Bonn, Mannheim, 20.06.2024 – At the U.S. federal court in the Western District of Texas (WDTX), total patent infringement case filings dropped by around 70 percent after the court’s rules were amended. Apparently, many companies and especially those that do not actually use their patented technologies in the product market – so-called “patent trolls” – had abused the court and run a strategy of “judge shopping”. They strategically sought out one particular judge. The WDTX introduced “random case assignment” to stop this practice. These findings are published by the EPoS Economic Research Center at the Universities of Bonn and Mannheim in the discussion paper “Do Judicial Assignments Matter? Evidence from Random Case Allocation”.

Bonn, Mannheim, 06.06.2024 – Around 75 percent of US manufacturing companies already use “predictive analytics” to forecast future results. The companies analyze huge amounts of data, so-called “big data”. This enables them to predict key components of their future profitability, such as demand, operating costs and even strategic decisions of competitors. Yet, the ensuing rising profits of capital owners and entrepreneurs can exacerbate income inequality in societies. This is the result of a new study by the EPoS Economic Research Center at the Universities of Bonn and Mannheim published in the discussion paper “Big Data and Inequality”.

Bonn, Mannheim, 29.05.2024 – Central banks aim to keep a check on the value and inflation of traditional public money. In contrast, more recent private money initiatives –the “crypto-currencies” – promise more price stability. Economists wonder whether the new digital currencies, which are operated by the blockchain, could offer an alternative to public money. Maxi Guennewig has analyzed the pros and cons of crypto-currencies. The results are published by the EPoS Economic Research Center at the Universities of Bonn and Mannheim in the discussion paper “Blockchain Congestion Facilitates Currency Competition”.

Bonn, Mannheim, 29.05.2024 – Young childless Americans favor urban living and often move to the downtowns of U.S. cities. Researchers from the EPoS Economic Research Center have linked this phenomenon to the revival of inner cities which has taken place since 1980. They find that delayed parenthood of college graduates significantly contributes to the urban revival in the United States. These results are published in the discussion paper “Delayed Childbearing and Urban Revival: A Structural Approach”.

Bonn, Mannheim, 29.05.2024 – Consumers regularly consult rating scores before they book a hotel, choose a restaurant, or make an online purchase on platforms such as eBay. Yet, not all buyers actually rate their purchasing experience. Nevertheless, researchers find that even a small number of buyer ratings can be surprisingly reliable to predict the type of seller a consumer is dealing with. These results of a new study by the EPoS Economic Research Center are published in the discussion paper “Learning from Online Ratings”.

Bonn, Mannheim, 03.04.2024 - The female share of students at German universities is currently around 50.9 percent – the 50 percent mark was first exceeded two years ago. However, progressing towards equal opportunities took a long time. The participation of women in higher education increased partly because they were able to study in their home region more often, when local universities were founded in Germany in the 1960s and 70s. The EPoS Economic Research Center publishes this research finding in the discussion paper “Women’s Missing Mobility and the Gender Gap in Higher Education: Evidence from Germany’s University Expansion”

Bonn, Mannheim, 06.03.2024 – The female employment rate in Germany is still below that of men: 73.1 vs. 80.6 percent according to the Federal Labour Office. What is more, many mothers work only part-time. Increasing the number of hours worked by women would help to counteract the skills shortage due to the demographic change. To that effect, researchers from the EPoS Economic Research Center stress the importance of targeted policy measures as employment decisions depend on role attitudes in different subgroups. Their findings are published in the discussion paper “How Gender Role Attitudes Shape Maternal Labor Supply”.

Bonn, Mannheim, 20.02.2024 – East Germans who witnessed as teenagers the large economic upheaval of Reunification in 1990, have been affected in the development of their socioemotional skills. Economists from the EPoS Economic Research Center provide evidence for a causal link between increased uncertainty and youth development. Their findings are published in the discussion paper “Socioemotional Development during Adolescence: Evidence from a Large Macro Shock”.

Bonn, Mannheim, 25.01.2024 – The fuel consumption of plug-in hybrid cars is, on average, double that of official estimates. Higher fuel prices can improve the environmental performance of these vehicles, Laura Grigolon from the EpoS Economic Research Center reports. A ten percent rise in fuel prices increases the share of driving in electric mode for German car owners by 1.6 percentage points. These research results are published in the discussion paper “Fueling Electrification: The Impact of Gas Prices on Hybrid Car Usage”.

Bonn, Mannheim, 18.01.2024 – Companies tend to set wages at round numbers which leads to clusters of salaries. A possible reason: This simplifies decision-making when it comes to negotiating pay. As a downside, these companies have higher employee turnover, lower growth, and lower survival rates — as Germán Reyes from the EpoS Economic Research Center finds in data from Brazil. His research results are published in the discussion paper “Coarse Wage-Setting and Behavioral Firms”.