Höppner and Kastrop examine the role of fiscal institutions and budgetary procedures in Germany with respect to the objective of safeguarding sound public finances in the long-run. The paper analyses the main factors underlying debt developments in Germany in recent decades. It also examines...

This paper investigates whether the socioeconomic status of the head of government helps explain fiscal performance. Applying sociological research that attributes differences in people's ways of thinking and acting to their relative standing within society, we test whether the social status of...

The German economy is picking up speed again. After the resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic had interrupted the economic recovery in the winter half-year, GDP will expand at a fast pace in the further course of the year and exceed its pre-crisis level again. With the removal of the...

This paper compiles the Intertemporal Public Sector Balance Sheets for all G7 countries and examines their relationship with government borrowing costs. In 2018, all G7 countries have negative Intertemporal Net Financial Worth (INFW), falling short of their intertemporal budget constraint. A...

Der Wahlkampf zur Bundestagswahl 2021 bringt verschiedene Forderungen an den zukünftigen Bundeshaushalt mit sich. So muss dieser in der kommenden Legislaturperiode womöglich die "Mütterrente" finanzieren, die EEG-Umlage übernehmen, den Anstieg der Sozialbeitragsquote über 40 Prozent...