Negotiated Third Party Access - an Industrial Organisation Perspective
Christian Growitsch, Thomas Wein
European Journal of Law and Economics,
2005
Abstract
In the course of the liberalization of European energy markets, the German government opted – diverging from all other European countries – for Negotiated Third-Party Access. In this article we analyze if, theoretically, this institutional regime can be superior to regulation. We review empirically whether certain aspects of the actual implementation, in particular publication of the network access charges for each network supplier, facilitated or inhibited competition. In the first place we reconsider previous research, showing that NTPA can – under certain conditions – be economically effective. Our empirical analysis shows that the duty of publishing access charges supported market transparency and imposed a regulatory threat, particularly to suppliers with significantly above-average charges. On the other hand observable price adjustments over time serve as an indicator of tacit collusion. Although the expensive suppliers cut their prices, the cheaper ones raised theirs.
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Innovationskooperationen deutscher Unternehmen im europäischen und innerdeutschen Vergleich
Jutta Günther
Der Mittelstand an der Schwelle zur Informationsgesellschaft,
2005
Abstract
The study deals with innovation cooperation as a means to improve the competitiveness of enterprises. The empirical study compares the cooperation behaviour of innovative enterprises in Germany to other West European countries as well as between East and West Germany. The database used is the second Community Innovation Survey (CIS-2) of the EU. While German firms exhibit a cooperation frequency slightly below the average of the European Economic Area (EEA), enterprises in North European countries are by far most active with respect to cooperation frequency. The most important cooperation partner for firms in the EEA are other firms within the enterprise group, followed by suppliers and customers while German firms cooperate most frequently with universities. The comparative investigation of innovation cooperation in East and West Germany shows that East German firms cooperate more often than West German firms. However, a productivity advantage of cooperating firms against non-cooperating firms is only observable in West Germany. In East Germany, cooperating firms even exhibit a lower sales productivity than non-cooperating firms, which is explainable most probably through the fact that cooperation activities translate into productivity advantages only in the long run.
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Property networks of corporations as cause of abusive behaviour – A stock market analysis based on institutional economics
Makram El-Shagi
Applied Financial Economics Letters,
No. 5,
2005
Abstract
The present study deals with the fact that it seems as if executive boards have developed a self-service-mentality concerning the corporations they are meant to manage. The surprise about this is not the attempt of exploitation (rather the opposite would be surprising from an economic point of view) but the apparent absence of sanctions imposed by the owners. This study shows that this behaviour of corporations’ owners is at least to a main part due to the fact, that the reciprocal property of corporations prevents the exercise of certain property rights by the ‘true’ holders.
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The Role of Regional Knowledge Sources for Innovation – An Empirical Assessment
Michael Fritsch, Viktor Slavtchev
Freiberg Working Papers, Nr. 15-2005,
No. 15,
2005
Abstract
We investigate the contribution of different inputs, particularly different knowledge sources, on regional patenting output in the framework of a knowledge production function. The knowledge sources included are R&D employment, size of public research institutions by field of research (budget), amount of university external research funds from private firms, public departments, German Science Foundation (DFG), and from other sources. The contribution of these knowledge sources is tested systematically on the level of German districts (Kreise) by including the respective information for the particular region and for adjacent regions. One main finding is that the quality of the university research makes some contribution to regional innovation while the mere size of the universities is unimportant. Differences in the effect on innovative output can be found according to academic disciplines and type of university.
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Advances in macroeconometric modeling: Papers and Proceedings of the 3rd IWH Workshop in Macroeconometrics
Christian Dreger
Schriften des IWH,
No. 15,
2004
Abstract
This volume contains the contributions to the 4th Workshop of the Halle Institute for Economic Research IWH (www.iwh-halle.de) in macroeconometrics held in November 2003. The workshop takes place every year and is especially designed for the presentation of new work in the field of applied research.
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The Reform of Local Public Services of General Interest in Europe
Peter Haug, Martin T. W. Rosenfeld
Applied Economics Quarterly (Supplement),
2004
Abstract
The benefits of a reduced supply of local public services may more than outweigh the supposed welfare losses. This was suggested by various theoretical and empirical investigations in many fields of economics during the last decades. Nevertheless, local and national politicians, trade unionists, charities, and other lobbyists have succeeded in preventing further liberalisation of “services of general interest” in Europe. This article examines why these preserve agents have been and are still successful. The analysis is based on an institutional economic approach. Several policy measures and institutional changes are suggested to either reduce influence of preserve agents or to compensate them for their losses.
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Second progress report by economic research institutes about the economic development in East Germany
IWH-Sonderhefte,
No. 7,
2003
Abstract
Schwerpunkte des Berichts sind – neben einer Analyse der technologischen Leistungsfähigkeit der ostdeutschen Wirtschaft und einer regional differenzierten Betrachtung der Infrastrukturausstattung – die Investitionsförderung, die Innovationsförderung und die Aktive Arbeitsmarktpolitik. Festgestellt wird, dass die Wirtschaftsförderung zwar in erheblichem Maße zur Unterstützung des Aufbaus in den neuen Ländern beigetragen hat, zunehmend aber an Wirksamkeit einbüßt. Sie sollte deswegen deutlich reformiert werden. Die Aktive Arbeitsmarktpolitik wiederum ist mit Blick auf die Beschäftigungswirkungen nur eingeschränkt als wirksam zu betrachten und sollte in ihrer jetzigen Form nicht fortgeführt werden. Angesichts dieser Ergebnisse und vor dem Hintergrund der finanzpolitischen Probleme Deutschlands wird vorgeschlagen, die besondere Investitions- und Innovationsförderung für die neuen Länder allmählich auslaufen zu lassen und verstärkt auf die Effizienz der eingesetzten Maßnahmen zu achten. Letzten Endes ist aber erst dann mit einer deutlich verbesserten wirtschaftlichen Lage in Ostdeutschland zu rechnen, wenn die gesamtwirtschaftlichen Wachstumsprobleme in ganz Deutschland gelöst werden.
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Second Progress Report by economic research institutes about the economic development in East Germany - abridged version
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 15,
2003
Abstract
Auch im Sommer 2003 kann die Entwicklung in der ostdeutschen Wirtschaft niemanden zufrieden stellen. Zusätzlich zu allen Diskussionen um Möglichkeiten einer Belebung der Wachstumsdynamik in ganz Deutschland stellt sich deswegen auch die Frage, wie die Politik dem Aufbau Ost neuen Schwung geben kann. Diese Frage stellt sich um so dringender, weil die finanzpolitischen Schwierigkeiten Deutschlands die Spielräume für finanziell kostspielige Programme für die neuen Länder stark einengen. Wichtige Bestandteile der Wirtschaftspolitik für Ostdeutschland waren in den letzten Jahren die spezifische Wirtschaftsförderung (insbesondere die Investitionsförderung), für die wegen ihrer Befristung wie auch wegen EU-rechtlicher Restriktionen Nachfolgelösungen gesucht werden, sowie die Aktive Arbeitsmarktpolitik, die im Zuge der allgemeinen Arbeitsmarktreformen ebenfalls auf den Prüfstand gestellt worden ist. In Anbetracht der anstehenden Entscheidungen über die weitere Strategie für den Aufbau Ost hat der Bundesminister der Finanzen die mit dem so genannten „Fortschrittsbericht“ betrauten Forschungsinstitute (DIW Berlin, IAB, IfW, IWH und ZEW) deshalb gebeten, diese beiden Politikbereiche einer näheren Analyse zu unterziehen und darauf aufbauend wirtschaftspolitische Schlussfolgerungen abzuleiten. Darüber hinaus wurden als weitere Schwerpunkte des Berichts eine regional differenzierte Analyse der Infrastrukturausstattung in den neuen Ländern, eine Untersuchung der technologischen Leistungsfähigkeit der ostdeutschen Wirtschaft und eine Analyse der finanzpolitischen Situation der ostdeutschen Länder und Gemeinden vereinbart.
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The State of the World Economy and the German Economy in Fall of 2003 - Report of the six economic research institutes
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 14,
2003
Abstract
Growth of total world output has accelerated since last spring. The factors that had dampened growth during the early months of 2003 have lapsed, economic policy continues to be stimulating and the assessment of the prospects has become more favourable. The recovery is led once again by the United States. Developments in Japan are surprisingly good and the phase of weakness in Southeast Asia has been overcome. Whereas output in the EU accession countries has continued to grow strongly, the euro area has remained mired in stagnation....
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Municipal companies in Germany: turnover, employment, fields of operation
Peter Haug
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 13,
2003
Abstract
Despite the ongoing political and scientific discussion about justification and extent of municipal economic activities, neither official statistics nor surveys of associations or research institutes provide valid data concerning the importance of local public enterprises. The IWH has carried out an analysis of different statistical sources which tries to fill the gap for municipal enterprises and yields the following results: Turnover- and employment shares of (big) companies with municipal shareholding are rather small in Germany. Nevertheless, such enterprises dominate within certain branches (e.g. public utilities) and their importance for the regional economy is particularly in Eastern Germany above-average.
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