Glück — Die Sicht der Ökonomie

Glück führte lange Zeit ein Schattendasein in der ?konomischen Forschung. Das hat sich seit einigen Jahren ge?ndert. Aus den neuen Erkenntnissen zu den wirtschaftlichen und au?erwirtschaftlichen Bestimmungsgründen des Glücks werden auch Empfehlungen für eine Wirtschaftspolitik abgeleitet, die das pers?nliche und gesellschaftliche Glück der Menschen berücksichtigt. Bruno S. Frey und Claudia Frey Marti fassen in diesem Beitrag ihr Buch¹ zu dem Thema zusammen.     

Eine kleine Politische Ökonomie der Wohnungsmieten und -leerstände in Ostdeutschland

Aktuellen Sch?tzungen zufolge stehen etwa 1 Mio. Mietwohnungen in Ostdeutschland leer, ohne dass die ostdeutschen Wohnungsmieten sinken würden. Vielmehr stagnieren die Mieten weiterhin knapp unterhalb des westdeutschen Niveaus. Nur wenige M?rkte dürften auf ein überschussangebot so unelastisch reagieren wie die ostdeutschen Wohnungsm?rkte. Warum hat der enorme überhang an leerstehenden Wohnungen nicht l?ngst zu einem dramatischen Verfall der Mieten geführt?     

Zur Politischen Ökonomie der wirtschaftspolitischen Beratung

After providing some examples of contradictory economic policy advice, we characterise different conceptions of policy advice. This is possible because, in many situations, neither economic theory nor empirical analyses provide unambiguous answers to policy questions. Thus, contradictory advice by different economists is often possible without violating scientific standards. Thus, in the process of seeking policy advice, politicians and interest groups will engage scientists with similar political ideologies. In this situation, the objectivity of political advice is still possible, but only if there is an open discussion and, in the case of empirical analyses, if data are available for re-estimations.     

Makroökonomie und Populismus

Is the rise in populism driven by economic issues, e.g. inequality and stagnating incomes, or by social issues, e.g. illiberal views on gender, race and migration? This paper argues that it is impossible to distinguish between the two factors, as social issues have a profound impact on economic issues. Populists make use of this tight link and exploit the inability of mainstream policymakers to address the negative economic impact that open borders for goods, capital and labour have on a large number of people within their countries. The result is the return of economic nationalism, as it seems to provide policymakers with an opportunity to dismantle the policy constraints set by a globalised economy.     

Die politische Ökonomie wachsender Ungleichverteilung der Einkommen

In dealing with growing income inequality, economists and social scientists have ignored the interdependencies between economic performance, voter turnout and people’s psychological damages and social deprivations. This article emphasises the role of demography for the bargaining power of trade unions and employer associations. It demonstrates the concomitance of full employment and shrinking income inequality and, correspondingly high unemployment and growing income inequality. Due to the decrease in the size of the labour force in Germany since 2005, the gap between higher and lower incomes will soon become smaller, and many economic and social problems can be solved.     

Ecomagination — Ein Unternehmen positioniert sich nachhaltig

Zusammenfassung  Nachhaltigkeit hat sich zu einer Art Mantra für das 21. Jahrhundert entwickelt. Damit steigt für Unternehmen der Erkl?rungsbedarf gegenüber der ?ffentlichkeit: Wie nachhaltig ist ihr eigenes wirtschaftliches Handeln? Verantwortungsbewusster Umgang mit natürlichen Ressourcen wird zunehmend zu einer Herausforderung von existenzieller Bedeutung. Unternehmen sollten die eigene Positionierung an diese Entwicklungen anpassen. Ein Beispiel für eine erfolgreiche Nachhaltigkeitspositionierung ist das Umweltengagement von General Electric.     

Wozu Neuroökonomie?

Die ?konomische Theorie erh?lt durch die empirischen Methoden der Neurowissenschaft neue M?glichkeiten der Erkenntnisgewinnung. Wie unterscheiden sich die Denkmuster der Neurowissenschaft und der ?konomie? Bei welchen ?konomischen Fragestellungen kann die Neurowissenschaft einen Beitrag leisten? Prof. Dr. Birger P. Priddat, 57, ist Pr?sident der Universit?t Witten-Herdecke, Alihan Kabalak, 32, Dipl.-?konom, ist Assistent am Lehrstuhl für Politische ?konomie der Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen.     

Ist das österreichische Rentensystem nachhaltig?

Wirtschaftsdienst - In der deutschen Debatte zur Rentenpolitik wird in letzter Zeit immer wieder auf das Beispiel Österreich verwiesen. Das hohe österreichische Leistungsniveau provoziert...     

Ökonomische Wurzeln des Populismus

Increasing populism in developed Western countries such as Germany can be traced to various causes, including economic ones. In these countries, advancing globalisation and technological progress lead to labour market and income effects that have had a negative impact on certain groups of people (wage reduction, increase in the risk of unemployment). The fear of such developments — whether justified or unfounded — results in the desire for political decisions that push back the catalysts of these economic developments. Therefore, international trade with low-wage countries and labour saving technological progress in particular often breed populist parties.     

Hebt das Emissionshandelssystem die Einsparungen des Ökostromausbaus auf?

Notwithstanding the increasing costs of the expansion of renewable energies, the Energy Transition in Germany still enjoys a high level of acceptance. Mainly this is due to the wide-spread perception that a non-fossil based production of electricity will automatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While this is true regarding the direct displacement effect, this paper points out that it is not that clear in a holistic view. Considering the interaction between the expansion of renewables and the EU-Emission-Trading-System, indirect price effects on carbon prices occur, which might counteract or even dominate the direct displacement effect. In order to enhance the greenhouse gas effectiveness, an automatic cut of the emission cap by the direct displacement effect should be considered.     

Bundesverfassungsgericht und Krisenpolitik der EZB — Stellungnahmen der Ökonomen

In June 2013, the Federal Constitutional Court in Germany held an expert hearing on the suitability of ECB measures, such as the purchase of government bonds, and their compatibility with existing EU and German legislation. The statements of five invited experts are documented here. The authors comment on the path from the agreement that has laid down the basic rules for the euro area to a crisis-driven approach that seems to have forgotten these rules. The ECB policy holds many risks - above all that of financing public budgets almost without limits - for the stability of monetary and fiscal governance in the euro area. On the other hand, ECB measures can also be interpreted as a necessary means to comply with the ultimate task of the ECB, the defence of price stability. Hence the ECB’s crisis measures do not represent any intention to intervene in fiscal or economic policy measures, and after the crisis the ECB can return to a narrower interpretation of the role of a central bank. It should not be forgotten that the ECB measures bear high risks for the countries in trouble as well as for those countries supporting them.     

Handlungsoptionen für die Rentenpolitik — Wie kann Alterssicherung nachhaltig(er) werden?

This article explores how German pension and retirement policy could be made more sustainable, focusing on selected current options for action rather than attempting to provide a comprehensive overview. Before turning to specific problems and perspectives, the article first discusses key challenges as well as opportunities for sustainable old age security in Germany and the European Union, and then applies these findings to attain a better understanding of acute problems.