Nach einem dramatischen Einbruch – insbesondere 2008 und 2009 – wird sich der europäische Wohnungsbau ab diesem Jahr wieder etwas beleben. Auf einen Anstieg von knapp 2% im Jahr 2011 dürften Zuwächse von etwa 2½% 2012 bzw. von rund 3% 2013 folgen. Zu diesem Ergebnis kamen die Experten...

Der Bericht vergleicht die Baukosten und die Qualität des Bauhandwerks in verschiedenen OECD-Ländern. Danach sind die Baukosten in Deutschland überdurchschnittlich hoch. Dieses ist vor allem auf die strikte Gewerketrennung und unzureichende Koordination zurückzuführen. Es wird gefordert,...

We find very fast convergence in productivity for the 99 3-digit European industries over the 1985-1998 period. According to our estimates half of any productivity gap is closed on average in 10 years. The speed of convergence is much higher than obtained previously in the literature....

This paper analyses the relationship between corporate taxation, firm age and debt. We adapt a standard model of capital structure choice under corporate taxation, focusing on the financing and investment decisions a firm is typically faced with. Our model suggests that the debt ratio is...

Empirical work on regional growth under spatial spillovers uses two workhorse models: the spatial Solow model and Verdoorn's model. This paper contrasts these two views on regional growth processes and demonstrates that in a spatial setting the speed of convergence is heterogenous in both...

This paper formulates an econometric firm growth model that explicitly accounts for the interdependence of firm performance within corporate networks and is in line with several economic theories on firm growth. We estimate the model for national and multinational corporate groups (MNEs) using a...

There are two main options for companies to serve foreign markets: exports and foreign direct investment (FDI). Based on the Helpman, Melitz and Yeaple (2004) model for two host countries this paper derives a clear theoretical prediction for the decision between both strategies. A bivariate...

This paper analyzes the relationship between capital structure, corporate taxation and firm age. We adapt a standard model of optimal capital structure choice under corporate taxation, focusing on the financing and investment decisions a young firm is typically faced with. Our model allows to...

This paper suggests that one should account for the endogeneity of important explanatory variables and the persistence of technology shocks when analyzing spatial convergence among regions.Specifically, it is argued that a systems approach is called for that includes the average growth rate and...