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Europe > Switzerland

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 15 items for :

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Cover IMF Working Papers
Home or Away? Profit Shifting with Territorial Taxation
Dominika Langenmayr
and
Ms. Li Liu
In 2009, the United Kingdom abolished the taxation of profits earned abroad and introduced a territorial tax system. Under the territorial system, firms have strong incentives to shift profits abroad. Using a difference-in-differences research design, we show that the profitability of UK subsidiaries in low-tax countries increased after the reform compared to subsidiaries of non-UK multinationals in the same countries by an average of 2 percentage points. This increase in profit shifting also leads to increases in measured productivity of the foreign affiliates of UK multinationals of between 5 and 9 percent.
Keywords:
profit shifting; territorial tax system; multinational firms; shifted profit; UK multinational; UK subsidiary; difference-in-differences research design; Total factor productivity; Transnational corporations; Corporate income tax; Income; Wages; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Why U.S. Immigration Matters for the Global Advancement of Science
Ruchir Agarwal
,
Patrick Gaulé
, and
Geoff Smith
This paper studies the impact of U.S. immigration barriers on global knowledge production. We present four key findings. First, among Nobel Prize winners and Fields Medalists, migrants to the U.S. play a central role in the global knowledge network—representing 20-33% of the frontier knowledge producers. Second, using novel survey data and hand-curated life-histories of International Math Olympiad (IMO) medalists, we show that migrants to the U.S. are up to six times more productive than migrants to other countries—even after accounting for talent during one’s teenage years. Third, financing costs are a key factor preventing foreign talent from migrating abroad to pursue their dream careers, particularly for talent from developing countries. Fourth, certain ‘push’ incentives that reduce immigration barriers—by addressing financing constraints for top foreign talent—could increase the global scientific output of future cohorts by 42 percent. We concludeby discussing policy options for the U.S. and the global scientific community.
Keywords:
Immigration; Science; Talent; Universities; WP; IMO medalist; migrants to the U.S.; IMO participant; productivity regression; IMO point; Migration; Productivity; Income; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Switzerland: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
This Selected Issues paper on Switzerland models the evolving behavior of the Swiss franc relative to the world’s major reserve currencies and considers possible reasons for the shifts. Economic fundamentals, including country-partners and currency of denomination of Swiss trade and finance, are likely to affect which currencies the franc co-moves with, although these factors tend to change only slowly. The behavior of the Swiss franc may have also been affected by the global financial crisis and its aftermath, as well as the shift in recent years from synchronized to divergent monetary policies by the major central banks. Identifying reserve currency blocks and the de facto behavior of currencies is an ongoing pursuit. The two dimensions of exchange regimes—the anchor currency (basket) and the degree of exchange rate flexibility—should be identified simultaneously. The implied regimes align well with Switzerland’s de facto exchange rate arrangements and monetary policy frameworks. The approach used in this paper identifies how the franc co-moves with the major reserve currencies but is agnostic about the driving forces behind these moves.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; wage; franc; currency; SNB; monetary policy; brake rule; wage gap; gap vis-à-vis; liquidity mismatch; long-run wage-productivity relationship; SNB's FX purchase; reserve portfolio; wage Phillips curve; Currencies; Wage gap; Wages; Labor productivity; Real wages; Global; Europe; Eastern Europe
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Cross-Country Report on Inflation: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
This Selected Issues paper examines the causes and drivers of low inflation in European inflation targeting countries outside the euro area, focusing on the Czech Republic, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland. It estimates the effects on inflation from the output gap and external factors, including oil price changes, nominal effective exchange rate (NEER) fluctuations, and euro area inflation spillovers. It is observed that external factors have been significant drivers of low inflation recently, though their contributions to inflation and the channels through which they operate vary across countries. Policy responses and options are also discussed, taking into account country-specific circumstances.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; inflation expectation; CPI inflation response; inflation objective; inflation falling; inflation fluctuation; inflation shock; inflation spillover; inflation targeters; inflation tolerance band; medium-term inflation expectation; noncore inflation; protracted inflation shock; inflation response; euro area inflation spillover; area inflation spillover; central bank; low inflation; Inflation; Exchange rates; Output gap; Oil prices; Central bank policy rate; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
The Macroeconomic Effects of Public Investment: Evidence from Advanced Economies
Mr. Abdul d Abiad
,
Davide Furceri
, and
Petia Topalova
This paper provides new evidence of the macroeconomic effects of public investment in advanced economies. Using public investment forecast errors to identify the causal effect of government investment in a sample of 17 OECD economies since 1985 and model simulations, the paper finds that increased public investment raises output, both in the short term and in the long term, crowds in private investment, and reduces unemployment. Several factors shape the macroeconomic effects of public investment. When there is economic slack and monetary accommodation, demand effects are stronger, and the public-debt-to-GDP ratio may actually decline. Public investment is also more effective in boosting output in countries with higher public investment efficiency and when it is financed by issuing debt.
Keywords:
WP; investment shock; public investment; investment; Fiscal policy; Growth; Debt; investment efficiency; efficiency frontier; crowding in; investment behavior well; Public investment spending; Private investment; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Okun's Law: Fit at 50?
Laurence M. Ball
,
Mr. Daniel Leigh
, and
Mr. Prakash Loungani
This paper asks how well Okun’s Law fits short-run unemployment movements in the United States since 1948 and in twenty advanced economies since 1980. We find that Okun’s Law isa strong and stable relationship in most countries, one that did not change substantiallyduring the Great Recession. Accounts of breakdowns in the Law, such as the emergence of“jobless recoveries,” are flawed. We also find that the coefficient in the relationship—the effect of a one percent change in output on the unemployment rate—varies substantially across countries. This variation is partly explained by idiosyncratic features of national labormarkets, but it is not related to differences in employment protection legislation.
Keywords:
WP; absolute value; Unemploymnent; Okun’s law; Economic fluctuations; Law captures factor; Law coefficient; unemployment rate; coefficient estimate; estimates of Okun's Law; unemployment-output relationship; unemployment-employment relation; Unemployment; Employment; Unemployment rate; Output gap; Employment protection
Cover IMF Working Papers
Analysis of the Efficiency and Profitability of the Japanese Banking System
Ms. Elena Loukoianova
The paper analyzes the efficiency and profitability of Japanese banks from 2000-06. It uses a non-parametric approach, the data envelopment analysis (DEA) to analyze banks' cost and revenue efficiency. The results show that the performance of Japanese banks has steadily improved since 2001, but there are significant differences within the banking sector, with regional banks being less cost and revenue efficient relative to both City and Trust banks. While Japanese bank profitability is low compared to that in other advanced countries, there is considerable potential for efficiency gains, particularly through increased cost-sharing arrangements among regional banks, consolidation of regional banks with major or other regional banks, and the creation of bank consortia to pool resources for asset and risk management.
Keywords:
WP; bank; Trust bank; City bank; regional bank
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Japan: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund
This Selected Issues paper examines the factors behind the recent surge in capital flows in Japan. The paper presents econometric evidence on the influence of these capital flows on the medium-term dynamics of the yen. It finds that in the case of the yen–dollar rate, nontrade factors affecting capital flows are likely to delay the adjustment of the yen-dollar rate to its long-term equilibrium value. The paper also draws on recent international experiences and trends to identify and review some of the key tax issues and options for meeting these challenges.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; yen; bank; Japan; exchange rate; City bank; yen-dollar rate; regional bank; yen-U.S. dollar adjustment; Trust bank; yen-dollar exchange rate; Commercial banks; Information technology in revenue administration; Exchange rates; Corporate income tax; Productivity; Global; Asia and Pacific; North America; Central and Eastern Europe
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Switzerland: Financial Sector Assessment Program: Technical Note: The Swiss Banking System: Structure, Performance, and Medium-Term Challenges
International Monetary Fund
This technical note discusses the banking system structure, performance, and medium-term challenges for Switzerland. The note discusses that the Swiss banking sector has been undergoing a substantial consolidation over the last 10 years, but retains a rich collection of institutional types operating in various business segments. Consolidation has been partly driven by competitive pressures following the burst of the housing market bubble and entailed a substantial reduction in the number of institutions and branches. Smaller banks have been also developing owing to various types of cost-sharing arrangements.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; bank segment; cantonal bank; Raiffeisen bank; bank concentration ratios; TE estimate; bank assets; Commercial banks; Foreign banks; Total factor productivity; Productivity; Cooperative banks; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Switzerland: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund
This Selected Issues paper attempts to quantify the impact of the demographic shift on growth and public finances in Switzerland. It examines the intertemporal consistency between current policy plans and unfunded liabilities, focusing primarily on social security, and explores policy options. It finds that so far, the impact of aging on the economy has been moderate. The number of pensioners has risen in recent years, but this is mainly owing to early retirees taking advantage of the generous disability and pension systems. The paper also examines the need for health care reforms in Switzerland.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; Switzerland; asset; cost; government; government majority; asset type; assets of bank; government regulation; high quality asset; Aging; Health care; Health care spending; Insurance companies; Global; Europe