Response modes in negotiation

Negotiators may respond to each other’s offers and demands in different ways. Whereas many negotiation experiments present participants with numerical information about offers and counteroffers (e.g., “I propose 6–8–2”; numerical response mode), real life negotiations often involve affective and evaluative statements (e.g., “I didn’t like your last offer, but I would be happy to explore alternatives”; affective response mode). The present research explores the differential consequences of responding in affective as opposed to numerical terms. Specifically, we predicted and found that affective responses increase the impact of social and contextual cues on negotiation behavior. Three studies demonstrate that the impact of other’s toughness (Experiment 1), other’s respectability (Experiment 2), and other’s appearance (Experiment 3) on a negotiator’s demands and concessions is greater when the other provides affective rather than numerical feedback.     

Policy competition for foreign direct investment between asymmetric countries

The present paper analyses policy competition for foreign direct investment between countries of different size and different market structure. We demonstrate how policy competition affects the location decision of the foreign investor and derive welfare implications. The key variables in our analysis are intra-regional trade costs, differences in market size, and minimum wages.     

Steuerliche Förderung von Forschung und Entwicklung in KMU — Irrweg für Deutschland?

To foster R&D activities, German industry lobbyists and policymakers are discussing the introduction of tax incentives for R&D in small and medium enterprises (SME) — all the more because Germany is one of just six of the 35 OECD members without indirect R&D support. Based on a critical assessment of the arguments provided, we conclude that international experiences with R&D tax incentives are not as promising as often suggested. An appropriate transfer into the German tax system, considering its specificities, appears to be technically difficult. The high level of heterogeneity of German SMEs population suggests that not every SME requires R&D to be innovative, because empirical evidence shows multiple diverse innovation patterns that demand other forms of support. Acknowledging the existing range of SMEs, we propose that instead of introducing R&D tax incentives, the debate should be focused on how to strengthen and develop the existing innovation policy mix for SMEs.     

Economic capital for nonperforming loans

A portfolio of nonperforming loans requires economic capital. We present two models for forecasting the portfolio loss and its probability distribution. In the first model, the loss for each nonperforming loan entails a change in provision over the risk horizon. The risk determinants are the single-name concentration, measured by the Herfindahl–Hirschmann index, as well as a systematic factor and the idiosyncratic risk. Our second model allows for interportfolio diversification with a portfolio of performing loans because banks typically own both performing and nonperforming loans. In this model, the nonperforming loan is identified with its systematic risk. Both models allow for closed-form expressions of economic capital and for the capital charge of the single loan. We calibrate the macroeconomic model parameters statistically with a loss panel; the microeconomic parameters depend on the portfolio. The portfolio risk for nonperforming loans mainly depends on the volatility of the systematic economic factor. The dependence becomes more pronounced when interportfolio diversification is taken into account. The magnitude of interportfolio diversification is also marked. Finally, we calculate regulatory capital charges according to Basel II for past-due loans. The regulatory charges are on average smaller than our economic charges and, additionally, take the volatility of economic activity into account only implicitly.     

An equilibrium approach to pricing foreign currency options

The paper presents a modified version of the Garman-Kohlhagen formula for pricing European currency options. The equilibrium approach deviates from the no-arbitrage approach by allowing domestic and foreign interest rates and their dynamics to be determined endogenously in the model. By using the relations between exchange rate dynamics and the dynamics of interest rates, I provide a new characterisation of the relevant volatilities for European currency option pricing, which only depends on parameters describing the variability of the log-exchange rate. The implications of the model for the valuation of American currency options and optimal exercise strategies are examined by applying numerical methods.