Competition Policy in Central East Europe in light of EU Accession
Johannes Stephan
Journal of Common Market Studies,
2004
Abstract
This study reviews the progress made in EU accession candidates on competition policy. The analysis shows that institution-building and legislation are well under way and that anti-trust practice is not too lax. Due to the diversity among the accession countries under review, the study finds that the strictly rule-based frame work of the EU might not be the most favourable solution for some candidates: firstly, the small and open economies of most candidates make it particularly difficult to define the ‘relevant market’ in competition cases. Secondly, the traditionally intense vertical integration of production in accession states calls for a reassessment of ‘vertical restraints’. The policy implications of this study suggest that the EU competition task force should take a proactive, case-by-case approach vis-à-vis its new members.
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Softening Competition by Inducing Switching in Credit Markets
Jan Bouckaert, Hans Degryse
Journal of Industrial Economics,
No. 1,
2004
Abstract
We show that competing banks relax overall competition by inducing borrowers to switch lenders. We illustrate our findings in a two-period model with adverse selection where banks strategically commit to disclosing borrower information. By doing this, they invite rivals to poach their first-period market. Disclosure of borrower information increases the rival's second-period profits. This dampens competition for serving the first-period market.
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IWH Industry Survey at the Start of 2004: Companies´ income situation recovered, sales plans without labor market effects
Bärbel Laschke
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 3,
2004
Abstract
Die ostdeutschen Industrieunternehmen festigten 2003 trotz des allgemein schwachen konjunkturellen Umfeldes ihre Ertragslage. Mit Gewinn schlossen 57% der Unternehmen ab, ein Viertel wirtschaftete zumindest kostendeckend, und der Anteil der Verlustbetriebe verringerte sich geringfügig auf 18%.
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East German labor market: No improvements in sight
Hans-Ulrich Brautzsch
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 3,
2004
Abstract
Der Beitrag behandelt die aktuelle Lage auf dem ostdeutschen Arbeitsmarkt. Es wird gezeigt, dass sich im Jahr 2003 das Ungleichgewicht auf dem ostdeutschen Arbeitsmarkt verstärkt hat. Im Jahr 2004 setzt sich der Trend zum Beschäftigungsabbau fort.
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On the situation on the East and West German market for apprenticeships
Bianca Brandenburg
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 3,
2004
Abstract
Seit einigen Jahren ist die Lage auf dem Ausbildungsmarkt sehr angespannt. Insbesondere in den neuen Bundesländern ist die Nachfrage nach Lehrstellen regelmäßig höher als das Angebot. In der Vergangenheit konnte dieser regionale Mangel an Ausbildungsplätzen zu einem großen Teil durch den Angebotsüberschuss in den alten Bundesländern und die Mobilität der Auszubildenden aufgefangen werden. Im Ausbildungsjahr 2003/2004 entstand auch in den alten Bundesländern ein Nachfrageüberschuss, sodass sich die Lage im gesamten Bundesgebiet verschärfte. Vor diesem Hintergrund fordern Vertreter verschiedener politischer Institutionen eine Ausbildungsplatzumlage von Betrieben, die keine oder zu wenig Ausbildungsplätze zur Verfügung stellen. Der vorliegende Beitrag dokumentiert die Entwicklung auf dem Ausbildungsmarkt in den letzten Jahren und diskutiert die potenziellen Folgen einer Ausbildungsplatzumlage. Die Analyse legt nahe, dass das unzureichende Angebot an Ausbildungsplätzen vornehmlich auf strukturelle Probleme in den neuen Bundesländern und die verhaltene wirtschaftliche Entwicklung der letzten Jahre zurückzuführen ist. Auf der Nachfrageseite ist ab 2007 aufgrund der demographischen Entwicklung mit einer deutlichen Entspannung zu rechnen. Die Erhebung einer Ausbildungsplatzumlage ist kein ge-eignetes Mittel zur Lösung der Probleme auf dem Ausbildungsmarkt. Neben dem mit der Erhebung der Umlage verbundenen Verwaltungsaufwand könnten Mitnahmeeffekte und die Bemühung der Unternehmen, eine Ausbildungsberechtigung zu umgehen, zu den unerwünschten Folgen einer Ausbildungsplatzumlage zählen.
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Investment, Financial Markets, New Economy Dynamics and Growth in Transition Countries
Albrecht Kauffmann, P. J. J. Welfens
Economic Opening Up and Growth in Russia: Finance, Trade, Market Institutions, and Energy,
2004
Abstract
The transition to a market economy in the former CMEA area is more than a decade old and one can clearly distinguish a group of relatively fast growing countries — including Estonia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovenia — and a majority of slowly growing economies, including Russia and the Ukraine. Initial problems of transition were natural in the sense that systemic transition to a market economy has effectively destroyed part of the existing capital stock that was no longer profitable under the new relative prices imported from world markets; and there was a transitory inflationary push as low state-administered prices were replaced by higher market equilibrium prices. Indeed, systemic transformation in eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union have brought serious transitory inflation problems and a massive transition recession; negative growth rates have continued over many years in some countries, including Russia and the Ukraine, where output growth was negative throughout the 1990s (except for Russia, which recorded slight growth in 1997). For political and economic reasons the economic performance of Russia is of particular relevance for the success of the overall transition process. If Russia would face stagnation and instability, this would undermine political and economic stability in the whole of Europe and prospects for integrating Russia into the world economy.
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Information or Regulation: What Drives the International Activities of Commercial Banks?
Claudia M. Buch
Journal of Money Credit,
No. 6,
2003
Abstract
Information costs and regulatory barriers distinguish international financial markets from national ones. Using panel data on bilateral assets and liabilities of commercial banks, I empirically determine the impact of information, costs and regulations, and I isolate intra-EU financial linkages. I confirm that information costs and regulations are important factors influencing international asset choices of banks, but their relative importance differs among countries.
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Why do we have an interbank money market?
Jürgen Wiemers, Ulrike Neyer
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 182,
2003
Abstract
The interbank money market plays a key role in the execution of monetary policy. Hence, it is important to know the functioning of this market and the determinants of the interbank money market rate. In this paper, we develop an interbank money market model with a heterogeneous banking sector. We show that besides for balancing daily liquidity fluctuations banks participate in the interbank market because they have different marginal costs of obtaining funds from the central bank. In the euro area, which we refer to, these cost differences occur because banks have different marginal cost of collateral which they need to hold to obtain funds from the central bank. Banks with relatively low marginal costs act as intermediaries between the central bank and banks with relatively high marginal costs. The necessary positive spread between the interbank market rate and the central bank rate is determined by transaction costs and credit risk in the interbank market, total liquidity needs of the banking sector, costs of obtaining funds from the central bank, and the distribution of the latter across banks.
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East German labor market: Still no improvements in sight
Hans-Ulrich Brautzsch
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 11,
2003
Abstract
Der Beitrag behandelt die aktuelle Lage auf dem ostdeutschen Arbeitsmarkt. Es wird gezeigt, dass sich im Jahr 2003 das Ungleichgewicht auf dem ostdeutschen Arbeitsmarkt verstärkt hat. Im Jahr 2004 setzt sich der Trend zum Beschäftigungsabbau fort.
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Does Transparency of Central Banks Produce Multiple Equilibria on Currency Markets?
Axel Lindner
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 178,
2003
Abstract
A recent strand of literature (see Morris and Shin 2001) shows that multiple equilibria in models of markets for pegged currencies vanish if there is slightly diverse information between traders. It is known that this approach works only if there is not too precise common knowledge in the market. This has led to the conclusion that central banks should try to avoid making their information common knowledge. We present a model in which more transparency of the central bank means better private information, because each trader utilizes public information according to her own private information. Thus, transparency makes multiple equilibria less likely.
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