbia conflict.

Corporate income taxation and external balances in the European Union

This study examines the impact of corporate taxation on the external balances of 27 European Union member countries from the late 1990s to 2021. Using an ARDL process and a 2-stage least squares estimation procedure, we find that, in the short term, higher corporate taxation is positively and significantly related to the current account balance and the trade balance for the whole sample. There are considerable differences in the effects in the euro area and non-euro countries, with the latter experiencing a much stronger short-term impact. In the long term, there are no critical differences in the results between the two groups, and the impact of corporate taxation is positive but statistically significant only for the trade balance. The size of the impact of corporate taxation on net exports and current account balances is of similar magnitude, which likely implies that the international profit shifting via manipulating intrafirm prices in international trade does not strongly affect the external balances in our sample. Our results imply that initiatives to increase global tax rates could be justified from an international trade perspective.

Can't Catch a Break: Intersectional Inequalities at Work.

The labor market is the site of longstanding and persistent inequalities across race and gender groups in hiring, compensation, and advancement. In this paper, we draw on data from 13,574 hourly service-sector workers to extend the study of intersectional labor market inequalities to workers' experience on the job. In the service sector, where workers are regularly expected to be on their feet for long hours and to contend with workloads that are intense and unrelenting, regular break time is an essential component of job quality and general well-being. Yet, we find that Black women are less likely than their counterparts to get a break during their work shift. Although union membership and laws mandating work breaks are effective in increasing access to breaks for workers overall, they do not ameliorate the inequality Black women face in access to work breaks within the service sector. A sobering implication is that worker power and labor protections can raise the floor on working conditions but leave inequalities intact. Our findings also have implications for racial health inequalities, as the routine daily stress of service sector takes a disproportionate toll on the health of Black women.

Youth and trade unions in Croatia: An overview and analysis of some theoretical and empirical insights

Based on the review and analysis of scientific and trade union literature, as well as the comparison of various primary and secondary research data at the level of descriptive statistics, this paper aims at answering some of the questions that arise in relation to the attitudes of young people in Croatia towards trade unions: the various reasons for young people?s non-membership or reduced membership in trade unions, the increase in young people?s distrust of trade unions, and the question of how familiar young people in Croatia are with collective labour rights and, in general, with the work and activities of trade unions in Croatia. The theoretical and empirical findings, presented and analysed, as well as the conclusions of this paper, could contribute to a better understanding of the attitudes of young people in Croatia towards trade unions, and could have an application value in the design of labour rights education programmes in the framework of civic education, as well as in the implementation of various activities to attract new members among trade unions themselves in the Republic of Croatia.

ПОЛІТИЧНА АКТИВНІСТЬ НАСЕЛЕННЯ В УМОВАХ ВІЙНИ

The article attempts to analyze the category of "political activity", to identify the main features of this phenomenon and to note the peculiarities of the political activity of the population during the war. It is noted that political activism is one of the forms of social activism, which has a purposeful nature and allows individual citizens or their groups to realize their own conscious position in life, political interests and aspirations. The level of political activity depends on the political regime and the political culture formed in society. Under totalitarian and authoritarian political regimes, it is more expedient to talk about political quasi-activity and ritualism as a result of pressure from thesystem, society, and government. The total mobilization of the population determines the coercive nature of political activity, based on the suppression or distortion of free political preferences, the pressure of external circumstances, administrative and party control. Mobilization quasi-activity creates the illusion of people's power. A real high level of political activity is shown by people who have a formed participative type of political culture, a clear orientation to the political system as a whole, and are active members of parties, public organizations, associations and unions. The article provides indicators of a high level of political activity, which are interest in politics, trust in state institutions, assessment of the possibility of one's own participation in politics, influence on it. It is noted that in societies with a high level of political activity of the population, the elite, the middle class and the general public are involved in political life. Thus, theoretical studies of political activity indicate that it can have different degrees of intensity and be determined by objective and subjective factors. It was concluded that in modern realities, the political activity of the population of Ukraine is determined and supported mainly by patriotic and humanitarian needs. The population of Ukraine demonstrates the ability for self-organization and social mobilization, and not only at the level of civil society organizations, but also through examples of individual activity. Examples of political activity of citizens are volunteering, the level of interest in political events. Political activity quite often acquires a network form, "taking place" on the Internet, blogs, social networks, on forums, public associations are created based on the principles of network structures, and their interaction takes place in solving specific tasks of providing targeted assistance directly to military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and those who need such help.

Continuing Education in Digital Skills for Healthcare Professionals - Mapping of the Current Situation in EU Member States.

The rapid advancement of technology in healthcare is creating new competency requirements for professionals, such as skills for data management and the adoption of new technologies, understanding the effect of digitalisation on clinical processes, and evaluating clinical safety and ethics within the context of digitalisation. These requirements call for improved educational curricula and ongoing continuing education in digital skills. This study, as part of the Digital Skills Training for Health Care Professionals in Oncology (DigiCanTrain) project, aims to map and describe the existing continuing education in digital skills for healthcare professionals (HCPs) in European Union (EU) Member States. Using a mapping study methodology, data was collected from experts in 25 EU countries through surveys and from online sources. Qualitative content analysis was used for categorising the data. The results show variations between countries in policy strategies, training organisation, and funding mechanisms. Educational institutions, employers, third parties, and national/regional authorities were found to be the main organisers of the digital skills training. Comprehensive accreditation systems seemed to be scarce, and practices also varied between countries. The study highlights the importance of adopting a systematic approach to enhancing continuous professional development in digital skills, which would ensure that professionals have equitable access to education, resulting in consistent, quality patient care across countries and regions. The findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, educators, healthcare institutions, and professionals.

The Passing of the "Other" European Dream: A Note on Eastern European Expectations of the Economic Benefits of European Union Membership

The Passing of the "Other" European Dream: A Note on Eastern European Expectations of the Economic Benefits of European Union Membership

European Union Membership: a Loss or Gain of Sovereignty?

European Union Membership: a Loss or Gain of Sovereignty?

The Minimal Effects of Union Membership on Political Attitudes

The Minimal Effects of Union Membership on Political Attitudes

Exploring Youth Preferences for Collective Action: A Comparison of a Grassroots Initiative with a Union-Led One

Many young individuals now prioritize involvement in collective action as a means to instigate societal change. Crucially, they have access to social media platforms, which help them connect with like-minded peers and coordinate efforts. Some of them may be thus more inclined to favour less conventional collective action over formal union membership. In this study, which draws on data from young British workers during the period from December 2022 to March 2023, we endeavoured to ascertain this cohort’s preferred approach to collective action. We distinguished between an informal grassroots initiative and one led by a labour union as a means to advance the rights of gig economy workers. To this end, we conducted a controlled online experiment. We focused exclusively on a specific age cohort within a particular timeframe, thus limiting our ability to determine generational differences in preferences for collective action and in attitudes toward unions. Nevertheless, the results do offer insights into the forms of collective action preferred by Generation Z. British youth were found to view the informal grassroots initiative more positively than the union-led one. However, they viewed the latter as potentially having greater influence on government policy. Furthermore, they were not significantly more willing to join one initiative than the other. Nonetheless, they were more inclined to recommend the grassroots initiative. This paper contributes to the body of research on the relationship between labour unions and young people. It also provides insight into how members of Generation Z think about various ways of participating in collective action.

Lusaka Call-to-Action 2022: A Call to Strengthen Public Health Emergency Operation Centers in Africa.

In July 2022, on the sidelines of the 41st Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union and the 4th Mid-Year Coordination Summit in Lusaka, Zambia, Heads of state and government, and leaders of delegations of African Union Member States called on member states, African Union through Africa CDC, and partners to recognize, prioritize, and accelerate the establishment and strengthening of public health emergency operation centers (PHEOCs) in the context of health security and in line with Africa's new public health order. Implementing the declaration requires a multi-dimensional approach that spans across governance, operational capabilities, partnerships, workforce development, and sustainable financing.

ИНТЕГРАЦИОННЫЕ НОРМЫ В СФЕРЕ МИГРАЦИИ: ПОНЯТИЕ И ЗНАЧЕНИЕ ДЛЯ РАЗВИТИЯ МИГРАЦИОННОГО ПРАВА РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ

The purpose of this study is to study the concept and significance of integration norms in the field of migration and their impact on the development of Russian migration law as a sub-branch of administrative law, there is a lack of development of the concept of integration norms and forms of their objectification.As a result of the study, it was revealed that integration norms have a set of specific features that distinguish them from the norms of international and national law, which is due to the very legal nature of their occurrence and the role that they play in achieving the goals of the integration association, which is the Eurasian Economic Union. Conclusion: as a result of the study, a definition of the integration norm was formulated, integration norms in the field of external labor migration of workers of the Eurasian Economic Union member states were considered, their subinstitutional place in the system of Russian migration law was recognized.

Impact of ESG-Related Government Efforts on Economic Growth

The subject of ESG and green economy is of high importance for most economists and policymakers around the world. It is, however, still debatable whether ESG efforts also add economic value and as governments are seen as the main driver in the quest of achieving ESG goals, I aim at studying what is the benefit of ESG-related governmental efforts for the economy. While the literature very well documents the general impact of public spending on economic growth and touches, on separate occasions, on environmental spending, few papers, to the best of my knowledge, this paper aims at filling a gap in the literature by studying the combined impact of different types of environmental- and social-related spending on economic prosperity. This analysis is performed on a macro level, using country-level data for the 27 European Union member states. By implementing a combined econometric analysis consisting of fixed-effects regression models, dynamic ordinary least squares and fully modified least squares, and Granger causality the results indicate mixed effects of ESG efforts towards economic growth. The findings suggest that increasing public spending on education and health has detrimental effect of economic growth whilst environmental protection government spending and taxation are not impacting growth in a significant way. The results can provide public policy advice as to how authorities should make use of their available resources to promote sustainability while retaining wealth creation.

Mechanical and biological methods of plant protection against agrophages in the context of the European Green Deal strategy

The intensive development of agriculture in Europe has caused that all European Union member states are currently increasingly expe¬riencing negative consequences such as depletion of natural resources, increased erosion and loss of natural soil fertility, increased importance of new diseases and pests, water shortages, reduced biomass production and decreased biodiversity of organisms. In the context of the common agricultural policy, as well as the need to limit the use of chemical protection of agricultural crops, agrotechnical and also mechanical and biological methods are gaining in importance. Mechanical methods of protecting plants against pests main¬ly consist in mechanical destruction of threats or preventing them from reaching plants in the field or agricultural products stored in storage. Biological methods, on the other hand, use viruses, microorganisms and macroorganisms to combat pests as an alternative to chemical plant protection. This publication presents available mechanical and biological methods that allow for minimizing the use of chemicals in agriculture.