Dustmann/ Fitzenberger/ Schönberg/ Spitz-Oener (2014) praise the flexibility of German labour market institutions for the German turn-around from "Sick Man of Europe to Economic Superstar": The more decentralized, firm-specific wage-setting process since the mid-1990s increased wage inequality...

According to empirical studies, a statistically significant factor for German exports success is high cost (or price) competitiveness. Studies by Deutsche Bundesbank recommend correcting the nominal effective exchange rate by broad cost (or price) indicators (Deutsche Bundesbank, 1998, 2016a)....

Hajo Riese introduced the concept of market constellations to analyse the changing macroeconomic effects of German monetary policy from the 1950s to the 1980s, when monetary policy, focused on internal and external price stability in Germany, enabled continued net export surpluses. Yet changing...

According to empirical studies, a statistically significant factor for German exports success is high cost (or price) competitiveness. Studies by Deutsche Bundesbank recommend correcting the nominal effective exchange rate by broad cost (or price) indicators (Deutsche Bundesbank, 1998, 2016a)....

Dustmann/ Fitzenberger/ Schönberg/ Spitz-Oener (2014) praise the flexibility of German labour market institutions for the German turn-around from "Sick Man of Europe to Economic Superstar": The more decentralized, firm-specific wage-setting process since the mid-1990s increased wage inequality...

Based on Eurostat data the Macroeconomic Policy Institute (IMK) regularly analyses the development of labour costs and unit labour costs in Europe. This report presents labour cost trends in the private sector, disaggregated for private as well as public services and manufacturing industry, for...

In 2008 labour costs in Germany increased more pronouncedly than in previous years, but again developed poorly compared to other European countries. This provoked a further improvement of Germany's international competitiveness, resulting in current account surpluses. German labour costs in the...

With the pension reforms of 2001 and 2004 the objective of stable living standards was abandoned, a gradual reduction of the pension level was envisaged and the funded "Riester Pension" was introduced on a voluntary basis. First analyses of this reform show that the promised effects - higher...

Based on data from Eurostat the Macroeconomic Policy Institute (IMK) regularly analyses the development of labour costs and unit labour costs in Europe. This report presents labour cost trends in the private sector, and disaggregated for private services and manufacturing industry, for a...

Global external imbalances are among the key causes of the current world economic crisis. In the following their relevance will be analysed in detail and it will be shown how they influence the course of the crisis in individual countries. It becomes obvious that Germany is particularly affected...