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For many observers the beginning of a dynamic economic and stock market upswing in the U.S. in the mid 1990s marked the start of a new era, the times of the new economy. This phenomenon has been under intense discussion ever since - both in the political arena as well as among scientists. Thereby the somewhat glamorous term new economy reflects the conviction held by its proponents that the use of new technologies will lead to a never ending acceleration of technological progress and economic welfare. -- The origins of this development date back a long time: More than 30 years ago, the starting point was the basic innovation "digitilization"". Production as well as application of information and communications technologies (ICT) are based on this principle. At the beginning of the seventies, the first microprocessor was produced. Some ten years later, the first personal computer was brought onto the market. The commercial use of the Internet has begun in the mid nineties. In view of the economic boom in the U.S. accompanying the introduction of the Internet, the question arises as to what extent the new economy actually has exerted lasting positive effects on productivity - not only in the United States, but also worldwide. -- Inspired by these developments, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology commissioned RWI, Essen, to study the driving forces of the new economy. In this report, the trends of the ICT sector and of the use of ICT products are analyzed with respect to the overall economic effects in Germany in comparison to the U.S. Further analyses were carried out regarding the intensity and effects of e-business. Finally, the influence of different methods of price measurement on productivity was analysed, since this is important for international comparisons of total factor productivity. The study culminates in a growth accounting calculation separating the contributions to economic growth by capital, labor, and technological progress

For many observers the beginning of a dynamic economic and stock market upswing in the U.S. in the mid 1990s marked the start of a new era, the times of the new economy. This phenomenon has been under intense discussion ever since - both in the political arena as well as among scientists. Thereby the somewhat glamorous term new economy reflects the conviction held by its proponents that the use of new technologies will lead to a never ending acceleration of technological progress and economic welfare. The origins of this development date back a long time: More than 30 years ago, the starting point was the basic innovation "digitilization"". Production as well as application of information and communications technologies (ICT) are based on this principle. At the beginning of the seventies, the first microprocessor was produced. Some ten years later, the first personal computer was brought onto the market. The commercial use of the Internet has begun in the mid nineties. In view of the economic boom in the U.S. accompanying the introduction of the Internet, the question arises as to what extent the new economy actually has exerted lasting positive effects on productivity - not only in the United States, but also worldwide. Inspired by these developments, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology commissioned RWI, Essen, to study the driving forces of the new economy. In this report, the trends of the ICT sector and of the use of ICT products are analyzed with respect to the overall economic effects in Germany in comparison to the U.S. Further analyses were carried out regarding the intensity and effects of e-business. Finally, the influence of different methods of price measurement on productivity was analysed, since this is important for international comparisons of total factor productivity. The study culminates in a growth accounting calculation separating the contributions to economic growth by capital, labor, and technological progress.

Der Europäische Sozialfonds (ESF) soll die Tätigkeiten der EU-Mitgliedstaaten zur Entwicklung des Arbeitsmarktes und der Humanressourcen unterstützen und ergänzen. Im Rahmen des ESF-Förderprogramms ist eine Halbzeitbewertung vorgesehen, um die ersten Ergebnisse der arbeitsmarktpolitischen Maßnahmen zu beurteilen und Empfehlungen für Änderungen zu formulieren, die ggf. erforderlich sind, um die gesteckten Ziele zu erreichen. Im Mittelpunkt steht dabei insbesondere die Frage nach dem Beitrag der ESF-Förderung zur Europäischen Beschäftigungsstrategie. Vor diesem Hintergrund hat die Halbzeitbewertung die Aufgabe, die Programmumsetzung zu unterstützen, wobei die Ergebnisse den in der Programmplanung formulierten Zielen gegenüber zu stellen sind. Die inhaltlichen Schwerpunkte der Bewertung sind in den Arbeitspapieren der Europäischen Kommission zur Halbzeitbewertung festgelegt. Auf dieser Basis beantwortet die hier zusammenfassend dargestellte Evaluierung die Frage, inwieweit Korrekturen im laufenden Förderprogramm erforderlich sind. Zudem werden Ansatzpunkte für ggf. durchzuführende Modifikationen identifiziert. Daraus sollen sich auch Handlungsoptionen für die Weiterentwicklung der ESF-Förderung ergeben.