Effiziente Finanzmärkte und soziale Dynamik

This year’s Nobel laureates in economics have a different understanding about the functioning of financial markets. However, this overall contradiction — which is even more pronounced in their policy statements — is no contradiction regarding scientific insights. In this respect they rather complement each other, even regarding the topic of (in)efficient financial markets.     

Kohleausstieg 2030 unter neuen Vorzeichen

Wirtschaftsdienst - Der russische Angriff auf die Ukraine und die Abhängigkeit der deutschen Energiewirtschaft von russischem Gas führen aktuell zu einer sehr angespannten...     

Controllers’ use of informational tactics

Controllers typically have a ‘dual accountability’ towards the finance function and operational management, respectively. This dual accountability at times confronts them with conflicting expectations. In this paper, we suggest that ‘informational tactics’ constitute an important resource which controllers rely on so as to handle these expectations and to successfully present themselves vis-à-vis their different internal stakeholders. Drawing upon interview data, we demonstrate that informational tactics relate to different dimensions of information control (i.e. ‘when’, ‘how’ and ‘what’ information is to be exchanged) and that they depend on the respective room for manoeuvre a controller has in a given situation. Overall, our analysis adds a more nuanced picture to the literature on controllers’ handling of information and demonstrates the fundamental role of informational tactics for their everyday work.     

DO WOMEN MANAGE SMALLER FUNDS?

Based on a sample of 467 asset managers from four countries we robustly find that women manage smaller funds than men, despite tough competition in this industry. Interestingly, the gender gap exists only for managers of smaller funds, i.e. at the lower end of the hierarchy, as quantile regressions show. This is inconsistent with the glass ceiling hypothesis. Going further, this gender gap is limited to large firms. Explanations may refer to large firms using market power in the area of smaller funds or to ‘visibility’ among top asset managers protecting against unequal treatment of the sexes.     

Smart predictors in the heterogeneous agent model

We extend the original heterogeneous agent model by introducing the concept of smart traders. The idea of smart traders is based on the endeavor of market agents to estimate future price movements. The main result of the simulations is that the probability distribution functions of the price deviations change significantly with an increasing number of smart traders in the model. We also find that the Hurst exponent is significantly increasing with an increasing number of smart traders in the simulations. Hence the introduction of the smart traders concept into the model results in significantly higher persistence of the simulated price deviations.     

Zinsspreads im Euroland: Marktsignale an die Politik

Innerhalb des Euroraums haben sich in den letzten Jahren erhebliche Zinsspreads entwickelt. Der Autor vertritt die Auffassung, dass diese Spreads die Entwicklung der wirtschaftlichen Fundamentaldaten nachzeichnen. Auf diese Fundamentaldaten und entsprechend auch auf die Spreads habe die Finanz- und Wirtschaftspolitik einen erheblichen Einfluss.     

Accountability in an agency model: Project selection,effort incentives,and contract design*

We analyze an agency model of project choice and implementation where the agent is held accountable for his performance. We show that implementation of the ex ante efficient project may be impossible, irrespective of how the principal sets fixed wage and bonus rate. If it is possible, the principal may be forced to increase the bonus rate above the optimal project‐specific rate. The higher profit share compensates the agent for pressure he faces when he has to justify/explain his performance.