Industrial Production In Germany Research Articles

Extreme Weather Events and Economic Activity: The Case of Low Water Levels on the Rhine River

Abstract We make use of historical data on water levels on the Rhine river to analyze the impact of weather-related supply shocks on economic activity in Germany. Our analysis shows that low water levels lead to severe disruptions in inland water transportation and cause a significant and economically meaningful decrease of economic activity. In a month with 30 days of low water, industrial production in Germany declines by about 1 percent, ceteris paribus. Our analysis highlights the importance of extreme weather events for business cycle analysis and contributes to gauging the costs of extreme weather events in advanced economies.

Wie die Materialengp\xe4sse den Arbeitsmarkt treffen

AbstractAlthough industrial production in Germany picked up again significantly with the recovery from the Corona crisis, supply bottlenecks for raw materials and intermediate products such as semiconductors became increasingly noticeable over 2021. In this article, we examine how these obstacles affect the labor market development. To determine the extent and effects of the material bottlenecks, we use data from the ifo business surveys and from the statistics of the German Federal Employment Agency on manufacturing and construction. The results show that the impact of material shortages on unemployment is noticeable but still relatively limited. In contrast, there is a considerable effect on short-time work announcements. Apparently, short-time work is mainly used to adjust to the material shortages.

Evaluation of antibacterial properties of lactic acid bacteria from traditionally and industrially produced fermented sausages from Germany.

With regards to the frequently reported findings of spoilage bacteria and pathogens in various foods there is a need to explore new ways to control hazards in food production and to improve consumer safety. Fermented sausages from traditional and industrial production in Germany were screened for lactic acid bacteria with antibacterial effects towards important foodborne pathogens (Escherichia coli DSM 1103, Listeria innocua DSM 20649, Listeria monocytogenes DSM 19094, Pseudomonas aeruginosa DSM 939, Staphylococcus aureus DSM 799 and Salmonella Typhimurium DSM 19587). The obtained isolates and their cell-free supernatants were tested for their antibacterial activity by agar well diffusion assay. Isolates with an inhibitory effect were examined for the underlying antibacterial mechanism. Among the 169 collected isolates, 12.4% showed antibacterial effects only against Listeria innocua DSM 20649 and Listeria monocytogenes DSM 19094. In 6.5% of the isolates, bacteriocins were responsible for the effect. On the remaining test strains, the lactic bacteria isolates exerted no antibacterial effect. Two isolates were selected based on their antibacterial potential against Listeria spp. and the thermostability of the deriving cell free supernatants, traditional product: Pediococcus pentosaceus LMQS 331.3, industrial product: Pediococcus acidilactici LMQS 154.1, were investigated further and confirmed for the presence of bacteriocin structural genes by real-time PCR. Enriched crude bacteriocin preparations were obtained by ammonium sulfate precipitation and were found to remain stable under different pH milieus and to be active towards an extended set of Listeria spp. strains. Fermented meat products from German production are a promising source for bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria. Two bacteriocin-producing isolates were identified which have the potential to contribute to product and consumer safety.

Granger Causality Testing in Mixed‐Frequency VARs with Possibly (Co)Integrated Processes

We analyze Granger causality (GC) testing in mixed‐frequency vector autoregressions (MF‐VARs) with possibly integrated or cointegrated time series. It is well known that conducting inference on a set of parameters is dependent on knowing the correct (co)integration order of the processes involved. Corresponding tests are, however, known to often suffer from size distortions and/or a loss of power. Our approach works for MF variables that are stationary, integrated of an arbitrary order, or cointegrated. As it only requires the estimation of a MF‐VAR in levels with appropriately adjusted lag length, after which GC tests can be conducted using simple standard Wald tests, it is of great practical appeal. In addition, we show that the presence of non‐stationary and trivially cointegrated high‐frequency regressors leads to standard distributions when testing for causality on a subset of parameters, sometimes even without any need to augment the VAR order. Monte Carlo simulations and two applications involving the oil price and consumer prices as well as GDP and industrial production in Germany illustrate our approach.

The future of textile production in high wage countries

It is undisputed that smart production in the context of industry 4.0 offers significant potential for industrial production in Germany. Exploiting this potential provides an opportunity to meet the growing competitive pressure for textile production in high-wage Germany. The complete cross-linking of textile mills towards Textile Production 4.0 means substantial savings. However, currently there are still some challenges that have to be overcome on the long way to Textile Production 4.0. This paper initially reflects the particular challenges of textile production in high-wage Germany. Later, the vision of the future of smart textile production will be outlined. In addition, first pilot solutions and current research approaches which pave the way for Textile Production 4.0 are described.

The performance of short-term forecasts of the German economy before and during the 2008/2009 recession

Abstract The paper analyzes the forecasting performance of leading indicators for industrial production in Germany. We focus on single and pooled leading indicator models both before and during the financial crisis. Pairwise and joint significant tests are used to evaluate single indicator models, as well as forecast combination methods. In addition, we investigate the stability of forecasting models during the most recent financial crisis. We find that only a small number of single indicator models were performing well before the crisis. Pooling can substantially increase the reliability of leading indicator forecasts. During the crisis, the relative performances of many leading indicator models (e.g. using surveys, term and risk spreads) improved.

Identification of a core-periphery structure among participants of a business climate survey

Processes of social opinion formation might be dominated by a set of closely connected agents who constitute the cohesive ‘core’ of a network and have a higher influence on the overall outcome of the process than those agents in the more sparsely connected ‘periphery’. Here we explore whether such a perspective could shed light on the dynamics of a well known economic sentiment index. To this end, we hypothesize that the respondents of the survey under investigation form a core-periphery network, and we identify those agents that define the core (in a discrete setting) or the proximity of each agent to the core (in a continuous setting). As it turns out, there is significant correlation between the so identified cores of different survey questions. Both the discrete and the continuous cores allow an almost perfect replication of the original series with a reduced data set of core members or weighted entries according to core proximity. Using a monthly time series on industrial production in Germany, we also compared experts’ predictions with the real economic development. The core members identified in the discrete setting showed significantly better prediction capabilities than those agents assigned to the periphery of the network.

Industrial Production in Germany: Recovery Only Gradual

Industrial Production in Germany: Recovery Only Gradual

Industrial production in Germany and Austria: A case study in structural time series modelling

Industrial production series are volatile and often cyclical. Time series models can be used to establish certain stylized facts, such as trends and cycles, which may be present in these series. In certain situations, it is also possible that common factors, which may have an interesting interpretation, can be detected in production series. Series from two neighboring countries with close economic relationships, such as Germany and Austria, are especially likely to exhibit such joint stylized facts.

The Re-emergence of a Media Industry Cluster in Leipzig

This paper begins with the proposition that an analysis of the potentialities of industrial networks has to consider the wider context of the social organization of production. Recent work on industrial clustering has shown that successful clusters are embedded in tight networks of social relations between suppliers, producers, customers and institutions. Localized capabilities, such as specialized resources and skills, conventions and other local institutional structures, provide the basis for inter-firm cooperation. Based on Malmberg and Maskell's (2001) conceptualization of localized industrial clusters, I discuss the horizontal, vertical and institutional cluster dimensions as a basis for empirical analysis. In addition, attention will be drawn to the external dimension and power relations of a cluster which have a strong impact on its growth trajectory. This conceptualization is used as a basis for studying the new Leipzig media industry cluster. Leipzig, which is located in the Neue Länder (States of the former German Democratic Republic), has traditionally been a major centre of industrial production in Germany. After the German unification, a significant proportion of Leipzig's manufacturing activities were terminated or downsized. Interestingly, a new media cluster has developed during the 1990s, driven by the activities of the MDR (Middle German Television and Broadcasting Service). This has stimulated substantial start-up activities in branches of the media industry, such as film/TV production, new electronic services/interactive media, graphics/design, PR/marketing and media-related hardware/software. Being virtually the only sector which has grown in recent years, the media sector has stabilized the local economy. In this paper, I investigate those forces which have supported start-up and location decisions of media firms and the role of local institutions and policy programmes in the clustering process.

Further increase of industrial production in Germany

Further increase of industrial production in Germany