After the deregulation of the German electricity markets, network access charges are based on contractual arrangements between energy producers and industrial consumers. As the electricity networks are incontestable natural monopolies, the operators are able to set (monopolistic) charges at...

In 2007, Germany changed network access regulation in the natural gas sector and introduced a so-called entry-exit system. The re-regulation’s spot market effects remain to be examined. <p> We use cointegration analysis and a state space model with time-varying coefficients to study the...</p>

The promotion of renewable energies in Germany by the Erneuerbare Energien Gesetz (EEG, Renewable Energy Act) leads to various distributional effects.

The EU member states have declared to strongly increase the share of Renewable Energy Sources in the next decades. Given a large deployment of wind and solar capacities as well as limited cost-efficient storage technologies, this has two major impacts on electricity systems. First, the...

The European Commission has intensively examined the mandatory separation of natural gas transmission from production and services. However, economic theory is ambiguous on the price effects of vertical separation. In this paper, we empirically analyze the effect of ownership unbundling of gas...

The European Commission has intensively discussed the mandatory separation of natural gas transmission from production and services. However, economic theory is ambiguous on the price effects of vertical separation. In this paper, we empirically analyse the effect of ownership unbundling of...

To explain the success of different distribution strategies in the life insurance industry, we analyze the performance of single- and multichannel distribution firms in the German life insurance industry. We estimate cost and profit efficiency for three groups of life insurers: multichannel...