Policy Paper: Asylum migration and barriers to labour market entry
by Alexander Fink, Kalle Kappner 17 December 2015 0
A successful integration of asylum migrants arriving in Europe will largely depend on their success on the European labour arket. In a new Policy Paper we investigate the labour market barriers faced by asylum migrants in Germany, France and the UK. We recommend a full elimination of barriers (...)
Representation in Democracies: Unequal and Unfair?
by Alexander Fink, Kalle Kappner, Translated by Anna-Maria Kohnke 27 March 2019 0
In light of increasing income inequality and wealth inequality in many Western democracies, some social scientists believe that democracy is in jeopardy. Do the rich have a disproportionally high influence on political decisions – in contrast with the ideal of equal representation of all voters? (...)
The Skilled Immigration Act: A Missed Opportunity
by Kalle Kappner, Translated by Anna-Maria Kohnke 28 August 2019 0
For several decades, labour market experts and economists have been advocating what now seems to become real: in 2020, Germany’s new immigration act will come into effect. The ‘Skilled Immigration Act’ is supposed to make immigration of qualified, non-EU citizens significantly easier. In the (...)
Are half of all jobs bullshit? Bullshit!
by Alexander Fink, Kalle Kappner, Translated by Anna-Maria Kohnke 27 November 2019 0
In the 2000s, a short book by philosopher Harry Frankfurt made the term ‘bullshit’ socially acceptable. In 2018, anthropologist David Graeber published his bestseller, in which he argued that roughly half of the employment relations in the Western economies are ‘bullshit jobs’: they provide no (...)
The Gig Economy: A good deal for workers
by Kalle Kappner, Translated by Anna-Maria Kohnke 5 May 0
Occasional sleeping in a shared flat; getting a lift from the airport to the city centre; moving house with the help of a bunch of students – an increasing number of people uses the diverse, often inexpensive offers of digital platforms such as Airbnb, Uber, or TaskRabbit. Although the economic (...)
Do economists believe too much in the market?
by Kalle Kappner 12 August 2015 0
Economists are often accused (especially by other disciplines) of exaggerating the virtues of the market and of systematically downplaying the chances of a successful government intervention. In this view, economists are "market believers" and “state sceptics”, which is then reflected not only in (...)
Mass Unemployment and Skilled Labour Shortage?
by Alexander Fink, Kalle Kappner, Translated by Anna-Maria Kohnke 4 September 2019 0
Germany’s labour market is buzzing. The unemployment rate is currently close to 5%. Althoughthe business cycle could cool down in the near future, the trend is not expected to reverse course in the coming years. In the long run, however, pessimism dominates. As automation intensifies, many (...)
Term limits for better governance?
by Alexander Fink, Kalle Kappner, Translation by Anna-Maria Kohnke 3 June 2020 0
The next elections to the German Bundestag have been moved up to autumn 2021. At that moment, Angela Merkel will have served as chancellor for 16 years. As opposed to Helmut Kohl in the 1990s, she does not seek re-election. Nevertheless, her tenure – which has been extraordinarily long for a (...)
Far-sighted citizens, short-sighted savers?
by Alexander Fink, Kalle Kappner, Translation by Anna-Maria Kohnke 6 January 0
Young people’s attitudes towards retirement are contradictory: on the one hand, they don’t trust public pay-as-you-go pensions. According to recent surveys, around half of the respondents do not expect significant retirement income from this source. On the other hand, private efforts are (...)