1. ZEW Discussion Paper Nr. 03-35 // 2003

    Will the (German) NAIRU Please Stand up?

    This paper deals with a critical assessment and a reestimation of the \non{accelerating in ation rate of unemployment" (NAIRU) for Germany. There are quite a few obstacles to perceiving the NAIRU as an…

  2. ZEW Discussion Paper Nr. 03-30 // 2003

    Steueroptimale Rechtsformwahl: Personengesellschaften besser als Kapitalgesellschaften

    Die gewählte Rechtsform eines Unternehmens bestimmt auch nach (und gerade trotz) der Steuerreformen der letzten Jahre in erheblichem Ausmaß die Steuerbelastung deutscher Unternehmen. Daher hat sich auch die…

  3. ZEW Discussion Paper Nr. 03-28 // 2003

    Revisiting the Impact of Union Structures on Wages Integrating Different Dimensions of Centralisation

    In a framework of a unionised oligopoly, this paper reconsiders the impact of the bargaining structure on union wages. In particular, two dimensions along which centralisation may occur, namely the…

  4. ZEW Discussion Paper Nr. 03-27 // 2003

    Three Approaches to the Evaluation of Active Labour Market Policy in East Germany Using Regional Data

    Using different regional data sources for East Germany the three largest active labour market policy (ALMP) programmes – job creation schemes (JCS), structural adjustment schemes (SAS) and public training (PT) –…

  5. ZEW Discussion Paper Nr. 03-26 // 2003

    Firm Level Innovation and Productivity - Is there a Common Story Across Countries?

    Recent studies have documented extensive heterogeneity in firm performance within countries, and innovation has been found as an important determinant. This paper addresses the issue of innovation firm…

  6. ZEW Discussion Paper Nr. 03-25 // 2003

    Extent and Evolution of the Productivity Gap in Eastern Germany

    Since the German re–unification in 1990, Eastern Germany is a transition economy. After a phase of catching up of productivity with respect to Western Germany from 1991 to 1996, the growth rates in the producing…

  7. ZEW Discussion Paper Nr. 03-24 // 2003

    Publicly Funded R&D Collaborations and Patent Outcome in Germany

    The stimulation of co-operations has become very popular in R&D policies in recent years. This paper describes the history of R&D funding in Germany with a focus on the development of measures encouraging…

  8. ZEW Discussion Paper Nr. 03-20 // 2003

    Do Computers Call for Training? Firm-level Evidence on Complementarities Between ICT and Human Capital Investments

    This paper explores whether investments in information and communication technologies (ICT) and firm–sponsored training programmes are complementary. Three approaches are applied to panel data from German…

  9. ZEW Discussion Paper Nr. 03-19 // 2003

    A Comparison Between the Fed and the ECB: Taylor Rules

    This paper analyzes whether Taylor-type policy rules can be used to describe the behavior of the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank from the beginning of 1999 until mid 2002. Since there was no…

  10. ZEW Discussion Paper Nr. 03-18 // 2003

    A Test of the ‘Krugman Hypothesis’ for the United States, Britain, and Western Germany

    Rising wage inequality in the U.S. and Britain (especially in the 1980s) and rising continental European unemployment (with rather stable wage inequality) have led to a popular view in the economics profession…