Veblen, Myrdal, and the Convergence Hypothesis: Toward an Institutionalist Critique
John B. Hall, Udo Ludwig
Journal of Economic Issues,
2010
Abstract
An Institutionalist critique that draws from selected contributions of Veblen and Myrdal initiates a convergence debate. Challenged is a Neoclassical interpretation of economic processes expected to lead toward a catching up with respect to per capita output of Germany's poorer eastern region with the richer western region. Economic method is considered, and the Institutionalist School of Thought rooted in contributions of Veblen as well as Myrdal is touted for offering higher levels of explanatory power than the Neoclassical School. We challenge the usefulness of laws in Economic Science, and especially their applicability to the empirical economy. Instead of automatic forces driving a meliorative trend, we seek to establish that human agency and policy play determining roles in affecting economic and societal outcomes in Germany's eastern region.
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FDI and Domestic Investment: An Industry-level View
C. Arndt, Claudia M. Buch, Monika Schnitzer
B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy,
2010
Abstract
Previous empirical work on the link between domestic and foreign investment has provided mixed results. This may partly be due to the level of aggregation of the data. In this paper, we argue that the impact of FDI on the domestic capital stock depends on the structure of industries. Using industry-level data on the stock of German FDI, we test our predictions. We use panel cointegration methods which address the potential endogeneity of FDI. We find evidence for a positive long-run impact of FDI on the domestic capital stock.
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The Role of Rating Agencies in Financial Crises: Event Studies from the Asian Flu
Makram El-Shagi
Cambridge Journal of Economics,
2010
Abstract
Based on case studies from countries that have been hit hardest by the Asian financial crisis of 1997, the present paper shows that the accusation that sovereign ratings led to a severe acceleration of the crisis is unconvincing and that the empirical method often used to support accusations against rating agencies is inappropriate for the problem under analysis. Rather, it must be emphasised that ratings were downgraded in most countries very shortly before the end of the crisis. In some countries, the ratings were even further downgraded after the end of the crisis as countries started to recover. This is not in line with the thesis that the crisis was accelerated by rating agencies.
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Should We Trust in Leading Indicators? Evidence from the Recent Recession
Katja Drechsel, Rolf Scheufele
Abstract
The paper analyzes leading indicators for GDP and industrial production in Germany. We focus on the performance of single and pooled leading indicators during the pre-crisis and crisis period using various weighting schemes. Pairwise and joint significant tests are used to evaluate single indicator as well as forecast combination methods. In addition, we use an end-of-sample instability test to investigate the stability of forecasting models during the recent financial crisis. We find in general that only a small number of single indicator models were performing well before the crisis. Pooling can substantially increase the reliability of leading indicator forecasts. During the crisis the relative performance of many leading indicator models increased. At short horizons, survey indicators perform best, while at longer horizons financial indicators, such as term spreads and risk spreads, improve relative to the benchmark.
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Differences in Labor Supply to Monopsonistic Firms and the Gender Pay Gap: An Empirical Analysis Using Linked Employer‐Employee Data from Germany
Boris Hirsch, Thorsten Schank, Claus Schnabel
Journal of Labor Economics,
Nr. 2,
2010
Abstract
This article investigates women’s and men’s labor supply to the firm within a semistructural approach based on a dynamic model of new monopsony. Using methods of survival analysis and a large linked employer‐employee data set for Germany, we find that labor supply elasticities are small (1.9–3.7) and that women’s labor supply to the firm is less elastic than men’s (which is the reverse of gender differences in labor supply usually found at the level of the market). Our results imply that at least one‐third of the gender pay gap might be wage discrimination by profit‐maximizing monopsonistic employers.
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Evaluating the German (New Keynesian) Phillips Curve
Rolf Scheufele
North American Journal of Economics and Finance,
2010
Abstract
This paper evaluates the New Keynesian Phillips curve (NKPC) and its hybrid variant within a limited information framework for Germany. The main interest resides in the average frequency of price re-optimization by firms. We use the labor income share as the driving variable and consider a source of real rigidity by allowing for a fixed firm-specific capital stock. A GMM estimation strategy is employed as well as an identification robust method based on the Anderson–Rubin statistic. We find that the German Phillips curve is purely forward-looking. Moreover, our point estimates are consistent with the view that firms re-optimize prices every 2–3 quarters. These estimates seem plausible from an economic point of view. But the uncertainties around these estimates are very large and also consistent with perfect nominal price rigidity, where firms never re-optimize prices. This analysis also offers some explanation as to why previous results for the German NKPC based on GMM differ considerably. First, standard GMM results are very sensitive to the way in which orthogonality conditions are formulated. Further, model mis-specifications may be left undetected by conventional J tests. This analysis points out the need for identification robust methods to get reliable estimates for the NKPC.
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Neuere Anwendungsfelder der Input-Output-Analyse – Tagungsband – Beiträge zum Halleschen Input-Output-Workshop 2008
IWH-Sonderhefte,
Nr. 6,
2009
Abstract
Der vorliegende Band umfasst die aktualisierte Fassung der zur Veröffentlichung eingereichten Vorträge, die auf dem 4. Halleschen Workshop vom 25. bis 26. Februar 2008 zu drei thematischen Schwerpunkten gehalten worden sind: Erstellung symmetrischer Input-Output-Tabellen, neue Anwendungen der Input-Output-Methode und Input-Output-Analysen in den Umweltökonomischen Gesamtrechnungen.
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Macroeconomic Shocks and Banks' Foreign Assets
Claudia M. Buch, K. Carstensen, A. Schertler
Journal of Money, Credit and Banking,
Nr. 1,
2010
Abstract
Recent developments in international financial markets have highlighted the role of banks in the transmission of shocks across borders. We employ dynamic panel methods for a sample of OECD countries to analyze whether banks' foreign assets react to macroeconomic shocks at home and abroad. We find that banks reduce their foreign assets in response to a relative increase in domestic interest rates, and they increase their foreign assets when the growth rate of world energy prices rises. The responses are characterized by a temporal overshooting and a dynamic adjustment process that extends over several quarters.
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Capital Stock Approximation with the Perpetual Inventory Method: STATA Code for the IAB Establishment Panel
Steffen Müller
FDZ-Methodenreport, H. 02,
Nr. 2,
2010
Abstract
Das IAB Betriebspanel enthält keine direkten Informationen über den Kapitalstock der befragten Betriebe. Dieser Methodenreport beschreibt die Möglichkeit der Approximation des Kapitalstocks anhand der Methode der permanenten Inventur (perpetual inventory method), wie sie in Müller (2008) vorgeschlagen wird. Der Anhang enthält den entsprechenden STATA Code.
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27.01.2010 • 3/2010
Unternehmensnetzwerke in der Photovoltaik-Industrie – starke Verbundenheit und hohe Kooperationsintensität
Die deutsche Photovoltaik-Industrie (PV-Industrie) ist ein vergleichsweise junger Industriezweig, der durch ein hohes Maß an Unsicherheit geprägt ist. Welche der verschiedenen Technologien sich durchsetzen wird, lässt sich heute ebenso wenig abschätzen wie die zukünftige Marktentwicklung. In solchen Situationen hoher technologischer Unsicherheit legt die Theorie nahe, dass es für Unternehmen von Vorteil ist, in Netzwerken miteinander zu kooperieren. Sie erlauben es, über die reinen Geschäftsbeziehungen hinaus intensiver zusammenzuarbeiten, Ideen auszutauschen und Vertrauen aufzubauen. Eine Studie des Instituts für Wirtschaftsforschung Halle (IWH) hat nun erstmals die deutsche PV-Industrie mit der Methodik der Netzwerkanalyse untersucht.
Christoph Hornych
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