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IW-Reports

Research papers from the German Economic Institute

Second Quarter 2019
  • Markus Demary ·
  • IW-Report No. 15 ·
  • 18 April 2019

IW Financial Expert Survey: Second Quarter 2019

Pessimism determines the experts’ predictions for the second and third quarter of 2019 which can be inferred from the downward revisions of the experts’ forecasts. All in all, more downward revisions than upward revisions can be found in the forecasts indicating that the experts have interpreted the incoming information between end of December 2018 and end of March 2019 as bad news.

Empirical Analysis of Protectionist Attitudes in the EU
  • Galina Kolev ·
  • IW-Report No. 9 ·
  • 22 March 2019

Understanding Protectionism: Empirical Analysis of Protectionist Attitudes in the EU

A changing landscape in trade policy in recent years is undoubtedly related to changing voter preferences. Based on Eurobarometer survey data, the present paper investigates both the factors determining the level of support for protectionism and the striking inconsistency of responses to questions related to free trade and protectionism.

First Quarter 2019
  • Markus Demary ·
  • IW-Report No. 4 ·
  • 16 January 2019

IW Financial Expert Survey: First Quarter 2019

Pessimism determines the experts’ predictions for the first and second quarter of 2019 which can be inferred from the downward revisions of the experts’ forecasts.

Homesharing in the German federal state of North Rhine - Westphalia
  • Vera Demary ·
  • IW-Report No. 3 ·
  • 14 January 2019

Homesharing in the German federal state of North Rhine - Westphalia

A professional, continuous short term letting of accommodation via home sharing platforms like Airbnb can lead to a reduction of housing space and therefore intensify housing shortages.

The challenge of moving to a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base in the EU
  • Tobias Hentze ·
  • IW-Report No. 2 ·
  • 14 January 2019

The challenge of moving to a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base in the EU

International tax competition has been an emerging issue for years. There are various political approaches to agree on common standards on a supranational level. In 2013, the OECD presented a first draft of its action plan against Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS), which has been eventually finalized.

Reasons for the Declining Real Interest Rates
  • Markus Demary / Michael Voigtländer ·
  • IW-Report No. 47 ·
  • 13 December 2018

Reasons for the Declining Real Interest Rates

The low nominal interest rate environment is a hotly debated phenomenon among politicians, financial market participants and households. Savers fear the erosion of their retirement savings, while financial supervisors warn of the stability risks caused by declining bank profitability and by the declining profitability of life insurers. Moreover, financial supervisors fear an increase in household debt triggered by a high demand for cheap loans.

Why a free trade area for goods is in the interest of the EU and how to achieve a sound balance of rights and obligations
  • Jürgen Matthes ·
  • IW-Report No. 38 ·
  • 16 October 2018

Brexit: Why a free trade area for goods is in the interest of the EU

In the political declaration of the Withdrawal Agreement the EU should leave the door open for a free trade area for goods that has been suggested by the UK’s Chequers proposals.

IW Financial Expert Survey
  • Markus Demary ·
  • IW-Report No. 37 ·
  • 15 October 2018

Fourth Quarter 2018: IW Financial Expert Survey

The experts of the IW Financial Expert Survey predict a steeper yield curve with a larger increase in long-term than in short-term interest rates by the end of the first quarter of 2019. Moreover, the average forecasts indicate higher stock market indices, a mild depreciation of the Euro vis-à-vis the US-Dollar with a larger appreciation in the first quarter of 2019.

Patent Performance of the German Vehicle Industry
  • Oliver Koppel / Thomas Puls / Enno Röben ·
  • IW-Report No. 34 ·
  • 18 September 2018

Patent Performance of the German Vehicle Industry

Trends like power train electrification and autonomous driving are causing a major structural change in vehicle manufacturing. This study will analyse to what extent German vehicle manu-facturers are ready to cope with these challenges.

On the relevance and perspectives of commercial construction in the EU
  • Pekka Sagner / Michael Voigtländer ·
  • IW-Report No. 32 ·
  • 5 September 2018

On the relevance and perspectives of commercial construction in the EU

In this paper, we present the current state of European investments in construction. Furthermore we showed how construction investments fared in comparison to overall GFCF, noting that construction investments are still below their peak levels in 2007 for both investments in dwellings and the construction of non-residential buildings and structures.

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