MATCHING SUBSIDIES AND VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS: A REVIEW

This paper provides a synthesis of the experimental literature on matching subsidies in the context of charitable giving. We classify results according to four different outcome variables frequently considered in the literature and address (i) short‐term effects of linear matching, (ii) the role of the matching rate, (iii) context‐dependence of behavioural responses, (iv) the relevance of the price of giving, (v) long‐term effects and (vi) nonlinear matching schemes. Based on this comprehensive review, we highlight several avenues for future research, such as putting stronger emphasis on competition in fundraising, long‐term effects or heterogeneity in responses.     

An empirical enquiry into co-patent networks and their stars: The case of cardiac pacemaker technology

Scientific research concerning R&D staff structures has already been based on networks as they are mapped by co-patent data. The present paper combines the method of patent analysis with network analysis techniques and shows by means of a patent sample from cardiac pacemaker technology, that the different communication functions a star inventor accomplishes in their network are mirrored not only by quantity, but also by quality of patents. The mere patent quantity has a significant positive impact on the size of an inventors’ personal network and the number of inventors they can directly pass information to. But more importantly, there is significant empirical evidence that high technical specialisation has a positive impact on an inventor’s potential to mediate between others as well as on the efficacy to reach them on short notice. For the latter, likewise the number of citations received is a positive predictor. Thus, we characterise stars as industrious, well-known technical specialists and contradict the general assumption that generalists would be the ideal gatekeeper in an R&D network.     

Prospective trends in the development of the agricultural sector: Through thorns to innovations

The principal directions and trends in the development of the agricultural sector under the conditions of the world’s economic crisis are considered in the article. The specification of priority directions of economic growth for the efficient use of resources and increasing competitiveness based on innovation factors is validated.     

Konjunkturschlaglicht: Ungarn vor Herausforderungen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Fortgesetzter Aufschwung bei weltwirtschaftlichen Risiken

Der konjunkturelle Aufschwung setzt sich weltweit und auch in Deutschland fort. Wie hat sich die Immobilienkrise in den USA ausgewirkt? Welche Zins- und welche Rohstoffpreisentwicklung wird erwartet? Mit welchen Wachstumsraten wird in Deutschland gerechnet und welche Effekte hatte die Mehrwertsteuererh?hung? Wie wird sich die Situation auf dem Arbeitsmarkt entwickeln?     

Knowledge Intensive,Technical and Other Services: Patterns of Competitiveness and Innovation Compared

Drawing on empirical evidence from a wide-scale survey, this paper examines patterns of innovation and sources of competitiveness amongst German service firms. The purpose is to investigate how these patterns differ across services, and in particular how knowledge intensive and technical service firms differ from services more generally. The analysis finds a high degree of customization in the output of service firms, especially amongst the knowledge intensive and technical service firms, the innovation activities of which are also relatively more oriented to product innovation. Knowledge intensive and technical service firms also invest more heavily in information communication technologies, whilst other services invest heavily in non-ICTs. Thus significant diversity is found between the groups of firms examined, but much diversity also exists within the groups. A serious challenge for research on services is to improve our understanding of this diversity.     

On the Effects of Redistribution on Growth and Entrepreneurial Risk-taking

This paper investigates the effects of redistributive taxation on occupational choice and growth. We discuss a two-sector economy in the spirit of Romer (1990). Agents engage in one of two alternative occupations: either self-employment in an intermediate goods sector characterized by monopolistic competition, or employment as an ordinary worker in this sector. Entrepreneurial profits are stochastic. The occupational choice under risk endogenizes the number of firms in the intermediate goods industry. While the presence of entrepreneurial risk results in a suboptimally low number of firms and depresses growth, nonlinear tax schemes can sometimes compensate negative effects by ex post providing social insurance.     

Analysing disruptive potential: the case of wireless local area network and mobile communications network companies

In this article, we analyse the prediction that wireless local area network (W-LAN) technologies will be disruptive for incumbent mobile communications network operators. For this purpose, we develop a methodology of guided interviews to assess technologies for their disruptive characteristics based on theory of disruptive technology developed by Christensen (1997) and recent extensions. The application of our comprehensive step-by-step method improves the precision of the disruptive technology concept and its usability for practitioners to make ex ante distinctions between disruptive technologies and other phenomena caused by emerging technologies. Our method predicts that contrary to common assumptions, W-LAN is not likely to represent a disruptive technology for the established mobile communications network firms in terms of Christensen's concept. This research was conducted in close collaboration with Vodafone Pilotentwicklung, an R&D and technology monitoring unit of the Vodafone Group. Vodafone provided part of the empirical data through expert interviews and market reports.     

Grain market in Russia: From crisis to revival

This paper discusses some issues and trends in the world and Russian grain markets; the possible prospects for the development of domestic grain production and the ways of improving the tools for its support and regulation are investigated.