Among the majority of high-income OECD countries, the degree of fiscal decentralisation has converged over the last 30 years towards an intermediate level. The theoretical arguments for and against fiscal decentralisation point to explanations for this tendency, because both extreme decentralisation and extreme centralisation are associated with disadvantages for economic growth. Hence, the observed ...
The positive effects of Early Childhood Programs (ECP's) on children's school success have been demonstrated in the literature. However, most studies were completed in the U.S.A., where ECP's vary widely, based on differing auspice, regulation, cost, and other factors. In European countries, ECP's are generally far more homogenous. This is particularly true for Germany where most programs are community-based ...
A first systematic, model-based analysis of the environmental fiscal reform in Germany is undertaken with an econometric model and an empirical general equilibrium model. It indicates moderate but slightly positive effects on employment, energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The influence on economic growth is very low; employment is growing slightly, while energy consumption and CO2 emissions are ...
In general, day care subsidies are accepted as a means of creating equal chances for both children and mothers in the labour market. Although there is a broad consensus that the use of children's day care should be publicly supported, there is no consensus on how this should be done. Moreover, there is little knowledge on the distributional effects of day care subsidies. In order to assess whether ...
