Die Solidarische Privatversicherung — Ein Vorschlag zur Gesundheitsstrukturreform

Lassen sich risiko?quivalente Pr?mien und Solidarausgleich in der Krankenversicherung miteinander verbinden? Der Beitrag beschreibt einen m?glichen Weg dazu, der die ursprüngliche Idee des Gesundheitsfonds konsequent weiterentwickelt.     

Finanzielle Repression — ein Instrument zur Bewältigung der Krisenfolgen?

Financial repression committed by central banks has been put forward as a means to secretly reduce the real burden of high public debts. Financial repression has allegedly played an important role in the impressive reduction of the US debt ratio after World War II. A mix of conventional budget consolidation and rapid growth was the main driver in this relative debt reduction with a minor role for financial repression. But does financial repression really exist? The authors express different opinions on evidence for this concept. Those authors who find that there are indicators of financial repression fear redistributive tendencies between debtors and creditors and high opportunity costs in the form of savings and investment distortions. Therefore, financial repression is not a “cure” for the high public debts amassed in the euro area during the recent sovereign debt and banking crisis. Furthermore, the high sovereign debts in the euro area may threaten economic development and impose high costs on society. Therefore, reducing these debts is politically highly relevant, and fiscal policy should be characterised by a modest reduction in government spending and/or tax increases, combined with a policy promoting economic growth. Macroprudential regulations should supplement this financial policy.     

Die Balance zwischen Eigenverantwortung und gemeinschaftlichem Handeln für ein starkes Europa

The newly elected French president Macron now faces the challenge of reforming the French economy by increasing its competitiveness in order to decrease unemployment and to open new perspectives for a more prosperous economic future. The success of this endeavour is also of the utmost importance for Germany. The best support that Germany can offer to support French reforms consists of promoting the European integration process based on the subsidiarity principle. This can only be achieved by maintaining a balance between national responsibility and joint action and by choosing the right sequence of reform steps.     

Expertenwissen im politischen Prozess — Nutzen,Grenzen und Gefahren

Since the outbreak of the financial and economic crisis, confidence in politicians as well as the economists in their advisory expert panels seems to be at an all-time low. Why do politicians reject science-based advice unless it fits into their political agenda? Are economists misunderstood by politicians and vice versa? The tension between the ideal of evidence-based policy-making and the reality of policy-based evidence-making is hardly a new phenomenon. Therefore, the expectation that Donald Trump, the Brexiteers and European populists will necessarily disappoint their voters because they simply cannot deliver what they have promised is misleading. Experts would be well advised to use the debate on the post-factual era as an impetus to reflect critically on their profession. One opinion expressed in this Zeitgespräch is that the contested societal and political impact of modern economics is due to its restricted scientific self-concept. A more open, pluralistic and transdisciplinary self-definition of economics would strengthen its societal influence. Another contributor ponders the proper incentives to persuade academic economists to provide economic policy advice. Key is the independence of advisory institutions like the German Council of Economic Experts. The selection of people with the best scientific qualifications will ensure the reputation of such institutions.     

Das österreichische Konsumentenschutzgesetz — ein Nachtrag

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Niedrigzinsen bei Bausparkassen — ein Urteil des Bundesgerichtshofs

At the end of February 2017 the Federal High Court of Justice rules that building societies are allowed to terminate old contracts ahead of schedule. A lot of old contracts are problematic in the viewpoint of building societies due to high deposit interest rates. High deposit interest rates are dangerous for building societies in times of low interest rates, especially if low interest rates are long-lasting. The Federal High Court of Justice follows the opinion of the building societies that during saving periods, building societies can be seen as borrowers, and borrowers have the (exceptional) right to terminate contracts after ten years, which is established in the German Civil Law. A microeconomic intertemporal consumption model calculates this as an overreaction byf the Court: Building societies should only be allowed to reduce deposit interest rate to be compensated for non existing loan contracts.     

Schuldenerleichterungen für Griechenland — ein Überblick

The article provides an overview of debt waivers by private and public debt holders during the Greek financial crisis and the three assistance programmes. Greece’s advantages add up to around 280 to 298 billion euros. The burden, in the form of reduced annual payments, is carried by the debt-holding countries and amounts to about 206 to 224 billion euros, the private sector’s share being roughly 70 %. Nevertheless, liability shifted from the private sector to rescue funds. Therefore, the aforementioned additional debt relief will primarily strain the countries that pay for the bail out and the ECB.     

Deutsche Privathochschulen — ein „emerging market“?

Zusammenfassung  Die Universit?t Witten/Herdecke stand kurz vor einer Insolvenz. Im Sog der Geschehnisse ist ihr Pr?sident Birger P. Priddat im Dezember 2008 von seinem Amt zurückgetreten. Er skizziert hier den Bildungsmarkt in Deutschland. Prof. Dr. Birger P. Priddat, 59, ist Inhaber des Lehrstuhls für Politische ?konomie an der Universit?t Witten/Herdecke und war dort bis vor kurzem Pr?sident.     

Die Innovationsfähigkeit deutscher Metropolregionen — ein Vergleich

Within the article, new key findings on the innovation capability of the largest metropolitan areas in Germany are presented. One result is that the innovation capability is relatively heterogeneously distributed among the metropolitan areas. Munich possesses an enormous lead in innovation, and is one of the most innovative regions in Germany. Compared to Munich, the metropolitan areas of Berlin Brandenburg and Hamburg possess an underdeveloped innovation capability. However, through its capital function, Berlin-Brandenburg, has an excellent potential to catch up. Nevertheless, the metropolitan areas have still a long way ahead to develop their regional innovation profile and to close in the gap with the Munich region.