Subventionen in Zeiten knapper Kassen

The Ruhr area is not only the former heartland of industry in Germany, but still the largest urban agglomeration and now theregion with the highest density of universities. Yet, after decades of deep structural change leading away from coal and steel, the regionis still marked by ongoing structural weaknesses and chronically high unemployment rates. At the same time, it has relatively poor publicinstitutions. Therefore, it is time to think outside the box. We propose a new approach with ten concrete ideas for regional support by theestablishment of new public institutions in the Ruhr areaThe decision of the Federal Constitutional Court to classify the transfer of €60 billion in unused coronavirus loan authorisa-tions to the Climate and Transformation Fund as unconstitutional has plunged fiscal policy in Germany into a crisis. A "cash audit" istherefore called for. This article draws on the findings of the Kiel Subsidy Report. According to the budget plans for 2022 and 2023, fed-eral financial aid is set to increase sharply. In 2023, they are expected to be even higher than the federal government's social spending.Financial aid should therefore not be left out in order to counter-finance budget gaps.