Germany

In der Reihe der OECD-Wirtschaftsberichte über Deutschland werden die großen Herausforderungen untersucht, die sich dem Land stellen, die kurzfristigen Aussichten beurteilt und spezifische Politikempfehlungen formuliert. Die Sonderkapitel setzen sich eingehender mit bestimmten Themen auseinander. Die Tabellen und Abbildungen enthalten ausführliche statistische Informationen.

Études économiques consacrées périodiquement par l'OCDE à l’économie de l’Allemagne. Chaque étude analyse les grands enjeux auxquels le pays fait face. Elle examine les perspectives à court terme et présente des recommandations détaillées à l’intention des décideurs politiques. Des chapitres thématiques analysent des enjeux spécifiques. Les tableaux et graphiques contiennent un large éventail de données statistiques.

OECD’s periodic surveys of the German economy. Each edition surveys the major challenges faced by the country, evaluates the short-term outlook, and makes specific policy recommendations. Special chapters take a more detailed look at specific challenges. Extensive statistical information is included in charts and graphs.

High energy prices and major geopolitical shifts, paired with an accelerated global digitalisation of industries of economies worldwide and rising pressure to achieve sustainability goals, have created new uncertainties for German SMEs. Successfully navigating these changes, and in turn, seizing new growth opportunities, will require sustained and significant investments. Access to an appropriate and diverse set of financing sources will be critical. This paper examines current policy practices to help German SMEs access finance, with a particular focus on efforts to link growth to sustainability goals in the national policy mix. It provides a brief overview of the German SME landscape, including key strengths and challenges in the context of the twin transition, and discusses the financing instruments available to small businesses in the country, including those with growth ambitions. It then analyses federal government efforts to unleash finance for innovation, investment, and network expansion as drivers of SME growth, and how these efforts compare to other OECD countries.

What factors influence satisfaction with social protection? This report investigates differences in perceptions of social protection across countries, with a focus on France, using novel data from the OECD’s Risks that Matter Survey. Compared to respondents in Germany and the United Kingdom, French respondents are systematically the least satisfied with social protection in their country, even as France performs well on many social programme outcome indicators. This report explores a range of different factors influencing perceptions of social protection, including individual risk perceptions; the shape, size and cost of social programmes; frictions in application and service delivery in social programmes; and socio-economic and cultural factors.

This paper studies the differences between the organisation of budget management in selected government administrations in the Western Balkans and the Republic of Moldova and good practice across the European Union (EU). It observes that the ministry of finance (MoF) in these administrations typically engages in direct budget negotiations with a large number of budget organisations. This practice is in stark contrast with the budgeting approach observed in the EU, where the MoF only deals directly with government ministries and a limited number of constitutional bodies. The paper highlights the adverse consequences for the strategic role of the MoF for fiscal policy, the accountability of line ministries for budgeting and service delivery in their sector and the introduction of modern public financial management instruments such as medium-term budgeting and performance-based budgeting. This paper recommends that governments reduce the number of first-level budget organisations and give line ministries more responsibility for budget management in their sector. At the same time, the paper recommends strengthening line ministries’ accountability for budget management towards the parliament.

While means-tested benefits such as minimum income benefits (MIB) and unemployment assistance (UA) are an essential safety net for low-income people and the unemployed, incomplete take-up is the rule rather than the exception. Building on desk research, open-ended surveys and semi-structured interviews, this paper investigates the opportunities and risks of using artificial intelligence (AI) for managing these means-tested benefits. This ranges from providing information to individuals, through determining eligibility based on pre-determined statutory criteria and identifying undue payments, to notifying individuals about their eligibility status. One of the key opportunities of using AI for these purposes is that this may improve the timeliness and take-up of MIB and UA. However, it may also lead to systematically biased eligibility assessments or increase inequalities, amongst others. Finally, the paper explores potential policy directions to help countries seize AI’s opportunities while addressing its risks, when using it for MIB or UA management.

Improving rural development, well-being and maximising the potential in rural areas requires greater horizontal and vertical co-ordination at the national, regional, and local level as well as the mainstreaming of rural issues across all policies. However, taking an integrated approach to rural development - where rural ministries and non-rural ministries coordinate in the development of polices and initiatives - is often very challenging. Rural proofing is a tool to help policy makers overcome this challenge and develop more nuanced rural-friendly policies. It involves making policy decisions based on evidence on rural dynamics available in a timely fashion to enable changes and adjustments. In practice, however, it is a mechanism that has proved complex to design, implement, and sustain. This article explores how more robust rural proofing models can be developed, with health as a focal point. Drawing on lessons from different OECD member countries, it develops a roadmap for more effective rural proofing mechanisms to help embed the practice in the policy space and culture of governments.

Dieser Bericht umfasst ein internationales Benchmarking des deutschen Ökosystems der Künstlichen Intelligenz (KI) und diskutiert Fortschritte bei der Umsetzung der nationalen KI-Strategie. Der Bericht stützt sich auf quantitative und qualitative Daten sowie auf Erkenntnisse aus dem OECD.AI Policy Observatory und dem OECD Programme on AI in Work, Innovation, Productivity and Skills (AI-WIPS) – einem von der Bundesregierung finanzierten OECD-Forschungsprogramm – und basiert auf Ergebnissen von Interviews mit einem breiten Spektrum an Interessenvertreter:innen in Deutschland. Der Bericht diskutiert Deutschlands Stärken, Schwächen, Chancen und Herausforderungen im KI-Bereich und gibt Empfehlungen zur Gestaltung der KI-Politik in Deutschland in den kommenden Jahren ab. Die Ergebnisse werden anhand der Schwerpunkte präsentiert, die in der nationalen KI-Strategie Deutschlands definiert wurden: 1) Köpfe; 2) Forschung; 3) Transfer und Anwendungen; 4) Arbeitswelt; 5) Ordnungsrahmen; und 6) Gesellschaft. Darüber hinaus befasst sich der Bericht mit der KI-Infrastruktur und enthält drei spezielle Sektor-„Spotlights“ zu KI im öffentlichen Sektor, KI und Nachhaltigkeit sowie zum Einsatz von KI im Gesundheitswesen.

This report provides an international benchmarking of Germany’s artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem and discusses progress in implementing its national AI strategy. The report draws on quantitative and qualitative data and insights from the OECD.AI Policy Observatory and from the OECD Programme on AI in Work, Innovation, Productivity and Skills (AI-WIPS) – an OECD research programme financed by the German Federal Government – and results from a series of interviews with a wide range of stakeholders in Germany. The review discusses Germany’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges in AI, and provides recommendations to steer AI policy in Germany in the coming years. The evidence is presented according to the core focus areas outlined in Germany’s national AI strategy, which include: 1) minds; 2) research; 3) transfer and applications; 4) the world of work; 5) policy and regulatory frameworks; and 6) society. Furthermore, the report discusses AI infrastructure and it includes three sector spotlights on AI in the public sector, AI and environmental sustainability and AI and healthcare.

In diesem Bericht wird erläutert, warum es erforderlich ist, das Finanzkompetenzniveau der Menschen in Deutschland zu steigern und eine nationale Finanzbildungsstrategie einzuführen. Er geht auf verschiedene Finanzkompetenzniveaus ein und beschreibt die direkt an der Förderung der Finanzkompetenz beteiligten Akteure sowie die derzeit auf Bundes-, Landes- und kommunaler Ebene umgesetzten Finanzbildungsinitiativen. Außerdem enthält er Empfehlungen für die Gestaltung der nationalen Strategie.

The report presents the rationale for increasing the financial literacy levels of individuals in Germany and for the adoption of a National Strategy for Financial Literacy. It describes financial literacy levels, the actors directly involved in promoting financial literacy and the ongoing financial literacy initiatives at the federal, state and local levels. It provides policy recommendations for the design of the National Strategy.

The Pensions at a Glance database includes reliable and internationally comparable statistics on public and mandatory and voluntary pensions. It covers 34 OECD countries and aims to cover all G20 countries. Pensions at a Glance reviews and analyses the pension measures enacted or legislated in OECD countries. It provides an in-depth review of the first layer of protection of the elderly, first-tier pensions across countries and provideds a comprehensive selection of pension policy indicators for all OECD and G20 countries.

This dataset contains data on metropolitan regions with demographic, labour, innovation and economic statistics by population, regional surface, population density, labour force, employment, unemployment, GDP, GDP per capita, PCT patent applications, and elderly dependency ratio.

This dataset comprises statistics on different transactions and balances to get from the GDP to the net lending/borrowing. It includes national disposable income (gross and net), consumption of fixed capital as well as net savings. It also includes transaction components such as net current transfers and net capital transfers. Data are expressed in millions of national currency as well as US dollars and available in both current and constant prices. Data are provided from 1950 onwards.

In an increasingly digital world, the significance of cyber security for individuals, businesses, and governments has never been greater. Rising cyber attacks are challenging current defence and operational capabilities, highlighting a critical shortage of skilled cyber security professionals. This report delves into the demand for cyber security expertise by analysing online job postings in France, Germany and Poland in between 2018 and 2023. It examines trends in the demand for cyber security professionals, the geographical distribution of job opportunities, and the changing skill requirements in this field. Focusing on France, the report also explores cyber security education and training programmes, the characteristics of the programmes, the demographics of enrolled learners, and their outcomes. Additionally, it reviews French policies and initiatives aimed at broadening the cyber security workforce and enhancing educational opportunities in this field. This comprehensive analysis is part of a larger effort to understand the evolving landscape of cyber security policies and professional experiences worldwide.