The aim of the research is testing the hypothesis on the convergence/equalization of financial market levels in the EU member states in the period 1993-2015. The assumption put forward states that the states that previously demonstrated low values of financial depth indicators, later showed outperforming growth rates of these indicators as compared to the states that initially had a certain relatively high level. At a macro-economic level the depth of a state’s financial market is defined as a total/sum of financial claims and liabilities in relation to GDP, and it shows to what extent corporations, households, and state institutions can finance their activities using financial markets and financial mediators. The relevance of the research is proved by the fact that the deepening of financial markets contributes to the increase in the level of stability and security in the economy, this way allowing to serve growing flows of trans-border capital. Deeper markets can provide alternative sources of financing during international liquidity crises, constraining sharp fluctuations of asset prices and currency exchange rates. The approach offered in the article is orientated towards determining dynamic changes in the development of the financial market in the EU member states. The main analytical apparatus for testing the hypothesis on financial convergence is based on the construction of “Barro regressions”.
Within thirty years, the relation between the Internet and the scientific activity has changed profoundly. The Internet has shifted from being an instrument of academic collaboration to being a tool used by social media, allowing for a maximum diffusion of irrationalism and alt-factualism. To understand this change, one needs re-examine the mechanisms of opinion convergence. This convergence stems primarily from the existence of the world we share, which exposes us to the same facts and determines the constant revision of each person’s beliefs. In this process of asymptotic opinion convergence, no communication between individuals is required. Of course, if the facts known by some are communicated to others, this convergence accelerates considerably, so much so that we must regard knowledge as a result of collective activity, and the exchange of information as one of its crucial sources. On the one hand, this epistemic cooperation seems natural and easy to implement. Given the properties of information, which is an asset we keep even if we share it, the sharing of information is not subject to the usual difficulties related to cooperation. Defection provides no profit, making the prisoner’s dilemma not applicable to epistemic cooperation. On the other hand, such cooperation is productive by nature: the collaboration of the one who knowns φ and the one who knows that φ implies ψ results in both agents having the knowledge of ψ, which neither of them had before the exchange. The earlier Internet allowed for an extreme intensity of this informational cooperation. At present, we are dealing with a different kind of situation. Several factors, including the growing porosity between scientists and the public, have strengthened the role of exchange. It is not an exchange of information, but an exchange of opinions. The biases inherent to human nature, and especially the confirmation bias, tends to reverse the relationship between facts and opinions. We search for the facts confirming the opinions we hold, doubt those which undermine them and create facts to corroborate what we believe. Hence, we go from cooperation to affiliation, dividing the Internet into homogenic groups of believers.
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Résumé. En trente ans, le rapport d’Internet à l’entreprise scientifique a changé. Nous sommes passés d’un instrument de collaboration scientifique à un dispositif de réseaux sociaux qui assure la plus large diffusion à l’irrationalisme et à l’alt-factualisme. Pour comprendre ce changement, il convient de réexaminer les mécanismes de la convergence des opinions. La première source de cette convergence est l’existence d’un monde commun, qui nous expose aux mêmes faits et qui détermine par révision successive des croyances de chacun, sans que la moindre communication soit requise, une convergence asymptotique des opinions, et ce quelles que soient les croyances de départ. Naturellement, si les faits connus par les uns sont communiqués aux autres, cette convergence s’accélère considérablement, si bien que nous devons considérer la connaissance comme le résultat d’une activité collective, et l’échange d’informations comme l’une de ses sources nécessaires. D’une part, cette coopération épistémique est naturelle et facilement implémentable : en vertu des propriétés caractéristiques de l’information, qui est un bien que nous conservons lorsque nous le donnons, le partage informationnel est exempt des difficultés qui affectent généralement la coopération. D’autre part, cette coopération est intrinsèquement productive : la collaboration entre celui qui sait que φ et celui qui sait que φ implique ψ met chacun des deux agents en possession de la connaissance de ψ, qui n’était pourtant détenue par personne avant l’échange. L’internet des débuts donne à cette coopération informationnelle une ampleur inégalée. La situation actuelle est différente. Un certain nombre de facteurs, dont la porosité croissante entre les scientifiques et le large public, ont mis au premier plan l’échange, non des informations factuelles, mais celui des opinions. Les biais notoires de la psychologie humaine, au premier rang desquels le biais de confirmation, tendent à inverser le rapport entre les faits et les opinions. On cherche les faits confirmant les opinions entretenues, on met en doute les faits récalcitrants et l’on crée des faits corroborants. En bref, on passe d’une problématique de la coopération à une logique de l’affiliation, segmentant l’internet en groupes doxastiques homogènes.
The paper proposes a list of five „stylized facts”, regarded as the main trends with respect to the development of the global economy in the 20th c. The author’s main purpose is to answer the question whether, in the light of the contemporary growth theory and demographic forecasts, these trends are likely to continue unchanged also in the 21st c. Taking into account this theory and those forecasts, the paper offers forecasts of the average GDP per capita for both the countries of the Technology Frontier Area (TFA) and the catching-up countries. By these forecasts, the strong divergence trend of the last two centuries will be replaced by a strong convergence trend during the 21st c. Moreover, the global rate of growth of the per capita GDP will continue to be high in the first half of the current century, but strongly declining in the second half.
The article deals with the basic trends of regions in the context of globalization and regionalizationof the world’s economy. The most important factors of regional development today are theinnovation resource areas, their institutional environment, political regimes as well as regional policy,and geographical and socio-demographic factors.
Has the world stopped spinning around a glass screen? Has traditional television been losing its unwavering positions over the years? New technologies specialists argue that video network endangers television. However, for 17 years, the time the average Pole spends in front of the TV has remained almost the same. As can be seen from the annual „Information about the problems of broadcasting”, prepared by the Office of Strategy in the National Broadcasting Council of Poland (KRRiT) in 2013, Poles watch television for an average of 4 hours and 7 minutes a day. TV still has its loyal audience, but it has to compete in fighting for viewers’ attention. The increasing availability of mobile devices and broadband internet access resulted in necessity of dealing with the changes in the use of media and the change in the needs and preferences of viewers. „Big Three” of broadcasters in response to recorded in recent years decline in the television market is taking action. One of these activities is to fight for the viewer in the network, through online platforms operated based on video on demand service – vod. In my article I will show to what extent the three major broadcasters in Poland use the content delivery network. The fact that theirs productions are distributed in the network is unquestionable. It is worth to consider the extent of this phenomenon. The article analyzes the internet video services: vod.tvp.pl, IPLA, TVN Player owned in sequence by TVP, TV Polsat and TVN.
The article deals with the ex post evaluation of the impact of drawing funds from operational programmes to achieve convergence in the field of tourism after the Czech Republic became a member of the EU. The evaluation of the achievement of convergence or divergence among regions is based on the beta and sigma convergence indicators which enable the evaluation of the development of time series of relevant indicators (in this case, indicators in the field of tourism). This evaluation was carried out within the regions brought together under NUTS II. The investigation is the result of evaluation indicators showing the achievement of convergence within the regions in only a few cases. Convergence was therefore not proven in all cases. In some cases, there was even a tendency towards divergence among the regions. In addition, the relationship between the aid granted and the annual growth of the chosen indicators was not achieved in all cases. This indicates that relevant local factors carry more weight and have a greater impact on an area than drawing support from EU funds.
The debate about the economic impact of multinational firms on a host country has been taking place for many years. Part of this discussion involves the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the unemployment rate and economic growth. Analysis of FDI development, unemployment rate and the real domestic product (GDP) was carried out within the regions of the Czech Republic over the last decade. Comparative method and correlation analysis was applied to investigate the degree of dependence between the FDI level and the convergence of the poorer regions towards the more developed ones in terms of the examined characteristics. Results of the comparative analysis indicate that the effect of FDI on unemployment and GDP is insignificant. Statistical dependence between foreign investment inflow and economic growth has not been demonstrated; neither has the correlation between FDI and unemployment been proved. Insensitivity of the monitored variables on FDI development can be regarded as a serious problem for the “effectiveness” of this type of incentive policy.
The paper deals with the relation between income inequality, innovation processes, economic development and income convergence within the European Union. The presented results suggest a non-linear relation between the economic development and the income inequality. There is also visible the significant influence of innovation activity and technology diffusion on the economic growth. We could observe strong and stable innovation-related polarisation into two different groups of countries in the European Union, as well as a phenomena that countries considered as technological followers imitate the innovation leaders very quickly. The real convergence occurs on the international scale, but not at the regional level. It seems that the latest tendency will remain in the future.
Achieved in recent years the sales of national dailies shows that publishers must constantly compete within daily newspapers market, as well as they need to take actions that will be the answer to substitute products, especially television and the Internet. This leads to the blurring of the boundaries between the media - leading to their convergence. Media convergence forces press publishers strategies , not only in their development, but also to survive in a competitive market. It is appropriate in these circumstances making activities that will strengthen the position of the publishing market . The purpose of this publication is to analyze the aspect of the transformation of the press in the digital environment - the introduction of charges for the available content on the Internet , and an indication that this phenomenon also applies to the local newspaper market . Exemplification of the foregoing is Gazeta Wyborcza
As economic stagnation continues to mark the EU in the fifth year of the euro zone crisis, political support for integration is waning. The European Parliament elections of 2014 returned a hitherto unparalleled number of Eurosceptic MEPs, with EU-critical parties becoming the largest ones in several Member States. Much of this Euroscepticism is driven by economic polarisation between core and peripheral countries. While an increasing number of voters in the northwestern creditor countries resent having to foot the bill for what they consider economic mismanagement in the periphery, voters in peripheral countries increasingly rebel against what they deem to be an economically catastrophic Diktat from Germany and its allies. Continued political support for European integration will hinge on successful income convergence in the EU but the current dilemma is that such policies might not be politically feasible. Periods of rapid convergence would seem to suggest that success depends on two main policy strategies. First, a monetary policy that promotes credit for productive purposes, leaves inflation control to other instruments, and employs selective credit rationing to prevent asset booms. Second, a vertical industrial policy prioritising selected industrial sectors. The first policy conflicts with the present framework of euro zone monetary policy, but that framework was only installed in the first place because many peripheral countries were desperately in search of an external constraint on domestic distributional conflict. Industrial policies, in turn, require a sufficient degree of state autonomy from business elites in order to be effective, but it is highly questionable whether most states in the EU possess such autonomy. Though there are, as yet hesitant, signs of a reorientation of both monetary and cohesion policy in the EU, the question of the institutional and political preconditions for their successful implementation has been largely neglected.
It can be regarded as we have a problem with the application of its provisions to the content present in the network in terms of law because regulations on media infiltrate boundaries – so, and the media themselves. Polish law is not adapted to the changing technology reality. And it is not only the universal use of social media. Traditional media also taking into account the convergence process are present in the network. The purpose of this publication is to analyze certain aspects of legal regulations concerning the distribution of content in cyberspace – on the basis of the law in Poland the media. To demonstrate that self-regulation in the area of electronic media has the great advantage that it can go in a relatively short distance for the development of “new” media. In contrast, new, precise regulations in the matter of electronic media are difficult to be implemented in a short time.
This paper compares three lists of basic ‘stylized facts’ of global economic growth and proposes a list of five ‘stylized trends’ that describe the main developments of the global economy in the 20th century. The author’s main purpose is to answer the question whether, in the light of the contemporary growth theory and demographic forecasts, these trends are likely to continue in the 21st century. Considering this theory, it is argued that the global economy rate of growth of the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) is likely to continue to be high in the first half of the current century, but decline significantly in the second half. This paper offers forecasts for the average growth rates during this century, and the levels by its end, of the per capita GDP for the technology frontier area (TFA) of the world, and for the countries outside the TFA. According to these forecasts, the strong divergence trend of the 19th and 20th centuries will be replaced by a strong convergence between the TFA and the other countries during the 21st century.
Language shift: The case of the Žeimiai area in the Kaunas-Jonava regionAs a result of application of the principles of multidimensional dialectology in Lithuania in the early twenty-first century, the research discourse of Lithuanian dialectologists now covers not only the traditional dialects, but also several local language variations that continuously interact and compete with one another in the same geographical area. The processes of convergence and divergence of language variations are addressed in a more comprehensive manner, not only analysing the linguistic characteristics of a local variation, but also looking into the language environment (or language landscape) and the attitude of the local populace (especially the young generation) towards their linguistic homeland.The linguistic study presented in this article was conducted in the Žeimiai area in the Kaunas-Jonava region in 2015–2017. It involved interviews with 21 members of three generations of one family (15 females and 6 males aged 19 to 95), over 20 hours of audio material in total; the informants also answered a sociolinguistic survey. The description and analysis of collected material involved: (1) analysis of the degree of viability of language variations used in the area on the basis of a model of sociocultural networks of Žeimiai town; (2) description of the linguistic landscape of the region; (3) description of the linguistic behaviour and attitudes towards local variations on the basis of informants’ replies in the sociolinguistic survey; (4) analysis of salient phonetic features of the informants’ speech that best describe the local language variation in use. The collected and processed material allowed the researchers to investigate the competitiveness of local language variations in this area, identifying ones that have greater demand with representatives of different generations compared to others (cf. Inoue, 1997, p. 41).In the opinion of the authors of this article, a local Lithuanian variation has developed in the Kaunas-Jonava region on the basis of the local Polish variation actively used for decades; this variation cannot be seen as a natural continuation of the Western Higher Lithuanian subdialects of the Kaunas or Šiauliai regions. What makes it different from the traditional Lithuanian subdialects is the mixing of ė and ie, o and uo in stressed position, and the processes of neutralisation of intonation in stressed compound and mixed diphthongs.These phonetic features, which, as the analysis shows, have been preserved in the language of all three generations to a greater or lesser extent, were absorbed by the Lithuanian dialectal language from the local Polish subdialect. Consequently, the local Lithuanian variation currently spoken in the Kaunas-Jonava region cannot be considered a direct continuation of the old traditional dialect. Przesunięcie językowe: Okolice Żejm w regionie kowieńsko-janowskim (studium przypadku)Kiedy na początku XXI wieku na Litwie zaczęto stosować metodologię opartą na zasadach dialektologii wielofunkcyjnej (ang. multidimensional dialectology), badania naukowe litewskich dialektologów ukierunkowano nie tylko na opis tradycyjnych gwar, ale też na inne języki współwystępujące na tym samym terenie, oddziałujące na siebie nawzajem i konkurujące ze sobą. Zachodzące procesy konwergencji i dywergencji różnych odmian języka są badane kompleksowo: przy opisie właściwości językowych miejscowej odmiany języka bada się otoczenie językowe (krajobraz lingwistyczny) oraz nastawienie mieszkańców (zwłaszcza najmłodszego pokolenia) do ukształtowanej sytuacji językowej.Badania językoznawcze przedstawione w niniejszym artykule przeprowadzono w okolicach Żejm w regionie kowieńsko-janowskim w latach 2015–2017. Przeprowadzono wywiady z 21 mieszkańcami w wieku od 19 do 95 lat, reprezentującymi trzy pokolenia jednej rodziny; nagrano 20 godzin rozmów i pozyskano dane za pomocą kwestionariusza socjolingwistycznego. Zgromadzony materiał został opracowany w następujący sposób: 1) wykorzystując sporządzony model sieci społeczno-kulturowych miasteczka Żejmy, ustalono stopień witalności używanych na tym terenie odmian języka; 2) zanalizowano krajobraz lingwistyczny regionu; 3) na podstawie odpowiedzi informatorów na pytania kwestionariusza socjolingwistycznego przedstawiono zachowania językowe osób badanych i ich nastawienie do lokalnych odmian języka; 4) dokonano analizy podstawowych cech fonetycznych języka respondentów, które najlepiej oddają właściwości miejscowych odmian języka. Zgromadzony i usystematyzowany materiał pozwolił na bardziej dogłębne zbadanie konkurencyjności odmian języka używanych w tym rejonie, to znaczy na ustalenie, która z odmian cieszy się wyższym prestiżem wśród reprezentantów różnych pokoleń mieszkańców tych okolic.Zdaniem autorek artykułu, w regionie kowieńsko-janowskim, pod wpływem miejscowej odmiany języka polskiego, intensywnie używanej przez wiele dziesięcioleci, ukształtował się lokalny wariant języka litewskiego, którego nie można uznać za typową gwarę dialektu zachodnioauksztockiego, kowieńskiego lub szawelskiego. Różni się on od tradycyjnych dialektów litewskich sposobem realizacji ė oraz ie, o oraz uo w pozycji akcentowanej, jak również zjawiskiem neutralizacji zestrojów akcentowych w dyftongach złożonych i mieszanych, występujących w pozycji akcentowanej.Te cechy fonetyczne, które, jak wynika z przeprowadzonej analizy, w różnym stopniu występują w języku wszystkich trzech pokoleń mieszkańców, zostały przejęte do języka litewskiego z miejscowej gwary polskiej. Dlatego nie można uznać lokalnej odmiany języka litewskiego używanej obecnie w regionie kowieńsko-janowskim za bezpośrednią kontynuację dawnego tradycyjnego dialektu litewskiego.
Popular literature has always been raising many different emotions and research issues. One of the research groups, represented by Piotr Kowalski, criticized popular literature thoroughly. A new wave of scientists emerged in the nineties. They tried out different research methods, criticizing popular literature (especially fantasy) much less than might be expected. This met with a huge degrees of scepticism from Kowalski who did not agree with those methods and tried to prove them wrong in his two last publications. This article presents Kowalski's views, in the meantime trying to argue with them.
The aim of the article is to present the characteristics of the long-term interest rate as one of the determinants of convergence as well as to use it in order to assess the convergence of Polish economy in relation to the euro area. As research methods, an analysis of literature and an analysis of statistical data were utilised. The research period starts in May 2004 and ends in December 2013. The long-term interest rate seems to be one of the most important measures of the economies’ convergence. The main reason is that its level is influenced not only by market conditions but also by determinants having their origin in the quality of economic policy (inflation target, authorities’ credibility, the situation in the public finance, etc.). Despite the relatively high value of the long-term interest rate in Poland in the analysed period compared to other European Union member states outside the euro area, one can observe a long-term downward trend in the difference between its level in Poland and the monetary union’s average. This phenomenon may indicate a gradual deepening of the convergence and increasing readiness of Polish economy to adopt the euro.
The article discusses conditional β-convergence in 126 countries around the world in 1975-2003. The authors offer a theoretical model to explain the essence of convergence. Unlike in most empirical studies, the authors assume that convergence, or the relationship between the rate of economic growth and the initial level of GDP, is not constant but changes over time. The model was constructed on the basis of panel data, using the Fixed Effects estimator and the Generalized Method of Moments estimator developed by Arellano and Bond. The results of the evaluation confirm the existence of β-convergence, which is much faster than suggested by most empirical studies. When per capita GDP is 1% higher, the rate of growth falls by 0.20-0.22 percentage points on average. The β-convergence indicator ranges from 22% to 25%. By assuming that convergence is not constant, the authors proved that there is a strong relationship between the initial level of GDP and the rate of economic growth. This shows that their assumption was fully justified as the main hypothesis of the analysis.
The authors set out to determine if the convergence theory passes the test in 25 transition economies. On the basis of statistical data for the years 1991-2004, using an econometric model, they analyze the influence of GDP per employee on the growth of labor productivity. They also consider other factors with an influence on sustainable economic growth. Considering the significant heterogeneity of the analyzed economies in terms of market reforms and institutional conditions, the authors divided the sample into three relatively homogenous groups: 10 new European Union member states excluding Cyprus and Malta; 12 CIS countries; and five Southern and Eastern European economies. The authors evaluated conditional convergence in individual groups of economies, concluding that economies with lower GDP per employee at the start of transition were characterized by a higher rate of growth for most of the analyzed period. GDP per employee primarily depended on investment in physical and human capital, the share of government spending in GDP and inflation. Moreover, the analysis showed that convergence processes in individual countries led to converging long-term economic growth rates, which were positive rather than neutral, contrary to the classic convergence theory.
The paper examines the evolution of views on convergence in development economics. The author describes the evolution of views on key factors and barriers to the process of bridging the gap in development in economically backward and developing countries. The author looks at convergence trends through the lens of the theory of economic growth and economic policies recommended to catching-up countries. A brief review of economic theories reveals that most theories focus on the factors and determinants of convergence. In the debate on convergence, the focus is increasingly moving away from material factors (physical capital) in favor of those linked with people (human resources) and relationships among microeconomic entities (institutions and social capital). However, this does not mean that material factors are less significant nowadays, Jabłoński says. Consequently, he adds, theoretical convergence scenarios should be built on the basis of material factors of growth and economic development. The way in which the theory of growth is evolving puts off the prospect of convergence between wealthy, developing and economically underdeveloped countries, Jabłoński says. The precursors of the theory of growth described convergence as a process that was in a sense indispensable and autonomous. Meanwhile, proponents of the theory of endogenous growth tend to see it largely as an illusion. In the context of his discussion of economic policies, the author concludes that, in determining the general framework for economic policy, it is necessary to avoid a universal approach based on Eurocentric and Atlantic modernization theories. The experience of developing countries from the 1980s shows that policies recommended to economically underdeveloped and developing countries should be adapted to these countries’ specific conditions, the author concludes.
The EU’s regional policy, especially the financial assistance directed to less socially and economically developed regions in an enlarged and diversified Union of 27 member states, is a problem of both scientific and practical importance. The article focuses on theoretical foundations including the theory of regional convergence and divergence and strategy for endogenous development. It then goes on to provide critical views which have raised doubts about the effectiveness of external assistance. In this context, the EU’s programmes directed towards the development of less developed regions are very important. The author concludes that the financial assistance directed towards less developed countries and regions is legitimised and even necessary. Taking into account its scope and the scale of needs, the primary source of financial assistance should be EU funds and also the countries themselves. If greater convergence between rich and poor regions is to be achieved, a strategy for endogenous development is also needed.
This study has been performed in order to assess the return on sales for business enterprises in Eastern Poland, compared to companies in other Polish regions, and to explore how values of this metric have changed between 2007 and 2013. The findings can be summarized as follows: in 2007-2013, the gross return on sales generated by companies in the provinces of Eastern Poland, as well as elsewhere in the country, decreased. However, the dynamics of these changes varied greatly between individual provinces. Within the whole conglomeration of the Polish provinces, certain processes of internal convergence and divergence could be distinguished. Divergent processes were identified in two provinces located in Eastern Poland, namely the Lubelskie region and the Podlaskie region, while the other three provinces in the same part of Poland (Podkarpackie, Świętokrzyskie and Warmińsko-Mazurskie) were observed to undergo convergent processes.
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