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Threshold Effects and Regional Economic Growth – Evidence from West Germany

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  • Michael Funke
  • Annekatrin Niebuhr

Abstract

We study an overlapping generations model of human capital accumulation with threshold effects using regional data for West Germany. Our basic goal is to shed light on what makes German regions grow. The paper finds that the relative income distribution appears to be stratifying into a trimodal distribution. Thus, application of the threshold model to a real world case, here West Germany, shows that the model might help to explain regional growth patterns.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Funke & Annekatrin Niebuhr, 2002. "Threshold Effects and Regional Economic Growth – Evidence from West Germany," CESifo Working Paper Series 690, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_690
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    Cited by:

    1. Roberta Colavecchio & Declan Curran & Michael Funke, 2009. "Drifting together or falling apart? The empirics of regional economic growth in post-unification Germany," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(9), pages 1087-1098.
    2. Antoni, 2015. "The dynamic relationship between money supply and economic growth," Economic Journal of Emerging Markets, Universitas Islam Indonesia, vol. 7(2), pages 78-92, April.
    3. Emiliano Giudici & André Mollick, 2008. "Convergence in the Eastern Caribbean States," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 42(4), pages 893-909, December.
    4. Lukach, R. & Plasmans, J.E.J., 2002. "Measuring Knowledge Spillovers using Patent Citations : Evidence from the Belgian Firm's Data," Other publications TiSEM d78bf59a-e0ff-4451-86b9-1, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    5. Koetter, Michael & Wedow, Michael, 2008. "Does regional redistribution spur growth?," Discussion Paper Series 1: Economic Studies 2008,28, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    6. Straubhaar, Thomas & Suhrcke, Marc & Urban, Dieter, 2002. "Divergence - Is it Geography?," Discussion Paper Series 26350, Hamburg Institute of International Economics.
    7. Arbia, Giuseppe & Battisti, Michele & Di Vaio, Gianfranco, 2010. "Institutions and geography: Empirical test of spatial growth models for European regions," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 12-21, January.
    8. Magdalena Osińska & Tadeusz Kufel & Marcin Błażejowski & Paweł Kufel, 2020. "Modeling mechanism of economic growth using threshold autoregression models," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 58(3), pages 1381-1430, March.
    9. Koetter, Michael & Wedow, Michael, 2010. "Finance and growth in a bank-based economy: Is it quantity or quality that matters?," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 29(8), pages 1529-1545, December.
    10. R. Basile & S. Usai, 2012. "Analysis of regional endogenous growth," Working Paper CRENoS 201211, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia.
    11. Hans-Friedrich Eckey & Reinhold Kosfeld & Matthias Türck, 2007. "Regional Convergence in Germany: a Geographically Weighted Regression Approach," Spatial Economic Analysis, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 2(1), pages 45-64.
    12. Hierro, Mara & Maza, Adolfo, 2009. "Structural shifts in the dynamics of the European income distribution," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 733-739, May.
    13. Marcos Sanso-Navarro & Maria Vera-Cabello, 2015. "The effects of knowledge and innovation on regional growth: Nonparametric evidence," ERSA conference papers ersa15p949, European Regional Science Association.
    14. Mei-Hui Wang & Tai-Hsin Huang, 2009. "Threshold effects of financial status on the cost frontiers of financial institutions in nondynamic panels," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(26), pages 3389-3401.
    15. Magdalena Osinska & Tadeusz Kufel & Marcin Blazejowski & Pawel Kufel, 2016. "Modelling and Forecasting Business Cycle in CEE Countries using a Threshold Approach," Dynamic Econometric Models, Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika, vol. 16, pages 145-164.
    16. Don J Webber & Gail A Webber & Sebastian Berger & Peter Bradley, 2018. "Explaining productivity in a poor productivity region," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 50(1), pages 157-174, February.
    17. repec:elg:eechap:14395_11 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Michael Koetter & Michael Wedow, 2013. "Transfer Payments without Growth: Evidence for German Regions, 1992–2005," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(4), pages 1438-1455, July.
    19. Stefano Usai & Raffaele Paci, 2003. "Externalities and Local Economic Growth in Manufacturing Industries," Advances in Spatial Science, in: Bernard Fingleton (ed.), European Regional Growth, chapter 10, pages 293-321, Springer.
    20. Koetter, Michael & Poghosyan, Tigran, 2010. "Real estate prices and bank stability," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(6), pages 1129-1138, June.
    21. Zha, Donglan & Ding, Ning, 2015. "Threshold characteristic of energy efficiency on substitution between energy and non-energy factors," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 180-187.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    regional economic growth; human capital; Germany;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General
    • C31 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Cross-Sectional Models; Spatial Models; Treatment Effect Models; Quantile Regressions; Social Interaction Models
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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