Jacques Vanneste

Explaining differences in productive efficiency: An application to Belgian municipalities

The purpose of this paper is to measure and explain variations in productive efficiency of municipal governments in Belgium. Technical efficiency is evaluated using a non-parametric method based on the Free Disposal Hull (FDH) reference technology. We first calculate input, output, and graph Farrell efficiency measures for a cross-section of all 589 Belgian municipalities. In a second stage of the analysis we explain the calculated differences in efficiency in terms of variables related to the structural characteristics of municipalities and to the institutional environment.

Exchange Rate Regimes and Exchange Market Pressure in the New EU Member States

Economic theory has stressed the vulnerability to currency crises of intermediate exchange regimes. ERM II constitutes a fixed but adjustable pegged exchange rate arrangement and can therefore be categorized as an intermediate regime, in contrast to polar regimes such as currency boards and freely floating exchange rates. Our regression results for eight new EU Member States reveal the role of economic fundamentals in explaining exchange market pressure in these countries and confirm the bipolar view on exchange rate regimes. We conclude that the new EU members should not enter ERM II before their fundamentals are strong enough to compensate for the vulnerability of the exchange rate regime. Otherwise the condition for entering EMU, i.e. preceding participation in ERM II without devaluation or serious tensions on the exchange market, could be jeopardized.

Portfolio and Short-term Capital Inflows to the New and Potential EU Countries: Patterns and Determinants

This unique and fascinating book illustrates that the ‘credit crunch’ and the ensuing financial and economic crisis of 2007–2009 did not only strike hard at the economy in the Western world, but also at its policymakers, at economics as a scientific discipline and, more specifically, at the process of European integration itself.

Critical Illness Insurance to alleviate catastrophic health expenditures: new evidence from China

Currently, a high percentage of China’s households face financial catastrophe as a direct result of excessive out-of-pocket (OOP) health expenditures. To alleviate this, China has set up the Critical Illness Insurance (CII) program since 2012. However, the current CII is still in an experimental phase and tested in 8 (out of 34) provinces, which has not been proved to be effective. This paper develops a health financing system for reducing catastrophic medical spending using a two-layer model for CII. This model partly compensates expenses exceeding the cap line of the Social Resident Basic Medical Insurance scheme to maintain the ratio of OOP expenses to total medical expenditure approximately at 20%. Adjustment coefficients based on individual net income across different regions are applied to increase fairness. The financial sustainability of the model is tested using a fund balance calculation. Finally, the two-layer model of the CII is empirically simulated with the latest provincial data from China Family Panel Studies. The results demonstrate that the model can effectively alleviate the incidence and severity of catastrophic health expenditures.