Different regional economic theories come to different conclusions with regard to the impact of (state) policies on the economic prosperity of regions. This article provides empirical evidence, that determinants like geography, urbanization, industrial mix and social capital explain 71 percent...

In Germany there is a political consensus that the economic and fiscal burden of the German reunification should be shared by all three jurisdictional levels of the federal system. According to existing law, the burden-sharing between the state and local authorities has to be confined to the...

Most German states amended their local constitutions during the 1990s and now allow for the direct election of mayors, initiatives and référendums, and vote aggregation, as well as vote splitting. In this paper, it is asked whether these reforms had any effects on local fiscal policies. It is...

The main focus of convergence studies surrounds the question ofwhether poor economies catch up to wealthier economies over time. The regionalconvergence process in Europe has generated considerable interest in recent years.Due to financial straits regional convergence is a central question,...

The Joint Task (“Gemeinschaftsaufgabe”) “Improvement of Regional Economic Structure” is an important instrument of German regional policy. The programme aims at narrowing the development disparities among regions. The “Gemeinschaftsaufgabe” identifies assisted areas using four single...

In der Neuen Ökonomischen Geografie (NÖG) spielen Preiseffekte im kumulativen Prozess der räumlichen Konzentration eine entscheidende Rolle als Vorwärtskopplung. Der Aufsatz untersucht den potenziellen Beitrag des Helpman-Modells zur Prädiktion des gesamten und nach Gütergruppen...

The development state of regions does not only depend on the own efficiency, but also on spatial spillovers. Positive (backward linkages, use of the infrastructure in neighbouring economic areas etc.) and negative (e.g. environmental effects) spillovers give reason for mutual economic...