20.03.2013

Programme of the Third SEEK Conference "Engines for More and Better Jobs in Europe" now Available

The international research programme "Strengthening Efficiency and Competitiveness in the European Knowledge Economies" (SEEK) at the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) is running successfully in its fourth year. ZEW is delighted to announce the programme for the third SEEK conference on "Engines for More and Better Jobs in Europe" on April 25–26, 2013.

The conference will bring together international scientists and decision makers from the areas of politics, business and public administration to discuss how labour markets and welfare institutions should be reformed to meet the targets of the EU's strategy "Europe 2020" - inclusive growth providing more and better jobs. Highlights of the 2013 conference will be the policy keynote speech by Frank-Jürgen Weise, Chairman of the Federal Employment Agency, and special lectures by distinguished scholars.

The first conference day will be dedicated to a politico-economic debate. On the second conference day, international researchers will present their research on the conference topic in a comprehensive programme of parallel sessions.

For additional information, please visit the conference website

13.02.2013

ZEW policy brief Published: Start-up Financing: How Credit Ratings and Bank Concentration Impact Credit Access

The Basel II Accord implemented a tighter regulation of the banking sector. The importance of external credit scoring conducted by rating agencies has thus grown significantly for banks providing business loans. Especially innovative, not yet established companies without a convincing credit history often face substantial difficulties accessing credit. There is no evidence, however, that this is due to unfavourable or missing ratings. A study conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in cooperation with the University of St. Gallen, Tilburg University and KU Leuven within the framework of the SEEK Research Programme shows that negative ratings are barriers to companies' access to credit. Young innovative firms, however, are significantly less impacted by this effect.

Download the four-sided ZEW policy brief "Start-up Financing: How Credit Ratings and Bank Concentration Impact Credit Access", offering an in-depth description of the research findings (as PDF file, 157 KB)

29.11.2012

Call for Project Proposals 2013: ZEW Research Programme "Strengthening Efficiency and Competitiveness in the European Knowledge Economies" (SEEK)

Within the ZEW research programme "Strengthening Efficiency and Competitiveness in the European Knowledge Economies" (SEEK), the state of Baden-Württemberg is funding international cooperation projects between researchers of all economic disciplines. The Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) now welcomes the submission of project proposals. The deadline for project proposals is January 31, 2013. Projects must be carried out in close cooperation between ZEW researchers and international project partners. For each project, the budget requested may be up to 200,000 euros for a duration of 12 to 18 months.

The programme welcomes proposals for innovative and applied economic research on the following topics:

• Generation of Knowledge and Innovations
• Diffusion and Adoption of Knowledge and Innovations
• The Use of Knowledge by Entrepreneurs and Industries
• Consequences of a Knowledge-Based Economy
• Challenges of a Knowledge-Based Economy for Economic Policy

Eligibility and Review Criteria

Proposals will be ranked by a scientific board made up of distinguished international scholars. The main criteria in assessing the proposals will be scientific quality; the originality of the proposal; and the strength of the scientific cooperation, including the international exchange of researchers. Please notify that only proposals with a close cooperation between ZEW researchers and international partner(s) will be funded. The final decision will be made by ZEW.

2013 Call for Project Proposals

2013 Submission Guidelines

09.11.2012

Call for Papers: Third SEEK Conference "Engines for More and Better Jobs in Europe" (April 25-26, 2013, Mannheim, Germany)

The Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) is pleased to announce the third conference of its international research programme "Strengthening Efficiency and Competitiveness in the European Knowledge Economies" (SEEK). The conference will take place on April 25-26, 2013, in Mannheim. It will bring together economists and political decision-makers to discuss how labour markets and welfare institutions should be configured to achieve the vision of Europe 2020: inclusive growth providing more and better jobs. You may either submit a full paper (including an abstract of less than 100 words) or an extended abstract of 500-600 words. Researchers interested in participating should send their submission via e-mail to: seek@zew.de (subject "Submission SEEK conference 2013") no later than January 15, 2013.

We seek high-quality academic work in areas such as:

• Dual labour markets
• Over-qualification and skill-mismatch
• Migration and immigration
• Youth unemployment
• Educational finance
• Tax systems and employment
• Knowledge, learning and technology adoption
• ICT labour markets
• Labour markets, productivity and innovation
• Green jobs

Additional Information and Call for Papers

31.10.2012

ZEW policy brief Published: Public Funding of Innovation Projects: Is it Time for a More Flexible Approach?

Every year, the European Union and its Member States spend billions of euros for funding Research and Development (R&D) projects both in companies and public research organisations. The aim is to strengthen Europe's competitiveness. The success of public funding and the outcome obtained from each euro granted, however, could be increased if the rather rigid pattern of public support, which is currently being employed, would be more flexible. This is the result of a study jointly conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) and Warwick Business School within the framework of the SEEK Research Programme.

Download the four-sided ZEW policy brief "Public Funding of Innovation Projects: Is it Time for a More Flexible Approach?", offering an in-depth description of the research.

20.09.2012

SEEK Workshop: Patent Litigation in Europe - A Story of War and Settlement? (November 22, 2012 in Brussels)

The Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, Université Libre de Bruxelles, and the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid are pleased to announce the SEEK workshop "Patent Litigation in Europe – A Story of War and Settlement", scheduled for November 22, 2012, in Brussels. The international workshop is located within the framework of the research programme "Strengthening Efficiency and Competitiveness in the European Knowledge Economies" (SEEK). It aims to thoroughly discuss the effectiveness and efficiency of the current and potential future patent litigation system in the EU.

We invite interested participants (non-presenters) to register via mail to patentworkshop2012@zew.de no later than November 12, 2012. Please note that only a limited number of non-presenters will be able to attend. After the workshop all participants are invited to the speech of Prof.  Wolfgang Franz, president of ZEW and chairman of the German Council of Economic Experts, with the title "Perspectives for Economic Policy: The Annual Report 2012/13 of the German Council of Economic Experts." This presentation will be given in German, a simultaneous translation in English will be provided.

Additional information on the SEEK workshop

10.08.2012

Call for Papers: SEEK Workshop on "Incentives and Innovations" (November 23 - 24, 2012)

The Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim and the Erasmus University Rotterdam are pleased to announce a workshop on Incentives and Innovations. The workshop is organised within the framework of the research programme "Strengthening Efficiency and Competitiveness in the European Knowledge Economies" (SEEK) and will take place in Mannheim from November 23-24, 2012. It aims at bringing together researchers working on pecuniary and non-pecuniary incentives or on workplace arrangements to foster employees' creativity and innovative output. Empirical and experimental approaches as well as theoretical models from economics, business administration, sociology, psychology, and other disciplines are welcome. Please send full papers or extended abstracts in PDF format to incentives-workshop2012@zew.de no later than October 1, 2012. If you would like to participate without presenting a paper, please register by sending an e-mail. The workshop fee for non-presenters is EUR 120.

Additional information and Call for Papers

01.08.2012

Call for Papers: SEEK Workshop on Non-Linear Economic Modelling: Theory and Applications (December 12-13, 2012)

We invite the submission of theoretical, computational, and empirical work for the SEEK Workshop on "Non-Linear Economic Modelling: Theory and Applications". The objective of the workshop is to discuss recent scientific contributions in the subject area and to provide a platform for an exchange of ideas within a small group of researchers. Presentations that consider relations between the financial sector and economic dynamics are particularly welcome. The workshop is organised within the framework of the research programme "Strengthening Efficiency and Competitiveness in the European Knowledge Economies" (SEEK) at the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim. Please submit extended abstracts or full papers as PDF to nonlinear-workshop2012@zew.de no later than September 30, 2012.

Further information on the workshop, including a continuously updated list of confirmed speakers

25.05.2012

SEEK Research Programme: Awarding of Projects 2012

The third competition round of the SEEK research programme was successfully concluded with the approval of seven research projects. The research teams of the projects, which will be funded under the programme, will now start their work. Altogether, 23 project proposals were developed by ZEW employees in cooperation with internationally renowned researchers. The proposals were evaluated by the scientific board of the SEEK research programme which consists of international researchers.

Members of the scientific board, amongst others, are Daron Acemoglu (MIT), Bronwyn Hall (University of California at Berkeley & Maastricht University), Kai Konrad (MPI Munich), Josh Lerner (Harvard Business School), Steve Machin (University College London), Pierre Mohnen (UNU-MERIT & Maastricht University) and Fabrizio Zilibotti (University of Zurich).

In the third funding period 2012 the following seven projects will be funded within the SEEK research programme:

• Taxation and Corporate Innovation
• Financial Stress and Economic Dynamics: Asymmetries Within and Across Euro Area Countries
• Effects of Knowledge and Learning in Technology Adoption: Social Networks, Adoption, and Persistence in the Video Game Market
• Corporate Social Responsibility and Credit Costs
• Does the German Government Distribute Direct R&D Subsidies Efficiently?
• Competitiveness Impacts in a World with Uneven Carbon Constraints: Examining the Implications of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme on Energy-Intensive Industries
• Why Do Governments Fund Applied Research Institutions? – Theory and Empirical Evidence from the German Fraunhofer Institutes

Additional information on SEEK

08.05.2012

Minister Friedrich Opens SEEK Workshop on the Competitiveness of the European Car Industry in Brussels

Which public support measures can help the European car industry to overcome the crisis? What is the long-term benefit of state aid measures, e.g. car scrappage schemes? Which instruments are especially useful in the European context? These are some of the questions which have been discussed from a European perspective by international researchers, representatives from the European Commission, stakeholders of the European car industry, and decision-makers from the political sphere at the SEEK workshop "The Economics of Public Support to the European Car Industry" in Brussels.

The workshop took place on May 3, 2012, at the Representation of the State of Baden-Württemberg in Brussels. It was jointly organised by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) and the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, and is part of the research programme "Strengthening Efficiency and Competitiveness in the European Knowledge Economies" (SEEK). SEEK is funded by the federal state of Baden-Württemberg and carried out by ZEW. Minister for European Affairs of the State of Baden-Württemberg Peter Friedrich opened the workshop together with ZEW President Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Wolfgang Franz, thereby underlining the importance of the questions discussed.

Mehdi Hocine of the European Commission (DG Competition) and ZEW researcher Dr. Nina Leheyda first gave an introduction to the subject matter. Afterwards, Dick Buttigieg (IHS Automotive), Prof. Pasquale Schiraldi, PhD, (London School of Economics), and Prof. Frank Verboven (Catholic University of Leuven) discussed car scrappage schemes from an economic perspective. A further panel discussion concentrated on state aid measures to support the European car industry. The participants of this discussion were Dr. Vincent Verouden (DG Competition, European Commission), Dr. Hans W. Friederiszick (E.CA Economics and ESMT), and Prof. Johannes Van Biesebroeck, PhD (Catholic University of Leuven).

For further information please contact

Dr. Nina Leheyda, Phone +49 621/1235-172, E-Mail leheyda@zew.de

Picture Gallery

Second SEEK Conference on The Green Growth Challenge: Livestreaming for Day One Politico-Economic Forum - Available

The Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) is pleased to announce the second conference of the research programme "Strengthening Efficiency and Competitiveness in the European Knowledge Economies" (SEEK), funded by the state of Baden-Württemberg and implemented by ZEW. The conference will take place on 9-10 March, 2012, in Mannheim, Germany. The politico-economic forum on the first conference day will be aired as livestream. The stream will start on March 9th, 2012, at 1:00 p.m. CET.

Watch the Livestream

19.01.2012

Call for Papers: SEEK/CEPR Workshop on News, Sentiment, and Confidence in Fluctuations (March 5-6, 2012, Mannheim, Germany)

We invite submissions for the SEEK/CEPR Workshop on the role of news, sentiment, and confidence in business cycle fluctuations. The objective of the workshop is to discuss recent scientific contributions in the subject area and to provide a platform for an exchange of ideas within a small group of researchers. Late-stage PhD students as well as young post-docs are particularly welcome to submit papers for presentation. The workshop is organised within the framework of the research programme "Strengthening Efficiency and Competitiveness in the European Knowledge Economies" (SEEK) by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim (Germany), the University of British Columbia in Vancouver (Canada), the Toulouse School of Economics (France), and the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) in London (United Kingdom). Please submit extended abstracts or full papers as PDF to seymen@zew.de no later than February 1, 2012.

Additional information on the conference

26.01.2012

Second SEEK Conference: The Green Growth Challenge (9-10 March, 2012, Mannheim, Germany)

The Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) is pleased to announce the second conference of the research programme "Strengthening Efficiency and Competitiveness in the European Knowledge Economies" (SEEK), funded by the state of Baden-Württemberg and implemented by ZEW. The conference will take place on 9-10 March, 2012, in Mannheim, Germany.

This conference will bring together decision-makers from politics, business and public institutions and researchers from across the world to discuss the challenges and chances arising from green innovations for Europe's economies. We are pleased to welcome a number of outstanding speakers, including:

• Klaus Töpfer, Executive Director of the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) and former Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),
• Franz Untersteller, Minister of the Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector of Baden-Württemberg,
• Robert N. Stavins, Harvard University, United States,
• Richard G. Newell, Duke University, United States,
• Georg Müller, Chairman of the Board of Directors, MVV Energie AG, Germany,
• Peter Terwiesch, Chief Executive Officer, ABB AG Germany,
• Fritz Vahrenholt, Chief Executive Officer, RWE Innogy GmbH, Germany, and
• Georg Zachmann, Research Fellow on Energy and Climate Change, BRUEGEL, Belgium.

Furthermore, scholars from various economic disciplines will present their research results on the topic of the conference:"The Green Growth Challenge".

For additional information, please visit the conference website

18.11.2011

International SEEK Workshop on "Entry, Pricing, and Consumer Search in Online Markets" at ZEW

Within the framework of the research programme "Strengthening Efficiency and Competitiveness in the European Knowledge Economies", the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), Mannheim (Germany), and the Johannes Kepler University, Linz (Austria), organized a workshop on "Entry, Pricing, and Consumer Search in Online Markets". The workshop's objective was to discuss recent scientific contributions to questions related to the economics of online markets as well as firms' strategies and consumers' search behaviour in online markets. Fourteen speakers from international universities presented their on-going theoretical and empirical research in the field of online markets.

Among other matters, the topics discussed on the first day of the workshop covered the impact of online search on the used car market, the willingness to contribute to online platforms using a two-tiered free-premium business model or a case study on how application providers of a very prominent social network reacted to a policy change of the platform provider. The keynote speaker of that day was Professor Gautam Gowrisankaran from the University of Arizona. He presented a dynamic model for estimating consumer purchase decisions in markets for long-lived consumption goods with significant technological progress, such as the market for camcorders. As opposed to static models, this model allows to take into account fluctuations in demand over time.

The contributions on the second day were concerned with the question on how the reduced cost of conducting an online search may affect investments in quality, sales concentration or the provision of information on products. Furthermore, several empirical investigations geared at better understanding of the strategic interaction of firms in the airline industry or in the setting of a price comparison site were presented. The rich and high frequency information in such sites allows investigating shop and consumer behaviour very closely and also allows a look at the product-life cycle of relatively short-lived products.

The second keynote speaker of the workshop, Professor Sara Fisher Ellison from MIT, presented her most recent work on shop strategies in price comparison sites, where prices can be updated with very high frequency. Her research results showed clearly what earlier contributions had already suggested: the investigation of online markets offers a wide range of new possibilities to study repeated interactions of economic players.

17.11.2011

Call for Project Proposals 2012: ZEW Research Programme "Strengthening Efficiency and Competitiveness in the European Knowledge Economies" (SEEK)

Within the ZEW research programme "Strengthening Efficiency and Competitiveness in the European Knowledge Economies" (SEEK), the state of Baden-Württemberg is funding international cooperation between researchers of all economic disciplines. Therefore, the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) welcomes the submission of project proposals. The deadline for project proposals is January 30, 2012. Projects must be carried out in close cooperation between ZEW researchers and international project partners. For each project, the budget requested may be up to 200,000 euros for a duration of 12 to 18 months.

The programme welcomes proposals for innovative and applied economic research on the following topics:

• Generation of Knowledge and Innovations
• Diffusion and Adoption of Knowledge and Innovations
• The Use of Knowledge by Entrepreneurs and Industries
• Consequences of a Knowledge-Based Economy
• Challenges of a Knowledge-Based Economy for Economic Policy

Eligibility and Review Criteria

Proposals will be ranked by a scientific board made up of distinguished international scholars. The main criteria in assessing the proposals will be scientific quality; the originality of the proposal; and the strength of the scientific cooperation, including the international exchange of researchers. Please notify that only proposals with a close cooperation between ZEW researchers and international partner(s) will be funded. The final decision will be made by ZEW.

Submission Guidelines

Call for Project Proposals

27.09.2011

Call for Papers: 2nd SEEK Conference "The Green Growth Challenge" (March 9-10, 2012, Mannheim, Germany)

Due to the remarkably high level of interest in the first SEEK Conference in 2011, the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) is pleased to announce the second conference of its research programme "Strengthening Efficiency and Competitiveness in the European Knowledge Economies" (SEEK), taking place in Mannheim from March 9-10, 2012. The prime goal of the conference is to elucidate the challenges to pursuing a smart and sustainable growth path in the economies of Europe. Since this issue has been receiving increasing attention in the worlds of politics and academia, a second aim is to bring together policy makers and scientists to discuss the hurdles to developing green innovations within innovation ecosystems. We encourage researchers from various economic and managerial disciplines to submit contributions (full paper including an abstract of 100-200 words). Submissions should be sent as DOC or PDF (preferably PDF) to Nicole Gürtzgen (seek@zew.de) by November 30, 2011.

Submissions should cover the following topics:

• the generation of knowledge and innovations
• diffusion and adoption of knowledge and innovations
• the use of knowledge by entrepreneurs and industries
• impacts of innovations on competiveness, growth and employment
• the role of innovation in tackling societal challenges
• challenges to and impacts of innovation and environmental policies

Key-Note Lectures

• Richard G. Newell (Duke University)
• Robert N. Stavins (Harvard University)

Additional Information and Call for Papers

30.05.2011

SEEK Research Programme: Awarding of Projects 2011

The second round of competition of the SEEK research programme was successfully concluded with the selection of eight research projects. Now the research teams of the projects, which will be funded within the programme, are going to begin their work. Altogether, 25 project proposals were developed by ZEW employees in cooperation with internationally renowned researchers. The proposals were externally evaluated by the scientific board of the SEEK research programme.

Members of the scientific board, amongst others, are Daron Acemoglu (MIT), Bronwyn Hall (University of California at Berkeley & Maastricht University), Kai Konrad (MPI Munich), Josh Lerner (Harvard Business School), Steve Machin (University College London), Pierre Mohnen (UNU-MERIT & Maastricht University) and Fabrizio Zilibotti (University of Zurich).

In the second funding period 2011 the following eight projects will be funded within the SEEK research programme:

• Fostering Competitiveness of the European Car Industry
• Estimating the Macroeconomic Elasticity of Substitution between Clean and Dirty Production
• The Division of Tasks, Offshoring and the Competitiveness of Europe's Knowledge Economy
• The Effect of (Relative) Wages and Human Capital on Fertility Choices: Lessons From East Germany's Fertility Decline After Unification
• Incentives and Creativity – Enhancing Innovation in Europe's Knowledge Economies
• Diffusion of Climate-Friendly Technologies – The Role of Intellectual Property Rights, Human Capital and Environmental Policy
• How Philanthropy Affects Corporate Competitiveness in Europe
• Private Funding of Higher Education – Human Capital as an Asset Class

Additional information on SEEK

18.05.2010

Baden-Wuerttemberg Supports Economic Top Level Research At ZEW With Three Million Euro

The state of Baden-Wuerttemberg is financing a landmark project at the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim to strengthen the economic top level research. In 2010 and 2011, the research programme "Strengthening Efficiency and Competitiveness in the European Knowledge Economies" (SEEK) will be financed with a total of three million euro.

With this landmark project, ZEW expands its position in the international research landscape. "In the future, ZEW is to become even more acknowledged as leading European economic research institute," Prof. Dr. Peter Frankenberg, Minster of Science of Baden-Wuerttemberg, said. ZEW is currently financed by 40 percent of third party funds. "This indicates that political advisory work plays an important role at ZEW. The federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg supports ZEW with the SEEK project. The institute is to expand its expertise in the fields of political advisory work and to set up an internationally oriented research and support programme for highly qualified young researchers," Prof. Dr. Peter Frankenberg said.

The SEEK programme gives a dynamic impulse to the empirical research work at ZEW. "With all the insights we'll get from the SEEK project, we want to contribute to improving the competitiveness in European economies, which are becoming more and more knowledge-based," says ZEW President Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Wolfgang Franz. "ZEW contributes to the EU goals for 2020, aiming at increasing the productivity and a high level of employment in the member states."

The Innovation Council Baden-Wuerttemberg recommended the sponsoring of the SEEK landmark project at ZEW. The Council advises the state government of Baden-Wuerttemberg on issues concerning innovation policy.

For further information please contact:
Stephan Reichert, Phone: +49/621/1235-104, E-Mail: reichert@zew.de
Thomas Kohl, Phone: +49/621/1235-111, E-Mail: kohl@zew.de