This volume contains an Open Access chapter. We have witnessed an avalanche of quantitative public measures over the past decades. Research in the social sciences has shown that rankings in particular are now a driving force of social change - both, desired and undesired - in many areas of...

A primordial challenge to the welfare state? -- The politics of resentment : xenophobia and the welfare state -- Trust in diverse societies -- Welfare state regimes as a regime for building trust? : contextualizing attitudes -- To belong or not to belong : incorporation and integration policies...

This paper reports the results of a survey among private sector economists about credibility and transparency of central banks. In line with the survey of Alan Blinder among central bankers, we asked participants in Ifo s World Economic Survey to answer questions on the importance and...