Economic Development Perspectives of the Elbe/Oder Chamber Union (KEO)

The Elbe/Oder Chamber Union (KEO) is a consortium of German, Polish and Czech chambers of industry and commerce, which has set itself the goal of jointly representing the interests of companies in the region at a national and European level. In 2010, 37.6 million people lived in the represented region, representing a market share of 7.5% of the EU population. The gross domestic product of the KEO region in 2008 was 716.6 billion Euros, equal to 5.7% of the total EU GDP. Despite the overall strength of the region, there are pronounced differences within each member state which can be addressed and equalized through joint cooperation. Also, as both foreign and interregional trade is increasing in the KEO area, it is important that member states focus on their core competencies and, through doing so, work together towards an economically viable future. Many policy areas have been identified in order to strengthen the competitiveness of these regions, among them the development of research capabilities, the reduction of transaction costs for cross-border activities and the qualitative and quantitative improvement of the transport infrastructure are particularly relevant.Die Kammerunion Elbe/Oder (KEO) ist ein Zusammenschluss von 15 deutschen, 6 polnischen und 9 tschechischen Industrie- und Handelskammern, die sich zum Ziel gesetzt hat, gemeinsam die Interessen der Unternehmen der Region auf nationaler und europäischer Ebene zu vertreten. Im Jahr 2010 lebten in den zugehörigen Kammerbezirken 37,6 Mio. Menschen, was einem Anteil von 7,5 % an der EU-Bevölkerung entspricht. Das Bruttoinlandsprodukt der KEO-Region betrug im Jahr 2008 716,6 Mrd. Euro und damit 5,7 % des Bruttoinlandsprodukts der EU

'Round the Clock Observations of the Q0957+561 A,B Gravitationally Lensed Quasar

An observing campaign with 10 participating observatories has undertaken to monitor the optical brightness of the Q0957 gravitationally lensed quasar for 10 consecutive nights in January 2000. The resulting A image brightness curve has significant brightness fluctuations and makes a photometric prediction for the B image light curve for a second campaign planned for 12-21 March 2001. The ultimate purpose is to determine the gravitational lens time delay to a fraction of an hour, and to seek evidence for rapid microlensing.Comment: 8 pages, AASTeX 4.0, accepted by the Astrophysical Journa

Is electoral intraparty competition more intense in urban areas?

status: Published onlin

Folgen von Sub- und Reurbanisierungsprozessen für die ländliche Entwicklung der Metropolregion Hamburg

Der fortlaufende Trend zur Urbanisierung stellt eine bedeutende Herausforderung für ländlich-periphere Räume dar. Diese grundsätzliche Feststellung lässt sich auf die äußeren Kreise der Metropolregion Hamburg übertragen. Während die Kernstadt Hamburg und die direkt umliegenden Kreise an Bevölkerung hinzugewinnen, sind die peripheren Kreise der Metropolregion mit starken Einwohnerverlusten, kombiniert mit einem zunehmenden Durchschnittsalter der Bevölkerung, konfrontiert. Diese Trends ziehen veränderte Anforderungen an die Daseinsvorsorge im ländlichen Raum nach sich. Schon heute ist das Angebot an öffentlicher, medizinischer und sozialer Infrastruktur in der Peripherie im Vergleich zum Durchschnittswert der Metropolregion geringer. Da für die Zukunft von weiteren Bevölkerungsrückgängen von mehr als 5% auszugehen ist, dürften die Investitionen in die Daseinsvorsorge und damit das entsprechende Angebot in den Peripheriekreisen weiter rückläufig sein, was mit negativen sozioökonomischen Folgen - bedingt durch eine sinkende Standortattraktivität - verbunden ist. Infolge dieser Entwicklungen stellt das Zentrale-Orte-System einen entscheidenden Baustein der öffentlichen Daseinsvorsorge der Zukunft dar, muss aber zunehmend flexibel adressiert werden, um den zukünftigen Herausforderungen zu begegnen.The continued urbanisation trend represents a significant challenge for areas of the rural periphery. This fundamental observation can be applied to the outer districts of the Metropolitan Region of Hamburg. While the inner city of Hamburg and the districts directly surrounding it are gaining population, the peripheral districts of the metropolitan region are confronted with a pronounced loss of population, combined with the advancing average age of residents. These trends alter the services of general interest required in rural areas. Even today the provision of public, medical and social infrastructure in the periphery is less than the averages for the metropolitan region. As it can be assumed that the population will fall by more than 5% in the future, it seems likely that investment in services of general interest and thus the provision of the same will continue to decline in the peripheral districts. This has negative socio-economic impacts, linked to the declining attractiveness of the locations. Due to these developments the central place system represents an important cornerstone for public service provision of the future, but must be flexibly addressed in order to meet the challenges to come

Bremen’s and Hamburg’s port position: Transport infrastructure and hinterland connections within the North Range

The quality and efficiency of the northern German ports’ hinterland connections define their competitive potential. The assessment of gross domestic product achieved within a certain travel period via rail, road, inland waterways and intermodal freight transport provides a major indicator for the competitive positioning of the northern German ports. To measure this potential, we use simple travel time matrices for different modes of transport. The achievable purchasing power of the hinterland territories is thereby a prime determinant of port competitiveness. The European Union’s Trans-European Transports Network programme (TEN-T) may advance Hamburg and Bremen/Bremerhaven ports’ competitive situation by improving their hinterland accessibility, removing cross-border bottlenecks and upgrading infrastructure and streamline transport operations throughout the EU