Bivariate SVAR models employing long-run identifying restrictions are often used to investigate the source of business cycle fluctuations. Their advantage is the simplicity in use and interpretation. However, their low dimension may also lead to a failure of the identification procedure, with...

A growing body of literature argues that the financial cycle is considerably longer in duration and larger in amplitude than the business cycle and that its distinguishing features became more pronounced over time. This paper proposes an empirical approach suitable to test these hypotheses. We...

In this paper, we assess the impact of major German structural reforms from 1999 to 2008 on key macroeconomic variables. By many, these reforms, especially the Hartz reforms on the labor market, are considered to be the root of observed imbalances in the Euro Area. Our simulations within a...

Im Jahr 2008 hat sich das Wachstum der Weltwirtschaft spürbar verlangsamt. Alle großen Industrieländer befinden sich mittlerweile in der Rezession und in den Schwellenländern ist es zu einem deutlichen Rückgang der Wachstumsraten gekommen. Schon länger hatte sich ein verlangsamtes Wachstum...