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So viel kostet FremdenfeindlichkeitReint GroppSüddeutsche Zeitung, 1. September 2026
Das vorliegende Diskussionspapier stellt den inhaltlichen Rahmen der kumulativen Dissertation zum Thema „Climate Change and Corporate Innovation Processes“ an der Technischen Universität Dresden dar. Diese besteht aus sechs bereits veröffentlichten Fachartikeln. Durch die gegenwärtig öffentlich geführte Diskussion zum Thema Klimawandel stehen europäische Industrieunternehmen neuen Anforderungen gegenüber. Dazu zählen vor allem neue Ansprüche, die ihr betriebliches Umfeld an sie stellt. Eine Möglichkeit, auf diese neuen Ansprüche zu reagieren, ist Anpassung durch Innovation. Das übergeordnete Ziel der Dissertation ist es deshalb zu untersuchen, wie die Wahrnehmung des Klimawandels seitens der Anspruchsgruppen (Stakeholder) betriebliche Innovations-prozesse beeinflusst. In dem Zusammenhang werden diese Fragestellungen sowohl theoretisch als auch empirisch untersucht. Die Dissertation leistet so einen Beitrag zu verschiedenen Literaturströmungen auf dem Themengebiet „unternehmerische Anpassungsstrategien an den Klimawandel“.
Since the fall of the iron curtain in 1989, the migration deficit of the Eastern part of Germany has accumulated to 1.8 million people, which is over ten percent of its initial population. Depending on their human capital endowment, these migrants might either – in the case of low-skilled migration – accelerate or – in high-skilled case – impede convergence. Due to the availability of detailed data on regional human capital, migration and productivity growth, we are able to test how geographic mobility affects convergence via the human capital selectivity of migration. With regard to the endogeneity of the migration flows and human capital, we apply a dynamic panel data model within the framework of β-convergence and account for spatial dependence. The regressions indicate a positive, robust, but modest effect of a migration surplus on regional productivity growth. After controlling for human capital, the effect of migration decreases; this decrease indicates that skill selectivity is one way that migration impacts growth.
The paper addresses the question of whether TV consumption has an impact on material aspirations. We exploit a natural experiment that took place during the period in which Germany was divided. Owing to geographical reasons, TV programs from the Federal Republic of Germany could not be received in all parts of the German Democratic Republic. Therefore, a natural variation occurred in exposure to West German television. We find robust evidence that watching TV is positively correlated with aspirations. Our identification strategy implies a causal relationship running from TV to aspirations. This conclusion resists various sets of alternative specifications and samples.
We seek to understand the relationship between network change determinants, network change processes at the micro level and structural consequences at the overall network level. Our conceptual framework considers three groups of determinants – organizational, relational and contextual. Selected factors within these groups are assumed to cause network change processes at the micro level – tie formations and tie terminations – and to shape the structural network configuration at the overall network level. We apply a unique longitudinal event history dataset based on the full population of 233 German laser source manufacturers and 570 publicly-funded cooperation projects to answer the following research question: What kind of exogenous or endogenous determinants affect a firm’s propensity and timing to cooperate and enter the network? Estimation results from a non-parametric event history model indicate that young micro firms enter the network later than small-sized and large firms. An in-depth analysis of the size effects for medium-sized firms provides some unexpected yet quite interesting findings. The choice of cooperation type makes no significant difference for the firms’ timing to enter the network. Finally, the analysis of contextual determinants shows that cluster membership can, but do not necessarily, affect a firm’s timing to cooperate.
In this article, we describe the results of a multiple case study on the indirect corporate innovation impact of climate change in the Central German chemical industry. We investigate the demands imposed on enterprises in this context as well as the sources, outcomes and determining factors in the innovative process at the corporate level. We argue that climate change drives corporate innovations through various channels. A main finding is that rising energy prices were a key driver for incremental energy efficiency innovations in the enterprises’ production processes. For product innovation, customer requests were a main driver, though often these requests are not directly related to climate issues. The introduction or extension of environmental and energy management systems as well as the certification of these are the most common forms of organizational innovations. For marketing purposes, the topic of climate change was hardly utilized so far. As the most important determinants for corporate climate innovations, corporate structure and flexibility of the product portfolio, political asymmetry regarding environmental regulation and governmental funding were identified.
Climate change, including its possible causes and consequences, is one of the most controversial and intensely discussed topics of our time. However, European businesses nowadays are less affected by the direct effects of climate change than by its indirect consequences. One central issue that arises in this context is the change in demands imposed by the enterprises’ operational environment. This article contributes to environmental innovation literature by providing a comprehensive framework which allows an analysis of the drivers, determinants and outcomes of climate innovations implemented by companies. In this context, the prime issue is how the perception of climate change affects corporate innovation processes. Firstly, the new demands imposed on the company by its stakeholders are considered. Secondly, the innovative reactions to these impulses are captured. Finally, the functions and relevance of certain internal and external determinants in the innovative process are highlighted.
Das Modul „Emissionsrechtemanagement“ des Softwarepaketes „CO2-Navigator“ ist ein Instrument zum unternehmensinternen Management von Emissionsrechten im Rahmen des europäischen Emissionshandels. Es liefert zu jedem Zeitpunkt eines Kalenderjahres einen Überblick über den tagesaktuellen Bestand an Emissionszertifikaten sowie Transaktionen von CO2-Emissionszertifikaten wie Zuteilung, Kauf- und Verkaufsaktivitäten. Dabei werden die relevanten Zeitpunkte, Mengen und Preise erfasst.
Ausgehend vom aktuellen Stand der Emissionen einer Anlage wird mit Hilfe eines
unternehmenstypischen Emissionsprofils eine Abschätzung der Zertifikatedeckung
zum Bilanzstichtag des aktuellen Jahres ermöglicht. Hierbei wird eine eventuelle
Zertifikateunter- oder -überdeckung quantifiziert und graphisch verdeutlicht. Das
Modul stellt somit ein nützliches Hilfsmittel im Risikomanagementprozess von emissionsintensiven Unternehmen dar. Auf den von diesem Modul gelieferten Daten baut eine eventuell anschließende Investitionsanalyse auf, beispielsweise eine stochastische Investitionsplanung. Dieses Papier veranschaulicht die Motivation und den rechtlichen Rahmen sowie die technische Konzeption des Instruments.
This article analyses how regional employment growth in Germany is affected by related variety, unrelated variety and the functions a region performs in the production process. Following the related variety literature, we argue that regions benefit from the existence of related activities that facilitate economic development. However, we argue that the sole reliance of related variety on standard industrial classifications remains debatable. Hence, we offer estimations for establishing that conceptual progress can indeed be made when a focus for analysis goes beyond solely considering industries. We develop an industry-function based approach of related and unrelated variety. Our findings suggest that related variety only in combination with a high functional specialization of the region facilitates regional growth in Germany. Additionally, also unrelated variety per se fails to wield influences affecting development of regions. It is rather unrelated, but functionally proximate variety in the groups “White Collar” and “Blue Collar Workers” positively affects regional employment growth.
The focus of this article is the empirical identification of factors influencing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in transition economies on a regional level (NUTS 2). The analysis is designed as benchmark between three neighboring post-communist regions, i.e. East Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland. Their different transition paths have not only resulted in economic differences. We can also observe today that the importance of pull factors for FDI varies significantly across the regions. This analysis shows that in comparison with Poland and the Czech Republic, East Germany’s major benefit is its purchasing power, its geographical proximity to West European markets, and its modern infrastructure. Furthermore, the analysis suggests that intra-industry linkages such as specialization and agglomeration economies are relevant factors for the location decision of foreign investors. This result can help to explain the regional divergence of FDI streams in transition economies.
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.
