Germany : 1996-1997 / Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Staff, Corporate Author.

Contributor:

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, contributor.

Series:

OECD Economic surveys (Series)

OECD Economic Surveys

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Economic history.

Germany--Economic conditions--1990-.

Germany.

Germany--Economic policy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (192 pages).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Paris : OECD Publishing, [1997]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Assessment and recommendations I. Recent trends and prospects -The expansion in perspective -Improving international competitiveness -A weak pick-up in investment -Employment continues to decline -Short-term economic prospects II. Monetary and fiscal policies -Fiscal policy -Monetary policy III. Reforming the health sector: efficiency through incentives -Introduction -Size of the health sector and pressures on spending -Problems with the institutional setting -Policy issues IV. Implementing structural reform: a review of progress -Introduction -Progress in structural reform -Overview and scope for further action Annexes -I. The German health care system -II. Chronology of main economic events Statistical annex and structural indicators.

Contents:

Intro

Table of contents

Assessment and recommendations

I. Recent trends and prospects

The expansion in perspective

Signs of resumed growth

Figure 1. MACROECONOMIC PERFORMANCE

Figure 2. THE BUSINESS CLIMATE

Table 1. Demand and output

... which have continued into 1997

Improving international competitiveness

Overall export strength

Table 2. Trade by region

Table 3. Trade by commodity

Figure 3. MEASURES OF THE REAL EFFECTIVE EXCHANGE RATE

Figure 4. DEUTSCHEMARK EXCHANGE RATE AGAINST SELECTED CURRENCIES

Table 4. The current account of the balance of payments

Weakness in the new Länder

Figure 5. WAGES, PRODUCTIVITY AND UNIT LABOUR COSTS IN EASTERN GERMANY

Figure 6. SERIOUS PROBLEMS FACED BY EASTERN GERMAN INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISES

A weak pick-up in investment

Figure 7. RECOVERY PERIODS COMPARED

Figure 8. MAIN MOTIVES OF ENTERPRISES FOR DOMESTIC INVESTMENT

Figure 9. FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT

Employment continues to decline

Figure 10. EMPLOYMENT GROWTH IN DIFFERENT RECOVERIES

Figure 11. EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT RATES

Short-term economic prospects

Table 5. Economic projections

II. Monetary and fiscal policies

Fiscal policy

The 1996 budget outcome

Table 6. Public sector financial balances

Table 7. The Federal budget

Table 8. Public financial transfers to eastern Germany

The 1997 budget: reconciling conflicting fiscal objectives

Box 1. Assumptions underlying fiscal projections

Table 9. Appropriation account for general government

Table 10. Public debt by government level

Figure 12. THE DYNAMICS OF PUBLIC DEBT

Fiscal policy in 1998 - fulfilling the medium term programme

Pension reform

Figure 13. PENSION INSURANCE CONTRIBUTIONS

Monetary policy

Figure 14. THE INFLATION ENVIRONMENT

Money and credit aggregates.

Figure 15. MONETARY TARGETS AND MONEY GROWTH

Changes in policy rates and operational considerations

Figure 16. INTEREST RATE DEVELOPMENTS

The development of market interest rates and exchange rates

Figure 17. EXCHANGE RATE AND LONG-TERM INTEREST DIFFERENTIALS

Figure 18. REAL LONG-TERM INTEREST RATE PREMIA BETWEEN GERMANY AND THE UNITED STATES

Figure 19. YIELD CURVES AND THE YIELD GAP

Assessment of monetary conditions

Figure 20. REAL INTEREST RATES

Figure 21. INDICATORS OF MONETARY CONDITIONS

III. Reforming the health sector: efficiency through incentives

Introduction

Size of the health sector and pressures on spending

Figure 22. THE VOLUME OF HEALTH SPENDING: INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON

Figure 23. HEALTH EXPENDITURE AND GDP PER CAPITA

Figure 24. HEALTH EXPENDITURES IN RELATION TO GDP

Figure 25. DECOMPOSITION OF THE GROWTH IN HEALTH SPENDING

Table 11. The growth of nominal health spending

Macro determinants of health spending

Population ageing

Figure 26. HEALTH EXPENDITURES INCREASE SHARPLY WITH AGE

Table 12. The effects of population ageing on the volume of health expenditure

Rising relative prices

Figure 27. INTERNATIONAL TRENDS IN RELATIVE HEALTH CARE PRICES

Costs and performance

Figure 28. COMPARISON OF PRICE LEVELS IN THE HEALTH SECTOR

Figure 29. INDICATORS OF HEALTH STATUS

Figure 30. HEALTH EXPENDITURES AND HEALTH OUTCOMES

Figure 31. CHANGES IN HEALTH EXPENDITURES AND IN HEALTH OUTCOMES

Table 13. Hospital capacity and utilisation

Table 14. Indicators of resource use in the health sector

Problems with the institutional setting

Major features of the health system

Figure 32. INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE OF EXPENDITURES AND SOURCES OF INCOME OF THE HEALTH SYSTEM, 1994

Box 2. The three stages of the current phase of health reform.

Declining contribution base for financing the statutory health funds system

Figure 33. CONTRIBUTION RATES FOR COMPULSORY HEALTH INSURANCE

Figure 34. GROWTH OF THE CONTRIBUTION BASE

Limited contractual relations between health funds and suppliers of health services

Low integration between hospital and ambulatory care

Hospital sector

Figure 35. HEALTH INSURANCE OUTLAYS BY TYPE OF EXPENDITURE

Incentive structures in the hospital remuneration scheme

Regulation of capacity and controls on investment

The provision of long-term care

The ambulatory sector

The structure of financial incentives

Prescribing medicines

Figure 36. GROWTH OF EXPENDITURE ON PHARMACEUTICALS

The pharmaceutical sector

Co-payments

Policy issues

Influencing consumer behaviour

Improving the cost efficiency of suppliers

Toward active purchasers of health care

Establishing competition between the statutory health funds

Risk-based versus solidarity-based insurance and private health insurance

Box 3. Risk selection and dealing with old age in the optional private health insurance system

Widening and simplifying the contribution base

Box 4. Recommendations for further reform of the German health care system

IV. Implementing structural reform: a review of progress

Progress in structural reform

Increasing wage and labour cost flexibility

Figure 37. INFLOW INTO EARLY RETIREMENT

Increasing working time flexibility and easing employment security provisions

Reducing the distortions arising from unemployment insurance and related benefits

Enhancing active labour market provisions

Improving labour force skills

Enhancing the creation and diffusion of technological know-how

Supporting an entrepreneurial climate

Box 5. Principal features of the proposed tax reform.

Figure. PROPOSED MARGINAL AND AVERAGE INCOME TAX RATES

Increased product market competition

Overview and scope for further action

Box 6. Implementing the OECD Jobs Strategy - an overview of progress

Notes

ANNEXES

Annex I. The German health care system

Figure A.1. FINANCIAL FLOWS IN THE HEALTH SECTOR, 1994

Annex II. Chronology of main economic events

STATISTICAL ANNEX AND STRUCTURAL INDICATORS

Table A. Selected background statistics

Table B. Gross domestic product by origin

Table C. Gross domestic product by demand components

Table D. Distribution of national income

Table E. Receipts and expenditure of general government: national accounts basis

Table F. Balance of payments

Table G. Imports and exports of goods by regions

Table H. Foreign trade by main commodity groups - customs basis

Table I. Money and credit

Table J. Population and employment

Table K. Wages and prices

Table L Structure of output and performance indicators

Table M. Labour market indicators

Table N. Public sector

Table O. Financial markets

BASIC STATISTICS: INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS

BASIC STATISTICS: INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS (cont'd)

MAIN SALES OUTLETS OF OECD PUBLICATIONS / PRINCIPAUX POINTS DE VENTE DES PUBLICATIONS DE L'OCDE

BOXES

Box 2. The three stages of the current phase of health reform

Box 5. Principal features of the proposed tax reform

TABLES

Table 1. Demand and output.

Table 2. Trade by region

FIGURES

Figure 15. MONETARY TARGETS AND MONEY GROWTH

Figure 23. HEALTH EXPENDITURE AND GDP PER CAPITA.

Figure 24. HEALTH EXPENDITURES IN RELATION TO GDP.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Description based on print version record.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

92-64-14958-9

OCLC:

1226594225