Do Better Capitalized Banks Lend Less? Long-run Panel Evidence from Germany
Claudia M. Buch, Esteban Prieto
International Finance,
No. 1,
2014
Abstract
Higher capital features prominently in proposals for regulatory reform. But how does increased bank capital affect business loans? The real costs of increased bank capital in terms of reduced loans are widely believed to be substantial. But the negative real-sector implications need not be severe. In this paper, we take a long-run perspective by analysing the link between the capitalization of the banking sector and bank loans using panel cointegration models. We study the evolution of the German economy for the past 44 years. Higher bank capital tends to be associated with higher business loan volume, and we find no evidence for a negative effect. This result holds both for pooled regressions as well as for the individual banking groups in Germany.
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Industrial Associations as a Channel of Business-Government Interactions in an Imperfect Institutional Environment: The Russian Case
A. Yakovlev, A. Govorun
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 16,
2011
Abstract
International lessons from emerging economies suggest that business associations may provide an effective channel of communication between the government and the private sector. This function of business associations may become still more important in transition economies, where old mechanisms for coordinating enterprise activities have been destroyed, while the new ones have not been established yet. In this context, Russian experience is a matter of interest, because for a long time, Russia was regarded as a striking example of state failures and market failures. Consequently, the key point of our study was a description of the role and place of business associations in the presentday
Russian economy and their interaction with member companies and bodies of state
administration. Relying on the survey data of 957 manufacturing firms conducted in
2009, we found that business associations are more frequently joined by larger companies, firms located in regional capital cities, and firms active in investment and innovation. By contrast, business associations tend to be less frequently joined by business groups’ subsidiaries and firms that were non-responsive about their respective ownership structures. Our regression analysis has also confirmed that business associations are a component of what Frye (2002) calls an “elite exchange”– although only on regional and local levels. These “exchanges” imply that members of business associations, on the one hand, more actively assist regional and local authorities in social development of their regions, and on the other hand more often receive support from authorities. However, this effect is insignificant in terms of support from the federal government. In general, our results allow us to believe that at present, business associations (especially the
industry-wide and “leading” ones) consolidate the most active, advanced companies and act as collective representatives of their interests. For this reason, business associations can be regarded as interface units between the authorities and businesses and as a possible instrument for promotion of economic development.
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ICT Adoption and Heterogeneity in Production Technologies: Evidence for Chilean Retailers
Gaaitzen J. de Vries, Michael Koetter
Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics,
No. 4,
2011
Abstract
The adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) can have far-reaching effects on the nature of production technologies. Because ICT adoption is incomplete, especially in developing countries, different groups of firms will have different production technologies. We estimate a latent class stochastic frontier model, which allows us to test for the existence of multiple production technologies across firms and consider the associated implications for efficiency measures. We use a unique data set of Chilean retailers, which includes detailed information on ICT adoption. We find three distinct production technologies. The probability of membership in a more productive group is positively related to ICT use.
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Works Councils and Firm Profits Revisited
Steffen Müller
British Journal of Industrial Relations,
No. 1,
2011
Abstract
As they are employee associations, it is typically presumed that works councils redistribute economic rents from firm owners to workers. And indeed, the empirical literature suggests that German works councils reduce profits. The studies on the profitability effect of works councils mainly use self-reported subjective profit evaluations of managers as the dependent variable. I argue that these are poor measures of real profits. Newly available information on firms' capital stock allows me to revisit the profit effect now using an objective profit measure. When utilizing the subjective measure I find the standard results; with the objective measure, however, the works council effect on profits is positive and significant.
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CO2-Navigator – ein Softwaretool zur Unterstützung von Investitionsoptionen zur Emissionsreduktion und zum Management von Klimarisiken
Edeltraud Günther, G. Weber, M. Nowack, Wilfried Ehrenfeld
Klimaschutz und Anpassung an die Klimafolgen: Strategien, Maßnahmen und Anwendungsbeispiele,
2009
Abstract
Global warming and increased climate policies are associated with risks for many companies, but also with opportunities.The chair of Business Administration, esp. Environmental Management at the TU Dresden and the Halle Institute for Economic Research studied the question of how companies can deal with these challenges funded by the BMBF project “Corporate Management under the Constraints of Climate Change Policy (CO2 Navigator)“.Specific concern of the project network was to provide companies assistance to develop a) potential emission reduction strategies and medium-term adjustments to changing environmental conditions, b) assess the economic impact and c) derive decisions for practical use on this basis.The core elements of the research, risk management and assessment of adaptation strategies with the real option approach and the CO2-Navigator software resulting from the project are described in this article.
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Investment (FDI) Policy for Azerbaijan, Final report
Jutta Günther, Björn Jindra
One-off Publications,
No. 4,
2009
Abstract
The report has been prepared on behalf of the Association for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) as integral part of the “Private Sector Development Program” run by the GTZ in Azerbaijan. A comprehensive investment policy is outlined with particular focus on the possibilities to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) in Azerbaijan’s manufacturing industry (non-oil sector). The report makes particular reference to the experiences with investment policy development in Central and East European transition economies. It touches legal and institutional framework conditions in Azerbaijan as well as possible investment incentives schemes including investment promotion. Major recommendations refer to trade integration within the region, introduction of tax incentives as well as further improvements in business climate. Furthermore, the importance of complementary policies, such as competition and education policy, is stressed.
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Ownership Structure, Strategic Controls and Export Intensity of Foreign-invested Firms in Transition Economies
I. Filatotchev, Johannes Stephan, Björn Jindra
Journal of International Business Studies,
No. 7,
2008
Abstract
This paper examines the relationships between foreign ownership, managers’ independence in decision-making and exporting of foreign-invested firms in five European Union accession countries. Using a unique, hand-collected data set of 434 foreign-invested firms in Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia and Estonia, we show that foreign investors’ ownership and control over strategic decisions are positively associated with export intensity, measured as the proportion of exports to total sales. The study also analyzes specific governance and control configurations in foreign-invested firms, showing that foreign equity and foreign control over business functions are complementary in terms of their effects on export intensity.
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High Technology Firms in Eastern Germany: Spatial Distribution and Growth Patterns
Michael Schwartz, Christoph Hornych, Matthias Brachert
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 4,
2008
Abstract
High technology firms are often considered to be one of the drivers of structural change in Eastern Germany. With regard to the possible benefits of high-tech firms, the focus is on employments effects in particular. In a first step, the article investigates the regional distribution of firms from high technology sectors in Eastern Germany. Furthermore, within the framework of a case study of firms from business incubators, it is investigated whether high-tech firms in fact show a high growth potential, as it is often postulated. Empirical results concerning the spatial pattern show a highly heterogeneous distribution, with a strong North-South divide. In particular, path dependency seems to be relevant in explaining the high-tech patterns/agglomerations identified. In addition, the case study results demonstrate the strong growth potential of high-tech firms compared to low-tech firms and firms from rather traditional sectors respectively, whereby a higher R&D intensity (within the sample of high-tech firms) is found to be associated with higher growth. However, the article warns against “high-tech euphoria”, since the total number of existing high-tech firms as well as the number of newly founded high technology ventures is modest, and therefore the overall employment effect is rather limited.
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New Limits of Municipal Economic Activity: Expansion versus Reduction?
Peter Haug
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 12,
2007
Abstract
On October 11th and 12th 2007, the department of urban economics of the Halle Institute for Economic Research organized a conference on local governments’ entrepreneurial activities. The main target of this second conference after the first one in 2005 was to analyze the spatial and functional boundaries of municipal economic activities. The participants came from various fields of science, local public administrations, municipal enterprises, associations and included politicians and others interested in the topic. The presentations covered a broad variety of subjects. On the first conference day, the speakers dealt with the partly controversial attitude of different disciplines such as law, economics, public business administration or sociology towards the local public economy. Other presenters focused on selected municipal services (public transportation, housing).
The second day was dedicated to the topics restrictions on municipal economic activities in Southern Europe, regional effects of municipal enterprises and employee protection in case of privatization. The conference was closed by a panel discussion with distinguished representatives from politics, science and management about the future role of municipal enterprises.
The presentations and discussions showed that the times are changing for the local public sector. In addition, the participants rejected an unrestricted extension of markets or business fields of municipal enterprises as well as the complete privatization of municipal services.
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Innovations as driving force of the knowledge society – concepts and contemporary theoretical approaches
Jutta Günther, Björn Jindra
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 9,
2007
Abstract
In response to the question what secures Europe’s future competitiveness, it is often in the context of “knowledge society” referred to location advantages for research and development (R&D), innovation and knowledge. Respective point of view is not only represented by decision makers of high-duty industrial countries, but also by so called catching up economies in Central and Eastern Europe as well as Asia. The present article deals against the background of current innovation theoretic approaches with the question of what indeed constitutes the abstract notion of the knowledge society, which actors play a role and how R&D and innovation are geographically distributed. Systemic approaches are outlined, which place emphasis on the relation among different knowledge generating actors, in particular among science and economy. In effort to elucidate the geographical distribution of R&D and innovation the authors refer to the regional economic theory, which constitute the reasons why such processes are marked by spatial concentration. Thereby, the hypotheses are competing in associating the spatial concentration with either sectoral specialization or diversification. The article shows the domination of multinational companies of research and development (R&D) in the private sector and that these businesses connect regional centers of innovations beyond national borders. Based on the theory of technological accumulation and internationalization of companies, the globalization of R&D and innovation processes are explained. Thereby, it must be recognized that a hierarchy of regional innovation systems is emerging in which the disparities are increasing both at home and abroad.
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