The introduction of a common monetary policy in eleven European countries increased the need for leading indicators for that area. A reliable leading indicator should possess the following properties: (1) The movements in the indicator series should resemble those in the business cycle reference...

In this paper we used a data set constructed for a companion paper (Fritsche/Stephan, 2000) where we explored the leading indicator properties of different time series for the German business cycle. Now we test for the ability of different indicator series to forecast recessions by using a...

We study the price adjustment practices and provide quantitative measurement of the managerial and customer costs of price adjustment using data from a large U.S. industrial manufacturer and its customers. We find that price adjustment costs are a much more complex construct than the existing...

This report presents the results of an competitiveness enterprise survey, highlighting the main findings relevant to the issue of competitiveness in Vetnam. the final sample for analysis included 146 enterprises from four industry sectors (electricity, mechanical engineering, foodstuff and...

This study assesses the widely-held belief that manufacturing industries are uniquely important to the process of national economic growth. The study’s related purpose is to describe structural changes in the U.S. manufacturing sector and the organization of U.S. manufacturing firms that are...

The degree of localisation of manufacturing, defined as the excess geographic concentration remaining after correcting for both sectorial concentration and the agglomeration of overall economic activity, has recently gained new techniques of measurement. These techniques are illustrated and...

This paper estimates the potential effects of a free trade agreement (FTA) between China and Mercosur on poverty, income distribution, welfare and employment. The case of Argentina, in particular, is investigated. To this end, partial equilibrium techniques are combined with micro econometric...

The manufacturing sectors of less developed countries (LDCs) have traditionally been relatively protected. They have also been subject to heavy regulation, much of which is biased in favor of large enterprises. Accordingly, it is often argued that manufacturers in these countries perform poorly...

This paper estimates the effects of trade integration between China and Mercosur on employment. The case of Argentina, in particular, is investigated. Highly disaggregated data at the industry level is used for the first time to estimate labor demand elasticities in order to estimate the effects...

THE CONCEPT OF AN INDUSTRY IS IMPORTANT FOR ECONOMIC ANALYSIS. HERE, WE DEFINE SUGAR INDUSTRY AS GROUP OF FIRMS PRODUCING SUGAR THAT ARE CLOSE SUBSTITUTES BY THE USE OF IDENTICAL PRODUCTION PROCESSES AND RAW MATERIALS. HOWEVER, SUGAR INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA WAS STILL IN ITS PIONEERING STAGE. THIS...