The paper discusses the most important elements of an institutional order for a globalizing world economy. Rules for the exchange of goods, for factor movements, for the monetary domain and for the allocation of the environment are distinguished. It is analyzed in which direction these rules...

Die Vorstellung, die Wirtschaftspolitik könne auf die Globalisierung durch eine internationale Kooperation und Harmonisierung etwa der Sozialnormen antworten, ist ökonomisch nicht wohl begründet. Es ist eine Illusion, die Bedingungen für den Produktionsfaktor Arbeit weltweit harmonisieren zu...

The ongoing process of globalization, which is boosted by technological and political catalysts as well, increasingly raises public concerns. It is feared that international integration will be accompanied by national disintegration, since the income distribution in rich countries will become...

Europe’s labor is not competitiveness taking unemployment as the relevant indicator. The paper looks at other indicators such as job creation, productivity and unit labor costs and skills. It analyzes the reasons for the lack of competitiveness including a low degree of wage differentiation,...

Germany has had an extremely low growth performance since 1995. The paper looks at the long-run reasons for this loss of economic dynamics besides German unification: These include leaving labor idle, a declining share of investment in GDP, a weaker innovative activity, an ineffective system for...