Dr. Sebastian Blesse

A majority of the German population wants Germany to play a pioneering role in climate action. A total of 55 percent are in favor of this, while 33 percent are against such a role. A further 12 percent do not want to say one way or the other. But support for CO₂ prices on carbon intensive activities is weak. These are findings of a representative survey conducted by the Ludwig Erhard ifo Center for Social Market Economy in Fürth in cooperation with the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM).

The “climate money” planned by Germany’s traffic light government has met with little approval among the country’s population. This is shown by a representative survey conducted by the Ludwig Erhard ifo Center for Social Market Economy and Institutional Economics in cooperation with the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM).

Debt and fiscal rules do not generally lead to countries investing less. This has been shown by an evaluation conducted by researchers at the ifo Institute for EconPol Europe. The European Commission is currently planning to soften the rules of the Stability and Growth Pact. According to the Commission, these rules have a negative impact on government investment. “But our findings show that fiscal rules, such as the EU’s Maastricht criteria, are not a fundamental barrier to public investment,” says Florian Dorn, coauthor of the study.

Germans and members of parliament systematically misjudge student performance in their states. This is the finding of a representative survey conducted by the ifo Institute together with the Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Assessments tend to be too pessimistic in states with good student performance and too optimistic in states with weak student performance. 

Following the consolidation of smaller police stations in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, crime increased in the affected areas. This is the finding of a joint study conducted by the ifo Institute, EconPol Europe and the Halle Institute for Economic Research. Police station closures led to an 18 percent increase in car thefts and a 12 percent increase in residential burglaries.