Can EU Policy Intervention Help Productivity Catch-Up?
Johannes Stephan, P. Holmes, J. Lopez-Gonzales, C. Stolberg
Closing the EU East-West Productivity Gap - Foreign direct Investment, Competitiveness, and Public Policy,
2006
Abstract
"A product of the Framework V research project, this book addresses one of the key problems facing the EU today: Why is the ‘new’ EU so much poorer than the ‘old’, and how will EU enlargement help to solve the problem? Focusing on the productivity problems underlying the East-West gap, it looks in particular at the role that foreign investment and R&D can play in closing it. Against that background, the book assesses what role proactive development policy might play in attacking the roots of low social productivity. Concluding that there will be a clear-cut process of convergence between East and West, albeit an incomplete one, it finishes with an assessment of the patterns of competitiveness, East and West, that are likely to emerge from this process of incomplete convergence."
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Developments in efficiency and productivity research – a report about the first Halle Efficiency and Productivity Analysis Workshop
Christian Growitsch
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 7,
2006
Abstract
Produktivitäts- und Effizienzanalysen gewinnen – vor allem unter dem Stichwort benchmarking – in akademischer Forschung, unternehmerischer Praxis und nicht zuletzt aktueller Wirtschaftspolitik zunehmend an Einfluß. So bildet beispielsweise der Effizienzvergleich deutscher Energieversorgungsunternehmen im jüngst vorgestellten Entwurf zur Anreizregulierung der Bundesnetzagentur ein zentrales Element der nationalen Energieregulierung. Aber auch in anderen Disziplinen der Wirtschaftswissenschaften haben diese Analysen Einzug gehalten. Das IWH hat daher gemeinsam mit dem Institut für Agrarentwicklung in Mittel- und Osteuropa (IAMO) einen Workshop zu den Themen Effizienz- und Produktivitätsanalysen, den “1st Halle Efficiency and Productivity Analysis Workshop – HEPAW” veranstaltet. Ziel des Workshops war die Diskussion aktueller theoretischer und empirischer Forschungsergebnisse der Produktivitäts- und Effizienzmessung aus den Disziplinen Volkswirtschaftslehre, Agrarökonomik, Betriebswirtschaftslehre, Operations Research und verwandten Gebiete.
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Forced to Freedom? Empirical Relations between Aid and Economic Freedom
Tobias Knedlik, Franz Kronthaler
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 8,
2006
Abstract
The paper explores the relationships between economic freedom on the one side and development aid and IMF credit as approximation for conditional aid on the other side. After a short review of current literature on the issue of economic development, economic freedom, aid, and IMF credit, the paper develops a simple panel regression model to evaluate the relationship between “economic freedom” as dependent variable and “aid” and “IMF credit” as independent variables. The estimation is based upon data taken from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators and the Heritage Index of Economic Freedom. In contrast to previous research, our results allow the rejection of the hypothesis that IMF credit increases economic freedom and that aid is not contributing to economic freedom. The estimation results suggest that, firstly, aid is positively correlated with economic freedom, and secondly, that IMF credit is negatively correlated with economic freedom. Taking IMF credit as proxy for conditional aid, we conclude that for the period of observation it could not be shown that countries can be forced to economic freedom by aid conditions.
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Measuring the Efficiency of Regional Innovation Systems – An Empirical Assessment
Michael Fritsch, Viktor Slavtchev
Freiberg Working Papers, Nr. 08-2006,
No. 8,
2006
Abstract
Wir messen die Effizienz der regionalen Innovationssysteme (RIS) in Deutschland anhand einer Wissensproduktionsfunktion. Diese Funktion stellt einen Zusammenhang zwischen der Anzahl der von den Einwohnern einer Region angemeldeten Patente und der Anzahl der FuE-Beschäftigten im Privatsektor in der Region. Zwei alternative Methoden zur empirischen Berechnung der Wissensproduktionsfunktion werden vorgestellt. In einem ersten Ansatz nehmen wir an, dass sich Unterschiede der Produktivität der FuE-Beschäftigten in der Steigung der Wissensproduktionsfunktion und somit in der Grenzproduktivität der FuE-Aktivitäten niederschlagen. Ein zweiter Ansatz bestimmte die Durchschnittsproduktivität der FuE-Beschäftigten mittels einer stochastischen Frontier-Wissensproduktionsfunktion. Wir vergleichen die Resultate beider Ansätze und diskutieren kritische Fragen hinsichtlich der Verteilungscharakteristika der technischen Effizienz von Regionen, der adäquaten Größe regionaler Innovationssysteme sowie der Präsenz und der Effekte räumlicher Interdependenzen zwischen den Regionen (räumlicher Autokorrelation).
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Technology Transfer via Foreign Direct Investment in Central and Eastern Europe: Theory, Method of Research and Empirical Evidence
Johannes Stephan
Technology Transfer via Foreign Direct Investment in Central and Eastern Europe: Theory, Method of Research and Empirical Evidence,
2005
Abstract
Foreign subsidiaries of multinational companies are suggested as one of the main channels of technology transfer to less developed economies. In Central East Europe their presence proved to be a decisive factor to economic restructuring and development. This volume is a unique guide to theory, method of research, and empirical evidence, for technology transfer via foreign subsidiaries of multinational companies. It combines the merits of a core text on technology transfer via FDI with up-to-date empirical evidence.
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Foreign Direct Investment and Technology Transfer in Transition Countries: Theory - Method of Research - Empirical Evidence
Johannes Stephan
Studies in Economic Transition. Series edited by J. Hölscher and H. Tomann,
2005
Abstract
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Theory and Review on the Latest Research on the Effects of FDI into Central East Europe
Björn Jindra
Technology Transfer via Foreign Direct Investment in Central and Eastern Europe. Theory, Method of Research and Empirical Evidence. Studies in Economic Transition. Series edited by J. Hölscher and H. Tomann,
2005
Abstract
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Comment on A. Bley's article on 'Monetary Aspects of European Eastern Enlargement and CEE participation in ERM and EMU'
Johannes Stephan
Technology Transfer via Foreign Direct Investment in Central and Eastern Europe. Theory, Method of Research and Empirical Evidence. Studies in Economic Transition. Series edited by J. Hölscher and H. Tomann,
2005
Abstract
Foreign subsidiaries of multinational companies are suggested as one of the main channels of technology transfer to less developed economies. In Central East Europe their presence proved to be a decisive factor to economic restructuring and development. This volume is a unique guide to theory, method of research, and empirical evidence for technology transfer via foreign subsidiaries of multinational companies. It combines the merits of a core text on technology transfer via FDI with up-to-date empirical evidence.
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Advances in macroeconometric modeling: Papers and Proceedings of the 4th IWH Workshop in Macroeconometrics
Christian Dreger
Schriften des IWH,
No. 19,
2005
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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Quality of Service, Efficiency, and Scale in Network Industries: An Analysis of European Electricity Distribution
Christian Growitsch, Tooraj Jamasb, Michael Pollitt
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 3,
2005
Abstract
Quality of service is of major economic significance in natural monopoly infrastructure industries and is increasingly addressed in regulatory schemes. However, this important aspect is generally not reflected in efficiency analysis of these industries. In this paper we present an efficiency analysis of electricity distribution networks using a sample of about 500 electricity distribution utilities from seven European countries. We apply the stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) method on multi-output translog input distance function models to estimate cost and scale efficiency with and without incorporating quality of service. We show that introducing the quality dimension into the analysis affects estimated efficiency significantly. In contrast to previous research, smaller utilities seem to indicate lower technical efficiency when incorporating quality. We also show that incorporating quality of service does not alter scale economy measures. Our results emphasise that quality of service should be an integrated part of efficiency analysis and incentive regulation regimes, as well as in the economic review of market concentration in regulated natural monopolies.
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