Zusammenfassung Der Beitrag untersucht die Auswirkungen der Antriebswende im Pkw-Verkehr auf die öffentlichen Einnahmen aus dem motorisierten Individualverkehr in Deutschland – derzeit rund 51,2 Milliarden Euro jährlich. Da der Wechsel zu batterieelektrischen Fahrzeugen die Einnahmen aus der Energiesteuer stark reduzieren wird, entsteht ab etwa 2031 eine erhebliche Einnahmelücke. In einem dynamischen Simulationsmodell vergleichen wir fünf Instrumente zum Ausgleich der Einnahmelücke: Fahrstromsteuer, Pkw-Maut, Vignette, Kfz-Steuererhöhung und Energiesteuererhöhung. Wir ermitteln die jeweilige Abgabenhöhe und vergleichen die Szenarien hinsichtlich Effizienz, Verteilungswirkungen, Planbarkeit, Finanzierung und Transformation. Die Maut schneidet bei der Effizienz am besten ab. Die Fahrstromsteuer ist am wenigsten regressiv. Maut und Vignette bieten hohe Einnahmenplanbarkeit. Nur die Energiesteuererhöhung beschleunigt die Transformation, kann das Einnahmenziel jedoch über 2040 hinaus nicht aufrechterhalten.

This paper introduces the vehicle value externality as a previously unacknowledged cost of car traffic. Unlike established externalities such as emissions or congestion, the vehicle value externality arises from the impact of vehicle value on accident damages. By developing a model linking insurance premiums to this externality and applying it to German car traffic data, we estimate the annual aggregate cost at 10 billion euros in 2021.

This paper examines the normative criteria for setting the statutory retirement age (SRA) under majority voting. It finds that when the working population forms the democratic majority, the SRA tends to be set inefficiently low. This inefficiency stems from a positive fiscal externality in pay-as-you-go pension systems: workers determining the SRA do not consider the benefits that a higher retirement age provides to current pensioners. Using a continuous-time overlapping generations model, the paper demonstrates that a Pareto improvement can be achieved by raising the SRA-provided it is accompanied by compensatory transfers from pensioners to workers at the time of the increase.

This paper examines age-specific individual preferences for the legal retirement age. Within a theoretical model, we develop the hypothesis that retirees prefer a higher legal retirement age than workers, and that newly retired individuals prefer the highest retirement age. Retirees benefit from a positive fiscal externality. A higher legal retirement age leads to higher pension benefits, without retirees having to bear the costs in the form of a longer working life. We corroborate the hypothesis empirically with a fuzzy regression discontinuity design and show that newly retired individuals are indeed most in favor of an increasing retirement age. We conclude that in aging societies the political feasibility of raising the legal retirement age increases.

Abstract An Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) is a program in the EU that allows participating member states to subsidise the research and innovation of private companies. This paper addresses the question to what extent does IPCEI contribute to a better innovation climate. The paper argues that Germany does not need IPCEI. More than direct subsidies, an innovation-friendly climate in Germany necessitates appropriate tax and capital market conditions, robust research universities, reasonable data accessibility and less technology skepticism.

Zusammenfassung Der Zweite Nachtragshaushalt 2021 beinhaltet eine Zuweisung von 60 Mrd. Euro aus dem Kernhaushalt des Bundes an das Sondervermögen „Energie- und Klimafonds“ aus bislang nicht genutzten Kreditermächtigungen. Angesichts der kombinierten Herausforderungen von Corona-Pandemie und Klimatransformation erscheint diese Vorgehensweise ökonomisch und fiskalisch vertretbar. Alternative Finanzierungsmodelle würden die wirtschaftliche Erholung erschweren oder die Gefahr einer fortdauernden Aushebelung der Schuldenbremse bergen.

The European Central Bank (ECB) is currently conducting a review of its monetary policy strategy. The last formal review took place in 2003. Now the focus is on the extent to which this strategy has contributed in recent years to fulfill the mandate set out in the Treaties of the European Union and whether certain elements need to be adjusted. Against this background, the Kronberger Kreis, the academic advisory board of the Stiftung Marktwirtschaft (Market Economy Foundation), examines whether the ECB's monetary policy strategy still holds promise for success, whether its mandate should be reinterpreted and how the use of specific instruments should be assessed. In its analysis, the Kronberger Kreis draws on the experience of the financial crisis, the euro debt crisis and the coronavirus crisis and argues that greater attention should be paid to the side effects and proportionality of monetary policy measures. The central banks of the Eurosystem are now the largest creditors of the member states. Fiscal dominance of monetary policy should be avoided. The ECB's hierarchical mandate prioritizing price stability should not be called into question. The envisaged numerical target for consumer price inflation of below, but close to, two percent remains reasonable. However, the ECB should also consider other measures of inflation in its decisions and their communication. In addition, the ECB should rely more strongly on quantitative benchmarks (interest rate rules, money supply growth). The transparency of monetary policy could be significantly increased, for example, by publishing surveys and forecasts of the ECB's Governing Council. In principle, all measures must take into account the need to strengthen the independence of the ECB and the stability of the monetary union.

Download This Paper Open PDF in Browser Add Paper to My Library Share: Permalink Using these links will ensure access to this page indefinitely Copy URL Copy DOI

Following the Bologna Declaration, Europe's higher education sector has become increasingly integrated causing competition among universities that is no longer bound to national borders. In light of this development, the present paper investigates the relative efficiency of 450 European universities between 2011 and 2014. The novelty of our approach lies in its extended coverage of university outputs and in the thorough comparison of peers. We focus primarily on subject orientation for identifying peers, not only because of its substantial variation across Europe's university sector, but also because we find it to be closely linked to several other institutional attributes. Differences at the subject level even become evident for some of the drivers of efficiency. However, we do discover two important efficiency drivers, namely institutional size and the extent of external funding, that have positive effects in all subject clusters.

Zusammenfassung Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht, ob es einen Zusammenhang gibt zwischen der Verschuldung einer Kommune und ihrer Neigung, Infrastrukturprojekte in Form von Öffentlich-privaten Partnerschaften zu realisieren. Ähnlich wie Kredite verschieben Öffentlich-private Partnerschaften (ÖPP) Zahlungsverpflichtungen der öffentlichen Hand in die Zukunft. Gelegentlich wird deshalb argumentiert, dass Gebietskörperschaften ÖPP dazu missbrauchen, das tatsächliche Ausmaß öffentlicher Verschuldung zu verschleiern. Kommunen, die das Verschuldungsinstrument bereits intensiv genutzt haben, sollten dann eine höhere ÖPP-Neigung aufweisen. Der vorliegende Beitrag findet dafür keine belastbare Evidenz. Mit Hilfe von Daten des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen findet der Beitrag zwar, dass Kommunen mit ÖPP auch eine höhere Verschuldung aufweisen. In einer ökonometrischen Analyse entpuppt sich der Effekt der Verschuldung auf die Anzahl von ÖPP aber als insignifikant und zudem quantitativ unbedeutend.

ABSTRACTWe perform two approaches of machine learning, logistic regressions and decision trees, to predict student dropout at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The models are computed on...

In this study we investigate the relationship between religious and charitable giving. We test how income, the tax-price of giving and the German church tax, differently affect charitable donations of church members, individuals leaving church and nonchurch members. We find crowding in between the church tax and charitable giving for church members, but not for the church-leavers. In contrast to church members, donations of church-leavers and non-members are also highly responsive to the tax deductibility. Additionally, non-donors exhibit a significantly increased probability of leaving church compared to donors. Finally, we demonstrate that leaving church increases donations on the extensive margin but decrease giving along the intensive margin.

Within a politico-economic model we first establish three hypotheses: (i) Retirees generally prefer a higher retirement age than workers, whereby just retired individuals prefer the highest retirement age, (ii) in equilibrium the level of the legal retirement age is increasing in longevity and (iii) decreasing in the public pension replacement rate. We then test these hypotheses empirically. Employing micro data for Germany we corroborate the first hypothesis with descriptive regressions and a fuzzy regression discontinuity (FRD) design. We show that just retired individuals are indeed most in favor of an increase in the legal retirement age. On the basis of cross country panel IV regressions we provide evidence for the second and third hypothesis. We demonstrate that a one percentage point increase in the share of the elderly increases the legal retirement age by 0.3 to 0.5 years, and that a 10 percentage point increase in the replacement rate reduces the legal retirement age by 0.5 to 3 years. We conclude that if policy contains the generosity of public pensions, increasing the legal retirement age becomes politically more feasible.

Der vorliegende Beitrag charakterisiert zunächst ein optimal ausbalanciertes Tabaksteuersystem. Ein solches System trägt den Ausweichreaktionen auf der Nachfrage- und Angebotsseite im Tabakmarkt Rechnung, verfolgt gesundheitspolitische Ziele und berücksichtigt Verteilungseffekte der Tabakbesteuerung. Anschließend entwickelt der Beitrag anhand von zwei Fallstudien, Deutschland und Griechenland, eine Best Practice der Tabaksteuerpolitik. Die Studie zeigt, dass sich ein optimales Tabaksteuersystem dadurch auszeichnet, dass es differenzierte Steuersätze für verschiedene Tabakprodukte enthält. Neben stärker besteuerten Produkten wie Markenzigaretten enthält ein optimales Tabaksteuersystem geringere Steuersätze für Tabakprodukte wie etwa Feinschnitt.

Sowohl Deutschland als auch Griechenland haben ab 2010 ihre Tabaksteuern erhöht. Beide Länder erheben Tabaksteuern insbesondere zu Einnahmezwecken, verfolgen daneben aber auch Lenkungsziele. Vor allem in Griechenland wurde auch die Struktur der Tabaksteuer von einem überwiegenden Anteil einer Wertsteuer hin zu einer Mengensteuer entwickelt. Der Vergleich der beiden Länder zeigt, dass es dem deutschen Steuerstaat gelingt, einen stabilen Einnahmefluss zu generieren, während die griechische Tabakwarenbesteuerung insbesondere zu Steuervermeidungsaktivitäten der Raucher führt.

Being granted a title enhances the status of the awardee while its loss has an opposite effect. The present article examines whether the latter effect dominates the former in the sense that elevation is less status-enhancing than relegation is status-damaging. Thereto, we use the three consecutive rounds of the German Excellence Initiative (a publicly funded program to promote outstanding research at German universities) as a natural experiment. We provide evidence that the loss of the title as a so-called “elite university” had a negative effect on the number of first year students. In contrast, we find no evidence for a positive effect on the number of first year students when a university is granted the title. Placebo tests suggest that this effect is in fact due to the loss of the elite status and does not result from a decline in university quality.