The role of institutions in trade, labor market outcomes, and economic activity : An analysis in five essays

In this thesis we analyze diverse issues around the intedependencies between institutions and economic activities. “Institutions” are observed from different perspectives: On the one hand, the role of institutions by means of labor market institutions as Employment Protection Legislation (EPL) are investigated. On the other hand, institutions in the sense of public organization or the quality of an economy’s government and its effect on economic outcomes are analyzed. The term “economic activity” mainly comprises activities around international trade, hence imports, exports or aggregated measures of international trade. Economic activities additionally include other firm-level outputs, such as sales or productivity and the development of agglomeration centers in an economy. Varying research questions regarding the interaction between institutions and economic activity are derived and investigated.