Querschnittstechnologie Internet – Universallösung für den Arbeitsmarkt der Zukunft?

The ongoing processes of digitalisation in economy and society have certainly important implications, not only for economic growth but also for the future labour market. But, what are the actual effects of this ?Digital Revolution“? Who will be the winners and who will be the losers? This article reviews the current empirical literature and draws relevant policy conclusions. While the growth effects will be substantial, the labour market effects of ICT and broadband technologies and their linkage with industrial production via the “internet of things” are likely to be ambivalent. The authors point to the need for political action with respect to labour market institutions that support workers in adjusting to the rapidly changing work environment in a digital world, and measures designed to reduce the skill gap between “digital natives” and “digital illiterates”. They also identify the need to help increase adoption and use intensity of the new technologies, rather than solely investing in broadband infrastructure.     

Neue Informations- und Kommunikationstechnik: L?sung für den Arbeitsmarkt der Zukunft?

Recent technological advances have prompted both utopian and dystopian visions of the transformation of work. The design of humane work environments requires not only a thorough understanding of technological affordances but also ?? critically ?? of work practices and their development. Many workers use advanced communication technologies on the job. It is assumed that this may foster economic productivity and growth, but there may also be negative effects, i.e. problems due to information overfl ow, diversion of attention and blurred boundaries between professional life and family life. The Internet has become one of the most popular tools for job seekers and changed the way workers and firms are matched on the job market. There is evidence that job changers who found their new job through the Internet are better matched than those who found a new job through newspapers, friends or other channels. The Internet has the potential to improve the matching quality of the labour market.     

Gut gerüstet für den Ernstfall

Interview mit Ulrich Schneppenheim — Ob Seuchenfall oder der Ausfall kritischer Infrastrukturen – externe und interne Notf?lle fordern medizinische Einrichtungen heraus. Wie ist es um die Sicherheitslage in Krankenh?usern und Pflegeeinrichtungen bestellt?     

Voraussetzungen für eine erfolgreiche Selbstverwaltung in der Sozialversicherung

Im Jahre 2011 werden wieder Sozialwahlen stattfi nden, deren Bedeutung einer breiten ?ffentlichkeit allerdings nicht bekannt ist. Wie sich die soziale Selbstverwaltung weiterentwickeln kann und sollte, h?ngt sehr stark von der künftigen Rolle der Sozialversicherung in Deutschland ab. Sie lebt von der Partizipation der Versicherten und der Arbeitgeber. Diese k?nnen einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Akzeptanz des Sozialversicherungssystems in der Bev?lkerung leisten, wenn sie in den Selbstverwaltungsorganen im Konsens agieren.     

Auswirkungen der Markttransparenzstelle für Kraftstoffe

The authors analyse how the market transparency unit for fuels in Germany affects both supplier and consumer behaviour. The number of price changes has increased, mainly due to increasing price cuts, as has the spread between the lowest and the highest price of the day — both indicators of intensified competition. The concern that the introduction of the market transparency unit would facilitate collusion appears not to be warranted. In contrast, competition has intensified and consumers are increasingly making use of the price differences. The analysis also reveals that consumers purchased more gasoline in times of low prices (so-called price valleys) in 2015 than they did in 2012. The change in consumer behaviour is an indicator that at least some drivers tend to use fuel price comparison apps fed by data from the market transparency unit.     

Richtungswechsel in den USA — Folgen der neuen Präsidentschaft für die Wirtschaft

Under US President Donald Trump, it can be expected that large tax cuts will be passed and public expenditure will be slightly limited. He correctly identified US deindustrialisation as one of the economy’s core problems. His proposed policy platforms, however, are unpredictable and most likely harmful for the US and world economy. Even more importantly, the new government repeatedly clashes with national and multilateral institutions and thereby challenges the heart of democratically based capitalism. At present, it is still open if Donald Trump’s Executive Orders on trade measures will be backed by the US Congress. In any case, the new US administration is obviously abandoning the general principle of free trade. But the announced changes in US trade and exchange rate policies are less of a fundamental break than is often argued, because cooperation in international economic policy has always been limited and unstable. Beyond trade policy, it seems to be the intention of the new US government to fundamentally change the course of the country with regard to the financial markets. With regard to its monetary policy, the administration’s current position is marked by its inherent inconsistency. However, the new government has several channels through which to influence and fundamentally change the working of the Fed in order to make it more obedient to its goals.     

Bundesfinanzierung für Berlin — ein Patentrezept für den Finanzausgleich ab 2020?

The federal states Bavaria and Hesse have demanded a change in the system of financial equalisation among the German federal states. One of their demands is that Berlin, as the German capital, should not receive payments from the fiscally strong federal states but rather directly from the federal government. But there are no strong arguments for such a regulation, and it would be contradictory to the constitutional rules on public finance. Moreover, there are additional objections both from a financial and a political point of view which indicate that the proposal by Bavaria and Hesse will not be successful.     

Die Erwartungen der Wirtschaft für 2011

Die Wirtschaft hat sich 2010 von der tiefsten Krise der Nachkriegsgeschichte erholt. Die Industriebranchen haben dabei schon wieder fast das Vorkrisenniveau erreicht. Die Branchenvertreter blicken trotz verschiedener Unsicherheitsfaktoren optimistisch auf das Jahr 2011.     

Bedeutung der Energieeffizienz für die Energiewende

The increase of the share of renewables in Germany’s energy mix will not emerge from market mechanisms, and hence the costs of externalities have to be distributed among market participants. In order to preserve their competitiveness, energy intensive industries in Germany are exempt from these costs, which in turn leads to a surplus load for remaining consumers. In the context of an efficient energy system transformation, this policy measure is questionable. Even if high electricity prices lead to higher input costs in the short term, an exception for energy intensive industries cannot be justified. On the contrary, this mechanism impedes incentives for investments in energy efficiency and therefore reduces competitiveness in the long term.     

Die Erwartungen der Wirtschaft für 2017

In 2016, Germany’s economic sectors had mixed fortunes. Gross domestic income increased by 1.8% in total. The prospects for 2017 are hardly better and subject to uncertainties. Above all the results of the US presidential election and Brexit give cause to fear protectionist tendencies, which are especially adverse for the German export-oriented industries. As a result the representatives of industry and services associations expect in 2017 rather modest growth rates.     

Die Erwartungen der Industrie für 2014

The overall economic situation in 2013 showed less momentum than predicted. In particular, exports grew slowly — as did global trade on the whole. The economic environment was difficult in the aftermath of the public debt and currency crisis in the euro zone. This is reflected in most of the industrial sectors. The construction industry is less dependent on exports than on weather, which reduced production last winter. Meanwhile, the automotive industry grew at an above average rate. The outlook for 2014 finds all industries predicting better performance than in 2013, but there are obstacles due to German policy — the renewable energy act is one of them, as Utz Tillmann of the chemical industry points out. Klaus Mittelbach also looks critically at the turnaround in the German energy policy, but he hopes that the electronics industry will benefit from technological requirements.     

Die Erwartungen der Wirtschaft für 2016

Last year saw only a moderate economic upturn, which will continue in 2016. Geopolitical risks and the loss of momentum in the emerging economies are obstacles that may hinder a positive trend in exports. However, the falling crude oil price and the low euro currency rate give hope for better prospects. On the domestic front, there is a strong focus on the digitisation of all sectors. Meanwhile, many problems result from the low level of investments and the high energy costs resulting from the energy transition. The insurance industry views the low-yield environment, which greatly intensified last year, as its main challenge in 2016.     

Die Erwartungen der Wirtschaft für 2018

The German economy experiences a boom period. The leading economic research institutes upgrade their economic balance for 2017 to a growth rate exceeding two per cent and their forecasts for 2018 are equally positive. This optimism is widespread despite the UK’s exit from the EU, the protectionist tendencies and the difficult coalition-building in Germany. Technological innovations look ahead: manufacturing industry and trade sector have to react to digital transformation — i.e. electro-mobility, autonomous driving, the use of artificial intelligence and the spread of online trading.