Skill Content of Intra-european Trade Flows
Götz Zeddies
European Journal of Comparative Economics,
No. 1,
2013
Abstract
In recent decades, the international division of labor has expanded rapidly in the wake of European integration. In this context, especially Western European high-wage countries should have specialized on (human-)capital intensively manufactured goods and should have increasingly sourced labor-intensively manufactured goods, especially parts and components, from Eastern European low wage countries. Since this should be beneficial for the high-skilled and harmful to the lower-qualified workforce in high-wage countries, the opening up of Eastern Europe is often considered as a vital reason for increasing unemployment of the lower-qualified in Western Europe. This paper addresses this issue by analyzing the skill content of Western European countries’ bilateral trade using input-output techniques in order to evaluate possible effects of international trade on labor demand. Thereby, differences in factor inputs and production technologies have been considered, allowing for vertical product differentiation. In this case, skill content of bilateral exports and imports partially differs substantially, especially in bilateral trade between Western and Eastern European countries. According to the results, East-West trade should be harmful particularly to the medium-skilled in Western European countries.
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Gemeindegröße, Verwaltungsform und Effizienz der kommunalen Leistungserstellung – Das Beispiel Sachsen-Anhalt
Peter Haug
External Publications,
2012
Abstract
Municipality Size, Institutions and Efficiency of Municipal Service Provision: The Case of Saxony-Anhalt In this contribution we analyze the determinants of the efficiency of municipal service provision using the example of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. The focus lies on the effects of municipality size, institutional setting and spatial or demographic factors. We perform a non-parametric efficiency estimation (Data Envelopment Analysis and the Convex-order-m approach by Daraio and Simar). In contrast to previous studies, we choose the aggregate budget of municipal associations as the object of our analysis since important competences are settled at the joint administrative level. The results show that municipal associations do not necessarily have to be less efficient than independent municipalities. Furthermore, the results for scale efficiency indicate that most municipalities of Saxony-Anhalt had a sufficiently efficient “firm size” in 2004. Moreover, demographic factors and settlement structures have a significant effect on the technical efficiency of towns and municipalities: While a higher population density might be, to some extent, efficiency-enhancing, an increasing share of senior citizens or population growth might have the opposite effect. The integration of spatial interdependencies in efficiency estimations is a complex problem that has only been solved insufficiently yet. However, the estimation results for Moran’s I show mostly statistically significant but, nevertheless, only little or moderate relationships between the single inputs and outputs. Hence, there is no cause for concern about a substantial bias in the results if we neglect spatial interrelationships in our calculation. Furthermore, we found no evidence that the surrounding municipalities benefit from their proximity to core cities by increased efficiency.
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Grant Dependence, Regulation and the Effects of Formula-based Grant Systems on German Local Governments: A Data Report for Saxony-Anhalt
Peter Haug
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 2,
2013
Abstract
Recent empirical studies have found – seemingly − efficiency-enhancing effects of vertical grants on local public service provision. The main purpose of this paper is to prepare an elaborate theoretical and empirical analysis of these contradictory results. Therefore, it investigates if certain fiscal and institutional conditions (fiscal stress, fiscal rank-preserving vertical grant systems, input- and output regulation), that might help to explain these empirical findings, are characteristic of at least some parts of the local government sector or certain regions. The German state of Saxony-Anhalt is chosen for case study purposes. The main results are: First, the local governments suffer from severe fiscal problems such as high grant dependency, low tax revenues and the prevalent inability to finance investments by own resources. Second, the output- and input-regulation density of certain mandatory municipal services (schools, childcare facilities, fire protection) is high. Finally, the most important vertical grant category for local governments, the formula-based grants (“Schlüsselzuweisungen”), can be described as mainly exogenous, unconditional block grants that in most cases preserve the relative fiscal position of the grant recipients.
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The Determinants of Inward Foreign Direct Investment in Business Services Across European Regions
Davide Castellani
Finanza e Statistica 104/2012,
2012
Abstract
The paper accounts for the determinants of inward foreign direct investment in business services across the EU-27 regions. Together with the traditional variables considered in the literature (market size, market quality, agglomeration economies, labour cost, technology, human capital), we focus on the role of forward linkages with manufacturing sectors and other service sectors as
attractors of business services FDI at the regional level. This hypothesis is based on the evidence that the growth of business services is mostly due to increasing intermediate demand by other services industries and by manufacturing industries and on the importance of geographical proximity for forward linkages in services.
To our knowledge, there are no studies investigating the role of forward linkages for the location of FDI. This paper aims therefore to fill this gap and add to the FDI literature by providing a picture of the specificities of the determinants of FDI in business services at the regional level. The empirical analysis draws upon the database fDi Markets, from which we selected projects having as a destination NUTS 2 European regions in the sectors of Business services over the period 2003-2008. Data on FDI have been matched with data drawn from the Eurostat Regio
database. Forward linkages have been constructed using the OECD Input/Output database. By estimating a negative binomial model, we find that regions specialised in those (manufacturing) sectors that are high potential users of business services attract more FDI than other regions. This confirms the role of forward linkages for the localisation of business service FDI, particularly in the case of manufacturing.
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Fiscal Spending Multiplier Calculations Based on Input-Output Tables? An Application to EU Member States
Toralf Pusch
Intervention. European Journal of Economics and Economic Policies,
No. 1,
2012
Abstract
Fiscal spending multiplier calculations have attracted considerable attention in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. Much of the current literature is based on VAR estimation methods and DSGE models. In line with the Keynesian literature we argue that many of these models probably underestimate the fiscal spending multiplier in recessions. The income-expenditure model of the fiscal spending multiplier can be seen as a good approximation under these circumstances. In its conventional form this model suffers from an underestimation of the multiplier due to an overestimation of the import intake of domestic absorption. In this article we apply input-output calculus to solve this problem. Multipliers thus derived are comparably high, ranging between 1.4 and 1.8 for many member states of the European Union. GDP drops due to budget consolidation might therefore be substantial in times of crisis.
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Der Beitrag der Industrie zum industriellen Güteraufkommen in Ost- und in Westdeutschland
Udo Ludwig, Brigitte Loose
One-off Publications,
No. 1,
2012
Abstract
Beitrag aus: Neuere Anwendungsfelder der Input-Output-Analyse - Beiträge zum Halleschen Input-Output-Workshop 2010.
Eine moderne Volkswirtschaft zeichnet sich durch eine riesige Anzahl und außerordentliche Komplexität von Abhängigkeiten zwischen den Wirtschaftssubjekten aus. Wollte man sie alle auf der Mikroebene erfassen, ergäbe sich ein unübersehbares Gebilde. Die Subjekte und die Transaktionen zwischen ihnen müssen deshalb zu Sektoren aggregiert werden. Steht dabei die Abbildung der Produktionsverflechtungen im Vordergrund, so sollte im Idealfall jeder Sektor nur ein einziges Produkt erzeugen, in jedem Sektor nur eine einzige Produktionstechnologie angewandt werden und jedes Produkt nur in einem einzigen Sektor erzeugt werden. Vor allem die erste Bedingung ist so weitgehend, dass sie praktisch nicht umgesetzt werden kann. Sie würde zu Riesenmatrizen führen, die weder mit Zahlen aufgefüllt, noch analytisch bearbeitet werden könnten
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Die Anwendung der Qualitativen Input-Outanalyse zur Identifikation industrieller Cluster - Im Fokus: Arbeitsintensive Leistungsströme
Mirko Titze, Matthias Brachert, Hans-Ulrich Brautzsch
One-off Publications,
No. 1,
2012
Abstract
Beitrag aus: Neuere Anwendungsfelder der Input-Output-Analyse - Beiträge zum Halleschen Input-Output-Workshop 2010.
Im Tagungsband zum Input-Output-Workshop 2008 stellten die Autoren Mirko Titze, Matthias Brachert und Alexander Kubis (2009) mit der Forschung zur internen Struktur industrieller Cluster ein neues Anwendungsfeld der Qualitativen Input-Output-Analyse vor. Industrielle Cluster wurden in diesem Zusammenhang als die regionale Ballung von Akteuren (beispielsweise Betriebe/Beschäftigung einer oder mehrerer Branchen) und den Verflechtungen zwischen ihnen (beispielsweise Lieferbeziehungen oder gemeinsame Forschungsprojekte) (vgl. hierzu Porter 1990; Kiese 2008) definiert. Ausgangspunkt der Analyse waren empirische Belege der regionalökonomischen Literatur, welche verdeutlichen, dass die Existenz derartiger Wirtschaftsstrukturen eine dynamische Entwicklung in den betreffenden Regionen fördert (Porter 1990; Baptista, Swann 1998).
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Neuere Anwendungsfelder der Input-Output-Analyse - Beiträge zum Halleschen Input-Output-Workshop 2010
IWH-Sonderhefte,
No. 1,
2012
Abstract
Im März 2010 trafen sich die Input-Output-Experten aus dem Bereich Forschung und Statistik im deutschsprachigen Raum und aus dem Statistischen Amt der Europäischen Union zum fünften Mal am Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung Halle und berichteten über weitere Fortschritte bei der Erstellung von nationalen Input-Output-Tabellen und über neue Anwendungen der Input-Output-Analyse. Aufgrund der Vielfalt der Themen hat der Herausgeber das Motto des ersten Treffens im Jahr 2002 auch dieses Mal beibehalten und präsentiert die Beiträge weiterhin als Serie unter dem Titel „Neuere Anwendungsfelder der Input-Output-Analyse“. Der vorliegende Band umfasst die aktualisierten Fassungen der Vorträge, die am 18. und 19. März 2010 zu drei thematischen Schwerpunkten gehalten worden sind: Erstellung von Input-Output-Tabellen, neuere Anwendungen der Input-Output-Methode und umweltbezogene Input-Output-Analysen.
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The Halle Economic Projection Model
Sebastian Giesen, Oliver Holtemöller, Juliane Scharff, Rolf Scheufele
Economic Modelling,
No. 4,
2012
Abstract
In this paper we develop an open economy model explaining the joint determination of output, inflation, interest rates, unemployment and the exchange rate in a multi-country framework. Our model -- the Halle Economic Projection Model (HEPM) -- is closely related to studies published by Carabenciov et al. Our main contribution is that we model the Euro area countries separately. In doing so, we consider Germany, France, and Italy which represent together about 70 percent of Euro area GDP. The model combines core equations of the New-Keynesian standard DSGE model with empirically useful ad-hoc equations. We estimate this model using Bayesian techniques and evaluate the forecasting properties. Additionally, we provide an impulse response analysis and a historical shock decomposition.
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Germany on the Way to Energy Efficiency in the Housing Sector: Subsidy Programs by the Federal Government and the Länder Level
Christian Schulz, Martin T. W. Rosenfeld
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 11,
2011
Abstract
In addition to the increasing rigidity of minimum requirements in regulative law, the federal government and the Länder provide a broad range of subsidy programs to force the refurbishment of those parts of a building, that determine the building’s energetic quality-level. In regard of energetic refurbishment quality, the federal government boosts investments, which exceed the minimum requirements of regulative law. Whereas the federal government – with exeption of different financing conditions of investors - applies equal funding requirements to all investors and building-types older than 15 years, the Länder focus their programs on specific regional housing market conditions. A further analysis concerning the influence of the subsidy environment on regional refurbishment output level should be topic of further research.
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