The discourse on climate policy to achieve internationally agreed climate targets in Germany is often narrowed down to the instrument of CO2 pricing. A price for the emission of climate-damaging carbon dioxide is an essential building block for achieving the long-term decarbonisation of all sectors.
However, the current study by DIW Econ with Prof. Dr Claudia Kemfert, Head of the Department of Energy, Transport and Environment at DIW, commissioned by Greenpeace, shows that a price on CO2 by itself is by far not sufficient to achieve Germany’s agreed climate goals. This can only be achieved with the help of a policy mix of CO2 pricing and complementary regulatory instruments and measures.
DIW Econ GmbH was commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV) to evaluate the “buyer principle” introduced in 2015 for the marketing of rental properties. Since then, this principle has obliged the initiator of a brokerage service to pay for it (“whoever orders, pays”). The evaluation examines whether the law’s objectives have been achieved and additionally identifies potential needs for an amendment to the law.
On behalf of Haus & Grund, DIW Econ GmbH has investigated the possible effects of new rental regulations on the rental housing market in Germany. To this end, party positions on proposed housing market regulations were converted into a regulation index and then, using a regression model, the impact of the new regulations on the proportion of tenant households in Germany was estimated.
DIW Weekly Report 36 / 2019, pp. 631-639
More than every fourth patent filed by large German companies is based on inventions made in their research laboratories abroad. In three-quarters of the cases, the companies concentrate on technologies in which they are also particularly strong in Germany. The technological performance of research and development at home thus largely determines the innovative strength of German companies operating worldwide.
Economic Bulletin No. 1 | 2019
Purchaser principle when buying residential property
One reason for the stagnating homeownership rate in Germany for years is often cited as the high ancillary acquisition costs, which discourage households with low equity in particular from buying property. In addition to land transfer tax, notary and land registry fees, the brokerage commission is also a significant factor. However, there is no uniform and cross-national regulation on the amount and distribution of the broker’s commission. For this reason, the introduction of a nationwide buyer’s principle for the purchase of residential property is being discussed to prevent a possible predicament of buyers. Who is protected from whom by the buyer principle and what the typical buyer and seller household looks like is examined in this Economic Bulletin “Who meets whom when buying property”.