[ZEW Newsletter English Edition] 2014-04 *zew-newsletter-englishedition at mx-assp2.zew.de* zew-newsletter-englishedition at mx-assp2.zew.de /Tue Apr 29 16:35:05 MEST 2014/ * Next message: [ZEW Newsletter English Edition] 2014-04 * *Messages sorted by:* [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Z E W N E W S L E T T E R E N G L I S H E D I T I O N No. 2014-04 April 29, 2014 (Yvonne Braeutigam, newsletter-en at zew.de ) http://www.zew.eu _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Content 1. NEWS 2. STAFF 2.1. Visiting Researchers 3. PRESS RELEASES 4. RECENT PUBLICATIONS IN ENGLISH 4.1. ZEWnews English Edition 4.2. Financial Market Report Switzerland 4.3. ZEW Discussion Papers IN GERMAN 4.4. ZEW-Finanzmarktreport (ZEW Financial Market Report) 4.5. ZEW-Branchenreport Informationswirtschaft (ZEW Sector Report for the Information Economy) 4.6. ZEW Discussion Papers 4.7. Gutachten/Forschungsberichte (Expertises/Research Reports) 5. NEW RESEARCH PROJECTS 6. EVENTS 6.1. Public Events 6.2. Scientific Events _____________________________________________________________________ 1. NEWS 29.04.2014 Fourth SEEK Annual Conference "Public Finance and Income Distribution in Europe" at ZEW: Fiscal policy and public debt, income and wealth inequality in Europe, the prospects for a European fiscal union - these topics are at the heart of current academic and policy debates against the backdrop of the euro crisis. The fourth annual conference of the SEEK (Strengthening Efficiency and Competitiveness in the European Knowledge Economies) research programme at ZEW on May 15 and 16, 2014, will address these issues. Professor Thomas Piketty, Paris School of Economics, will deliver a keynote speech on May 16, 11:30 a.m. Piketty's book "Capital in the Twenty-First Century" has jumped onto the New York Times bestseller list and is the current No. 1 on Amazon in the US. In his keynote, Piketty will discuss his book, in which he issues a warning about the growing gulf between rich and poor. Professor Andreas Peichl, head of ZEW's Research Group "International Distribution and Redistribution", will host the subsequent discussion. You can watch the conference and all keynotes in the live stream from May 15, 1:00 p.m., at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/seek-conference-2014. See the conference programme and additional information at: http://seek.zew.eu/en/seek/events/conferences 25.04.2014 New SEEK Projects Started on April 1, 2014: The review process of proposals submitted for the fifth call for projects in the SEEK research programme has been completed. Six new projects started on April 1, 2014. In a rigorous selection process, an expert committee of renowned researchers assessed 26 high-quality project proposals and finally approved six submissions. The projects were selected for the SEEK research programme due to their extraordinary scientific quality and originality, and because of the high level of international cooperation and exchange among the researchers involved. In all project teams ZEW researchers co-operate closely with internationally distinguished colleagues. Against the backdrop of the European economic and financial crisis, demand is higher than ever for economic expertise and independent, scientifically grounded policy advice. The 2014 SEEK projects thus focus on the central topic "Overcoming the Crisis in Europe". Their target is to deepen our understanding of the crisis and to provide politicians and decision-makers with empirical, science-based expertise. Read more: http://www.zew.de/news2619 16.04.2014 ZEW Supports School Project on Sustainability: A research project on sustainability gave a group of 15 eleventh-form students of Karl Ritter von Frisch Grammar School in Moosburg the opportunity to gain insights into the work at ZEW. In mid-March, Christiane Reif, researcher with the ZEW Research Department "Environmental and Resource Economics, Environmental Management", introduced the students to an economic perspective on climate change: Why is the global climate a public good? What is the free-rider problem in climate policy negotiations? Christiane Reif and the students discussed possible solutions to those questions. One of the school project's major goals is to offer students the opportunity to look into the working world. In this context, Christiane Reif gave a crash course on research work. She also introduced ZEW as an employer and a place for vocational training. 10.04.2014 Q&A: Will Germany Manage to Balance its 2015 Federal Budget? A Government Never Needs to Pay off its Debt: Germany's Federal Minister of Finance, Wolfgang Schaeuble, plans to reduce the country's budget deficit this year to seven billion euros. In 2015 he hopes to eliminate the deficit altogether. How realistic are these goals and what do they mean for Germany? Friedrich Heinemann, Head of the Research Department "Corporate Taxation and Public Finance" at the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), provides insight. Read more: http://www.zew.de/news2609 01.04.2014 ZEW President Fuest Appointed to "High-Level Group" on EU Financing Reform: On a proposal of the European Council, the President of the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), Prof. Clemens Fuest, has been appointed to the newly created EU's "High-Level Group on Own Resources". The group's objective is to develop proposals for the future financing of the European Union and to identify ways to make the present EU own-resources system more accountable, fair, and transparent. The European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament had agreed on establishing such a group during the negotiations over the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework for 2014-2020. The Commission, the Council and the Parliament each appoint three members to the working group. Former EU Commissioner and Prime Minister of Italy Mario Monti chairs the group. Read more: http://www.zew.de/press2603 2. STAFF 2.1. Visiting Researchers Maria Victoria Roman de Lara Visiting Researcher at ZEW: Maria Victoria Roman de Lara was a visiting researcher at ZEW's Research Department "Environmental and Resource Economics, Environmental Management" from March 1 to April 15, 2014. She is a junior researcher and a PhD student at the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3) in Spain. During her stay, she worked closely with ZEW researchers on a theoretical model of the welfare effects of different international funding instruments. She supported its calibration and the calculation of compensations demanded by some developing countries in order to raise their current ambitions in climate change objectives. Additional information on Maria Victoria Roman de Lara at: http://www.bc3research.org/en/mavi_roman.html 3. PRESS RELEASES 17.04.2014 - ZEW (der/ggr) Positive Economic Sentiment Due to Optimistic Business Expectations: The economic sentiment within the information economy sector has remained positive throughout the first quarter of 2014. Compared to the previous quarter, the ZEW Sentiment Indicator Information Economy has increased slightly by 0.3 points. With a total value of 64.8 points, the indicator clearly exceeds the crucial 50-points mark; undercutting this mark is a sign of impending deterioration of economic sentiment. The sentiment indicator for the entire information economy has performed on an almost constant level, which is eclipsing the opposite trends of the sub-indicators to a certain degree. The slightly weaker assessment of the current business situation is outbalanced by the optimistic expectations for the future economic development. The high figures recorded for the business situation (60.4 points) and business expectations (69.6 points) signal an ongoing positive development of the business situation and an optimistic outlook for the information economy. These are the findings of a survey conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) among representatives from the information economy in March 2014. Read more: http://www.zew.de/press2616 17.04.2014 - ZEW (zil/kbo) ZEW-Erste Group Bank Economic Sentiment Indicator for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) - Economic Expectations Improved: In April 2014 the economic expectations for Central and Eastern Europe including Turkey (CEE region) have improved by 24.0 points. The ZEW-Erste Group Bank Economic Sentiment Indicator for the CEE region now stands at a level of 32.1 points. Economic expectations for all individual countries have also increased. The indicators for the Czech Republic (up 19.4 points) and Romania (up 18.6 points) have improved most. The ZEW-Erste Group Bank Economic Sentiment Indicator for Central and Eastern Europe reflects the financial market experts' expectations for the CEE region on a six-month time horizon. The indicator has been compiled on a monthly basis together with further financial market data by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim with the support of Erste Group Bank, Vienna, since 2007. Read more: http://www.zew.de/press2618 16.04.2014 - ZEW (fsa/kbo) ZEW-ZEPHYR M&A Index Germany - Positive Signals for Mergers and Acquisitions: After a long dry spell, the German M&A market is showing a moderate upward trend again. Having ranged at a level of 50 points in August 2013 - the lowest level since October 2011 -, the ZEW-ZEPHYR M&A Index Germany exceeded the 100-points mark in January 2014 (103 points) for the first time since January 2010. Against the backdrop of rumours about upcoming mergers and acquisitions, signs are that dynamics on the German M&A market will be further increasing. These are the findings of calculations by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) based on the database of Bureau van Dijk (BvD). Read more: http://www.zew.de/press2613 16.04.2014 - ZEW (lja/kbo) ZEW-CS Financial Market Test Switzerland - Economic Expectations Decline - Assessment of the Current Economic Situation Improves: In April 2014 economic expectations for Switzerland have decreased by 12.0 points. The ZEW-CS Indicator now stands at a level of 7.0 points, which is still signalling stable economic expectations. The ZEW-CS Indicator reflects the expectations of the surveyed financial market experts regarding the economic development in Switzerland on a six-month time horizon. It is calculated monthly by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in cooperation with Credit Suisse (CS). Read more: http://www.zew.de/press2614 15.04.2014 - ZEW (fmo/jri/kbo) ZEW Indicator of Economic Sentiment - Damped Optimism: Economic expectations for Germany have slightly declined in April 2014. The ZEW Indicator of Economic Sentiment has decreased by 3.4 points and now stands at a still remarkable level of 43.2 points (historical average: 24.6 points). The cautious expectations in this month's survey are likely to be caused by the Ukraine conflict, which is still creating uncertainty. Furthermore, the slight decline in economic expectations has taken place against the backdrop of a very positive evaluation of the current economic situation in Germany. Read more: http://www.zew.de/press2612 10.04.2014 - ZEW (wbg/kbo) Increasing Mobile Market Concentration in the EU and Germany: Market concentration in the mobile phone sector in the European Union (EU) has been increasing since the beginning of the 21st century. In the mid-1990s, mobile phone markets were already expanding largely following EU-wide liberalisation. A consolidation process is currently taking place, which is reflected in the rising number of mergers and acquisitions. Between 2003 and 2013, both the number of transactions and transaction volumes have increased. Read more: http://www.zew.de/press2606 08.04.2014 - ZEW (alo/ggr) Statement of the Independent Expert Commission on the Monitoring Report Issued by the Federal Government - Evaluation of the Progress in Implementing the Energy Transition: Interim Results Are Mixed: In the statement on the federal government's 2012 monitoring report, the Expert Commission on the monitoring process "Energy of the Future" reports mixed interim results for Germany's "Energiewende", i.e. the transition of the energy system towards renewable sources and more energy efficiency. While the expansion of renewable energies is making good progress, efforts need to be intensified in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the improvement of energy efficiency. The German government has announced clear priorities in this regard, which now have to be implemented. Read more: http://www.zew.de/press2605 02.04.2014 - ZEW (gla/kbo) China Economic Panel (CEP) by ZEW and Fudan University (Shanghai) - Economic Expectations for China Decline for the Fourth Consecutive Month: In the current survey (March 12 to March 28, 2014) the CEP Indicator of Economic Sentiment for China worsened by 3.2 points reaching a value of 7.7 points. This is the fourth decline of economic expectations for China in a row. Since December 2013, the CEP Indicator has lost about 23 points. The CEP Indicator captures the expectations of financial market experts regarding the economic development in China over the course of the next twelve months. Read more: http://www.zew.de/press2604 31.03.2014 - ZEW/Universitaet Mannheim (ggr/fhe/csp) New Leibniz ScienceCampus "MaTax" in Mannheim - New European Centre of Excellence in Tax Research Launched by ZEW and the University of Mannheim Strengthens the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region as a Leading-Edge Scientific Location: The Leibniz ScienceCampus "Mannheim Taxation" (MaTax) begins operating on April 1, 2014. MaTax is a joint project of the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) and the University of Mannheim. The ScienceCampus is jointly funded by the two participating institutions as well as the Leibniz Association, of which ZEW is a member, and the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg. This scientific centre of excellence in tax research is the first of its kind in Germany and Europe. "The close cooperation between the University of Mannheim and ZEW plays a key role in enhancing the profile of the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region and in particular the city of Mannheim as a research location and as a centre of excellent scientifically grounded tax policy advice", says Baden-Wuerttemberg's Minister of Science, Research and the Arts, Theresia Bauer. MaTax is already the second Leibniz ScienceCampus that was successfully established in Mannheim. Read more: http://www.zew.de/press2602 28.03.2014 - ZEW/PwC (gla/kbo) ZEW-PwC Indicator of Economic Sentiment China - Cautious Start into the "Year of the Horse" - Indicator of Economic Sentiment China Falls Slightly: The prospects for the Chinese economy have slightly deteriorated since the beginning of 2014, according to estimates of German executives. The current ZEW-PwC Indicator of Economic Sentiment China shows that 20 per cent of the respondents have come to expect a slowdown in business dynamics over the next twelve months. In the previous survey (November 2013), it was merely one out of ten executives with commercial relations to China who expected a slowdown in growth. Read more: http://www.zew.de/press2601 4. RECENT PUBLICATIONS IN ENGLISH 4.1. ZEWnews English Edition ZEWnews English Edition March/April 2014 * China's Power on Rare Earth Market in Decline * Direct Democracy and Taxation * Failed Entrepreneurs Fail Again * Germany's ICT Sector Continues to Grow * Q&A: Distributive Justice in Germany? Germany's Welfare State Fares Well when Compared Internationally * Tax Policy Responsible for Widening Prosperity Gap in the United States * Opinion Regarding The Consequences of German Constitutional Court Ruling on OMT Download as PDF file(*) (reference is given at the end of "RECENT PUBLICATIONS"): http://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/zn/en/zn03042014.pdf 4.2. Financial Market Report Switzerland Financial Market Report Switzerland May 2014 * Switzerland' s Economy is on a Roll - Experts Anticipate a Stable Growth Trend * No Inflation Pressure in Sight * Stable Swiss Franc Against the Euro * Prospect of Monetary Policy Easing Lowers Interest-Rate Expectations for the Eurozone * Rise in Stock-Market Expectations * Swiss Export Momentum Appraisal Buoyed by the Better Eurozone Assessment * Special Question: Medium-Term Forecasts Download as PDF file(*): http://www.zew.de/FinancialMarketReportSwitzerland052014.pdf 4.3. ZEW Discussion Papers 14-026 Bernd Fitzenberger; Stefanie Licklederer Skill Formation, Career Planning, and Transitions: The Last Two Years in a German Lower Track Secondary School Download as PDF file(*): http://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/dp/dp14026.pdf IN GERMAN 4.4. ZEW-Finanzmarktreport (ZEW Financial Market Report) ZEW Financial Market Report May 2014 * Economic Expectations: Damped Optimism * ECB: Inflation Rate Expected to Rise * USA: Employment Rate Stimulates Assessment of the Situation * Japan: Assessment of the Economic Situation Brightens up * Great Britain: Continuing Positive Development of the Economic Situation * Special Question: Economic Growth until Autumn 2014 Download as PDF file (in German)(*): http://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/frep/052014.pdf 4.5. ZEW-Branchenreport Informationswirtschaft (ZEW Sector Report for the Information Economy) ZEW Sector Report for the Information Economy, 1st Quarter 2014 * Positive Economic Sentiment Due to Optimistic Business Expectations * Nearly Three Quarters of All Companies in the Information Economy Rely on Cooperations Download as PDF file (in German)(*): http://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/brepikt/201401BrepIKT.pdf 4.6. ZEW Discussion Papers 14-027 Holger Bonin; Reinhold Schnabel; Holger Stichnoth Zur Effizienz der ehe- und familienbezogenen Leistungen in Deutschland im Hinblick auf soziale Sicherungs- und Beschaeftigungsziele (On the Efficiency of Family and Marriage-Related Public Benefits in Germany Regarding Social Policy and Employment Goals) Download as PDF file (in German)(*): http://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/dp/dp14027.pdf 4.7. Gutachten/Forschungsberichte (Expertises/Research Reports) Juergen Egeln and Sandra Gottschalk (2014), Finanzierung von Unternehmensgruendungen durch Privatinvestoren (Financing Start-ups Through Private Investors), Evaluations from the KfW/ZEW Start-up Panel, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, Mannheim. Additional information and download (in German): http://www.zew.de/publication7417 Clemens Fuest, Friedrich Heinemann, Jan Hogrefe, Marcus Kappler, Marc-Daniel Moessinger, Frauke Schleer, Atilim Seymen and Christoph Schroeder (2014), Die Krise im Euroraum nachhaltig ueberwinden, Fortschritte in den Krisenlaendern und institutionelle Herausforderungen (A Long-Term Solution to the Euro Crisis - Progress in the Crisis-Torn Countries and Institutional Challenges), vbw - Vereinigung der Bayerischen Wirtschaft e.V., Munich. Additional information and download (in German): http://www.zew.de/publication7407 Andreas Loeschel, Georg Erdmann, Frithjof Staiss, and Hans-Joachim Ziesing (2014), Stellungnahme zum zweiten Monitoring-Bericht der Bundesregierung fuer das Berichtsjahr 2012 (Comment on the Second Monitoring Report of the Federal Government for the 2012 Reporting Period), Expert Commission on the "Energy of the Future" Monitoring Process, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMU), Mannheim, Stuttgart. Additional information and download (in German): http://www.zew.de/publication7403 (*) Please note: PDF files can be displayed with Adobe Acrobat Reader. The software can be downloaded for free: http://get.adobe.com/uk/reader 5. NEW RESEARCH PROJECTS 2014 Innovation Indicators for the Chemical Industry http://www.zew.de/project1407 Investments in Energy Efficiency and Renewables http://www.zew.de/project1389 Returns to Educational Investments http://www.zew.de/project1409 SEEK Project 2014: Credit Supply of Banks and SME Financing in the Crisis - Unveiling the Real Economic Effect http://www.zew.de/project1415 SEEK Project 2014: Evaluating the Introduction of a Uniform Minimum Wage in Germany: A Structural Equilibrium Job Search Approach http://www.zew.de/project1408 SEEK Project 2014: Fiscal Governance and Adjustments under Crisis Conditions http://www.zew.de/project1416 SEEK Project 2014: Human Capital Formation in Young Firms and the Crisis: A Comparative Analysis of Portugal and Germany http://www.zew.de/project1414 SEEK Project 2014: Resilience in Times of Crisis: The Role of ICT; Evidence for Europe http://www.zew.de/project1412 SEEK Project 2014: Side Effects of Economic Crises in Europe and Provision of Online Public Goods http://www.zew.de/project1411 6. EVENTS 6.1. Public Events 12.05.2014 ZEW Lunch Debates: Elections to the European Parliament: Economic Challenges Speaker: Prof. Dr. Clemens Fuest (ZEW) Location of the event: Representation of the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg to the European Union, Rue Belliard 60-62, B-1040 Brussels Additional information and contact: http://www.zew.de/event1944 30.06.2014 ZEW Lunch Debates: The Architecture of an Adjustable and Stable Euro Area Speaker: PD Dr. Friedrich Heinemann (ZEW) Location of the event: Representation of the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg to the European Union, Rue Belliard 60-62, B-1040 Brussels Additional information and contact: http://www.zew.de/event1932 6.2. Scientific Events 30.04.2014 ZEW Research Seminar: Behind the Scenes of the Sachverstaendigenrat Speaker: Dr. Benjamin Weigert (Sachverstaendigenrat zur Begutachtung der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Entwicklung/German Council of Economic Experts) Location of the event: ZEW, Mannheim Additional information: http://www.zew.de/event1967 30.04.2014 Mannheim Competition Policy Forum: Collusion with Intertemporal Price Dispersion Speaker: Nicolas de Roos (University of Sydney) Location of the event: ZEW, Mannheim Additional information: http://www.zew.de/event1954 05.-06.05.2014 Conference: Third Mannheim Energy Conference Location of the event: ZEW, Mannheim Additional information: http://www.zew.de/event1969 08.05.2014 ZEW Lectures on Economic Policy: On State Dependence: A Case for Two-Handed Economists Speaker: Prof. Stephen P. Jenkins (LSE) Location of the event: ZEW, Mannheim Additional information: http://www.zew.de/event1905 08.05.2014 ZEW Research Seminar: The Spatial Dimension of Public Performance Benchmarking: Empirical Evidence from Swedish Municipalities Speaker: Dr. Tim Jaekel (German Research Institute for Public Administration Speyer (FOeV)) Location of the event: ZEW, Mannheim Additional information: http://www.zew.de/event1937 15.05.2014 Mannheim Competition Policy Forum: Mergers and Cooperations in Mobile Telephony, Broadband and Cable TV - Convergence of Markets? Speaker: Dr. Markus Wagemann (Federal Cartel Office, Bonn) Location of the event: ZEW, Mannheim Additional information: http://www.zew.de/event1912 15.-16.05.2014 Conference: Fourth SEEK Conference: Public Finance and Income Distribution in Europe Location of the event: ZEW, Mannheim Additional information: http://www.zew.de/event1877 22.05.2014 ZEW Research Seminar: How Social Media Influences Behaviours Within Organizations Speaker: Dr. Eoin Whelan (National University of Ireland Galway) Location of the event: ZEW, Mannheim Additional information: http://www.zew.de/event1963 22.-23.05.2014 Conference: Second International ZEW Conference on the Dynamics of Entrepreneurship (CoDE II) Location of the event: ZEW, Mannheim Additional information: http://www.zew.de/event1895 26.-28.05.2014 Conference: Third International BIBB/IAB/ZEW Conference on "Changing Tasks - Consequences for Inequality" Location of the event: Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Nuremberg, Germany Additional information: http://www.zew.de/event1840 26.-31.05.2014 Workshop: CISS - Competition and Innovation Summer School Location of the event: Turunc/Marmaris (Turkey) Additional information: http://www.zew.de/event1921 16.-17.06.2014 Conference: 12th ZEW Conference on The Economics of Information and Communication Technologies Location of the event: ZEW, Mannheim Additional information: http://www.zew.de/event1891 23.06-24.06.2014 Conference: 5th Conference on Recent Developments in Macroeconomics Location of the event: ZEW, Mannheim Additional information: http://www.zew.de/event1900 30.06.-04.07.2014 ZEW Summer Workshop: 16th ZEW Summer Workshop for Young Economists: Advances in Microeconometrics and Programme Evaluation Additional information: http://www.zew.de/summerworkshop2014 ____________________________________________________________________ IMPRINT Publisher: Centre for European Economic Research GmbH (ZEW) L 7, 1 - 68161 Mannheim - Germany - http://www.zew.eu Phone +49 621/1235-01 Fax +49 621/1235-255 Seat of the company: Mannheim - Local Court Mannheim HRB 6554 Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board: Theresia Bauer, MdL, Minister of Science, Research, and the Arts of the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg Executive Directors: Prof. Dr. Clemens Fuest, Thomas Kohl Editors: Yvonne Braeutigam, yvonne.braeutigam at zew.de ; Patrick Pilarek, pilarek at zew.de E-mail: newsletter-en at zew.de Editorial assistants: Vincent von Uechtritz und Steinkirch; Jule Zenker Responsibility: Gunter Grittmann, grittmann at zew.de Legal note: http://www.zew.eu/legalnote You can subscribe/unsubscribe at any time - online via http://www.zew.eu/newsletter or - mail to zew-newsletter-englishedition-request at mx-assp2.zew.de Subject: (leave blank!) 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