Since 2010, Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft (GAFAM) have acquired more than 400 companies. Competition authorities did not scrutinize most of these transactions and blocked none. This raised concerns that GAFAM acquisitions target potential competitors yet fly under the radar of current merger control due to the features of the digital economy. We empirically study the competitive effects ...
Venture capital (VC) is often seen as an instrumental tool that allows many start-ups to pursue innovation with the potential to shake-up current markets and/or to replace incumbents. Using a highly granular, project-level dataset from preclinical diabetes R&D, this paper shows that VCs actively steer the direction of R&D and streamline activities of research focused firms (pipeline firms)...
We investigate patterns in common ownership networks between firms that are active in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry for the period 2004–2014. Our main findings are that “brand firms”—that is, firms that have research and development capabilities and launch new drugs—exhibit relatively dense common ownership networks with each other that further increase significantly in density over time, whereas ...
This paper analyzes the magnitude of local knowledge spillovers of public R&D in Germany and its determinants using patent application data. We identify three distinct transmission channels. First, firms file more patent applications when collaborating with (local) public institutions. Second, firms file more patent applications when citing a public patent. Third, local public R&D seems to increase ...
In this study we estimate the hidden cost of restrictive migration policies and highlight the need for health-related support among refugees. The traumatic events asylum seekers experience at origin due to exposure to violent conflict and during the journey to the EU may have lasting negative effects on their economic and social integration in the destination country. We hypothesize that...
Sind Daten das neue Gold? Man hat den Eindruck, dass wir alle technischen Finessen ausloten, um an das wertvolle Gut heranzukommen. Was auch immer mit dem Begriff „Daten“ assoziiert wird, scheint diesem Vorhaben Glanz zu verleihen. Entscheidungen, Politik, Management und vieles mehr sollten jetzt „datengesteuert“ sein. Big Data, Machine Learning, Algorithmen und kü...
The Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG) provides 3D-Building models for Germany. The data come in a City-GML (geographical markup language) format, locating every building throughout Germany and providing information such as its ground plan, height, and the building’s purpose. I will provide an overview on the data, its coverage and limitations, as they are available for...
This is an online seminar using Webex. You will receive the login data with the invitation to the talk. Abstract: There is an ongoing debate both in academia and in policy circles about the effects of takeovers of small, young firms by large incumbents in innovative industries. Many argue that such takeovers are anticompetitive and harm innovation by killing off nascent competition....