This paper tests whether intangible capital is a substitute or, to some degree, a complement to standard inputs in the production process. The analysis is conducted for public sectors in which governmental institutions are directly responsible both for efficiently producing public goods and for...

A well-known strategy of tax avoidance by multinationals is to locate debt in subsidiaries in countries with a high tax rate. In case of M&As it is particularly advantageous to locate debt at the level of holdings. By using firm-level data provided by the German Central Bank, I show empirically...

We estimate causal employment effects of investment subsidies for treated firms as a whole as well as heterogeneous effects depending on firm characteristics and economic environment. We modify the standard matching and difference-in-difference approach by introducing a combined statistical...

The aim of this paper is to point to the systematisation of matter, which relates to the assessment of the efficiency of tax control as the mainstay of the reduction of tax evasion and the grey economy in our country, with a comparative analysis with the developed countries and countries in...

This paper explores the role of fiscal equalization as a driver of states’ tax policy in Germany. We argue that fiscal redistribution of tax revenues provides an incentive for states to increase their tax rates. The analysis exploits differences in the degree of fiscal redistribution among the...

This paper considers the welfare implications of a tax on real estate transfers. A theoretical analysis shows how the discouragement of mutually beneficial transactions as well as tax- sheltering activities give rise to a welfare loss that can be estimated using the empirical elasticity of the...

Recent research has shown that the presence of peers can increase individual output both in the lab and the field. As a new explanation for higher individual output levels, we test whether peer settings are particularly prone to cheating even if peer settings do not provide additional monetary...

This paper explores the role of immigrant employees for a firm's capability to absorb international knowledge. Using matched employer-employee data from Denmark for the years 1999 to 2009, we are able to show that non-Danish employees from technological advanced countries contribute...

This paper examines field experiment in which we encourage the use of computer-based tests (quizzes) through a set of non-financial incentives and test their effect on effort and performance of students. Our identification strategy exploits cross-cohort experimental variation in assessment rules...

Since 2003/2004, German hospitals are reimbursed based on a prospective payment scheme (diagnosis related groups, DRGs). Patient classification in neonatology is based inter alia on birth weight, with substantial discontinuities in reimbursement at the relevant thresholds. These discontinuities...