Convergence of EU regions is an often examined research question. However, there are no studies available which include in their analysis the New Member States from the former Eastern Bloc. We estimate several models of absolute convergence and of conditional convergence taking into account the...

Abstract In Germany there is a discussion on the design of regional policy, whether cohesion is still appropriate or should be replaced by a regional growth policy for efficiency reasons. This discussion is most notably founded with theoretical arguments from the new growth theory as well as the...

Die jüngst von Bayern und Hessen eingereichte Verfassungsbeschwerde gegen den bundesstaatlichen Finanzausgleich zielt im Kern auf die ungleiche Verteilung der Finanzierungslasten zwischen den Ländern im Rahmen des bestehenden Ausgleichssystems. Sollen die Finanzausgleichslasten umfassend...

Summary Most German states changed their local constitutions during the 1990s in order to become more citizen-friendly. To reach that goal, many local constitutions now allow for the direct election of mayors, initiatives and referenda, and vote-aggregation as well as vote-splitting....

Abstract In Germany there exists a political consensus that the economic and fiscal burden of the German reunification should be shared by all three jurisdictional levels of the federal system. According to existing law the burden sharing between the state and local authorities has to be...

Different regional economic theories come to different conclusions with regard to the impact of (state) policies on the economic prosperity of regions. This article provides empirical evidence that determinants like geography, urbanization, industrial mix and social capital explain 68 percent of...

Different regional economic theories come to different conclusions with regard to the impact of (state) policies on the economic prosperity of regions. This article provides empirical evidence, that determinants like geography, urbanization, industrial mix and social capital explain 71 percent...

In Germany there is a political consensus that the economic and fiscal burden of the German reunification should be shared by all three jurisdictional levels of the federal system. According to existing law, the burden-sharing between the state and local authorities has to be confined to the...

Most German states amended their local constitutions during the 1990s and now allow for the direct election of mayors, initiatives and référendums, and vote aggregation, as well as vote splitting. In this paper, it is asked whether these reforms had any effects on local fiscal policies. It is...