To what extent and in what form should the intellectual property rights (IPR) of innovators be protected? Should a company with a large technology lead over its rivals receive the same IPR protection as a company with a more limited advantage? In this paper, we develop a dynamic framework for the study of the interactions between IPR and competition, in particular to understand the impact of such policies on future incentives. The economy consists of many industries and firms engaged in cumulative (step-by-step) innovation. IPR policy regulates whether followers in an industry can copy the technology of the leader. We prove the existence of a steady-state equilibrium and characterize some of its properties. We then quantitatively investigate the implications of different types of IPR policy on the equilibrium growth rate and welfare. The most important result from this exercise is that full patent protection is not optimal; instead, optimal policy involves state-dependent IPR protection, providing greater protection to technology leaders that are further ahead than those that are close to their followers. This is because of a trickle-down effect: providing greater protection to firms that are further ahead of their followers than a certain threshold increases the R&D incentives also for all technology leaders that are less advanced than this threshold.

In Germany, the employment response to the post-2007 crisis has been muted compared to other industrialized countries. Despite a large drop in output, employment has hardly changed. In this paper, we analyze the determinants of German firms’ labor demand during the crisis using a firm-level panel dataset. Our analysis proceeds in two steps. First, we estimate a dynamic labor demand function for the years 2000-2009 accounting for the degree of working time flexibility and the presence of works councils. Second, on the basis of these

estimates, we use the difference between predicted and actual employment as a measure of labor hoarding as the dependent variable in a cross-sectional regression for 2009. Apart from total labor hoarding, we also look at the determinants of subsidized labor hoarding through short-time work. The structural characteristics of firms using these channels of adjustment differ. Product market competition has a negative impact on total labor hoarding but a positive effect on the use of short-time work. Firm covered by collective agreements hoard less labor overall; firms without financial frictions use short-time work less intensively.

The aim of this paper is to explain the evolution of the spatial structures of one particular type of renewable energy in Germany – the photovoltaic (PV) industry. We first demonstrate how environmental movements have contributed to institutional change and government action, leading to changes in the legal and regulative structure in Germany. We describe how these changes opened up a window of locational opportunity (WLO), thus combining the WLO concept with the entrepreneurial opportunity concept. As market entries occurred mainly in Eastern Germany, the paper also explores the factors leading to a concentration of economic activity related to the new PV industry in this part of the country. Based on the WLO concept, we combine this framework with the industrial dynamics literature by Klepper (2007) and illustrate the spatial evolution of the PV industry.

The present paper compares expected inflation to (econometric) inflation forecasts based on a number of forecasting techniques from the literature using a panel of ten industrialized countries during the period of 1988 to 2007. To capture expected inflation, we develop a recursive filtering algorithm which extracts unexpected inflation from real interest rate data, even in the presence of diverse risks and a potential Mundell-Tobin-effect.

The extracted unexpected inflation is compared to the forecasting errors of ten

econometric forecasts. Beside the standard AR(p) and ARMA(1,1) models, which

are known to perform best on average, we also employ several Phillips curve based approaches, VAR, dynamic factor models and two simple model avering approaches.

This dissertation applies the theory of technology accumulation to explain the internationalisation of foreign and West German multinational enterprises (MNEs) into East Germany. This theory shifts the focus from technology transfer to the international diffusion of innovation within the MNE. It rejects the position that all MNEs offer the same technological opportunities to host economies. Yet, most of the existing empirical research on postcommunist transition economies including East Germany applies the traditional technology transfer perspective. Therefore, this dissertation provides a complementary and novel approach. We assume a dynamic interaction between existing location specific technological capabilities within the host country, MNEs’ location choice, their internationalisation of research and development (R&D) and innovation, and the potential for technological spillover effects from MNEs to the host economy. The dissertation exploits information from the IWH FDI micro database on the full population of MNEs that entered East German manufacturing until 2005 and corresponding survey data. Microeconometric estimation results generate a number of novel findings: We can show that existing location specific technological capabilities affect MNEs’ general location choice within East Germany. They are not powerful enough to attract MNEs’ technological activities. Instead, the location of MNEs’ innovation requires the joint presence of technological and industry specialisation within regions, whereas foreign R&D benefits from technological specialisation in combination with a diversified industry structure. Moreover, the location of technological activity differs depending upon the underlying motive for internationalisation. Our findings suggest that the potential for technological externalities from affiliates to local firms is subject to centrally and locally driven technological heterogeneity of MNEs. Existing location specific technological capabilities do not affect the spillover potential. This hints a limited dynamic interaction of ownership and locational advantages in firms’ internationalisation. We derive implications for the technology accumulation theory as well as for various fields of science and technology policy.

The present paper compares expected inflation to (econometric) inflation forecasts

based on a number of forecasting techniques from the literature using a panel of

ten industrialized countries during the period of 1988 to 2007. To capture expected

inflation we develop a recursive filtering algorithm which extracts unexpected inflation from real interest rate data, even in the presence of diverse risks and a potential Mundell-Tobin-effect.

The extracted unexpected inflation is compared to the forecasting errors of ten

econometric forecasts. Beside the standard AR(p) and ARMA(1,1) models, which

are known to perform best on average, we also employ several Phillips curve based approaches, VAR, dynamic factor models and two simple model avering approaches.

In this paper the seasonal unit root test of Hylleberg et al. (1990) is generalized to cover a heterogenous panel. The procedure follows the work of Im, Pesaran and Shin (2002). Test statistics are proposed and critical values are obtained by simulations. Moreover, the properties of the tests are analyzed for di®erent deterministic and dynamic specications. Evidence is presented that for a small time dimension the power is slow even for increasing cross section dimension. Therefore, it seems necessary to have a higher time dimension than cross section dimension. The new test is applied for unemployment behaviour in

industrialized countries. In some cases seasonal unit roots are detected. However, the null hypotheses of panel seasonal unit roots are rejected. The null hypothesis of a unit root at the zero frequency is not rejected, thereby supporting the presence of hysteresis effects.

Obwohl sich die weltwirtschaftliche Lage seit Beginn des Jahres 2001 zunehmend verschlechtert und zu einem kräftigen Nach­fragerückgang auf den Auslandsmärkten geführt hat, entwickelten sich die Auslandsgeschäfte ostdeutscher Unternehmer bis zur Mitte des Jahres noch günstig. Nachdem die ostdeutsche Warenausfuhr bereits im gesamten Jahr 2000 kräftig expandierte, ist auch im ersten Halbjahr 2001 mit fast 25 % ein hoher Exportzuwachs erzielt worden. Darin zeigt sich die allmäh­lich zunehmende Einbindung der ostdeutschen Wirtschaft in die internationale Arbeitsteilung. Am gesamtdeutschen Export­ergebnis sind die ostdeutschen Hersteller mit 4,4% beteiligt. Wie bereits in den beiden Jahren zuvor, expandierten die Lieferungen in die Länder der Europäischen Union im ersten Halbjahr 2001 mit einer Zuwachsrate von 17,6 % eher unterdurch­schnittlich. Trotz der geringeren Dynamik ist der EU-Markt mit einem Anteil von 45% nach wie vor wichtigste Absatzmarkt für ostdeutsche Produkte. Kräftiger zugelegt haben die Warenausfuhren nach Amerika, hier besonders in die Vereinigten Staaten (43,9 %), sowie in die asiatische Region, insbesondere nach Südostasien (48,5 %). Sowohl die amerikanische als auch die asiatische Region haben für ostdeutsche Exporteure als Absatzmärkte an Bedeutung gewonnen, immerhin werden dorthin gegenwärtig knapp 30 % aller Waren geliefert. Nach Warengruppen betrachtet, wurden hohe Exportzuwächse im Kraftfahrzeugbau (30,6 %) und in der elektrotechnischen Industrie (26,9 %) erreicht. Mehr als ein Drittel der Waren­lieferungen ins Ausland kamen im ersten Halbjahr 2001 aus diesen Bereichen. Darüber hinaus haben ausländische Abnehmer verstärkt Maschinenbau­erzeugnisse wie Werk­zeug­maschinen, Pumpen und Kraftmaschinen geordert. Ebenfalls hohe Zuwächse konnten im Export von chemischen und pharmazeutischen Erzeugnissen erzielt werden.