IW-Policy Paper

The IW policy papers are published on current events and initiate political debates. They focus on the analysis and political classification of current decision papers and address a specialist audience with a close relationship to economic policy. They are published exclusively online.

Date | Relevance |

Competencies of the EU, the German Federal Government and the Laender

Klaus-Heiner Röhl ·
IW-Policy Paper Nr. 1 ·
6 January 2020

Reduction of Bureaucracy and Better Regulation

This Policy Paper analyses the relevant institutions and administrative measures for curbing bureaucracy in the European Union, for the German federal administration and at German Laender level.

Jörg Schmidt ·
IW-Policy Paper Nr. 13 ·
5 December 2019

Unclear added value for equal charges

The introduction of the Transparency in Wage Structures Act (EntgTranspG) in 2017 in Germany aimed to enforce the principle of equal pay for women and men. The main focus was on the statistically unexplained part of the gender pay gap and the resulting view that the practical application of the equal pay principle had not been realised. The first evaluation of the law was presented in July 2019.

Hubertus Bardt / Sebastian Dullien / Michael Hüther / Katja Rietzler ·
IW-Policy Paper Nr. 10 ·
18 November 2019

For a sound fiscal policy: Make investments possible!

Germany faces enormous challenges in modernizing its capital stock. After neglecting public investment over the last two decades, it is now necessary to update the infrastructure and gradually reduce the investment backlog.

Michael Hüther / Galina Kolev ·
IW-Policy Paper Nr. 10 ·
18 November 2019

Investment Fund for Germany

Germany is in need of investment. This applies to both private and public investment, since it serves as intermediate input for entrepreneurial activity and efficient coordination of microeconomic transactions.

Jochen Pimpertz ·
IW-Policy Paper Nr. 9 ·
23 September 2019

Citizen insurance - No solution for future challenges in the GKV

In Germany 9 out of 10 citizens are covered by the statutory health insurance scheme (SHI), which is organised on a pay-as-you-go basis. One tenth of the population, on the other hand, is covered by funded private health insurance schemes.

Susanne Seyda ·
IW-Policy Paper Nr. 7 ·
18 September 2019

How digitisation can be used to educate the low-skilled

The training participation of the low-skilled has increased significantly in recent decades. The main reasons are higher requirements and technical changes, which also affect the activities of low-skilled workers.

Hans-Peter Klös / David B. Meinhard ·
IW-Policy Paper Nr. 6 ·
27 August 2019

world of employment: Industrial competitiveness, digitisation and vocational training

The digital transformation in Germany's economy and society is in full swing. Not all of the indicators of Germany's technological performance show a pioneering role in digitization. The technological trends will therefore not remain without effects on the business models of companies operating in Germany.

Martin Beznoska / Tobias Hentze ·
IW-Policy Paper Nr. 5 ·
13 August 2019

A debt relief program for municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia

The indebtedness of the municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) has increased significantly over the past 20 years. Politicians have mainly used cash loans, which are generally intended to provide short term liquidity. However, the steady rise in cash loans shows that they are rather used for general budgetary financing.

Michael Hüther ·
IW-Policy Paper Nr. 4 ·
25 June 2019

2019: The year for a fresh start in Europe?!

The good news is that Europe will not be dominated by populist parties. For big tent parties, i.e. the conservative EPP and the social democratic PES, however, results still aren’t rosy – they are looking at heavy losses, including the loss of their joint majority.

In 2009, the Federal Government under Chancellor Angela Merkel and Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück decided to curb debt by amending the Basic Law.

Michael Hüther ·
IW-Policy Paper Nr. 3 ·
26 March 2019

10 years of debt brake - a concept with a future?

The introduction of the German debt brake 10 years ago was justified from a historical perspective. Compared to the early 1960s, the debt ratio had more than quadrupled from 20 to 80 percent despite consolidation efforts. In addition, due to government bonds yields well above the GDP growth rate, it was assumed that public borrowing would result in an intergenerational redistribution at the expense of future generations.