Latest posts
Changi airport flaws
NEW
Since I have been flying through Singapore airport Changi frequently, I have come to appreciate how you can efficiently organize an airport. There is much to learn for European airports from Changi. To name but a few things that are excellent: minima...
A bright(er) outlook for Europe after the Euro-crisis
NEW
The European Union surely has had better moments. What first entered centre stage with some troubling fiscal gaps in Greece’s budget in late 2009 has now turned into a much more sustained challenge for the continent itself – and equally for the r...
Japan’s future may be bleak – but not so bleak after all
NEW
In mid/late February I had the chance to join a 9-day study trip organized by my university to go to Japan. It was my first visit to the country and here are some thoughts on the economic prospects of Japan: When I was a child (that was at the turn o...
Copy-paste journalism – plagiarism in the media?
NEW
I have been working on a paper on dating for a while (hopefully ready for publication in summer), so I try to gather articles on the subject when they appear in the news I read. It so happened that the Economist published an article (Sex and Love: Th...
Travel light – on packing and sleeping
NEW
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
NEW
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
NEW
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
NEW
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
NEW
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?
NEW
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
NEW
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
NEW
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?
NEW
„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
NEW
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
NEW
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
NEW
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
NEW
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
NEW
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
NEW
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
NEW
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...
