Is Merger Control too Lax in Transition Countries? An Assessment of the apparently passive behaviour of Antimonopoly and Competition Offices towards enterprise concentration in transition countries
Jens Hölscher, L. Somogyi, Johannes Stephan, A. Török
ACE Phare Project No: P97-8020-R,
2001
Abstract
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The relationship between unemployment and output in post-communist countries
Hubert Gabrisch, Herbert Buscher
Post-Communist Economies,
2006
Abstract
Unemployment is still disappointingly high in most Central and East European countries, and might be a reflection of the ongoing adjustment to institutional shocks resulting from systemic transition, or it may be caused by high labour market rigidity, or aggregate demand that is too weak. In this paper we have investigated the dynamics of unemployment and output in those eight post-communist countries, which entered the EU in 2004. We used a model related to Okun’s Law; i.e. the first differences in unemployment rates were regressed on GDP growth rates. We estimated country and panel regressions with instrument variables (TSLS) and applied a few tests to the data and regression results. We assume transition of labour markets to be accomplished when a robust relationship exists between unemployment rate changes and GDP growth. Moreover, the estimated coefficients contain information about labour market rigidity and unemployment thresholds of output growth. Our results suggest that the transition of labour markets can be regarded as completed since unemployment responds to output changes and not to a changing institutional environment that destroys jobs in the state sector. The regression coefficients have demonstrated that a high trend rate of productivity and a high unemployment intensity of output growth have been occurring since 1998. Therefore, we conclude that labour market rigidities do not play an important role in explaining high unemployment rates. However, GDP growth is dominated by productivity progress and the employment-relevant component of aggregate demand is too low to reduce the high level of unemployment substantially.
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Vertical Intra-industry Trade between EU and Accession Countries
Hubert Gabrisch
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 12,
2006
Abstract
The paper analyses vertical intra-industry trade between EU and Accession countries, and concentrates on two country-specific determinants: Differences in personal income distribution and in technology. Both determinants have a strong link to national policies and to cross-border investment flows. In contrast to most other studies, income distribution is not seen as time-invariant variable, but as changing over time. What is new is also that differences in technology are tested in comparison with cost advantages from capital/labour ratios. The study applies panel estimation techniques with GLS. Results show country-pair fixed effects to be of high relevance for explaining vertical intraindustry trade. In addition, bilateral differences in personal income distribution and their changes are positive related to vertical intra-industry trade in this special regional integration framework; hence, distributional effects of policies matter. Also, technology differences turn out to be positively correlated with vertical intra-industry trade. However, the cost variable (here: relative GDP per capita) shows no clear picture, particularly not in combination with the technology variable.
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Can Export Activities of Firms Contribute to the Catching-Up Process of Transitional Economies?
Brigitte Loose, Udo Ludwig
Can the transitional and development economies ever catch up? The Materials from The International Scientific Conference Cracow,
2006
Abstract
In contrast to the majority of the former centrally planned economies, the East German economy has suffered from enormous losses in the transformation process. In the study the question is analyzed whether exports can contribute to the catching-up process in transitional economies. Here it must be explained why the firms emerging out of the privatization process in economies in transition are successful if the export sector consists of small and medium sized enterprises. That is the case with East German manufacturing industry. The study is based on individual company data from the surveys of the East Germany's and North Rhine Westphalia's manufacturing industry between 1995 and 2001 stemming from official statistics.
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Buchbesprechung - Werner Meske (Hrsg.), From System Trans-formation to European Integration. Science and Technology in Central and Eastern Europe at the Beginnung of the 21st Century. Lit Verlag: Münster 2004
Jutta Günther
Science and Public Policy, Vol. 32, Nr. 4,
2005
Abstract
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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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The unemployment-growth relationship in transition countries
Hubert Gabrisch, Herbert Buscher
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 5,
2005
Abstract
Does the disappointingly high unemployment in Central and East European countries reflect non-completed adjustment to institutional shocks from transition to a market economy, or is it the result of high labour market rigidities, or rather a syndrome of too weak aggregate demand and output? In the case of transitional causes, unemployment is expected to decline over time. Otherwise, it would pose a challenge to the European Union, particular in case of accession countries, for it jeopardizes the ambitious integration plans of, and may trigger excessive migration to the Union. In order to find out which hypothesis holds 15 years after transition has started, we analyze the unemploymentgrowth dynamics in the eight new member countries from Central-Eastern Europe. The study is based on country and panel regressions with instrument variables (TSLS). The results suggest to declare the transition of labour markets as completed; unemployment responds to output and not to a changing institutional environment for job creation. The regression coefficients report a high trend rate of productivity and a high unemployment intensity of output growth since 1998. The conclusion is that labour market rigidities do not to play an important role in explaining high unemployment rates. Rather, GDP growth is dominated by productivity progress, while the employment relevant component of aggregate demand is too low to reduce substantially the high level of unemployment.
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Structural Change during Transition: Is Russia Becoming a Service Economy?
Albrecht Kauffmann
Volkswirtschaftliche Diskussionsbeiträge der Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftlichen Fakultät, Universität Potsdam, Nr. 80,
No. 80,
2005
Abstract
This paper analyses the structural change in Russia during the transition from the planned to a market economy. With regard to the famous three sector hypothesis, broad economic sectors were formed as required by this theory. The computation of their shares at GNP at market prices using Input-Output tables, and the adjustment of results from distortions, generated as side effects of tax avoidance practices, shows results that clearly reject claims that Russia would be on the road to a post-industrial service economy. Instead, at least until 2001, a tendency of “primarisation“ could be observed, that presents Russia closer to less-developed countries.
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Analysis of statements made in favour of and against the adoption of competition law in developing and transition economies
Franz Kronthaler, Johannes Stephan, Frank Emmert
IWH-Sonderhefte,
No. 1,
2005
Abstract
The paper is concerned with documenting and assessing statements made by policy-makers, opinion formers, and other stakeholders in favour and against the adoption of competition laws with particular reference to transition and developing countries which have not yet enacted these kind of laws. For example, claims that competition enforcement might reduce the inflow of foreign direct investment, or that other policies are successfully used as substitutes for competition law, are assessed. In a first step, the method of generalized analysis structures the list of statements around core issues of common features to make them accessible to further interpretation and assessment.
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Die Automobilindustrie in den neuen Bundesländern (Studie im Auftrag des Verbands der Automobilindustrie (VDA))
Jutta Günther, Albrecht Bochow
Einzelveröffentlichungen,
No. 3,
2005
Abstract
Basierend auf Daten der amtlichen Statistik und Mikrodaten zur Automobilzulieferindustrie legt die Studie eine umfassende Bestandsaufnahme zur Entwicklung der Automobilindustrie in den neuen Bundesländern vor. Ausgehend von einer Darstellung der Beschäftigung, des Umsatzes und der Produktivität seit Beginn der Transformation wird ferner auf die regionale Verteilung der Aktivitäten der Automobilindustrie und deren ausgeprägte Verflechtung mit anderen Branchen des Verarbeitenden Gewerbes und des Dienstleistungsektors eingegangen. Die Mikrodaten des IIC (Industrial Investment Council) zur ostdeutschen Automobilzulieferindustrie, die sich nicht auf die statistische Kategorie „Herstellung von Teilen und Zubehör“ beschränken, sondern Teile- und Ausrüstungslieferanten der Automobilhersteller über alle Branchen hinweg erfassen, erlauben schließlich eine Bezifferung der gesamten mit der Automobilindustrie in Zusammenhang stehenden Beschäftigung und – auf Basis der Ortsangaben – auch eine genaue Lokalisierung der Betriebe. Rechnet man die Beschäftigten bei den Automobilherstellern (20.600), den Herstellern von Anhängern und Aufbauten (5.356) und der Zulieferern (111.901) zusammen, so beträgt die Zahl der direkt oder indirekt mit der Automobilindustrie verbundenen Beschäftigten in den neuen Bundesländern fast 138.000. Die Zentren der ostdeutschen Automobilindustrie liegen in Sachsen und Thüringen, obwohl sich Zulieferer inzwischen in allen Regionen Ostdeutschlands niedergelassen haben. Das zeigen die Auswertungen der amtlichen Statistik wie auch die genaue kartographische Darstellung mittels der Mikrodaten.
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