Das Mitte Januar 2015 von der Schweizerischen Nationalbank verkündete Ende der Wechselkursuntergrenze des Frankens an den Euro führte zu erheblichen Verlusten bei deutschen Kommunen. Diese hatten in den vergangenen Jahren in nicht unerheblichem Umfang Kredite in Fremdwährungen, oftmals in...

This paper presents key findings of the Ex Post Assessment of Longer-Term Program Engagement for Bolivia. Bolivia is a country that is perceived as having one of the best structural reform records in Latin America but experienced sluggish per capita growth, and made virtually no progress in...

"By the time the Second Social Code (SGB II) came into force in January 2005, the structure of programmes of active labour market policy was changed by the introduction of the SGB II-work opportunities, respectively additional jobs (so-called 'one-euro jobs'). According to §16 (3) (now §16d)...

Die Finanzierungsbeteiligung der Kommunen der Altländer an den Länderfinanzausgleichs-Leistungen 1995 zugunsten der neuen Länder, ohne Abfinanzierung des Fonds "Deutsche Einheit", insgesamt höchstens 2,8 Mrd. DM, das sind 6,6 v. H. des gesamten West-Ost-Transfers aus dem Solidarpakt für die...

This paper challenges the uselfullness of the cluster-based development strategy to diversify and increase the competitiveness of Kazakhstan's economy, regarding the case of the country's agro-food sector. For this it refers to insights of the Austrian Market Process Theory. It is argued that...

The paper provides an overview of the institutional arrangements on the micro level that have evolved in the agro-food sector of Kazakhstan in the course of transition. Emphasis is laid on more complex arrangements like agroholdings and clusters, hitherto mostly unknown in the agro-food sectors...

Eine Erweiterung der EU um Länder, die in ihrer wirtschaftlichen Entwicklung deutlich zurückliegen und deren Integration die Heterogenität der EU spürbar erhöht, verlangt nicht nur den potentiellen Neumitgliedern, sondern vor allem auch der EU erhebliche Reformanstrengungen ab. Ein...

This study examines the factors that affect the choice of location for foreign direct investment (FDI) in China. We identify three groups of factors that may affect the location choice by foreign firms: agglomeration economies, infrastructure, and institutional changes resulting from the...

This paper seeks to reconcile and synthesize the diverse views about the township¥Vvillage enterprises (TVEs) and local corporatism in the context of ongoing institutional changes in China as a transition economy. Specifically, I attempt to integrate the economic, political, cultural, and...