A Panel Data Analysis on China's Intra-Industry Trade in the Capital Goods Sector
Yiping Zhu
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 18,
2009
Abstract
This paper adopts the Hausman-Taylor 2SLS error components approach in estimating the determinants of China's Intra-Industry Trade (IIT) in the capital goods sector with its 26 partner countries. It disaggregates IIT into horizontal IIT (HIIT) and vertical IIT (VIIT). Capital goods final products and intermediates are separately estimated in order to reveal the differentiated trade patterns. It finds that economic similarity is very significantly negatively correlated with the intermediates IIT, but to a less extent correlated with the final products IIT. Factor endowment is of no significance in determining IIT in the intermediates, although it is significantly positively correlated with the final products IIT. Economic size is significantly negatively correlated with both final products and intermediates IIT. Distance is not yet dead in impacting the level of final products IIT, but of less importance in influencing the intermediates IIT. China is exchanging intermediates in a less intraindustry manner with ASEAN nations. However, because VIIT is dominating TIIT, no significant differences exist between the estimation results of TIIT and VIIT.
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Currency Appreciation and Exports: Empirical Evidence for Germany
Götz Zeddies
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 6,
2009
Abstract
In the first decade after its introduction, the Euro didn’t just hold up well, but compared to important currencies even appreciated considerably. Of course, exchange rate risks were noticeably lowered by introducing the single currency, since the bulk of EMU Member States’ exports are conducted within the currency union. Nevertheless, a strong Euro is unfavourable especially for open economies like Germany.
The article investigates the effects of exchange rate movements on German exports over time. The analyses reveal a downward impact of nominal effective exchange rates, not only for total, but also for exports to countries outside the currency union. Although an increasing pass-through of exchange rate changes to export prices is apparently at hand, further reasons for the dwindling effect of nominal exchange rates on exports are likely to exist.
In this context, it is shown that exports are less sensitive not only with respect to nominal, but also with respect to real effective exchange rate changes, suggesting a declining price elasticity of demand. Instead, exports are increasingly determined by economic activity in trading partner countries. In consequence of its geographic proximity, Germany did particularly benefit from the economic upswing in Eastern Europe, overlaying the appreciation of the Euro. Additionally, the latter could hardly impair German export industries due to their specialization on capital and high-quality consumer goods less vulnerable to exchange rate fluctuations.
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Cross-Border Bank Contagion in Europe
Reint E. Gropp, M. Lo Duca, Jukka M. Vesala
International Journal of Central Banking,
No. 1,
2009
Abstract
We analyze cross-border contagion among European banks in the period from January 1994 to January 2003. We use a multinomial logit model to estimate, in a given country, the number of banks that experience a large shock on the same day (“coexceedances”) as a function of common shocks and lagged coexceedances in other countries. Large shocks are measured by the bottom 95th percentile of the distribution of the daily percentage change in distance to default of banks.We find evidence of significant cross-border contagion among large European banks, which is consistent with a tiered cross-border interbank structure. The results also suggest that contagion increased after the introduction of the euro.
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Trade's Impact on the Labor Share: Evidence from German and Italian Regions
Claudia M. Buch
IAW Discussion Paper No. 46,
2008
Abstract
Has the labor share declined? And what is the impact of international trade? These
questions are not only relevant in an international context they also matter for
understanding the regional distribution of incomes in a given country. In this
paper, we study two regions with trade exposures that differ from the rest of the
country, and which display distinct changes in the labor share. East German and
Southern Italian regions have a degree of international openness which is below
the countries’ averages. At the same time, there has been a more pronounced
decline in the labor share in East Germany than in West Germany. In Southern
Italy, the labor share has increased in recent years. We show that increased trade
openness is not the main culprit behind changing labor shares.
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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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Africa – Commodity Dependence, Resource Curse and Export Diversification. African Development Perspectives Yearbook 2007, Vol. 12
Tobias Knedlik, Chicot Eboué, Achim Gutowski, Afeikhena Jerome, Touna Mama, Mareike Meyn, Karl Wohlmuth
,
2007
Abstract
This Volume 12 of the African Development Perspectives Yearbook deals - in the form of country cases and country units - with African countries' state of commodity dependence, their efforts for export diversification, and their vulnerability to crises and disasters. These problems are considered in the context of the continent's abundance of natural resources, especially the strategic oil resources. African countries' high dependency on a few primary export goods is one of the reasons for their vulnerability to conflicts. In this volume of the African Development Perspectives Yearbook, the focus is on the vulnerability of resource-rich, mainly oil-exporting, African countries. Strategies of export diversification, options how to overcome political instabilities that impede investment, and strategies how to work towards reconstruction and sustainable economic and political development are discussed by highlighting examples from various resource-rich countries. It is analysed how these countries can manage to escape from the primary commodities dilemma by pro-active economic policies and especially by solving political conflicts that have arisen from resource rent.
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Enhanced Cooperation in an Enlarged EU
Götz Zeddies, J. Ahrens, Renate Ohr
Jahrbuch für Wirtschaftswissenschaften,
No. 2,
2007
Abstract
The paper addresses the need for more flexibility in the integration process of the European Union after its recent eastward enlargement. The increasing number of decision-makers and the increasing heterogeneity of economic structures, financial constraints, societal preferences, and political interests impeded political decision making in the EU. In order to avoid a rank growth of integration and yet to strengthen the momentum of flexibility, so-called enhanced cooperation appears to be an appropriate instrument to be applied to the overall integration process. In this context the paper analyzes different possible developments of selected common policies in the EU if enhanced cooperation is practised by a sub-group of EU-members. Based on cluster analysis, similarities and distinctions among the EU members with respect to some specific policy realms are elaborated to identify clusters, or clubs, of countries which may apply the instrument of enhanced cooperation in the specific policy fields.
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Comparative Study of Multinational Companies in the Enlarged EU - A Technology Transfer Perspective
Johannes Stephan, Björn Jindra, I. Klugert
Conference Proceedings of „Comparing International Competitiveness of Manufacturing Companies in the EU with Special Emphasis on Central and Eastern Europe“,
2007
Abstract
Our study makes a novel contribution to the analysis of the link between multinational companies' heterogeneity and technological transfer. Thereby, we focus on internal technology transfer i.e. technology flowing from the multinational enterprise to the foreign subsidiary. We estimate the impact of corporate governance, subsidiary objectives, local absorptive capacity, as well as the cultural and geographic distance as potential determinants of internal technology transfer. We control for other observed firm- and industry-specific effects as well as unobserved host-country effects. We test our hypothesis with a firm-level data simultaneously collected from 434 foreign subsidiaries in Poland, Hungary, Estonia, Slovakia and Slovenia in 2002/2003. The evidence seems to indicate that the nature of the parent-subsidiary relationship is subject to the institutional context, subsidiary objectives, and risks involved for the foreign parent. These factors in turn determine the incentives for transferring knowledge to the subsidiary. Foreign subsidiaries' absorptive capacity enhances the intensity of internal technology transfer. In contrast geographic distance seems to limit the extent of technology transfer within the company. Country-of-origin-effects seem not to be statistically relevant for internal technology transfer once we control for observable firm, industry, and unobserved host-country-specific effects.
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Money and Credit Market Integration in an enlarging Euro Zone: Methodological Issues
Johannes Stephan, Jens Hölscher
European Economic Policies - Alteratives to Orthodox Analysis and Policy Concepts,
2006
Abstract
“The chapter discusses methodological issues of money and credit market integration within the context of an enlarging Euro area. Common methods of interest parity tests are rejected in favour of a comparison of nominal interest rates. Hölscher and Stephan find that from an institutional point of view the new EU member countries look under-banked, whereas interest rates are converging. As policy implication the paper argues for a Euro adoption of the new EU members rather sooner than later.“
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Cross-border Bank Contagion in Europe
Reint E. Gropp, M. Lo Duca, Jukka M. Vesala
ECB Working Paper, No. 662,
No. 662,
2006
Abstract
This paper analyses cross-border contagion in a sample of European banks from January 1994 to January 2003. We use a multinomial logit model to estimate the number of banks in a given country that experience a large shock on the same day (“coexceedances“) as a function of variables measuring common shocks and lagged coexceedances in other countries. Large shocks are measured by the bottom 95th percentile of the distribution of the daily percentage change in the distance to default of the bank. We find evidence in favour of significant cross-border contagion. We also find some evidence that since the introduction of the euro cross-border contagion may have increased. The results seem to be very robust to changes in the specification.
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