Energiegenossenschaften erleben derzeit einen rasanten Zuwachs, denn sie sind starke Einkaufsgemeinschaften und bieten ihren Mitgliedern gunstige Tarife. Auf Grundlage des Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetzes (EEG) werden die Genossenschaften auch immer oefter selbst zu Energieproduzenten. Sie stellen jedoch zahlreiche Anforderungen an das Management sowie an die Rechts- und Steuerberatung. Dieses Buch begleitet Sie bei Grundung, Fuhrung und Beratung solch eingetragener Genossenschaften (eG). Es klart uber geeignete Tatigkeitsfelder, Finanzierung und Projektmanagement auf und bietet daruber hinaus praxistaugliche Checklisten und Fallbeispiele fur erfolgreiche Akteure auf kommunaler Ebene. Fur die 4. Auflage wurde das Buch aktualisiert und erweitert. Mit einem Geleitwort von Hans-Josef Fell.

This anthology discusses important issues surrounding environmental law and economics and provides an in-depth analysis of its use in legislation, regulation and legal adjudication from a neoclassical and behavioural law and economics perspective. Environmental issues raise a vast range of legal questions: to what extent is it justifiable to rely on markets and continued technological innovation, especially as it relates to present exploitation of scarce resources? Or is it necessary for the state to intervene? Regulatory instruments are available to create and maintain a more sustainable society: command and control regulations, restraints, Pigovian taxes, emission certificates, nudging policies, etc. If regulation in a certain legal field is necessary, which policies and methods will most effectively spur sustainable consumption and production in order to protect the environment while mitigating any potential negative impact on economic development? Since the related problems are often caused by scarcity of resources, economic analysis of law can offer remarkable insights for their resolution. Part I underlines the foundations of environmental law and economics. Part II analyses the effectiveness of economic instruments and regulations in environmental law. Part III is dedicated to the problems of climate change. Finally, Part IV focuses on tort and criminal law. The twenty-one chapters in this volume deliver insights into the multifaceted debate surrounding the use of economic instruments in environmental regulation in Europe.

Contributions from members of the German Association for Comparative Law will be among the papers presented at this summer's twentieth International Congress of Comparative Law, to be held for the first time in Asia at Fukuoka, Japan, in July. In a strong range of topics, one focus during the six-day congress will be on questions of multiculturalism and language that concern both comparative law methodology and other legal fields such as family law. Further dealt with will be matters particularly relevant to consumer protection, ranging from choice of court agreements to price control in contracts, duty of information, the regulation of crowd-funding, as well as leisure and travel contracts. Another focus will be on digitalisation's far-reaching economic, societal and legal implications, with questions of data protection in the realm of comparative law accentuated by contributions on the right to be forgotten or current national legal orders. Overall, the volume will reflect the present state of discussions within German jurisprudence. With contributions by: Christina Breunig, Moritz Brinkmann, Johanna Croon-Gestefeld, Anatol Dutta, Katharina Erler, Matthias Fervers, Stefan Grundmann, Beate Gsell, Dirk Hanschel, Wolfgang Hau, Leonhard Hubner, Luca Kaller, Jurgen Kuhling, Sebastian Mock, Joachim Munch, David Ruther, Anne Sanders, Bianca Scraback, Stefanie Schmahl, Martin Schmidt-Kessel, Boris Schinkels, Andreas Spickhoff, Klaus Tonner; Jan Thiessen, Tobias H. Troeger, Lars Viellechner, Marc-Philippe Weller, Matthias Weller, Bettina Weisser

Das vorliegende Kurzkompendium prasentiert einen breit gefacherten UEberblick uber den Berufsstand des Maklers. Neben einer historischen Nachzeichnung der Entwicklung des Berufsfeldes stehen vor allem ganz praktische Themenfelder wie etwa die Trennung von Handelsmakler und Zivilmakler, die Unterschiede einer Nachweis- und einer Vermittlungsleistung sowie die bestehenden rechtlichen Voraussetzungen zur Ausubung des Maklerberufs im Zentrum der Betrachtung. Eine Aufstellung der verschiedenen Ausgestaltungsformen von Maklervertragen und die daraus ableitbaren Voraussetzungen des Provisionsanspruchs komplettieren den angestrebten Gesamtuberblick.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for more than 90 per cent of all businesses in the Asia-Pacific region - an area which is rapidly updating its competition laws and regulations to encourage greater enterpreneurship and open, dynamic economies. Yet SMEs are almost invisible when those competition policies and laws are developed and enforced. SMEs are often quite different businesses than large, multinational corporation, but their nature, significance and characteristics are often overlooked. This book seeks to rectify the relative neglect in research and policy discussions on the role of the SME sector in competition policy and law. Drawing on contributions from a wide range of competition regulators, lawyers, academics, consultants and advisers to the SME sector, it addresses such important issues as: - perceptions and views of small businesses about competition law; regulator engagement and education of the SME sector; - the link between competition law and economic growth; - franchising, SMEs and competition law; issues in enforcing competition law against SMEs; - the role of Chinese family firms; - trade, professional and industry associations; - country case studies from Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, South Korea, Hong Kong SAR, Japan and the Pacific Islands.

Andreas Schmidt gibt praktische Hilfestellung fur die zeitnahe Realisierung und Absicherung von Vergutungsanspruchen. Dies ist fur Bauunternehmen eine wesentliche Voraussetzung fur den Unternehmenserfolg, denn diese sind nach der gesetzlichen Konzeption des Werkvertragsrechts grundsatzlich vorleistungspflichtig - d.h. sie mussen das fur die Leistungserbringung erforderliche Personal, Material und Gerat zunachst vorfinanzieren. Der Autor zeigt, wie der Bauunternehmer die Regelungen im BGB und in der VOB/B betreffend die Abrechnung seiner Leistung sachgemass anwendet, um Zahlungsflusse zu beschleunigen. Zudem erfahrt der Unternehmer, wie er reagieren kann, wenn der Auftraggeber verspatet oder gar nicht zahlt und wie er seinen Vergutungsanspruch fur den Insolvenzfall absichern kann.

Die Insolvenz des Zahlungsdienstleisters Wirecard hat den Finanzplatz Deutschland erschuttert. In diesem in der deutschen Wirtschaftsgeschichte bislang beispiellosen Skandalfall kommen alle Facetten von Bilanzbetrug, Lobbyismus sowie unternehmerischem und aufsichtsrechtlichen Versagen in einem Stoff zum Vorschein. Der Gesetzgeber hat mit dem FISG erste Antworten geben, um weiteren Schaden vom hiesigen Finanzplatz abzuwenden. Auch wenn viele Reformen zu begrussen sind, sollte primar eine grundliche evidenzbasierte Aufarbeitung das Fundament fur eine Lex Wirecrd legen. Schliesslich mangelte es bei nuchterner Betrachtung im Zeitpunkt der Aufdeckung des Bilanzbetrugs nicht vornehmlich an gesetzlichen Sicherheitsmechanismen - vor allem in Form eines Aufsichtsrates und eines externen Abschlussprufers. Und dennoch erwiesen sich rund 1,9 Mrd. EUR in Gestalt angeblicher Guthaben auf Treuhandkonten als Luftnummer. Daher hat sich ein interdisziplinares Team bestehend aus renommierten Wissenschaftlern und Praxisvertretern zum Ziel gesetzt, den Zusammenbruch dieses vormals im DAX30 gelisteten Technologieunternehmens aus verschiedenen fachlichen Perspektiven wissenschaftlich-fundiert kritisch zu beleuchten, nach wie vor bestehende Regulierungsdefizite aufzudecken und/oder Handlungsempfehlungen auszusprechen. In diesem Sammelband geht es somit darum, die "richtigen" oder noch nicht adressierte Fragen zu stellen. Denn das FISG hat nicht einen Schlussstrich unter die Diskussion um sinnvolle Massnahmen zur Verbesserung von Bilanzkontrolle, Abschlussprufung und Corporate Governance gezogen, sondern diese Diskussion weiter entfacht.

For all the turmoil that roiled financial markets during the Great Recession and its aftermath, Wall Street forecasts once again turned bullish and corporate profitability soared to unprecedented heights. How does capitalism consistently generate profits despite its vulnerability to destabilizing events that can plunge the global economy into chaos? The Great Levelerelucidates the crucial but underappreciated role of the law in regulating capitalism's rhythms of accumulation and growth. Brett Christophers argues that capitalism requires a delicate balance between competition and monopoly. When monopolistic forces become dominant, antitrust law steps in to discourage the growth of giant corporations and restore competitiveness. When competitive forces become dominant, intellectual property law steps in to protect corporate assets and encourage investment. These two sets of laws-antitrust and intellectual property-have a pincer effect on corporate profitability, ensuring that markets become neither monopolistic, which would lead to rent-seeking and stagnation, nor overly competitive, which would drive down profits. Christophers pursues these ideas through a close study of the historical development of American and British capitalist economies from the late nineteenth century to the present, tracing the relationship between monopoly and competition in each country and the evolution of legal mechanisms for keeping these forces in check. More than an illuminating study of the economic role of law, The Great Leveler is a bold and fresh dissection of the anatomy of modern capitalism.

Intellectual property law plays a pivotal role in ensuring that luxury goods companies can recoup their investments in the creation and dissemination of their copyrighted works, trademarked logos, and patented designs. In 2011, global sales for luxury goods reached about $250 billion, and consumers in East and Southeast Asia accounted for more than 50 percent of that figure. The rapid expansion of the market has prompted some retailers to wield intellectual property against the influx of imitators and counterfeiters. The Luxury Economy and Intellectual Property comprehensively explores the rise of the luxury goods economy and the growing role of intellectual property in creating, sustaining, and regulating this economy. Leading scholars across various disciplines critically consider the industry, its foundational intellectual property laws, and the public interest and social concerns arising from the intersection of economics and law. Topics covered include defining the concept of luxury, the social life of luxury goods, concerns about distributive justice in a world flooded by luxury goods and knockoffs, the globalization of luxury goods, and the economic, social, and political ramifications of the meteoric rise of the Asian luxury goods market.

Challenges, Lessons, and Prospects for Operationalizing Regional Projects in Asia: Legal and Institutional Aspects is part of the World Bank Studies series. These papers are published to communicate the results of the Bank's ongoing research and to stimulate public discourse. For the past decade and a half, international development organisations have been making continual efforts to finance multi-country projects with regional goals. Despite their efforts, the structure of intervention through such projects has not been easy to design and implement. Experience shows that one of the reasons for this is the lack of clarity in the enabling legal framework and tools, both within the client countries as well as the development organisations. Against this backdrop, this study is born of a need for more precise and comprehensive information about the legal and institutional aspects involved in designing regional projects. Based essentially on desk research and with limited field consultation, it attempts to discuss - primarily from legal and institutional perspectives - the tools, prospects, and opportunities for designing and implementing regional projects. Paying particular focus on the emerging practice of the World Bank, and with a special reference to the Asia region, the study reviews the framework for regional projects in which international development organisations operate, the problems they face, and the possibilities they provide for countries that rely on international financing for their development. Challenges, Lessons, and Prospects for Operationalizing Regional Projects in Asia: Legal and Institutional Aspects outlines the general structures of regional projects and discusses the World Bank approach toward regional projects, the importance of political will and commitment, the general legal structures for regional projects, the uniqueness and challenges for Asia, and makes some proposals for consideration in developing regional projects. The study will be of particular interest to development professionals working in the context of regional projects and anyone interested in how legal and institutional structures impact project development.

Businesses exist to provide goods and services to customers, and in so doing they take risks. Among these risks is the possibility of losing money in lawsuits filed by customers, employees, or others negatively impacted by the business. Insurance provides some protection against these liabilities, but lawsuits still take their toll. This book covers the subject of economic damages and their role in lawsuits against businesses. In brief, economic damages are claimed losses that can be valued in terms of some market equivalent. As such, economic damages are a reasonably objective and predictable component of liability risk. Business managers and students working toward a business degree can and should get a handle on economic damages. The book shows readers how that can be accomplished by introducing them to relevant economic fundamentals and applying those fundamentals to a range of lawsuits, including tort claims of personal injury and wrongful death, wrongful termination of employees, and business contract disputes.

Construction professionals of all kinds frequently need legal advice that is straightforward as well as authoritative and legally rigorous. Building on the success of two previous editions, David Chappell returns to provide answers to 225 FAQs from his experience as Specialist Advisor to the RIBA. With 50 new questions, and thorough updates to address changes to the law and contracts, this is an invaluable first port of call for any construction law problem. Questions range in content from extensions of time, liquidated damages and loss and/or expense to issues of practical completion, defects, valuation, certificates and payment, architects' instructions, adjudication and fees. Among the new questions are: Is the contractor bound by its price even if there is an error? How do terms about working in a spirit of trust affect other clauses? Can architects lose their rights to certify under JCT 2011 contracts? Every question included has been asked of David Chappell during his career, and he uses his vast experience to provide clear, easy to follow advice in this book. Most were originally asked by architects, but the answers will be of wide interest to everyone involved in construction.

This report provides an overview of arguments explaining the risk of corruption. Corrupt acts are subject to decision making authority and assets available for grabbing. These assets can be stolen, created by artificial shortage, or become available as the result of a market failure. Assets that are especially exposed to corruption include profits from the private sector, revenues from the export of natural resources, aid and loans, and the proceeds of crime. Whether or not opportunities for corruption are exploited depends on the individuals involved, the institution or society they are part of, and the law enforcement circumstances. Corruption usually persists in situations in which players are aware of the facts but nonetheless condone the practice. Absence of reaction can result from information asymmetries (in which the people who are supposed to act are not aware of the need to act), coordination failure, patronage-determined loyalty, and incentive problems at the political level. This review of results and insights from different parts of the scholarly literature on corruption focuses on areas where research can guide anticorruption policy. The report also describes a number of corruption-related challenges in need of more attention from researchers.

Improving the returns to labour for low-paid workers is a key policy challenge, especially in low-income countries (LICs) where earnings increases are the single most important source of poverty reduction and an important engine of shared prosperity. Yet, the understanding of individual earnings dynamics remains limited. The small - but growing - body of empirical literature on the factors leading to larger and faster pay increases points to strong persistence in earnings over time. However, it remains unclear to what extent this is due to differences in individual endowments rather than to the fact that being in low-paying jobs itself undermines future earnings prospects, and to what extent determinants of earnings vary across types of activities and sectors. The knowledge gap is particularly large for LICs due to the limited availability of reliable panel data. This study uses unusually rich longitudinal data from Ghana and Tanzania to identify engines of, and barriers to, earnings and earnings mobility. It examines the relative role of individual endowments - such as gender, age, and skills - and characteristics of the job, but also focuses on the role of job switches - for example, moves into and out of self-employment. The analysis also zooms in on the drivers of transitions between low-paying and high-paying jobs and addresses questions such as whether being low paid is a transitory or permanent phenomenon, and whether it has a scarring effect on an individual's employment prospects. The extent to which earnings dynamics differ for women and young adults is also discussed in detail. Tanzania and Ghana provide a particularly relevant context in which to examine these issues and the cross-country comparison helps shed light on the institutional factors that promote labor market mobility and entrepreneurship. The audience for this report is broad: it is an important read for policy makers, academics, and development practitioners interested in reducing poverty and promoting shared prosperity in Ghana and Tanzania. However, its relevance spans well beyond the two countries analysed to include all developing countries where self-employment in small-scale activities accounts for a very large proportion of all employment.

This book explains the impact that some key legal decisions may have on your daily procurement practices: whilst it aims at being readable and at times amusing, it hopes to set some of the requirements of the Procurement Regulations into a practical context and help those tendering to navigate their way through what to some must at first seem like a legal minefield. It isn't, but it does demand thought and care. In addition, it will look at some of the more recent pieces of legislation, purely to help you keep abreast of any changes to your current practice that these new legal requirements may demand. Not only will the precedents and requirements explained herein guide you towards safer and more compliant procurement, it will also, hopefully, enable you to better understand the implications when someone names a case on which current good practice is based. It may even, dare I say, enable you to better participate in discussions on EU legislation at dinner parties and with your peers.