It is often argued that multinationals are reluctant to transfer technology due to the fear of spillovers. We show that this need not be the case if host country policies like taxation are taken into account. Furthermore, we examine the incentives the multinational and the host country have to engage in an international joint venture. We show why a multinational may agree to enter a joint ventu...

Although WWW browsers such as Netscape already offer some support for operation under low bandwidth connections, this is still unsuited for mobile environments. In contrast to fixed networks, here connection time is usually expensive and thus clients cannot afford long sessions. MobiScape uses the proxy interface present on modern navigation tools. It intercepts the HTTP data flow, compresses i...

Many developing countries periodically face large adverse shocks to their economies. We study two distinct types of such shocks large declines in the price of a country’s commodity exports and severe natural disasters , both of which have occurred frequently in the recent past. Unsurprisingly, adverse shocks reduce the short-term growth of constant-price GDP and we analyze which structural poli...

Fatalities from illegal immigration from Africa to Europe are a grave reality. The phenomenon represents a major challenge for both home and host countries. Nonetheless, almost nothing is known about how themotivations of potentially illegally migrating individuals are formed. This paper aims to explain the factors behind the formation of the willingness to migrate illegally knowing that death ...

Our paper applies new institutional economics theory to a unique data set of the world‘s low-income economies to examine the association between host governments‘ social policies and their ability to attract foreign direct investment. We add to this another new data set to explore the direct and indirect role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the business-society-government interface. ...

Micronutrient deficiency conditions are a major global public health problem. While the private sector has an important role in addressing this problem, the main responsibility lies with national governments, in cooperation with international agencies and donors. Mandatory fortification of basic foods provides a basic necessary intake for the majority and needs to be supported by provision of e...