Die Finanzlage der Bundesagentur für Arbeit hat sich in den vergangenen drei Jahren stark verbessert. Daraufhin hat der Bundestag im November 2007 den Beitragssatz zur Arbeitslosenversicherung auf 3,3% gesenkt und die Bezugsdauer von Arbeitslosengeld für ältere Arbeitnehmer verlängert....

Wage subsidies and public transfers for the unemployed as a means for increasing employment have been intensively discussed in Germany. The paper explains which models have already been applied. In addition, it describes some recent reform proposals and analyzes what economic policy might be...

The financial status of the unemployment insurance system in Germany has improved markedly since 2005. Some reform measures and the upswing of the economy are the most important reasons for the favorable development. It is hotly debated how to use the surplus of the Federal Labor Agency....

Based on a description of the German system of taxes and transfers, the incentives to work are analyzed for several groups of the labor force. The effects of the Hartz IVʺ reform (effective from 2005 onwards) on the incentives receive particular attention. It turns out that the marginal...