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About Attitudes and Perceptions: Finding the Proper Way to Consider Latent Variables in Discrete Choice Models

We provide an in-depth theoretical discussion about the differences between individual-specific latent constructs (representing attitudes, for example, but also other characteristics such as values or personality traits) and alternative-specific latent constructs (that may represent perceptions) affecting the choice-making process of individuals; we also carry out an empirical exercise to analyze their ...

Strategic Bidding in Multi-unit Auctions with Capacity Constrained Bidders: The New York Capacity Market

This article employs a simple model to describe bidding behavior in multi-unit uniform price procurement auctions when firms are capacity constrained. Using data from the New York City procurement auctions for power generating capacity, I find that firms use simple bidding strategies to coordinate on an equilibrium that extracts high rents for all bidders. I show theoretically and empirically that ...

Veronika Bertram-Hümmer receives the University Meets Microfinance Award

Veronika Bertram-Hümmer, has been honored for her research with the University Meets Microfinance Award. The outstanding section of her doctoral dissertation was also published as a DIW Discussion Paper in collaboration with Kati Krähnert, Head of Development and Security. Their research demonstrates that an index-based weather insurance can help households in developing countries, such ...

Cross-Country Estimates of Employment and Investment in Organisational Capital: A Task-Based Methodology Using the PIAAC Database

This work proposes a task-based methodology for the measurement of employment and investment in organisational capital (OC) in 20 OECD countries. It builds on themethodology of Squicciarini and Le Mouel (2012) and uses information from the OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). OCis defined as firm-specific organisational knowledge resulting from the performance ...

Effective European Antitrust: Does EC Merger Policy Generate Deterrence

We estimate the deterrence effects of European Commission (EC) merger policy instruments over the 1990-2009 period. Our empirical results suggest that phase-1 remedies uniquely generate robust deterrence as – unlike phase-1 withdrawals, phase-2 remedies, and preventions – phase-1 remedies lead to fewer merger notifications in subsequent years. Furthermore, the deterrence effects of phase-1 remedies ...

The Impact of Policy Measures on Future Power Generation Portfolio and Infrastructure: A Combined Electricity and CCTS Investment and Dispatch Model (ELCO)

This paper presents a general electricity-CO2 (ELCO) modeling framework that is able to simulate interactions of the energy-only market with different forms for national policy measures. We set up a two sector model where players can invest into various types of generation technologies including renewables, nuclear and Carbon Capture, Transport, and Storage (CCTS). For a detailed representation of ...

SOEP data v31 (1984-2014) out now!

The data for SOEP v31 have been finalized and sent out via encrypted download-link to the users who applied for them. Please order the current data set if you haven't done so. Unfortunately we still need a little time to prepare the data files of the Cross-National Equivalent File (CNEF) and of SOEPlong, and the PanelWhiz version of the SOEP for distribution. Thank you for your patience.

Family structure and educational attainment in East and West Germany during the 20th century – a sibling analysis

This study investigates whether the link between family dissolution and children’s educational attainment is contingent on the broader social and institutional context. The comparison of former capitalist West Germany and socialist East Germany presents an excellent case study as these countries differed considerably with regard to ideology and policies regarding families, schooling and...

The Mission: Human Capital Transmission, Economic Persistence and Culture in South America

BAMS is a joint seminar by the DIW Berlin, the Hertie School of Governance, the HU Berlin and the WZB.