Financial Factors in Macroeconometric Models
Sebastian Giesen
Volkswirtschaft, Ökonomie,
2013
Abstract
The important role of credit has long been identified as a key factor for economic development (see e.g. Wicksell (1898), Keynes (1931), Fisher (1933) and Minsky (1957, 1964)). Even before the financial crisis most researchers and policy makers agreed that financial frictions play an important role for business cycles and that financial turmoils can result in severe economic downturns (see e.g. Mishkin (1978), Bernanke (1981, 1983), Diamond (1984), Calomiris (1993) and Bernanke and Gertler (1995)). However, in practice researchers and policy makers mostly used simplified models for forecasting and simulation purposes. They often neglected the impact of financial frictions and emphasized other non financial market frictions when analyzing business cycle fluctuations (prominent exceptions include Kiyotaki and Moore (1997), Bernanke, Gertler, and Gilchrist (1999) and Christiano, Motto, and Rostagno (2010)). This has been due to the fact that most economic downturns did not seem to be closely related to financial market failures (see Eichenbaum (2011)). The outbreak of the subprime crises ― which caused panic in financial markets and led to the default of Lehman Brothers in September 2008 ― then led to a reconsideration of such macroeconomic frameworks (see Caballero (2010) and Trichet (2011)). To address the economic debate from a new perspective, it is therefore necessary to integrate the relevant frictions which help to explain what we have experienced during recent years.
In this thesis, I analyze different ways to incorporate relevant frictions and financial variables in macroeconometric models. I discuss the potential consequences for standard statistical inference and macroeconomic policy. I cover three different aspects in this work. Each aspect presents an idea in a self-contained unit. The following paragraphs present more detail on the main topics covered.
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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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Has the Euro Increased International Price Elasticities?
Oliver Holtemöller, Götz Zeddies
Empirica,
No. 1,
2013
Abstract
The introduction of the Euro has been accompanied by the hope that international competition between EMU member states would increase due to higher price transparency. This paper contributes to the literature by analyzing price elasticities in international trade flows between Germany and France and between Germany and the United Kingdom before and after the introduction of the Euro. Using disaggregated Eurostat trade statistics, we adopt a heterogeneous dynamic panel framework for the estimation of price elasticities. We suggest a Kalman-filter approach to control for unobservable quality changes which otherwise would bias estimates of price elasticities. We divide the complete sample, which ranges from 1995 to 2008, into two sub-samples and show that price elasticities in trade between EMU members did not change substantially after the introduction of the Euro. Hence, we do not find evidence for an increase in international price competition resulting from EMU.
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European Integration and National Labor Markets - On the Factor Content of Intra-European Trade Flows
Götz Zeddies
European Journal of Comparative Economics,
2012
Abstract
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6. Konferenz „Von der Transformation zur europäischen Integration – Ostdeutschland und Mittelosteuropa in der Forschung des IWH“ – ein Bericht
Christian Müller, Gerhard Heimpold
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 1,
2013
Abstract
Am 19. September 2012 fand im IWH die Konferenz „Von der Transformation zur europäischen Integration – Ostdeutschland und Mittelosteuropa in der Forschung des IWH“ statt. Im Fokus der Veranstaltung, die dem Wissenstransfer und Austausch mit einem wirtschaftspolitisch interessierten Fachpublikum diente, standen Untersuchungsergebnisse zur wirtschaftlichen Entwicklung und institutionellen Anpassung in den mittel- und osteuropäischen Post-Transformationsökonomien, darunter in Ostdeutschland, im Zuge der europäischen Integration. Den Eröffnungsvortrag hielt die Ministerin für Wissenschaft und Wirtschaft des Landes Sachsen-Anhalt, Prof. Dr. Birgitta Wolff, zum Thema „Sachsen-Anhalt in Europa: Wie weiter mit der EU-Strukturfonds-Förderung nach 2013?“. In den darauf folgenden Vorträgen von Wssenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftlern des IWH wurden makroökonomische Indikatoren und Schwellenwerte zur Vorhersage von Finanzkrisen vorgestellt, ökonomische Perspektiven für einen Beitritt mittel- und osteuropäischer Staaten zum Euroraum aufgezeigt und die verschiedenen Stadien der institutionellen Konvergenz in den europäischen Post Transformationsländern untersucht. Weiterhin wurden Wissensnetzwerke in Sachsen-Anhalt analysiert und die Effizienz der kommunalen Leistungserstellung in Abhängigkeit von Gemeindegröße und Verwaltungsform betrachtet.
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FDI Micro Database – Methodological Note – Survey 2012 in East Germany
Jutta Günther, Andrea Gauselmann, Björn Jindra, Philipp Marek, Jan Engelhardt
One-off Publications,
2012
Abstract
With the integration of post-communist countries into the European and global economy
after 1990, there was strong research interest into the role of multinational enterprises
(MNEs) for economic restructuring and technological catching-up. Most of the existing
empirical studies on locational determinants of FDI and host country effects did not take
account of East Germany. This might be for different reasons: Firstly, theoretical and
empirical difficulties derive from the fact that East Germany followed a distinct transition
pattern as it became a region subsumed in a larger and more mature economy. Secondly,
East Germany received private investment from foreign as well as West German firms. Only
the first can be considered as a foreign direct investment (FDI). Finally, there had long been
a lack of micro data to adequately analyse the activities of corresponding firms from a
production as well as technological perspective.
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The Synchronization of Wage Dynamics across EMU Members: A Test of the Endogeneity Hypothesis
Herbert S. Buscher, Hubert Gabrisch
Empirica,
No. 3,
2012
Abstract
We test the hypothesis of an endogenous currency area for the labor market of the Euro area: has the introduction of a common currency caused wage dynamics to become more synchronized and to be able to cushion for asymmetric shocks? Trade intensity, sector specialization and financial integration are tested for being the driving forces for the endogenous synchronization of wage dynamics. We use regression techniques with instrument variables, and find evidence of persistent asymmetries in nominal wage formation, despite a single currency and monetary policy. We explain the result with more specialization following financial integration, and with still existing differences in wage formation and labor market institutions. We conclude that the euro zone is not endogenous with respect to wage formation. Rather, there are incentives for beggar-thy-neighbor policies in the Euro area.
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Editorial
Jutta Günther, Oliver Holtemöller
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 1,
2012
Abstract
Das IWH reformiert sich grundlegend. Seit Mitte Dezember 2011 leiten wir als Interimsvorstand das Institut, bis eine neue Präsidentin oder ein neuer Präsident im Amt ist. Reformen sind notwendig, um die wissenschaftliche Leistungsfähigkeit des Instituts zu steigern und dem IWH weiterhin eine bedeutende Stimme in der wissenschaftlich fundierten Politikberatung in Deutschland zu verleihen. Denn dafür gibt es viele gute Gründe. Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Begleitforschung zur Transformation in Ostdeutschland und Mittelosteuropa zu leisten, darin bestand der Gründungsauftrag des IWH. Nach dem formalen Abschluss der Transformation hat das IWH sein Forschungsprogramm weiterentwickelt und erforscht heute die transformationsbedingten ökonomischen Besonderheiten, die es zu überwinden bzw. zu gestalten gilt, sowie den fortdauernden Prozess der ökonomischen Integration in Europa.
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International Trade Patterns and Labour Markets – An Empirical Analysis for EU Member States
Götz Zeddies
International Journal of Economics and Business Research,
2012
Abstract
During the last decades, international trade flows of the industrialized countries became more and more intra-industry. At the same time, employment perspectives particularly of the low-skilled by tendency deteriorated in these countries. This phenomenon is often traced back to the fact that intra-industry trade (IIT), which should theoretically involve low labour market adjustment, became increasingly vertical in nature. Against this background, the present paper investigates the relationship between international trade patterns and selected labour market indicators in European countries. As the results show, neither inter- nor vertical intra-industry trade (VIIT) do have a verifiable effect on wage spread in EU member states. As far as structural unemployment is concerned, the latter increases only with the degree of countries’ specialization on capital intensively manufactured products in inter-industry trade relations. Only for unemployment of the less-skilled, a slightly significant impact of superior VIIT seems to exist.
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