In entrepreneurial decisions making uncertain future prots often are a maincharacteristics of real investment opportunities. If investors can react touncertainty the degree of irreversibility and timing flexibility inherent in theavailable project should be integrated into the decision calculus....

Using a ¯rm-level panel data set I assess whether dynamic models of in-vestment provide an empirically fruitful framework for analyzing tax e®ectson changes in capital stock. In particular I estimate a one-step error correc-tion model (ECM) complementing the usual estimation of a distributed...

Taxes on inheritances may induce heirs to discontinue family firms. Becausefirm dissolution incurs transaction costs, a preferential tax treatment of transferredfamily businesses seems to be desirable from a macroeconomic viewpoint.The support of dynastic succession, however, entails also a cost...

Effective from 2008, Germany´s top marginal income tax rate rises from 42 to 45 per cent. However, sole proprietorships and partnerships can opt for a preferential tax rate of 28.25 per cent for retained profits are taxed again upon distribution (§ 34a EStG-E). If they do so, profits are taxed...

This paper introduces wealth-dependent time preference into a simplemodel of endogenous growth. The model generates adjustment dynamics in linewith the historical facts on savings and economic growth in Europe from the HighMiddle Ages to today. Along a virtuous cycle of development more wealth...