Using German district data we estimate the structural parameters of a new economic geography model as developed by Helpman (1998) and Hanson (1998, 2001a). The advantage of the Helpman-Hanson model is that it incorporates the fact that agglomeration of economic activity increases the prices of...

Using German district data we estimate the structural parameters of a new economic geography model as developed by Helpman (1998) and Hanson (1998, 2001a). The advantage of the Helpman-Hanson model is that it incorporates the fact that agglomeration of economic activity increases the prices of...

We construct a unique data set in order to analyze whether or not a large temporary shock has an impact on city growth. Following recent work by Davis and Weinstein (2002) on Japan, we take the strategic bombing of German cities during WWII as an example of such a shock, and analyze its impact...

‘Het lijkt zo lekker vrij: voor jezelf beginnen met een eigen bedrijf. En dat is het ook vaak. Toch zitten Nederlandse ondernemers nog vaak gevangen in een Gouden Kooi. Verschillende instituties en regels belemmeren veel ondernemers om hun ambities verder uit te breiden, en om echt...

Burgess (1993) finds that job finding rates for the unemployed do not move proportionately to changes in the overall hiring rate. Burgess hints at employed job seekers that start looking in tight conditions and crowd out the unemployed. But he leaves the search behaviour of firms unaddressed....

Talent allocation models assume that entrepreneurial talent is selfish and thus allocates into unproductive or even destructive activities if these offer the highest private returns. This paper experimentally analyzes other-regarding preferences of entrepreneurial talent. We find that making a...

This paper presents a model of the life cycle that drives and is driven by R&D. In the model, firms have the option to improve their quality or to invest R&D resources in efficiency gains. Faced with this tradeoff, young firms opt for quality instead of efficiency improvements, whereas more...

This paper argues that recent trends in the global economy have led to a shift in developed countries’ comparative advantage from mature industrial to early stage entrepreneurial production. We develop a three stage product life cycle model in which we distinguish between life cycle...

Entrepreneurship is generally regarded as a force of change, innovation and development in modern economies. Entrepreneurs bring new and better products to markets, restore allocative efficiency through arbitrage and reinvest their profits. However, as Baumol (1990), Mehlum et al. (2003) and...

Burgess (1993) finds that job finding rates for the unemployed do not move proportionately to changes in the overall hiring rate. Burgess hints at employed job seekers that start looking in tight conditions and crowd out the unemployed. But he leaves the search behaviour of firms unaddressed....