Determinants of Evolutionary Change Processes in Innovation Networks – Empirical Evidence from the German Laser Industry
Muhamed Kudic, Andreas Pyka, Jutta Günther
Abstract
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.
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IWH-Bauumfrage im Juni 2012: Leichte konjunkturelle Eintrübung am Bau
Brigitte Loose
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 7,
2012
Abstract
Nach der neuesten Umfrage des IWH verlief die Baukonjunktur in Ostdeutschland im Juni in etwas ruhigeren Bahnen. Die Geschäftslage der 300 befragten Bauunternehmen verbesserte sich im Verlauf des Frühsommers – anders als in den beiden zurückliegenden Jahren – nur geringfügig. Nach den erheblichen Aufholarbeiten im April als Folge des Kälteeinbruchs im Februar war eine weniger stürmische Entwicklung auch zu erwarten gewesen.
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Do Government Owned Banks Trade Market Power for Slack?
Andreas Hackethal, Michael Koetter, Oliver Vins
Applied Economics,
No. 33,
2012
Abstract
The ‘Quiet Life Hypothesis (QLH)’ posits that banks with market power have less incentives to maximize revenues and minimize cost. Especially government owned banks with a public mandate precluding profit maximization might succumb to a quiet life. We use a unified approach that simultaneously measures market power and efficiency to test the quiet life hypothesis of German savings banks. We find that average local market power declined between 1996 and 2006. Cost and profit efficiency remained constant. Nonparametric correlations are consistent with a quiet life regarding cost efficiency but not regarding profit efficiency. The quiet life on the cost side is negatively correlated with bank size, quality of loan portfolio and local per capita income. The last result indicates that the quiet cost life is therefore potentially due to benevolent excess consumption of local input factors by public savings banks.
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IWH-Industrieumfrage im Mai 2012: Gedämpfte Erwartungen
Cornelia Lang
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 6,
2012
Abstract
Die Geschäftsaktivitäten in der ostdeutschen Industrie verlieren an Schwung. Das geht aus den Ergebnissen der IWH-Industrieumfrage vom Mai unter rund 300 Unternehmen hervor. Zwar wird die aktuelle Geschäftslage zwei Saldenpunkte besser eingeschätzt als in der vorherigen Umfrage, die Geschäftsaussichten sind jedoch nach dem kräftigen Anstieg im März nunmehr um sieben Saldenpunkte gefallen.
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IWH-Bauumfrage im April 2012: Nach Winterpause wieder rege Bautätigkeit
Brigitte Loose
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 5,
2012
Abstract
Das Geschäftsklima im ostdeutschen Baugewerbe hat sich laut IWH-Umfrage unter mehr als 300 Unternehmen im April wieder deutlich verbessert. Nach den hohen witterungsbedingten Produktionsausfällen im Februar kommt dies nicht überraschend. Bei wieder günstigerer Wetterlage im März und April dürfte das Baugewerbe den Produktionsverzug zügig aufgearbeitet haben. Vier Fünftel der befragten Unternehmen bezeichneten ihre Geschäftslage im April als gut oder eher gut, im Winter waren es zwei Drittel.
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Aktuelle Trends: Industriebetriebe in den Neuen Ländern 2011: Kleiner und nach wie vor weniger exportintensiv als ihre westdeutschen Pendants
Gerhard Heimpold
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 5,
2012
Abstract
Betriebe des Verarbeitenden Gewerbes, landläufig auch als Industriebetriebe bezeichnet, sind in den Neuen Ländern nach wie vor weniger intensiv als ihre westdeutschen Pendants in Exportmärkte eingebunden. In ostdeutschen Industriebetrieben beträgt der Anteil der Auslandsumsätze an den Gesamtumsätzen im Jahr 2011 im Durchschnitt 32,3%, der westdeutsche Vergleichswert liegt bei 45,9%. Die relativ niedrige Exportquote der Hamburger Industrie kann mit der Mineralölverarbeitung, die ihre Umsätze vor allem im Inland tätigt, erklärt werden.
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Do Women Benefit from Competitive Markets? Product Market Competition and the Gender Pay Gap in Germany
Boris Hirsch, Michael Oberfichtner, Claus Schnabel
Economics Bulletin,
No. 2,
2012
Abstract
Using a large linked employer–employee dataset for Germany with a direct plant-level measure of product market competition and controlling for job-cell fixed effects, we investigate whether relative wages of women benefit from strong competition. We find that the unexplained gender pay gap is about 2.4 log points lower in West German plants that face strong product market competition than in those experiencing weak competition, whereas no such link shows up for East Germany.
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Climate Innovation - The Case of the Central German Chemical Industry
Wilfried Ehrenfeld
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 2,
2012
Abstract
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.
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State Aid in the Enlarged European Union: Taking Stock
Jens Hölscher, Nicole Nulsch, Johannes Stephan
From Global Crisis to Economic Growth. Which Way to Take?, Vol. 1,
2012
Abstract
In the early phase of transition that started with the 1990s, Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) pursued economic restructuring that involved massive injections of state support. With reference to the history of state aids in centrally planned economies we display state aid practices of CEECs since full EU membership and analyse whether their industrial policies during and after transition challenged the European state aid legislation and whether these fit into the EUs strategy of ‘less but better targeted aid’. Therefore, qualitative analysis in case studies is used to supplement a quantitative description of state aid levels in East and West. Findings suggest that in recent years a level playing field across the EU has indeed emerged. In fact, the most pronounced differences in this respect are not observed between CEECs and the EU-15 but rather between Northern and Southern member states.
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The Performance of Short-term Forecasts of the German Economy before and during the 2008/2009 Recession
Katja Drechsel, Rolf Scheufele
International Journal of Forecasting,
No. 2,
2012
Abstract
The paper analyzes the forecasting performance of leading indicators for industrial production in Germany. We focus on single and pooled leading indicator models both before and during the financial crisis. Pairwise and joint significant tests are used to evaluate single indicator models as well as forecast combination methods. In addition, we investigate the stability of forecasting models during the most recent financial crisis.
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