Reform
The Momentum of Health Care Reform: UnitedHealth Maintains Consumer Protections
As consumers, insurance companies, and the federal government await the Supreme Court’s ruling on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), one health insurance provider has stepped up to the plate and promised to maintain some of the law’s consumer protections even if the law is struck down. On June 11,… Read more >
A Small Step for the German Government, a Giant Leap for Germany’s Universities
AICGS Senior Fellow Dr. Tim Stuchtey explains the attempts at constitutional reform in Germany regarding higher education and the positive outcomes of such a move.
Taming the Financial Beast
In the wake of the global financial crisis, the United States and the European Union have acted not only to recover from the crisis, but also to implement regulatory reforms to prevent another crisis of this magnitude in the future. The path to reform, however, has not been smooth. Political debates over fundamental issues have slowed progress toward making meaningful reform in regulating the financial sector.
The Reform of the IMF: Europe’s Short-Term Arithmetic and Long-Term Choices
In this Transatlantic Perspectives essay, DAAD/AICGS Fellow Katharina Gnath discusses the G20′s compromise on a large-scale reform of the IMF, including the deal that transfers two of the eight European Executive Board seats to emerging market countries. Over the coming months, Europe will have to make some tough choices on the implementation of the deal, Ms. Gnath writes, and she argues that European member states should use this opportunity to improve the EU’s international macroeconomic policy and relations with the IMF.
It’s Payback Time: The United States and Germany are Debating a Financial Institution Fee
DAAD/AICGS Fellow Dr. Stormy-Annika Mildner examines the differing German and U.S. proposals for an IMF-regulated ‘Financial Crisis Responsibility Fee’ and argues that their implementation is anything but certain. Dr. Mildner writes that the proposals differ with regard to the institutions subjected to the fee, the determinants of the fee (risk, income, and bonuses), the goals of the levy, as well as the appropriate use of the fee revenues, but states that strong transatlantic cooperation in the early stages can result in a more coordinated and effective implementation.
The Fate of Deutschland AG
The notion of Deutschland AG refers to the interconnectedness of corporate ownership and control, particularly the relationships between banks and industry, which enabled the most powerful bankers and company managers to influence corporate decision-making throughout the economy…
Germany’s Electoral System at 60: Trends and Reforms for the Twenty-first Century
When Germany elected a new government on 27 September 2009, it did so not with an eye to the party, economic, or political successes of the previous sixty years. Rather, the election displayed a startling realignment of the party system. This election, occurring as it did in the middle of a celebration of sixty years of the Federal Republic of Germany, can perhaps be seen as the beginning of a new period of German politics, and its impact on transatlantic relations will continue to be seen…
The International Banking Crisis and Institutional Reforms
As the global financial crisis has expanded, there is considerable confusion in Germany about how to cope with the crisis and fall-out in the real economy, writes Prof. Dr. Paul J.J. Welfens, president of the European Institute of International Economic Relations (EIIW) and a former AICGS Fellow. Dr. Welfens proposes five specific ‘institutional innovations’ that would help in ending the chaos and inefficiencies in the banking systems, and argues for the introduction of a new tax regime designed to encourage bankers to have a long term time horizon in decision-making.
Health Care and Pension Reform
Germany and the United States are facing similar challenges of aging populations. While the aging trend is stronger and more dramatic in Germany, both societies will have to deal with massive challenges over the coming decades to both pension and healthcare policies…
No Strong Conservative Mandate? The Failed Social Security Reform of 2005 and the Prospect of Future Reform
Following his reelection in 2004, President George W. Bush interpreted the election outcome as a strong mandate for his policies. For his second term, he promoted Social Security reforms as the cornerstone of his domestic agenda, which was a surprise to many people. Social Security, officially called Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI), was introduced in 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of the New Deal programs and has undergone reforms since then. Over the years Social Security has grown in size and continues to be very popular, especially among people in the middle and lower income classes, as Social Security benefits are often the main part of their retirement income. While Bush had occasionally talked about Social Security reform and even established a commission to develop reform proposals during his first term, he was not expected to focus on this issue during his second term…
