Publikationen des Vorstandsbereichs

Germany Needs Stronger Wage: Five Questions to Karl Brenke

Industrial Development: France and Germany Drifting Apart

The significance of the manufacturing sector for the economies of both the European Union and the euro area has declined dramatically over the past ten years. However, development varied between the individual member states, which is particularly evident in a comparison between France and Germany. The manufacturing industry in Germany was able to maintain its position within the national economy, halting ...

A Skeptical View of Mechanisms for Business Cycle Harmonization in the Euro Area

The European Monetary Union brought with it a standardization of monetary policy and a system of fixed exchange rates. This was accompanied by disincentive effects which, in turn, resulted in serious economic distortions. Proposals are currently being made - not only by DIW Berlin - as to how compensatory payment mechanisms could be used to better synchronize the economic development of the member ...

Unemployment in Europe: Young People Affected Much Harder Than Adults

The crises of the past few years have led to a significant increase in youth unemployment in Europe. This, in turn, has highlighted the long standing phenomenon of well above average youth unemployment. In some countries, the youth unemployment rate reached unprecedented levels, although the rise of unemployment among young people was no more significant than among adults. Furthermore, the media portrayal ...

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 ...

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 ...

Self-Employment in Germany: The Trend Has Been Increasing for Some Time

Entrepreneurial self-employment in Germany has undergone a strong upturn in the last 20 years. The number of self-employed people rose by 40 percent between 1991 and 2009. The reasons for this development are the catch-up processes in eastern Germany, structural change towards the service sector, and a strong willingness among the highly skilled, the unmarried and among foreigners to enter self-employment. ...

There Is Virtually No Export Base: Six Questions to Karl Brenke