Research Efficiency in Manufacturing: An Application of DEA at the Industry Level

This paper analyzes research efficiency at the industry level in manufacturing for 13 European member and four nonmember countries during 2000 and 2004. A unique dataset was compiled that matches patent applications at the European Patent Office (EPO) to industry-specific R&D inputs from EU KLEMS. We find that Germany, the United States, and Denmark have the highest efficiency scores on average in total manufacturing. The main industries that are at the technology frontier are those involved in electrical and optical equipment and machinery. Separate frontier estimations for these industries, conducted without the constraint of a constant technology frontier, provide additional support for our results.R&D efficiency, industry level, data envelopment analysis, manufacturing

Outward processing in Central and East European transition countries: Issues and results from German statistics

Our paper explores the recent trends in outward processing (OP) of German firms in former centrally planned economies (CPEs). We argue that OP is an interesting alternative to cross-border trade and equity foreign arrangements. We present the theoretical framework to understand OP as well as some facts and figures which may prove the empirical evidence. Finally, we discuss consequences for corporate restructuring in CPEs.

Foreign direct investment and trade in transition countries: Tracing links

Several studies have emphasized the links between trade reorientation and industrial restructuring in transition countries. In these studies trade has usually been considered as transactions among unrelated enterprises in different countries. However, an important and steadily growing share of trade are transactions with multinational enterprises and their foreign affiliates. Foreign direct investment of multinationals is the missing link in explaining this type of trade. The paper deals with the so-called intra-firm trade of multinationals operating in transition countries. It argues that trade within the internal networks of multinationals is the major route for international technology'transfer. It summarizes shortly previous studies and takes a glance at the trade structure of Hungarian enterprises involved in a joint venture. Finally, it discusses the implications for corporate restructuring in transition countries.

Technology Portfolio and Market Value

This paper discusses the impact of a firm's technology portfolio on its market value. Two concepts are used to characterize a firm's portfolio: the number of technological fields and the degree of relatedness within the portfolio characterized by the amount of joint occurrences of patents in technological fields. Based on a theoretical framework using an expanded Tobin's q approach, it presents evidence for a negative influence of portfolio size on the market value caused by a diminishing potential to make use of economies of scale. This discount can be counterbalanced when the relevant fields share a common technological base which is measured by the degree of technological relatedness.technological portfolio, relatedness, patent statistics, tobin's q, economies of scope

Western enterprises on eastern markets: The German perspective

The paper offers a vision of the future of cross-border activities between Germany and the Central and East European reform countries. It provides a comprehensive theoretical framework and it presents some stylized facts. It focuses on three prominent areas: trade in goods and services, off-shore processing and foreign direct investment. Although trade in goods and services is still the dominant form of cross-border activities, other forms make up mightily. Industry and country variables strongly influence the type of activities. Trade and off-shore processing are predominantly derived from comparative advantages (especially cheap labour) in Heckscher- Ohlin industries. Foreign direct investment, however, can be found mainly in (mobile) Schumpcter industries.

De-industrialization or re-industrialization? On the future of the Eastern German economy

The paper is intended to explore the prospective direction of structural adjustment in eastern Germany in the light of recent developments. The authors do argue that the Mezzogiorno-picture, a completely de-industrialized region between the Elbe- and the Oder-river, is not convincing. In the long-run, say in two decades, eastern Germany has good opportunities to become the most modern and competitive industrial basis in central Europe. In the medium-run, however, a dualization is likely - an industry with a rather new, highly capital-intensive segment and a subsidized old one. Consequently, there will emerge fast growing regions within Eastern Germany, so-called productivity islands, and regions with high chronical unemployment. This will be the unavoidable price for a very rapid equalization of real wages between east and west.

Budget support in the EC's development cooperation

"The present study works out the central elements of the EC's budget support concept, examining it in terms of the objectives envisaged for and the risks entailed by budget support. The study furthermore looks into whether and to what extent the concept is in fact being implemented in the EC's budget-support programs. The study's aim is to assess the EC's performance as a donor in the provision of budget support." (author's abstract)"In Deutschland hat die Entwicklungspolitik der Europäischen Union (EU) keinen guten Ruf. Immer wieder finden Klagen über ihre angebliche Ineffizienz den Weg in die Presse. Dabei gibt es nur wenige sorgfältige Untersuchungen über die Leistungsfähigkeit des Gebers EU - insbesondere im Vergleich zu anderen Gebern. Die vorliegende Studie schließt diese Lücke zumindest für einen wichtigen Teil der gegenwärtigen Entwicklungszusammenarbeit: Budgethilfe. Budgethilfen sollen die Effizienz, Effektivität und Signifikanz der EZ steigern. Dabei hängt der Erfolg oder Misserfolg des Instruments sowohl von den Rahmenbedingungen in den Partnerländern als auch von der Einbettung der Budgethilfe in die Programme der Partner ab. Fragen der Ausgestaltung von Budgethilfen rücken zunehmend in den Mittelpunkt der Diskussion. Die Studie arbeitet die zentralen Elemente des EU-Budgethilfekonzepts heraus und analysiert sie im Hinblick auf die Ziele und Risiken der Budgethilfevergabe. Ferner wird untersucht, inwieweit das EU-Budgethilfekonzept tatsächlich umgesetzt wird. Es stellt sich heraus, dass die EU bei der Vergabe von Budgethilfe sowohl konzeptionell fundiert als auch seriös agiert." (Autorenreferat

Technological and Regional Patterns in R&D Internationalization by German Companies

An analysis of patent applications filed with the European Patent Office reveals that German companies primarily expand their research activities abroad in high-tech sectors in which they already conduct long-term intensive research. These sectors are: electrical engineering, control technology, engines, pumps, turbines, thermal processes, mechanical components, and transport. German R&D internationalization is thus founded on fields of research that are highly productive domestically. By contrast, there is cause for concern for Germany as a location for research in the fields of telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. In these areas German companies have been intensifying their research activities abroad due to relative weakness at home. A particularly controversial topic in the political arena concerns the global competitiveness of Germany as a location for research. Empirical investigation of German research and its main competitors yields surprising results: Germany's competitors are almost exclusively Western European countries, particularly Austria, Switzerland, and France - all German neighbors. While the US continues to play a central role as a location for research funded by German companies, its importance has declined drastically since 1990.Innovation system, Composite indicator, Industrialized countries