Organic nonlinear optical salt crystals are widely used as efficient broadband THz generators. Although solid state molecular motions of organic crystals can greatly influence THz generation characteristics, their origin and effects on THz photonics are not clearly identified. In this work, the origin of solid- state molecular motions of the state-of-the-art nonlinear optical organic salt crystals and their effects on THz generation characteristics are theoretically investigated. A model crystal, HMQ-TMS (2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxystyryl)- 1-methylquinolinium 2,4,6-trimethylbenzenesulfonate) with large macroscopic optical nonlinearity, which is very attractive for intense broadband and narrowband THz wave generation, is chosen. The solid-state molecular vibrations of HMQ-TMS crystals can be classified in three frequency regions: phonon mode region, intramolecular motion region, and their mixing region. For the first time for ionic organic crystalline THz generators, the contributions of...

Did increasing the level and pace of financial liberalization during transition expose countries to crises? And if a crisis did strike, did liberalization do more harm or good? Using a database of 28 transition economies over 22 years, this article examines these questions across a host of economic outcomes, including savings and the size of the private sector. The results provide evidence that, while liberalization may initially increase the probability of a crisis, the prospect of a crisis drops dramatically at higher levels of financial openness. Moreover, the benefits of liberalization across several metrics outweigh the risks of these intermediate stages.

The transition from communism to capitalism was necessarily accompanied by a sudden and abrupt increase in the financialization of society. This increase occurred in an environment that, even now, still has little experience with or expertise in financialization. Given that financialization occurred simultaneously with the growth and evolution of other political and economic institutions, the question arises: What was the effect on these other nascent institutions like property rights? This article empirically analyzes the relationship between financialization and property rights in transition countries. Using a unique monthly database of twenty transition countries over a period from 1989 to 2012, this article finds that the influence of financialization depends on which definition of “financialization” is used. In particular, increases in basic financial intermediation improved property rights. However, higher-order “financialization,” proxied here by the size of capital markets a...

The theory behind special economic zones (SEZs) focuses on their role in overcoming broader policy failings in a country. This paper hypothesizes that the ability of smaller countries to reform more quickly provides a theoretical ‘missing link’ as to how SEZs can assist reform, developing the idea of SEZs as a ‘small country in a large country’. Using a new database, the paper tests this proposition by examining if SEZs have actually been able to spur on institutional improvement in large countries. Results show that SEZs do influence the institutional development of a country, contingent upon prevailing institutional trends.

The contribution of foreign banks to the development of the financial sectors in emerging markets, and especially the transition economies of Central and Eastern Europe, is well-known. The purpose of this article is to focus on an area of foreign bank influence that has thus far only begun to emerge from the extant literature: the effect of foreign banks on the broader business environment in transition. In addition to improving financial intermediation and broader access to credit, has the presence of foreign financial institutions helped to shape a better business environment in the long-run? Or did foreign banks retard local institutional development and thus worsen the overall business environment? Using cointegration techniques across a sample of 21 diverse transition countries from 1983 to 2015, I find that foreign bank entry had a positive impact across business environment indicators, but with some indicators taking longer to influence than others. The policy implications ar...

This paper advances a logical, if possibly controversial, thesis: institutional design is inherently a product of identity, at both the individual and group level. Building on recent advances in identity economics and new institutional economics, this research shows how identity can be used to explain institutional genesis and the persistence of “inefficient” institutions. Applying this model to Poland in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it is evident that the identity-based institutional building which had served individuals so well under occupation in Poland resulted in “inefficient” institutions, unsuited for the changing external environment. Only taking an identity lens to the Polish experience can we see a satisfactory explanation for the failure of institutions in interwar Poland.

Special economic zones (SEZs) in Poland were established explicitly to enhance regional development, crafting a series of investment incentives designed to boost investment attractiveness in particular regions. How have these incentives fared in reality? To capture the impact of SEZs upon regional development in the country, we use a counterfactual evaluation method across a number of important metrics, including company investment, number of companies and unemployment. The analysis shows that SEZs have had a strongly positive impact upon the development of the least-developed regions in Poland, while in relatively richer ones the effect was weak or even negative.

An increasing amount of Web users is turning to ad blockers to avoid ads, which Web users perceive as annoying, an invasion of privacy, or as slackening their Web experience. Ad blocker users still encounter online advertising on their Web journey although using ad blockers. While there has been significant research into factors driving ad blocker adoption, the effects of online advertising on brand perception for ad blocker users are not well understood. To approach this white space, we conduct an online survey. We build two groups, ad blocker users and non-users. We then check for significant differences in likeability toward and perceived positive image of the brands the groups saw online ads. In our analysis, we did not find any significant difference neither in the first nor in the second variable between ad blocker users and non-users for when they see online advertising. We conclude that ad blocker users remain interesting targets for advertisers.

Obwohl der Invaliditätsgrad «so konkret wie möglich» bestimmt werden soll, hat sich die Praxis sehr weit von diesem Grundsatz entfernt. Insbesondere die Anwendung der LSE-Tabellen führt zu massiven Verzerrungen. Im Hinblick auf die künftigen stufenlosen IV-Renten sowie den Eingliederungsanspruch sind diese Befunde alarmierend. Die Umsetzungsvorschläge des Bundesrats zur «Weiterentwicklung der Invalidenversicherung» weisen zudem in die falsche Richtung.