The Politics of Resonance

‘GIB SIE WIEDER’1 is a series of two political compositions, dedicated to exceptional performers Garth Knox (viola d’amore) and Rhodri Davies (harp). In this project the central focus is on resonance in both a musical and wider socio-cultural sense. Finding the term closely correlated to the construction of gender, I direct my inner ear to the hidden background noises of the organisation of society. As a woman and composer, I perceive aural patterns of individual and political significance. In this work my aim is to to deconstruct engrained structures of resonance and assumptions of gender, and redefine them from a personal perspective as the basis for a new compositional identity. In this article, I identify my political perspective as an artist, and describe how this affects and stimulates my creative process. I discuss the compositional approach taken in the two compositions making up ‘GIB SIE WIEDER’ and their public performances in 2014

Social Justice in the EU and OECD. Bertelsmann Stiftung Index Report 2019

With the onset of the economic and financial crisis, social justice has deteriorated – on average – in the OECD and EU countries surveyed by the SJI.1 While the Social Justice Index shows a slight but ongoing upward trend since economic recovery began in 2014, the overall score remains below the pre-crisis level. In addition, there are still striking discrepancies with regard to available opportunities to participate in society in the 41 countries surveyed

Adoption of Product and Process Innovations in Differentiated

The paper examines the effects of the degree of competition on the firms' decision to innovate in differentiated markets. We find that a low (high) degree of product differentiation (competition) weakly supports the introduction of new products. Firms' weakly favour a process innovation if the degree of product differentiation (competition) is high (low). In addition, assumptions on the strategic complementarity of product and process innovations and on the decreasing returns of a product innovation are found to be the critical assumptions in the sense of Milgrom and Roberts (1994).Product innovation; process innovation; differentiated markets; Bertrand competition, Cournot competition

Do European computer-related patents increase welfare?

When the home country introduces a patent law after the winner of the patent race is known the country's welfare may rise only if the domestic firm wins. If the home country decides before the patent race ends, the welfare may be increased when the probability that the domestic firm wins is sufficiently large. In both cases, the conditions on the product market determine the welfare gain and one may at least doubt whether those conditions are satisfied.Patents, competition policy, intellectual property rights

Product and Process Innovations in a Horizontally Differentiated Product Market

For horizontal product differentiation, the paper examines the effects of the level of competition on the firm's decision between a product and process innovation. When firms have to choose between the two types of innovation, it is demonstrated that both firms undertake the product innovation when the competition is intense, they choose different investment projects in intermediate competition, and they pursue cost--reducing innovations when competition is less intense. If firms may pursue both innovations, they mix the types depending on the innovation cost structure. Again, firms incur higher costs into product innovations, when the competition is initially intense.Product innovation; Process innovation; Horizontal product differentiation

Product and Process Innovations in a Horizontally Differentiated Product Market

For a market of horizontal product differentiation, the paper examines the effects of the level of competition on the firm’s decision between a product and process innovation. When firms have to choose between the two types of innovation, it is demonstrated that both firms undertake the product innovation when the competi-tion is intense. For intermediate levels of competition, the firms choose different investment projects, and for less intense competition, the firms pursue cost–reducing innovations. When firms may undertake both innovations, they decide to undertake a mixture of the innovations depending on the innovation cost structure. Again, the firms are willing to incur higher costs into product innovations, when the competition is initially intense.product innovation, process innovation, horiyontal product differentiation