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        <title>Wirtschaftsdienst Feed</title>
        <link>https://sciendo.com/journal/WD</link>
        <description>Sciendo RSS Feed for Wirtschaftsdienst</description>
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            <title>Wirtschaftsdienst Feed</title>
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        <copyright>All rights reserved 2026, ZBW – Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft</copyright>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Zufriedenheit mit der deutschen Wirtschaftspolitik in Krisenzeiten – Evidenz der Energiekrise]]></title>
            <link>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0053</link>
            <guid>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0053</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[

Economic policy satisfaction can be seen as a reflection of the German economy. However, it is still a underexplored topic, particularly from the perspective of firms. Economic policy satisfaction can therefore be viewed as a macroeconomic indicator that can provide insights of the economy (e.g. ifo Business Climate Index). This article uses the exogenous shock of the energy crisis to examine the effects of a tax cut on firms’ satisfaction. Using monthly panel data at the industry level, it shows how satisfaction changes between energy-intensive and non-energy-intensive companies when the third relief package and government’s protective shield come into effect.
]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Warum ist der Strompreis für Haushalte in Deutschland (zu) hoch?]]></title>
            <link>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0048</link>
            <guid>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0048</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[

The article analyses why Germany has one of the highest prices for household electricity worldwide. This is the result of a long-term trend: for more than 20 years, the price of electricity has been rising much faster than consumer prices. The reason for this is the political decision to accelerate the renewable energy transition through subsidies and regulations rather than through price mechanisms. The Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) of 2000 gave absolute priority to the expansion of renewable energies over economic efficiency and costs. This led to inefficiencies in the rollout of renewables and in grid expansion and increased the risk of destabilising the electricity system. Therefore, a massive expansion and restructuring of the German electricity system is necessary.
]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung: Am Limit?]]></title>
            <link>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0039</link>
            <guid>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0039</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Recht auf Teilzeit: Begrenzung ist falscher Ansatz]]></title>
            <link>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0041</link>
            <guid>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0041</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Die Zeit für Reformen ist jetzt! Potenziale im Pflegeheimmarkt und nachhaltige Finanzierung]]></title>
            <link>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0046</link>
            <guid>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0046</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[

In view of demographic ageing, social long-term care insurance is facing growing financial and structural challenges. Rising contribution rates, increasing co-payments and a sharp rise in demand for care services in the future raise the question of how sustainable financing and adequate provision can be ensured in long-term care. This article examines reform approaches for stable contribution rate financing with an introduction to partial capital cover and a stronger focus on benefits for existential care risks. It also analyses how more competition, less regulation, greater investment incentives for private capital and productivity-enhancing measures in the inpatient care sector can contribute to expanding supply and curbing costs.
]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Finanzierung der Schieneninfrastruktur: Replik und Erwiderung]]></title>
            <link>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0051</link>
            <guid>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0051</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[

In the September 2025 issue, Wirtschaftsdienst published an editorial entitled “Best practices for rail – instead of Germany going its own way” by Vera Huwe, Niklas Illenseer and Philippa Sigl-Glöckner. Alexander Eisenkopf and Andreas Knorr express a different opinion in a reply. Vera Huwe and Niklas Illenseer then explain their point of view in a response.
]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Ursachen steigender Pflegeversicherungskosten und Wege zur Stabilisierung]]></title>
            <link>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0043</link>
            <guid>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0043</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[

The consequences of demographic change will not become fully apparent in nursing care insurance until the 2050s. Nevertheless, the contribution rate has risen by more than 50% over the last ten years. The increase is mainly due to political reasons. For example, the group of benefit recipients has been expanded. What can be done to slow down the rise in costs? A short-term solution that is also compatible with the pension insurance system would be to define non-insurance benefits and finance them consistently through taxes. A selection of long-term solutions includes better prevention, strengthening home care, addressing structural problems – such as inefficient administrative structures – and private supplementary insurance.
]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Generationengerechte (Staats-)Schulden: Replik und Erwiderung]]></title>
            <link>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0052</link>
            <guid>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0052</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[

In the Zeitgespräch of the November 2025 issue of Wirtschaftsdienst, Adalbert Winkler expressed the view: “Die große Verwirrung: Schulden, Vermögen und Generationengerechtigkeit” that government debt does not burden the younger generation with net debt, but rather with a distributional conflict. Government debt therefore does not represent an intergenerational distribution problem, but rather an intragenerational distribution problem. Bernd Lucke and Dirk Meyer take a different view in their response. This is followed by a reply from Adalbert.
]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Reform der Pflegeversicherung: Effizientere Leistungen und stärkere Kapitaldeckung]]></title>
            <link>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0044</link>
            <guid>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0044</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[

The tense financial situation of social care insurance will worsen significantly as the baby boomers reach the age when they will need care. In order to avoid placing an even greater burden on contributors, reforms should focus primarily on the expenditure side. To this end, benefits should be reviewed and prioritized, and parallel financing structures should be eliminated. Pay-as-you-go financing should be stabilized through greater capital coverage. In addition, it makes sense to cover co-payments through private supplementary insurance. Simplified and standardized regulation of the long-term care sector can also reduce costs and, as a result, co-payments.
]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Steigende Eigenanteile in der Pflege: Warum Leistungsdynamisierung nicht ausreicht]]></title>
            <link>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0047</link>
            <guid>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0047</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[

Social long-term care insurance (LTC) has a twofold financing problem: a rising contribution rate and rising co-payments. Without measures to limit them, co-payments in the first year of nursing home care would rise to more than € 5,500 by 2035 – with a social assistance recipient rate of more than 44 %. In order to limit co-payments as promised in the coalition agreement, the federal-state working group on LTC reform is focusing on two options: benefit indexation and an absolute co-payment cap. However, only the second option is suitable for achieving the desired goals. This will result in additional LTC expenditure, which will require refinancing measures if the contribution rate is not to increase.
]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Gekommen, um zu bleiben: Homeoffice verstetigt sich auf hohem Niveau]]></title>
            <link>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0054</link>
            <guid>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0054</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[

When the COVID pandemic broke out, firms and employees had to experiment with new forms of working, such as working from home (WFH). A representative survey among German firms in two sectors (information economy and manufacturing industry) shows that the share of firms that use WFH practices for at least some of their employees did not decrease substantially after the pandemic had ended but stabilised at a high level. The survey data reveals differences by industry as well as by firm size. Due to the higher suitability of tasks in information-intensive jobs, the use of WFH is more prevalent in firms belonging to the information economy compared to manufacturing firms. Moreover, the data shows that within larger firms the share of WFH users is higher compared to smaller firms. As the share of firms using WFH did not substantially decrease, even years after the pandemic, it is expected to stay a substantial part of the work environment. Firms’ expectations for 2027 suggest a slight increase in the share of firms using WFH.
]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Leitartikel: Künstliche Intelligenz am Arbeitsplatz: Keine Apokalypse]]></title>
            <link>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0036</link>
            <guid>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0036</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Zugang zu Vor-Ort-Apotheken: eine Bestandsaufnahme der räumlichen Abdeckung]]></title>
            <link>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0049</link>
            <guid>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0049</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[

The number of pharmacies in Germany has been declining for years. This means that a significant portion of the population can barely reach the nearest pharmacy on foot. While the nearest pharmacy is generally easily accessible by car, the distances to the next but one can be considerable. When evaluating these findings, it must be noted that the legislator has not formulated any tangible definitions regarding the proper supply of medicinal products to the population by pharmacies, which is mandated in the public interest. Applying the provisions of the Postal Services Act as a guide to pharmacy provision, it becomes clear that approximately 900 municipalities that are entitled to a post office branch do not have a local pharmacy. This corresponds to approximately 8% of all municipalities in Germany.
]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Einkommensteuer: Reform kann Wachstum schaffen]]></title>
            <link>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0040</link>
            <guid>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0040</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Wege zur Reform der Pflegeversicherung]]></title>
            <link>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0042</link>
            <guid>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0042</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[

Long-term care insurance is under considerable financial pressure. Expenditure is rising faster than revenue. At the same time, the actual challenge posed by demographic ageing is still to come in the next few decades. What reforms should be undertaken now to stabilise the system in the long term? The contributions to the Zeitgespräch discussion highlight short- and long-term approaches – from greater prioritisation and unbundling of services to the expansion of funded elements and private provision, to questions of regulation and the role of care wages.
]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Zur Diskussion einer Ausbildungsumlage für die duale Berufsausbildung]]></title>
            <link>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0050</link>
            <guid>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0050</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[

Many young people are left without apprenticeship training, especially in large cities. To address this problem, companies in Bremen have been required to pay an apprenticeship levy since 2025, which is used to set up a levy fund. Companies that offer apprenticeships then receive financial compensation from this fund. In Berlin, too, the state government has agreed to introduce such a training levy. However, the reforms are controversial. Based on national and international research, this study explains the conditions under which such a levy can have the intended effects and what needs to be considered when designing such a levy. Furthermore, it analyses the market for apprenticeship training in Berlin and Bremen to determine the extent to which these conditions are met there.
]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Der Pflegemindestlohn sollte bei der Pflege-Reform auf den Prüfstand]]></title>
            <link>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0045</link>
            <guid>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0045</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[

Despite enormous increases in contribution rates and subsidies from federal funds, the personal contributions that people in need of care have to pay have exploded since the introduction of social care insurance in 1995. However, politicians are shying away from major reforms. The federal-state working group has presented a smorgasbord of ideas that provide useful impetus. However, one significant cost factor has been largely ignored so far: the industry-specific minimum wages for care workers have been difficult to justify since the introduction of the general minimum wage, if not before. At the same time, the associated costs indirectly increase the workload of nursing staff. This not only makes caring for those in need of care more expensive, but also potentially worsens the quality of care.
]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung: Verbindliches Primärarztsystem?]]></title>
            <link>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0038</link>
            <guid>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0038</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Konjunkturschlaglicht: Unsicherheit belastet Konjunktur]]></title>
            <link>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0055</link>
            <guid>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0055</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Rente: Die „Rente mit 70“ ist Unfug]]></title>
            <link>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0037</link>
            <guid>https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/wd-2026-0037</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
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