Edelgard Bulmahn, Minister of Education and Research, has presented her re-form plans for university employment. In future, university teachers' pay will be performance based, and better working conditions will be established for young academics. For Hans Zehetmair, Bavarian Minister for Science, Research and Culture, professors' pay should be more strongly related to performance, "since this is the only way to continue to be successful in the international competition for outstanding academics". Strong criticism, however, has come from those affected. Prof. Hartmut Schiedemair, President of the German University Fed-eration, Prof. Klaus M. Schmidt, University of Munich, and Prof. Alfred Kiesser, University of Mannheim, oppose the reform measures and fear that "these re-forms are not intended to shape new policies with the help of those affected but that policies are being made to the detriment of those affected".
Hans-Werner Sinn and Martin Werding
On the agenda for negotiations on EU enlargement in the first half of 2001 are regulations regarding the free movement of labour. In the meantime, several estimates of the migration potential that Germany or all of Western Europe can expect after EU enlargement have been put forward. The public discussion has focused especially on the potential volume of migration, which for Germany is estimated at between 2 and 6 million people in the course of 15 years. In the final analysis, however, the real cause of possible subsequent problems is not the volume of the migration, which is difficult to estimate, but the legal frame-work conditions for migration within the EU.
Clemens Fuest and Marcel Thum
This contribution demonstrates that immigration gains are also possible in im-perfect labour markets that have collective bargaining. As in the case of com-petitive labour markets, however, the efficiency gains from migration are ac-companied by possible distribution conflicts, since the threat of lower wages exists for at least some people in the labour market.
Wolfgang Ochel
Controlling the amount and composition of immigration from non-EU countries can be carried out by quotas and/or by qualitative demands on the immigrants. The selection can be made by priority lists or point systems. Another option is to choose immigrants on the basis of their willingness to pay for an immigration certificate or on the basis of the willingness to pay of domestic enterprises who are looking for employees (auction model). Both methods, however, have ad-vantages and disadvantages as instruments of selective immigration policy. In a comparison of methods, the point system seems to have more advantages.
Herbert Hofmann
University teachers are among the top performers in society, but in the long term their pay has worsened in comparison to other professional groups.
Oscar-Erich Kuntze
In 2000 the strong economic upturn continued in the third quarter, with real GDP expanding by 3.6% and the labour market continuing to improve. The un-employment rate fell to an annualised rate of 5.9%, and consumer prices rose by only 1.3%. In 2001, real GDP should increase by about 2½%, thus again running nearly parallel to the expansion of production potential. At 5½%, the unemployment rate will again be lower than the Western European average in 2001.
Klaus Volker Beck
After only slight expansion in turnover in recent years, retail food trade achieved normal turnover growth of 2.6% in 2000 in more favourable consumer condi-tions. In the winter months of 2000/2001 scandals in the food sector led to a decline in turnover, and recovery is expected to be very gradual.
Hans G. Russ
The business climate in trade and industry worsened again in March. In west Germany expectations stood at a balance of minus 10.7 percentage points, the lowest level since April 1999. In east Germany the business climate also wors-ened. This indicates that the economy will continue to weaken in the months ahead.
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