"One of the Weakest Budget Players in the State”: State Funding of Higher Education at the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Prior studies have documented the pattern of decreased state funding for higher education in periods of economic contraction (i.e., the balance wheel phenomenon). This qualitative case study examines how policymakers in California and Texas made decisions about funding higher education at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when policymakers faced an economic downturn. Data comprise 28 interviews with key state actors and 69 documents. The analysis expands prior understandings of how state policymakers make budgeting decisions that affect higher education by exploring how they perceive certain target populations as deserving or undeserving of state support. The study also sheds light on the tenuous relationship between policymakers' views of higher education and their funding decisions. © 2023 The Author(s).

Reinstating fiscal policy for normal times: Public investment and Public Jobs Programmes

This paper upholds the classical Keynesian position that a laissez-faire market economy lacks a spontaneous tendency to full employment. Focusing on the UK case, it argues that monetary policy could not prevent the economic collapse of 2008-9 or achieve full recovery from the Great Recession that followed. The paper then outlines the case for fiscal policy to regain a permanent status of primacy in modern macroeconomic management, beyond the pandemic emergency. It distinguishes between public investment and automatic stabilisers, reducing discretionary actions to a minimum. It presents the case for re-empowering the State'spublic investment function and for reforming the system of automatic counter-cyclical stabilisers by means of public jobs programmes.

The reform of social protection in Morocco following the coronavirus pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has affirmed the importance of social protection. To combat the effects of the pandemic, countries have taken exceptional measures to preserve health and have introduced or adapted measures to provide income support to people who have lost their sources of income. The pandemic has also highlighted the weaknesses of the social protection system in Morocco, introduced in 1940, which is composed of a contributory system whose financing depends on social security contributions and regulations, and a subsidiary system which takes into covers people who do not have access to contributory basic social insurance. The kick-off for the implementation of the social protection reform in Morocco was given in April 2021 and should be spread over five years. The objective of this reform is to reorganize and improve the operation of the various social protection instruments with a view to greater effectiveness and increased efficiency and also to create new components likely to extend coverage. This large-scale reform initiated by Morocco requires an annual envelope estimated at 51 billion dirhams, which constitutes a major challenge for the country's public finances, which have been hit by the COVID-19 crisis.

The Moderating Role of Liquidity in the Relationship between the Expenditures and Financial Performance of SMEs: Evidence from Jordan

The current paper aims to investigate the moderating role of liquidity in the relationship between accounting and advertising expenditures and the financial performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Jordan. Furthermore, the present paper highlights the importance of managing expenditures and improving financial performance. Since the performance of Jordanian SMEs is extremely critical, furthermore, the present paper explores the possibility of empowering these businesses in order to achieve profitability. This paper is based on descriptive statistics, regression, and correlation analysis in order to analyze the data, collecting secondary data from 200 SMEs. The results demonstrate that accounting expenditures are key factors for financial performance, especially in SMEs. Moreover, SMEs are more sensitive to liquidity challenges, which significantly impact their short-term expenditure and consequently influence their financial performance. It is evident that accounting expenditures moderated by liquidity have a positive effect on the financial performance of SMEs. However, our findings indicate a negative effect regarding the relationship between advertising expenditures and financial performance. According to the results of this study, regulators may offer new regulations and legislation in the future to the Ministry of Finance and the Amman Stock Exchange.

Economic Role of Government Budget Revision in the Presence of COVID-19

Fiscal policies are one of the most important instruments of government to guide the progress of the country's economic development. They find significant use in cases where the economy is experiencing a period of recession, such as the current one caused by COVID-19. This study aims to assess the multiplier effects that budget revision has on the economy for the case of Albania, and more specifically by referring to the initial and revised budget scenario for the year 2020 which is characterized by significant changes caused by the presence of COVID-19. Referring to the multipliers from the input–output tables (IOT) the total effect that the state budget brings to the economy for a certain year is derived. From this paper, it appears that the budget restructuring that takes place during the year does not take into account the multiplier effect in the economy, but is mostly done for specific purposes related to certain government functions. In this context, it is very important that various options during budget revision are evaluated, concluding with the option that has the highest returns for the economy.

Análisis de la afectacion del presupuesto del Estado Ecuatoriano por la pandemia del Covid-19 durante el periodo Enero a Diciemre del 2020

The coronavirus crisis implies an unprecedented challenge for the present and future peace of Ecuadorians. The social and macroeconomic effect remains, leaving a strong gap, which aggravates the challenges facing the country, with a view to achieving inclusive and sustainable development. Faced with these situations, it is important to articulate a response to the crisis through ambitious and effective public policies that allow alleviating its effect, both in the initial stage of resistance and in the subsequent stages of reactivation and recovery. In this environment, the capacity to finance public policies is reduced in the country, due to the previous conditions of exhaustion in which the territory was with respect to points such as low productivity, persistent social vulnerability, or institutional weaknesses, and also due to the very effect that the crisis is having on public accounts and on financial conditions in general. This work is organized in 3 sections. First, the financing needs generated by the crisis are shown. Secondly, the different measures and possibilities that continue to be adopted and could be adopted in the immediate environment to finance the response to the crisis and overcome the liquidity pressures that the territory may face are analyzed. Thirdly, several surfaces for meditation and reform are proposed on which a more sustainable development financing model for the future could be based.

SOCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR THE ELDERLY AND LEGISLATIVE CHALLENGES DURING COVID 19

The proliferation of clandestine homes for elderly people is encouraged by the underfunding of the establishment of such centres by central or local public administration authorities and the small number of places available at already existing centres or the poor conditions that are provided. The elderly represents a vulnerable category, most of the people who live in such centres have a precarious financial or family situation or various chronic diseases that require constant medical care. Through this study, we want to analyse the causes and possible legislative solutions that can lead to the improvement of the lives of these people.

Sustainability of the Currency Board in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Conditions of a Negative Interest Rate on the Reserve Currency

The Currency Board in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) uses the euro as a reserve currency in the conditions of a negative nominal interest rate on deposits with the ECB. In this paper, we investigated the impact of negative interest rates on deposits and negative yields on bonds denominated in euro on the general advantages of the currency board and the consequences for the functioning of the currency board in BiH. The impact of negative interest rates was measured by the currency board coverage index (IC). A negative nominal interest rate on the reserve currency creates a negative seigniorage in the country of the currency board, increases the costs of issuing domestic money and reduces the competitiveness of the economy. The monetary policy of the ECB in the conditions of the COVID-19 crisis generates negative influences on the functioning of the currency board. The COVID-19 crisis poses a threat to currency board coverage in BiH. Technically, a currency board can also function in terms of negative interest on the invested reserve currency as long as it can cover the costs of its business.

MSMA Legislative Preview 2021

2020 Wins Women's Health The legislature has traditionally been supportive of making improvements to breast cancer screening coverage, and that trend continued in 2020. Healthcare providers must now perform either an intentional act or malicious misconduct in order to meet the requirements for a punitive damage award. Along with the texting while driving ban and vaccine issues included earlier in this article, we'll likely see legislation that tackles public health topics like a safe needle exchange program, gender-related treatments for minors, sunscreen in schools, access to a COVID vaccine, vapor product restriction and regulation, tanning bed ban for minors, bleeding control education, women's health, and many more. [...]we'll probably see a familiar bill that would create an alternative pathway to physician licensure for assistant physicians.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Disability Fund in Poland

This study addresses, for the first time, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operation of the disability fund in Poland. The study considers the impact of deaths on the number of survivor pensions and funeral allowance paid. We selected benefits which are a direct consequence of the death of the insured person and do not involve a medical assessment or subsequent steps in the insurance procedure, which allowed for a novel result, avoiding the time-gap problem. Data of four years were included in the study: 2018 and 2019 as pre-pandemic years and 2020 and 2021 as pandemic years. The research presented in this article (unexpectedly) indicates that there is no impact of the increased number of deaths on the increase in the number of survivor pensions and therefore there is no negative impact of the COVID-19 implications on the disability fund. The relationship between the total number of deaths and the number of funeral allowances is characterized by a high correlation with a positive direction.

ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF GOVERNMENT REVENUE MOBILISATION ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN NIGERIA

[...]this study focuses on the relationship between revenue generation and economic growth in Nigeria. [...]the study recommends economic diversification through strategic programs aimed at enhancing growth rather than remaining a mono-economy. According to Nzotta (2007), the tax system constitutes one of the very effective and efficient ways of generating internal revenue for the government. According to Alade (2017), government revenue sources comprise privatization proceeds, taxes, interest received, sale proceeds of goods, the commission received, and rent received among others.

PROBLEMATIC ISSUES OF ATTRACTING CRIMINAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CRIMES AGAINST INDUSTRIAL SAFETY

Мета. Дати рекомендацп по вдосконаленню нормативно-правових актш щодо регулювання вщповщних правовщносин у сферi кримшалтци дшнь, пов'язаних İ3 порушенням законодавства про охорону пращ. Методика. Дослщження проблемних питань притягнення до вщповщальноста за порушення вимог законодавства про охорону пращ здшснювалося через вивчення та аналш: законодавчо! бази Украши;робта науковщв у вщповщних галузях;аналшу судово! практики (на прикладi аналiзу судово! практики за справами, розглянутими судами загально! юрисдикци Днiпропетровськоī областi та Верховним Судом за останш 3 роки) з питань притягнення осШ до кримшально! вiдповiдальностi за ч.ч. 1, 2 ст. 271 Кримшального кодексу Укра!ни «Порушення шення вимог законодавства про охорону пращ». Результата. Виявлеш окремi проблеми, що виникають при формуваннi кримiнально-правовоī практики притягнення до вщповщальноста осiб, обвинувачених у скоeннi кримiнальних правопорушень, пов'язаних и порушенням законодавства про працю, що призвело до спричинення шкоди здоров'ю працiвника або його загибелi, у тому чи

Aviation policy instrument choice in Europe: high flying and crash landing? Understanding policy evolutions in the Netherlands and Germany

In the public debate on climate change in Europe, aviation transport has become a bone of contention and thus also a target of political regulation. While the actual available policy instruments, their designs and effects have been extensively studied, their political economy has remained a rather blind spot of research. Therefore, in this article we explore factors accounting for the instrument choice in aviation policy. Revealing most different evolutions in this matter, the Netherlands and Germany represent appropriately illustrative cases for a comparative exploration. Based on the Political Process-inherent Dynamics Approach, we shed light on a highly complex and limiting institutional environment for aviation policy-making and ultimately identify diverging conceptions of problem structures as well as different configurations of party competition as main explanatory factors for instrument choice and aviation policy evolution.

Measuring the efficiency of the healthcare sector in Poland – a window-DEA evaluation

Purpose>The main aim of the study was to measure and assess the efficiency of the healthcare system in Poland.Design/methodology/approach>An output-oriented Data Envelopment Analysis model with a 2-years window analysis extension was used between 2013 and 2018. The analysis was completed with a determination of the sources of productivity changes (between the first and last year of the study period) and factors that influence efficiency.Findings>Efficient regions have been identified and the spatial diversity in their efficiency was confirmed. The study identified individual efficiency trends together with “all-windows” best and worst performers. Using panel modeling, it was confirmed that the efficiency of health protection is influenced by, among others, accreditation certificates, the length of the waiting list or the number of medical personnel.Research limitations/implications>Although the analysis was conducted at the voivodeship level (NUTS2), which was fully justified, it would be equally important to analyze data with a lower aggregation level. It would be extremely valuable from the perspective of difficulties faced by the healthcare system in Poland.Practical implications>The identification of areas and problems affecting the efficiency of the healthcare system in Poland may also be a hint for other countries with similar system solutions that also struggle with the same problems.Originality/value>The paper explains the efficiency of the country's healthcare system while also paying attention to changes in its level, factors influencing it, spatial diversity and impact on the sector functioning.

Tunisia: The Need for a New Development Model

The Tunisian revolution took everyone by surprise. What were the immediate causes of this historic event? What are the economic and financial challenges facing the country? How can they be addressed? The Tunisian revolution has proven the failure of the development model that has been in force since the seventies. The country is, today, facing major economic and social challenges, mainly recession, unemployment, regional disparity, a growing budget and current account deficit, a high inflation rate in addition to a heavy external public debt. The low level of national savings makes external financing the greatest challenge in the short and medium term. What development strategy should be followed? The objective of this article is to search for an appropriate development model that is capable of achieving the country's economic and social objectives;the determination of adequate and coherent policies for its operation;and finally to provide the decision makers with practical recommendations to be implemented.

Sistemas de tecnología aplicados a la gestión del presupuesto del estado. Caso: México y Ecuador

: The budget in the States is a key factor for the economic development of the country. The objective of this article is to carry out a comparative study of budget management through a descriptive analysis, corresponding to the period 2020 - 2021 and its effect on the economy of the different sectors worldwide caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, among them Mexico and Ecuador. The study will respond to the similarities and differences in the management of Mexico's budget, which presents a slight recovery in economic activity in the first quarter of 2021 by 0.8% in GDP, but compared to the same period in 2020 had a fall of 2.8%. [...]Ecuador in 2021 had a reduction of -5.6%, due to the fall in government consumption (-8.5%), investment (-6.3%) and household consumption (-6.3%).

On Measuring the Impact of Internal Devaluation in Greece: Poverty, Flexibility, Migration and Growthless Employment

This article takes a critical view on austerity policy and examines its social and economic consequences for the case of Greece. By introducing the concept of “growthless employment” it demonstrates that the implementation of internal devaluation policies had a substantial impact on the Greek society that needs to be addressed. Within a decade, household disposable income was reduced to an unprecedented level while the labour market was extensively deregulated as several indicators can display. The seemingly paradoxical case of employment without growth—hence, growthless employment—can be interpreted as the consequence of the intensity of the mix of austerity policies that was imposed as “one-size-fits-all” without taking the peculiar structure of the Greek economy into account. A descriptive examination of this idiosyncratic state of affairs is offered, providing new insights on how the level of depreciation can be better assessed. It is argued that the overall severity of the crisis is better captured by the level of disposable income whereas a modified measurement of poverty and income depreciation is introduced for the same purpose. Lastly it is maintained that Greece has suffered by an enormous outflow of its productive-aged population in the aftermath of the crisis. All the above concretise the idea of growthless employment in Greece.

Addressing the Next State Fiscal Crisis: Toward an Ex Ante Scheme of Federal Assistance to States in Fiscal Distress

The Brookings Institute projects that state and local revenues will decline $155 billion in 2020 (5.5%), $167 billion in 2021 (5.7%), and $145 billion in 2022 (4.7%).4 Dwindling revenues are insufficient to cover mounting costs, and budget shortfalls are mounting.5 The looming state economic crisis has spurred a debate about the proper federal response.6 One position, often represented by governors or Congressional Democrats, advocates for massive federal aid to distressed states.7 In talks regarding the second COVID-19 stimulus, for example, Democrats pushed for more than $900 billion in federal aid to states, reasoning that states are unable to cope independently with their financial troubles.8 Without federal funds, argue the proponents of federal assistance, states may collapse, bringing the nation's economy with them.9 The other position, often represented by congressional Republicans, objects to using federal funds for state bailouts.10 According to this view, states should handle their own finances, and federal funds should not be handed out to poorly-managed ("blue") states.11 In lieu of federal aid, a state bankruptcy solution is offered.12 Bankruptcy law, it is argued, can reduce the states' debt overhang and spread their losses among their creditors, obviating the need for federal funds.13 But both of the suggested federal responses, bankruptcy law and ex post federal aid, seem problematic. [...]states don't have the resources to finance their rising costs, and a state economic crisis develops. [...]opposite to the directives of standard economic theory, in times of recession states cut spending and investments, and these measures damage not only the distressed states, but also the national economy. [...]as emphasized by opponents of federal bailouts, federal aid creates moral hazard problems. if states know that the federal government will provide financial assistance when they fall on hard times, they have little motivation to save or follow prudent financial policies.17 Second, and no less importantly, the Article shows that because federal aid is provided through a political process, it is dispensed according to politicians' personal interests and not necessarily pursuant to the beneficiaries' financial needs.

TAX SYSTEMS OF UKRAINE AND EU COUNTRIES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: CURRENT STATUS AND PROSPECTS

At the start of 2020, the world faced major challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. International institutions, governments and various organizations are forced to apply unprecedented restrictive measures in many areas of activity. The answer to these challenges by the governments of almost all countries of the world is actively manifested in tax measures aimed at supporting citizens and businesses. The article was devoted to the study of the level of taxation for certain taxes in Ukraine and EU countries in a crisis. The study proves the relevance of determining the optimal level of taxes to fill the budget. This study uses the method of comparative analysis, which compares the levels of tax rates in Ukraine and some EU countries. The optimal level of tax revenues to the state budget has been determined. The level of tax revenues to the Consolidated Budget of Ukraine has been analyzed and the main directions for improving the tax system of Ukraine have been identified. The necessity of focusing on the experience of highly developed EU countries in the field of taxation with the obligatory consideration of national characteristics is proved.

Raising Revenue for Good Social Public Policy

COVID-19 and its resultant economic decline have underscored inequities faced by women and people of color. In the United States, policymakers pursued different paths when attempting to recover: Some, like state lawmakers in Georgia, chose to cut funding for programs and services. Other policymakers invested dollars where the need is greatest. Moral investments that put the needs of people first, by creating jobs that pay living wages and help people afford necessities, and equitable policies that ensure everyone pays their fair share of taxes are needed to create a system where everyone can recover and thrive.