1,829 research outputs found
RETHINKING THE SEPARATION OF POWERS
No full textA division of powers between different branches of government is an essential prerequisite for having an effective system of checks and balances, and is needed to reduce the dangers associated with unchecked monopoly power in government. Our conference aims at discussing papers that shed some new light on the political economy of the separation of powers. This concerns not only the classical model of horizontal separation of powers into three branches of government, but also vertical separation of powers in federal systems, and the evolving practice of separating powers in supranational entities such as the European Union
Mehr Autonomie für die Bundesländer: Ansatzpunkte zu einer grundlegenden Reform der Bund-Länder-Finanzbeziehungen
No full textLars P. Feld, Universität Freiburg und Walter-Eucken-Institut, Freiburg, und Jan Schnellenbach, Walter-Eucken-Institut, Freiburg, und Universität Heidelberg, formulieren einen Reformvorschlag, der den Finanzausgleich in seiner Gesamtheit deutlich anreizorientierter ausgestaltet
Creative destruction and fiscal institutions: a long-run case study of three regions
No full textWe analyze the rise and decline of the steel and mining industries in the regions of Saarland, Lorraine and Luxembourg. Our main focus is on the period of structural decline in these industries after the second world war. Differences in the institutional framework of these regions are exploited to analyze the way in which the broader fiscal constitution sets incentives for governments either to obstruct or to encourage structural change in the private sector. Our main result is that fiscal autonomy of a region subjected to structural change in its private sector is associated with a relatively faster decline of employment in the sectors affected. Contrary to the political lore, fiscal transfers appear not to be used to speed up the destruction of old sectors, but rather to stabilize them
Lars P. Feld Recommends “Happiness, Economy and Institutions” by Bruno S. Frey and Alois Stutzer
No full textEU-Schuldenkrise
No full textIn unserer Reihe Positionspapiere befasst sich der zweite Beitrag mit der Schuldenproblematik der EU-Mitgliedstaaten. Der Sprecher des Kronberger Kreises, Prof. Dr. Lars P. Feld, und Stiftungsvorstand Prof. Dr. Michael Eilfort kommentieren gemeinsam den bisher wenig überzeugenden Umgang mit der überbordenden Schuldenlast einzelner Mitgliedsländer und plädieren für einen ordnungspolitisch durchdachten "Mittelweg": Während kurzfristig die Lösung für die griechische Überschuldung in einer Umschuldung liegt, müssen langfristig die ordnungspolitischen Konstruktionsfehler der Europäischen Währungsunion angefasst werden. Neben der Einführung einer Insolvenzordnung sollte der Stabilitäts- und Wachstumspakt weiter verschärft werden. "Treu und Glauben sind schön, Sicherheiten und (Sanktions-)Automatismen sind besser," sagen die Autoren
The European Constitution Project from the Perspective of Constitutional Political Economy
No full textThree topics of a European constitution are discussed. First, basic arguments from constitutional political economy that aim at restricting representatives’ potential misuse of powers in a European Union with extended competencies are summarized. Since a European demos does not yet exist, an extension of competencies of the European Parliament is not sufficient in order to legitimate political decisions at the EU level. The introduction of elements of direct democracy in the European constitution would shape the creation of such a demos and lead to a stronger control of the European legislature and executive. Second, the introduction of direct democracy in the European constitution is proposed in order to reduce the European democratic deficit. Third, the creation of a European federation requires a more transparent assignment of competencies and rules to resolve conflicts between different centers of power. A European federation should be organized according to the principles of competitive federalism.European Constitutional Convention, Bill of Rights, Separation of Powers, Competitive Federalism, Referendums, European demos.
On Tax Competition: The (Un-)Expected Advantages of Decentralized Fiscal Autonomy
No full textTax competition is much discussed in the political arena these days. Although it is not a new phenomenon, the political pressure has increased to restrict tax competition by intensifying tax coordination and accomplishing tax harmonization. This particularly holds for the EU which has established a Code of Conduct for business taxation in 1997 and is about to establish a system of information exchange with respect to capital income taxation (allowing Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg a minimum source tax on capital income as an alternative). In 2001, the Commission has additionally released the so called ‚Ruding II‘-report in which a uniform corporate tax base with formulary apportionment is proposed for the EU. In addition, the OECD (1998) aims at stronger tax coordination among its members also favoring a system of information exchange. Such a system would necessarily involve the abolishment of (or the reduction of the strictness of) bank secrecy laws around the world (Feld 2002).
Direkte Demokratie in der Schweiz – Landesbericht 2015-2017
No full textThis country report describes the reduced need for reform of the public initiative procedure in Switzerland. It also analyzes the implementation of a number of initiatives criticized for their violation of public international law. The report finds that parliament ameliorates the harshness of the initiatives by introducing hardship clauses safeguarding the proportionality of the initiative's application. As an initiative expressly targeted against the supremacy of public international law, the sovereignty initiative is closely scrutinized. Finally, the government's problem in reforming corporate taxation is evident in the clear majority of votes (59%) against the third version of the reform
Jahrbuch für direkte Demokratie 2020
No full textBand 10 des Jahrbuchs für direkte Demokratie umfasst vier Abhandlungen. Diese befassen sich mit der direkten Demokratie aus kulturphilosophischer Sicht, mit der Beteiligung bei umweltrelevanten Vorhaben in Deutschland, mit den Entwicklungen der Europäischen Bürgerinitiative und mit der Transparenz in der Politikfinanzierung in der Schweiz. In zwei weiteren Beiträgen wird über die jüngsten Entwicklungen in der Schweiz und in Deutschland berichtet. Die Übersicht zur Rechtsprechung umfasst zentrale Entscheidungen zur direkten Demokratie. Zwei Dokumentationen, ein Verzeichnis neuer Literatur sowie eine Rezension runden das Jahrbuch ab. Mit Beiträgen von Prof. Dr. Odile Ammann; Prof. Dr. Nadja Braun Binder, MBA; Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Lars P. Feld; Prof. Dr. Peter M. Huber; Prof. Dr. Matthias Knauff; Eliane Kunz; Liliane Obrecht; Prof. Dr. Arne Pautsch; Prof. Dr. Klaus Poier; Dipl.-pol. Frank Rehmet; Prof. Dr. Andreas Urs Sommer; Prof. Dr. Axel Tschentscher; Prof. Dr. Daniela Winkler und Prof. Dr. Fabian Wittreck
The Role of Direct Democracy in the European Union
No full textIn this paper, the introduction of direct-democratic decision-making in all EU decisions is considered when it is feasible without prohibitively increasing decision-making costs. We start with the contractarian argument that each constitution is a contract joining the citizens of a state and requires as such the explicit agreement of (a majority of) citizens. Thus, the future European Constitution as well as future changes of it should be decided by the European citizens. After a discussion of the pros and cons of direct democracy, the ability of direct democracy to help creating a European demos is discussed. Consequently, we propose a mandatory (required and binding) referendum on total and partial revisions of the European Constitution. In addition, we propose a constitutional initiative, a statutory and a general initiative as well as a fiscal referendum for financially important projects.democracy, referenda, initiatives
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