Heiko Körner

The franc zone of West and Central Africa

In the francophone countries of West and Central Africa a currency system has long been in place which was originally based on the French franc and is now based on the euro.A look at how this system has operated over the years may highlight some useful experiences for the countries on the eastern and southern periphery of the euro area that are now considering pegging their national currencies to the euro and could help to clarify the opportunities and risks arising for both these countries and the present participants of European Monetary Union.

New migration policies in Europe: the return of labor migrants, remigration promotion and reintegration policies.

On the basis of the working papers presented at t conference new information on the subject of return migration in Europe and conclusions on the effectiveness of policies to promote remigration were discussed aiming to stimulate further research on this subject. Mainly 3 findings resulted from the discussions. 1) On the subject of promoting remigration the effects of the law to encourage voluntary return to home countries from the Federal Republic of Germany have remained far below expectations. 2) Concerning effects of the migration policies on the foreign residents in the host countries it was stated that these prevent a clear definition of their status by the foreigners themselves because they obscure the decision whether to stay or leave the host country. Especially regarding the increasingly critical attitude of the population of the host country towards the guest workers a growing insecurity of the foreigners must be noted which has led recently to overhasty emigration decisions with alarming economic and social results for those affected. 3) Concerning possibilities for international cooperation on return migration it was stated that the indirect instruments of promoting return have shown little success. On the other hand direct promotion by means of financial incentives is to be rejected because of its mainly negative side effects on the expectations of the labor migrants and also on those of the indigenous population. New and promising approaches to remigration policy must consider the economic and social interests of the countries of origin and improve their economic political and administrative capacities.

The 'brain drain' from developing countries: An enduring problem

For several decades there has been a migration of highly qualified workers from developing to industrial countries. What are the causes of this “brain drain”, which many regard as a subsidy from the poor to the rich? What consequences does it have for the countries concerned? Are there effective ways of curbing it?

The future of the ACP countries

The record to date of trade and development cooperation between the European Union and the ACP countries has been rather disappointing. Evidently, neither the non-reciprocal trade preferences granted to the ACP countries nor the support for development projects have led to much progress in terms of economic and social development. Can the implementation of the EUs present reform proposals be expected to safeguard the future of the Lome system and of the ACP countries in the new millenium?

The “Third World” in the 1990s

Given that the developing countries today present a highly differentiated picture, is it appropriate to continue to speak of a “Third World”? If so, how does this group of countries appear to the present-day observer? What is their position within the world economy? What problems and challenges are they facing?

The new protectionism and the Third World

Although there is general agreement on the fact that the new protectionism of the industrialised countries is damaging to developing countries, the majority of the latter show hardly any interest in a return to the classical GATT system. Prof. Körner provides an explanation for this apparently paradoxical attitude on which be bases his case for a reform of the existing system of international trade.

Adjustment to changing international conditions

The structural changes in the world economy have made themselves increasingly felt in the Federal Republic of Germany over the past few years. For the first time since 1965 there is again a current account deficit, since merchandise trade is no longer able, due to the worsened terms of trade, to finance the traditional deficits on services and transfers. What policy should the Federal Government follow in order to help German industry adjust to these changes?