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Stylized facts suggest that output volatility in OECD countries has declined in recent years. The causes and the nature of this decline have so far been analyzed mainly for the United States. In this paper, we analyze whether structural changes in output volatility in Germany can be detected. We report evidence that output volatility has declined in Germany. It is difficult to answer the question whether this decline in output volatility reflects good economic and monetary policy or merely‘good luck’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the seasonal structure of German real GNP per capita by using a version of Robinson's (1994) tests which is suitable in the context of seasonality. This method has several advantages over alternative approaches when testing for seasonal unit roots. First, unlike standard tests, which are nested in AR alternatives, it is embedded in fractional alternatives. Second, it allows testing at the zero frequency and at each of the seasonal frequencies separately. Third, it makes it possible to test for different orders of integration at each of the frequencies simultaneously. The empirical analysis suggests that the real output series may have a unit root at the zero frequency, and fractional rather than unit roots at the seasonal ones. This is in contrast to the findings reported by Lutkepohl et al. (1999) in their study on German money demand, and shows the importance of modelling the seasonal features of the data in alternative ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper employs spatial econometrics techniques to discriminate empirically between various economically plausible spatial patterns of interregional knowledge spillovers between west German planning regions in the 1990s. In general, interregional spillovers are found to contribute significantly to regional knowledge production. Due to fairly high spatial transaction costs, however, only a small fraction of the knowledge available in neighboring regions actually spills over. Consequently, the absolute contribution of `foreign' knowledge to a region's innovative performance is quite low. Moreover, only regions with low R&D density benefit from interregional spillovers. For regions with high R&D density they seem to be negligible. One reason for this maybe some sort of self-sufficiency in the R&D centers where researchers may have fewer incentives to consult researchers in other regions. Another reason for this may be the dominance of unidirectional knowledge flows from technological leaders to followers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many recent attempts to find evidence on downward nominal wage rigidity in micro data have suffered from problems such as composition bias and the effects of measurement error. In this paper, a model of proportional downward nominal wage rigidity is developed which avoids these problems by taking into account the determinants of wage changes and the measurement process that leads to observable earnings changes. We find a high degree of downward nominal wage rigidity in German micro data. Its real implications for individual expected wage growth, the aggregate wage level and equilibrium unemployment have marked effects for rates of inflation lower than 3 percent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper derives production functions designed to model the evolution of service industries. The derivation is based on specifying the output elasticities of the factors according to differential equations and asymptotic technological boundary conditions in factor space. The derived functional forms incorporate labor, capital, energy, and technology parameters, whose time changes model innovation and structural change. The model is applied to the evolution of the German market-determined services 1960–1989. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the equivalence scale elasticity will be estimated by using individual panel data on income satisfaction from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (GSOEP). Satisfaction or happiness data have been more frequently used by economists in recent years to analyze individual well-being. The approach differs from other subjective approaches as respondents are requested to evaluate current income rather than income in hypothetical situations. The estimated scale elasticity is higher compared to those from other subjective approaches based on German data. In addition, panel data enable different scale use by the respondents to be controlled. It can be shown that elasticity decreases when unobserved fixed-effects are controlled for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper tests for business cycle symmetry in G7 countries during the post-World War II period using a number of tests, each reflecting alternative definitions of business cycle asymmetry. The tests are applied to monthly coincident economic indicators of business cycles. This found that business cycles in the US are characterized by both longitudinal (deepness) and transversal (steepness and sharpness) asymmetries: further, it is found that asymmetric transition probabilties and time irreversibility are due to nonlinearities. On the contrary, business cycles in Germany exhibits a symmetric behaviour. Between these extremes are the other countries, for which at least one of the tests here considered rejects the null of cyclical symmetry. Particularly, business cycle is characterized by deepness and sharpness in Canada, asymmetry in persistence in France and Japan, and asymmetric transition probabilities in France and United Kingdom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The goal of the present paper is to provide evidence on the behavior of physician practice cost functions.Data Sources: Our study is based on the data of 3686 physician practices in Germany for the years 2006 to 2008.Study Design: We apply a translog functional form and include a comprehensive set of variables that have not been previously used in this context. A system of four equations using three-stage least squares is estimated.Principal Findings: We find that a higher degree of specialization leads to a decrease in costs, whereas quality certification increases costs. Costs of group practices are higher than of solo practices. The latter finding can be explained by the existence of indivisibilities of expensive technical equipment. Smaller practices do not reach the critical mass to invest in certain technologies, which leads to differences in the type of health care services provided by different practice types.Conclusions: This is the first study to use physician practices as the unit of observation and to consider the endogenous character of physician input. Our results suggest that identifying factors that influence physician practice costs is important for providing evidence-based physician payment systems and to enable decision-makers to set incentives effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current criticism of higher education is that the education offered does not match the needs of practice. In terms of competitiveness, Germany is about the forefront in Europe, and logically the question of whether higher education is the source from which leads to this result. The objective of this paper is to compare the corresponding study programs of Czech and German universities in the area of Economics by identifying the relevant differences and to confirm or dismiss the validity of the research hypothesis „Business Economics programs at German universities differ in ways that can boost competitiveness“. In order to compare the study programs between Czech and German universities, the eight faculties of Economics geared towards Business and Economics and Bachelor degree program were selected. As an introductory information, the structure of the programs was compared in terms of course load and which courses being compulsory, elective, and various forms of actual work practice and Bachelor thesis. The portfolio analysis of compulsory courses was organized into more general course groups and the percentage share of the total extent of compulsory courses was evaluated and the percentage of the active part. The analysis of Bachelor’s degree programs justifies the validity of the research hypothesis such that German study programs are more focused on practical application in a work environment. To that, contribute significantly the German specific institutions, the universities of applied sciences, which are strongly geared towards the needs of actual practice. The reflection of findings may apply in the context of the forthcoming implementation of amendment to the Higher Education Act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing the number of tertiary graduates has been a priority on the political agenda of the EU for some years. The focus has mainly been on academic courses though, with less emphasis on the role of vocational education and training. International educational statistics indeed show a clear increase in the number of persons completing tertiary education programmes in recent years. In overall terms, this development is referred to as ‘academisation’. The present paper provides a critical analysis and uses examples from Germany, Austria and France to show that this interpretation is neglecting two crucial facts. One is that various academic programmes in fact are combining academic with vocational learning. The other is that there are vocational programmes in the tertiary education sector that are not adequately visible in international education statistics. This understanding is important in relation to future policy-making as well as individual decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper investigates the German car scrappage program, focusing on the incidence of the premium. We ask how much of the €2500 ($3500) buyer subsidy is actually captured by the demand side. More precisely, we analyze the program's impact on different car segments, allowing for heterogeneity in incidence at different points in the vehicle price distribution. Using a unique microtransaction data set, we find that the incidence of the subsidy strongly and significantly varies across price segments. Subsidized buyers of cheap cars paid a little more than comparable buyers who did not receive the subsidy, indicating incidence amounts slightly below 100 %. For more expensive vehicles, subsidized buyers were granted large extra discounts on top of the government premium, translating into incidence amounts considerably greater than 100 %. Taken together, this results in an aggregate incidence amount of up to plus €350 million, suggesting that the positive effect for expensive cars overcompensates the negative effect for small cars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Senior citizen falls are one of the highest-cost factors of healthcare within this population group. Various approaches for automatic fall detection exist. However, little is known about the seniors’ acceptance of these systems. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the acceptance of automatic fall detection devices as well as the technological commitment and the health status in community-dwelling adults with a predefined risk of falling.Design/methodology/approach Seniors with a risk of falling were equipped with either an accelerometer or an accelerometer with an additional visual and optical fall detection system in a sub-group of the study population for a period of eight weeks. Pre- and post-study questionnaires were used to assess attitudes and acceptance toward technology.Findings In total, 14 subjects with a mean age of 75.1 years completed the study. Acceptance toward all sensors was high and subjects were confident in their ability to handle technology. Medical assessments showed only very mild physical and no mental impairments. Measures that assured subjects privacy protection were welcomed. Sensor technology should be as unobtrusive as possible.Originality/value Privacy protection and uncomplicated use of the fall detection equipment led to high acceptance in seniors with high-technical commitment and good health status. Issues to further improve acceptance could be identified. Future research on different populations is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies short- and long-run effects of disclosure of compliance with the German Corporate Governance Code. First, we present an analysis of firms' compliance with the Code. Second, event-study results suggest that aggregate market and firm values are unaffected, although there was widespread belief that market reactions would follow the disclosure of the declaration of conformity. Third, for the long horizon, we find that neither levels nor changes in Code compliance levels have an impact on stock price performance. Our results add evidence to the hypothesis that self-regulatory corporate governance reforms relying on disclosure without monitoring and legal enforcement are ineffective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most decisions by the European Parliament are taken by an absolute majority of its members. Some decisions however- such as the approval of the budget of the European Union - require a two-thirds majority. The paper analyzes the a priori voting strength of the member states when their representatives vote coherently. It is shown that the increase in votes for Germany in the 1994 reallocation enhanced its position. A less favourable effect, however, can be seen for the other large members (France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Spain). However, since votes in the EP tend to be cast according to partisan rather than national affiliation, the relative voting power of the political groups with respect to the two quotas is also analyzed. The tool to measure this is the (normalized) Banzhaf power index, partially extended to account for connected coalitions. The paper demonstrates that the distribution of votes between the present EU member states as allocated in proportion to their population size indeed roughly corresponds to their a priori voting power. However, the relative influence of the largest political groups, the European Socialists and the European People's Party, tends to be overestimated by their share of seats in the framework of the simple majority rule, but it is considerable if the quota is two-thirds. Finally, under the two-thirds majority rule, the European Liberal, Democratic and Reformist Party as well as the small groups appear to be almost powerless. The more the EP gains political leverage - a further increase in its institutional powers is to be expected in the framework of the ongoing Intergovernmental Conference - the more the distribution of voting power between the member states and between the political groups will be a crucial factor in the shaping of EU policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This section presents information and updates related to the economics profession as of March 1988. The Electoral College on March 18, 1988, chose Gerard Debreu as nominee for President-elect of the American Economic Association in the balloting to be held in the autumn of 1988. Other nominees (chosen by the 1988 Nominating Committee) are; Vice-President (two to be elected) Alan S. Blinder, Andrew F. Brimmer, Christopher A. Sims, and Oliver E. Williamson; for members of the Executive Committee (two to be elected) William A. Darity Jr., Stanley Fischer, John B. Shoven, and Lawrence H. Summers. The Southern Economic Association will hold its annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas, November 20-22, 1988. The second annual meeting of the European Society for Population Economics will be held at the University of Mannheim, Federal Republic of Germany in June 1988. The Department of Economics, University of Illinois at Chicago has received authorization to grant a Ph.D. in Business Economics. The new doctoral degree program is intended to prepare students for research careers in the business community or research/teaching careers in business colleges. Applicants with or without an MBA degree are welcome to apply. The new program complements the department's existing Ph.D. program which emphasizes public policy analysis.

This paper contains a brief description of the methodological approach to economic fluctuations developed by Arthur F. Burns and Wesley C. Mitchell at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Applying this methodology to growth cycles of the West German economy gives rise to a large number of stylized facts which serve as the basis of Adelman tests. Growth cycle implications of two prototypical Real-Business-Cycle models are derived by simulations. Unlike most of the literature, a comparison between model and data statistics produces overwhelming evidence against the Real Business Cycle models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thought Experiments of Economic Surplus: Science and Economy in Ernst Mach's Epistemology. Thought experiments are an important element in Ernst Mach's epistemology: They facilitate amplifying our knowledge by experimenting with thoughts; they thus exceed the empirical experience and suspend the quest for immediate utility. In an economical perspective, Mach suggested that thought experiments depended on the production of an economic surplus based on the division of labor relieving the struggle for survival of the individual. Thus, as frequently emphasized, in Mach's epistemology, not only the 'economy of thought' is an important feature; instead, also the socioeconomic conditions of science play a decisive role. The paper discusses the mental and social economic aspects of experimental thinking in Mach's epistemology and examines those within the contemporary evolutionary, physiological, and economic contexts., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

In the context of climate change mitigation and sustainable energy infrastructure development, this paper focuses on the successful implementation of microgrids supplied by renewable energies in very diverse environments. Taking into account the challenges of reaching economies of scale, this paper is targeted at identifying success factors for microgrid implementation. The success factors are derived from case study analyses of microgrids implemented in the Global South and in communities of Germany. The goal of the research is to develop a mutual understanding of common values and so support future developments. The analysis covers the categories of ownership and participation; technology and system design; and policy and financing. The results show that microgrids in the Global South and renewable-energy-based communities in Germany share a number of success factors. The results demonstrate that a high share of ownership by users and the flexibility to expand the microgrid with user needs are particularly promising features. To verify the application of the identified success factors, the latter are applied to analyze the microgrid concept of “swarm electrification”. The analysis concludes that the concept of swarm electrification is consistent with the success factors, making it a high-potential approach for renewable-energy-based electrification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important fuel, hard coal shaped industrialisation. Due to its specific materiality, coal established different options for intertwining industry and resource. This paper concentrates on the one hand on the specific properties of coal and, on the other, on the economic and technological operations with coal. Using the example of the different material properties of coal from the coal districts of Inde and Wurm, these interrelations are examined and illustrate how a space of resource extraction could be arranged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the growing burden of obesity, public primary prevention programs against obesity have been widely recommended. Several studies have estimated the cost-effectiveness of diabetes-prevention trials for different countries. Nevertheless, it is still controversial if prevention conducted in more real-world settings and among people with increased risk but not yet exhibiting increased glucose tolerance can be a cost-saving strategy to cope with the obesity epidemic. We examine this question in a simulation model based on the results of the M.O.B.I.L.I.S program, a German lifestyle intervention to reduce obesity, which is directed on the high-risk group of people who are already obese. The contribution of this paper is the use of 4-year follow-up data on the intervention group and a comparison with a control group formed by SOEP respondents as inputs in a Markov model of the long-term cost savings through this intervention due to the prevention of type 2 diabetes. We show that from the point of view of a health insurer, these programs can pay for themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The First World War was not only a military conflict but also an economic war. In all belligerent countries, labour and resources were shifted from civil production to military production. Factory workers, miners and farmers produced a steady flow of supplies for the frontlines. Financial mobilization provided the money for arms, ammunition, and other supplies. In contemporary understanding 'financial mobilization' comprised all fiscal and monetary instruments that were necessary to finance the war. The aim of this paper is to discuss the interaction between the government and the central bank in Germany in financing the First World War. Aspects include the pre-war plans for financial mobilization, the fiscal and monetary policies of the war years and their inflationary consequences, the financing of foreign trade and financial demobilization during the transition from war to peace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article, an excerpt from a seminar paper, with an introduction by Clive Dilnot, discusses topics such as the relation of design to economic value, the history of economics in Germany in relation to design and industry, and the notion of tacit knowledge in relation to design in businesses.

This paper presents a new methodology for ex post assessment of direct landslide costs for transportation infrastructures. The methodology includes tools to compile, model, and extrapolate landslide losses on different spatial scales over time. A landslide susceptibility model enables regional cost extrapolation by means of a cost figure obtained from local cost compilation for a representative case study area. On a local level, cost survey is closely linked with cost modeling, a toolset for cost estimation based on landslide databases. Cost modeling uses landslide disaster management process models (LDMMs) and cost modules to simulate and monetize cost factors for certain types of landslide damage. The landslide susceptibility model provides a regional exposure index and updates the cost figure to a cost index which describes the costs per kilometer of traffic route at risk of landslides. Both indexes enable the regionalization of local landslide losses. The methodology is applied and tested in a cost assessment for highways in the Lower Saxon Uplands, NW Germany, in the period 1980 to 2010. In this 7,400-km large mountain region, 77 km of highway is located in landslide hazard area. Annual average costs of US$52,000 per km of highway at risk of landslides are identified as cost index for a local case study area. The cost extrapolation results in annual average costs for highways in the Lower Saxon Uplands of US$4.02 million. This test application as well as a validation of selected modeling tools verifies the functionality of this methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides novel evidence on the time varying impact of government spending shocks on output in Germany over the years 1970 to 2013. In a first step, I use an expectations-augmented vector autoregressive model with time varying parameters (TVP-VAR) to show that fiscal multipliers are not stable over time but exhibit a ushaped pattern. While multipliers fluctuate around 2 at the beginning and end of the sample, they are much smaller in between. In a second step, I discuss which factors determine the magnitude of German multipliers and hence explain the observed variation. It turns out that fiscal policy is more effective when business uncertainty is high but less in periods of financial market stress, while the state of the business cycle is of minor importance. Moreover, I find that fiscal sustainability is a crucial determinant of the multipliers. I conclude that policy recommendations based on average multipliers are misleading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that German industrial relations are undergoing a process of fundamental liberalization, albeit incremental and protracted over time, referencing the paper "Softening industrial relations institutions, hardening growth model: The transformation of the German political economy" published in the December 2014 issue of the journal "Stato e Mercato." Topics of the paper authored by Lucio Baccaro and Chiara Benassi include the German economic growth model.

Copyright of Migration Letters is the property of Transnational Press London Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Population aging is an inevitable global demographic process. Most of the literature on the consequences of demographic change focuses on the economic and societal challenges that we will face as people live longer and have fewer children. In this paper, we (a) briefly describe key trends and projections of the magnitude and speed of population aging; (b) discuss the economic, social, and environmental consequences of population aging; and (c) investigate some of the opportunities that aging societies create. We use Germany as a case study. However, the general insights that we obtain can be generalized to other developed countries. We argue that there may be positive unintended side effects of population aging that can be leveraged to address pressing environmental problems and issues of gender inequality and intergenerational ties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article re-reads Marx's account of the commodity as a socio-natural entity. In doing so, it re-evaluates the status of the political (as opposed to questions of political economy) in Marx's analysis and also reads his argument in light of Actor-Network-Theory's call for the thingness of things to be taken seriously. The paper argues that there is a complex duality to the commodity as it is always comprised of both use-value and exchange-value and hence as both 'natural' and 'social'. It is pointed out that the usual translation of words with the root 'gesellschaft-' as 'social' is unhelpful and that a better term would be 'societal', as this enables Marx, and us, to re-approach the very distinction between the natural, the societal and the social. Marx's notion of 'value as equivalence' is then outlined and it is argued that this crucial stage in his account is often passed over. Value as equivalence is not a mere social production but relies upon the expression of the use-value of one thing in another. This leads to the third move which is an outline of the importance of value-form and social form. It is argued that it is this formation of a commodity (comprising both the natural and the social) which is the key both to understanding it as a specific historical entity as well as offering a powerful, non-reductive, account of the natural, social, material and historical character of things. Overall, the article attempts to develop a novel conception of natural-social commodities which does not premise either side of this dyad and so might help social theorists to talk of real things whilst avoiding charges of essentialism and reductionism as well as possible Latourian critiques of over-generalization., (© London School of Economics and Political Science 2012.)

This paper studies the patterns of welfare dependence among first generation immigrants and natives in Germany before and after a substantial recent reform of the welfare system. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study, the analysis presents life cycle trajectories of transfer receipt for immigrants and natives and studies the correlation between contextual factors and transfer receipt. We find no statistically significant differences in the probability of transfer receipt between immigrants and natives once socioeconomic characteristics are taken into account. Being a single parent, labor market status, and human capital are most closely correlated with the incidence of transfer receipt for both natives and immigrants. Interestingly, recent welfare reforms did not reverse prior patterns of welfare dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an intensive debate about old-age poverty in Germany that has induced political parties to develop proposals for higher pensions of poor pensioners in light of the federal elections of September 2013. In addition, several proposals from economists aim at reforming the pension system in a way that mitigates old-age poverty. In this paper, we consider these proposals in a computable general equilibrium model in order to derive their effects on the income distribution, on employment, on the capital stock and on GDP. Our results indicate that negative employment, capital and GDP effects are induced by such reforms as compared to the alternative of basic means-tested social welfare in old-age. Moreover, the strongest beneficiaries would be the currently higher age employees with low income and much less the respective younger employees, while younger and higher age employees with high and medium incomes will lose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of the belief in a just world as a personal resource when people are faced with the adverse consequences of inflation and financial crises by presenting results from two longitudinal studies. The first study, based on responses from 262 German residents, found that participants with a strong personal belief in a just world perceived a lower economic impact in light of price increases following a tax increase. This effect remained stable after controlling for the socioeconomic variables of gender, age, household income, and education. The second study, based on a sample of 177 German residents, found that residents with a strong personal belief in a just world perceived a lower economic impact in light of the global subprime mortgage crisis. Again, this effect remained stable after controlling for the socioeconomic variables of gender, age, household income, and education. Furthermore, the personal belief in a just world influenced perceived economic impact over time and the relationship between personal belief in a just world and perceived economic impact was partially mediated by differences between life satisfaction in the future as measured in a first wave and current life satisfaction as measured in a second wave. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When speculative price bubbles on real estate markets burst, the effects for the real economy are often devastating taking the form of substantial losses in production and employment. This paper discusses the degree to which institutional frameworks can prevent speculative bubbles from emerging and expanding. Comparing experiences in different countries indicates that, in Germany, institutional regulations are more likely to counteract the risk of undesirable developments. Despite the recent substantial price increases, no speculative bubble can be identified in Germany so far--but the risk has increased. In times of the euro area debt crisis, real estate is regarded as a safe investment, which boosts demand. And although a reintroduction of the former subsidy for owner-occupied home purchases would create new housing space, it could also lead to price hikes in the property market. A particular problem is the banks' recent tendency to grant mortgages to households on the basis of lower and lower equity capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While empirical evidence continues to show that low socio-economic position is associated with less likely chances of being in good health, our understanding of why this is so remains less than clear. In this paper we examine the theoretical foundations for a structure-agency approach to the reduction of social inequalities in health. We use Max Weber's work on lifestyles to provide the explanation for the dualism between life chances (structure) and choice-based life conduct (agency). For explaining how the unequal distribution of material and non-material resources leads to the reproduction of unequal life chances and limitations of choice in contemporary societies, we apply Pierre Bourdieu's theory on capital interaction and habitus. We find, however, that Bourdieu's habitus concept is insufficient with regard to the role of agency for structural change and therefore does not readily provide for a theoretically supported move from sociological explanation to public health action. We therefore suggest Amartya Sen's capability approach as a useful link between capital interaction theory and action to reduce social inequalities in health. This link allows for the consideration of structural conditions as well as an active role for individuals as agents in reducing these inequalities. We suggest that people's capabilities to be active for their health be considered as a key concept in public health practice to reduce health inequalities. Examples provided from an ongoing health promotion project in Germany link our theoretical perspective to a practical experience., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This paper shows that the existence of deposit and lending facilities combined with an averaging provision for the reserve requirement are powerful tools to stabilize the overnight rate. We reach this conclusion by comparing the behavior of this rate in Germany before and after the start of the EMU. The analysis of the German experience allows us to isolate the effects on the overnight rate of these particular instruments of monetary policy. To illustrate that this outcome is a general conclusion and not a particular result of the German market, we develop a theoretical model of reserve management, which is able to reproduce our empirical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Jahrbuch für Wirtschaftsgeschichte is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In early modern Brandenburg-Prussia, feudal lords (Gutsherren) were primarily the owners of both large estates that required peasant labor and large forests from which they were obligated to supply their peasants with life's necessities. This paper examines the practice of timber granting to peasants in the sovereign demesnes of the Kurmark Brandenburg from 1650 to 1850. To challenge the general understanding that peasants both remained dependent on timber grants and abused them until approximately 1800, this paper investigates the increases in peasants' share of the building costs for their farmsteads and the positive effects of timber regulations in the eighteenth century, including self-regulation by peasants. In addition, while previous studies have accentuated the peasants' thefts of wood after losing their entitlements to the lords' forests due to the reform legislation of the early nineteenth century, this paper presents cases in which peasants successfully retained their entitlements, gained payment for timber grants, or afforested their own land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on the 30th International Exhibition Congress on Chemical Engineering, Environmental Protection and Biotechnology (Achema 2012) held in Frankfurt am Main, Germany in June is presented. Topics discussed include the role of the chemical process industries (CPI) in promoting sustainability, the economic aspects of renewable biomass fuels, and the link between renewable energy, biomass development, and sustainability.

Assuming that migration and integration have lasting effects on economic and social processes, this paper analyses if a diverse cultural environment has a positive impact on labour market success. We expect that culturally diverse labour markets provide new opportunities through an open and tolerant climate, thus contributing to overall economic growth. We test this assumption by analysing the successful transition from education to work depending on the regional distribution and ethnic mix of the foreign population in Germany (cultural diversity). To account for variation within Germany, cultural diversity is observed at small administrative units. We analyse a cohort of young adults at the time of the successful completion of their apprenticeship in Germany and follow them through the beginning of their career. The concentration on a homogenous group regarding occupational certificates enables us to focus on the effects of the local and social environment as well as individual characteristics such as their national background on finding a job (or not). We apply an instrumental variable design to disentangle the effects of cultural diversity and share of foreigners. The results show that both young foreigners and Germans face significantly lower barriers for employment entry in culturally more diverse German regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the combination of the German Aging Survey (Deutscher Alters survey - DEAS) with the Sample of Active Pension Accounts (Versicherungskontenstichprobe - VSKT), as an example of how survey results may be linked together with administrative data using statistical matching. Statistical matching is a technique increasingly being applied in order to combine information from different data sources where no linkage can be made between records based on any unique identifier. This might be due to confidentiality restrictions or attempts to avoid the high attrition rates connected with informed consent requirements. The aim of this matching is to provide a combined dataset that contains more information than the data sources would on their own. In our paper, we detail some preparatory steps for making this match, such as the definition and adjustment of matching variables. The steps we describe may well be worth challenging on the basis of the divergent characteristics of the two sets of data. We also outline the procedure we used to combine the data sources, based on the Mahalanobis distance vector. Finally, we assess the quality of the matching by comparing the individual pension amounts that we can extract from each of the two matching sources as our external criterion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a protocol developed within the PRATIQUE project for applying cost/benefit analysis to select appropriate phytosanitary measures for use against quarantine pests. The protocol consists of nine steps, each underpinned by clear guidelines for collating and structuring the relevant data, to assist risk managers with the challenging task of assessing the benefits and costs of phytosanitary measures in a consistent, transparent and reproducible manner. Together with the decision-support scheme that generates contingency plants and prioritizes action during pest outbreaks, it provides a framework for decision making on phytosanitary measures and helps to provide economic justification for selecting appropriate measures. The practical application of the protocol is demonstrated using two examples: cost/benefit analysis of eradication measures against Anoplophora glabripennis in Northern Italy; and eradication and containment measures against Diabrotica virgifera virgifera in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using longitudinal data, this paper analyses the effect of different forms of social capital on the likelihood of employment and the occupational status of first generation immigrant men in Germany. This allows me to examine to what extent social capital of the bonding and the bridging types yield different returns. The study considers how contacts with natives, co-ethnic ties and family-based social capital are beneficial to the economic position of immigrant men. Random effects and fixed effects models show that strong inter-ethnic ties are beneficial both for employment and occupational status. There is no effect of co-ethnic ties and family-based social capital. It is concluded that, when using panel data, bridging social capital contributes to a better economic position and bonding social capital does not. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The availability of electric power is an important prerequisite for the development or maintenance of high living standards. Global change, including socio-economic change and climate change, is a challenge for those who have to deal with the long-term management of thermoelectric power plants. Power plants have lifetimes of several decades. Their water demand changes with climate parameters in the short and medium term. In the long term, the water demand will change as old units are retired and new generating units are built. The present paper analyses the effects of global change and options for adapting to water shortages for power plants in the German capital Berlin in the short and long term. The interconnection between power plants, i.e. water demand, and water resources management, i.e. water availability, is described. Using different models, scenarios of socio-economic and climate change are analysed. One finding is that by changing the cooling system of power plants from a once-through system to a closed-circuit cooling system the vulnerability of power plants can be reduced considerably. Such modified cooling systems also are much more robust with respect to the effects of climate change and declining streamflows due to human activities in the basin under study. Notwithstanding the possible adaptations analysed for power plants in Berlin, increased economic costs are expected due to declining streamflows and higher water temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses aspects related to the green technology sector (GT sector) in Germany. In a first step institutional reforms enabling diffusion of green technologies are analyzed. Cost arguments are also taken into account. In a second step a theoretical model developed by Tanguay et al. (Public Choice 120:1-27, ) is modified in order to evaluate the efficiency of the institutional setting in a political economy framework. The model is able to show that command and control policies (CCPs) are accompanied by cost-inefficiencies depending on the political weight of technology related interests groups. We further come to the result that relatively high marginal production costs may generate suboptimal high diffusion of a certain GT j. For relatively low marginal production costs policy induced demand may also be too low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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At first glance, present tourism in the southern Baltic Sea region could most likely be described as 'beach tourism'. Given that the beach is the main point of interest for the majority of coastal tourists, destinations largely rely on the potential of natural beaches. With more than 33 million overnight stays along the German Baltic coast in 2009 of which 70% refer to the beach as the main reason for choosing the destination, an effective management of beaches already today plays a decisive role for success. At present, predominant concerns of coastal communities are losses of sand caused by erosion and storm surges, and summery accumulations of beach wrack. They threaten the recreational use of beaches and are therefore driving elements in stakeholder discussions. In future, global influences such as climate change could be of additional influence. Impacts on a regional level are still being analyzed. Prospective favorable weather conditions in summer might further increase the number of visitors, and thus bring among new challenges also new economic possibilities. Based on these premises, ongoing national as well as European funded projects are conducting research on present and future influences on coastal tourism within the region. Parallel to identifying crucial issues for coastal destinations, relevant stakeholders are brought together in workshops and topical symposiums. Project work aims at initiating a participatory regional stakeholder network and enabling it to develop successful adaptation strategies to a variety of future challenges. In addition, studies on the perception of tourists are carried out and information brochures on climate change and other beach related aspects are devised. The paper summarizes recent results of the RADOST and BaltCICA projects and gives an overview on how current and future changes might affect coastal tourism at the German Baltic coast in the next decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study how subjects extrapolate simple patterns in financial time series in order to develop a descriptive model of actual agent behavior. The laboratory experiment for this analysis was conducted in Germany and Japan. Statistical analyses indicate considerable similarity in expectations formation across cultures and document that agents' expectations are at variance with the notion of standard trend extrapolation. The paper then proposes a method for computing expectations for any economic time series based on the experimental data. Such pattern-based expectations are shown to explain stock prices and the dynamics of the forward discount on the foreign exchange market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the concept of extended producer responsibility (EPR) from an economic point of view. Particular importance will be placed on the concept of ‘economic feasibility’ of an EPR policy, which should guide decision-making in this context. Moreover, the importance of the core EPR principle of ‘integrating signals throughout the product chain’ into the incentive structure will be demonstrated with experiences from Germany. These examples refer to sales packaging consumption, refillable drinks packages and waste electrical and electronic equipment collection. As a general conclusion, the interaction between economic principles and technological development needs to be observed carefully when designing incentive-compatible EPR policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Germany, there are as yet rather few cities that have given the idea of a city-region meaningful expression and institutional form. Stuttgart is one of them, having developed a unique system of regional institutions and governance structures as well as policies and initiatives to fill them with life. This paper outlines the context and development of metropolitan governance in the Stuttgart region. It analyses its structures, actors, policies and processes, and reflects on the perceived dual challenge - and tensions - of strengthening international competitiveness while enhancing natural environment and quality of life in a sustainable way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]