[Conclusion] Taken together, the analysis in this paper does not support the conventional wisdom that the welfare state hinders country competitiveness, or that social expenditure (financed through corporate taxation) deters inward foreign direct investment. Instead, we find that welfare...

The recent Employment and Social Developments report by the European Commission has drawn a bleak picture of the economic situation in Europe. Unemployment levels are on record-highs, household incomes have declined, and risks of poverty and social exclusion have risen, most notably in Southern...

Since Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus first began launching joint ventures with multinational corporations (MNCs) in Bangladesh, his social business concept has received international attention. What's the meaning of social business? What can it contribute to poverty reduction, and how does...

At the turn of the year 2012/2013 the Eurogroup and the European Commission heralded the message that the worst crisis in Greece would be over. According to this message, the Greek government had delivered the promised steps of structural and fiscal reforms and had agreed with a tough timetable...

[A new chapter of the Greek crisis?] Already at the turn of the year 2012/2013 the Eurogroup and the European Commission heralded the message that the worst crisis in Greece would be over. According to this message, the Greek government had delivered the promised steps of structural and fiscal...

Anfang Februar 2015 startete in Brüssel die achte Verhandlungsrunde zur Transatlantischen Handels- und Investitionspartnerschaft (TTIP). Ziel der Initiative ist der Abbau von Handelsund Investitionshemmnissen, um sowohl den Vereinigten Staaten als auch den Ländern der Europäischen Union...

[Problemstellung] Die OECD veröffentlicht für ihre Mitgliedsländer seit Jahrzehnten regelmäßig Daten über die Lohnsteuer- und die Sozialabgabenbelastung typischer Arbeitnehmerhaushalte. Nach der aktuellsten Untersuchung wurde ein lediger Arbeitnehmer in Deutschland im Jahr 2013 bei einem...

[Concluding remarks] The financial crisis has rendered conventional monetary policy (of major central banks) powerless. Unconventional monetary policy, in the form of forward guidance and quantitative easing, has taken center stage. Recent moves in financial markets have challenged the notion...