Eco’Diagnostic has been working since the beginning in a number of projects dealing with the development of public finance; on both sides of the budget, by analysing current or investment expenditures as well as fiscal and other revenues, e.g. their structural and short-term determinants (elasticity, business cycle, fiscal techniques…). The analysis can also be on specific functions of the state or on a particular tax and its economic and social impact.

Institution building and the improvement of governance are two important issues not only in developing countries and transitional economies but also in economically most advanced countries. Eco’Diagnostic has developed an expertise in this domain through the execution of mandates aiming at the consolidation of civil society and public sector institutions. The screening of public administration and their human resources policies constitute specific domains of analysis and research: e.g. remuneration schemes, work conditions, prospective human resources management.

Laws and public regulations are often based on political compromises and may pursue therefore a number of different objectives which are not necessarily coherent, or even contradictory. The “evaluation of public policy”, as a recent methodology of investigation, allows verifying if the observed impact of public regulations corresponds to the stated or implicit objectives of the legislator. This exercise usually leads to a series of recommendations intended to all stakeholders.

Besides social security, health and education are the two other most important functions of the State; this is true from the point of view of the private and public service providers, the regulators, as well as from the perspective of the consumers and citizens, who ultimately finance the services. The increasing complexity of those domains and their importance for the welfare and the future of the population require new approaches and competences in management and analysis capabilities in the face of exploding costs. The various activities performed by the public sector/administration need some minimum coordination between partial policies and the various sources of financing. Eco’Diagnostic provides expert advice and economic and financial analysis in a number of subjects related to health and education policies of government.

The Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) constitute the backbones of the economy providing two thirds of employment (and GDP). Within SMEs, total employment is split up roughly equally between micro-enterprises (employing less than 10 employees) and small and medium-sized enterprises. Since the early 1990s, Eco’Diagnostic has regularly conducted research and surveys on specific themes in connection with Swiss SMEs (internationalisation, causes of failure and bankruptcy, financing, high growth SMEs, cluster, local and regional SME policies, etc.). Eco’Diagnostic has contributed to various reports of the Observatory of European SMEs (1998-2003) and of the OECD (global value chain, effects of economic crisis).

An increasing number of public and social institutions as well as private for profit enterprises and NGOs want to know the impact of their activities on the industry, the regional economy, the society or the environment. They do not only provide directly employment and added value, but they also indirectly generate additional income and jobs in the region where they are established. They may contribute to structural changes and be part of an overall economic strategy of local, regional or central governments. The same applies to sport, cultural and other (mega-) events which may have additional positive non economic effects. However, negative aspects such as pollution, congestion, and crowding out effects come increasingly under scrutiny. Eco’Diagnostic has undertaken several socio-economic impact studies (e.g. on casinos, universities, and headquarters of multinationals).

The globalisation of the economy and finance, as well as the European and other regional integration efforts, may fundamentally change the context in which enterprises operate and are doing business (see e.g. http://www.doingbusiness.org), in particular for the medium sized enterprises. These enterprises are increasingly confronted with delicate decisions on international and transnational issues, e.g. in terms of localisation, of dialogue with foreign authorities, or regarding the opportunity to set up a partnership, or to proceed to a fusion or undertake an acquisition. Taking the right decisions requires a careful analysis of the trends that are observed in the business sector and the social and economic environment. The development of intelligence procedures and systems to collect information in a global context are also offered by Eco’Diagnostic.

For the last twenty years the international financial markets have developed at an increasing pace. The economic and societal impacts of this development are not fully understood. All parts of the society, not only financial operators, are exposed to new ethical challenges. Eco’Diagnostic, in collaboration with the Observatoire de la Finance, proposes several activities and instruments to the financial world to evaluate the new ethical risks brought by every financial decision.