http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse.htmlPress news from "Ifo Institute for Economic Research" and "CESifo GmbH"de-deCopyright © 1999 - 2012 ifo Institut – Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschungan der Universität München e. V.de-dehttp://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse.htmlhttp://www.cesifo-group.de/images/ifo/cesifogroup.jpg http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130613-TelekommunikationA new approach to regulation in the telecommunications sector has been discussed for several years whereby, instead of imposing a nationally uniform regulation, individual areas where competition is particularly fierce could be deregulated. Following on from the CESifo Working Paper 4277: "Regionally differentiated regulation and investment incentives in the telecommunications sector," the latest issue of the Ifo Institute's Schnelldienst looks at how local deregulation of the telecommunication market impacts competition in this sector. The study finds that local deregulation has positive effects on infrastructure-based competition and, even by conservative estimates, that every service area tends to gain additional market participants with their own infrastructure.2013-06-13T10:05:00Z http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130613-Telekommunikation http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130613-architektenThe business climate improved significantly at the beginning of the second quarter of 2013 and has not been as favourable since the German reunification boom at the end of the 1990s, according to the remarkable results of the Ifo Institute's quarterly survey of freelance architects.2013-06-13T10:05:00Z http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130613-architekten http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130531_Credit-ConstraintsCredit constraints for German industry and trade weakened for the third consecutive time. At 19.8%, the credit hurdle is below the 20% mark for the first time in nearly half a year. Financing conditions for German companies continue to be very good. The extent to which the interest rate cuts by the European Central Bank on 8 May will lead to further improvement remains to be seen.2013-05-31T09:00:00Z http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130531_Credit-Constraints http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130529_Ifo-Business-Climate-Index-for-Eastern-GermanyThe Ifo Business Climate for industry and trade in the eastern German federal states brightened sharply in May after a significant downturn in the previous month. The surveyed eastern German companies are significantly more satisfied with their current operations than in April. The business expectations are also more optimistic. The late spring is now also reviving the economy in eastern Germany.2013-05-29T09:00:00Z http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130529_Ifo-Business-Climate-Index-for-Eastern-Germany http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130524_Ifo-Business-Climate-IndexThe Ifo Business Climate Index for industry and trade in Germany has risen again after two consecutive declines. The firms are clearly more satisfied with their current business situation than in the previous month. The outlook for future business is unchanged and slightly positive. The German economy remains on track in a challenging European environment.2013-05-24T08:30:00Z http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130524_Ifo-Business-Climate-Index http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130515_wes-welt-q2-2013The Ifo World Economic Climate Indicator continued to rise, even if only slightly. Both assessments of the current economic situation and the six-month economic outlook improved slightly compared to the previous quarter. There are a growing number of signs that the world economy is stabilising.2013-05-15T09:00:00Z http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130515_wes-welt-q2-2013 http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130514-Ifo-Viewpoint-147Last summer, the financier George Soros urged Germany to agree to the establishment of the European Stability Mechanism, calling on the country to “lead or leave”. Now he says that Germany should exit the euro if it continues to block the introduction of Eurobonds. Soros is playing with fire. Leaving the eurozone is precisely what the newly founded “Alternative for Germany” party, which draws support from a wide swath of society, is demanding.2013-05-14T12:00:00Z http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130514-Ifo-Viewpoint-147 http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130510_CESifo-Forum-1-2013Poland’s economic development is the focus of the latest CESifo Forum. From the beginning of its transformation process the formerly socialist country has recorded robust economic growth, leading to a rise in living standards. At the same time, the relatively young democracy has continued to face a number of economic challenges.2013-05-10T07:00:00Z http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130510_CESifo-Forum-1-2013 http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130508-Ifo-Viewpoint-146Germany's roads are crumbling, according to the Cologne Institute for Economic Research, and it is right: 21 per cent of federal roads and nine percent of motorways in Germany urgently require repairs, but there is no money available to make them. Doing the full extent of the work needed to address the problem would double today's annual repair costs for years to come.2013-05-08T12:00:00Z http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130508-Ifo-Viewpoint-146 http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130508_wes-euro-q2-2013The Ifo Economic Climate Indicator for the euro area remains at a low level. Assessments of the current economic situation are slightly less favourable than in the last survey. Expectations for the six-month economic outlook improved only slightly. An economic recovery has not yet started.2013-05-08T09:00:00Z http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130508_wes-euro-q2-2013 http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130503_munichsummitThe CESifo Group Munich and the BMW-Stiftung Herbert Quandt, in partnership with The Times, The Wall Street Journal and Handelsblatt, will hold the 12th Munich Economic Summit "Relaunching Europe" on the 16 and 17 May 2013 at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich.2013-05-03T06:49:42Z http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130503_munichsummit http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130503-Ifo-Viewpoint-145Germany is currently experiencing a massive wave of immigration that is reminiscent of the time after the Fall of the Iron Curtain. In 2012 a net total of around 410,000 people came to Germany (after subtracting the number of emigrants). This was around the same number as in 1993 and a good 50 per cent more than in 2011. Germany was an emigrant country just a short time ago. Now people are coming here in their droves.2013-05-03T06:00:00Z http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130503-Ifo-Viewpoint-145 http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130430_Credit-ConstraintsCredit constraints for German trade and industry edged downwards by 0.1 percentage points compared to March. Around a fifth of the companies surveyed reported a restrictive credit policy on the part of banks. Despite recent developments in the euro crisis, there have been no significant changes in the favourable financial environment of German companies.2013-04-30T09:00:00Z http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130430_Credit-Constraints http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/pm_20130429-fobr-60Child benefit and publicly-subsidised child care represent key pillars of family policy in Germany. As part of an overall evaluation of central marriage and family-related benefits conducted on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youths and the Ministry for Finance, the Ifo Institute investigated the implications of both family policy measures on families.2013-04-29T10:05:00Z http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/pm_20130429-fobr-60 http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130429_Ifo-Business-Climate-Index-for-Eastern-GermanyThe Ifo Business Climate for Eastern German trade and industry clouded over considerably in April. Eastern German survey participants assessed their current business situation considerably less optimistically than last month. They also expressed greater caution about their six-month business outlook. After a strong start to the year, the Eastern German economy is losing momentum slightly.2013-04-29T09:00:00Z http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130429_Ifo-Business-Climate-Index-for-Eastern-Germany http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130424_Ifo-Business-Climate-IndexThe Ifo Business Climate Index for German industry and trade fell in April. Although the majority of companies assessed their current business situation as good, they were far more cautious than last month. Their expectations regarding future business developments were also lower. The German economy is taking a breather.2013-04-24T08:30:00Z http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/press_20130424_Ifo-Business-Climate-Index http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/pm-20130418-GemeinschaftsdiagnoseAn upwards tendency re-emerged in the German economy in spring 2013. The situation in the financial markets has eased thanks to subsiding uncertainty regarding the future of the European Monetary Union. The headwind in the world economy has also tailed off somewhat. The institutes expect gross domestic product in Germany to increase by 0.8% this year (68%-projection interval: 0.1% to 1.5%) and by 1.9% next year. The number of unemployed should continue to fall to an annual average of 2.9 million this year and 2.7 million in 2014. The inflation rate is expected to drop to 1.7% this year and edge up to 2.0% next year on the back of rising capacity utilisation. The public budget will be almost balanced in 2013 and should show a surplus of 0.5% in relation to gross domestic product in 2014 thanks to more favourable economic conditions. It is now time to readopt a longer-term approach to economic policy. Although structural adjustment processes implemented in the crisis-afflicted countries have started to deal with institutional problems in the euro area, they are far from resolved. The German public budget also faces massive long-term burdens related to demographic factors.2013-04-18T09:00:00Z http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/pm-20130418-Gemeinschaftsdiagnose http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/pm_20130415-fobr-59Child care is one of the most important instruments of family policy, and the spotlight in the political and public debate has fallen on subsidised child care for under three year-olds in recent years.2013-04-15T10:00:00Z http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/pm_20130415-fobr-59 http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/pm_20130409_sinn_memberHans-Werner Sinn, President of the Ifo Institute and Professor of Economics and Finance at the University of Munich, is now a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.2013-04-09T06:53:21Z http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/pm_20130409_sinn_member http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/pm_20130405-ezeoIn Q4 2012, activity in the Eurozone contracted by 0.6% (-0.1% in the previous quarter). The decrease in exports put a drag on GDP growth while domestic demand remained on a negative trend. However, in the first quarter of 2013, the business climate has slightly improved.2013-04-05T14:00:00Z http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/presse/Pressemitteilungen/Pressemitteilungen-Archiv/2013/Q2/pm_20130405-ezeo