Bøger i ZEW Economic Studies serien

Nevertheless, we are convinced that our seemingly minor changes will set the budget on a path towards a more rational European budget which, in the end, will create leeway for financing European policies with a true European value added.

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.

Competition policy is an integral and prominent part of economic policy-making in the European Union. More precisely, the goal of EU competition policy is "to defend and develop effective competition in the common market" (European Commission, 2000: 7).

In the presence of a skill bias in labor demand, which increases the relative de mand for more highly skilled labor over time, there only seems to exist the choice between higher wage inequality or higher unemployment rates.

Offers an empirical analysis of the determinants of changes in the distribution of expenditure and revenue-raising powers among fiscal tiers in OECD countries. Using an indicator of fiscal decentralisation, which accounts for subnational decision-making autonomy, common decentralisation trends are investigated.

Our small book presents areport which has been prepared in the year 2000 for the Taxation and Custorns Union Directorate General of the European Commission, under contract no.

It is dealt with disparities in employment growth, unemployment, and wages between regional labor markets in Germany. The book enables to assess our current understanding of the role of locational issues in causing those disparities, and thus to understand the basic justification of regional policy.

This study is a comparison of French and German education and its impact on individual labour market outcomes. I am very grateful to my supervisor Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Wolfgang Franz for finding interest in this topic, allowing me the freedom to write my doctoral dissertation on this subject. I would like to thank him for his helpful assistance throughout this work. I am also indebted to Prof. Dr. Walter Miiller, from the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research, who kindly accepted to be my second supervisor. This work has been made possible through the financial support of the Thyssen Foundation within the framework of the project "Qualifikation und Arbeitsmarkterfolg in Deutschland und Frankreich - Der Einfluss von bildungs- und familienpolitischen Mafinahmen im Vergleich" which I grate­ fully acknowledge. Moreover, I would not have been able to do this piece of research without Dr. Ali Skalli, from the University Pantheon-Assas in Paris, who accepted me as an associate researcher at his institute and gave me access to the French data.

Using a data set of German corporations this book examines three topics in corporate governance: the frequency, causes, and consequences of control transfers; the determinants of acquisition and failure; and the role of corporate governance and market discipline for productivity growth.

In this book the relation between the characteristics of investors' preferences and expectations and equilibrium asset price processes are analysed.

In its Annual Report 2003/2004, the German Council of Economic Experts launched a dual income tax as an option for a fundamental tax reform in Germany. With regard to the latter, conceptual problems of tax law and of tax administration were to be addressed as well as possible transitional problems when implementing a dual income tax.

A synthesis of two international policy initiatives: climate protection agreements and global trade liberalisation agreements. The text provides guidelines on efficient strategies for climate change mitigation.

There is now a certain tradition of Anglo-German comparative research on new technology-based firms (NTBFs). Two of the most influential studies in this area have both been sponsored by the Anglo-German Foundation for the Study of In dustrial Society (AGF).

Foreign exchange intervention is frequently being used by central banks in countries which have a floating exchange rate.

This book is the resuh of a research project commissioned by the «IBC BAK In­ ternational Benchmark Club»®, an initiative by BAK Basel Economics, and car­ ried out by Zentrum fiir Europaische Wirtschaftsforschung (ZEW - Centre for European Economic Research), Mannheim. It contributes to the IBC's effort to evaluate and compare economic performance and location factors across European regions. The report provides the background to the headline figures presented at the International Benchmark Forum on June 11* and 12*, 2003, in Basel, as well as a large number of additional results. This work has benefited from the help of many institutions and individuals. Above all, we are indebted to the sponsors for financing the project in times of limited fiscal resources. We also would like to thank the members of the Steering Committee of the IBC module on taxation for their enduring support. Special thanks go to Kurt Diitschler of the Swiss Federal Tax Administration who was al­ ways ready to provide information on detailed aspects of the Swiss tax system. We are grateful to Christoph Koellreuter and Martin Eichler from BAK Basel for or­ ganising and promoting research on taxation inside the IBC. Our colleagues Christina Elschner and Gerd Gutekunst, ZEW, gave many detailed and very help­ ful comments. Finally, we owe thanks to Ulrike Nicolaus and Monika Jackmann who provided able help in preparing the final draft of this report. Of course, all remaining errors are our sole responsibility.

This text provides an integrated analysis of the implications for the energy system from the need to adapt to meet climate change targets and analyzes the role of improving energy technologies for the world and the EU markets.

Looking back over the last decade it can be said with some justification that sig nificant progress has been achieved on the way towards fully integrated financial markets in Europe.

The major challenge is how to realize these reduction goals with minimum costs without generating new distributional and social difficulties. The book analyses the macroeconomic structural and distributional impacts of greenhouse gas mitigation strategies for the EU and the member states.

Empirical measurement of impacts of active labour market programmes has started to become a central task of economic researchers. The empirical part provides the reader with econometric evaluations of active labour market programmes in Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Slovak Republic and Sweden.

Focusing on the ongoing integration process in the euro area and the EU, it analyses the integration process that has taken place since the 1980s and which is marked by the advent of the euro and the substantial enlargement that resulted from the accession of 12 new Member States in East and Southern Europe.

As the residential buildings sector accounts for around 30 percent of the final energy demand in Germany, this sector is increasingly becoming the focus of public attention with regard to climate change.