Die Zahl der Flüchtlinge ist 2015 drastisch gestiegen und stellt Deutschland vor große Herausforderungen. Erleichterung erhofft man sich dadurch, dass nun auch Albanien, Kosovo und Montenegro auf die Liste der sicheren Herkunftsstaaten gesetzt wurden - wie dies vor einem Jahr für Serbien,...

This paper shows that 19th-century industrialization is an important determinant of the significant changes in Germany's economic geography observed in recent decades. Using novel data on economic activity in 163 labor market regions in West Germany, we establish that nearly half of them...

This paper shows that 19th-century industrialization is an important determinant of the significant changes in Germany’s economic geography observed in recent decades. Using novel data on economic activity in 163 labor market regions in West Germany, we establish that nearly half of them...

We test the often-cited hypothesis that high levels of child labour attract foreign investors. Using panel data we show the overall effect, which child labour has on foreign direct investment (FDI), to be a (small) negative one. We find strong evidence for the theoretical prediction that child...

This paper studies how different unionisation structures affect firm productivity, firm performance, and consumer welfare in a monopolistic competition model with heterogeneous firms and free entry. While centralised bargaining induces tougher selection among hetero- geneous producers and thus...

The interaction between trade liberalisation, product and process innovation, and relative skill demand is analysed in a model of international oligopoly. Lower trading barriers increase the degree of foreign competition. The competing enterprises respond by investing more aggres- sively in...

In der aktuellen Debatte um die Flüchtlingskrise wird häufig ein historisches Vorbild bemüht: Die Integration der Vertriebenen nach dem zweiten Weltkrieg. Bis 1950 kamen alleine nach Westdeutschland acht Millionen Vertriebene aus Mittel- und Osteuropa, die meisten von ihnen aus den ehemaligen...