The main purpose of this paper is to provide the needed additional quantitative evidence regarding the introduction of environmental technologies, and to increase the possibility for generalization and thus policy application of conclusions. To achieve that purpose, a conceptual model is developed, and then tested on a large database of firms from various industries with the use of structural equation modeling. The results show that policy measures, past environmental investments, the importance of environmental technologies for customers and the firm performance have a positive effect on environmental investments. Furthermore, the results show that policy measures are a second-order three factor construct.
COBISS.SI-ID: 1660558
In this paper we study the impact of cognitive ability on college major choices using an administrative data set for full-time students enrolled in four-year business and economics programs offered by the largest Slovenian university. In contrast to existing studies, we are able to distinguish between general ability, measured with high school GPA, and major-specific ability, measured with grades achieved in major-specific courses. We show that students with higher general ability are more likely to enroll in Economics majors, while higher major specific ability (e.g. higher grade in Accounting) increases the likelihood of choosing that major (Accounting). We also find that both genders are more responsive to measured major-specific ability in majors that are traditionally more popular among them (e.g. Business Informatics for males). These results suggest that policy makers aiming to change the structure of the labor supply should attempt to change the major-specific abilities of students.
COBISS.SI-ID: 21031910
Slovenia belongs to a group of EU member states that have reduced their personal income tax burden during the current financial and economic crisis. The latest changes, introduced in the personal income tax system during the last two years, have primarily reduced the tax burden on low-income taxpayers. However, this was only the last step in a series of personal income tax reforms since 2004 that have on average reduced the tax burden on all taxpayers. Using an exclusive database of taxpayers and utilising a general-equilibrium modelling platform, we assess the consequences of these reforms at both the micro and the macro level. From a macroeconomic point of view, the initial positive consequences of higher private consumption and welfare are declining over time due the increased budget deficit and reduced investment.
COBISS.SI-ID: 1667726
We investigate the effects of memory on the stability of evolutionary selection dynamics based on a multinomial logit model in a simple asset pricing model with heterogeneous beliefs. Whether memory is stabilizing or destabilizing depends in general on three key factors: (1) whether or not the weights on past observations are normalized; (2) the ecology or composition of forecasting rules, in particular the average trend extrapolation factor and the spread or diversity in biased forecasts; and (3) whether or not costs for information gathering of economic fundamentals have to be incurred.
COBISS.SI-ID: 1651854
Using firm-level innovation data for a large sample of Slovenian firms in the period 1996-2002, the paper finds surprising results that innovation is not benefitting all firms. We find that only manufacturing firms with below average productivity growth (the lowest four deciles) are likely to experience significant benefits from successful innovation, while faster growing firms do not extract any additional benefits from innovation. This evidence demonstrates how innovation can affect the observed convergence of firms in terms of productivity in the manufacturing sector.
COBISS.SI-ID: 20564198