Researchers have found plenty of evidence that profit rates vary considerably across industries, particularly in the service sector (or: particularly between manufacturing and sector sectors). We analyze the persistence and the determinants of rate of return differences among the sectors of the German economy. Our analysis proceeds in two stages. In the first stage, we investigate the persistence of ...
In this study, we explore how general socio-economic trends within the European Union are reflected in the development of different types of regions during the period from 1995 to 2009 and how economic disparities between EU regions change in the course of these processes. Overall, there is a decrease of regional inequalities in terms of per-capita income, but this is mainly the result of catching ...
This paper assesses the validity of the perception-based governance indicators used by the US Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) for aid allocation decisions. By conducting Explanatory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of data from 1996 to 2009, we find that although the MCA purports to measure seven distinct dimensions of governance, only two discrete underlying dimensions, the perceived 'participatory ...
We develop a composite indicator measuring the performance of national innovation systems. The indicator takes into account both 'hard' factors that are quantifiable (such as R&D spending, number of patents) and 'soft' factors like the assessment of preconditions for innovation by managers. We apply the methodology to a set of 17 industrialized countries on a yearly basis between 2007 and 2009. The ...
We use a large micro-dataset to assess the importance of intangible capital - organisation, R&D and ICT capital - for the economic performance of establishments and regions in Germany. In 2003 self-produced intangible capital accounted for one fifth of the total capital stock of establishments with more than 10 employees. More than half of the intangible capital is R&D capital. This high proportion ...
