Summary Germany spends more than 11% of GDP on health care - after the US and Switzerland the third most expensive system in the world. At the same time, healthy life expectancy is just about average among the OECD countries. This indicates that the German health care system suffers from...

Summary The extent of the demographic change in Europe and especially Germany is dramatic and will deeply affect future labor, financial and goods markets. The expected strain on public budgets and especially social security has received prominent attention, but aging poses many other economic...

Zusammenfassung Auch nach der Rentenreform 2000 wird das Alterseinkommen im Wesentlichen von der umlagefinanzierten gesetzlichen Rentenversicherung getragen werden. Die zumeist unterschätzte Alterung der Bevölkerung und die nach wie vor bestehenden Anreizeffekte auf das Arbeitskräfteangebot...

Abstract In his paper Martin Werding proposes “Public pension entitlements according to the number of children: arguments for an unpopular idea”. Proposals to curtail public pension entitlements for those who have no children, thus shifting the burden involved in pension reform that is...

Abstract The financial and economic crisis has drawn attention again on the question how sensitive the German public pension system (Gesetzliche Rentenversicherung) reacts to cyclical shocks. We identify three important channels through which business cycle movements may affect the pension...