Germany is the laggard of Europe, yet the country is world champion in merchandise exports. The paper tries to solve this theoretical and empirical puzzle by diagnosing a pathological export boomʺ and a bazaar effectʺ. Excessively high wages defended by unions and the welfare state against the...

Deutschland ist zum kranken Mann Europas geworden. Das Bildungssystem ist miserabel, die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit katastrophal. Die demografische Entwicklung lässt uns einknicken, die sozialen Sicherungssysteme sind marode und produzieren noch mehr Arbeitslosigkeit. Politiker, Wirtschaft und...

In der 7. Aufl. werden die aktuellsten politischen Beschlüsse zur deutschen Sozialreform argumentativ und rechnerisch berücksichtigt. Allerdings gibt es schon wieder neue, wie z.B. zur Gestaltung der Hinzuverdienstmöglichkeiten bei Hartz IV.

The first shall be last -- How German workers lost their competitive edge -- Trade-union capitalism -- Competing against the welfare state -- The withering East -- Taxes and transfers : the endless loop -- The birth dearth -- EU enlargement, migration, and the new EU constitution -- Rethinking...

A prominent economist argues in this German bestseller that Germany can rescue its sluggish economy by transforming its social welfare system and reforming its labor market and tax structure, offering insights into economic dilemmas experienced by all advanced economies in a time of globalization.

The forces of the market and systems competition bring about economic and social convergence in Europe. There is no need for social policies at the EU level. Social harmonisation would distort migration flows and slow down the speed of economic convergence. National welfare states will be...