This paper analyses the differences in the efficiency of using subsidies for franchised regional rail services between the federal states in Germany, and provides evidence on the impact of procurement strategies and contractual design on the efficient use of funds. The analysis is based on a...

Existing firms are argued to be an important source of new entrepreneurs. Yet, relatively little is known about the characteristics of firms that breed new entrepreneurs. We use a large linked employee-employer dataset to trace and characterize the types of firms from which new entrepreneurs...

While theorists differ sharply on the expected economic impact of stock options, typically empirical work has found a positive association between option schemes and firm productivity. However, existing data are limited and may not enable reliable investigation of the productivity effects of...

Um Wettbewerbsvorteile gegenüber konkurrierenden Unternehmen zu erreichen werden oft Änderung in der Arbeitsorganisation und der Personalpolitikvorgenommen oder neue, innovative Maßnahmen des Personalmanagements eingeführt. Dabei führt die Veränderung oder Einführung einzelner Maßnahmen...

Are efficiency improvements in the use of natural resources the key for sustainable development, are they the solution to environmental problems, or will second round effects -so-called rebound effects- compensate or even overcompensate potential savings, will they fire back? The answer to this...

We study the incentives for hospitals to provide quality and expend cost-reducing effort when their budgets are soft, i.e., the payer may cover deficits or confiscate surpluses. The basic set up is a Hotelling model with two hospitals that differ in location and face demand uncertainty, where...

The first case study has a national scope and involves a wide variety of the maritime activities identified in the main report. The second case study is concentrated around one specific activity/subject and has a transnational scope. The first case study concerns the economic benefits of MSP in...