We present a novel approach to analyze the effects of EU cohesion policy on local economic activity. For all municipalities in the border area of the Czech Republic, Germany, and Poland, we collect project-level data on EU funding in the period between 2007 and 2013. Using night light emission data as a proxy for economic development, we show that receiving a higher amount of EU funding is associated with increased economic activity at the municipal level. Our paper demonstrates that remote sensing data can provide an effective way to model local economic development also in Europe, where comprehensive cross-border data are not available at such a spatially granular level.

To show how homeownership subsidies influence the distribution of population across space, I exploit the 2005 repeal of a lump-sum real estate purchase subsidy in Germany. Using administrative data on population in local labor markets and IV-estimations in difference-in-differences and triple differences frameworks, I find that repealing subsidies to homeownership recentralizes regions. The effect is likely driven by families with children and young residents of "building-age" who no longer become homeowners in the periphery. These results help inform our understanding of the spatial impacts of subsidizing homeownership.

Der Beitrag fasst die wesentlichen Erkenntnisse der kumulativen Dissertation "On the Effects of Homeownership Subsidies on the Spatial Distribution of Population, Housing, and Housing Prices within German Cities and Regions" zusammen, die sich in drei Kapiteln mit den räumlichen Auswirkungen der Wohneigentumsförderung befasst. Das erste Kapitel beleuchtet die Effekte des Förderprogramms "Eigenheimzulage" (1996 bis 2005) auf die räumliche Verteilung der Bevölkerung innerhalb von deutschen Städten. Das zweite Kapitel betrachtet die Thematik aus einer intraregionalen Perspektive. Das dritte Kapitel zeigt anhand der Analyse des "Baukindergelds" (2018 bis 2020) die zu diesen Wanderungseffekten korrespondierenden Preiseffekte auf städtische Mietwohnmärkte.

Pharmaceutical companies developed COVID-19 vaccines in record time. However, it soon became apparent that global access to the vaccines was inequitable. Through a qualitative inquiry as the pandemic unfolded (to mid-2021), we provide an in-depth analysis of why companies engaged with the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility (COVAX), identifying the internal (to the company) and external factors that facilitated or impeded engagement. While all producers of the World Health Organization (WHO)-approved vaccines engaged with COVAX, our analysis highlights the differential levels of COVAX engagement and identifies contractual obligations, opportunities and company strategy, and reputational pressures as key explanatory factors. We discuss our empirical findings relative to the literature on political corporate social responsibility (PCSR). Accordingly, we question whether pharmaceutical companies lived up to their responsibilities as corporate citizens and conclude that they failed to fulfil the implied responsibility of combating inequitable vaccine distribution. We conclude with implications of our research for practice, in relation to the challenges of global access to COVID-19 vaccines and for access to medicines more generally.

This article refines and expands the debate on antecedents of company engagement in business partnerships for sustainability. It builds upon the Awareness–Motivation–Capability (AMC) framework and extends it by means of an in-depth qualitative study. The article thereby expands the understanding of antecedents of company engagement in business partnerships for sustainability. In particular, it advances on the elements related to company- and industry-level motivators and on microlevel aspects. Based on our research findings, we are able to extend the AMC framework's main categories and provide a more nuanced account of the underlying elements constituting them. To reach a more complete understanding of the antecedents of company engagement in business partnerships for sustainability, our analysis provides a general conceptual advancement while also investigating potential differences based on business size and industry.

Subsidising homeownership decentralises cities, as Muth (1967) suggested over half a century ago. This article focuses on the related question of whether repealing a homeownership subsidy recentralises cities. This question is relevant today, given the ubiquity of homeownership subsidies. We provide a first quasi-experimental test of a subsidy repeal's spatial effects by examining Germany's 2005 homeownership subsidy reform. We find that repealing the subsidy contributed to recentralising Germany's cities. Since recentralisation helps abate carbon dioxide emissions, repealing a homeownership subsidy also helps mitigate climate change.

Das Ziel der Steigerung der Wohneigentumsquote zieht sich wie ein roter Faden durch die deutsche Wohnungspolitik der vergangenen Jahrzehnte. Dieser Beitrag zeigt eine weitgehend unbekannte, unbeabsichtigte Nebenwirkung der Förderung von Wohneigentum in Form der jüngeren deutschen Subventionen "Eigenheimzulage" und "Baukindergeld" auf: Wohneigentum wird überwiegend in den Vorstädten oder am Stadtrand erworben, was dazu führt, dass die Förderung von Wohneigentum gleichzeitig als Förderung der Suburbanisierung fungiert. Diese ist mit negativen Begleiterscheinungen wie einem erhöhten ökologischen Fußabdruck verbunden. Angesichts der hohen fiskalischen Kosten sollte die Wohneigentumsförderung daher einer ganzheitlichen Kosten-Nutzen-Analyse unterzogen werden.