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Press Release
Persistent lack of investment among municipalities – social expenditures diminishing financial leeway – structurally weak regions threatening to fall further behind – DIW experts recommend temporarily making use of solidarity contributions to relieve municipalities of social expenditures
Investment in public infrastructure is critical for ensuring competitiveness and creating growth ...
22.10.2015
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Interview
Mr. Fratzscher, you’ve been making a case for more investment in Germany for quite some time now. Has there been any improvement in this area?
No, the situation in Germany has essentially shown no improvement. In both private and public investment, we continue to see major weaknesses. The net investment of many municipalities and many states are negative. [...]
This interview with Prof. Marcel ...
21.10.2015
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Press Release
The German economy is experiencing a moderate upturn. Gross domestic product will increase by 1.8 percent in 2015 and in 2016 respectively. Growth will be driven by private consumption. In view of the world economy’s modest growth, exports are only expected to rise slightly, especially as the stimulating effect of the euro’s depreciation gradually starts to fade. There will be a more rapid ...
08.10.2015
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Press Release
The euro area continues to recover – emerging countries’ economies are faltering – public budget with surplus despite challenges posed by increasing number of refugees
The German economy remains on track, even as things are getting rockier: The researchers at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) forecast a 1.8 percent increase in GDP for this year and a ...
18.09.2015
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Interview
Mr. Fichtner, the German economy has been in pretty good shape so far this year. Will the trend continue?
The German economy is doing well overall, and prospects for the remainder of the year are also favorable. We expect to achieve a growth rate of just under two percent for the entire year and for the coming year, as well. This is already quite good for the German economy. [...]
The interview ...
17.09.2015
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Press Release
German monetary union on July 1, 1990 was politically necessary despite painful economic consequences – Greece, similar to the GDR back in the 1980s, in urgent need of reform – the crisis of European monetary union potentially boosts integration
Precisely 25 years ago, on July 1, 1990, German monetary union came into force. On the same day, capital controls in Europe were abolished, creating ...
02.07.2015
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Press Release
GDP is set to grow by 1.8 percent this year and 1.9 percent next year – the global economy is slowly picking up steam, and the euro area is showing solid growth performance – possible risks such as Greece leaving the euro area are creating a strain on the economy
The German economy is continuing on an upward trend but, due to unexpectedly weak growth at the beginning of the year, will ...
25.06.2015
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Interview
Dr. Fichtner, will the German economy perform as well in the second half of 2015 as it did in the first half of the year?
We assume that the German economy will lose some of its momentum. One-off effects such as plummeting oil prices played a major role in the strong gains made during the winter months. These effects are now petering out but, nevertheless, economic growth in Germany is expected to ...
25.06.2015
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Press Release
To increase the rate at which residential building undergo refurbishments for energy efficiency, innovative financial solutions also need to be considered. For example, some property owners who are currently hesitant to implement thermal retrofit might be encouraged if the investment is funded by a third party (fund) and refinanced based on the energy costs saved with the efficiency measure. Such financing ...
06.05.2015
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Press Release
The German economy is experiencing a strong upturn driven by unexpected expansive impulses, especially the falling oil price and the sharp depreciation of the euro. Gross domestic product is expected to increase by 2.1 percent this year. The 68 percent projection interval ranges from 1.1 percent to 2.8 percent. Consumption is the driving force behind the upturn. The rest of the euro area is also expected ...
16.04.2015
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Press Release
DIW economic experts are forecasting a growth of 2.2 percent in 2015, which should stand at 1.9 percent in 2016 - capacity utilization at nearly normal levels - foreign markets less important than before the crisis - primary growth driver is private consumption based on a good labor market - surpluses in public budgets remain high - international risks remain significant
The German economy, which ...
19.03.2015
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Interview
The interview with Dr. Ferdinand Fichtner is published in DIW Economic Bulletin 11/2015. It is available for Download as pdf-document
More issues of DIW Economic Bulletin
19.03.2015
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Economic Bulletin
The construction industry remains a key pillar of the German economy. According to the latest construction volume calculations by DIW Berlin, the value of construction in 2014 and 2015 is forecast to grow far more rapidly than the economy as a whole: by a price-adjusted 3.3 percent and 2.1 percent in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Currently, new residential construction is an important engine for growth ...
14.01.2015| Martin Gornig, Claus Michelsen
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Press Release
The German economy has veered back on an upward course, after weak growth in the summer semester 2014. In this projection, real GDP is estimated to grow by 1.5 percent in 2014, by 1.4 percent in 2015 and by 1.7 percent in 2016. Inflation is projected to remain low, with 0.9 percent in 2014, 0.7 percent in 2015 and 1.4 percent in 2016. The growth rate of the global economy rose slightly in the third ...
17.12.2014
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Press Release
The situation of public budgets is relaxed and will remain so in the years 2015 and 2016 - despite a slight weakening in the coming year. In 2014, the overall budget is estimated to show a surplus of 0.5 percent relative to nominal gross domestic product; next year the surplus will shrink to 0.1 percent - mainly due to the increased pension payments - and in 2016it will reach 0.4 percent. The debt ...
17.12.2014
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Press Release
The construction industry remains a key pillar of the German economy. According to the latest construction volume calculations by DIW Berlin, the value of construction in the current and coming year is forecast to grow far more rapidly than the economy as a whole: by a price-adjusted 3.3 percent in 2014 and 2.1 percent in 2015. Currently, new residential construction is an important engine for growth ...
26.11.2014
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Economic Bulletin
by Ferdinand Fichtner and Peter Haan in: DIW Economic Bulletin 10/2014
Depending on how it is structured, the introduction of a European unemployment insurance within the euro area could make a significant contribution to stabilizing economic developments. This even applies to a relatively small-scale system (based on the volume of transfers) with a maximum eligibility period of six months and ...
17.11.2014
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Economic Bulletin
by Ferdinand Fichtner, Marcel Fratzscher, Maximilian Podstawski, Dirk Ulbricht in: DIW Economic Bulletin 9/2014
The crisis in the European currency area is not yet over. Although the situation in the financial markets is currently relatively calm, the economic crisis appears to be bottoming out in most countries. Nevertheless, there are still fundamental design flaws in the Monetary Union. If ...
06.11.2014
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Economic Bulletin
Stabilizing the European Monetary Union: High Time for More Reforms! Seven Questions to Ferdinand Fichtner
06.11.2014
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Press Release
The German economy will grow by 1.3 percent this year and by 1.2 percent in 2015, predict the economic research institutes involved in the Joint Economic Forecast in their autumn report. According to the report, Germany’s economy has cooled down markedly. With economic output falling in the second quarter and stagnating in the third quarter of 2014, the engine for economic growth is proving hard ...
09.10.2014