This consumer confidence indicator provides an indication of future developments of households’ consumption and saving, based upon answers regarding their expected financial situation, their sentiment about the general economic situation, unemployment and capability of savings. An indicator...

House prices have been moving up strongly in real terms since the mid-1990s in the majority of OECD countries, with the ongoing upswing the longest of its kind in the OECD area since the 1970s. If interest rates were to rise significantly, real house prices may be at risk of nearing a peak. The...

Social safety nets protect citizens against hardship. By offering compensation, social safety nets may help overcome the political resistance to trade liberalisation and structural reform, but they can also weaken the incentives to work and save. Depending on their design, safety nets may also...

Ohne eine aktive Zivilgesellschaft bleibt jede wirtschaftliche Entwicklung auf halbem Wege stecken. Entscheidend dabei ist es, Mechanismen des Dialogs zu entwickeln, damit der Staat die Anliegen von Bürgern, Konsumenten und Unternehmen versteht. Darin lauern aber auch die Gefahren, insbesondere...