Publication database

The paper discusses economic perspectives on recommunalization in the energy sector. When privatization and deregulation of public infrastructure services became the dominant paradigm of public policy in the 1980s and 1990s, it was considered an adequate measure to increase efficiency, enable consumer choice, and foster a cultural change towards more competitive practices among the management of utilities. In retrospect, the move towards market principles and privatization in infrastructure policies has not yielded regulatory convergence towards a liberalized system architecture. On the contrary, it can be observed that in some infrastructure sectors liberalization has succeeded as the dominant design, whereas other infrastructure services have by and large remained in public ownership and under strict government control (Observation #1). An analysis of the electricity sector shows that a broad spectrum of diverse regulatory models co-exists – across world regions, countries, and even individual states, such as in the USA (Observation #2). The recent wave of recommunalizations may be interpreted as a backlash to free-market principles in infrastructure services. In bottom-up initiatives, citizens intend to reclaim (at least partial) control of public infrastructure services. These initiatives operate in a larger context of private individuals and associations entering the electricity sector in a new form of dispersed private ownership (Observation #3). In the future all the diverse models might co-exist while digitalization will provide transparency for the actors involved.

It is 25 years since the European Union (EU) agreed to complete the European Single Market (SM) in goods, services, people, and capital. While many barriers to the free movement of capital across borders have been removed, some important practical hurdles are still in place. The euro crisis has shown that the European financial sector in particular remains vulnerable and fragmented and this poses serious risks to the stability of both national economies and the euro area as a whole. In 2015, the European Commission therefore set out a list of measures to establish an integrated capital market in the EU by 2019.
The first part of this policy paper analyzes the channels through which financial integration affects growth, stability, and convergence in the EU, including capital allocation, production specialization, diversification of risk, and access to investment opportunities. The second part takes stock of persisting administrative and legal hurdles that impede full market integration. In particular, this paper distinguishes between a firm-level perspective, investors, and banks in its analysis. The final part provides some specific recommendations to improve the internal market for capital in the EU.

The thre­at of in­s­er­ting hard­ware Tro­jans du­ring the de­sign, pro­duc­tion, or in-field poses a dan­ger for in­te­gra­ted cir­cuits in re­al-world ap­p­li­ca­ti­ons. A par­ti­cu­lar cri­ti­cal case of hard­ware Tro­jans is the ma­li­cious ma­ni­pu­la­ti­on of third-par­ty FPGA con­fi­gu­ra­ti­ons. In ad­di­ti­on to at­tack vec­tors du­ring the de­sign pro­cess, FPGAs can be in­fil­tra­ted in a non-in­va­si­ve man­ner after ship­ment through al­te­ra­ti­ons of the bit­stream. First, we pre­sent an im­pro­ved me­tho­do­lo­gy for bit­stream file for­mat re­ver­sing. Se­cond, we in­tro­du­ce a novel idea for Tro­jan in­s­er­ti­on.

We examine the role of career preferences, ability, and structural constraints in explaining first-time employment in startups or established firms. Using panel data on 2,243 U.S. science and engineering PhDs observed before and after entering the job market, we find that ex ante career preferences significantly explain who joins a startup, while ability plays a limited role. Many individuals who prefer to join startups prior to graduation take jobs in established firms, in part due to the limited availability of startup jobs and visa constraints. Interestingly, these individuals are more likely to leave their first position in established firms jobs to join a startup later in time. We discuss implications for founders, managers in established firms, as well as for future research and policy makers.

With permission of the Academy of Management

In this joint study, the Hidden Champions Institute (HCI) of ESMT Berlin and IDG Research Services look into the question of whether the hidden champions are leading the digital transformation of the German economy. More precisely, the study compares the digital transformation among hidden champions to other companies and analyzes their challenges. The result shows that the German hidden champions take the digital revolution seriously and are working vigorously on positioning themselves more digitally, both regarding internal processes and in relation to new business models. In the process, they are considerably quicker and more successful than many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are not market leaders. However, in comparison to large corporates, the digital transformation of the hidden champions frequently lags behind, requiring them to learn from companies within their own ranks that are among the global leaders in the digital transformation. There are indeed such “hidden digital champions”, as the study shows.

With permission of IDG Business Media German edition of the study: Hidden Champions - Champions der digitalen Transformation?.