The increasing concentration of income and wealth on the national and international level is a topic that has received increased attention both in social science research as well as public policy debates. While data availability is a well-known and often-lamented problem in wealth studies,...

In this paper, I extend the Hein and Stockhammer model of distribution and inflation by incorporating structural trends of financialization through three Kaleckian channels: (1) sectoral recomposition, (2) financial overhead costs and rentiers' profit claims, and (3) the bargaining power of...

Im österreichischen Pensionsrecht ermöglicht eine durchgängige Erwerbskarriere eine Pensionshöhe von 80% des durchschnittlichen Erwerbseinkommens. In dieser Studie wird die Auswirkung einer allgemeinen zusätzlichen betrieblichen Altersvorsorge auf die Höhe der Erstpension untersucht. Eine...

Die Einführung von Politikinstrumenten zur Dekarbonisierung der Sektoren Gebäude und Mobilität bringt abhängig von bestimmten (sozioökonomischen) Bedingungen unterschiedliche Effekte für verschiedene Haushaltsgruppen mit sich. Die (vermeintliche) Regressivität von (primär preisbasierten)...

The increasing concentration of income and wealth on the national and international level is a topic that has received increased attention both in social science research as well as public policy debates. While data availability is a well-known and often-lamented problem in wealth studies,...

Die Nachfrage der österreichischen Privathaushalte nach Wohnbaukrediten stieg aufgrund der sinkenden Zinsen im ersten Quartal 2025 deutlich. Auch für das zweite Quartal 2025 erwarten die befragten Banken einen weiteren Anstieg der Kreditnachfrage. Im Gegensatz dazu sank die Kreditnachfrage der...

Die WIFO-Studie "Inflation und Außenwirtschaft" untersucht den komplexen Zusammenhang zwischen Inflation und Außenwirtschaft, insbesondere im Kontext der jüngsten Inflationswelle. Die zentralen Erkenntnisse zeigen, dass der theoretische Zusammenhang zwischen Inflation und Außenwirtschaft...

This study analyzes earnings volatility in Austria from 1980 to 2018, providing a comprehensive view of individual income instability and its demographic and structural determinants. Using administrative data, we examine volatility trends by gender, age, earnings deciles, and employment...

As populations in Asia and Europe face unprecedented levels of ageing, the demand for long-term care (LTC) is escalating, thereby challenging the sustainability of social protection systems. This paper employs a novel dynamic microsimulation model to project LTC demand and supply in Austria and...

Die Studie untersucht den Beitrag der unterschiedlichen Einkommensarten, insbesondere der Einkommen aus unselbständiger Beschäftigung zur Finanzierung der öffentlichen Haushalte im Jahr 2019. Neben dem typischerweise dargestellten Aufkommen aus direkten Abgaben (Sozialbeiträge und...

Der Investitionsbedarf für die Transformation zu einer klimaneutralen Wirtschaft in Europa wird von der Europäischen Kommission in der Basisvariante auf jährlich 7% bis 8% des Bruttoinlandsproduktes geschätzt. Die Versicherungswirtschaft kann die Transformation in erster Linie durch eine...

Die Wirkungen sozialpartnerschaftlicher Strukturen werden in der Arbeit aus verschiedenen Perspektiven untersucht. Der Ländervergleich zeigt, dass Länder mit koordinierten Lohnverhandlungssystemen ein hohes Beschäftigungsniveau und eine geringere Lohnungleichheit aufweisen. In Bezug auf...

This paper introduces a novel approach to decomposing consumer price inflation. Expanding upon the established decomposition method for the value-added deflator, our methodology combines the cost structure of the consumption expenditures from the input-output table with quarterly national...

Estimates of social insurance pension wealth are available for a number of Western economies, including Austria for the year 2017. Such wealth may be compared with conventional wealth in terms of size and distribution and when we add such estimates to measures of wealth in the conventional...

Europe's demographic shift is putting increasing pressure on long-term care (LTC) systems and raising concerns about the sustainability of LTC financing. This paper analyses Austria's LTC system, particularly its universal long-term care allowance (LTCA), and uses a dynamic microsimulation model...

The (supposed) regressivity of (primarily price-based) climate protection policy instruments often hampers an evidence-based discussion at the political level and is used as an argument against the implementation of corresponding measures. To assess the distributional implications of...

Labour shortages in Europe have led firms to adopt two key strategies: automation and the employment of migrants. This study empirically examines the relationship between robot adoption and immigrant labour (differentiated by region of origin and education level) in Austrian firms using a novel...

Population ageing will reshape economies around the world, with particular implications for longterm care (LTC) systems. As a result of past fertility decline, reflected in high levels of childlessness and smaller family networks, the growing demand for care is confronted by a declining supply...

The digital transformation in banking, which is supported by the European regulatory framework, has enabled new business models for banking. One example of these changes is the emergence of neobanks. We examine the presence of neobanks in two national markets, Austria and Slovenia. Despite the...

On 1 January 2025, the Transit Agreement, which has provided political, commercial, technical and legal grounds for the transit of Russian gas across Ukraine during 2020-24, will expire. Once it happens - and if no extension or alternative transit arrangement are agreed - the transit will stop....

The dynamics of Austria's economic relations with the EU Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine - and with Russia have deviated from those of the EU in several important ways. During the decade preceding the war in Ukraine, Austrian trade...

In the 2021-2027 programming period, the Cohesion Policy remains the main source of financial support in the area of employment and the labour market. On the cases of Austria and the Czech Republic, problem areas are analysed and their projection into the setting of goals financed from the ESF+...

Private bankruptcy offers over-indebted persons the possibility to obtain a discharge of debts under certain conditions. From 1995 to 2023, a total of about 215,000 private bankruptcy petitions were filed in Austria. The annual number of applications rose steadily until the end of the 2000s....

This policy note explores key issues in the Danube Region, focusing on labour market dynamics, including the development of digital skills, foreign direct investment (FDI) with a particular emphasis on FDI in the IT sector, and the robotisation and automation of the region's industries. Covering...

We analyze the novel transactional card expenditure data for Germany and Austria provided by Fable Data. We describe key features of the data in terms of the coverage of expenditure items, payment channels, and the distribution of expenditures across regions and time. We highlight strengths and...

While the potential of carbon pricing to curb CO2 emissions is widely acknowledged, the instrument keeps being disputed due to its potential regressivity and the burden it places on low-income households. Recently also the issue of horizontal inequalities has gained in importance in political...

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, divorce rates across European countries significantly declined and remained low through 2023. This sustained low level is notable, especially given the potential for a rebound in postponed divorces. This study examines partnership dissolution in...

We analyze the novel transactional card expenditure data for Germany and Austria provided by Fable Data. We describe key features of the data in terms of the coverage of expenditure items, payment channels, and the distribution of expenditures across regions and time. We highlight strengths and...

Using linked vacancy-employer-employee data from Austria, we investigate how monopsony power affects firms' posting behavior and wage negotiations. Consistent with theoretical predictions, we find that firms with greater monopsony power post lower wages and offer fewer non-wage amenities,...

Collective skill formation systems were central to sustaining a high-road approach to economic development in industrial societies while maintaining social inclusion. But can they still deliver in knowledge-based societies, both economically and socially? This article argues that nothing...

Social services within predominantly service-based public administration are undergoing constant reforms in response to evolving social circumstances. These reforms should align with international and constitutional principles, including the rule of law, the welfare state, and public governance,...

Wie kann die Arbeitsmarktpolitik Jugendliche beim Berufseinstieg unterstützen? Alban Knecht analysiert politische Diskurse und institutionelle Veränderungen der Beschäftigungsförderung benachteiligter Jugendlicher in Österreich vor dem Hintergrund der Ressourcentheorie. Er diskutiert die...