The Second German Empire or 'Reich' 1871-1918 – bit.ly/1yYKDGm http://t.co/fDTOlJRV0d—
Brilliant Maps (@BrilliantMaps) December 18, 2014
Germany of 1871-1918
03 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history Tags: Germany, maps, World War I
Tax rates on labour income across the OECD area
02 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
in labour economics, labour supply, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, public economics Tags: Australia, British economy, Canada, France, Germany, taxation and labour supply
How high is the US #tax burden on labor? Here's an OECD comparison tax.foundation/1KojUv9 by @samcjordan_ @kpomerleau http://t.co/fSAT8ut52z—
Tax Foundation (@taxfoundation) July 24, 2015
Strictness of employment protections for individual dismissals – USA, UK, France, Germany and the PIGS
28 Jul 2015 1 Comment
in Euro crisis, job search and matching, labour economics, law and economics, macroeconomics Tags: British economy, employment law, employment law regulation, Eurosclerosis, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain
Much easier to fire someone in the USA or UK than on continental Europe. Greece and Spain aren’t that bad by continental European standards for employment law protections against dismissals of individuals.
Figure 1: Strictness of employment protection for individual dismissals, 2013
Source: OECD StatExtract.
Average effective retirement ages by gender in the USA, UK, Germany and France, 1970 – 2012
25 Jul 2015 1 Comment
in economic history, gender, labour economics, labour supply, politics - USA Tags: ageing society, British economy, demographic crisis, economics of retirement, effective retirement ages, female labour force participation, female labour supply, France, Germany, male labour force participation, male labour supply, old age pensions, older workers, retirement ages, social insurance, Social Security, welfare state
Figure 1 shows a divergence from a common starting point in 1974 effective retirement ages. The French in particular were the first to put their feet up and start retiring by the age of 60 by the early 1990. There was also a sharp increase in the average effective retirement age for men in the UK over a short decade. After that, British retirement ages for men started to climb again in the late 1990s. Figure 1 also shows that the gentle taper in the effective retirement age for American men stopped at the 1980s and started to climb again in the 2000s. The German data is too short to be of much use because of German unification. France only recently stopped seeing its effective retirement age fall and it is slightly increased recently – see figure 1
Figure 1: average effective retirement age for men, USA, UK, France and Germany, 1970 – 2012, (five-year average)
Source: OECD Pensions at a Glance.
Figure 2 shows similar results for British and American women as for men in the same country shown in figure 1 . That is, falling effective retirement ages for both British and American women in the 1970s and 1980s followed by a slow climb again towards the end of 1990s. French effective retirement ages for women followed the same pattern as for French retirement ages for men – a long fall to below the age of 60 with a slight increase recently. The German retirement data suggest that effective retirement ages for German women is increasing.
Figure 2: average effective retirement age for women, USA, UK, France and Germany 1970 – 2012, (five-year average)
Source: OECD Pensions at a Glance.
#ISDS is saving the planet from global warming!
22 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming Tags: carbon emissions, Euroland, expressive voting, Germany, global warming, investor state dispute settlement, nuclear energy, tradeoffs
Trends in labour market freedom in the UK, USA, Germany and France – Index of Economic Freedom rankings
21 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of regulation, global financial crisis (GFC), job search and matching, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, minimum wage, politics - USA, unions Tags: British economy, employment law, employment regulation, Eurosclerosis, France, Germany, Index of Economic Freedom
The writers of the Index of Economic Freedom at the Heritage foundation really loves the USA and didn’t think much of the Conservative Party – Liberal Democratic Party coalition government because labour market freedom actually fell in the UK during their administration. Bring back Tony Blair, all is forgiven. The information on their website throws no insight into why this reduction in labour market freedom in Britain happened.
Figure 1: Index of Economic Freedom, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Venezuela, 95 – 2015 
Source: Index of Economic Freedom 2015.
Fortunately for Germany, labour market freedom increased over the course of the global financial crisis and its aftermath. This helps explains low unemployment in Germany during that period. Nothing much happened in France in regard to labour market freedom.
French, German, Italian, Irish and Spanish equilibrium unemployment rates, 1968 – 2016
19 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in business cycles, economic growth, economic history, fiscal policy, job search and matching, labour economics, macroeconomics, unemployment Tags: Celtic Tiger, equilibrium unemployment rate, Eurosclerosis, Germany, Ireland, Italy, natural unemployment rate, Rance, Spain
Figure 1 shows large contrasts in time path of equilibrium unemployment rates. For example, French and Italian equilibrium unemployment rates haven’t changed much since about 1986.
Figure 1: equilibrium unemployment rates, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland and Spain, 1968 – 2016
Source: OECD Economic Outlook June 2015 via OECD StatExtract..
Figure 1 also shows some fortuitous ups and downs in the German equilibrium unemployment rate. This estimate was available only from after German unification.
The equilibrium German unemployment rate rose from 6% to above 8% on the eve of the global financial crisis. Fortunately for Germany, major labour market reforms brought the equilibrium unemployment rate down as Germany moved into the global financial crisis.
The Spanish equilibrium unemployment rate had been terrible since about 1980, started to fall in the 1990s, then skyrocketed even before the onset of the global financial crisis – see figure 1.
There have been ups and downs in the Irish equilibrium unemployment rate – see figure 1. It was as high as 14% at the end of the Irish great depression of the 1970s and 1980s. The equilibrium Irish unemployment rate was 8% at the heyday of the Celtic tiger then slowly rose in the lead up to the global financial crisis.
NAFTA v. the Common Market: trading across the French, German, Italian, British, Canadian and US borders – World Bank Doing Business rankings compared
17 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, industrial organisation, international economics, politics - USA Tags: border costs, British economy, Canada, Common market, Common markets, customs unions, EU, France, free trade areas, Germany, Italy, NAFTA, trade costs
Figure 1: World Bank Doing Business rankings and sub rankings for trading across the French, German, Italian, British, Canadian and US borders, 2014
Source: World Bank Doing Business database; note: cost of importing and exporting not included.
Figure 2: World Bank Doing Business rankings – cost of importing and exporting across the French, German, Italian, British, Canadian and US borders, 2014
Source: World Bank Doing Business database; note: cost of importing and exporting not included.
Registering property in the USA, UK, Germany and France – World Bank Doing Business rankings compared
13 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, economics of religion, law and economics, politics - USA, property rights Tags: British economy, doing business, France, Germany
Figure 1: registering property rankings, USA, UK, Germany and France – World Bank Doing Business rankings, 2014
Source: Doing Business – Measuring Business Regulations – World Bank Group.
Starting a business rankings in the USA, UK, Germany and France compared
11 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, comparative institutional analysis, economics of regulation, industrial organisation, law and economics, politics - USA, property rights Tags: British economy Doing Business, France, Germany, World Bank
Figure 1: Starting a business rankings, USA, UK, Germany and France – World Bank Doing Business rankings, 2014
Source: Doing Business – Measuring Business Regulations – World Bank Group.
I have no idea why you have to pledge one third of German per capita income to start a business in Germany. It takes about a week and a half a dozen procedures to start a business in the other countries.
In New Zealand, you can start a business within the hour by registering for GST and registering your company online.
Has Bruce Ackerman just said the dumbest thing ever said?
10 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of media and culture Tags: Berlin wall, Cold War, collapse of communism, East Germany, fall of the Berlin wall, German unification, Germany, Greece, public intellectuals, West Germany
Traffic Jam near the Brandenburg Gate as East Germans move into West Berlin after the fall of the Berlin Wall, 1989. http://t.co/hVWT9Mwh4L—
Vexy Vox (@Vexyvox) November 14, 2014
Doing Business in France, Germany and the UK – World Bank rankings compared
10 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, comparative institutional analysis, economics of regulation, industrial organisation, law and economics, property rights Tags: British economy, doing business, France, Germany, World Bank
Figure 1: World Bank Doing Business rankings, France, Germany and the UK, 2014
Source: Doing Business – Measuring Business Regulations – World Bank Group.
Some things are decidedly harder to do in Germany and France than for businesses in the UK. On the other hand, it is surprisingly hard to register property in all three countries including the UK after 700 years of the blessings of the British common law.
Paying taxes in Germany and France are far harder than in the UK. Don’t have anything to do with construction permits in France unless you must. It is surprisingly hard to get the electricity on in the UK and France.
The European Union must have some benefits when it comes to trading across the borders of all three countries. Only problem is in Germany where it is very difficult to start a business in the first place. Why is for a later posting.
OECD starting a business rankings (New Zealand (1st) to Germany (114th)) – World Bank Doing Business rankings
09 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, comparative institutional analysis, economics of regulation, industrial organisation, law and economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, property rights Tags: British economy, doing business, France, Germany, Italy, World Bank
Figure 1: Starting a business rankings – World Bank Doing Business rankings, OECD countries, 2014
Source: Doing Business – Measuring Business Regulations – World Bank Group.
There is surprising wide range in the World Bank Doing Business ranking of the difficulty and delays in starting a business across the OECD.
Germany is ranked 114 from the world for starting a business. New Zealand is ranked first with the USA, Italy and the UK ranked in the mid 40s in the Doing Business database.
The reason why New Zealand should rule out helping Greece!
06 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in budget deficits, business cycles, currency unions, economic growth, Euro crisis, financial economics, fiscal policy, global financial crisis (GFC), macroeconomics Tags: bank runs, banking panics, Eurosclerosis, Germany, Greece, sovereign defaults
Greece is a tiny part of the European economies so it doesn’t matter that much to the rest of the European Union what happens to Greece. The only people will notice the sovereign default of Greece once the breathless journalism has died down are Greeks themselves as they rebuild their banking and monetary system against a background of a government run by coffee shop Marxists.
The Spanish economic recovery compared
10 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in business cycles, currency unions, economic growth, Euro crisis, global financial crisis (GFC), great recession, macroeconomics Tags: Eurosclerosis, France, Germany, Italy, Spain
Spain's economic growth is being touted as a success story. Don't tell the Spaniards: on.wsj.com/1M45yzI http://t.co/pm4DAd1qkF—
Nick Timiraos (@NickTimiraos) June 03, 2015
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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