Macroeconomic Challenges in the Euro Area and the Acceding Countries
Katja Drechsel
Dissertation, Fachbereich Wirtschaftswissenschaften der Universität Osnabrück,
2010
Abstract
deutscher Titel: Makroökonomische Herausforderungen für die Eurozone und die Beitrittskandidaten
Abstract: The conduct of effective economic policy faces a multiplicity of macroeconomic challenges, which requires a wide scope of theoretical and empirical analyses. With a focus on the European Union, this doctoral dissertation consists of two parts which make empirical and methodological contributions to the literature on forecasting real economic activity and on the analysis of business cycles in a boom-bust framework in the light of the EMU enlargement. In the first part, we tackle the problem of publication lags and analyse the role of the information flow in computing short-term forecasts up to one quarter ahead for the euro area GDP and its main components. A huge dataset of monthly indicators is used to estimate simple bridge equations. The individual forecasts are then pooled, using different weighting schemes. To take into consideration the release calendar of each indicator, six forecasts are compiled successively during the quarter. We find that the sequencing of information determines the weight allocated to each block of indicators, especially when the first month of hard data becomes available. This conclusion extends the findings of the recent literature. Moreover, when combining forecasts, two weighting schemes are found to outperform the equal weighting scheme in almost all cases. In the second part, we focus on the potential accession of the new EU Member States in Central and Eastern Europe to the euro area. In contrast to the discussion of Optimum Currency Areas, we follow a non-standard approach for the discussion on abandonment of national currencies the boom-bust theory. We analyse whether evidence for boom-bust cycles is given and draw conclusions whether these countries should join the EMU in the near future. Using a broad range of data sets and empirical methods we document credit market imperfections, comprising asymmetric financing opportunities across sectors, excess foreign currency liabilities and contract enforceability problems both at macro and micro level. Furthermore, we depart from the standard analysis of comovements of business cycles among countries and rather consider long-run and short-run comovements across sectors. While the results differ across countries, we find evidence for credit market imperfections in Central and Eastern Europe and different sectoral reactions to shocks. This gives favour for the assessment of the potential euro accession using this supplementary, non-standard approach.
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Finance and Growth in a Bank-Based Economy: Is It Quantity or Quality that Matters?
Michael Koetter, Michael Wedow
Journal of International Money and Finance,
No. 8,
2010
Abstract
Most finance–growth studies approximate the size of financial systems rather than the quality of intermediation to explain economic growth differentials. Furthermore, the neglect of systematic differences in cross-country studies could drive the result that finance matters. We suggest a measure of bank’s intermediation quality using bank-specific efficiency estimates and focus on the regions of one economy only: Germany. This quality measure has a significantly positive effect on growth. This result is robust to the exclusion of banks operating in multiple regions, controlling for the proximity of financial markets, when distinguishing different banking sectors active in Germany, and when excluding the structurally weaker East from the sample.
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Arbeitsmarktbilanz Ostdeutschland: Beschäftigung nimmt im Jahr 2010 zu
Hans-Ulrich Brautzsch
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 11,
2010
Abstract
Die Beschäftigungssituation hat sich seit Anfang des Jahres 2010 infolge des kräftigen Produktionswachstums verbessert. Die Zahl der Erwerbstätigen
nimmt seit Anfang dieses Jahres saisonbereinigt zu. Getragen wurde der Beschäftigungsaufbau von einer deutlichen Zunahme der sozialversicherungspflichtig eschäftigten. Einem weiteren – wenn auch abgeschwächten – Rückgang der Beschäftigung im Verarbeitenden Gewerbe steht dabei ein kräftiger Personalaufbau in einigen Dienstleistungsbereichen
gegenüber. Die Zahl der Arbeitslosen ging – gemessen am Beschäftigungsaufbau –überproportional zurück, da das Arbeitsangebot – demographisch bedingt – kräftig abgenommen hat. Im Verlauf dieses und des kommenden Jahres wird
sich infolge der Ausdehnung der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Produktion die Lage auf dem ostdeutschen Arbeitsmarkt weiter verbessern. Die Zahl der Erwerbstätigen
wird Ende des Jahres 2010 in etwa auf dem Stand vor der schweren Wirtschaftskrise liegen. Im kommenden Jahr wird sich der Beschäftigungsaufbau
fortsetzen. Der Rückgang der Zahl der registrierten Arbeitslosen wird im Prognosezeitraum aufgrund des weiter stark schrumpfenden Arbeitsangebots größer sein als der Beschäftigungsaufbau.
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Editorial
Herbert S. Buscher
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 11,
2010
Abstract
Etwas über zwanzig Jahre hat es gedauert, bis zum ersten Mal ein ostdeutsches Flächenland – Thüringen – eine Arbeitslosenquote ausweist, die mit einem westdeutschen Flächenland – Nordrhein-Westfalen – auf vergleichbarem Niveau liegt: 8,3% im Oktober in Thüringen und 8,2% in Nordrhein-Westfalen. Zugegeben, die Arbeitslosenquoten in den meisten der Neuen Bundesländer liegen noch immer deutlich über dem westdeutschen Durchschnitt, und sie sind mit Ausnahme von Thüringen und Brandenburg auch immer noch zweistellig. Trotzdem ist diese Entwicklung bemerkenswert. Der Arbeitsmarkt und damit die Beschäftigung haben sich stabilisiert, die Unternehmen haben ihre Marktnischen gefunden und agieren auch teilweise auf internationalen Märkten. Die kleinteilige Struktur der thüringischen bzw. der ostdeutschen Wirtschaft stellt nicht zwangsläufig einen Nachteil dar – weder für die Überlebenschance des Betriebs noch für den Aufbau von Beschäftigung.
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State Aid in the Enlarged European Union. An Overview
Jens Hölscher, Nicole Nulsch, Johannes Stephan
Abstract
In the early phase of transition that started with the 1990s, Central and Eastern European Countries pursued economic restructuring of the enterprise sector that involved massive injections of state support. Also foreign investment from the West and facilitation of the development of a market economy involved massive injections of state support. With their accession to the European Union (EU), levels and forms of state aid came under critical review by the European Commission. This inquiry investigates whether the integration of the new member states operates on a level playing field with respect to state aid. Quantitative and qualitative analysis is relied upon to answer this key, as well as other, related questions. Findings suggest that in recent years a level playing field across the EU has indeed emerged. State aid in the new EU member countries is rather handled more strictly than laxer compared to the ‘old’ EU countries.
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Governmental Learning as a Determinant of Economic Growth
Marina Grusevaja
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 23,
2010
Abstract
Systemic economic transition is a process of determined radical institutional change, a process of building new institutions required by a market economy. Nowadays, the experience of transition countries with the implementation of new institutions could be reviewed as a method of economic development that despite similar singular steps has different effects on the domestic economic performance. The process of institutional change towards a market economy is determined by political will, thus the government plays an important role in carrying out the economic reforms. Among the variety of outcomes and effects the attention is drawn especially to economic growth that diverges significantly in different post-transition countries. The paper attempts to shed light upon the problem on the basis of institutional economics, of economics of innovation and partially of political economy of growth using an evolutionary, process-oriented perspective. In this context the issue central to the promotion of economic growth is the successful implementation of new institutions through governmental activities. The paper shows that under the conditions of bounded rationality and radical uncertainty economic growth is determined, inter alia, by the capacity for governmental learning.
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Das Energiekonzept für Deutschland – ein Kommentar
Wilfried Ehrenfeld
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 10,
2010
Abstract
Am 28. September dieses Jahres hat das Bundeskabinett das Energiekonzept beschlossen. Inhalt dieses Konzeptes ist die Zukunft der Energieversorgung in Deutschland allgemein und die Zukunft der erneuerbaren Energien im Speziellen. Der Plan ist dabei in neun Handlungsfelder unterteilt. Diese reichen von der Rolle erneuerbarer Energien allgemein über Energieeffizienz, Mobilität, Energieversorgung im europäischen und internationalen Kontext bis hin zu energetischer Gebäudesanierung , Klimaschutz und zur Rolle der Kernkraft. So ist in diesem Konzept beispielsweise vorgesehen, die Treibhausgasemissionen bis 2020 um 40% und bis 2050 um mindestens 80% gegenüber 1990 zu reduzieren, was als ambitioniertes Ziel gewertet werden kann.
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Works Councils and Separations: Voice, Monopoly, and Insurance Effects
Boris Hirsch, Thorsten Schank, Claus Schnabel
Industrial Relations,
No. 4,
2010
Abstract
Using a large linked employer–employee data set for Germany, we find that the existence of a works council is associated with a lower separation rate to employment, in particular for workers with low tenure. While works council monopoly effects show up in all specifications, clear voice effects are only visible for low tenured workers. Works councils also reduce separations to nonemployment, and this impact is more pronounced for men. Insurance effects only show up for workers with tenure of more than 2 years. Our results indicate that works councils to some extent represent the interests of a specific clientele.
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Neo-liberalism, the Changing German Labor Market, and Income Distribution: An Institutionalist and Post Keynesian Analysis
John B. Hall, Udo Ludwig
Journal of Economic Issues,
2010
Abstract
This inquiry relies on an Institutionalist and Post Keynesian analysis to explore Germany's neo-liberal project, noting cumulative effects emerging as measurable economic and societal outcomes. Investments in technologies generate rising output-to-capital ratios. Increasing exports offset the Domar problem, but give rise to capital surpluses. National income redistributes in favor of capital. Novel labor market institutions emerge. Following Minsky, good times lead to bad: as seeming successes of neo-liberal policies are accompanied by financial instability, growing disparities in household incomes, and sharp declines in German exports on world markets, resulting in one of the deepest, recent contractions in the industrialized world.
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