Research Articles
Research Articles Explore cutting-edge research based on CompNet’s micro-aggregated firm-level data and related analytical tools. These articles cover empirical and theoretical…
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Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH) – Member of the Leibniz Association
EREI-Update: Rents remain high in Spanish cities Pressure in the Spanish rental market made Prime Minister Sánchez call for early elections. The latest European Real Estate Index…
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Job Market Candidates
Job Market Candidates Dennis C. Hutschenreiter Dennis C. Hutschenreiter is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Financial Markets at the Halle Institute for Economic…
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Brown Bag Seminar
Brown Bag Seminar Financial Markets Department The seminar series "Brown Bag Seminar" was offered on a regular basis by members of the Financial Markets department and their…
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Declining Free Lunch: State Capacity and Foregone Public Spending
Sarah Fritz, Lorenzo Incoronato, Catherine van der List
RFBerlin Discussion Paper,
No. 67,
2025
Abstract
This paper documents substantial fiscal waste in the context of one the world’s largest regional development programs – the EU Cohesion Policy. We study Italy, and find that 20% of funding commitments are never paid out and funneled into unfinished or never-started projects. In our setting, this happens for reasons unrelated to fiscal constraints – municipalities appear to simply leave money on the table. Foregone spending is more prevalent in Southern regions, but there is also stark variation across municipalities within regions. We show that such under-utilization of available funds is strongly associated with limited administrative capacity of local governments.
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The Limits of Local Laws in Global Supply Chains: Extending Governance or Cutting Ties?
Michael Koetter, Melina Ludolph, Hendrik Keilbach, Fabian Woebbeking
Abstract
We exploit an information shock related to the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act and use detailed customs data to analyze how smaller, non-listed firms respond when expecting accountability for externalities beyond their organizational boundaries. Product-level regressions reveal a substantial reduction in imports from high ESG-risk production sectors. Adjustments occur mainly at the extensive margin, indicating that firms cut ties with high-risk suppliers. The product-level results translate into meaningful changes in overall international procurement for firms with Big Four auditors. Our findings suggest potential limits to mandates requiring firms to integrate broad sustainability considerations into operational decisions.
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Interviews
Quotations and Interviews It is not our style to abbreviate complex issues - but getting to the heart of the matter is. Below you will find quotes and interviews with IWH experts.…
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Mental Health
Mental Health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. According to World Health Organization…
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Financial Stability
Financial Systems: The Anatomy of the Market Economy How the financial system is constructed, how it works, how to keep it fit and what good a bit of chocolate can do. Dossier In…
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2020 Annual Conference of the OECD Global Forum of Productivity
2020 Annual Conference of the OECD Global Forum of Productivity This year CompNet celebrates its 10th Annual Conference, together with Banque de France as co-host, which will…
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