Team
The people behind the ifo Institute offer the very high level of expertise and experience needed to fulfill our research and service mandate.
ifo Institute Opposes Government Intervention in Supply Chains and General Return of Production to Germany
The ifo Institute has spoken out against a general relocation of production back to Germany and against government intervention in supply chains. Instead, the sources of supply for the German economy ought to become more internationally diverse. Achieving this calls for a deeper European Single Market and a stronger World Trade Organization. These findings are from an article in ifo Schnelldienst by Lisandra Flach, Director of the ifo Center for International Economics; the article was published in advance on Friday.
Safeguarding Supplies of Raw Materials: Urgent Action Required for Nine Minerals
For many key technologies, such as battery technology, robotics, and renewables, Germany is dependent on imports of raw materials – often from individual supplier countries like China. “Urgent action is required to ensure that the supply chains for nine critical minerals – cobalt, boron, silicon, graphite, magnesium, lithium, niobium, rare earths, titanium – are crisis-proof. Additional sources of supply are needed to make the supply chains more resilient,” says Lisandra Flach, Director of the ifo Center for International Economics, in summarizing the findings of an ifo study conducted on behalf of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce for Munich and Upper Bavaria.
German Gas Price Brake Will Be Much Cheaper than Expected
Germany’s gas price brake will cost the country much less than expected. Last winter, the German government had earmarked EUR 40.3 billion for it in the Economic Stabilization Fund. According to the latest estimate by the ifo Institute, it will actually cost only EUR 13.1 billion – one-third of the original sum.
ifo Institut : Plus de net pour les bas revenus
L'Institut ifo veut réformer le système allemand des bas revenus. "Les personnes touchées doivent pouvoir échapper au piège des faibles revenus. C'est pourquoi nous voulons améliorer les incitations à travailler davantage. Malheureusement, le système est actuellement construit de telle manière que plus brut signifie parfois moins net. Mais le travail doit en valoir la peine ", déclare Andreas Peichl, directeur du Centre de macroéconomie et d'études de l'Institut ifo.
Child Bonus Reduced Inequality and Poverty in Germany
The child bonus brought down the poverty risk rate in Germany by about 0.4 percentage points and the child poverty risk rate by 1.5 percentage points, according to calculations by the ifo Institute. “For single parents, it increased income by EUR 434.40, or 1.44 percent. For couples with children, the average increase was EUR 414.11, or 0.75 percent,” says Martin Mosler, one of the study’s co-authors.
Germany’s Event Industry Expects a Good Spring Season
The business climate for the German event industry has improved considerably. The industry index stood at minus 21.6 points in February; in January, it was minus 41.1 points.
Banks Less Reluctant to Lend to Companies in Germany
It has become easier for German companies to obtain new loans. In March, 22.7 percent of companies in ongoing credit negotiations reported restraint on the part of banks. In December, that figure was 30.0 percent. This is a finding of surveys by the ifo Institute. “The turbulence at some international banks is having no impact on lending in Germany,” says Klaus Wohlrabe, Head of Surveys at ifo.
Working from Home Could Reduce Office Space Requirements in Germany by 12%
Working from home reduces the need for office space in Germany. This is the result of a new study conducted by the ifo Institute together with real estate consultancy Colliers for the major cities of Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt am Main, Stuttgart, and Düsseldorf. “Regular working from home has become the new normal for around 25% of employees and 69% of companies. This is leading to a decline in demand for office space, particularly among large companies and in industries where working from home is more commonplace. By 2030, it’s likely that the need for office space will have decreased by 12%. This would correspond to a drop in demand of around 11.5 million square meters in the seven major cities. The new world of work is triggering structural change in the office market,” says ifo researcher Simon Krause, coauthor of the study.
Signes d'essoufflement de la reprise – la pandémie continue d'affecter la situation économique et politique en Allemagne
La crise sanitaire laisse des traces profondes dans l'économie allemande et l'impacte davantage que prévu encore au printemps dernier. Dans leur rapport d'automne, les principaux instituts de recherche économique ont corrigé à la baisse leur prévisions pour l'année en cours ainsi que l'année prochaine, respectivement, d'un peu plus de 1 %. Pour 2020, les experts s'attendent à ce que le produit intérieur brut allemand ne baisse de 5,4 % (précédemment : – 4,2 %), avant de s'accroître de 4,7 % en 2021 (5,8 %). La progression de la performance économique attendue pour 2022 est de 2,7 %.
ifo Study: Germany Only Average in Digitalization
An ifo study commissioned by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce for Munich and Upper Bavaria points out a great deal for the new German government to do in the area of digitalization. “In an international comparison, Germany has so far shown a clear tendency to remain in midfield when it comes to digitalization,” says ifo expert Oliver Falck, the study’s author.
ifo Export Expectations Edge Upward (December 2022)
Sentiment among German exporters has improved slightly. The ifo Export Expectations rose to plus 1.6 points in December, up from plus 0.9 points in November. When it comes to their exports, German manufacturers are cautiously optimistic as they head into the new year.
Clemens Fuest oppose sa vision d’une « Europe des chances » à celle d’une « Europe-forteresse »
À trois semaines des prochaines élections européennes, le président de l’Institut ifo s’est opposé à ce qu’il estime être les mauvaises réponses des responsables politiques pour enrayer la montée du populisme. Dans son discours à l’occasion de la remise du prix Hanns Martin Schleyer à Stuttgart, il s’est notamment prononcé contre la vision d’une « Europe qui protège », telle qu’elle a été évoquée récemment par le président français Emmanuel Macron.
Allemagne : Hausse sensible de l'indice ifo des exportations
Le moral des exportateurs allemands s'est considérablement amélioré. Les prévisions des entreprises industrielles en matière d'exportation sont remontées en juin de – 26,7 points à – 2,3 points. C'est la plus forte progression jamais enregistrée au cours d'un seul mois. L'industrie allemande sort peu à peu du creux de la vague.
Business Climate in Germany Drops Slightly for Solo Self-Employed Persons and Microenterprises
The business climate for microenterprises and solo self-employed persons has deteriorated slightly, according to the latest index for this segment (“Jimdo-ifo Business Climate Index”).
Institut ifo : perspectives nettement plus sombres pour les exportateurs allemands
Le moral des exportateurs allemands s'est sensiblement détérioré. L'indice des prévisions communiquées à l'Institut ifo a reculé, passant de – 6,5 points en août à – 11,3 points au mois de septembre. « Nos branches exportatrices connaissent un passage difficile », constate Klaus Wohlrabe, directeur des enquêtes conjoncturelles de l'Institut ifo. « Les volumes reculent, quelle que soit la destination. »
ifo President Fuest: Monetary policy reaches its limits
ifo President Clemens Fuest believes that the ECB's monetary policy has reached its limits. "The ECB's reaction to the economic slowdown in the euro zone is appropriate, especially the announcement of extensive refinancing operations for the banks and the further postponement of possible interest rate hikes," says Fuest.
ifo Institute: German Economy Stabilizes
The German economy stabilized in the third quarter of 2019, which was “mainly attributable to industry,” says Timo Wollmershaeuser, Head of Forecasts at ifo. “Although this sector is still in recession, the rate of decline in production has slowed down. A major contributing factor is that goods exports are on the upswing again after plummeting in the previous quarter. One reason for this may be that the mood in the manufacturing sector in the export markets has improved again since the middle of the year, especially in emerging economies.”
Des économistes veulent des lignes de crédit corona du mécanisme de stabilité
Un certain nombre d'économistes de France et d'autres pays souhaitent utiliser le mécanisme européen de stabilité (MES) pour des lignes de crédit corona accordées aux pays de l'UE. Tous les États membres pourraient utiliser la ligne de crédit rapidement si nécessaire. Le document, dans lequel le président de l'Institut ifo, Clemens Fuest, est impliqué, indique que les sommes devraient être réparties entre les États membres en fonction de la gravité des problèmes dans le secteur de la santé et de l'économie.
Covid-19, Lack of Intermediate Products, and Bad Weather Cost Some EUR 50 Billion in Economic Output
The coronavirus pandemic, production constraints in industry, and cold weather at construction sites cost Germany around EUR 50 billion in economic output in the first quarter, according to an ifo Institute estimate. The German Federal Statistical Office published a contraction of 1.7 percent in economic output for that period. “This estimate is of course subject to a high degree of uncertainty. It assumes that with no crisis, the German economy would have grown by an average of 1.25 percent per year,” says Timo Wollmershäuser, Head of Forecasts at ifo. He put the total shortfall in German economic output from March 2020 to March 2021 at around EUR 240 billion.
Majority of Germans in Favor of Financing Climate Protection through Taxes Instead of Debt
Around 66 percent of German households are in favor of raising the top tax rate to finance climate action. This is the finding of an ifo study based on a survey in which German households were asked about their preferences with regard to financing climate change policies.