In spite of the widespread use of the concept of potential output in economic theory and empirical applications as well as in economic policy debates, the historical background and the assumptions inherent to this concept are rarely made transparent, let alone critically questioned. Against this...

State-owned enterprises (SOEs) provide opportunities for a more flexible and market-based provision of public services. At the same time, they may impair fiscal transparency and offer politicians discretion in the presence of strict fiscal rules if these only constrain the core udget. Using a...

Der Bundeshaushalt hat im Jahr 2023 mit 20,0 Prozent jeden fünften Euro für Zukunftsausgaben eingesetzt. Die Zukunftsausrichtung des Bundeshaushalts war zuvor in der Pandemie auf einen Wert von nur 18,2 Prozent abgesackt, hat sich seitdem jedoch wieder erholt. Zum Anstieg der Zukunftsausgaben...

This paper analyses the impact of the monetary regime change from the Bundesbank to the ECB in 1999 on inflation expectations. In the theoretical part, the Barro-Gordon model is used to derive the potential effect of a new central bank on inflation, inflation expectations and forecast errors....

This contribution develops a blueprint for a European fiscal union. We argue that a viable European fiscal union can be constructed without joint liability for public debt or a centralized government with a large common budget. Such a fiscal union should combine elements of market discipline...