Mr. Fichter, the German economy has recently been experiencing a moderate upswing. Can we expect more momentum in the future? Germany’s economic development is overall very stable. Although the strong start at the beginning of the year was followed by a somewhat weaker second quarter, we are expecting steady, moderate growth and a very balanced development of the German economy for the second ...
Supported by dynamic domestic demand, the German economy is expected to grow by 1.7 percent this year. As consumption and investment in construction are likely to weaken in the coming year, is hardly contributing to growth 2017 should amount to roughly 1.4 percent. Foreign trade is contributing relatively little to growth. In both years of the forecast period, capacities will be at more or ...
Big data is transforming the world we live in. The instant availability of information impacts how individuals consume, how businesses thrive or fail, how society makes scientific discoveries, as well as how governments design and implement informed policies. At a pace and scale unanticipated 20 years ago, information technology is enabling consumers globally. Uncountable services make use of a...
Individuals value privacy, socializing, and disclosing. These conflicting actions raise important issues for individuals and regulators. This session surveys the economic foundations of privacy relying on insights from economic theory and empirical evidence. How much do consumers value privacy? Do (or should) consumers unambiguously strive for stronger privacy protection? How have businesses...
Privacy concerns are receiving increased attention by both lawmakers and firms. What are firms doing to protect the privacy of their customers? Are firms responding to market forces? To regulatory pressure? To other forces? This panel will explore the interaction between regulation, markets and other forces, and its implications for optimal legal policy. Florencia Marotta-Wurgler Professor of...
Unprecedented interconnectedness, data collection, and analytical capabilities are revolutionizing our interactions in society. Online platforms play a key role in this process as they shape the way consumers and firms use and commercialize the Internet. In data-driven platforms, product quality, for example search results and the targeting of advertisements, increases in the amount of data...
Privacy regulation in digital markets has been at the forefront of the policy debate on both sides of the Atlantic in the past years. This panel will discuss such issues as the EU-US Privacy Shield following the Safe Harbor ruling of the ECJ, the conditions for voluntary consumer consent to the processing of personal data, efforts to ensure individuals’ control over personal data collected by data...
The world economy has yet to regain momentum: after the already weak final quarter of 2015, the pace of expansion slowed down again in the first quarter of 2016. In the emerging countries’ economies, growth is expected to remain subdued, especially in China, where the gradual slowdown continues as overcapacities are reduced. Russia and Brazil are likely to remain in recession: apart from the still-low ...
