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Extreme weather events and economic activity: The case of low water levels on...
We make use of historical data on water levels on the Rhine river to analyze the impact of weather-related supply shocks on economic activity in Germany. Our analysis shows that... -
Too Much of a Good Thing? Households’ Macroeconomic Conditions and Credit Dyn...
Favorable macroeconomic conditions, accompanied by optimistic consumer confidence, can stimulate and shape households' expectations in such a way that they gradually extrapolate... -
Sudden Stop: When Did Firms Anticipate the Potential Consequences of COVID-19?
COVID-19 hit firms by surprise. In a high frequency, representative panel of German firms, the business outlook declined and business uncertainty increased only at the time when... -
A direct measure of subjective business uncertainty
We present an uncertainty measure that is based on a business survey in which uncertainty is captured directly by a qualitative question on subjective uncertainty regarding... -
Parity Funding of Health Care Contributions in Germany: A DSGE Perspective
Germany reintroduced parity funding of the statutory health insurance scheme in January 2019 by lowering the contribution rates for employees and raising those for employers,... -
A Novel Housing Price Misalignment Indicator for Germany
From 2014 until present, housing prices in Germany have been rising faster than consumer prices in all quarters except one, raising concerns about an excessive overheating of... -
Thoughts on a Fiscal Union in EMU
Using an estimated large-scale New-Keynesian model, we assess the consequences of introducing a fiscal union within EMU. We differentiate between three different scenarios:...
