Inspired by the theory of variety-expanding product innovation we derive a testable relationship of outsourcing on the growth rate of knowledge. We estimate this relationship with a firm-level dataset, which is a unique match of PATSTAT patent data and the Amadeus dataset. We find evidence that...

This volume was prepared by Sebastian Benz while he was working at the Ifo Institute. It was completed in December 2013 and accepted as a doctoral thesis by the Department of Economics at the University of Munich. It includes five self-contained chapters. All chapters discuss different...

This paper applies demand and supply analysis to examine the government bond yield in Spain. The sample ranges from 1999.Q1 to 2014.Q2. The EGARCH model is employed in empirical work. The Spanish government bond yield is positively associated with the government debt/GDP ratio, the short-term...

The EU regions have been experiencing a period of unprecedented change. The ongoing (and parallel) processes of EU integration and enlargement have progressively transformed regional economies to integral parts of the emerging (European) socio-economic space, exposing them to the forces and the...

Seit Beginn der neunziger Jahre befindet sich Ungarn in einem Transformationsprozess, der es hin zu einer Marktwirtschaft westlicher Ausprägung als demokratischer Staat trägt. Teil dieses Transformationsprozesses war und ist es, einen föderalen Finanzausgleich zu kreieren bzw. aufgrund...

This paper explores the contribution of knowledge capital to total factor productivity differences among regions within a regression framework. We provide an econometric derivation of the relationship and show that the presence of latent/unobservable regional knowledge capital leads to a model...

This study analyses the impact of economic catching-up on annual inflation rates in the European Union with a special focus on the new member countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Using an array of estimation methods, we show that the Balassa-Samuelson effect is not an important driver of...

The aim of this research is to investigate whether the intrinsic energy efficiency rating of an office building has a significant impact on its rental value. Using a sample of 817 office buildings with Energy Performance Certificate (EPCs), we investigate whether a pricing differential can be...

As the current financial crisis has shown, macroeconomic imbalances such as persistent current account and trade deficits, can seriously undermine a country's resilience to economic shocks. Maintaining and enhancing external competitiveness has thus become of increasing concern, particularly to...

The paper studies the impact of intangible assets on economic growth and unemployment from a regional perspective. The familiar relationship between changes in the unemployment rate and economic growth – known as Okun's law – is taken as a workhorse of the analysis and estimated for the 27...