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How Efficient is the East German Economy? An Exploration With Micro Data

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  • Michael Funke
  • Jörg Rahn

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the efficiency of the East German economy at the firm level using an unbalanced panel over the transition period 1994 to 1998. We adopt a translog stochastic frontier model to estimate technical efficiency in eastern and western Germany. The results indicate that firms in eastern Germany are significantly less efficient than firms in western Germany. The paper also examines some of the possible correlates of regional variations in firm-level efficiency.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Funke & Jörg Rahn, 2000. "How Efficient is the East German Economy? An Exploration With Micro Data," CESifo Working Paper Series 397, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_397
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    Cited by:

    1. Sebastián Claro, 2002. "On the Costs and Effectiveness of Tarjeting State Employment: Germany in the 1990s and China in the 2000s," Documentos de Trabajo 218, Instituto de Economia. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile..
    2. Giovanni Peri & Dieter Urban, 2002. "The Veblen-Gerschenkron Effect of FDI in Mezzogiorno and East Germany," Development Working Papers 164, Centro Studi Luca d'Agliano, University of Milano.
    3. Claro, Sebastian, 2006. "Supporting inefficient firms with capital subsidies: China and Germany in the 1990s," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 377-401, June.
    4. Giovanni Peri & Dieter Urban, 2002. "The Veblen-Gerschenkron Effect of FDI in Mezzogiorno and East Germany," Development Working Papers 164, Centro Studi Luca d'Agliano, University of Milano.
    5. Jaan Masso & Almas Heshmati, 2004. "The optimality and overuse of labour in Estonian manufacturing enterprises," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 12(4), pages 683-720, December.
    6. Bonin, Holger, 2005. "Tarifpolitik, Entgeltflexibilität und Beschäftigung in Ostdeutschland (Colletive bargaining policy, wage flexibility and employment in eastern Germany)," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 38(2/3), pages 165-179.
    7. Bonin, Holger, 2005. "Tarifpolitik, Entgeltflexibilität und Beschäftigung in Ostdeutschland (Colletive bargaining policy, wage flexibility and employment in eastern Germany)," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 38(2/3), pages 165-179.
    8. Jan Kluge & Michael Weber, 2015. "Decomposing the German East-West wage gap," ifo Working Paper Series 205, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich.
    9. Brakman, Steven & Garretsen, Harry & Schramm, Marc, 2002. "New Economic Geography in Germany: Testing the Helpman-Hanson Model," Discussion Paper Series 26183, Hamburg Institute of International Economics.
    10. Fuchs-Schündeln, Nicola & Izem, Rima, 2012. "Explaining the low labor productivity in East Germany – A spatial analysis," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 1-21.
    11. Brakman, Steven & Garretsen, Harry & Schramm, Marc, 2001. "New economic geography in Germany: testing the Helpman-Hanson model," Research Report 01D46, University of Groningen, Research Institute SOM (Systems, Organisations and Management).
    12. Hlavac, Marek, 2010. "Freedom as the key to prosperity: Lessons from the world's growth miracles and economic disasters," MPRA Paper 25563, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Sebastián Claro, 2004. "Vertical and Horizontal Dimensions of Trade Liberalization," Documentos de Trabajo 265, Instituto de Economia. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile..
    14. Astrid Cullmann & Christian von Hirschhausen, 2007. "From Transition to Competition: Dynamic Efficiency Analysis of Polish Electricity Distribution Companies," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 716, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    15. Kalyuzhnova, Yelena & Vagliasindi, Maria, 2006. "Capacity utilization of the Kazakhstani firms and the Russian financial crisis: A panel data analysis," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 231-248, October.
    16. Bezat, Agnieszka, 2011. "Estimation of technical efficiency by application of the SFA method for panel data," Problems of World Agriculture / Problemy Rolnictwa Światowego, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, vol. 11(26), pages 1-9, September.
    17. Alexander Schiersch, 2013. "Firm size and efficiency in the German mechanical engineering industry," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 40(2), pages 335-350, February.
    18. L??szl?? Halpern & G??bor K??r??si, 2003. "Corporate performance and market structure during transition in Hungary," William Davidson Institute Working Papers Series 2003-606, William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan.
    19. repec:lic:licosd:12302 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Michael C. Burda & Jennifer Hunt, 2001. "From Reunification to Economic Integration: Productivity and the Labor Market in Eastern Germany," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 32(2), pages 1-92.
    21. Bonin, Holger, 2005. "Tarifpolitik, Entgeltflexibilität und Beschäftigung in Ostdeutschland (Colletive bargaining policy, wage flexibility and employment in eastern Germany)," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 38(2/3), pages 165-179.
    22. Jan Kluge & Michael Weber, 2018. "Decomposing the German East–West wage gap," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 26(1), pages 91-125, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    East Germany; technical efficiency; panel data; convergence; wages;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E51 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Money Supply; Credit; Money Multipliers
    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity

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