Preis- und Wechselkursindizes für den Export österreichischer Halb- und Fertigwaren

Summary The purpose of this article is to describe the computation of various export price and effective exchange rate indices for the Austrian exports of manufactured goods, considering especially the competition of other exporting countries on the relevant markets (including domestic production alternatively) and to present the development of these indices during the decade 1963 to 1973.In analogy to well-known concept of double-weighted competing export price indices of a country a double weighted exchange rate index was constructed. Weighting schemes were derived from trade-share matrices of the eleven most important producers and suppliers (respective buyers) of manufactured goods. Relative export price indices on local currency basis and relative effective exchange rate indices were computed separately and then put together in order to get relative export price indices adjusted for effective exchange rate changes.These indices indicate that the competitive position of the Austrian exports of manufactured goods improved in the period 1963 to 1973 by more than 10%.     

The Economic Impact of Chapter 11 Bankruptcy versus Out‐of‐Court Restructuring

Companies in financial distress have usually been able to choose between working out an agreement with their creditors (“private restructuring”) or entering into more expensive and lengthier formal Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. But 2015 rulings in two cases by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York may force distressed firms to enter Chapter 11 rather than seek negotiated out‐of‐court settlements. Using a large sample of U.S. companies that experienced financial difficulty during the period 2006–2014, the authors found that the companies that filed for bankruptcy and went through Chapter 11 proceedings experienced significantly more job losses and reductions of economic output than companies achieving out‐of‐court restructurings, both overall and on a per‐case basis. The authors' estimates of the overall losses in output associated with Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases ranged as high as 2.3% of 2014 GDP, as compared to at most 0.3% of GDP in the case of out‐of‐court negotiations. At the same time, the authors estimate that as many as 2.2 million job losses were attributable to cases involving bankruptcies while the out‐of‐court cases were associated with the loss of at most about 300,000 jobs. But, as the authors concede, these findings are exaggerated by a clear self‐selection bias—one that stems from the well‐documented tendency of more fundamentally profitable, and hence more solvent, companies to choose private restructuring over bankruptcy. Despite this limitation, the study provides a useful point of departure for future studies that aim to quantify the costs to the U.S. economy of limiting or removing the option of companies with valuable operations but the “wrong” capital structures to work out their financial difficulties outside of the bankruptcy court.     

Goals, decision-making mechanisms and instruments in the Japanese-American trade conflict

Trade conflicts flaring up at intervals have become a feature of economic relations between Japan and the USA. The following article examines the history of these conflicts against the background of the two countries’ differing political traditions, goals, negotiating mechanisms and policy instruments.     

Geldpolitik am Scheideweg

Ohne Zusammenfassung Gunther Schnabl ist Professor für Volkswirtschaftslehre und Leiter des Instituts für Wirtschaftspolitik der Universit?t Leipzig     

Regional heterogeneity,the rise of public debt and monetary policy in post-bubble Japan: lessons for the EMU

Both Japan and parts of the European Monetary Union have experienced boom and bust in stock and real estate markets, which have been followed by a lasting crisis. The paper analyses the role of a high degree of regional heterogeneity for public debt and monetary policy in the context of crisis. It is shown for Japan that the attempts to maintain regional cohesion via a regional transfer mechanism has contributed to the unprecedented rise in public debt and persistent monetary expansion. Econometric estimations show that in Japan regional redistribution of funds has ensured homogeneous living conditions across Japanese regions pre- and post-crisis. The side condition is monetary expansion. A similar effect could emerge in Europe, if the crisis persists.     

Wohnimmobilienpreise,Inflationsmessung und Geldpolitik im Euroraum

Wirtschaftsdienst - Die Niedrigzinspolitik der EZB hat in vielen Ländern des Euroraums zu einem starken Anstieg der Wohnimmobilienpreise beigetragen. In einigen Mitgliedstaaten mündeten...     

Währungspolitische Zielfunktionen und die Ziele der österreichischen Währungspolitik

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Währungsreserven und Zahlungsbilanzausgleich Ein Überblick über einige Neuerscheinungen

Ohne Zusammenfassung