[Conclusion] The necessity of establishing a fiscal capacity at the European level in order to smooth asymmetric shocks in EMU is largely based on the theory of optimum currency areas. If countries do not have the possibility to align exchange rates, the effects of asymmetric shocks on a...

There is an intensive debate about old-age poverty in Germany that has induced political parties to develop proposals for higher pensions of poor pensioners in light of the federal elections of September 2013. In addition, several proposals from economists aim at reforming the pension system in...

Most countries pay substantial intergovernmental transfers to poor regions with the aim of achieving regional convergence. Consequently, transfers should have a positive effect on economic growth. However, it is equally possible that transfers perpetuate under-development. This paper studies...

Defekte Schultoiletten und gesperrte Brücken haben in Deutschland eine neue Debatte um eine öffentliche Investitionsschwäche ausgelöst. Eine Erhöhung der öffentlichen Investitionsquote wird dabei oftmals als Allheilmittel zur Stärkung der Wirtschaft gesehen. Vielfach wird sogar eine...

The ability of a tax authority to collect taxes successfully depends on both its relationship with taxpayers and how strongly these taxpayers are committed to contributing to the common good. We present field and laboratory experimental evidence on a new non-intrusive approach aimed at fostering...

[Einleitende Bemerkungen ...] Der Beitrag ist folgendermaßen gegliedert. In Abschnitt 2 fasse ich die Hauptergebnisse der Politischen Ökonomik der Politikberatung zusammen. Diesen stelle ich in Abschnitt 3 die Anreizstrukturen gegenüber, denen die institutionelle wirtschaftspolitische...

The Swiss debt brake is widely appreciated as one of the most rationally designed fiscal rules in the world and was thus also discussed as blueprint in the debates about fiscal rules in Germany, the European Union member states and Israel. However, evidence that this rule really contributes to...

James Buchanan pioneered the political economics of public debt 60 years ago. In this paper, we contrast his thinking of the burden of debt, the public choice mechanisms that lead to excessive debt and the demand for constitutional restraints on public debt with its development, its...

Germany's approach to solving the Eurozone crisis is supposedly based on the ideas of Walter Eucken (1891-1950), the founder of ordoliberalism. In this and other contexts, Eucken's work has been described as being in direct opposition to that of John Maynard Keynes. Our paper aims to clarify and...

Die Finanzlage der Kommunen gerät zunehmend in den Blick der öffentlichen Debatte, geht es doch letztlich um die Zukunft des Zusammenwirkens der verschiedenen Ebenen im Bundesstaat. Dabei werden mit Verweis auf teilweise angespannte kommunale Finanzlagen Forderungen nach einem größeren...