Struktureller Wandel und Krisenbewältigung der deutschen Volkswirtschaft

Die Wirtschafts- und Finanzkrise wirkt wie ein externer Schock auf die deutsche Konjunktur. Mit zwei makro?konomischen Simulationsmodellen weisen die Autoren nach, dass die Krise in Deutschland allein auf diesen Schock zurückzuführen ist. Die Exportabh?ngigkeit der Wirtschaft führt dazu, dass die Produktion zunehmend volatiler wird. Demgegenüber hat sich die Besch?ftigungsentwicklung stabilisiert und von der Konjunktur abgekoppelt — vor allem dank der staatlichen Hilfen.     

Temporary layoff unemployment in Austria: empirical evidence from administrative data

Temporary layoffs (rehires, recalls) have been widely recognized as an important feature of North America's labour markets. For Europe, however, several observers have suggested that tighter regulatory impediments to the recruitment and dismissal of employees are responsible for temporary layoff unemployment being virtually non-existent. Against this background this paper uses administrative data to evaluate the quantitative importance of temporary separations among the unemployed in Austria and to track its composition by industries. The main finding of our empirical analysis is that about one-third of all unemployment spells in Austria in 1985 ended with the individual returning to the former employer. Since temporary layoff unemployment was found to be on average of shoter duration, it comprised a somewhat lower fraction of total weeks of unemployment. However, temporary layoff unemployment thus accounts for the same proportion of unemployment in Austria as in the US or Canada.     

EC trade policy beyond 1992

The initiative to set up the single European market has aroused fears abroad, and indeed even within Europe itself, that the intention is to turn the Community into a “Fortress Europe”. Attempts to allay these fears by the Council of Ministers, the EC Commission or individuals representing them have achieved little success, and on occasion have actually tended to be counter-productive. Is “Fortress Europe” an illusion or a real danger?     

Was sind Marken wirklich wert?

Wenn Produkte und Services immer vergleichbarer werden, wird die Marke zu einem immer wichtigeren Differenzierungsfaktor. Diese Entwicklung trifft viele Branchen — Telekommunikation, Energieversorgung, Automobilindustrie — insbesondere aber die Banken. Um die Angebote und Preise optimal zu strukturieren, ist eine genaue Kenntnis der kundenindividuellen Markenmehrwerte unerl?sslich. Das im Folgenden beschriebene Vorgehen erl?utert, wie durch eine am individuellen Kunden ausgerichtete, computerbasierte Trade-Off-Analyse der Mehrwert einer Marke und dessen Treiber exakt bestimmt werden k?nnen. Basierend auf diesen Informationen liefern die Autoren Vorschl?ge zur Bildung von Kundensegmenten und zur Implementierung der gewonnenen Erkenntnisse in der Front-Organisation.     

Welfare and Macroeconomic Effects of the German Pension Acts of 1992 and 1999: A Dynamic CGE Study

The German Pension Act of 1992 raises the mandatory retirement age while the Act of 1999 adjusts pension benefits to demographic changes. To examine welfare and macroeconomic effects of these reform schemes, we have carried out a dynamic CGE study. The model used is an enlarged version of the Auerbach–Kotlikoff model with endogenous retirement decisions, unemployment, age-dependent rates of unemployment, health, and long-term care insurance. The simulation is performed in two stages: first, the effects of the population decline in Germany are computed ignoring the reforms and, second, the effects of the reform schemes are examined and compared with the benchmark case. The results suggest that the Act of 1992 implies welfare gains while suspending the Act of 1999 induces welfare losses.     

Users' contributions to radical innovation: evidence from four cases in the field of medical equipment technology

This paper focuses on contributions of users in early phases of radical innovation projects. In a multiple case study analysis in the field of medical equipment technology, we identify characteristics of users who contribute substantially to the development of radical innovations by being their inventors and (co)-developers. These innovative users have high motivation to seek new solutions, possess a diverse set of competencies, and are embedded in a supportive environment. We furthermore observe that they play an entrepreneurial role as they establish and organize the required innovation networks. These innovation networks are needed to transform the users' radically new concepts into first physical prototypes and marketable products. The study highlights how manufacturing firms can benefit from innovative and entrepreneurial users in the early phases of radical innovation projects.