A key challenge in the work of a competition authority is the investigation of various business conducts with respect to their effects on market competition. In case of horizontal mergers, the authority…

Adverse weather conditions that hamper outdoor construction work have been the prime justification for promoting all-season employment in the construction sector in many European countries. The aim is to reduce…

The European Cohesion Policy aims at promoting economic and social cohesion by reducing the gap between the development levels of the various regions. The ultimate goal is to reach a convergence of regional GDP…

In recent years, the long-run development of job stability has been of considerable interest in empirical economic research resulting in a large number of published studies. However, these studies do not…

The measurement of integration is of considerable policy relevance. For example, the European Central Bank mission statement reads: "We in the Eurosystem have as our primary objective the maintenance of price…

In recent years, the view of patents as a policy tool to stimulate R&D has increasingly come under criticism. The theoretical literature has shown that when research is sequential and builds upon previous…

Deep-seated capabilities formed in early childhood, a period of dramatic growth and need for intensive interaction with an "invested adult", may have long-term implications for human development and personality.…

Deregulation and privatization of public utilities in grid-based industries raises the question on how to provide an efficient access to the network infrastructure to entering service providers. Often the…

The traditional argument that shorter product cycles favor trade secrets over patenting is based on the presumption that copying becomes less pro table and trade secrets less likely to be discovered when a…

Downward rigid wages are of major importance in economic policy and are severely discussed in the public. Especially in Germany, where the nominal wage level is above that of its main international competitors,…

• Switzerland: Economic Expectations Edge up Slightly at a Low Level
• Eurozone: Second Deep Rate Cut due to Deteriorating Economic Prospects
• USA: Cuts in Benchmark Interest Rates Brighten up the Economic Outlook
• Japan…