Publikationen des Vorstandsbereichs

A Skeptical View of Mechanisms for Business Cycle Harmonization in the Euro Area

The European Monetary Union brought with it a standardization of monetary policy and a system of fixed exchange rates. This was accompanied by disincentive effects which, in turn, resulted in serious economic distortions. Proposals are currently being made - not only by DIW Berlin - as to how compensatory payment mechanisms could be used to better synchronize the economic development of the member ...

Unemployment in Europe: Young People Affected Much Harder Than Adults

The crises of the past few years have led to a significant increase in youth unemployment in Europe. This, in turn, has highlighted the long standing phenomenon of well above average youth unemployment. In some countries, the youth unemployment rate reached unprecedented levels, although the rise of unemployment among young people was no more significant than among adults. Furthermore, the media portrayal ...

We Have Hidden Underemployment: Seven Questions to Karl Brenke

Long Hours for Low Pay

There has been no robust growth of the low-pay sector in Germany since 2006. Over the past few years, a constant 22 percent of all employees have fallen into this category. The job structure within the low-pay sector has not changed in the last decade. In the economy as a whole, however, there has been less and less demand for low-skilled work, which is increasingly becoming concentrated in the low-pay ...

University Graduates Alone Meet Demand: Six Questions to Karl Brenke

Engineers in Germany: No Shortage in Sight

There is no let up in complaints about a potential lack of engineers in Germany. The Association of German Engineers (Verein Deutscher Ingenieure, VDI) recently declared that because of the high average age of engineers working in Germany (50 to 51), there will soon be a huge demand for a new generation of engineers. Upon closer examination, these fears prove to be unfounded. Although there has been ...

Self-Employment in Germany: The Trend Has Been Increasing for Some Time

Entrepreneurial self-employment in Germany has undergone a strong upturn in the last 20 years. The number of self-employed people rose by 40 percent between 1991 and 2009. The reasons for this development are the catch-up processes in eastern Germany, structural change towards the service sector, and a strong willingness among the highly skilled, the unmarried and among foreigners to enter self-employment. ...

There Is Virtually No Export Base: Six Questions to Karl Brenke

Greek Economy Needs Growth Strategy

Greece has been living beyond its means for a long time now and has accumulated foreign debt. The high level of national debt is merely a reflection of the problems; the actual cause is insufficient economic power. The top-priority political objective is to strengthen the substance of the economy-in particular, the export base-to such an extent that in future, the balance of payments is at least equalized. ...

Labor Mobility in Central and Eastern Europe: The Migration of Workers to Germany Has Been Limited in Scope

The enlargement of the EU in 2004 has had numerous effects- and the German labor market has not been left untouched. Among migrant laborers coming to Germany, self-employment has been the most frequent form of labor market participation to date. Despite barriers to immigration and the need to acquire work permits, dependent employment among migrants from 2004 accession countries has also increased. ...