Reports 2009
The Foundation’s publications present the findings from its research and events on significant contemporary economic, political and social issues in a concise and accessible format. You can download all recent publications free of charge from this site (see link for each publication below).
csge report
Inequality, Education and Comparative Political Economy
Christian Dustmann, Stephen Machin and David Soskice
This report investigates the evolution of economic inequalities and the drivers behind these inequalities. The authors’ economic and political analysis of developments in the labour markets and education and training systems of Germany and the UK, two countries marked by significant differences in political, economic and educational infrastructure, provides fresh contexts for thinking in these areas. The role played by changing political and industrial relations coalitions in the German political economy in the inclusion or exclusion of low-income groups is compared with the middle-class focus of the UK political system. The authors offer new insights to help shape policy for those seeking to maintain the difficult and delicate balance between social equity and economic efficiency
October 2009, ISBN 978-1-9000834-54-4
csge report
Explaining Productivity and Growth in Europe, America and Asia
Tobias Kretschmer
This report explores a difficult question central to economic and social development in Europe and beyond: can productivity growth be achieved in concordance with other goals of society, and particularly environmental goals? Through an innovative exploration of the foundations of economic growth at the level of individual firms, Tobias Kretschmer identifies significant factors to help explain large-scale economic phenomena. Some of the complex interactions between drivers of economic growth are revealed, providing interesting new contexts for policy-makers looking to achieve sustainable, long-term productivity growth without compromising environmental performance and aims.
October 2009, ISBN 978-1-900834-52-0
csge report
Resource Productivity, Environmental Tax Reform and Sustainable Growth in Europe
Paul Ekins
Environmental tax reform (ETR) is a shift in the target of taxation from ‘goods’ such as labour (e.g. income taxes, social security contributions) or capital (e.g. corporation taxes) to ‘bads’ (pollution, resource depletion). The objectives of ETR are to increase the efficiencyof resource use, to improve the environment, and ultimately to increase human well-being through both economic and environmental pathways.
This research programme used econometric and resource flow modelling techniques, surveys, and interviews to explore the implications – for Europe and the rest of the world – of a large-scale ETR in Europe designed to achieve the EU’s greenhouse gas reduction targets by 2020.
The results show that a broadly based ETR across Europe could play a very important role in meeting the EU’s emission reduction targets. However, different national political, economic, institutional and cultural conte.
October 2009, ISBN 978-1-900834-53-7
csge report
Sustainable Welfare and Sustainable Growth
Jochen Clasen
Welfare states play a crucial role in ensuring that growth is both economically and socially sustainable – not only by contributing to a healthier and more educated population, but also by influencing life chances and opportunity structures, by supporting socially disadvantaged groups, and by helping to maintain social solidarity during rapid societal change.
The European Union aims to become the most competitive and knowledge-based economy in the world, and this will inevitably lead to a desire for a degree of uniformity in approach to welfare provision. This report investigates the underlying attitudes towards, and the practical implementation of, welfare policies in Germany and the United Kingdom. Despite some similarities, it is the differences in both attitudes and implementation between the two countries that are most striking.
The results of this study will be valuable to policy-makers and decision-takers within the individual countries, in the European Union and globally.
October 2009, ISBN 978-1-900834-55-1
csge report
creating sustainable growth in europe: reflections
Tony Atkinson
This essay by a distinguished international economist draws on the findings of the Anglo- German Foundation’s creating sustainable growth in europe initiative to pose challenging questions about the nature of societies in the capitalist world and their underlying moral values and to explore the ethical principles on which societies base their actions. Sir Tony Atkinson explores the fault-lines – demography, generational conflict and inequality – that could derail societies and analyses a range of positive responses. His ‘messages for key actors’ plot a way forward, not in terms of specific policy options, but rather as a set of principles about how governments, citizens, employers, trade unions and nongovernmental organisations can tackle the interlocking problems facing the world today.
October 2009, ISBN 978-1-900834-51-3
Green Jobs in Germany and the UK
Conference Report
8th British-German Trade Union Forum in Frankfurt/Oder
The rapid growth of renewable energy sources in Germany shows that this changeover does not only make sense in ecological terms; with the right political management, the economy and the labour market can also benefit hugely from this ‘Green New Deal’. A programme of ecological modernisation will create millions of new jobs. The German and British trade unions have long recognised the potential of ‘green jobs’ - every reason therefore to make this the theme of the 8th German-British Trade Union Forum.
This year’s German–British trade union forum showed how differently the environmental industry has evolved in Germany and the United Kingdom. Prof. Martin Jänicke presented figures on the current situation in Germany; more than 1.8 million people work in this area, and around 8% of German GDP is now generated here. There is particularly strong growth in the field of renewable energies, which already provide work for over 300,000 people. Forecasts suggest that the number of people employed in the
environmental industry could double by 2020.
October 2009