This paper analyzes the determinants of case disposition times in Belgian first instance courts by exploiting a unique dataset of 174 court cases. Unlike previous studies, our analysis focuses mainly on case-level determinants. Regression results show that the use of expert assessments on average prolongs overall disposition time by 902 days. Furthermore, the number of pleadings, as a proxy of case complexity, also significantly impacts the duration of trials. Additionally, results indicate that case outcomes, such as settlements or plaintiff wins, are significant determinants of case duration. In addition to case-level characteristics, our results indicate that two civil procedure reforms aimed at accelerating adjudication led to a major decrease of case duration in Belgian first instance courts.

The European electricity markets have been undergoing significant regulatory reforms since the introduction of the first liberalisation directive in 1996. Theory predicts that liberalisation promotes cost-efficient production and competition and hence leads to lower prices. The goal of this paper is to assess the impact of regulatory quality and non-compliance with the law on electricity prices in the context of electricity market reforms. We address problems of endogeneity by using the Blundell-Blond System GMM estimator and find that vertical integration and market concentration lower end-user prices, all else equal. Moreover, improving regulatory quality and reducing corruption, both have a negative impact on prices when holding other factors constant. The intensity of the reforms has limited impact on electricity prices when these reforms are introduced in an institutional environment characterised by high levels of corruption and low quality regulation.

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Administrative burdens stemming from regulations are a worldwide cause of concern for policy-makers. Reducing administrative burdens has become an important policy objective in economic growth strategies for many governments. The European Commission set out a policy goal of reducing administrative burdens by 25% by 2012, although the literature provides limited evidence of its impact. Therefore, this paper examines the impact of administrative burdens on growth by using 6 business regulation variables for a panel of 182 countries. The results from the fixed effect regression analysis suggest that reducing administrative burdens in certain policy areas spurs economic growth. In particular, reducing burdens concerning start-ups and paying taxes enhances growth significantly. Furthermore, using a panel of 26 European countries, our results suggest that reducing the administrative burdens by 25% has a positive effect on growth of 1.62 % in the European Union.