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

Abstract:   I derive an optimal benefit-based corporate tax rate formula as a function of the public input elasticity of profits and the (net of) tax elasticity of profits. I argue that the existence of the corporate income tax should be justified by the benefit-based view of taxation: firms should pay tax according to the benefits they receive from the use of the public input. I argue that benefit-based corporate taxation is normatively fair. Since the public input is a location-specific factor, a positive benefit-based corporate tax rate is also feasible even in a small open economy. The benefit-based view gives three clear principles of corporate tax design. First, we should tax corporate profits at source. Second, the optimal tax base is location-specific rents. Third, profit shifting is normatively wrong. An empirical application of the formula suggests the optimal benefit-based corporate tax rate on public corporations in the United States lies in the range of 35 to 59 percent.

Abstract:  User generated content is increasingly substituting content created by professionals. Local news that is generated by citizen journalists could be a promising way of supporting the struggling newspaper industry by reducing costs for professional journalists. We study a network of 122 local Austrian newspapers operating a hybrid model of citizen and professional journalism. We first observe that citizens cover different topics, write shorter articles, and create less engagement. We then exploit a change in the platform’s social recognition system to show that non-monetary incentives drive the production of citizen content, especially for contributors with more experience. We also find that amateur content acts as a substitute for content produced by inexperienced professionals. We finally see that the incentive and substitution effects are more pronounced in smaller regions and for soft news.

Joint with Pedro Ferreira and Ananya Sen.

The Berlin IO Day is a one-day workshop sponsored by the Berlin Centre for Consumer Policies (BCCP) and supported by the Berlin's leading academic institutions, including DIW Berlin, ESMT Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Technische Universität Berlin. The aim is to create an international forum for high quality research in Industrial Organization in the heart of Berlin, one of Europe's most vibrant and intellectually lively cities.

Financial systems have developed rapidly in many developing countries. These changes increase the need for research into their effects. To this end DIW Berlin will host a workshop in the field of “Finance and Development” to be held in Berlin on April 23 in the afternoon and full day April 24, 2020.

Attendance by invitation!

Syllabus

1. Vector Autoregressive Models
2. Vector Error Correction Models
3. Structural VAR Tools
4. Bayesian VAR Analysis
5. Identification by Short-Run Restrictions
6. Identification by Long-Run Restrictions
7. Inference for Impulse Responses
8. Sign Restrictions
9. Identification by Heteroskedasticity or Non-Gaussianity
10. Identification Based on External Instruments
11. Structural VAR Analysis in a Data-Rich Environment
12. Nonfundamental Shocks

The 2nd annual Workshop for Women in Macroeconomics, Finance and Economic History is being organized by the DIW Berlin. The aim is to bring together female academic researchers and practitioners to promote and exchange ideas in the field of Macroeconomics, Finance, and Economic History. We invite contributions, including, but not limited to macroeconomic and financial stability, interactions between monetary policy and financial regulation, institutional change and capital market integration, and studies dealing with expectations and experience. The conference will facilitate and support the formation of professional networks among female economists across academia and policy institutions.

More than ten years after the crisis, the financial sector is still in the midst of a far-reaching transformational process. The regulatory environment remains a headwind for financial institutions, and new technologies are changing the rules of the game. Zero interest rates and flat yield curves, in particular in Europe, deprive credit institutions of their traditional income from the credit and maturity transformation business. Populism and political uncertainty create additional challenges, curtailing investment and risk-taking. Finally, the ever-increasing focus for investors and corporations alike on topics around ESG – environmental, social and governance – and sustainability brings with it a whole new set of challenges and opportunities that need to be navigated. An important element in successfully tackling these challenges is a healthy corporate culture that allows for the necessary change to happen – including an increase in female representation and a better gender balance in corporate board rooms.

This conference will present an outlook on these developments and their implications for the financial services industry and economies at large, primarily presented by leading female exponents of the financial services industry as well as key public authorities.

The annual Summer Workshop of the Graduate Center will take place from June 2nd to June 4th 2020 at Griebnitzsee. Doctoral students will present their current research during the three-day workshop.

Minicourses are a series of one or two day courses on various topics in Economics, organized by the DIW Graduate Center. The target audience consists of graduate students in Economics at Berlin universities and research institutes. The GC Minicourses are held on an irregular basis at DIW Berlin (about once a month) and are open to all affiliates of DIW Berlin, those of the BDPEMS program, and anyone else upon inquiry. For proposals of Minicourses please contact Anton Velinov Ph.D.

The 14th International German Socio-Economic Panel User Conference (SOEP2020) will be held in Berlin on July 9-10, 2020 at DIW Berlin. The conference provides researchers who use the SOEP (including the SOEP part of the Cross-National Equivalent File (CNEF) and LIS/LWS data) with the opportunity to present and discuss their work with their peers. Researchers of all disciplines (e.g., economics, demography, geography, political science, public health, psychology, and sociology) are invited to submit an abstract.

Masterclasses are a series of one or two day courses on various topics in Economics, organized by the DIW Graduate Center. The target audience consists of graduate students in Economics at Berlin universities and research institutes. The GC Masterclasses are held on an irregular basis at DIW Berlin (about once a month) and are open to all affiliates of DIW Berlin, those of the BDPEMS program, and anyone else upon inquiry. For proposals of Masterclasses please contact Anton Velinov Ph.D.

Minicourses are a series of one or two day courses on various topics in Economics, organized by the DIW Graduate Center. The target audience consists of graduate students in Economics at Berlin universities and research institutes. The GC Minicourses are held on an irregular basis at DIW Berlin (about once a month) and are open to all affiliates of DIW Berlin, those of the BDPEMS program, and anyone else upon inquiry. For proposals of Minicourses please contact Anton Velinov Ph.D.