Cultural Resilience, Religion, and Economic Recovery: Evidence from the 2005 Hurricane Season
Iftekhar Hasan, Stefano Manfredonia, Felix Noth
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 9,
2021
Abstract
This paper investigates the critical role of religion in the economic recovery after high-impact natural disasters. Exploiting the 2005 hurricane season in the southeast United States, we document that establishments in counties with higher religious adherence rates saw a significantly stronger recovery in terms of productivity for 2005-2010. Our results further suggest that a particular religious denomination does not drive the effect. We observe that different aspects of religion, such as adherence, shared experiences from ancestors, and institutionalised features, all drive the effect on recovery. Our results matter since they underline the importance of cultural characteristics like religion during and after economic crises.
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Lender-specific Mortgage Supply Shocks and Macroeconomic Performance in the United States
Franziska Bremus, Thomas Krause, Felix Noth
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 3,
2021
Abstract
This paper provides evidence for the propagation of idiosyncratic mortgage supply shocks to the macroeconomy. Based on micro-level data from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act for the 1990-2016 period, our results suggest that lender-specific mortgage supply shocks affect aggregate mortgage, house price, and employment dynamics at the regional level. The larger the idiosyncratic shocks to newly issued mortgages, the stronger are mortgage, house price, and employment growth. While shocks at the level of shadow banks significantly affect mortgage and house price dynamics, too, they do not matter much for employment.
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U.S. Monetary and Fiscal Policy Regime Changes and Their Interactions
Yoosoon Chang, Boreum Kwak, Shi Qiu
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 12,
2021
Abstract
We investigate U.S. monetary and fiscal policy interactions in a regime-switching model of monetary and fiscal policy rules where policy mixes are determined by a latent bivariate autoregressive process consisting of monetary and fiscal policy regime factors, each determining a respective policy regime. Both policy regime factors receive feedback from past policy disturbances, and interact contemporaneously and dynamically to determine policy regimes. We find strong feedback and dynamic interaction between monetary and fiscal authorities. The most salient features of these interactions are that past monetary policy disturbance strongly influences both monetary and fiscal policy regimes, and that monetary authority responds to past fiscal policy regime. We also find substantial evidence that the U.S. monetary and fiscal authorities have been interacting: central bank responds less aggressively to inflation when fiscal authority puts less attention on debt stabilisation, and vice versa.
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Why Is there Resistance to Works Councils In Germany? An Economic Perspective
Steffen Müller, Jens Stegmaier
Economic and Industrial Democracy,
No. 3,
2020
Abstract
Recent empirical research generally finds evidence of positive economic effects for works councils, for example with regard to productivity and – with some limitations – to profits. This makes it necessary to explain why employers’ associations have reservations about works councils. On the basis of an in-depth literature analysis, this article shows that beyond the generally positive findings, there are important heterogeneities in the impact of works councils. The authors argue that those groups of employers that tend to benefit little from employee participation in terms of productivity and profits may well be important enough to shape the agenda of their employers’ organization and have even gained in importance within their organizations in recent years. The authors also discuss the role of deviations from profit-maximizing behavior like risk aversion, short-term profit-maximization and other non-pecuniary motives, as possible reasons for employer resistance.
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Where to Go? High-skilled Individuals’ Regional Preferences
Sabrina Jeworrek, Matthias Brachert
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 27,
2022
Abstract
We conduct a discrete choice experiment to investigate how the location of a firm in a rural or urban region affects job attractiveness and contributes to the spatial sorting of university students and graduates. We characterize the attractiveness of a location based on several dimensions (social life, public infrastructure, connectivity) and combine this information with an urban or rural attribution. We also vary job design as well as contractual characteristics of the job. We find that job offers from companies in rural areas are generally considered less attractive. This is true regardless of the attractiveness of the region. The negative perception is particularly pronounced among persons with urban origin and singles. These persons rate job offers from rural regions significantly worse. In contrast, high-skilled individuals who originate from rural areas as well as individuals with partners and kids have no specific preference for jobs in urban or rural areas.
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Alone at Home: The Impact of Social Distancing on Norm-consistent Behavior
Sabrina Jeworrek, Joschka Waibel
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 8,
2021
Abstract
Around the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic has turned daily live upside down since social distancing is probably the most effective means of containing the virus until herd immunity is reached. Social norms have been shown to be an important determinant of social distancing behaviors. By conducting two experiments and using the priming method to manipulate social isolation recollections, we study whether social distancing has in turn affected norms of prosociality and norm compliance. The normative expectations of what behaviors others would approve or disapprove in our experimental setting did not change. Looking at actual behavior, however, we find that persistent social distancing indeed caused a decline in prosociality – even after the relaxation of social distancing rules and in times of optimism. At the same time, our results contain some good news since subjects seem still to care for norms and become more prosocial once again after we draw their attention to the empirical norm of how others have previously behaved in a similar situation.
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Datenbedarfe für ein Monitoring des Förderprozesses der Kapitel-1-Maßnahmen des Investitionsgesetzes Kohleregion (InvKG). Handbuch B
Matthias Brachert, Alexander Giebler, Mirko Titze
IWH Technical Reports,
No. 2,
2023
Abstract
Die vorliegende Expertise verfolgte das Ziel, Datenbedarfe für die Evaluierung der Kapitel-1-Maßnahmen des InvKG abzuleiten. Die Evaluierung und die daraus entstehenden Datenbedarfe müssen sich in ein theoretisches Modell der ökonomischen Literatur zur Wirkung von Politikmaßnahmen einordnen lassen. Bei den Kapitel-1-Maßnahmen handelt es sich im weitesten Sinne um Investitionen in wirtschaftsnahe Infrastrukturen. Charakteristisch für Infrastrukturen ist, dass sie durch mittlere Zeiträume der Planung und Errichtung auf der einen sowie lange Nutzungszeiträume auf der anderen Seite gekennzeichnet sind. Hinzu kommt, dass die Phasen der Planung/Errichtung und der Nutzung Aspekte von Marktmängeln berühren. In der Praxis unterliegt dieser Bereich daher einer umfassenden staatlichen Regulierung.
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Die funktionale Spezialisierung Deutschlands — Eine Ost-West-Perspektive auf das Verarbeitende Gewerbe
Matthias Brachert, Eva Dettmann, Alexander Kubis, Mirko Titze
Beitrag in IWH-Sammelwerk,
Festschrift für Gerhard Heimpold, IWH
2020
Abstract
Was treibt regionale Entwicklung? Warum wachsen einige Regionen schneller als andere? Diese Fragen stehen im Mittelpunkt regionalökonomischer Forschung. Einen besonderen Anwendungsfall stellen die ökonomischen Anpassungsprozesse im Gefolge der Wiederherstellung der Deutschen Einheit dar. Nach einem fulminanten Start in der ersten Hälfte der 1990er Jahre hat sich der Aufholprozess seit Mitte der 1990er Jahre verlangsamt und kommt seitdem nur noch in sehr kleinen Schritten voran. Im Jahr 2017 betrug die Produktivität Ostdeutschlands (mit Berlin) 82% des westdeutschen Niveaus. Über die Ursachen dieses Rückstands gibt es intensive Diskussionen.
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Ostdeutschland - Eine Bilanz
Einzelveröffentlichungen,
Festschrift für Gerhard Heimpold, IWH
2020
Abstract
Anlass dieser Festschrift ist die Verabschiedung von Dr. Gerhard Heimpold, dem stellvertretenden Leiter der Abteilung Strukturwandel und Produktivität am Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung Halle (IWH), aus dem aktiven Berufsleben in den wohlverdienten Ruhestand. Gerhard Heimpold forschte am IWH zu Aspekten der Regionalentwicklung Ostdeutschlands unter Beachtung des politischen und wirtschaftlichen Transformationsprozesses. Er gehört heute zu den wenigen Experten in Deutschland, die umfassende ökonomische Kenntnis über den gesamten Verlauf des Transformationsprozesses der ostdeutschen Wirtschaft seit Mitte der 1980er Jahre vorweisen können. Gerhard Heimpold hat im Laufe seiner akademischen Ausbildung und seiner ersten wissenschaftlichen Tätigkeit tiefe Einblicke in die Ausgestaltung und Funktionsweise der sozialistischen Planwirtschaft der DDR erhalten und konnte dieses Wissen nach dem Mauerfall 1989 in wichtige wissenschaftliche Beiträge auf dem Gebiet der internationalen Transformationsforschung einbringen.
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Identifying Cooperation for Innovation – A Comparison of Data Sources
Michael Fritsch, Matthias Piontek, Mirko Titze
Abstract
The value of social network analysis is critically dependent on the comprehensive and reliable identification of actors and their relationships. We compare regional knowledge networks based on different types of data sources, namely, co-patents, co-publications, and publicly subsidised collaborative Research and Development projects. Moreover, by combining these three data sources, we construct a multilayer network that provides a comprehensive picture of intraregional interactions. By comparing the networks based on the data sources, we address the problems of coverage and selection bias. We observe that using only one data source leads to a severe underestimation of regional knowledge interactions, especially those of private sector firms and independent researchers. The key role of universities that connect many regional actors is identified in all three types of data.
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