Challenging Neighbours

1 Comparing German and Dutch Institutions.- 1.1 Motivation.- 1.2 Structure of the Study and Summary of Policy Options.- 2 The Interplay of Institutions, Trade-offs, Performance and Trends.- 2.1 Foundations.- 2.2 Coordination Issues: Four Types of Market Failures.- 2.3 Four Coordination Mechanisms.- 2.4 Issues and Mechanisms Combined: Trade-offs.- 2.5 The Impact of Trends on Institutions.- 3 Economic Development in Comparison.- 3.1 Economic Development at the Macro Level.- 3.2 Labour Market Performance.- 3.3 The Public Sector.- 3.4 Foreign Trade.- 3.5 Monetary Policy.- 3.6 Distribution of Income and Consumption.- 3.7 Conclusion.- 4 A Structural Comparison.- 4.1 Geographical Conditions.- 4.2 Energy Resources and Energy Use.- 4.3 Demography.- 4.4 Capital Stock and Investment.- 4.5 Transport and Communication Infrastructure.- 4.6 Environment.- 4.7 Regional Patterns: Shifts in German Growth Centres.- 4.8 Conclusions.- 5 Governance of the Socio-economic Order: An Economic Perspective.- 5.1 The Socio-economic Order.- 5.2 The Political System.- 5.3 Challenges for Reform.- 5.4 Policy Conclusions.- 6 Social Protection.- 6.1 Theoretical Framework: Market Failures and Trade-offs.- 6.2 Social Security in Germany and the Netherlands in the Mid Eighties.- 6.3 Reforms in the Netherlands.- 6.4 Trends.- 6.5 Policy Options for Reform: The Unfinished Agenda.- 7 Pensions.- 7.1 Market Failures and Trade-Offs.- 7.2 Pensions in Germany and the Netherlands.- 7.3 Performance of the Pension Systems.- 7.4 Trends.- 7.5 Policy Options.- 8 Labour Market: Institutional Environment.- 8.1 Analytical Framework.- 8.2 Employment Protection in Germany and the Netherlands.- 9 Labour Market: Institutional Arrangements.- 9.1 Collective Bargaining in Germany and the Netherlands.- 9.2 Vocational Education in Germany and the Netherlands.- 9.3 Co-determination in Germany and the Netherlands.- 9.4 Policy Options.- 10 Corporate Governance.- 10.1 Analytical Framework.- 10.2 Corporate Governance in Germany and the Netherlands.- 10.3 Trends and Policy Options.- 11 Science and Technology Policy.- 11.1 Analytical Framework.- 11.2 The Institutions of German and Dutch Science Policy.- 11.3 Institutions of German and Dutch Technology Policy.- 11.4 Trends and Policy Options.- 12 Regulation and Competition Policies.- 12.1 Theoretical Backgrounds.- 12.2 Sea Changes: The Impact of Trends.- 12.3 Regulation in Germany and the Netherlands: The Current State of Flux.- 12.4 Competition Policy.- 12.5 Assessment and Policy Options.- 13 Electricity and Gas Markets.- 13.1 The Shift in Thinking on Natural Monopolies.- 13.2 German and Dutch Energy Market Institutions: The Present Situation.- 13.3 Regulatory Reform.- 13.4 Conclusions and Policy Options.- 14 Health Care.- 14.1 Theoretical Framework: Market Failures and Trade-offs.- 14.2 Health Care Institutions in Germany and the Netherlands.- 14.3 Performance of Health Care Institutions.- 14.4 Trends.- 14.5 Policy Options.- 15 Concluding Remarks.- 15.1 Challenging Neighbours?.- 15.2 Strengths and Weaknesses of This Study.- References.- List of Figures.- List of Tables.- List of Boxes.- List of Acknowledgements.