Business & Economics Program
Generates insights into the institutional, political, cultural, and historical factors that shape our responses to deepening economic integration and the challenges of globalization. Current issues in the Business & Economics Program include the Debt Crisis, responding to the end of the years of plenty by comparing German and American responses to the crisis. It looks at macroeconomic discrepancies and their potential threat to national security, studies approaches to international macroeconomic policymaking in the face of the crisis, and analyzes transatlantic trade and growth. In the area of Corporate Regulations it examines corporate governance and the mechanisms of regulations.
Private Health Care Insurance: Accessibility and Efficiency in the U.S. and Germany
Different Systems, Similar Debates Despite different health care systems in Germany and the U.S., similar debates and health policy questions can be identified in both countries. Some common issues are the role of the private insurance market and competition in health care. In the U.S., the 2010 Affordable Care Act reform has… Read more >
What Do Citizens in Europe and the United States Think About Fiscal Austerity?
There is currently no national government in the European Union (EU) that is not indebted to a certain extent. The same holds true for the United States, Switzerland, and the other member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Moreover, many sub-national jurisdictions (e.g., states, cities) in these countries… Read more >
Financing Sustainable Transportation: An Overview of Finance Mechanisms and Cases from the U.S. and Germany
This publication entitled “Financing Sustainable Transportation: An Overview of Finance Mechanisms and Cases from the U.S. and Germany” is part of AICGS’ project on The Transatlantic Climate and Energy Dialogue: Urban and Regional Transportation and Energy Problems and Solutions. Transportation policy is increasingly linked to land-use policy, and to climate change outcomes. In the… Read more >
Transportation and Land-Use Planning in Germany and the U.S.: Lessons from the Stuttgart and Washington, DC Regions
AICGS’ new publication, entitled “Transportation and Land-Use Planning in Germany and the U.S.: Lessons from the Stuttgart and Washington, DC Regions,” is part of our project on The Transatlantic Climate and Energy Dialogue: Urban and Regional Transportation and Energy Problems and Solutions. Urban communities on both sides of the Atlantic face economic and… Read more >
Pay-for-Performance in the Health Care System: Lessons Learned and Steps Forward
The German and U.S. health care systems may be different in many ways, but both countries face similar challenges. Both countries are troubled by aging populations and increasing health care costs, which significantly complicates their respective domestic policy debates. This Policy Report provides an analysis of how Germany and the U.S. attempt… Read more >
It’s Not Only the Economy: Germany’s role in averting a Western meltdown
Download Policy Report The observed capital flows out of distressed countries into countries that are seen as “safe harbors” have in fact resulted in historically low yields of German and U.S. government bonds and helped the respective government budgeting. However, the current trading levels are unlikely to be sustainable and should not… Read more >
The United States Economy after the 2012 Election: Playing Chicken
American elections are many things. One thing they rarely produce, however, is a deep and detailed discussion of policy proposals. This is particularly true for economic policy. In 2012, both presidential candidates have gone to great lengths to avoid discussing what they would actually do if elected because each is likely to… Read more >
The U.S. Elections 2012: The Role of Health Care Reform
Over the last four years, President Barack Obama’s most significant bill was the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA), which introduced a major reform of the U.S. health care system. Although most provisions of the bill were affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in summer 2012, Republican opposition to the bill has been… Read more >
Daily Travel and CO2 Emissions from Passenger Transport: A Comparison of Germany and the United States
Germany and the U.S. present many similarities that make a comparison of CO2 emissions from transport and related policies meaningful. This essay compares trends of CO2 emission from passenger transport, discusses policies to decrease emissions, and offers policy lessons for both the U.S. and Germany.
Collaboration in Health Care: Success Wherever You Are
Minnesota’s health care model is admired across the United States as an efficient, high quality system. There are many reasons for this and one important component is that Minnesotans work together toward common goals. Collaboration among the health plans, hospitals and clinics, and the State of Minnesota has resulted in a system… Read more >
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