Forecast Dispersion, Dissenting Votes, and Monetary Policy Preferences of FOMC Members: The Role of Individual Career Characteristics and Political Aspects
Stefan Eichler, Tom Lähner
Public Choice,
No. 3,
2014
Abstract
Using data from 1992 to 2001, we study the impact of members’ economic forecasts on the probability of casting dissenting votes in the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). Employing standard ordered probit techniques, we find that higher individual inflation and real GDP growth forecasts (relative to the committee’s median) significantly increase the probability of dissenting in favor of tighter monetary policy, whereas higher individual unemployment rate forecasts significantly decrease it. Using interaction models, we find that FOMC members with longer careers in government, industry, academia, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), or on the staff of the Board of Governors are more focused on output stabilization, while FOMC members with longer careers in the financial sector or on the staffs of regional Federal Reserve Banks are more focused on inflation stabilization. We also find evidence that politics matters, with Republican appointees being much more focused on inflation stabilization than Democratic appointees. Moreover, during the entire Clinton administration ‘natural’ monetary policy preferences of Bank presidents and Board members for inflation and output stabilization were more pronounced than under periods covering the administrations of both George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, respectively.
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The Role of Entrepreneurship in US Job Creation and Economic Dynamism
Ryan A. Decker, John Haltiwanger, Ron S. Jarmin, Javier Miranda
Journal of Economic Perspectives,
No. 3,
2014
Abstract
An optimal pace of business dynamics—encompassing the processes of entry, exit, expansion, and contraction—would balance the benefits of productivity and economic growth against the costs to firms and workers associated with reallocation of productive resources. It is difficult to prescribe what the optimal pace should be, but evidence accumulating from multiple datasets and methodologies suggests that the rate of business startups and the pace of employment dynamism in the US economy has fallen over recent decades and that this downward trend accelerated after 2000. A critical factor in accounting for the decline in business dynamics is a lower rate of business startups and the related decreasing role of dynamic young businesses in the economy. For example, the share of US employment accounted for by young firms has declined by almost 30 percent over the last 30 years. These trends suggest that incentives for entrepreneurs to start new firms in the United States have diminished over time. We do not identify all the factors underlying these trends in this paper but offer some clues based on the empirical patterns for specific sectors and geographic regions.
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Auf welche Frage sind zwei Billionen die Antwort?
Oliver Holtemöller,
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 3,
2014
Abstract
Alle Jahre wieder wird berechnet, was wohl die Deutsche Einheit gekostet habe. Zuletzt veröffentlichte die Welt am Sonntag, dass knapp zwei Billionen Euro an Fördergeldern von West nach Ost geflossen seien. Die Berechnung dieser Kennzahl ist wenig umstritten, die Größenordnung ist einigermaßen plausibel: Es werden Nettotransfers von West nach Ost zwischen 1991 und 2013 aufsummiert (Zahlungen aus dem Länderfinanzausgleich, Solidarpakt II, Fonds Deutsche Einheit, regionaler Saldo der Sozialversicherungsleistungen usw.).
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Vierteljährliche Konjunkturberichterstattung für das Land Sachsen-Anhalt - Die gesamtwirtschaftliche Lage im 1. Quartal 2014 -
Brigitte Loose, Hans-Ulrich Brautzsch, Franziska Exß
IWH Online,
No. 4,
2014
Abstract
Die gesamtwirtschaftliche Produktion in Sachsen-Anhalt ist nach den indikatorgestützten Schätzungen zum Jahresanfang 2014 mit einer Rate von 0,8% ähnlich kräftig gestiegen wie in Deutschland insgesamt (0,7%). Allerdings setzt sich in Deutschland der Aufschwung nun bereits das vierte Quartal in Folge fort, während dieser in Sachsen-Anhalt zum Jahresende 2013 aufgrund einer rückläufigen Entwicklung in der Industrie und einer stagnierenden Bruttowertschöpfung im Dienstleistungsbereich zwischenzeitlich unterbrochen war. Auch im Vorjahresvergleich hat die Wirtschaft in Sachsen-Anhalt deutlich zugelegt. Die gesamtwirtschaftliche Produktion stieg gegenüber dem ersten Quartal 2013 um 1,8%, in Deutschland insgesamt nahm sie um 2,5% zu (vgl. Abbildung 1). Insbesondere das Verarbeitende Gewerbe konnte nach der Schwäche zum Jahresausklang 2013 nun wieder zulegen (vgl. saisonbereinigte Vorquartalsvergleiche in Tabelle 1). Die Bruttowertschöpfung dürfte hier sogar stärker gestiegen sein als in Deutschland. Vom Sog der vor allem binnenwirtschaftlich getriebenen Erholung in Deutschland profitierten zeitlich verzögert nun auch die Vorleistungs- sowie die Investitionsgüterproduzenten in Sachsen-Anhalt.
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The Regional Distribution of Foreign Investment in Russia: Are Russians more Appealing to Multinationals as Consumers or as Natural Resource Holders?
K. Gonchar, Philipp Marek
Economics of Transition and Institutional Change,
No. 4,
2014
Abstract
This article conducts a plant-level study of the factors affecting foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow to a large opening economy endowed with specific factor advantages. We conclude that the distribution of FDI in Russian regions depends on market access and can be most notably described by the knowledge-capital framework. Factor endowments built by natural resources are more successful in explaining the location decisions of export–platform affiliates. The impact of natural resources depends on how the availability of these resources is measured. The results reject the crowding out effects of resource FDI and prove co-location mode, when service investments are attracted to resource-rich regions. Labour cost advantages better explain the preferences of non-trading service affiliates.
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Determinants of Foreign Technological Activity in German Regions – A Count Model Analysis of Transnational Patents
Eva Dettmann, Iciar Dominguez Lacasa, Jutta Günther, Björn Jindra
Foresight-Russia,
No. 1,
2014
Abstract
Most research on R&D internationalisation focuses on comparative analysis of location factors at the national level of analysis. Very little work, however, has taken place in this field for the sub-national regional location behavior of multi-national enterprises (MNE). The paper contributes to the existing research by providing evidence on the determinants of foreign technological activities at the sub-national level for Germany, which hosts the largest share of foreign R&D within the EU27 and features the highest cross-regional dispersion of patented research. Using a pooled count data model, we estimate the effect of various sources for externalities on the extent of foreign technological activity across regions. Particular attention is paid to the role of local knowledge spillovers, technological specialization and diversification. We differentiate foreign and domestic sources of specialisation and account for region and sector-specific influences. This is the first time that the ‘cross-border-ownership’ principle to measure R&D internationalisation is combined with regionalised patent information.
To verify our findings we develop hypotheses. In particular, we expect and find that foreign technological activity is attracted by technologically specialised sectors of regions. In contrast to current empirical work, this effect applies both to foreign as well as domestic sources of specialization, although effects on foreign specialization seem more significant. We expect and find the same for science-industry spillovers. We postulate a negative impact of domestic specialization on foreign technological activities and a strong positive effect from diversificationspillovers, by comparison with specialisation spillovers, but these hypotheses are rejected. We find that the direction of the specialisation effect depends on dominance in the position of domestic firms as well as on the balance of knowledge flows between them and foreign actors.
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Vierteljährliche Konjunkturberichterstattung für das Land Sachsen-Anhalt - Die gesamtwirtschaftliche Lage im 4. Quartal 2013 -
Brigitte Loose, Hans-Ulrich Brautzsch, Franziska Exß
IWH Online,
No. 3,
2014
Abstract
Die wirtschaftliche Dynamik ist in Sachsen-Anhalt nach der kräftigen Expansion im Sommerhalbjahr 2013 am Jahresende deutlich hinter der Entwicklung in Deutschland zurückgeblieben. Das preisbereinigte Bruttoinlandsprodukt in Sachsen-Anhalt hat im vierten Quartal nach den indikatorgestützten Schätzungen um 0,6% abgenommen, während es in Deutschland um 0,5% stieg und in Ostdeutschland wohl in etwa stagniert haben dürfte. Auch im Vorjahresvergleich hat sich die Wirtschaft in Sachsen-Anhalt schwächer entwickelt als in Deutschland insgesamt. Die gesamtwirtschaftliche Produktion stagnierte gegenüber dem vierten Quartal 2012, in Deutschland insgesamt nahm sie dagegen um 1,3% zu. Insbesondere im Verarbeitenden Gewerbe schwächte sich die Bruttowertschöpfung nach der starken Ausweitung im Sommer zuletzt deutlich ab, während es in Deutschland vor allem aufgrund der Impulse aus dem Ausland und einer anziehenden Investitionskonjunktur einen erheblichen Auftrieb erhalten hatte. Die sich kräftigende Weltkonjunktur hat wieder verstärkte Warenausfuhren nach sich gezogen; und bei zunehmender Kapazitätsauslastung begannen die Unternehmen wieder stärker zu investieren. Von dieser Aufhellung konnte das Verarbeitende Gewerbe in Sachsen-Anhalt offensichtlich nur wenig profitieren. Einen belastenden Faktor für die Ausfuhren in Länder außerhalb der Währungsunion stellten der Wechselkurs und die damit verbundene Verschlechterung der preislichen Wettbewerbsfähigkeit Deutschlands dar.
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Macroeconomic Policy Formation in Africa - General Issues
Karl Wohlmuth, Achim Gutowski, M. Kandil, Tobias Knedlik, O. O. Uzor
African Development Perspectives Yearbook, Vol. 16,
2014
Abstract
In Volume 16 with the title “Macroeconomic Policy Formation in Africa - General Issues“ new macroeconomic policy frameworks for Africa are discussed. Emphasis is on macroeconomic policies focusing on sustainable and inclusive growth, especially by considering the employment targeting of macroeconomic policy frameworks in Africa. The responses of the macroeconomic policymakers in Africa to the Euro crisis and to the recent globalization trends are reviewed and analyzed. The role of macroeconomic policies for generating sustainable and inclusive growth is also discussed. In Volume 16 also the economics of the “Arab Spring“ countries is analyzed, by focusing on the socioeconomic conditions and the economic policy factors that have led to the “Arab Spring“ events. Highlighted are the cases of Egypt and Tunisia, and the new strategic and policy frameworks in these countries after the democratic changes. An agenda for comprehensive policy reforms for the Arab countries in Africa is presented. In forthcoming Volume 17 with the title “Macroeconomic Policy Formation in Africa - Country Cases“ macroeconomic policies in African post-conflict countries and in the ECOWAS region are considered. Volume 17 contains also a section with Book Reviews and Book Notes.
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Actors and Interactions – Identifying the Role of Industrial Clusters for Regional Production and Knowledge Generation Activities
Mirko Titze, Matthias Brachert, Alexander Kubis
Growth and Change,
No. 2,
2014
Abstract
This paper contributes to the empirical literature on systematic methodologies for the identification of industrial clusters. It combines a measure of spatial concentration, qualitative input–output analysis, and a knowledge interaction matrix to identify the production and knowledge generation activities of industrial clusters in the Federal State of Saxony in Germany. It describes the spatial allocation of the industrial clusters, identifies potentials for value chain industry clusters, and relates the production activities to the activities of knowledge generation in Saxony. It finds only a small overlap in the production activities of industrial clusters and general knowledge generation activities in the region, mainly driven by the high-tech industrial cluster in the semiconductor industry. Furthermore, the approach makes clear that a sole focus on production activities for industrial cluster analysis limits the identification of innovative actors.
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