Industry Concentration and Regional Innovative Performance – Empirical Evidence for Eastern Germany
Christoph Hornych, Michael Schwartz
Post-Communist Economies,
2009
Abstract
Regarding technological innovativeness, the transformed economy of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) clearly lags behind the western part of the country. To face this weakness a broad mixture of policy measures was carried out in recent years. Particular attention is drawn to the development of industry concentrations and economic ‘clusters’. However, little is known about the effectiveness of these policy measures regarding how industry concentrations in fact promote innovative performance in Eastern Germany. The present study tries to fill this gap by analysing the relationship between industry concentration in Eastern Germany and regional innovative performance. Our empirical analysis is based upon the number of patent applications of 22 manufacturing industries in 22 Eastern German planning regions. The estimated regression models indicate an inverted-U relationship between the degree of industry concentration and innovative performance. An exceedingly high degree of industry concentration in one region hampers regional innovative output. We discuss policy implications of our findings and give recommendations for future refinement of ‘cluster’-supporting policy schemes in Eastern Germany.
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Folgen des Wettbewerbs zwischen Krankenversicherungen für die Kosten im Gesundheitswesen
Ingmar Kumpmann
Gesundheitspolitik, Wettbewerb und Gesundheitssystemforschung. DIBOGS-Beiträge zur Gesundheitsökonomie und Sozialpolitik Bd. 3,
2009
Abstract
In this study it is argued that competition among health insurers can bring about higher costs in the health care sector. Medical services are inhomogeneous goods; thus the competition between physicians can be modeled by Chamberlins concept of monopolistic competition. The physicians have a strong bargaining power face to face a multitude of competing health insurers acting as purchasers of health care services. The costs can be lower if the physicians’ strong position is compensated by a monopolistic health insurer. Two case studies show the applicability of the argument. A regression analysis confirms the correlation between (public) monopolistic health insurer and lower costs in the health care sector.
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Industry Concentration and Regional Innovative Performance – Empirical Evidence for Eastern Germany
Christoph Hornych, Michael Schwartz
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 8,
2009
Abstract
Regarding technological innovativeness, the transformed economy of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) clearly lags behind the Western part of the country. To face this weakness, a broad mixture of policy measures was carried out in recent years. Particular attention is drawn to the development of industry concentrations and economic ‘clusters’. However, little is known about the effectiveness of these policy measures regarding how industry concentrations in fact promote innovative performance in Eastern Germany. The present study tries to fill this gap by analyzing the relationship between industry concentration in Eastern Germany and regional innovative performance. Our empirical analysis is based upon the number of patent applications of 22 manufacturing industries in 22 Eastern German planning regions. The estimated regression models indicate an inverted U-shaped relationship between the degree of industry concentration and innovative performance. An exceedingly high degree of industry concentration in one region hampers regional innovative output. We discuss policy implications of our findings and give recommendations for future refinement of ‘cluster’-supporting policy schemes in Eastern Germany.
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Are there Gender-specific Preferences for Location Factors? A Grouped Conditional Logit-model of Interregional Migration Flows in Germany
Lutz Schneider, Alexander Kubis
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 5,
2009
Abstract
The article analyses the question whether women and men differ in their tastes for location factors. The question is answered by quantifying the impact of location characteristics on interregional migration flows across Germany. The analysis is based on a grouped conditional logit approach. We augment the framework by controlling for violation of the independence of irrelevant alternatives assumption and for overdispersion. As a result, we find no differences in terms of direction of impact. However, the regressions confirm gender differences in terms of intensity, particularly regarding regional wage levels and the availability of educational institutions.
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Rents and Quality of Life in Eastern Germany
Dominik Weiß
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 12,
2008
Abstract
The rent levels between East- and Westgermany differ less than one Euro on average. This difference seems very slow regarding the persistant economic disparities and high vacancy rates in East-Germany.
Based on the assumtion, that income and life quality aspects have an impact on the local rent level a set of variables is regressed on the rent of several housing quality segments in a cross-section analysis at the community-level. The regression contains demographic, economic and housing-market-related variables and a dummy variable for east germany. It incorporates hypotheses about a special supplier structure and several market interventions that are related to the transformation process from socialistic into market economic structures after the reunification in the 1990s.
The results show a significant positive coeficiant for the east german dummy in two segments of the housing stock. Further Research about the reasons for the extra charge are important, because theese findings may be responsible for the continous out migration from East Germany.
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Alterung und technologisches Innovationspotential. Eine Linked Employer-Employee Analyse
Lutz Schneider
Zeitschrift für Bevölkerungswissenschaft,
No. 1,
2008
Abstract
Growth in advanced economies is essentially driven by innovation activities. The question rises from a demographic point of view as to whether the trend of an ageing workforce will affect the innovation capacities of these economies. To answer this question, the paper examines on the basis of a German linked-employer-employee-dataset whether an older workforce lowers a firm’s potential to generate product innovations. The empirical approach is based on an Ordered-logit regression model, relating a firm’s innovation potential to the age composition of its employees. The analysis provides evidence of significant age effects. The estimated age-innovation-profile follows an inverted U-shaped pattern, it peaks at the age of about 40 years. A separate estimation shows that technicians and engineers age seems to be particularly relevant.
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The Role of the Human Capital and Managerial Skills in Explaining the Productivity Gaps between East and West
Johannes Stephan, Wolfgang Steffen
Eastern European Economics,
No. 6,
2008
Abstract
This paper assess determinants of productivity gaps between firms in the European transition countries and regions and firms in West Germany. The analysis is conducted at the firm level by use of a unique database constructed by field work. The determinants tested in a simple econometric regression model are focussed upon the issue of human capital and modern market-oriented management. The results are novel in as much as a solution was established for the puzzling results in related research with respect to a comparison of formal qualification between East and West. Furthermore, the analysis was able to establish that the kind of human capital and expertise mostly needed in the post-socialist firms are related to the particular requirements of a competitive market-based economic environment. Finally, the analysis also finds empirical support for the role of capital deepening in productivity catch-up, as well as the case that the gaps in labour productivity are most importantly rooted in a more labour-intense production, which does not give rise to a competitive disadvantage.
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Effects of “Democratic Control” on the Efficiency of Local Public Enterprises: Empirical Evidence for Water Suppliers in Eastern Germany
Peter Haug
Public Finance and Management,
No. 1,
2008
Abstract
This paper deals with the effects of interference by local governments on the business affairs of publicly owned utilities. A partial model is presented to illustrate the consequences of “democratic control” on the public managers’ effort and the efficiency of local public production. To empirically check the theoretical results, a two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) was carried out on a sample of Eastern German water suppliers. The organizational form is used in the regression analysis to measure the degree of municipal control. The results of the OLS- and Tobit regression indicate an efficiency-enhancing effect on organizational forms with less distinctive control options for local politicians.
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The Role of the Human Capital and Managerial Skills in Explaining the Productivity Gaps between East and West
Wolfgang Steffen, Johannes Stephan
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 11,
2007
Abstract
This paper assess determinants of productivity gaps between firms in the European transition countries and regions and firms in West Germany. The analysis is conducted at the firm level by use of a unique database constructed by field work. The determinants tested in a simple econometric regression model are focussed upon the issue of human capital and modern market-oriented management. The results are novel in as much as a solution was established for the puzzling results in related research with respect to a comparison of formal qualification between East and West. Furthermore, the analysis was able to establish that the kind of human capital and expertise mostly needed in the post-socialist firms are related to the particular requirements of a competitive marketbased economic environment. Finally, the analysis also finds empirical support for the role of capital deepening in productivity catch-up, as well as the case that the gaps in labour productivity are most importantly rooted in a more labour-intense production, which does not give rise to a competitive disadvantage.
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