DIW Economic Bulletin

Internationalization of Business Research: New Locations Gaining Ground

In recent years, German and foreign companies have consistently increased their investment in Research and Development in Germany. In 2009, investment was over 45 billion euros which was a third higher than in 2001. While foreign companies have significantly expanded their Research and Development activities in Germany, German investment abroad has stagnated. Overall, Germany had a positive balance ...

Private Wealth Could Be Used to Stabilize Public Finances: Six Questions to Stefan Bach

Capital Levies: A Step Towards Improving Public Finances in Europe

Ever since the financial and economic crisis of 2008/2009, public debt in almost all OECD countries has increased significantly. The European debt crisis has further intensified over the past few weeks. Private households with high levels of wealth and income could be enlisted to help with refinancing and reducing this public debt through forced loans and one-off capital levies, without a risk of slowdown ...

Ganzes Heft

Income Distribution: An Important Factor for Economic Forecasts

The development of private consumption is a crucial factor in compiling macroeconomic projections as part of national accounts. Household savings also play an important role as an explanatory variable for consumer development, since private households must decide whether to spend their incomes on consumption or saving. The estimated savings rate in DIW Berlin's economic projections can be improved ...

We Have Hidden Underemployment: Seven Questions to Karl Brenke

Long Hours for Low Pay

There has been no robust growth of the low-pay sector in Germany since 2006. Over the past few years, a constant 22 percent of all employees have fallen into this category. The job structure within the low-pay sector has not changed in the last decade. In the economy as a whole, however, there has been less and less demand for low-skilled work, which is increasingly becoming concentrated in the low-pay ...

Ganzes Heft

Targeted Support for New Photovoltaic Installations Requires Flexible and Regular Adjustments

Feed-in tariffs have proven to be an effective instrument in supporting renewable energies. As a result of the dynamic price trend of photovoltaics, the actual number of systems installed has repeatedly exceeded initial government targets. Therefore, the support for new solar power installations by the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) has been adjusted several times. Based on the experiences ...

We Should Not Overshoot the Target: Six Questions to Jochen Diekmann

The Proposed Adjustment of Germany's Renewable Energy Law: A Critical Assessment

Support through the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) has led, in the past few years, to an unexpectedly wide expansion of systems for generating solar power (photovoltaics) because the system prices for photovoltaic (PV) systems have fallen at a faster rate than the solar power feed-in tariffs guaranteed by the law. This has also contributed to a substantial increase in the EEG surcharge to ...

Ganzes Heft

German Manufacturing Withstands the Rise of Emerging Economies

Between 2000 and 2009, China became the second largest industrialized nation, while manufacturing industries in other emerging and many Eastern European countries also experienced very strong growth. However, Germany was largely able to maintain its share of global industrial output. In 2009, as in 2000, Germany's value added share represented around 6.5 percent. This shows that Germany as an industrial ...

University Graduates Alone Meet Demand: Six Questions to Karl Brenke

Engineers in Germany: No Shortage in Sight

There is no let up in complaints about a potential lack of engineers in Germany. The Association of German Engineers (Verein Deutscher Ingenieure, VDI) recently declared that because of the high average age of engineers working in Germany (50 to 51), there will soon be a huge demand for a new generation of engineers. Upon closer examination, these fears prove to be unfounded. Although there has been ...

Ganzes Heft

Passed Over for Promotions: Women Still Severely Underrepresented on Financial Sector Boards

Opportunities to increase the proportion of female board members in Germany's financial sector were missed during post-crisis period of management shakeups. As of 2011, the proportion of women on executive boards was still as low as in previous years: 3.2 percent in Germany's 100 largest banks and savings banks and 3.6 percent at 59 insurance companies surveyed. The percentage of women on supervisory ...

It Seems Only Sanctions Will Help: Six Questions to Elke Holst

Top-Level Management in Large Companies: Persistent Male-Dominated Structures Leave Little Room for Women

The aim of recruiting more women into top-level management positions in business is attracting increasing interest among the general public and policy-makers alike. Calls for a quota for women and the widely publicized appointment of four women to the executive boards of DAX 30 companies in 2011 still does not detract from the fact that women continue to play a marginal role in the most important economic ...

Ganzes Heft