Understanding the causes of the slowdown in aggregate productivity growth is key to maintaining the competitiveness of advanced economies and ensuring long-term economic prosperity. This paper is the first to provide evidence that investment in intangible capital, despite having a positive effect on productivity at the micro level, is a driver of the weak productivity performance at the aggregate level ...
Data is often at the core of digital products and services, especially when related to online advertising. This has made data protection and privacy a major policy concern. When surfing the web, consumers leave digital traces that can be used to build user profiles and infer preferences. We quantify the extent to which Facebook can track web behavior outside of their own platform. The network of engagement ...
On Thursday 4 November, the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) will hold an EU side event together with the World Resources Institute, Perspectives Climate Group, Frankfurt School and Climate Action Network on climate financing at the COP26. Leading European researchers will present their latest insights into aligning international financial flows with the goals of the Paris...
The financial sector has an important role in the transition towards a net-zero economy. Moderated by Prof. Dr. Karen Pittel (ifo Institute) this panel will discuss policy options for the financial sector. Karsten Löffler (Green and Sustainable Finance Cluster Germany) will hold a keynote on the recommendations of the German Sustainable Finance Committee. Four panelists will then add...
The tremendous growth of digital transactions – mainly through online platforms - is profoundly affecting the way we interact and opening vast opportunities to improve our lives. Consumers are benefiting from an unprecedented proliferation of new services and products that previously were too costly to be developed and marketed to customers. At the same time, the characteristics of platform...
This paper presents a broad retrospective evaluation of mergers and merger decisions in markets dominated by multisided digital platforms. First, we document almost 300 acquisitions carried out by three major tech companies—Amazon, Facebook, and Google—between 2008 and 2018. We cluster target companies on their area of economic activity providing suggestive evidence on the strategies behind these mergers. ...
Employment agencies aim to match individuals to appropriate jobs. There are public and private employment agencies, which co-exist in many countries. Selection effects may be relevant in the sense that private agencies potentially engage in ‘cream-skimming’ by prioritizing highly qualified workers. The resulting job match quality is also important from an individual, a firm, and a society perspective. ...