@book{NastanskyMehnertStrohe2014, author = {Nastansky, Andreas and Mehnert, Alexander and Strohe, Hans Gerhard}, title = {A vector error correction model for the relationship between public debt and inflation in Germany}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-50246}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2014}, abstract = {In the paper, the interaction between public debt and inflation including mutual impulse response will be analysed. The European sovereign debt crisis brought once again the focus on the consequences of public debt in combination with an expansive monetary policy for the development of consumer prices. Public deficits can lead to inflation if the money supply is expansive. The high level of national debt, not only in the Euro-crisis countries, and the strong increase in total assets of the European Central Bank, as a result of the unconventional monetary policy, caused fears on inflating national debt. The transmission from public debt to inflation through money supply and long-term interest rate will be shown in the paper. Based on these theoretical thoughts, the variables public debt, consumer price index, money supply m3 and long-term interest rate will be analysed within a vector error correction model estimated by Johansen approach. In the empirical part of the article, quarterly data for Germany from 1991 by 2010 are to be examined.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Loersch2014, author = {Loersch, Christian}, title = {Business start-ups and the effect of coaching programs}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-72605}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {XII, 282}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Entrepreneurship is known to be a main driver of economic growth. Hence, governments have an interest in supporting and promoting entrepreneurial activities. Start-up subsidies, which have been analyzed extensively, only aim at mitigating the lack of financial capital. However, some entrepreneurs also lack in human, social, and managerial capital. One way to address these shortcomings is by subsidizing coaching programs for entrepreneurs. However, theoretical and empirical evidence about business coaching and programs subsidizing coaching is scarce. This dissertation gives an extensive overview of coaching and is the first empirical study for Germany analyzing the effects of coaching programs on its participants. In the theoretical part of the dissertation the process of a business start-up is described and it is discussed how and in which stage of the company's evolvement coaching can influence entrepreneurial success. The concept of coaching is compared to other non-monetary types of support as training, mentoring, consulting, and counseling. Furthermore, national and international support programs are described. Most programs have either no or small positive effects. However, there is little quantitative evidence in the international literature. In the empirical part of the dissertation the effectiveness of coaching is shown by evaluating two German coaching programs, which support entrepreneurs via publicly subsidized coaching sessions. One of the programs aims at entrepreneurs who have been employed before becoming self-employed, whereas the other program is targeted at former unemployed entrepreneurs. The analysis is based on the evaluation of a quantitative and a qualitative dataset. The qualitative data are gathered by intensive one-on-one interviews with coaches and entrepreneurs. These data give a detailed insight about the coaching topics, duration, process, effectiveness, and the thoughts of coaches and entrepreneurs. The quantitative data include information about 2,936 German-based entrepreneurs. Using propensity score matching, the success of participants of the two coaching programs is compared with adequate groups of non-participants. In contrast to many other studies also personality traits are observed and controlled for in the matching process. The results show that only the program for former unemployed entrepreneurs has small positive effects. Participants have a larger survival probability in self-employment and a larger probability to hire employees than matched non-participants. In contrast, the program for former employed individuals has negative effects. Compared to individuals who did not participate in the coaching program, participants have a lower probability to stay in self-employment, lower earned net income, lower number of employees and lower life satisfaction. There are several reasons for these differing results of the two programs. First, former unemployed individuals have more basic coaching needs than former employed individuals. Coaches can satisfy these basic coaching needs, whereas former employed individuals have more complex business problems, which are not very easy to be solved by a coaching intervention. Second, the analysis reveals that former employed individuals are very successful in general. It is easier to increase the success of former unemployed individuals as they have a lower base level of success than former employed individuals. An effect heterogeneity analysis shows that coaching effectiveness differs by region. Coaching for previously unemployed entrepreneurs is especially useful in regions with bad labor market conditions. In summary, in line with previous literature, it is found that coaching has little effects on the success of entrepreneurs. The previous employment status, the characteristics of the entrepreneur and the regional labor market conditions play a crucial role in the effectiveness of coaching. In conclusion, coaching needs to be well tailored to the individual and applied thoroughly. Therefore, governments should design and provide coaching programs only after due consideration.}, language = {en} } @misc{Creusen2014, type = {Master Thesis}, author = {Creusen, Leander}, title = {Die Arbeit der Organisationseinheit "Beteiligungsmanagement" im Gesamtkontext der Steuerung {\"o}ffentlicher Unternehmen auf kommunaler Ebene}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-71938}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Diese Arbeit besch{\"a}ftigt sich mit dem Thema Beteiligungsmanagement und der damit verbundenen Steuerung {\"o}ffentlicher Unternehmen auf kommunaler Ebene. Der Ausgangspunkt der Untersuchung ist die Erkenntnis, dass eine Kommune keine absolute Kontrolle {\"u}ber ihre {\"o}ffentlichen Unternehmen aus{\"u}ben kann und sollte. Stattdessen wird angenommen, dass im Zuge einer effizienten Steuerung eine Fokussierung auf relevante Themen, Bereiche und Aktivit{\"a}ten der {\"o}ffentlichen Unternehmen erfolgt. Da die Steuerung {\"o}ffentlicher Unternehmen aufgrund der Vielzahl involvierter Akteure nur schwierig zu untersuchen ist, steht in der vorliegenden Analyse die speziell f{\"u}r das kommunale Beteiligungsmanagement eingerichtete „Organisationseinheit Beteiligungsmanagement" im Mittelpunkt. Die Forschungsfrage lautet: Welche Faktoren erkl{\"a}ren den Steuerungsfokus einer „Organisationseinheit Beteiligungsmanagement"? Im Zuge einer explorativen Ann{\"a}herung an die Forschungsfrage werden vier Perspektiven aus der Literatur verschiedener Forschungsgebiete, im Besonderen aber der Agencification-Literatur, hergeleitet: eine strukturelle, eine aufgabenspezifische, eine kulturell-vergangenheitsbezogene sowie eine umweltbezogene Perspektive. Mit Hilfe dieser Perspektiven werden sowohl verwaltungs- als auch unternehmenszentrierte Faktoren erarbeitet, deren Einfluss auf die Wahl des Steuerungsfokus untersucht wird. Das Ergebnis der explorativ-vergleichenden Fallstudie von insgesamt neun kommunalen Organisationseinheiten Beteiligungsmanagement zeigt, dass die untersuchten Faktoren entweder eine Intensivierung bzw. ver{\"a}nderte Verortung oder eine Diversifizierung des Steuerungsfokus erkl{\"a}ren. Eine Diversifizierung bedeutet, dass eine Vielzahl verschiedener Fokusse ber{\"u}cksichtigt wird.}, language = {de} } @book{Şener2014, author = {Şener, Ula{\c{s}}}, title = {Die Neutralit{\"a}tstheorie des Geldes}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, isbn = {978-3-86956-307-7}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-72367}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {v, 87}, year = {2014}, abstract = {{\"O}konomen wie Wirtschaftspolitiker berufen sich auf die Neutralit{\"a}tstheorie des Geldes, wenn sie eine Entpolitisierung der Geldpolitik fordern. Sowohl die Theorie der Geldneutralit{\"a}t als auch das Paradigma der Entpolitisierung der Geldpolitik sind jedoch problematisch. Die polit{\"o}konomischen Entwicklungen nach der globalen Finanz- und Wirtschaftskrise 2007/2008 und die j{\"u}ngsten Kontroversen {\"u}ber die Rolle und Bedeutung von Geld haben dies deutlich vor Augen gef{\"u}hrt. Die vorliegende Arbeit diskutiert zun{\"a}chst die konzeptionellen Grundlagen und theoretischen Modelle der Geldneutralit{\"a}t. Anschließend werden die zentralen theoretischen Annahmen und Aussagen der Neutralit{\"a}tstheorie aus einer kritischen heterodoxen Perspektive hinterfragt. Es wird argumentiert, dass Geld eine nicht-neutrale Produktionskraft ist, die weder {\"o}konomisch noch sozial neutral ist. Die Bedingungen, unter denen Geld verf{\"u}gbar ist und zirkuliert, sind richtungsweisend f{\"u}r die {\"o}konomische Entwicklung. Daher kann es auch kein neutrales Geld oder gar eine apolitische Geldpolitik geben.}, language = {de} } @misc{VogelLoebelProelleretal.2014, author = {Vogel, Dominik and L{\"o}bel, Stephan and Proeller, Isabella and Schuppan, Tino}, title = {Einflussfaktoren von F{\"u}hrungsverhalten in der {\"o}ffentlichen Verwaltung}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-95865}, pages = {459 -- 478}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Dieser Artikel adressiert zwei bisher nur wenig untersuchte Aspekte der F{\"u}hrungsforschung: F{\"u}hrungsverhalten im {\"o}ffentlichen Sektor und Faktoren die F{\"u}hrungsverhalten beeinflussen. Mittels einer Fallstudie in der Bundesagentur f{\"u}r Arbeit werden explorativ Hypothesen {\"u}ber Einflussfaktoren des F{\"u}hrungsverhaltens aufgestellt. Die Studie kommt zu der Erkenntnis, dass eine oftmals angenommene F{\"u}hrungsl{\"u}cke im {\"o}ffentlichen Sektor nicht best{\"a}tigt werden kann. F{\"u}r das ausgepr{\"a}gte F{\"u}hrungsverhalten, das in der Fallstudie beobachtet wurde, wird als Determinante die besondere Ausgestaltung des Managementsystems der Bundesagentur f{\"u}r Arbeit verantwortlich gemacht. Dazu geh{\"o}rt unter anderem das Performance Management System sowie die F{\"u}hrungskr{\"a}fteauswahl und -entwicklung. Die Arbeit schließt mit Empfehlungen f{\"u}r weitere Forschungsans{\"a}tze auf dem Gebiet der F{\"u}hrungsforschung im {\"o}ffentlichen Sektor.}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Schmidl2014, author = {Schmidl, Ricarda}, title = {Empirical essays on job search behavior, active labor market policies, and propensity score balancing methods}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-71145}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2014}, abstract = {In Chapter 1 of the dissertation, the role of social networks is analyzed as an important determinant in the search behavior of the unemployed. Based on the hypothesis that the unemployed generate information on vacancies through their social network, search theory predicts that individuals with large social networks should experience an increased productivity of informal search, and reduce their search in formal channels. Due to the higher productivity of search, unemployed with a larger network are also expected to have a higher reservation wage than unemployed with a small network. The model-theoretic predictions are tested and confirmed empirically. It is found that the search behavior of unemployed is significantly affected by the presence of social contacts, with larger networks implying a stronger substitution away from formal search channels towards informal channels. The substitution is particularly pronounced for passive formal search methods, i.e., search methods that generate rather non-specific types of job offer information at low relative cost. We also find small but significant positive effects of an increase of the network size on the reservation wage. These results have important implications on the analysis of the job search monitoring or counseling measures that are usually targeted at formal search only. Chapter 2 of the dissertation addresses the labor market effects of vacancy information during the early stages of unemployment. The outcomes considered are the speed of exit from unemployment, the effects on the quality of employment and the short-and medium-term effects on active labor market program (ALMP) participation. It is found that vacancy information significantly increases the speed of entry into employment; at the same time the probability to participate in ALMP is significantly reduced. Whereas the long-term reduction in the ALMP arises in consequence of the earlier exit from unemployment, we also observe a short-run decrease for some labor market groups which suggest that caseworker use high and low intensity activation measures interchangeably which is clearly questionable from an efficiency point of view. For unemployed who find a job through vacancy information we observe a small negative effect on the weekly number of hours worked. In Chapter 3, the long-term effects of participation in ALMP are assessed for unemployed youth under 25 years of age. Complementary to the analysis in Chapter 2, the effects of participation in time- and cost-intensive measures of active labor market policies are examined. In particular we study the effects of job creation schemes, wage subsidies, short-and long-term training measures and measures to promote the participation in vocational training. The outcome variables of interest are the probability to be in regular employment, and participation in further education during the 60 months following program entry. The analysis shows that all programs, except job creation schemes have positive and long-term effects on the employment probability of youth. In the short-run only short-term training measures generate positive effects, as long-term training programs and wage subsidies exhibit significant locking-in'' effects. Measures to promote vocational training are found to increase the probability of attending education and training significantly, whereas all other programs have either no or a negative effect on training participation. Effect heterogeneity with respect to the pre-treatment level education shows that young people with higher pre-treatment educational levels benefit more from participation most programs. However, for longer-term wage subsidies we also find strong positive effects for young people with low initial education levels. The relative benefit of training measures is higher in West than in East Germany. In the evaluation studies of Chapters 2 and 3 semi-parametric balancing methods of Propensity Score Matching (PSM) and Inverse Probability Weighting (IPW) are used to eliminate the effects of counfounding factors that influence both the treatment participation as well as the outcome variable of interest, and to establish a causal relation between program participation and outcome differences. While PSM and IPW are intuitive and methodologically attractive as they do not require parametric assumptions, the practical implementation may become quite challenging due to their sensitivity to various data features. Given the importance of these methods in the evaluation literature, and the vast number of recent methodological contributions in this field, Chapter 4 aims to reduce the knowledge gap between the methodological and applied literature by summarizing new findings of the empirical and statistical literature and practical guidelines for future applied research. In contrast to previous publications this study does not only focus on the estimation of causal effects, but stresses that the balancing challenge can and should be discussed independent of question of causal identification of treatment effects on most empirical applications. Following a brief outline of the practical implementation steps required for PSM and IPW, these steps are presented in detail chronologically, outlining practical advice for each step. Subsequently, the topics of effect estimation, inference, sensitivity analysis and the combination with parametric estimation methods are discussed. Finally, new extensions of the methodology and avenues for future research are presented.}, language = {en} } @book{Schmied2014, author = {Schmied, Julian}, title = {Financial performance and social goals of microfinance institutions}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, isbn = {978-3-86956-275-9}, issn = {2197-8069}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-67696}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {vii, 57}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Critics argue that there has been a trend among Microfinance Institutions (MFI) to focus on profitability in order to stay financially sustainable. This made some institutions neglect the social mission of microfinancing. In this paper I intend to examine if empirical evidence supports this so called mission drift hypothesis as well as other claims in this context. Using the global panel data set of the MIX (Microfinance Information Exchange), which gathers from 1995 to 2010 and contains up to 1400 institutions with a high variety of organizational forms, I was able to identify a world-wide mission drift effect in their social goal of reaching out the poorest part of the population. Furthermore, I find that, on average, the outreach of an MFI has a significant negative influence on its short and long term financial performance. Despite that, I eventually proved that the probability that an MFI worsens its social performance substantially increases if its profitability has decreased in the previous years.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Andree2014, author = {Andree, Kai}, title = {Horizontale Fusionen bei r{\"a}umlichem Wettbewerb}, series = {Potsdamer Schriften zur Raumwirtschaft}, journal = {Potsdamer Schriften zur Raumwirtschaft}, number = {6}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, isbn = {978-3-86956-279-7}, issn = {2190-8702}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-69209}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {xi, 227}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Fusionen stellen einen zentralen Baustein der Industrie{\"o}konomik dar. In diesem Buch wird der Frage nachgegangen, welchen Einfluss die r{\"a}umliche Dimension auf eine Fusion aus{\"u}bt. Dabei wird ein Grundmodell entwickelt und {\"u}ber dieses hinaus eine Vielzahl Erweiterungen pr{\"a}sentiert. Der Leser erh{\"a}lt somit die M{\"o}glichkeit ein tiefes Verst{\"a}ndnis f{\"u}r Fusionen bei r{\"a}umlichem Wettbewerb zu erlangen.}, language = {de} } @misc{Nickenig2014, type = {Master Thesis}, author = {Nickenig, Julia}, title = {Mitarbeitermotivation in der Wissenschaft am Beispiel des Leibniz-Instituts f{\"u}r Agrartechnik Potsdam-Bornim e. V.}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-71353}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Diese Arbeit besch{\"a}ftigt sich mit der Motivation von Mitarbeitern an {\"o}ffentlichen wissenschaftlichen Einrichtungen. Anhand einer Mitarbeiterumfrage am Leibniz-Institut f{\"u}r Agrartechnik Potsdam-Bornim e. V. werden mehrere Hypothesen untersucht, die auf der Self-Determination-Theory basieren. Die Analyse zeigt, dass viele Befragte eine hohe autonome Motivation aufweisen. Insbesondere das Gef{\"u}hl, Wahlm{\"o}glichkeiten und Gestaltungsspielr{\"a}ume bei der Arbeit zu besitzen, beeinflusst die Motivation positiv. W{\"a}hrend F{\"u}hrungskr{\"a}fte dieses Gef{\"u}hl der Autonomie st{\"a}rken k{\"o}nnen, haben Charaktereigenschaften keinen Einfluss hierauf. Dar{\"u}ber hinaus zeigt sich, dass in der Wissenschaft ein Gef{\"u}hl der sozialen Eingebundenheit im Arbeitskontext keine bedeutende Rolle zu spielen scheint.}, language = {de} } @misc{Treiber2014, type = {Master Thesis}, author = {Treiber, Victor Oviedo}, title = {Rural poverty, vulnerability and food insecurity}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, isbn = {978-3-86956-302-2}, issn = {2197-8069}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-71263}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {viii, 68}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in Latin America. This study analyzes whether rural poverty increases the incidence of food insecurity and whether food insecurity perpetuates the condition of poverty among the rural poor in Bolivia. In order to achieve this aim, the risks that households face and the capacity of households to implement coping strategies in order to mitigate vulnerability shocks are identified. We suggest that efforts by households to become food secure may be difficult in rural areas because of poverty and the vulnerability associated with a lack of physical assets, low levels of human capital, poor infrastructure, and poor health; as well as the precarious regional environment aggravating the severity of vulnerability to food insecurity.}, language = {en} }