DIW Weekly Report

Ganzes Heft

German Construction Industry Remains on Its Path of Growth during the Coronavirus Recession

The coronavirus pandemic has led to a deep worldwide economic crisis. In many countries, the construction industry has been impacted. In Germany, however, construction activity is one of the economic sectors that has remained largely stable: In 2020, the total construction volume in Germany is expected to have increased by around four percent to 444 billion euros after increasing by around eight percent ...

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Fiscal Rules Mitigate Economic Setbacks during Crises

91 countries around the world have established fiscal rules to limit national debt and/or budget deficits. Using data from previous natural disasters, this report investigates how these fiscal rules affect overall economic development following a crisis. The results show countries with fiscal rules fare better after such shocks than those without. GDP, private consumption, and investments develop markedly ...

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EU Taxonomy Increasing Transparency of Sustainable Investments

By developing a taxonomy for sustainable investments, the EU Commission has created the first standardized criteria for climate-friendly economic activities.To achieve the goal of climate neutrality by 2050, firms and investors must be well informed of which investments avoid greenhouse gas emis- sions and can thus be categorized as sustainable. The present report investigates to what extent the EU ...

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German Economy: Optimistic despite Decline as 2020 Ends: DIW Economic Outlook

The coronavirus pandemic is once again slowing down the German economy: Following a strong and unexpected economic recovery over summer 2020, which compensated for large parts of the losses from the spring, the second wave has resulted in renewed restrictions affecting both social and economic life. Therefore, the German economy is likely to shrink again in the final quarter of 2020. If the second ...

Global Economy: Recovery Slowing Down: DIW Economic Outlook

The global economy recovered more quickly than expected in the third quarter of 2020. Following the coronavirus-related slumps, economic output increased by seven percent. A decrease in infection rates and thus an easing of containment measures contributed to re-normalizing production processes and trade. Private households also began demanding more consumer goods again, especially personal services. ...

Second Coronavirus Wave Affecting German Economy and Halting Recovery: Editorial

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Mentoring Programs Support the Integration of Refugees

Over a million people sought asylum in Germany between 2014 and 2016. During this time, many Germans began volunteering in various ways to help refugees and mentorship pro- grams in particular gained significance. As this report shows, participating in a mentorship program has a positive impact on refugees: They improve their language skills and become more socially active. Mentors experience the relationship ...

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Coronavirus Pandemic and Low Oil Prices Putting Pressure on the Gulf Countries

The coronavirus pandemic has affected the Gulf countries in a particular way. In addition to the direct consequences of the pandemic, the spread of the coronavirus has led to a collapse in demand for the Gulf countries’ most important source of revenue: oil. Its price, which had fallen initially due to the price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, collapsed in spring 2020. Although it recovered somewhat ...

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The Storm-Impervious Financial Sector: Offshore Services Likely Booked Abroad

The high international capital positions of offshore financial centers (OFCs) have led to increasing research in the area. However, many unanswered questions remain, as OFC activities are secretive by nature and data is sparse. It is, for example, not even clear whether the financial industry actually physically operates on OFCs or if it artificially books services from other countries. Using a new ...

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Reform Proposal for Marriage Taxation in Germany: De Facto Income Splitting with a Low Transferable Amount

Two traditional options for reforming Ehegattensplitting, the joint taxation of married couples with full income splitting, are de facto income splitting (Realsplitting) or individual taxation with a transferable personal allowance. However, these proposals do not significantly reduce the marginal tax burden on the secondary earner’s income and therefore only minimally encourage married women to participate ...

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Population Decline Creating Constant Pressure on Eastern German States and Municipalities on the Expenditure Side

As the German constitution aims for equal living conditions, a huge number of political measures to enhance the conditions in the new states were undertaken after unification (known as the “Aufbau Ost”). In the new states, expenditure per capita rose significantly over the average expenditure of the old states and their municipalities and huge budget deficits occurred. Beginning in the mid-1990s, expenditure ...