Ahead of German federal elections in September 1998 it became obvious that tax reform would remain on the political agenda. In this context broadening of the tax base plays a crucial role. In any case, the reduction of subsidies is an economic policy topic of persistent concern. The Federal...

The separation of security and economic objectives in foreign policy, which was often sought in international political issues in the past, has outlived its usefulness. The transition to a more power-based order can be felt around the world. International economic instruments and agreements are...

Empirical analyses of economic inequality, poverty, and mobility in Germany are, to an increas-ing extent, using microdata from the German Federal Statistical Office's contribution to the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) as well as data from the German...

Despite the relatively extensive research on pay levels and the consequences of income disparities, little is known about which reference groups people choose for comparative evaluation of personal income and why different selection patterns emerge. The aim of this paper is to dig deeper for...

This paper explores whether more generous social spending polices in fact lead to less income inequality, or if redistributive outcomes are offset by behavioral disincentive effects. To account for the inherent endogeneity of social policies with regard to inequality levels, I apply the System...