Ekkehart Schlicht

Ekkehart Schlicht ( * 1945 in Kiel ) is a German economist. Simplicity is since 1993 Professor of Economics at the Ludwig- Maximilians- University of Munich.

Life

After finishing high school in Rendsburg finishing studied Economics in Kiel and Regensburg. In Regensburg, he received his doctorate in 1971, Dr. rer. pol. ; In his dissertation, he addressed the issue of the distribution of wealth. This was followed by teaching at the University of Regensburg, a visiting professor at the University of Bonn, then professor at the universities of Bielefeld and Darmstadt.

Between 1987 and 2001, was simplicity was a visiting professor at Brown University in Providence, at the University of Minnesota and the University of Melbourne and at the Universitity of California at Berkeley. He was a member at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, and a Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study Berlin.

Since 1993, he occupied the chair of theory and politics of income distribution at the Ludwig- Maximilians- University of Munich. Famous predecessors in the Chair Lujo Brentano and Max Weber were. Since 2010, simplicity is retired.

Views on current issues of economic policy

According to Schlicht's view, the reduction of non-wage costs does not lead to the reduction of unemployment. It will increase wage increases wage pressure would likely in turn increases, price increases the result, and ultimately increases the unemployment. The pushing -wage labor costs on workers macroeconomic change anything.

Simplicity is the theory of John Maynard Keynes basically right - that speak the current trend in unemployment - but he has objections to some of Keynes proposed economic policies.

In accordance with Keynes theses simplicity is not of the view that an increase in the national debt during periods of unemployment future generations belaste.Vielmehr do an increase in government spending - and thus the debt - to an increased demand for goods, so increased employment and improved qualifications. Along Continuous investments lead to Schlicht's opinion to increased productivity and overall improved living conditions of future generations. Above all, today's loans would be paid back to later generations, so they do not cause strain, but at best to a redistribution of the later ones.

The lowering of wages for less -skilled workers does not result in reduction of high unemployment. Rather, the focus is always unemployment among low-skilled workers. A cheapening of prices for the products manufactured by low-skilled workers go hand in hand with reduced demand for other products and reduced employment in the sector. The released thereby higher skilled workers will take work on that require lower qualifications and displace sufficiently qualified for these activities to less qualified workers in turn activities. This would result in more unemployed, the press in the low-wage sector. The process leads to an increase of over-education in all labor market segments. This is economically inefficient and ethically responsible.

Simplicity is opposed to debt limits as in the Maastricht Treaty and in the constitution of, because to secure growth and full employment can not only short-term but also in long -term perspective, a permanent national debt be necessary. A debt brake in such circumstances, forcing permanent underemployment and stagnation. Conversely, permanent surpluses of government revenues over government expenditures might be required in other circumstances. Under such circumstances, a balanced budget would be inflationary. Therefore, fiscal policy should orient to the respective economic requirements.