Latest posts
Travel light – on packing and sleeping
I came across three useful travel tips that I should I should share. (And note to self.) The funniest, and maybe most useful, is from last weekend’s Financial Times. Always wondered how to max your hand luggage? – Here is the solutionn &#...
Singapore’s lack of cycling facilities
Spiegel Online is featuring this short article about a new global index on the quality of cycling in global cities. The index was prepared by a Danish blogger and cycling expert who runs the blog Copenhagenize.eu. No surprise, Amsterdam and Copenhage...
How Eurobonds are the way forward
Market pressures on ailing Euro-zone countries persist and the Merkels and Sarkozys struggle to find an answer. The latest hype gaining ground is the idea of Eurobonds. These would be jointly issued bonds by all Euro-zone (or even EU) governments to...
Über das Wesen der Vorzugsstimmen im Wahlrecht
Bis vor kurzem war ich recht überzeugt, dass der zuletzt in Deutschland vorherrschende Trend zu Vorzugsstimmen im Wahlrecht (z.B. Bremen, Hamburg) eine gute Sache ist. Beim Lesen von Robert Putnams “Making Democracy Work” bin ich auf ein...
Deutsche Plagiatskultur und das Versagen der Wissenschaftsinstitutionen
So traurig es auch ist, aber auch die letzten Plagiatspromotionen von (CDU & FDP-)Politikern werden nicht die letzten gewesen sein. Jede seriöse Aufarbeitung von Promotionen durch Externe erfordert eine gute Portion Zeit, wenn sie ernst gemeint...
Ex-Bundeswehrsoldaten als Öko-Bauern?
A Greater Mission – 13 Min. Preview from Dulanie M. Ellis on Vimeo. Zum Glück sind wir in Deutschland noch weit von den Herausforderungen entfernt, die die USA mit ihren Veteranen haben. Mit dem kontinuierlichen Einsatz in Hoch-Risiko Krisenhe...
Mladic’ arrest is no reason to celebrate
Yesterday was a very good day. One of the most disgusting criminals of the last decades has been arrested and should be brought to justice soon. Ratko Mladic was a key operator in the ‘Balkan wars’ of the 1990s – Europe’s darkest moment a...
Holding governments accountable
The Open Budget Index (OBI) for the year 2010 assessed 94 countries from around the world in terms of their budget openness and accountability. The drive was coordinated by the International Budget Partnership, a Washington DC based independent think...
Europäische Wirtschaftsregierung – Kampfbegriff oder föderale Vision?
„European Monetary Union“ oder „Economic and Monetary Union“? Schon lange wird die EU von vielen als Projekt wirtschaftlicher Integration wahrgenommen. Wohl nicht nur aus diesem Grund forderten linke Europapolitiker/-innen erst im vergangenen...
Poor results of budget transparency around the world
Over the last year I have been working on one of the most interesting global transparency projects – the Open Budget Index. A few weeks back the final results have finally been published after our lengthy review process. Unfortunately, these re...
Never forget to pay your bills in Singapore
Some say Singaporeans are greedy, some say they are bureaucratic and some that they are uber-honest. I think this is all crap stereotyping (as if the Germans would be orderly… or the Indians talkative…). But here is a warning from the Sin...
Blogs and news on the EU budget
The budget review has sparked some fresh and good debate on the future of the EU’s budget. A couple of blogs have been opened recently to contribute to this debate and they are probably the best place to gather information over what is going on...
Standard books on the EU budget
For some time now I have been looking out for good standard books or articles on the politics of the EU budget process. Still, I am left a little clueless. Either there is hardly anything available or I continue to oversee it. Please help me if you k...
German elections today: Green prime minister
There is currently so much dynamics in German politic that I thought I put this into perspective for my international friends. Chancelor Angela Merkel is obviously known abroad and what I find interesting is that her leadership is not questioned too...
Wir gestalten unsere Zukunft europäisch – Grüner Aufruf
Europa in der Krise. Man mag in diesen Monaten sarkastisch antworten wollen: Schon wieder oder immer noch? Die europäische Bilanz der letzten Jahre scheint wirklich mager zu sein: Vertrag von Lissabon formerly known als Europäische Verfassung? Gera...
The schizophrenia of some business leaders
In my reading for a paper on voluntary environmental stewerdship I have come across this classic article by Milton Friedman “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Proft” (New York Times Magazine, 1970). The following...
Eating out and food in Singapore
Ok. Today is a special day. I could write a comment about some Florida idiots who wanted to burn books some consider holy – or the reactions to this. But all these crazies on either side really deserve no further attention. It is time to start...
Merkels Atompolitik jetzt attackieren
Gestern kam es zum Showdown der Bundesregierung beim Thema Atomenergie. Ausnahmsweise scheint es nach Monaten des Streits dazu einmal Einigkeit unter den drei Koalitionspartnern gegeben zu haben. Wie Spiegel Online zu entnehmen ist, sieht die “...
France and German tax systems, EU cooperation
After visiting German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble, French budget minister Francois Baroin comes up with some weird comments on Franco-German tax cooperation and the EU budget according to the EUobserver. Firstly, he recognises a broad consens...
Rentendebatte und die besonderen Ost-Frauen-Renten
Vielleicht liegt es am Sommerloch, vielleicht an der ungelösten langfristigen Finanzierung. Jedenfalls läuft mal wieder die Rentendebatte in Deutschland. Spiegel Online zieht die Debatte an einem Diskussionsanstoß der EU Kommission (Papier hier) h...
