Abstract
Business cycle chronologies offer reference points for empirical studies used as benchmarks for business cycle and recession theory. A quasi-official chronology exists for the US economy, but not for most European countries, including Germany. While most papers dealing with business cycle dates rely on one specific method, I present and discuss a number of different dating approaches based on the classical business cycle. These are applied to German GDP data comprising 1970–2006. Finally, based on the results of the different methods, a consensus business cycle chronology for the German economy is suggested.
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I gratefully acknowledge comments and suggestions from Klaus Wälde and two anonymous referees. I also benefited from comments by Klaus-Jürgen Gern and the participants of a workshop in Dresden and a seminar in Würzburg.
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Schirwitz, B. A comprehensive German business cycle chronology. Empir Econ 37, 287–301 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00181-008-0233-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00181-008-0233-y