Long-term economic models are gaining in importance in the European Union. They enable cross-country comparisons as well as provide an as-is snapshot for policy makers. But demographic projections and forecasts of future labour force participation rates involve uncertainties and a number of...

While short-term prospects for the Austrian economy have weakened since last June's forecast revision, the pattern of risks is somewhat uneven as external downward risks slightly dominate domestic upward risks. Against this background, Austria's GDP is expected to grow by 0.6 percent in 2012 and...

With a modest increase of premium revenues by 1.1 percent in 2011, growth of Austria's private insurance companies remained below that of nominal GDP (+5 percent). Performance within the sector was uneven: while premium revenues in property-liability and accident insurance rose by a hefty 7.2...

After the slow pace recorded in 2014, growth of the Austrian economy is likely to remain modest also in early 2015. Leading indicators to date give no substantial hint for a revival of business activity. Hence, the conditions for a cyclical recovery during the first half of the year are hardly...

The European Central Bank starts to purchase government bonds of euro-zone countries; the Expanded Asset Purchase Programme (EAPP) is intended to increase liquidity in order to ward off the risks of a prolonged low inflation phase. Greece requires more financial aid. The sanctions imposed by the...

The WIFO Business Cycle Survey serves as an important early-indication tool for the economic situation in Austria. Using a Markov regime-switching model, it is possible to determine at an early point in time whether the business cycle is in its upward or downward mode. Regime probabilities are...

In recent years Austrian family policy was aimed at improving individual work-life balances and increasing the participation of fathers. This included introducing child care benefit months that cannot be transferred between partners, adding a short-term income-dependent option to the original...

Economic output stagnated in the fourth quarter of 2014 compared with the previous quarter, according to WIFO Quarterly National Accounts. Compared with a year before, the decline was 0.2 percent. For 2014 as a whole, economic growth was 0.3 percent. The slight increase in the impetus provided...

Family policies vary considerably, in their focus as much as in the instruments used, in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark, the countries chosen for the study. Germany's traditional type of family policy was fundamentally rehauled in recent years in order to boost female...

The promotion of inland waterway transport is one of the political priorities of the "European Union Strategy for the Danube Region". A growing share of inland waterway transport within the regional freight transport market is expected to raise the sustainability of the transport system and...