Germany is the laggard of Europe, yet the country is world champion in merchandise exports. The paper tries to solve this theoretical and empirical puzzle by diagnosing a pathological export boomʺ and a bazaar effectʺ. Excessively high wages defended by unions and the welfare state against the...

Hans-Werner Sinn erläutert kurz die These des "pathologischen Exportbooms". Danach wächst der Export nicht trotz, sondern wegen der hohen Löhne so schnell. Aus dem gleichen Grund schrumpfen die Binnensektoren, das allgemeine Wachstum lahmt, und die Arbeitslosigkeit steigt: In den letzten...

The study investigates the consequences of EU Eastern enlargement for labour markets and public finances in Germany. The potential for immigration to Germany from the five largest candidate countries in CEE is forecasted building on econometric estimates. Then, the opportunities and problems...

The Ifo Institute has worked out a detailed proposal to reform the system of welfare benefits and made estimates regarding the consequences for employment, distribution of income and fiscal costs. The Ifo proposal aims at making the German labour market functional again without lowering the...

When consumers choose between clean and dirty goods and the labor market clears, a green tax reform may not bring about a double dividend in the sense of increasing environmental quality and increasing employment. However, when firms choose between clean and dirty factors of production, and when...

When consumers choose between clean and dirty goods and the labour market clears, a green tax reform may not bring about a double dividend in the sense of increasing environmental quality and increasing employment. However, when firms choose between clean and dirty factors of production, and...