Volume 67 (2014), Edition 4

Low-paid employment has increased considerably in Germany and Austria over the past fifteen years. In Germany this has resulted in one of the largest low-paid employment rates in comparison to other European countries. At the same time, Austria,...

This article demonstrates how the Conservative system of social protection in Germany has been converging toward the Liberal American model during the past two decades, focusing on social protection for the unemployed and pensioners. In addition to...

The introduction of the reformed means-tested unemployment assistance (ALG II) increased the numbers of those insured in the public pension fund from 2005 to 2010. The amount of these contributions was small and did not lead to a significant...

In this paper we present the dispersion of collective bargaining agreements according to firm size and industries using the latest data of the IAB establishment panel. In 2013 about 52 % of the workforce in West and 35 % in East Germany were...

The article presents basic findings of a recent survey among employees at Volkswagen in Germany. More particularly, it examines employees' expectations of the current and future performance and activities of the works council. The data reveal that...

Contracts for work and services are an expression of a society characterised by division of labour and at the same time an integral part of corporate decision making. Based on the results of empirical research into contracts for work and services in...

The European Commission and national governments reacted to the economic and financial markets crises with a new, one-sided and crises intensifying austerity policy. Wages and social benefits became a central adjustment variable of the currently...

Considering the degree of economic and political integration that has been achieved in Europe, it is no longer a question today of whether a European coordination of wage policy is possible, but what kind of coordination will be established in...

A synchronization of national inflation rates is the crucial precondition for a well-functioning fixed exchange rate regime. Given the close relationship between nominal unit labour cost and prices, inflation synchronization requires either...