Abstract. Drawing on more than half a million granted patents in all technological sectors filed at EPO between 1998 and 2012 we gather information on 300,000 inscriptions affecting changes in their ownership at the EPO and top national registers (France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain). After grouping parallel legal events in different European validation countries, we find that more than 30% of...

Abstract. Notwithstanding the improvement in gender equality in political power and resources in European democracies, this study shows that, on average, declared interest in politics is 16 per cent lower for women than for men in Europe. This gap remains even after controlling for differences in men's and women's educational attainment, material and cognitive resources. Drawing on the newly...

Abstract: We explore how microwork platforms manage difficult tasks in paid crowdsourcing environments. We argue that as human computation becomes more prevalent, notably in the context of big data ecosystems, microwork platforms might have to evolve and to take a more managerial stance in order to provide the right incentives to online workers to handle difficult tasks. We illustrate this first through a...

Abstract. The European Climate and Energy mix of targets and policies has been criticised by many economists. In particular, it is often argued that the renewable energy targets do not make economic sense, because they represent an expensive option to reduce CO2 emissions within a cap-and-trade scheme such as the European Union ...

Abstract. Rangeland economists have noted that people tend to pay far more for ranches and rangelands than can be justified by the potential income from ...

Abstract. Using contract-level data, we study the relation between the inclusion of know-how in cross-border patent licensing agreements and the contractual terms used by firms to deal with moral hazard risks. We use official data on international technology contracts with patent licensing terms registered by affiliated and unaffiliated parties before the Department of Technology Transfer of the...

Abstract. Demands for secession from EU member states create a novel situation for the demarcation of the internal borders of the Union. When combined with withdrawal of the original state from the EU, this adds the complexity of simultaneously re-drawing internal and external borders. Situation differ among the territories in which political actors have voiced desires for independence combined...

Abstract. The aim of this paper is to assess several pathways of a harmonised European policy framework for supporting renewable electricity (RES-E) in a 2030 horizon according to different criteria. The pathways combine two main dimensions: degrees of harmonisation and instruments and design elements. A quantitative model-based analysis with the Green-X model is provided. The results of the...

Abstract. The energy sector is undeniably undergoing a critical period, faced with multiple challenges, whether economic, political or technological. These challenges are related to the requirements set on the sector to meet a wide range of social demands associated with the three traditional dimensions of a sustainable energy system, i.e., environmental sustainability, security of energy supply...

Abstract. More frequent drought is projected for California. As water supplies constrict, and urban growth and out-migration spread to rural areas, trade-offs in water use for agriculture, biodiversity conservation, fire hazard reduction, residential development, and quality of life will be exacerbated. The California Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis coturniculus), state listed as “...