The objective of this paper is to combine a real options framework with portfolio optimization techniques and to apply this new framework to investments in the electricity sector. In particular, a real options model is used to assess the adoption decision of particular technologies under...

I investigate how political uncertainty influences corporate investment decisions employing a unique panel dataset of German manufacturing firms. I use data on firms' self-reported investment realizations, plans and revisions. The firm-specific user cost of capital captures the current...

This dissertation consists of six self-contained chapters that are related to the behavior of firms and politicians in a broader sense. After an introduction to the topic, the first part of the dissertation elaborates on how institutional and political framework conditions influence the behavior...

This paper connects two branches of economics in a study of the price formation of industrial commodities. The first branch is the theory of irreversible investment under uncertainty, the second the theory of competitive speculation in stocks. A model which combines these two elements is...

The financial and non-financial involvement of venture capitalists is supposed to be positively correlated with firm performance. This paper deals with the evaluation of the impact of venture capitalists on employment growth of new founded firms. Differences between high-tech and low-tech...

This paper analyzes the medium-term growth performance of firms that exclusively received start-up assistance from programs administered by the Deutsche Ausgleichsbank (DtA), a state owned bank, within two years after startup. I apply a parametric selection approach that controls for two...