Asymptotics for Autocovariances and Integrated Periodograms for Linear Processes Observed at Lower Frequencies

One of the most frequently used class of processes in time series analysis is the one of linear processes. For many statistical quantities, among them sample autocovariances and sample autocorrelations, central limit theorems are available in the literature. We investigate classical linear processes under a nonstandard observation pattern; namely, we assume that we are only able to observe the linear process at a lower frequency. It is shown that such observation pattern destroys the linear structure of the observations and leads to substantially different asymptotic results for standard statistical quantities. Central limit theorems are given for sample autocovariances and sample autocorrelations as well as more general integrated periodograms and ratio statistics. Moreover, for specific autoregressive processes, the possibilities to estimate the parameters of the underlying autoregression from lower frequency observations are addressed. Finally, we suggest for autoregressions of order 2 a valid bootstrap procedure. A small simulation study demonstrates the performance of the bootstrap proposal for finite sample size.     

Workforce Composition and Individual Wages — An Employer–Employee Data Analysis

The study analyses the impact of workforce composition and employee isolation — based on age, gender and citizenship — on entry wages of new employment relationships in German firms using employer–employee data. We allow for heterogeneous effects across distinct groups of workers and include worker and firm fixed effects to account for selection effects and unobserved heterogeneity. The results point to a negative impact of gender and age diversity for males and females, natives and foreigners and workers across the skill spectrum. Only for high-skilled workers, the negative effect of gender diversity is not statistically significant. Females receive, in addition, relatively low entry wages in establishments with a rather old workforce. With regard to the relative position, mainly gender isolation tends to exert an important influence on entry wages. The effect is positive only for females. In contrast, we estimate significant negative wage effects for males, natives, medium- and high-skilled workers. An international background of a firm's workforce and cultural isolation do not appear to generally affect entry wages.     

Territorial disparities in Europe

Traditionally, EU policies have been focused on economic and social cohesion. Recently, the territorial dimension of regional disparities as an aspect of EU policy has gained importance. The European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP), adopted in 1999, is meant to support a balanced development of the EU territory. Moreover, the European Commission addressed issues of territorial cohesion in its latest cohesion report. The present paper deals with territorial disparities and their current development in the EU. It analyses which kinds of region develop dynamically and offer favourable labour market conditions. The differences between rural and urban areas are a fundamental feature of territorial disparities in the EU and are of essential significance for the ESDP. The analysis deals with the question whether disparities between poor and rich regions as well as different growth trends and labour market conditions are still marked by the dualism between city and countryside. The authors would like to thank Elena Tcharykova for her excellent research assistance.     

Professionalism, organizational commitment and job satisfaction in an accounting organization

With growth in the number of professionals employed in organizations, concern has been expressed over potential conflict between the professionalism of these employees and their commitment to the organization. Empirical studies examining the relationships between professionalism, organizational commitment and job satisfaction have reported inconsistent results. This paper examines these variables in an organization setting involving several field offices of a “Big Eight” U.S. accounting firm. Accountants who reported high levels of professionalism also reported high levels of organizational commitment. Additionally, both professionalism and organizational commitment were strongly related to job satisfaction.     

Demographischer Wandel und Arbeitsmärkte in Norddeutschland

Die bevorstehenden demographischen Veränderungen sind von erheblicher Bedeutung für den Wirtschaftsstandort Deutschland und seine Regionen. Inwieweit ist Norddeutschland betroffen? Welche Arbeitsmarkteffekte sind hier zu erwarten? Wie kann dem Rückgang der Erwerbsbevölkerung entgegengewirkt werden?Dr. Annekatrin Niebuhr, 38, ist wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin in der Abteilung Regionalforschung des Instituts für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung in der Regionaldirektion Nord der Bundesagentur für Arbeit (IAB Nord); Dr. Silvia Stiller, 38, ist wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin in der Abteilung Europäische Integration im Hamburgischen Welt-Wirtschafts-Archiv (HWWA).*Wir bedanken uns bei Lisa Dust für ihre hervorragende Forschungsassistenz bei der Erstellung dieses Aufsatzes. Download der Langfassung der Studie „Demographischer Wandel in Norddeutschland - Konsequenzen und Handlungsbedarf“ als HWWA Report Nr. 250 (2005): http://www.hwwa.de (Publikationen). Die Studie ist im Auftrag der Vereins- und Westbank/HypoVereinsbank, Hamburg im Jahr 2004 entstanden.     

Convergence,trade and factor mobility in the European Union — Implications for enlargement and regional policy

The accession of ten new members in May 2004 means a considerable increase in income disparities in the European Union. At what speed has income converged in the past and what role have changes in trade relations and factor mobility played in this? What projections can be made for the catching-up process of the new member states? And what conclusions should be drawn for the future of EU regional policy?