_____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Z E W - N E W S L E T T E R E N G L I S H E D I T I O N Nr. 2011-07 vom 11.08.2011 (Beatrix Immig, newsletter-en at zew.de ) http://www.zew.eu _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Content 1. NEWS 2. CALL FOR PAPERS 2.1. SEEK-Workshop on "Entry, Pricing, and Consumer Search in Online Markets" (October 20-21, 2011, Mannheim) 2.2. 3rd ICTNET Workshop on "ICT-Enabled Innovation, Productivity and Growth" (October 24-25, 2011, Mannheim) 3. STAFF 3.1. Visiting Researchers 4. PRESS RELEASES 5. RECENT PUBLICATIONS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE 5.1. ZEWnews English edition 5.2. Financial Market Report Switzerland 5.3. Financial Market Report CEE 5.4. Discussion Papers IN GERMAN LANGUAGE 5.5. ZEW Finanzmarktreport (ZEW Financial Market Report) 5.6. Branchenreport Dienstleister der Informationsgesellschaft (ZEW Report on the Business Survey in the German ICT-Intensive Services Sector) 6. NEW RESEARCH PROJECTS 7. EVENTS 7.1. Expert Seminar 7.2. Scientific Events _____________________________________________________________________ 1. NEWS 18.07.2011 ZEW President Wolfgang Franz on the Topic of "Electric Vehicles and Government Subsidies": Whenever the question arises of how best to deal with government deficits, businesses and their professional associations often identify subsidies as the place to start. Yet, instead of calling for subsidies to be phased out, they deliberately speak of the need "to put subsidies under greater scrutiny" or "separate the wheat from the chaff". The reason for this is clear. Demanding the elimination of valuable subsidies for one's own industry is taboo. And it would be hypocritical for one industry to speak out against government subsidies while still supporting them for itself. Read more: http://www.zew.de/news1767 13.07.2011 Q&A: Is the Reduction of Germany's National Debt Feasible? - "In Times of Growth, Economists Often Forget Keynes": Germany's economy is strong: exports are at record-breaking levels, unemployment is down and billions of euros in additional tax revenues are pouring into state coffers. Given these positive developments, how realistic is a reduction of the national debt? PD Dr. Friedrich Heinemann gives some answers. Read the complete interview here: http://www.zew.de/news1762 05.07.2011 ZEW Presents Heinz Koenig Young Scholar Award Endowed with Prize Money of Euro 5,000 in Mannheim: The Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim awarded the Heinz Koenig Young Scholar Award for 2011. This year, the award goes to Anna Watson from the University of Cambridge for her international model of economic activity, which explains the strong volatility of international trade as could be observed, for example, during the recent economic crisis. Read more: http://www.zew.de/news1759 04.07.2011 ZEW Economic Forum 2011 - Global Economic Upheaval: Consequences for Economic Policy After Crises: This year's ZEW Economic Forum in Mannheim was all about the global financial and economic crisis and its consequences. Topics for discussion included a reform of the national and international financial architecture, the crisis of monetary policy and capital markets, a stable euro area and its requirements, as well as the global trading and monetary disequilibrium. Read more: http://www.zew.de/news1758 News can also be found here: http://www.zew.de/news 2. CALL FOR PAPERS 2.1. SEEK-Workshop on "Entry, Pricing, and Consumer Search in Online Markets" (October 20-21, 2011, Mannheim) Within the framework of the research programme "Strengthening Efficiency and Competitiveness in the European Knowledge Economies", the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), Mannheim, and the Johannes Kepler University, Linz (Austria), are pleased to announce a workshop on "Entry, Pricing, and Consumer Search in Online Markets". It will take place on October 20-21, 2011 in Mannheim. The workshop's objective is to discuss recent scientific contributions to questions related to the economics of online markets as well as firms' strategies and consumers' search behaviour in online markets. Theoretical, empirical, experimental, and policy oriented contributions are welcome. The deadline for submission of full papers or extended abstracts is August 31, 2011. Please submit papers or abstracts in PDF format to: onlinemarkets at zew.de Further information and the call for papers: http://www.zew.de/onlinemarkets2011 2.2. 3rd ICTNET Workshop on "ICT-Enabled Innovation, Productivity, and Growth" (October 24-25, 2011, Mannheim) The Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) and the OECD organise the 3rd ICTNET workshop on "ICT-Enabled Innovation, Productivity, and Growth" on October 24-25, 2011. The workshop will take place in Mannheim. ICTNET is a project financed by the European Commission (DG Information Society and Media). It aims at enhancing the cooperation of research in the economics of information and communication technologies (ICT) in Europe. The goal of this workshop is to bring together leading researchers on the economics of ICT in order to discuss recent scientific contributions and outstanding policy challenges. Theoretical, empirical, experimental, and policy oriented contributions are welcome. The deadline for submission of full papers or extended abstracts is September 2, 2011. Please send them in PDF format to: ictnet at ict-net.eu Further information and the call for papers: http://www.zew.de/event1484 3. STAFF 3.1. Visiting Researchers Professor Norman Gemmell Visiting Researcher at ZEW: >/From July 11 to 15, 2011, Professor Norman Gemmell was visiting /researcher at the ZEW research department "Corporate Taxation and Public Finance". Norman Gemmell taught and researched at the University of Nottingham until 1999 when he became Emeritus Professor and Professorial Research Fellow in the School of Economics. He is currently on leave as Chief Economist at The Treasury, New Zealand. While visiting ZEW, Norman Gemmell focused on issues related to fiscal policy and long-run growth. Additional information on Professor Norman Gemmell can be found here: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/economics/people/norman.gemmell Brant Morefield, PhD, Visiting Researcher at ZEW: >/From July 17 to 27, 2011, Brant Morefield was visiting researcher at /the ZEW research department "Labour Markets, Human Resources and Social Policy". Brant is a Senior Analyst/PhD Economist for Abt Associates Inc., Domestic Health Division, and holds a PhD in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His research has investigated the evolution of health and human capital over time. Currently, he is researching nursing home qualities in the US. During his research stay at ZEW, Brant was studying the effects of parental health shocks on children's non-cognitive skill development. Additional information on Brant Morefield, PhD, can be found here: http://ideas.repec.org/f/pmo602.html 4. PRESS RELEASES 28.07.2011 - ZEW (tzw/kbo) Companies Waste Money on Training of Older Employees: Older employees assess the return of their training measures lower than younger employees in German companies. Although companies spend approximately the same amount of money per participant on the training of older employees as on the training of younger employees, they do not adequately take into consideration the specific interests and preferences of older employees. Therefore, the investments in training do not pay off as much as they could. These are the findings of a current study by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim. Read more: http://www.zew.de/en/presse/1785 27.07.2011 - ZEW (alo/kbo/ggr) ZEW Survey Among Energy Experts - Abandoning Nuclear Energy Is Possible but Electricity Prices Will Rise: In Germany the exit from nuclear energy within ten years is possible. Due to the exit period chosen, there is no reason to fear power supply instabilities. However, the change in energy policy connected with the exit from nuclear energy is not possible without price increases in electricity. In the coming years, the crucial factors for the price development of electricity will presumably be the further development of renewable energy sources, the expansion of the power supply system, the exit from nuclear energy and the development of the gas prices. These are the findings of the current ZEW Energy Market Barometer, a survey conducted semi-annually by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim among around 200 energy experts. Read more: http://www.zew.de/en/presse/1780 25.07.2011 - ZEW (msu/ggr) Service Providers of the Information Society - Europe Is most Important Market for Internationally Operating Companies: Around 39 per cent of the companies in the economic sector service providers of the information society operate abroad and sell their products and services in different regions worldwide. This international orientation opens up new sales opportunities to internationally active companies and increases their competitiveness. The main focus of their international activities is on Europe. These are the findings of a business survey conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim in cooperation with Creditreform, Neuss. The survey was conducted in June 2011 in the economic sector service providers of the information society. Read more: http://www.zew.de/en/presse/1775 22.07.2011 - ZEW (zil/kbo) ZEW-Erste Group Bank Economic Sentiment Indicator for Central and Eastern Europe Including Turkey (CEE) - Economic Expectations Stabilise in Central and Eastern Europe: The ZEW-Erste Group Bank Economic Sentiment Indicator for Central and Eastern Europe including Turkey (CEE) has declined slightly by 2.5 points to minus 5.0 points in July 2011. In comparison to last month's major decrease the current development rather displays a stabilisation in experts' expectations. The economic sentiment indicator for the CEE region and further financial market data have been surveyed monthly by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), Mannheim, with the support of Erste Group Bank, Vienna, since 2007. Read more: http://www.zew.de/en/presse/1771 21.07.2011 - ZEW/Creditreform (msu/ggr) Service Providers of the Information Society - Economic Sentiment Among Companies in the Economic Sector Remains Positive: The economic sentiment among companies in the economic sector service providers of the information society remains positive in the middle of 2011. Neither strong increases nor decreases in the indicators for the business situation or the business expectations for the third quarter of 2011 could be observed. Accordingly, the ZEW-IDI, the economic sentiment indicator for the whole economic sector of service providers of the information society, has increased only slightly by 0.3 points in the second quarter of 2011. It now stands at 62.7 points. This is still significantly above the critical value of 50 points. A ZEW-IDI value above 50 points indicates a better economic sentiment in comparison to the previous quarter. These are the findings of the business survey conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim in cooperation with Creditreform, Neuss. The survey was conducted in June 2011 in the economic sector service providers of the information society. Read more: http://www.zew.de/en/presse/1769 21.07.2011 - ZEW (lja/kbo) ZEW-CS Financial Market Test Switzerland - Economic Expectations Drop Significantly: Economic expectations for Switzerland dropped by 34.6 points to the minus 58.9-point mark in July 2011. This is the lowest level since the beginning of 2009. The ZEW-CS Indicator is calculated monthly by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in cooperation with Credit Suisse (CS). The indicator reflects the expectations of the surveyed financial market experts regarding the economic development in Switzerland on a six-month time horizon. Read more: http://www.zew.de/en/presse/1770 20.07.2011 - ZEW (kbo/alo/tme) ZEW Energy Market Barometer - Experts Expect Medium-Term Energy Price Increases on a Broad Front: Industrial energy consumers, especially energy-intensive companies - e.g. in the chemical industry or in steel production or aluminium production -, larger business enterprises, local authorities, and other final consumers with high energy needs should expect rising costs of electricity, natural gas, oil, and coal. However, in the short-term, that is until around the end of 2011, customers can assume that prices for the energy sources listed above, except for electricity, will remain relatively stable. These are the findings of the ZEW Energy Market Barometer conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim among around 200 energy market experts. They were interviewed about the short- and medium-term trends for energy prices for wholesale customers. Read more: http://www.zew.de/en/presse/1768 19.07.2011 - ZEW (cdi/fmo/kbo) ZEW Indicator of Economic Sentiment - Expectations Declined: The ZEW Indicator of Economic Sentiment for Germany has dropped by 6.1 points in July 2011. The indicator now stands at minus 15.1 points. This value is below the indicator's historical average of 26.2 points. Read more http://www.zew.de/en/presse/1764 14.07.2011 - ZEW (vni/ggr) ZEW-ZEPHYR M&A-Index - No Great Impetus for Worldwide M&A Activities: In the first six months of 2011, the upturn of M&A activities as seen in 2010 has slowed down again. The ZEW-ZEPHYR M&A-Index tracking the mergers and acquisitions completed worldwide reflects this development. In May 2011, the ZEW-ZEPHYR M&A-Index dropped below its starting level of 100 points in January 2000. This was last seen in the crisis year of 2009. The index's decline was smaller than expected at the end of last year. This is primarily due to the overall good business environment. In June 2011, the index, calculated monthly by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) and Bureau van Dijk (BvD), recovered again and stood at a level of 102 points. This seems to indicate a continuing sideward movement. Read more: http://www.zew.de/en/presse/1763 12.07.2011 - ZEW (ggr/ada/alo) Economic Experiment on Climate Protection - Inequality Between Countries Undermines Collective Willingness for Climate Protection: Disastrous climate damage, like a disruption of the Gulf Stream or the melting of the polar ice caps, is to be avoided. The international community of states agrees on this goal. It remains to be seen if and how this goal can be reached. The inequality between countries regarding their historic greenhouse gas emissions and their economic performance reduces their willingness to cooperate. These are the findings of an economic experiment with 240 participants which was conducted as part of a study by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim in cooperation with Heidelberg University, the London School of Economics, and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. A comprehensive article on the study's findings can be found in the latest issue of the renowned periodical "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences". Read more: http://www.zew.de/en/presse/1761 All press releases can be found here: http://www.zew.de/en/press/latest 5. RECENT PUBLICATIONS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE 5.1. ZEWnews English edition ZEWnews English edition July/August 2011: * Tax incentives have positive impact on research and development and patent applications * Private-sector funding associated with stricter research conditions across all disciplines * Germany: Winners and losers of the European Emissions Trading Scheme after 2013 * Market foreclosure as a result of antitrust immunity for alliances in the airline business * Religion and the shadow economy * Q&A: Is the reduction of Germany's national debt feasible? * German energy policy: Miraculous drops in electricity consumption unlikely * Opinion regarding electric vehicles and government subsidies Download as PDF-file (*): http://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/zn/en/zn042011.pdf 5.2. Financial Market Report Switzerland Financial Market Report Switzerland August 2011: * Economic expectations drop significantly * Eurozone: Economic expectations more gloomy * USA: Inflation outlook declines * Japan: Assessments of the economy brighten up * Great Britain: Interest rate expectations drop sharply Download as PDF-file (*): http://www.zew.de/en/publikationen/finanzmarktreportschweiz/legalnote.php?target=FMTSchweiz082011.pdf 5.3. Financial Market Report CEE Financial Market Report CEE August 2011: * Economic expectations for the CEE region stabilise * Economic outlook for the CEE region, Austria, and the eurozone * Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia: Inflation concerns relaxed * Croatia, Hungary, and Romania: Bullish sentiments revised * Turkey: Inflation concerns slowly ease * Special topic: Experts' sentiments and the CEE stock markets Download as PDF-file (*): http://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/fmt_cee/FMTCEE082011.pdf 5.4. Discussion Papers 11-050 Carsten Vogt; Bodo Sturm Implications of Inequality Aversion for International Climate Policy Download as PDF-file (*): http://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/dp/dp11050.pdf 11-049 Brant Morefield; Andrea Muehlenweg; Franz Westermaier Impacts of Parental Health on Children's Development of Personality Traits and Problem Behavior: Evidence from Parental Health Shocks Download as PDF-file (*): http://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/dp/dp11049.pdf 11-048 Katrin Hussinger; Annelies Wastyn In Search for the Not-Invented-Here Syndrome: The Role of Knowledge Sources and Firm Success Download as PDF-file(*): http://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/dp/dp11048.pdf 11-047 Katharina Frosch; Christian Goebel; Thomas Zwick Separating Wheat and Chaff: Age-Specific Staffing Strategies and Innovative Performance at the Firm Level Download as PDF-file(*): http://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/dp/dp11047.pdf 11-046 Thomas Zwick Why Training Older Employees Is Less Effective Download as PDF-file (*): http://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/dp/dp11046.pdf 11-045 Friedrich Heinemann; Tanja Hennighausen; Marc-Daniel Moessinger Intrinsic Work Motivation and Pension Reform Acceptance Download as PDF-file (*): http://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/dp/dp11045.pdf 11-044 Dirk Czarnitzki; Katrin Hussinger; Cedric Schneider "Wacky" Patents Meet Economic Indicators Download as PDF-file (*): http://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/dp/dp11044.pdf 11-043 Peter Heindl; Sebastian Voigt A Practical Approach to Offset Permits in Post Kyoto Climate Policy Download as PDF-file (*): http://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/dp/dp11043.pdf IN GERMAN LANGUAGE 5.5. ZEW Finanzmarktreport (ZEW Financial Market Report) ZEW Financial Market Report August 2011: * Less optimistic economic expectations * ECB: Rise in interest rates only an intermediate step * USA: Assessment of the economic situation worsens again * Japan: Promising recovery * Great Britain: Inflation expectations are falling * Special question: Incentives for a sustainable debt policy Download as PDF-file (German only) (*): http://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/frep/082011.pdf 5.6. Branchenreport Dienstleister der Informationsgesellschaft (ZEW Report on the Business Survey in the German ICT-Intensive Services Sector), Volume 10, No. 2, July 2011 Economic Sentiment Among Companies in the Economic Sector Remains Positive: The economic sentiment among companies in the economic sector service providers of the information society has hardly changed in the second quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of the year. The ZEW-IDI, the economic sentiment indicator for the whole economic sector of service providers of the information society, has increased only slightly by 0.3 points. It now stands at 62.7 points. This development is explained by the fact that the indicator reflecting the business expectations has fallen, but this slight fall could be compensated for by a further improvement of the business situation. Download as PDF-file (German only) (*): http://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/brep/archiv/2011_BraRepDL_IKT_2Q2011.pdf (*) Please note: PDF-files can be displayed by using Acrobat-Reader. The software can be downloaded for free: http://get.adobe.com/de/reader/ 6. NEW RESEARCH PROJECTS Bachelor and Master at Work - A Survey Among HR Executives http://www.zew.de/project1104 The Relationship Between Employees, Entry Strategies, and Innovation Performance in Newly Established Firms http://www.zew.de/project1099 Efficient Incentive Systems in Science - An Experimental Analysis http://www.zew.de/project1105 The Impact of Culture on Female Labour Force Participation, Fertility, and the Choice of Child Care Arrangements http://www.zew.de/project1098 The European Added Value of the EU Budget: Can the EU Help Its Member States to Save Money? http://www.zew.de/project1100 Modelling of Interdependencies Between the Energy Prices and the Price of CO2 Emission Allowances http://www.zew.de/project1103 Patent - Firm Panel. Infrastructure Panel Containing Patent and Trademark Strategies of German Companies http://www.zew.de/project1097 7. EVENTS 7.1. Expert Seminar 19.-21.09.2011 Dynamic Programming: Theory, Numeric Implementation, and Applications Speakers: Prof. Alexander Ludwig (University of Cologne); Dr. Tim Mennel (ZEW); Martin Scheffel (ZEW) Location of the event: ZEW, Mannheim Additional information: http://www.zew.de/event1483 7.2. Scientific Events 11.08.2011 ZEW Research Seminar: Genetics and Entrepreneurship: The Quest for the Entrepreneurial Gene Speaker: Prof. Roy Thurik (Erasmus University Rotterdam, NL; EIM Zoetermeer, NL; MPI Jena, DE) Location of the event: ZEW, Mannheim Additional information: http://www.zew.de/event1475 29.09.2011 Mannheim Competition Policy Forum: Entry and Competition for German Notary Profession Speaker: Prof. Gabriel Lee (University of Regensburg) Location of the event: ZEW, Mannheim Additional information: http://www.zew.de/event1405 _____________________________________________________________________ IMPRINT Publisher: Centre for European Economic Research GmbH (ZEW) Mannheim L 7, 1 . 68161 Mannheim / P.O. Box 10 34 43 . 68034 Mannheim . Germany Internet: www.zew.de . www.zew.eu Seat of the company: Mannheim Local Court Mannheim HRB 6554 Chairman of the Supervisory Board: Gerhard Stratthaus, MdL, Minister, ret. Executive Directors: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Wolfgang Franz, Thomas Kohl Editor: Beatrix Immig, Phone +49/621/1235-135, Fax +49/621/1235-222, E-mail: newsletter-en at zew.de Editorial assistant: Laura Piotter Responsibility: Gunter Grittmann, Phone +49/621/1235-132, Fax +49/621/1235-222, E-mail: grittmann at zew.de Legal note: http://www.zew.de/en/impressum/ You can subscribe or cancel your subscription to the newsletter service at any time via the online form at: http://www.zew.eu/newsletter or by sending an e-mail to: zew-newsletter-englishedition-request at mx-assp2.zew.de - Subject: (leave blank!) - Text: subscribe zew-newsletter-englishedition or unsubscribe zew-newsletter-englishedition _____________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ * *Messages sorted by:* [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ More information about the Zew-newsletter-englishedition mailing list