Trade and growth theories predict a mutual causation of innovation and exports. We test empirically whether innovation causes exports using a uniquely rich German micro dataset. Our instrumental-variable strategy identifies variation in innovative activity that is caused by specific impulses and...

This paper deals with the effects of labour market institutions on unemployment in a panel of 19 OECD countries for the period 1960-2000. In contrast to many other studies, we use long time series and analyse cyclically adjusted trend values of the unemployment rate. Our novel contribution is...

The concept of the ’employment threshold’ plays an important role in the public discussion of unemployment. The employment threshold is defined as that growth rate of output necessary to keep employment constant despite the continuous rise in productivity. It is related to the Okun...

This paper deals with the effects of labour market institutions onlabour market performance. We analyse as an indicator for the labourintensity of output growth the employment threshold (the minimum growthrate of output necessary to keep employment constant). We show for asample of 17 OECD...

This article presents a micro data approach to the identification of credit crunches. Using a survey among German firms which regularly queries the firms’ assessment of the current willingness of banks to extend credit, we estimate the probability of a restrictive loan supply policy by time...