Welche Rolle können Biokraftstoffe im Verkehrssektor spielen?

Biofuels have been the only alternative fuel which has substantially contributed to supplying transport with energy. Biofuels enjoyed broad support, but now they have come under criticism. In order to obtain answers to the question of what role biofuels could play in the future fuel mix, the following aspects are analysed: competing uses of scarce biomass and biofuels; sustainability of biofuels, standards and certification schemes; types and availability of biofuels; potentials for bioenergy and biofuels; and the technical compatibility of biofuels with vehicles. Finally, preconditions and necessary policy measures for the increased deployment of sustainable biofuels are examined.     

Welche Wachstumspotenziale lassen sich über das Arbeitsangebot erschließen?

Demographic change will lead to a shrinking and ageing population in Germany, resulting in a decrease in the labour force. The fundamental trend can be counteracted through net immigration and behavioural effects such as increasing labour market participation of females in the short and medium run, but is unlikely to be reversed in the long run. This paper shows that the average age of the labour force follows a linear trend since the late 1990s. Moreover, there has been a convergence of average age between male and female workers. In a long run perspective the age distribution has become less heterogeneous, as measured by the coefficient of variation. At the same time, the average length of schooling and training has increased significantly over the last 40 years, but at a slower pace in recent years. We discuss the consequences of these changes for economic growth.     

Wie geht es mit dem Brexit weiter?

The UK’s 2016 EU referendum may account for great income losses in the UK. Gabriel Felbermayr et al. use a “new” quantitative trade model to assess various Brexit scenarios. The results broadly show that all EU member states lose, and the relative losses in the UK are about five times those of the average remaining EU country. These findings have important implications for the EU’s negotiation strategy. The outcome depends largely on the decisions about trade relations. Michael Hüther thinks that the UK is heading for an extremely hard Brexit and that it already shows. Therefore, the UK government should work out a consistent industrial policy and make up its mind about its preferences on its future economic relationship with its neighbours. In light of the currently very close and mutually welfare-enhancing business relations between the EU27 and the UK, one of the central tasks and challenges of the Brexit negotiations is undoubtedly the creation of a new supportive post-supranational legal framework governing these economic transactions in the future. Andreas Grimmel argues that the EU’s crises are largely the result of a certain mode of integration that is based on actors’ interests rather than on a comprehensive constitutional framework.     

Nach der Krise: Wirksame Regelungen auf dem Finanzmarkt?

Schon w?hrend der Krise hat auf allen politischen Ebenen eine lebhafte Diskussion über eine bessere Finanzmarktregulierung eingesetzt. Einig war man sich nur in wenigen Bereichen. Und von der Umsetzung etwaiger Reformen ist die Politik noch weit entfernt. Allerdings ist auch fraglich, ob die Ansatzpunkte überhaupt richtig gew?hlt sind.     

Öffentliche Wohnraumförderung — auf dem richtigen Weg?

In Germany, in times of extreme low interest rates there is a boom in housing construction, housing demand and housing prices. In order to relieve the housing market, the Federal Government is planning to expand the funding for social housing considerably. Affordable housing has been decreasing in German metropolitan areas in recent years, the same applies to social housing. Meanwhile, the demand for dwellings in the lower and middle price segment is rising, partly due to an increased migration rate. This is why a strong social housing promotion needs to be combined with an effective direct subsidy, such as a dynamic housing allowance. However, the targeting of social housing is highly inaccurate. Thus, it would be better to strengthen housing allowances and to help lowincome households to purchase homes in order to reduce living costs. Nowadays, property credits stabilize the banking sector. However, just a small increase in interest rates could result in a new financial crash. Ever since their foundation, housing cooperatives have created affordable private dwellings and a safe living place for their members. They are able to produce not only tenants but owners of the dwellings. Thus public assistance schemes and subsidies should not exclude housing cooperatives.     

Gewerkschaften auf dem Rückzug? Mythen,Fakten und Herausforderungen

A comparison across 20 advanced countries shows that trade union density has fallen in most countries over the last 50 years, with substantial differences between countries. However, unions are not about to vanish everywhere, and some prominent explanations for union decline such as globalization do not hold on closer scrutiny. Current trends that pose serious problems for union membership are demographic change, the declining employment share of the public sector, the rise in atypical employment, and the decline in average firm size. Upholding union presence at the workplace is crucial for keeping and winning members, and union recruiting should focus more on young and atypically employed workers.     

Geldpolitik aus Sicht der Bundesbank: auf dem Weg zu einem neuen Paradigma?

The ECB decision to cut its benchmark interest rate in November 2013 has been severely criticised in Germany. Against this background, the President of the Bundesbank justified the ECB’s monetary policy stance in recent speeches. At the same time, however, he argued that this stance carries risks and has adverse effects. By noting this, he leaves it open to interpretation whether a more restrictive stance would be appropriate even if inflation is well within the target range. If this interpretation were to be correct, it would indicate a deviation from elements of the pre-crisis consensus, namely that policy makers should aim at a clear target and should justify their measures in a consistent way.     

Inhumane Arbeitsbedingungen auf dem globalen Markt — Wer kann, wer soll handeln?

Workers in Asian factories producing for Western markets suffer under inhumane working conditions. Suicides at Chinese suppliers of computer manufacturers and a fire in a Bangladesh garment factory recently drew public attention to this problem. But would workers in developing countries really benefit from better working conditions and higher wages? It may be more likely that countries implementing these improvements would lose in global competition. Therefore, developing countries are limited in their ability to raise labour standards on their own. This competitive situation, however, is the very reason why labour rights have to be negotiated internationally. Existing voluntary international standards of the UN, ILO or OECD are useful but not sufficient, and trade sanctions in the WTO framework pose dangers of disguised protectionism. More promising but still imperfect avenues are Free Trade Agreements that could be used to enforce minimum ILO labour standards and transparent certifications, e.g. for fair trade products.     

Markenemotionen — Kaufentscheidung aus dem Bauch

Starke Marken besitzen eine emotionale Schubkraft für die Kaufentscheidung. Das Markenurteil bei schwachen Marken wird dagegen allein durch kognitive Markeneigenschaften wie Produktqualit?t oder Preis bestimmt. Für das Management starker Marken gilt deshalb: Mehr Invest in die „Emotionalisierung“ der Marke. Wie stark die Wirkung von Emotionen auf das Markenurteil ist, zeigt eine neurowissenschaftliche Studie.     

Krisengeprüftes Europa — auf dem Weg zu einer Patchwork-Union?

Wirtschaftsdienst - Auf der Grundlage einer unzureichend gefestigten „europäischen Identität“ sah sich die Europäische Union in den vergangenen Jahren etlichen...     

Regionale Disparitäten in Deutschland — Auf dem Weg zu gleichwertigen Lebensverhältnissen?

Das aus dem Grundgesetz abgeleitete Ziel der gleichwertigen Lebensverh?ltnisse in ganz Deutschland stellt eine wichtige Rechtfertigung für bundespolitische Aktivit?ten dar. Die Schwerpunkte dieser Aktivit?ten bilden bundeseinheitliche Regelungen und die interregionale Umverteilung von Finanzmitteln. Doch sp?testens seit Mitte der neunziger Jahre haben sich die nach wie vor erheblichen regionalen Disparit?ten nicht mehr wesentlich verringert. Es stellt sich die Frage, was den Konvergenzprozess behindert und wie er wieder angesto?en werden kann.