Focus on Economics

Focus on Economics provides information on current themes, enabling the reader to quickly get to grips with various issues

April 2025	SMEs spend seven per cent of their working time on administrative processes
March 2025	The German venture capital market after the boom and bust: Returning to a sustained upward trend should be the goal
February 2025	Heat pumps are gaining ground in Europe – electricity prices matter
February 2025	Venture capital – market trends in 2025
October 2024	SMEs see growing risks to their international competitiveness
August 2024	Nearly half of households are open to green financial investments – transparency on climate impact is crucial
June 2024	Artificial intelligence in Germany: Status quo, opportunities and options for economic policy measures
May 2024	Germany’s competitiveness – from ‘sick man of Europe’ to superstar and back: Where does the economy stand?
April 2024	Half of all firms in Germany already use electricity from renewables but use of climate-friendly heat is much less common
April 2024	The potential for household photovoltaics in Germany
March 2024	Set in stone? The German economy’s dependency on copper, lithium and rare earths
February 2024	High skills requirements make hiring a challenge, especially for innovative enterprises
February 2024	Status report on SME succession 2023: Despite successor shortage, three quarters of successions will be sorted by the end of 2024
January 2024	Venture capital: Market observations using social media sentiment analyses
December 2023	Main motive for SMEs to invest abroad is to expand into new sales markets
November 2023	Natural gas as a bridge to climate neutrality in Germany – a reassessment
April 2023	Shocks, dependencies and trends – considerations on international production networks
April 2023	Municipal climate action investment: between growing needs and limited resources
February 2023	Global carbon pricing: The rocky road to an effective global response to climate change
January 2023	Skills shortage marks a turning point: The times of guaranteed growth are over
December 2022	Germany’s close integration into global trade and value chains
November 2022	The US dollar’s dominance remains virtually unchallenged
October 2022	Two central banks – one problem: recession may follow inflation
September 2022	GDP forecasting and greenhouse gas emissions – an integrated approach
September 2022	Securing critical raw materials for the net zero and digital transformation
August 2022	Vaccines ‘Made in Africa’: Considerations on building local vaccine production capacity
July 2022	Public investment required to achieve climate neutrality in Germany
July 2022	Types of SMEs in the innovation system: activities, constraints and successes
July 2022	Trends in market: War in Ukraine is affecting investor expectations
June 2022	SMEs that have a digitalisation strategy are more proactive in their digital evolution
February 2022	Green inflation? Between climate action and price stability
February 2022	Taper Tantrum 2.0 appears unlikely
January 2022	China’s long-term development goals: a challenge to productivity
December 2021	German SMEs invest EUR 22 billion in climate action to remain viable and competitive
November 2021	The future is green – what opportunities are available to German business?
October 2021	COP26 – three opportunities for global cooperation on climate action
October 2021	Government spending: efficiency also matters
October 2021	Digitalisation in international comparison: Germany lags far behind in IT investment
October 2021	Supply bottlenecks are significantly impacting all areas of the SME sector
October 2021	Investing EUR 5 trillion to reach climate neutrality – a surmountable challenge
October 2021	Low globalisation momentum requires adjustment of German companies’ growth strategies
October 2021	What’s next for Germany’s growth model? Scenarios for globalisation
September 2021	Market environment and competition strategies shape innovation and digitalisation in small and medium-sized enterprises
September 2021	German SMEs lack digital skills, need more training
September 2021	The EU’s carbon border adjustment: A trade barrier or an opportunity for global climate action?
August 2021	Which enterprises have been hit hardest by the coronavirus crisis and what lessons can we learn from it
August 2021	No way back: Many SMEs expect the coronavirus crisis to have a lasting impact on product demand
August 2021	The trade-offs between digitalisation and climate action: Why digitalisation must be sustainable
July 2021	Sustainable finance in German municipalities: Can green municipal loans break the ice?
July 2021	The significance of online credit platforms for SMEs: digital third-party financing still a niche product
July 2021	Innovation and digitalisation in enterprises mutually reinforce each other
July 2021	Africa’s long COVID: health consequences and vaccine shortages
July 2021	Are higher interest rates and inflation ahead? A long-term view beyond the pandemic
May 2021	Information technologies are not one of Germany’s strengths but of vital importance as technologies of the future
May 2021	Shift to electric vehicles is gathering pace – but who is climbing into the driver’s seat?
May 2021	A successful pandemic response requires more than basic preparedness
April 2021	Continuing education has dropped in the crisis – need for digital skills is growing
March 2021	Debt sustainability after the coronavirus crisis – interest rates and growth are pivotal
March 2021	What is driving housing prices – risky speculation or sound calculation?
March 2021	The coronavirus and foreign trade – the crisis accentuates long-term trends
March 2021	Transitioning to climate neutrality by 2050: a major challenge for German industry
March 2021	Technologies of the future for Germany: The country is well placed in many areas but some need readjustment
February 2021	More practical vocational training may ease skills shortage in Central-Eastern Europe
February 2021	A ray of light: Residential construction investment is up despite coronavirus crisis
February 2021	Artificial intelligence: high growth potential but low penetration in SMEs
February 2021	Coronavirus update on municipal finance: 2021 will be another nail biter
January 2021	Coronavirus crisis is hampering innovation, digitalisation sees mixed trend
January 2021	Pragmatism in trade policy: regional trade agreements
December 2020	Short-term shock with lasting effects: The coronavirus crisis and international value chains
December 2020	Status report on SME succession 2020: Well-prepared into the crisis – coronavirus exacerbates start-up downturn
November 2020	SMEs between financial resilience and a digital and green investment surge – a trade-off that should not be
November 2020	Nigeria’s tech scene between coronavirus and infrastructure deficits
October 2020	Which SMEs use digital platforms?
October 2020	For crisis-resilient growth and better global collaboration
October 2020	Uncertainty and economic activity in Germany
September 2020	How effectively do Germany’s foreign trade and investment promotion schemes support investment in Africa?
August 2020	The ECB’s inflation target: flexible future
July 2020	Will economic relations between Germany and Poland thrive post-coronavirus?
July 2020	Innovation during the coronavirus crisis: necessity is the mother of invention
June 2020	Coronavirus crisis in Germany’s SMEs: Return to full economic activity still far off but gradual opening has eased pressure on liquidity
June 2020	What puts low income countries in this category?
June 2020	SMEs are responding creatively to the coronavirus crisis
April 2020	Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Latin America
April 2020	SMEs are firmly in the grip of the coronavirus crisis but (still) holding on strong
April 2020	Housing with improved accessibility: ageing is a strong driver of demand – support is working
April 2020	Considerations on the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Africa
March 2020	Financing of digitalisation and capital expenditure in SMEs – a comparison
February 2020	Sustainable maritime shipping and climate action
February 2020	Small and medium-sized enterprises offer family-friendly working conditions as a way to attract skilled workers
February 2020	Digital skills shortage is hampering German SMEs’ digital transformation – is upskilling the answer?
December 2019	SME succession in Germany: ‘Mittelstand’ needs 152,000 successors by the end of 2021 – external investors wanted
December 2019	How do Germany’s housing costs compare with the rest of the EU?
December 2019	Housing market: The social market economy can do better than freezing rents
December 2019	Brexit and the UK’s regional divide: a cautionary example
November 2019	North-south, east-west – thoughts on Germany 30 years after the fall of the Wall
September 2019	The Sustainable Development Goals – SDG reporting by banks
August 2019	Business performance of different types of small and medium-sized innovators
August 2019	Interactive learning or R&D: How do small and medium-sized enterprises generate innovations?
August 2019	70 years of social market economy: a cause for celebration, several occasions for reform
August 2019	Structural reforms – easier said than done
July 2019	The circular economy – pivotal to sustainability and resource security
July 2019	High debt distress risk – a ‘typically’ African problem?
July 2019	China’s Belt and Road Initiative: too early for success stories
May 2019	Côte d'Ivoire – more than just cocoa!
March 2019	Digitalisation: Much ado about nothing or is there more to come?
March 2019	Ethiopia in 2025: an up-and-coming industrial hub in Africa?
March 2019	A successful energy transition requires a CO2-oriented energy price reform
March 2019	Trump's tax reform: not very effective and at the wrong time
March 2019	Germany’s work force sees need for skilled migration – degree of approval varies by education, income and region
March 2019	Green bonds – a sustainable alternative for municipal infrastructure finance?
March 2019	Biological diversity – why it is so important
February 2019	German SMEs are very loyal to their principal bank
February 2019	Start-up location Germany: fear of failure could be countered with better economic education
February 2019	Status report on SME succession: Planning steady at a high level
January 2019	Migrant start-ups – a stronger desire for self-employment
January 2019	Emerging from the niche: 154,000 ‘young’ social entrepreneurs in Germany in 2017
January 2019	How SMEs fund their innovation and investment expenditure – a comparison
December 2018	Determinants of digitalisation and innovation behaviour in the SME sector
November 2018	Businesses are saving more than they are investing – hampering any rapid correction of Germany’s current account imbalance
November 2018	Low-income country debt: the worry lines are not easing off
November 2018	Waiting for the M&A boom in the ICT sector – despite digitalisation
November 2018	Many job openings, few job seekers: SMEs expect a shortage of skilled workers
November 2018	Local currency bond markets as an integral part of a developed financial system
October 2018	What TARGET balances are and how they emerge
October 2018	More Chinese M&A deals in the German SME sector – but the share remains negligible
October 2018	M&A deals in the German SME sector – manufacturers are most sought after
October 2018	Germany’s real estate boom: Is this time different?
October 2018	The value of a bitcoin: more competition in payments
October 2018	The long climb out of the crisis low: investment recovery in the euro area continues
September 2018	Unemployment in North Africa – men without jobs are not the only problem
September 2018	As energy prices fall, SMEs have lower costs – and increased efforts for energy efficiency and energy cost savings
July 2018	Concerns about ‘zombie companies’ in the SME sector are unfounded
July 2018	Turkey after the elections: What are the chances for new economic policies?
July 2018	Allemagne en marche?! Municipal investment backlogs in France and Germany
July 2018	Is there no end to Germany’s jobs boom? What we can do now to meet our skills needs in the future
July 2018	Digitalisation in the textile, apparel and footwear industry – a threat to industrialising and developing market economies?
July 2018	How energy-efficient is Germany?
June 2018	International trade in services – German SMEs are active too
June 2018	Japan: Is record low unemployment finally bringing back inflation?
June 2018	Reforms in France: focused and fast
June 2018	US trade policy targets symptoms, not causes
June 2018	USD / EUR exchange rate: Expectations and risk premiums are main drivers, not yield spread
May 2018	EU partnership agreements alone cannot solve structural problems in trade with Africa
April 2018	The smart city as a solution to municipal challenges?
March 2018	Digitalisation in German SMEs: state of implementation and investment
March 2018	Weak productivity: different causes require different therapies
March 2018	Credit markets in the euro area: heterogeneous but healthy
March 2018	Italy’s debt sustainability: stable but with room for improvement through more growth
January 2018	Wave of successions in German SMEs: 240,000 successors wanted by 2019
January 2018	Sovereign debt in emerging market economies is a country-specific issue
December 2017	Declining municipal investment backlog – a trend reversal or just a temporary breather?
December 2017	Research and development (R&D) in SMEs: internal funding capacity determines scope of R&D expenditure
December 2017	Green finance – green banking
November 2017	Consumer loans in the USA: be vigilant but not afraid
November 2017	SME innovations: Seven reasons for the decline in the share of innovators
October 2017	Starting a business with kids: mompreneurs balance work and family life
October 2017	The happy few: German SMEs investing abroad
October 2017	The world is not a village – geographic proximity to export markets is crucial to SMEs
October 2017	Branch closures: German banks are shifting up a gear amid Herculean challenge of digitisation
August 2017	Economic prospects for sub-Saharan-Africa and the role of urbanisation
August 2017	Current account balance: reduce surplus, make Germany stronger
August 2017	Success factors of high-growth enterprises
July 2017	Monetary policy has reduced fiscal pressure in euro area – but interest rate turnaround is coming
June 2017	Russia – import substitution during recession
May 2017	SMEs exporting to the USA: innovative high performers
April 2017	Can an expansive fiscal policy deliver an economic miracle in the USA?
April 2017	Business investment: waiting for Godot?
April 2017	China’s rapid rise affects other developing and emerging countries at various levels
April 2017	Migrants have more and larger start-ups: more hours a week, more employees
March 2017	What has the EU done for us? Taking stock of 60 years of European integration
March 2017	ECB policy remains unchanged – despite temporarily higher inflation
February 2017	SMEs in Germany are slow to adopt e-commerce
January 2017	Inflation in Germany rises only briefly above two per cent
January 2017	SMEs all over the world are promoting social interests
January 2017	Labour mobility in Europe does little to mitigate economic shocks – national labour markets absorb adjustment pressure
January 2017	Euro area labour markets: reform successes are a good signal for employment
January 2017	Foreign workers in German SMEs: a strong plea for free labour markets
January 2017	Participation in continuing education is unequal – especially by prior attainment
December 2016	Euro area credit markets: step by step, little by little
December 2016	First, more money and now, more staff – what do municipalities need in order to invest?
December 2016	South America after the commodity boom – productivity worries are back
December 2016	Turkey has made much progress but remains highly vulnerable
November 2016	Access to credit varies considerably depending on the purpose
November 2016	The decentralised global monetary system requires an efficient safety net
October 2016	No pain, no gain? Economic adjustment programmes in Greece and Portugal
September 2016	Investment backlog in schools hampers educational performance
September 2016	Crude oil price no longer drives inflation expectations
August 2016	Fiscal policy in the euro area – greater focus on the economic cycle and closer coordination between member states
August 2016	SMEs and digitalisation: The current position, recent developments and challenges
August 2016	SMEs' value chains are becoming more international – Europe remains key
August 2016	Large German firms invest roughly the same amounts at home and abroad
August 2016	With good politics, sub-Saharan Africa can make up more lost ground
July 2016	Labour productivity of large euro area countries drifts apart – Italy falling behind
July 2016	Transfer-planing entrepreneurs outnumber takeover entrepreneurs 3 to 1
July 2016	Ageing boosts SMEs’ need for successors – 620,000 business transitions by 2018
July 2016	No turn of the tides in U.S. trade
June 2016	SMEs face a wide range of barriers to innovation – support policy needs to be broad-based
June 2016	The energy transition will not work without a heating transition
June 2016	Demographic change bolsters private consumption and SME growth
May 2016	ECB policy has saved euro states from severe economic hardship since 2012
May 2016	SMEs and innovation: enterprises innovate less as their workforce ages
April 2016	Germany’s demographic trap – integrating refugees is only part of the solution
April 2016	Common challenges for Europe and Asia as interdependence grows
April 2016	Older workers in SMEs – a golden asset or a liability?
March 2016	Friedman beats Schumpeter – stability, not crisis, fosters dynamic small and medium-sized entrepreneurship
February 2016	TTIP – an opportunity for European SMEs
February 2016	Harnessing the potential of digitalisation – with data protection and IT security
January 2016	Migrants are more active entrepreneurs – mostly as a result of labour market conditions
December 2015	What are the hallmarks of consistently successful businesses?
November 2015	Fuelling the future with natural gas
November 2015	Are start-ups the same throughout Germany? Hardly! A comparison of German states
November 2015	Which factors influence redistribution? Perception and evaluation of inequality
November 2015	Influx of refugees to Germany requires investment in housing, schools and minds
October 2015	Financial literacy helps with business startups: easier, better funded, more competitive
September 2015	Japan’s demographic millstone
August 2015	An international comparison of R&D: Germany benefits from industrial research strength
August 2015	Latest developments in China: tricky, but no reason to panic (just yet)
July 2015	More hype than substance? Not all is rosy on the US job market
July 2015	How female is the world of small business? Women as business leaders
July 2015	Recruitment of skilled workers in SMEs: Optimism must not distract from qualification problems
July 2015	Germany’s private equity market lacks venture capital
July 2015	Energy cost drivers: It’s not just about electricity!
June 2015	North African countries face common economic challenges
June 2015	Oil: a price with many implications
April 2015	Succession planning in SME sector in full swing: Half a million hand-overs by 2017
March 2015	An end to energy subsidies in developing countries and emerging markets – if not now, then when?
March 2015	SME borrowing: large loans in high demand
March 2015	EnglishIs it really just the oil price? Some general observations on inflation in the euro area
March 2015	Competition policy: a question of enforcement
March 2015	Ageing of German SME owners is putting a dampener on investment
March 2015	World trade with interesting but alarming trends
February 2015	Where there’s a will, is there a way? Barriers to becoming self-employed
January 2015	Entrepreneurial graduates rely on business ideas from professional practice
January 2015	Take It Easy? A look at the consolidation of public finances in the US
January 2015	Decline in working hours threatens to exacerbate the consequences of an ageing population
December 2014	Japan has not (yet) failed
October 2014	European housing markets: are overheating concerns justified?
October 2014	Development of low-income countries paints a mixed picture
September 2014	Arrived at normality – Germany 25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall
September 2014	Monetary policy coordination or not – is that issue here?
August 2014	A fair look at France
July 2014	Russia – limited international economic relations
June 2014	Investments: SMEs still in the black, large companies long since in the red
June 2014	Reforms in China: not only urgent in the country's own interests, but also beneficial to the rest of the world
May 2014	Italy is different: Beyond labour market reforms
May 2014	Portugal – a phoenix rising from the ashes?
May 2014	Ukraine: IMF loan cannot prevent economic crisis
April 2014	Energy from Russia and the alternatives
April 2014	KfW SME Panel 2013: How German SMEs finance their innovations
March 2014	The network of Germany's bank branches is dwindling
February 2014	Where is China headed and what does this mean for Germany and the world?
February 2014	Should we feel bad about debt?
February 2014	The Problem of Balance of Payment Imbalances
January 2014	Youth unemployment in Southern Europe – Result of the crisis or a flaw in the system?
January 2014	KfW SME Panel 2013: Innovation Are German SMEs finally in the starting blocks?
January 2014	How can car sharing help in the energy turnaround?
December 2013	Energy costs and energy efficiency in the German SME sector
December 2013	Germany's entrepreneurial culture: strengths and weaknesses
December 2013	Creating the right incentives! – Modifying Germany’s EEG exemption scheme for manufacturing industry
November 2013	Fiscal consolidation in Spain: the battle goes on
November 2013	Ireland: Return with risks
November 2013	Strong exports are good for Germany, excessive current account surpluses are not
November 2013	Solving the demographic problem
October 2013	Have the old still what it takes?Differences in the innovative output of young and old entrepreneurs
September 2013	World of difference between Fed and ECB monetary policy
September 2013	Debt in Low Income Countries: crisis eases, risks remain
September 2013	Municipalities under construction: demographic change meets communal infrastructure
September 2013	How companies recognise, exploit and overcome crises
September 2013	Good advice helps – and it needn't be expensive
August 2013	Tough climate for German SMEs: competition increases, the three 'I's promise success
July 2013	Low debt entrepreneurs: in financing matters, women entrepreneurs play it safe
July 2013	Emerging economies China and India: heavyweights facing big challenges
July 2013	Diversity is crucial: how the SME sector in Germany compares with others in Europe
May 2013	Sideline start-ups rarely transition to fulltime ventures
May 2013	Routes out of recession: improving competitiveness in Germany, France and Italy
May 2013	Investing for the future
May 2013	Learning to succeed: how SMEs benefit from the international exchange of ideas
April 2013	Fracking - you snooze, you lose?
March 2013	You get what you pay for – The remuneration structure of VC funds and its consequences
February 2013	The Asian Crisis of 1997: No patent remedies for solving the Eurozone debt crisis
February 2013	Loans for SMEs – gap in Europe widens further
January 2013	"Big Bertha" and its effectiveness
January 2013	KfW programmes on energy-efficient housing substantially contribute to the German energy turnaround
January 2013	The innovation motor is sputtering Innovation activities in the German SME sector
December 2012	Fiscal Policy in Emerging Markets – Successes and Challenges
November 2012	To be the Leader of the pack? Innovation strategies in the German SME sector
November 2012	Ways out of the euro crisis: Growth needs financing
September 2012	Barriers to innovation in SMEs

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