This research assesses the firm-specific reasons for lower productivity levels between West and East German firms. The study is based on a unique data-base generated by field work in the two particularly important sectors of machinery manufacturers and furniture manufacturers. Our results...

The very first minimum wage in Germany was introduced in 1997 for blue-collar workers in sub-sectors of the construction industry. In the setting of a natural experiment blue-collar workers in neighboring 4-digit-industries and white-collar workers are used as control groups for...

Das Geschäftsklima im Baugewerbe Ostdeutschlands trübt sich laut Umfrage des IWH zu Beginn des Jahres 2017 geringfügig ein. Ausschlaggebend sind die Geschäftsaussichten, die sich über alle Sparten etwas weniger günstig darstellen als zuvor, freilich ausgehend von einem hohen Niveau. Damit...