Economic and Social Policy
Tax policy
As a result of the tax and social reforms introduced since 1999 the German state has had to make do with around €71 billion a year less. Taxes on wealth and income from capital have been cut much more than taxes on income from work. more...
Labour market
Employment in Germany has increased in the last few years. Is this evidence of the effectiveness of Agenda 2010 - the major labour market reforms announced in 2003? No, according to the IMK; an analysis of the data provides no indication that this is the case. more...
Distribution
Redistribution produces contentment: a study shows that people in egalitarian societies worry less about status. more...
Integration
In France and Germany, the educational and professional development of migrants is often uncertain. A comparative study shows that the educational systems in the two countries have differing strengths and weaknesses. It also looks at what contributes to a successful start in working life. more...
Pensions
Someone on low pay in Germany will only get a poor pension and is scarcely in a position to make provision for old age, either individually or through a company pension. The Netherlands and France provide better security for low earners. more...
Gender equality
Gender equality at the work place has hardly progressed in Germany in the past decade. In countries such as the USA, France or Sweden working women are in a better position thanks to a variety of very different regulatory frameworks. more...
Labour market
Thousands of temporary agency workers lost their jobs in 2009. However, scientists expect the temporary agency work boom to continue in the next upswing. They recommend an improvement of working conditions following the example of other countries. more...
Taxes
A recent study shows that lower company taxes do not necessarily make a country attractive for foreign investors. Government social spending is also important, as it helps promote a good social climate. more...
Social security
Growing inequality in earnings poses problems for the welfare states of many European countries. Germany faces an increased risk of future pensioner poverty among other challenges. more...
Plant relocation
Closing a plant in Germany costs less and takes less time than in other European countries. A specially commissioned expert report shows that in France and the Netherlands the state places greater obstacles in the way of mass redundancies. more...
Deregulation
As yet there has been little academic research on whether labour market deregulation produces more jobs and growth in the short term. A new study closes this gap and shows that reforms in the labour market do not lead to reduced unemployment. more...
Equality
If the aim is for a fairer division of paid and family work between men and women, it's not enough to rely on parents' right to choose. On the contrary, the experience of the Nordic countries shows that childcare payments introduced under this slogan have promoted traditional roles. more...
Contentment
Contentment isn't a private issue. Europeans feel particularly at ease when limits are placed on social inequality and they are protected by social safeguards. more...
Labour market
There are increasing numbers of people in Europe who work for themselves. However, in Germany this new group of the self-employed generally falls through the social security net. more...
Labour market
Flexible labour markets and security for the employees at the same time - the flexicurity model is attempting a difficult juggling act. more...
Euro zone
The declared goals of the countries of the Euro zone are stable public finances and strong economic growth. However, analysis by the economic institute IMK has found that under the rules of the Stability and Growth Pact, these goals are unachievable. The Institute calls for a fundamental reform of the Pact. more...
Economic Policy
The UK economy is growing; unemployment is far lower than in Germany. What are the British doing right? Academics from the Universities of Göttingen and Hamburg pick apart the standard myth that it has been deregulation and flexibility that have brought growth and welfare. Much more decisive, they find, has been the right mix of monetary and financial policies. more...
Inflation
Despite long years in the economic doldrums and mass unemployment, the inflation rate in the Euro zone remains high. Is this the fault of rigid labour markets and tight product controls? No, says the IMK Macro Economic Policy Institute: increases in public charges and changes in indirect taxes are keeping price rises above the European Central Bank's acceptable two per cent limit. more...
Public Services
Railways, telecommunications and water supply all are supposed to be more efficient, cheaper and more reliable when they are no longer provided by the state. That is why the UK has radically privatised large parts of its public sector, although with only moderate success. Sweden, on the other hand, has gone for more competition - without selling state-owned companies. The result: high quality and low prices. more...
