Methodical limits of calculating productivity in the new Länder
Gerald Müller
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 129,
2000
Abstract
The „Arbeitskreis Volkswirtschaftliche Gesamtrechnung der Länder“ now publishes figures concerning the value added in Germany. Formerly the Statistische Bundesamt had this assignment. Some corporations have plant locations in the new Länder as well as in the old Länder. The employed method for splitting-up the value added produce by these corporations might lead to an underestimation of the overall value added produced in the new Länder. However, an estimation using the firm panel of the IAB shows that the East German productivity gap for manufacturing is overestimated by maximally two percentage points. Still in sectors that are dominated by multi plant corporations this effect is stronger. All in all the East German productivity gab is overestimated by maximally three percentage points.
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Quo Vadis, Europe? Comments to the European Council in Nice
Klaus Bünger
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 15,
2000
Abstract
Europa braucht Reformen – institutionell, finanziell und wirtschaftlich. Es geht darum, die säkulare Herausforderung der Osterweiterung voranzubringen. Und es geht darum, den Rückstand Europas im internationalen Wachstums- und Standortwettbewerb aufzuholen und die noch junge europäische Währungsunion nach insgesamt gelungenem Start auf ein festes wirtschaftliches Fundament zu stellen. Denn letzteres ist nach Einschätzung der internationalen Kapitalmärkte offensichtlich nicht gegeben, wie die durchgreifende Schwäche des Euro an den internationalen Kapitalmärkten zeigt. könnte man auch mittels einer Freihandelszone erreichen und man hätte all die komplizierten Fragen des Beitritts vom Tisch. Vielmehr ist sie erforderlich, um das durch den Kalten Krieg gespaltene Europa wieder zu vereinen: zu einer Wertegemeinschaft des Friedens, der Freiheit, der Demokratie und der Menschenrechte, der Stabilität und der Marktwirtschaft. Für die einzelnen Beitrittsstaaten ist der Rahmen der Europäischen Politischen Union der beste Garant für den dauerhaften Bestand dieser Wertegemeinschaft.
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East German traffic infrastructure: Capital investment needs still high
Walter Komar
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 5,
2000
Abstract
In the paper the positive influence of an improved connection to the highway infrastructure and further determinants on the industrial investments of East German districts are pointed out. For that the travel time to the next motorway junction and agglomeration centres is consulted. According to the analyses an improved traffic attaching can release considerable investment impulses.
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Regional analysis of East Germany: A comparison of the economic situation of states, districts, and municipalities
Franz Barjak, Peter Franz, Gerhard Heimpold, Martin T. W. Rosenfeld
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 2,
2000
Abstract
A decade after the German unification we look at the extent of economic differentiation within East Germany. This is achieved by help of a set of selected statistical indicators for the years 1991 to 1998. Comparisons are drawn a) between the East German jurisdictions and b) between West and East German jurisdictions. On the federal state (Laender) level it can be shown that each state has developped its own specific economic profile. Brandenburg is characterized by a positive net migration (suburban function for Berlin), relatively low unemployment and high GDP values, but relatively low entrepreneurial activities. Saxony has achieved the lowest unemployment, a good endowment with human capital, modern industrial technology, infrastructure, and entrepreneurial activities. Special features of Thuringia consist of a relatively large number of patent applications and a stable industrial base. The economic state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is characterized by low industrial investment, negative net migration, and high unemployment. A special feature of this federal state is the intense investmenr in tourist services. Saxony-Anhalt registers the highest decrease in the numbers of industrial workers between 1991 and 1998 and the highest unemployment. On the other side it shows the highest amount of investment, especially in chemical industry and in mineral oil processing.
On the county level four clusters can be identified by means of a cluster analysis: A “cluster of counties with severe economic weaknesses” with a bias in the regions indutrialized in an early stage, a “cluster with a high human capital potential and suburbanization loss” consisting of 21 cities, a “cluster of counties with good economic results” predominantly surrounding the larger cities, and a “cluster of counties with SME growth potential” concentrating in Thuringia and Saxony.
The results at the city level show that the larger cities above 100.000 inhabitants, especially Dresden and Leipzig, do better than the smaller cities. Jena in Thuringia has specialized as a location for R&D, Zwickau in Saxony as a location for the automobile industry. Altogether the economic differences between the East German federal states, counties, and cities still are less pronounced than the degree of differentiation of their West German counterparts.
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High level of differentiated consternation, low eco-tax burden
Martin Weisheimer
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 4,
1999
Abstract
Für die west- und ostdeutsche Industrie werden die Auswirkungen der Ökosteuern analysiert. Im Mittelpunkt stehen die Stromkosten. Aus der geringen Umsatzintensität der ostdeutschen Industrie ergeben sich nicht zuletzt besondere Belastungen.
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Promoting the location of industries as regional policy strategy. Theoretical foundations, instrumental opportunities and limitations
Vera Dietrich, Peter Franz, Ingrid Haschke, Gerhard Heimpold
Schriften des IWH,
No. 1,
1998
Abstract
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Environmental protection and competitiveness; New foreign trade and location theoretical approaches and empirical evidence
Jens Horbach, Thomas Meißner, Jacqueline Rothfels
Schriften des IWH,
No. 2,
1998
Abstract
Die Autoren des vorliegenden Forschungsberichtes haben sich unter der Leitung von Prof. Dr. Jens Harbach (Fachhochschule Anhalt) mit der Frage beschäftigt, ob Umweltchutzmaßnalnnen die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit einer Volkswirtschaft beeinträchtigen. Der Bericht will anhand neuerer theoretischer und empirischer Erkenntnisse die Rolle der Umweltpolitik bei Standortproblemen beleuchten. Ausgangspunkt für eine mögliche ungünstige Rolle des Umweltschutzes ist dabei die These, daß eine strenge Umweltpolitik in einem Land dort die Produktionskosten erhöht. Dadurch werden vor allem die inländischen Unternehmen benachteiligt, die hohe Umweltschutzinvestitionen tätigen müssen. Auf der Basis dieser Argumentation sagt die klassische Außenhandelstheorie Wettbewerbsnachteile durch Umweltschutz voraus.
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How can the recreational quality of East German urban centers be improved? Deficits of a soft location factor and the need for action.
Peter Franz
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 15,
1998
Abstract
Im Beitrag wird untersucht, welcher Handlungsbedarf zur Verbesserung der Naherholungsqualität im Umfeld der 13 ostdeutschen Großstädte besteht.
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Innovative Milieux: Advanced Posts of Interpenetration between the Economic System and the Science System
Peter Franz
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 71,
1998
Abstract
A growing number of governments, political parties, and enterprises set the theme „innovation“ on their agenda and join in the global race to more competitive national economies. In this race the concept of the „innovative milieu“ serves as an important point of orientation and as a political target that, on the first glance, seems to be transferable in concrete political measures. A basic feature of innovative milieux is the quick and easy transfer of knowledge to products in demand. This speed-up in the diffusion of knowledge is not only interesting with respect to the economic advantages but also with respect to science. It is the basic thesis of this paper that innovative milieux represent special cases where the economic system and the science system interpenetrate in an extreme way. Empirical findings show that the actors of innovative milieux have a strong cultural proximity to basic attitudes and behavior within the science system. This relates to the institutionalization of trial and error, the reinforcement of exploratory behavior, the flow of information, and to a special mixture of cooperation and competition. An essential feature of innovative milieux derives from the network relations of its actors. These relations have to be balanced a) to the need to create trust and reduce uncertainty, and b) to the need to stay permeable enough for linkages with new actors from outside. With regard to time innovative milieux have to be conceived from an evolutionary perspective. This involves several steps: Development of prerequisites, consolidation, attraction of labor and enterprises from other regions. From the evolutionary perspective, too, possible factors of preventing or accelerating the „entropic death“ (Camagni 1991) of innovative milieux can be discussed. The exceptional character of innovative milieux has consequences for innovation-oriented political strategies. The self-enforcing dynamics of innovative milieux create a tendency to more economic inequality between regions (core-periphery differences). This is contradictory to political strategies in which innovation-oriented policy is applied to reach an offset between prospering and impoverished regions. In many cases a strategy starting from the assumption of an enduring non-innovative milieu seems to be more realistic and more promising. Further on, the new more direct links between enterprises and research institutes question the current shape of technology transfer institutions. Finally the potential effects of the new trend to encourage the entrepreneurship of research staff on the science system are discussed.
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Production of soft location factors: Municipal spending on culture in East and West Germany compared
Peter Franz
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 10,
1997
Abstract
Der Beitrag vergleicht die Ausgaben ausgewählter west- und ostdeutscher Städte im Bereich Kultur und stellt Überlegungen an, wie Kultureinrichtungen kostengünstiger betrieben werden können.
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